NLC faction demands N90,000 by Vanguard Media Limited

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NLC faction demands N90,000 minimum wage By Victor Ahiuma-Young, Assistant Labour Editor & Gloria Adokwu

HEAD of today ’s Workers’ Day, also known as May Day, a faction of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, led by Joe Ajaero, yesterday, rejected the N56,000 national minimum wage proposal reportedly sent to the Federal Government by the Ayuba Wabba-led NLC and Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, saying it was not in tune with economic realities faced by workers. At a pre-May Day symposium, titled, “Inclusive Socio-Economic Space for Sustainable Development”, Ajaero told his audience that his faction of NLC was not part of the N56,000 proposal because the cost of living today and other socio-economic realities workers were faced with in the midst of the current exchange rate of the Nigerian currency, it was obvious that the N56,000 was off the mark. The NLC he led, the factional NLC leader stated, was demanding N90,000 national minimum wage based on the current exchange rate, noting that should the exchange rate go above N500 per dollar, NLC would demand for more than N90,000. He said: “No sacrifice is too much to liberate the Nigerian workers. Every year, we go to the stadium to salute those who have been enslaving us, those who have refused to pay us minimum living national wage. But since last year, we have been forced to gather under the bridge of the National Stadium, which we have named `Workers Freedom Square’. We will gather, march through the streets, take the May Day to the real owners, the Nigerian workers and masses, to tell them that there is no electricity despite the astronomical tariff, that there is no fuel, that there are no good roads, that public universities are being closed down, that there are no jobs and so on and so forth. “Few days ago, we were told that N56.000 minimum

wage proposal has been sent to the government. We want to tell you that we are not part of that because even as they were sending the proposal, they equally said that they know that the economy is bad. By the time you say that, it means that the proposal is dead on arrival. We all know that the current minimum wage is less that the electricity bill paid by most workers. On our part, we are demanding N90,000 minimum wage. The N90,000 we are demanding is with a proviso, depending on the exchange rate. If the exchange rate goes above

N500 a dollar, we will ask for more.” Delivering the pre-May Day symposium, human rights activist and former lecturer at The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr. Femi Aborishade, called for a united struggle for a national living minimum wage as prescribed by the Constitution. According to him, Ajaero, Wabba led NLC and TUC should unite and come out with a national living minimum wage, because the ruling class had institutionalized poverty, unemployment and illiteracy among others.

British High Commissioner, Paul Arkwright (right), greets Senate President Bukola Saraki, during the celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth’s birthday in Abuja.

Supreme Court verdict: Fayose’s advice gave me victory — Ishaku

•As Ekiti gov. commissions projects

ARABA State Governor Darius Ishaku, yesterday, said his Ekiti State counterpart, Ayodele Fayose, was instrumental to the victory he secured at the Supreme Court to retain his seat as governor after losing in a dramatic manner at the Court of Appeal. Akwa Ibom and Abia States governors, Emmanuel Udom and Okezie Ikpeazu, respectively, also revealed that Fayose has been a pillar of support to their administrations, disclosing that the Ekiti governor played similar role during their travails at the election petition tribunal. The governors made the remarks in Ado Ekiti during the commissioning of some projects executed by Fayose. Besides the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, governors who graced the ceremony include Dr Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State

David Umahi of Ebonyi, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Nyesom Wike of Rivers and Ibrahim Dankwabo of Gombe. Ishaku, while speaking at a thanksgiving ceremony organised in honour of his judicial victory in Ado Ekiti, said Fayose’s spiritual counseling made him escape the hammer at the apex court. “After losing at the Appeal Court, I was in Jerusalem with Governor Fayose and, at a time, I became burdened and I told him (Fayose) that I was prepared to go back to my state. But he advised me to stay back and put all my supplications before God and I did. “I then promised that if I should win the Supreme Court case, I was going to do my thanksgiving in Ado Ekiti and that I am doing today. He told me that God will make a way for me and this advice actually subdued my worries and today I am celebrating”.

TSA freezes research funds in UNILAG, UNAAB – ASUU By Dayo Johnson, Akure

HE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised the alarm that Treasury Single Account (TSA) is frustrating funding of research in universities. Aside this, the union said the policy has not

only eroded universities autonomy but has also robbed them of the opportunity for short, medium and long-time planning. The Akure Zonal Coordinator of ASUU, Dr Alex Odiyi, who spoke in Akure, added that the TSA policy affects local and international research. Odiyi pointed out that funds from international funding agencies are also rendered unavailable by bottlenecks created by the policy. “At the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), funds administered by the university for certain programmes spanning five African countries are trapped. The situation is the same at University of Lagos. “At this time, Nigerian universities and researchers may be blacklisted and denied access to international grants.” Odiyi lamented that the policy was also frustrating payment of staff salaries in universities.

The Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, Mr. Waziri Adio (2r) presenting some documents to the Regional Editor (North), Mr. Soni Daniel while the NEITI Director Communications, Dr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji (m); Vanguard Abuja Bureau Chief, Mr. Emmanuel Ujah (l) and the NEITI Head, Technical Unit on Governance & Anti Corruption Reforms, Lillian Ekeanyanwu (r) looked on during a familiarity visit to media houses by the new management of NEITI at the Abuja Bureau Office of Vanguard, Vanguard House, Dambatta Close, Garki, Abuja. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida .

Tension, as soldiers kill pregnant woman in Warri By Emma Amaize

PREGNANT woman, hit with the bayonet of a rifle by an angry soldier, died, yesterday’s morning at Effurun, in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State. The incident happened at 7.45 am at a military checkpoint at Jakpa Junction, causing an irate mob to set a military vehicle ablaze. The soldiers on duty at the checkpoint fled the scene soon after they observed that the

woman, who initially slumped, had died. As at the time of this report, there was tension in the area, while the police deployed men to maintain peace. Our source said the soldiers stopped the woman and the tricycle rider conveying her at the checkpoint for purportedly violating the no-movement order during yesterday ’s environmental sanitation in the state. The woman pleaded with the soldiers that she was rushing to attend a marriage

ceremony, but when the soldiers refused all entreaties, the tricycle rider escaped. His bold getaway incensed one of the soldiers, who visited her anger on the woman by wrathfully hitting her stomach with the bayonet of his gun, ripping her stomach in the process. She slumped and died on the spot. “Angry youths set ablaze the patrol van of the soldiers, who took to their heels as soon as they observed that the woman was dead,” an eyewitness told Vanguard.

Buhari’ll assent to 2016 Budget this week — Osinbajo •Ezekwesili picks holes in FG’s economic policies By Emma Ujah, Abuja Bureau Chief & Levinus Nwabughiogu

ICE President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday, assured that the 2016 Budget would be signed into law by his principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, this week. He stated that the signing of the document would kick-start the implementation of the change agenda of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which would include completing all social projects that were abandoned by the last government. Speaking at the The Platform, a programme held under the theme: ‘Nigeria, what is in your hands? Tapping into out dead economy, looking beyond our oil driven economy’, in Abuja, yesterday, the VP said the completion of power projects would be a priority and that current challenges facing Nigerians are “temporal and resolvable”. He noted that most Nigerians were already expressing mixed

feelings about the preparedness of the administration to bring about the desired change, urging them be patient with government. Meanwhile, former Minister of Education and BringBack Our Girls leader, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, criticized the economic policies of the Buhari administration, saying they were ineffective and taking the nation backwards. The former minister warned

that the central command structure adopted by Buhari in 1984 as military Head of State will not work in today’s global economy of which Nigeria is a part. Rather than improving the nation’s fortunes, Ezekwesili, who spoke also at the occasion, warned that current economic policies would leave Nigeria worse off, as was the case in Buhari’s first coming as military dictator.

NEITI will run transparently under my watch — Adio Media Limited on a courtesy By Michael Eboh

HE Chief Executive of the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, NEITI, Mr. Waziri Adio, has said that the agency will do all within its power to promote transparency and accountability in the extractive industry which is the staying power of the Nigerian economy. Adio, accompanied by two of his directors, made the declaration when he visited the Abuja Office of Vanguard

call as part of his familiarization tour of media houses in the country. And to achieve the aim, the NEITI boss promised to work closely with the media and other stakeholders in the sector in promoting probity in the industry. Adio, who was received by the Northern Region Editor of Vanguard, Mr. Soni Daniel, made it clear that the agency would make all the players in the industry to adopt best practices in the discharge of their duties.

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•Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State (right), being welcomed at his Ward, Orba Ward II, by the Transition Chairman of Udenu Local Government Area of the state, Hon. Frank Ugwu (left) during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Ward Congress, yesterday.

PDP holds peaceful congresses

•Kashamu, Bankole, Adebutu split party in Ogun •Protest in Osun By Daud Olatunji, MarieTherese Nanlong, Rotimi Ojomoyela, John Mkom & Ochuko Akuopha

HE ward congresses of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, conducted in most states of the country, yesterday, passed uneventfully with the notable exception of Ogun and Osun states. In Ogun, party members and regulatory electoral institutions split into three factions across the 236 wards in the state. The ward congresses are the first steps in the election of principal officers of the PDP at the ward, local government, state, zonal and national levels. The congresses, however, did not hold in some states like Edo, Kogi and Bayelsa where congresses were earlier held. Inmoststates,theelectionwent with ease and, in some cases, leaders of the party met in caucuses to adopt pre-selected officials to be elected as party executives and delegates to the elections in the upper echelons of the party. In Kano, the exercise was suspended to allow the party concentrate on the bye-election into a seat in the state House of Assembly, the party’s publicity secretary, Musa Dan’Birni, said. In Ogun, consensus was, however, difficult to achieve as party members converged in three different locations in each of the 236 wards according to the loyalties of the members. The principal factional groupings

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were around Senator Buruji Kashamu, former Speaker Demiji Bankole and Rep Ladi Adebutu,amemberoftheHouse of Representatives. Remarkably, Sunday Vanguard gathered that all the factions had officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Department of State Services, DSS, and national party officials in attendance. The Kashamu group, which has the state Chairman and Secretary of the party, Bayo Dayo and Semiu Sodipo respectively, as members, was, however, accused of holding members of the 11-man Congress Committee hostage in the senator’s Ijebu-Igbo house. The Adebutu and Bankole factions further claimed that Kashamu and members of the Congress Committee compiled the names of the wards leaders at the senator’s residence. The Chairman of the committee, Mohammed ElYakubu, however, denied the allegations and claimed that, as of the time journalists encountered him midway into the congress, he had not set eyes on Kashamu . But speaking with newsmen, the party’s former Organising Secretary, Folasade Filani, said the congresses held by her group, which is believed to be loyal to Adebutu, was the valid exercise. A former member of the Ogun State House of Assembly,

Johnson Olu-Fatoki, who is loyal to the Bankole, as evidence of the legitimacy of the exercise conducted by his group, said his faction held the exercise at the venues designated by the PDP national leadership. In Lagos, the exercise passed smoothly in the 245 wards of the state with no reports of violence. However, in Igando Ward F, Alimosho Local Government Area of the state, some party members faulted the process, alleging it was manipulated to favour some members. The exercise also passed smoothly in Delta State. Sunday Vanguard monitored the exercise in Oshimili North and South, Aniocha North and South, Ika North East and Ika South, Isoko North and South, Ughelli North and South, NdokwaEastandWest,Ukwani, Sapele, Okpe, Ethiope East and West and Patani Local Government Area, and found that the exercise was devoid of violence. The congresses in the 27 local government areas of Jigawa State were equally peaceful, a claim that was buttressed by Alhaji Aminu Nuhu Jahun, Deputy Vice Chairman of the PDP,who told newsmen that the exercisewashitch-freeinhisarea Jahun and other places he had received reports from. The exercise was marred by protest in Osun State, championed by, among others, a candidate for state Chairman, Dr Bayo Faforiji, who demanded outright cancellation of the exercise. Supporters Faforiji had stormed the state secretariat of the party in protest of alleged non-release of forms to those believed to be loyal to him by the outgoing state Chairman of the party, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa. But debunking the claim, another chairmanship candidate, Hon Soji Adagunodo, said forms paid for by his camp were given to them and dismissed the protest as “mere distraction”. The congresses were also peaceful in the 177 wards in Ekiti and in the 319 wards of Rivers State. Deputy Publicity secretary of the party in Rivers State, Mr SamWonosikesaidpeoplevoted persons of their choice into the various positions. There was massive turn out of PDP membersinPlateauStatedespite the restriction of movement for the environmental sanitation exercise. The exercise was conducted peacefully in most parts of the state. Similarly, in most parts of Taraba State, the exercise passed smoothly with consensus mostly the order of the day.

•R-L: Deremi Atanda, Executive Director, SystemSpecs Limited, Mr. Rotimi Omotoso (Registrar, ICAN); Representative of the AGF; Alhaji Salawu Adeku Zubairu (Director, Fiscal Account & Cash Mgt., Funds Dept; OAGF) at the ICAN UK International Conference to discuss the crucial role of TSA in promoting transparency, accountability and good governance.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (3rd left); his wife, Bolanle (middle); Senator Oluremi Tinubu (left); Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu I; APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; wife of former Governor Ogun State, Mrs. Derin Osoba and her husband, Aremo Olusegun Osoba during an evening of Jazz Music with the Governor in commemoration of the International Jazz Day 2016, at the Lagos House, Ikeja, yesterday.

ENUGU MASSACRE: Northern govs under fire... for defending Fulani •Afenifere, Ijaw youths fault them

HE 19 northern governors came under criticism yesterday over their position that the Fulani should not be labelled as criminals. The Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, asked the governors to bury their heads in shame over their position which came in the wake of the heat generated by the attack on Ukpabi-Ninbo community in Enugu State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, last Monday. Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) also condemned the governors. The northern governors, who met in Kaduna, on Friday, had taken a strong exception to the branding of perpetrators of crimes around the country as Fulani. The Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) and Governor of Borno State, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, who spoke on behalf of the group,said it was an insult to consider criminals as Fulani. Afenifere, yesterday, faulted the governors’ position, asking them to bury their heads in shame. The Yoruba group, which spoke through their National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, told Sunday Vanguard: “It (the northern governors’ position) is a sign of unfeeling, uncaring for

any group today to come out and say that those who have been causing problems and killing people in the Middle Belt and the South are not Fulani herdsmen. They have killed in Agatu land, Enugu; a traditional ruler was killed in Delta State; they killed Chief Olu Falae’s guard and also kidnapped Chief Falae himself. For some people to gather and call themselves northern governors, and have no sympathy for lives than to be defending the Fulani herdsmen, shows clearly that it is a tragedy of monumental proportion to be in the same country with these elements. You also begin to wonder if the blood of human beings runs in their veins because anybody that has human blood running in his veins will not come and say that Fulani herdsmen are not responsible. What nonsense.” The Afenifere spokesperson went on: “I think the northern governors should bury their heads in shame. I do not think they are fit to be in the comity of civilized human beings. If the attackers are not Fulani herdsmen, where have they struck in the North-West? Why are their activities only in the Middle Belt and in the South? That is the question these northern governors should answer. When militants were blowing up pipelines

in the South-South, were they not called Niger Delta militants? Do they want us to call them Yoruba herdsmen?” In a statement, the IYC described the northern governors’ position as an affront on other nationalities. Spokesman for the group, Eric Omare, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, said the governors stance was disappointing and a tacit support for criminality and Fulani herdsmen pillaging of their host communities. His words, “The statement by the northern governors is disappointing and a tacit support for criminality and the ongoing Fulani herdsmen terrorism. “If they are interested in peace in Nigeria, they ought to be more concerned about the implication of the activities of the Fulani herdsmen rather than a perceived insult on the Fulani race. “The IYC condemns the stand taken by the northern governors and calls on southern leaders to brace up for the challenges ahead. “Furthermore, we wish to state that part of the reason Boko Haram grew to become a national problem was the tacit support given to them by northern political leaders and this Fulani herdsmen terrorism is taking the same pattern; hence it must be taken seriously.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 7

The Reality of the 'Great Expectation' (1)

t is not really a hard exercise to judge the mood of Nigerians at this time in point. Generally, one can say, it is at the lowest ever in the history of the country. In doing this simple exercise of "placing" the national mood, one runs the risk of being labelled a "hailer" or a "hater" or worse still a "wailing wailer". These are the new words that have found their ways into the Nigerian political lexicon. There is no middle line on political or economic commentaries in Nigeria any more. A casual or honest criticism of the government earns you the membership of the "wailing wailers" club. If on the other hand you genuinely praise government's effort, you are crowned a "hailer" without sense. It is of note that the social media is still patronised by individuals taking stands for and against leaders in the present and past administrations. These Nigerians, either for pecuniary gains, the love of the characters involved or sheer patriotism are not letting off as they have turned the various social media platforms to war grounds. Fans of both sides line up to defend their mentors or paymasters in many ways, no matter how dirty, they can. While the "war of words" are going on between these supporters, common men on the streets are lamenting their situations in the aftermath of what some observers have dubbed the "Great Expectation". This is obviously referring to the renewed hope of better life for Nigerians going by the promises of politicians during and immediately after the 2015 General Elections. By the end of this month it would be one year since President Muhammed Buhari took over the reins of power from Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. The story, from May 29, 2015 till date, for the ordinary citizens seem to still be the same as before the elections. One would be economical with the truth by saying majority of Nigerians are satisfied with the state of the nation so far. From all indications, most are disappointed in how little, if any, the "new" government has impacted on them. One can empathise with them considering the great change that was promised them by the politicians before the elections. Unfortunately, eleven months down the line they are yet to feel, not to talk of getting the "dividends" of democracy. Never in the history of Nigeria was there such a rekindling of nationalism and patriotism as before and during the 2015 General Elections. The sentiments of the citizenry were whipped up by high sounding words such as "Change", "Transformation" etc and

Nigerians got carried away with these "booming" words which created the Great Expectation of "miracles" immediately after. Unfortunately for Nigerians, in the course of the past year, they have been reminded many times on national and international media that the individuals they voted in to power are not "magicians" or from outer space. As a result they cannot perform beyond their capabilities and available resources. The frequent use of the phrase "we cannot perform magic" has brought Nigerians back to reality. While the "expected" miracles are not happening on time, Nigerians were at least expecting a little "change" in their situations. Unfortunately (again) for them, no such thing has happened. The expectations after the elections were so high that citizens were dreaming of a better and ideal Nigeria. They dreamt of a country with constant electricity supply, affordable homes, adequate and efficient basic infrastructure, good network of roads etc. These, till date, are still dreams that have refused to become reality. Months after the elections, the politicians have changed the catchword from "change" or "transformation" to "Nigerians are impatient". The ordinary citizens are adjusting to the fact that the expected change will take a

One would be economical with the truth by saying majority of Nigerians are satisfied with the state of the nation so far. From all indications, most are disappointed in how little, if any, the "new" government has impacted on them while to come, as all of a sudden, electricity is now a luxury in a country with an average temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. To their dismay, despite all the assurances before elections, they have to queue for hours before they buy fuel, at cut throat prices determined by shylock marketers. These are strange times for Nigerians, some of whom are beginning to express doubt about the "great expectation", as promised by the All Progressives Congress (APC). The government has said it is not insensitive to the woes of the people, but had been constrained by the fall in the price of oil in the international market. To start off the administration, the government had devoted most of its energy on fighting corruption. In doing this, it

has not failed to regularly remind us that the government of Jonathan acted irresponsibly by depleting the national resources with nothing to show for it. From Port Harcourt to Kano, Nigerians can recite the various billions of Naira, top officials of the Jonathan administration were reported to have embezzled. The awareness of corruption has been the beginning of wisdom in the country. The arrests and detentions of hitherto "untouchables" have brought a semblance of sanity to a society that thrived mainly on corruption. Nigerians have hailed the efforts of the government in this direction but many are worried that nothing is being done to stimulate the economy. To show Nigerians his administration is not all about anti-corruption, the President headed towards China, in one of his numerous officials travels, to seek ways out of the economic miseries his people have found themselves. The President had no choice of destination in terms of economic matters than China as the West seem to have lost interest in the "change expectation" from Buhari and his team. Prior to this travel, the foreign exchange system was (and still) in chaos with the Naira reaching its all time low against major currencies. It is unfortunate that till date, Nigerians are confused on the details of the China deal. There has been conflicting reports on what was agreed with the Chinese government or businesses. While we were initially told the President managed to secure a loan deal, a few days after Nigerians were told it was a "currency swap". And not long after we were informed again there was no swap. The citizens saw their President in China but they have no idea of the package he brought back on their behalf. To be fair to the Buhari administration, various institutional failures or problems being witnessed right now are results of years of decay and rot in the system. The miseries of the common men on the streets did not start yesterday. They dated back to when the colonial masters handed over the apparatus of government to Nigerian leaders. One can therefore sympathise with the Buhari administration when it says the rot can not be fixed as fast as citizens desire. Nigeria's history has been largely written on certain indices such as tribalism, poverty, bribery and c o r r u p t i o n , mismanagement, lack of infrastructure among many others. It was not until recently that terrorism found its way into our history books through the murderous activities of the Boko Haram group. All these together over the years put the ordinary Nigerian citizen in tight corners while struggling hard to keep above the waters. He has to cope with all sorts of miseries coupled with political leadership that has no love for the country. These combined has made the common man a pitiable figure. To be concluded next week

Happy Sunday! Joyful Homes is here again to lift our faith and remind us that whatever the challenge we are going through has expiry date. Whether it is visible or not, the reality is that nearly all human beings have one challenge or the other. I mean there is something that we are worried about. Something that an individual does not have the capacity to resolve. A friend once told me that she had an appointment for 4 a.m. to meet with the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire Ministries, Pastor D.K. Olukoya. While waiting, she sighted a prominent businessman ( name withheld) who had also come to see the G.O. She said she didn’t know that a man of such calibre could have a challenge that would warrant losing his sleep to keep an appointment with a man of God. This, however, is not our focus. Ours is to remind ourselves about the awesome power of God and his goodness to human beings. Generally, I try to refrain from speaking about medical science achievements in the area of child bearing but some cannot be ignored. However, the experience of some couples have shown that whereas medical science failed severally, God did not fail. But then, let’s thank God for medical science. Have you asked yourself, could such inventions have been made without the hand of God? Definitely not. Those inventions were made because God meant them for some people. For instance, a certain woman, who had been waiting on the Lord for years, got pregnant . She actually missed her period and naturally was happy. The following day, she had a dream in which she saw two persons ( identities veiled) who told her, “You are pregnant, we’ll see how you will deliver ”. But immediately, another voice said to her, “They are liars”. It is clear that the first voice was that of the enemy, those who, for whatever reasons, didn’t want her to have children. The other was the voice of the Holy Spirit. How do I know ? The second voice spoke in agreement with the word of God in Genesis 1 vs 28: “And God blessed them and God said unto them, `Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth’”. To shorten this story, this woman saw the best of doctors in Nigeria and overseas but none could see the baby. One of them told her that since she was feeling the movement of the baby at the back, no scan will ever see it. In England’, where she had a comprehensive scan, no one saw the baby . However, shortly before that scan, she felt as if the baby had been taken out of her. Meanwhile, she remained steadfast in prayer and, finally, the God of perfection moved and she delivered a baby boy. Her doctor in England sent her a mail, “ This is a miracle. The last time I saw this kind was 25 years ago”. This is a true-life story but which some

Waiting for the God of Perfection may find difficult to believe . Miracles are not commonplace stories. In many instances, they are controversial . Why ? Because they defy logic. The God of Perfection When we talk about perfection in our lives, we are usually coming from a background that something is imperfect and needs to be perfected. What does the Holy

In our prayer, we should learn to remind God of his word on the particular focus of our prayer. The knowledge of the word is hardly obtainable if we do not create time to study the word. We just must find time to study the word Bible say? Psalm 138 verse 8 states: “The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me; thy mercy, O Lord, endureth forever; forsake not the work of thine own hands”. Here, the Psalmist appreciates that he is the creation of Jehovah Elyon ( the God of Creation ) just like you and I . Therefore, we have a duty to remind God to perfect his work in our lives, but because we know that we may have taken steps that have worked against what we desire or some people somewhere might have vowed that our joy will not be full, we need to ask for the mercy of the Lord just like the Psalmist. To overcome that challenge, there is the need to ask. This, we do by creating time to pray and study the word of God. Our assurance of an answer is found in Numbers 14 verse 28: “Say unto them, `As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in my ears, so will I do to you’”. So, you must speak before God takes action. May I share with you the sermon of Pastor J.T. Kalejaye of RCCG on a similar topic. He said, we should bear in mind that“ any problem that leads to a miracle is a good one”. We are also reminded that God’s ways are different from our own. Many are times, what we call a delay is waiting for God’s time. We should always bear in mind that a miracle is different from magic. God is a miracle worker

and not a magician. Isaiah 55 verse 8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways , saith the Lord”. While praying, we should seek his mercy and favour even when we get tired of waiting. When we get tired, it is not the time to question God. Neither is it the time to murmur. A friend once had a challenge of getting married. She had a fiancé who was known to everybody. Their relationship wasn’t a secret but the man’s mother vehemently opposed the marriage on the grounds that the lady was older than the guy and had a love child. Eventually, the pressure was too much for the guy and he married someone else. They guy felt so guilty that he continued to meet all her material needs. On a particular day, I visited my friend and told her to be patient, suggesting that she could get a better life partner. She retorted: “If God would do it , why hasn’t that God done it?’. She didn’t stop at that , she stopped attending any church service. Till today, her status has remained the same. When we turn God off our lives, do we turn to the devil for solution? Definitely no solution will come from the devil . If it ever comes, there is always a huge price to pay. Coping with challenges While coping with challenges, our faith should remind us that only God can reverse the irreversible. Our authority is found in Jeremiah 32 verse 27: “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” In our prayer, we should learn to remind God of his word on the particular focus of our prayer. The knowledge of the word is hardly obtainable if we do not create time to study the word. We just must find time to study the word. We are also reminded of the word of God as stated in I John 3 verse 8. The latter part of it states, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil “. Let’s look unto Jesus; our best friend, the one who never sleeps nor slumber. Instead of shedding sorrowful tears and wearing mournful looks because of a challenge, let’s cry unto Jesus. Shed those tears while praying and the Lord who has seen you in secret will surely reward you openly. Stay focused. Don’t get tired of worshipping God; your testimony will arrive when you least expect. I wish you a fruitful week in Jesus name. Happy May Day!

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 9

We're tackling pipeline vandalism, through promises towards creSMART Agenda â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Otuaro paign ating prosperity and hence

eputy Governor of Del ta State, Deacon Kingsley Burutu Otuaro has

assured that the state government was keeping faith with its electioneering cam-

dissuading pipeline vandalism in the state. Otuaro, who stood in for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, gave the assurance during a courtesy call by the Minister of State, Niger Delta Affairs Ministry, Prof. Claudius Omoleye Daramola, who was in the state to carry out an audit of projects embarked upon by his ministry. Prof. Daramola, in his speech, expressed concern that despite its contributions in the struggle for justice for the Niger Delta, leading to establishment of the Ministry of Niger Delta following amnesty declaration in 2009, project completion, despite available funds, was a challenge in Delta State. Advancing reasons for the scenario, the Minister listed the non-involvement of the people concerned in project conceptualization, kidnapping, pipeline vandalism and other vices. He hinted of a policy shift to henceforth involve the people in project identification and execution in what he held out as President Muhammadu Buhari's determination to develop the region. Appealing to Niger Deltans to collaborate with the ideals of the Niger Delta Ministry, the Minister said Delta State had 40 projects that are on-going, including land reclamation, shoreline protection, stating that more skills acquisition projects were under way. He requested for land for building an office for the Niger Delta Ministry to keep a close tab on its projects in the state.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

BENIN KINGDOM

How a new Oba will emerge

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South & Simon Ebegbulem

ccording to Benin tradition, the Oba never dies, he only joins his ancestors or he transits. Nobody announces his burial because he did not die in the first instance. What is announced after an interlude is coronation, which usually lasts 3-4 months.

Breaking of white chalks

During this period, the custom prohibits social engagements like burial ceremonies while markets are shut. The Esogban of Benin Kingdom breaks white chalks in front of markets to signal the closure of markets for a period, but no open announcement. All male Bini sons are required to shave their heads in respect of the Oba. The burial arrangements are not public, so many, except a privileged class, do not know his resting place.

Pilgrimage to Uselu

Immediately the Isekhure of Benin Kingdom announces the coronation programme, the crown prince proceeds to Uselu where he is the Edaiken, and where he will spend 90 days and make all necessary rituals. After that, he will climb the traditional tree (Udianamasunamieuwa tree) and proceed to a wrestling contest at Ogiamien’s palace on Sakpoba Road. The history is that Ogiamien had never pledged allegiance to the Oba, he has always been at loggerheads with the monarch and would always want to prevent every incoming Oba from gaining access to the kingdom. A palace source, who corroborated the narration, said, “They will begin from EguaEdaiken, the traditional residence of the heir-apparent to the Benin throne. On a day fixed by the Edaiken, his people at Uselu will escort him on his journey back to BeninCity. On the way, he stops at an historical palm tree named `Udin ama-mieson aimiuwa’ (translated `work before pleasure’), which the Edaiken climbs emblematically. “This little ceremony dates C M Y K

back to the time of Oba Ewuare the Great whose life, as heir apparent to the throne, was characterized by long suffering which included periods when he personally had to climb palm trees on this spot to cut the fruits for a living. “This act of torment by the father of the first Edaiken has ever since been reenacted in a representational way by every Edaiken. From the palm tree, the Edaiken continues his journey to BeninCity. But at the first moat called lyaakpan, in the area where the firm of defunct Mid-Motors (Nigeria) Limited now stands, the Uselu chief in the procession, takes leave of the Edaiken and returns to Uselu, while the Edaiken is escorted into the city by Benin chiefs”. The source went on: “Thereafter, the Edaiken enters the city via Iguisi (now Lagos Street) and proceeds to Eko-Ohae (bachelors’ camp) where he stays for three days. After three days at Eko-Ohae, the Edaiken continues his journey to Usama, the venue of the traditional coronation rites. Usama was the site where Orominyan, the father of Eweka I, built the first palace and all succeeding Obas from Eweka I were crowned and lived there, until Oba Ewedo in the 13th century moved the palace to the present site in the centre of the town. “The Edaiken remains in Usama for seven days performing all the rituals and ceremonies of the Oba. Before the expiration of seven days, he visits Use, a village few kilometers outside Benin, where he performs the ceremony for choosing the name he will answer as the Oba of Benin”. Interestingly, he added, “This tradition started during the period of Oba Eweka I whose maternal grand-father, OgieEgor, lived in the next door village of Egor. When Prince Oromiyan left Benin, he left behind his Bini wife who was pregnant in the care of her father, the Ogie of Egor. The w o m a n delivered a m a l e

The late Oba Erediauwa

child who was dumb from birth. “The maternal grand-father then sent him to Use, the mother’s village, for treatment, but when he grew up and still could not talk, words were sent to his father at Uhe. His father sent seven magical Akhue with which the dumb prince participated in the popular village game known as Akhue. With only one seed remaining on the ground and every player having failed to strike it, the young prince used the magical Akhue from his father and succeeded in striking down the remaining seed. “Excited by this feat, he spoke for the first time exclaiming in Yoruba, Owomika (my hand has struck it). He later assumed this expression for a title which became corrupted to Eweka. “Later, having picked a name at Use, the Edaiken returns to Usama where the crowning ceremony is performed by Oliha, the leader of the Uzama, and proclaims Edaiken in his newly acquired name as the Oba of Benin. It is significant to note that until the ceremony at Use, the Edaiken never knows beforehand what name he is going to be crowned with”.

Reinforcement by Oliha

Another source puts it this way, “Ogiamien poses a problem to every Edaiken. However, he is usually defeated. After that, the Edaiken advances to Uzama-Nihiron at Siluko road, where the Oliha of Benin prepares him s p i r i t u a l l y, physically and traditionally for final ascension to the throne. That is where he gets a name. His name is changed and the new name is what he answers throughout his reign.” Coronation Following the fortification, he saunters to the famous Urhokpota Hall in the heart of Benin at the King Square where the formal coronation of Oba of Benin takes place. The governor is most likely to present Crown

Prince Ehenede Erediuwa with his staff of office same day. From th that day, he becomes the 39 Oba of Benin.

Installation rites in progress

Before the palace announced the passage of the monarch, on Friday, the crown prince , was formally installed in March as the Edaiken of Uselu after the successful completion of traditional rites.

Erediauwa’s political sagacity and controversies

OMON N’OBA Erediauwa, the immediate past Oba of Benin whose passage was announced on Friday, was not a politician but his words were law in Benin Kingdom, which has five local government areas. He also enjoyed tremendous respect and exercised power within and outside the state. In March 2004, when crisis erupted between the then Governor of Abia State, Dr Orji Ozor Kalu, and a former Chairman, Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, it looked so intractable as powers-that-be within the party mediated to no avail. However, the rift came to a dramatic end with many not understanding what really happened.

Kalu’s confession

It was later Kalu explained to journalists that, when he paid a courtesy visit to the revered monarch in company of his counterpart in Edo State at the time, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, the monarch simply told him to sheathe his sword and he had no option than to obey. According to him, “The Oba is our father. He told me to stop the war of words and resolve the matter. Who I am when our royal father has spoken? I had to stop my war with Chief Anenih, who is a respected party leader.”

Esama’s troubles with the monarch

In whispering tone, people say that a message from the palace gave victory to the defunct SDP governorship candidate, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, now the national chair of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who contested the governorship election against Lucky Igbinedion, son of the Esama of Benin, then of the defunct NRC, in 1992. Following the controversy that trailed that election and the assumed support the monarch gave to Oyegun, the Oba got a subpoena to appear at the Edo State Election Petition Tribunal to the chagrin of the Binis. The royal father trekked to the tribunal to give evidence and that incensed the Binis, who stormed the streets in protest. Years later, precisely in 2008, the palace declared the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, later accused of parading himself as a monarch, as Oghionba (enemy of the Oba). The palace suspended Igbinedion from attending palace functions. Five other palace chiefs came under the hammer for their alleged insubordination to the Oba of Benin. They were accused of giving royal beads to King Zulu and performing the Igue festival about the same time the Oba was performing the festival. Continues on page 11

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 11

Odionwere of the kingdom, so we the Benin people believe that God specially sent the Oba to represent him here on earth and that is what makes him out of the ordinary. They refer to him in all the titles like Obayangbon, Obaotuagbon and others. In all our daily activities, we always bring the Oba into it. For example, if a boy grows up to manhood, we say he is Okpi Oba (Oba’s man). If she is a woman, we say Okwo Oba. To tell you how we revere the monarch, in our general salutation, if I am going to greet you in the morning, I will say Obaowie, Obavan and Obaota. I am only just saying good morning, good afternoon, good evening, it is just to tell you that all these greetings are tied to the Oba, that is why I say Obaowie, Obavan and Obato. So nothing has really changed despite the incursion of modern civilization”.

Continued from page 10 It took the intervention of prominent Edo sons like Rev. Father Theophilus Uwaifo and Sir OkeayaInneh (SAN), to quench the fire. They took th the Esama to the palace on his 70 birthday to beg the Oba.

Onyearugbulem’s interruption

The then military administrator of the state, the late Navy CaptianAnthony Onyearugbulem, suspended the monarch as chair of the Edo State Traditional Rulers Council, in 1998, for alleged partisanship in endorsing an APP governorship candidate. At a stage, some traditional priests in the Benin Kingdom threatened to launch spiritual warfare against Onyearugbulem’s administration if he failed to apologize to the Oba of Benin. The administration tried to make the chair of the Council of Obas rotational. Erediauwa resisted. Onyearugbulem later apologized before the military authorities eventually removed him as Edo administrator.

Prayer for Oshimohole

In 2007, the Oba of Benin, who heard the cries of his people for change in the governance of the state, threw his weight behind the entry of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole into the politics of the state. In fact, his tacit support enabled Oshiomhole to carry out his urban renewal programme in Benin-City. For instance, before the construction of the Airport Road into six lanes, the design required the demolition of part of the palace walls. When the Oba knew, he told the governor: “I will not be a hindrance to your urban renewal programme in Benin City, if it means destroying part of my palace to construct the road, go on and destroy it; we want development in Benin Kingdom”. Unknown to the Oba, Oshiomhole betrayed his emotions when he left the palace that same day. He was overwhelmed with the humility and the progressive nature of the Oba, particularly when the opposition PDP created the impression that the governor, from Edo North, wanted to destroy the Benin cultural heritage. He wept and echoed, “God bless the Oba”. Furthermore, in 2012, during the campaigns for the re-election of Oshiomhole, the Oba did not hide his preference for the former labour leader and, in Benin Kingdom, the Enigies watch his body movement and flow with it. Indeed, when Oshiomhole visited the Oba in 2012 to inform him of his plans to run for a second term in office, the Oba directed the Iyase of Benin Kingdom, Chief Sam Igbe, to pray for him. From the prayers, said in native Benin language, the Iyase was not hitting the point, as the Oba had wanted; the monarch interjected and urged him to pray the kind of prayer a father will pray for his son, adding that he should pray special prayers for Oshiomhole. After Iyase’s prayers, the Esogban of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, took over and prayed to the admiration of the Oba. Esogban declared that the oracle had spoken and whoever wanted to doubt the oracle should wait for the consequence. The tactical support of the palace and the people of Edo gave Oshiomhole victory in the entire 18 local government areas of the state in the election. Apparently because of the love the Oba had for Oshiomhole, he openly

C M Y K

Why we worship our monarch

•The late Oba of Benin with his chiefs

How a new Oba of Benin will emerge shunned the PDP delegation, led by the then President Goodluck Jonathan, in 2011, when Jonathan visited Edo for his presidential campaign. On that occasion, after waiting for half an hour, only Jonathan was ushered into the inner chambers of the Oba where he met with the royal father for about 10 minutes.

Anenih, Ogiemnwonyi’s ‘baptism of fire’

Many Nigerians may be enjoying the manageable state of the Benin - Lagos Road today but do not know the pressure the late Oba of Benin piled on the Federal Government to fix the road. If there was one reason for the Oba not to stick out his neck for the PDP- led Federal Government since 1999, it was the state of that road. The Oba monitored reports and he never failed to express his disgust at the number of lives lost on that road on daily basis. He had cause to summon Ministers of Works such as Anenih and Engr. Chris Ogiemnwonyi, who are indigenes of the state, over the state of the road.

A happy day

Sunday, June 22, 2014 was a very remarkable day in Benin Kingdom. That day the agitation by Oba Erediauwa for the return of the stolen Benin artifacts by the British in 1897 paid off. Oba Erediauwa received two precious bronze artifacts looted by the British during the invasion of Benin Kingdom from Dr Andre Walker. Walker is the great grandson of Captain Philip Walker, one of the soldiers, who invaded Benin Kingdom in 1897 and carted away their precious artifacts. The Briton said he decided to return the artifacts because he felt the British unfairly treated the Binis.

Air of mystery

The Esogban, also known as the Odionwere of Benin Kingdom, Chief David Edebiri, in this interview, first published in the Niger Delta Voice, a Vanguard pullout , sheds light on the mystic surrounding the Oba of Benin.

Commander-in-chief

Nothing much has changed as in the olden days, the Oba rules through the chiefs and he puts the chiefs in compartments. What the man in compartment A is doing, the man in compartment B will not know. Yes, the Oba was the generalissimo of the Benin army before now, but rarely does he go to war, not as people think, he had his own generals. There was no standing army as we now have that must be camped. No, what we use to do was that if there is any reason to execute any war, the Oba calls on the generals, send people to them that a particular area has falling out of favour, and that he would want them to go to war and bring the head of the rebel to him. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the generals to execute the war. However, before that, they will send message to those rebelling, as Binis never go to war by ambushing the people. They would send a message telling the people concerned that the Oba is not happy with the ruler of that area because they are rebelling. If those people want peace, they will send message back with white cloth and when you see them, you will know that they want peace.

When war becomes unavoidable

There was high level of diplomacy then. This diplomacy helped to avert many wars. Therefore, when that fails and it had to be a conventional war, the general the Oba has appointed for that particular war leads under the Iyase of Benin. Iyase was the equivalent of what we now call the Chief of Army Staff. Then the Iyase will direct the operation, Iyase himself does not go to war, but he directs the operation. If it becomes necessary that the Iyase will go to war, then you will know that the Binis want to get rid of him because if he goes to war, win or lose, he will not come back to the city.

God on earth

If it is a wrong notion, I am one of those who will be guilty of it because apart from God Almighty who one does not see, the next person we regard as God is the Oba of Benin, who is the representative of God here on earth. That is what every Benin man believes. We say that because something that has existed more than 1,000 years in a single dynasty, what else do you think that people will say about such an institution? I can speak on behalf of the Benin people being the

Jesus Christ belongs to the Jewish race, he was born a Jew and they have a way of paying respect to their kings. When Jesus Christ was doing what he was doing in the Middle East, there was a complete different civilization down here, where the only figure we recognize is the Oba. So if it is the belief of Christians that only Jesus is Lord, I agree because I am a Christian, but that is not to say that our own ethnic Lord is not. You know that this is the era of Christianity, nevertheless in the next 1000 years; nobody knows what will be in place, but our own tradition has been there. Even when the Roman Empire was the only empire in the whole world, the Benin Empire was already thriving here. So we do not dispute what the Christians are saying, we do not dispute what the Muslims are saying regarding Mohammed as their spiritual father. We are saying that the Oba of Benin is the spiritual leader of the Benin race.

Erediauwa groomed a powerful successor —Dein of Agbor

THE Dein of Agbor Kingdom in Delta State, Benjamin Ikenchukwu Keagborekuzi, believes the departed Benin monarch, Oba Erediauwa, prepared a worthy successor before joining his ancestors. Keagborekuzi stated this in an interview with Sunday Vanguard. His words: “The crown prince of Benin Kingdom, Prince Ehenede Erediauwa, is somebody I have known when I was quite young. He is going through his traditional ceremonial initiation, of course, just like the Agbor Kingdom.” “You know Benin kingdom and Agbor kingdom have a lot in common, we are direct blood brothers, the ceremonies and initiations are very private and secret to the people of Benin. When the people of Benin have finished with that, when the palace has finished, they will come out to let the world know this is our king. “He (Crown Prince) is very capable man, very intelligent man, he is a two or threetime international diplomat, very well traveled and he is somebody that I know personally and the former Oba of Benin, his father was very fond of him. His father did everything that he could to prepare him for this position.

Like father, like son

“He is not a walkover; nobody will be able to push him around just as nobody pushed his father around. Benin people have a very strong coming king. I can only ask the people once again, just like anybody who has just entered a new situation to be patient and give him encouragement. “He will make his mistakes, he is not God, and none of us that are monarchs is God. In people’s eyes, we are certainly next to God because God has chosen us to take on this responsibility of leading our people, but none of us is infallible, only God is infallible.

Oba Erediauwa, a majestic elemental spirit – Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, aka Igododmigodo Continues on page 12

PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

Ogbemudia, Oyegun, Okunbor, Owie, others mourn

minent Benin indegenes, including two-time former governor of old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia; National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; and a former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Rowland Owie, were among those who expressed shock over the demise of the Oba Erediauwa of Benin Kingdom. Ogbemudia said: “I express my deepest condolence to the Royal family and the great people of Benin Kingdom. He was a great King who ensured peace in his Kingdom and more importantly, Benin Kingdom experienced tremendous progress during his reign and he shall be missed greatly. We take solace in the fact that he lived an honest and exemplary life and his reign as a king will never be forgotten.” Oyegun’s tribute read: “It is with deepest sorrow that we received this news. My condolence goes to the immediate Royal family and the entire people of Edo South and the entire Edo state. It is with deepest sense of grief honestly. He has been a very wonderful leader, a father, he has been a unique example and we will greatly miss him. He represents the end of an era which also mark the beginning of another. My deepest condolence goes to the Crown Prince of Benin Kingdom, Ehenede Erediauwa. Long live the Oba! Owie said: “Oba Erediauwa was a great monarch and a father. He was my confidant and helper at my hours of crucial decisions. His era was glorious. May Almighty God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the intercession of our Blessed Virgin Mary, grant his soul eternal rest. Amen. Senator Ehigie Uzamere stated: “The news came to me now and it was shocking. As you aware he has decided to join our ancestors. He was a good man, he is revered by every Benin home and abroad. The great Kingdom of Benin will go into mourning and wait for the

Okowa, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Charles Aniagwu, described the late monarch as an epitome of royalty, extending condolences to the Edo State Government, Crown Prince Eheneden Erediauwa, other members of the late Oba’s immediate family and the entire Benin Kingdom.

Huge loss to Nigeria – Obiano

The governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano, expressed his deepest condolences to his Edo State counterpart, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and the people of Edo on the passage of the Oba of Benin. In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, James Eze, Obiano described Oba Erediauwa’s passage as a huge loss to Nigeria. The governor who described the late monarch as “the last of the titans”, observed that while he lived, he stood out as a bridge builder whose influence spread across the country and beyond.

A true African leader – David Mark

directive of the palace. He was a great man. He treated every one of us the same and he was accommodating. Very brilliant man who understands the politics of Nigeria as a whole. His network cut across all ethnic groups in the country. He was indeed a man of peace, a man of many parts, May his Soul rest in perfect peace. Amen. Also reacting, Benin born billionaire, Captain Hosa Okunbor, said, “Today is a mourning day, one of the saddest days in our land, where our father had gone to join our ancestors. He was a great man a man of peace. A man that held the great traditional values for the kingdom. He was a father to all who made every body look special. Everybody was special in his or her own way before him. Oba Atokpe Ise!”

Okowa sad

DELTA State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said he received, with sadness and an immense feeling of great national loss, the news of the transition of the Oba of Benin.

OMONOBA Rites of ascension begin •Binis mourn, hail Edaiken N’Uselu •Businesses shut down for seven days, men besiege barbing salons

t was sometime in February 2015, when the Benin Traditional Council came up to explain that the leopard was ill in the Savannah forest following the speculation that the Oba of benin might have passed on. There was mounting concern then that the monarch had not been in public glare since November 2014. But to set the records straight, the Secretary of the Benin Traditional Council, Mr Frank Irabor, disclosed that the monarch was indisposed and would not be available for public engagements until further notice. His statement read: “It is hereby announced for the information of the general public that in the parlance, ‘Uhunmwun ve Ekpen vb’Ato’ meaning the leopard is ill in the Savannah bush. The explanation is that Omo N’Oba N’Edo, Uku Akpolokpolo, Erediauwa CFR, Oba of Benin is indisposed. Public engagements including courtesy visits, hearing of complaints from individuals, families and communities and in particular, complaints over inheritance and land disputes are therefore suspended until further notice”. For over a year, the leopard had been in the forest until Friday when the news broke that Oba Erediauwa had gone to join his ancestors. After the Iyase of Benin, Chief Sam Igbe, broke the news, men in the kingdom rushed to barbing salons to have their hair cut as tradition demands. Markets, shopping malls and other businesses in the ancient city immediately closed down. Markets were not left out, as it was gathered that they would remain closed for seven days, a clear signal that the Iroko has fallen.

A former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, described the late Oba of Benin as a true African leader. According to Mark, the exit of the monarch is a monumental loss to the nation. In a statement by his Media Assistant, Paul Mumeh, the senator noted that the deceased Benin monarch was a leader who distinguished himself in many respects especially in the preservation of African

culture and tradition to the admiration of historians and political scientists globally.

Erediauwa was a peace ambassador —Omo-Agege

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Communication and Strategy, Mr Godwin Anaughe, said Oba Erediauwa sought peace in all facets of his life; “whether as a civil servant, politician and as a traditional ruler. ” He added: “His vision was dedicated to improving the welfare of his people and re-establishing the great Edo culture and tradition within a modern society, an endeavour that will outlive him as part of his legacy.”

We will miss his wise counsel – Delta Deputy Speaker

The Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Friday Osanebi, said Oba Erediauwa was a role model, an exceptional leader not only of his Benin people but a leading light in the committee of traditional rulers in the country. The Deputy Speaker, in a statement in Asaba, noted that the late Benin monarch radiated royalty, majesty, wisdom, intelligence and nationalism even as he spared no effort in protecting the traditions and values of his people. Osanebi pointed out that the passing on of the monarch came at a critical time when the country is facing numerous challenges of nation-building and would miss his wise counsel sorely.

How a new Oba of Benin will emerge Continued from page 11 Chief of Staff to the Edo State Government and a grandson of Igodomigido, who emblematized the Benin Kingdom when he was in the House of Representatives, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon, aka Igodomigodo, spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the passage of Oba Erediauwa.

How do you describe his exit?

You cannot gloss over the fact that Omo N’ Oba Erediauwa,Oba of Benin, was a man of impeccable and unimpeachable integrity with the resilience of a royal salamander. In him, you find a coruscating display of that apothegm which holds that noblesse oblige. The sui generis quintessential quality of his came under bold relief, especially during the locust and Philistine years of the military militocracy. He was practically the only triton among the minnows of royal hierarchs that resisted and stood up to the military rascality and apacheism that characterized the Abacha era. He stood at all times with the people eyeballing political and military demagogues and damning their treacherous hooey and blarneys. It will not be erroneous and superfluous, therefore, to pontificate that his integrity was altruistically integrious if you permit me that neologism.

A man steeped in tradition

Omo N’ Oba Erediauwa, Oba of Benin was a cornucopious emblematization of the rich heritage of the Benin culture, both in his modus vivendi and modus operandi. He left no one in doubt that he was the spiritual and traditional agglutinating anodyne that offers a centripetal canopy for the Benin ethnic nationality into one harmonious and synchronized armada. Of particular interest to me was how he was able to bring this about, especially against the backdrop of modernism and attenuating cum corrosive forces of religious petulancy and perfervidism. It is in his cosmopolitan and cerebral mien that is situated the Aladdin’s lamp that gave him the enablement in striking a delicate equipoise and hence at a meeting of the ‘Benin Anglican Dioscesan Synod on June 3, 1980, the revered monarch posited thus .... “The conflict

between traditional religion and Christian religion is not supported by scriptural teaching, but must Christian religion condemn and push out the traditional? Must traditional worship and Christian worship not be seen as complimentary”? Such was his philosophical zest, intellectual cosmopolitanism, sangfroid predilection and well-honed skills in high-wired diplomacy, which placed him in good stead, especially at feisty moments.

Cerebral alertness and universal personality

One of the qualities even a casual visitor that came before the royal presence of Omo N’Oba, Oba of Benin cannot fail to recognize was his lavish avuncular affection towards all his visitors. He was always ready to make you feel at home, irrespective of real or imagined social stratification. He was at his best crystallizing a rare display of Solomonic wisdom and regal mannerisms in regaling his numerous visitors with anecdotes interspersed with didactic witticisms and it was at such privileged moments you also had the opportunity to admire his intellectual alertness and global persona.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 13

ENUGU:

Blow-by-blow account

of how herdsmen killed 46 natives

•Cries of self-defence rock Igboland BY FRANCIS IGATA, ENUGU

ell was let loose last Monday in UkpabiNimbo, in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, when dare-devil herdsmen, numbering over 500, unleashed terror on hapless natives, killing 46 and burning the Christ Holy Catholic Church, Odozi-Obodo. 11 houses were razed while 14 victims are lying critically ill at Royal Cross Hospital,Nsukka,Nsukka District General Hospital and Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka.

APRIL 23: HOW IT STARTED

The herdsmen were believed to have hatched the plot to attack Ukpabi-Nimbo, last weekend,and notified the natives. The development triggered tension in the community. The herdsmen, it was learnt, were bent on taking over portions of the vast fertile land in the community for cattle grazing, a stance the community opposed. The herdsmen allegedly told the natives that their kinsman, Muhammadu Buhari, is the President and so, they takeover land wherever they wanted to graze their cattle at the C M Y K

expense of the host community. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the community, subsequently, alerted security agencies of the threat which resulted in a stakeholders meeting. The herdsmen, it was learnt, assembled about 500 other herdsmen to launch the attack. It was gathered that the herdsmen in a neighbouring town had imported the 500 others from Nasarawa State to help them invade Ukpabi-Nimbo on the grounds that some of their cattle were missing. The herdsmen were alleged to have consistently raped,maimed and killed victims from the communities situated on the Nsukka-Adani-Umulokpa expressroad in the council area. Those kidnapped allegedly paid ransoms ranging from N500,000 to about N5 million before they regained their freedom.

APRIL 25: BLACK MONDAY

At about 5.15 am, the assailants struck,casualty figure immediately stood at 40,while six more bodies were recovered the following day. The affected villages of Nimbo

It is a grand plan to Islamize Nigeria. The pertinent question is that since when have herdsmen begun to rear cattle with guns? Who bought the guns for them and taught them how to use the guns? Why has Buhari not condemned or commiserated with Benue and Enugu State people over the killings? Ngwoko, Ugwuijoro, Ekwuru, Ebor, Enugu Nimbo, Umuome and Ugwuachara became deserted as blood littered everywhere. Christ Holy Catholic Church, OdoziObodo, at Onu-Eke, Nimbo and 11 houses were razed even as 14 victims are lying in critical conditions at Royal Cross Hospital, Nsukka, Nsukka District General Hospital and Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka. A combined team of the army and police moved in to avert further deterioration of the situation even though it was alleged that the authorities had prior intelligence of the

tension brewing between the host community and the herdsmen. Condemnation followed the dawn attack as a member, Board of Governors, Civil Liberty Organization, CLO, told Sunday Vanguard that the killings are targeted at the South-East, the SouthWest, and the South-South geopolitical zones to reduce the Christian population. It is a grand plan to Islamize Nigeria. The pertinent question is that since when have herdsmen begun to rear cattle with guns? Who bought the guns for them and taught them how to use the guns. Why has Buhari not condemned or commiserated with Benue and Enugu State people over the killings?”. Apex Igbo-socio cultural group,Ohanaeze Ndigbo, through the Secretary General,Joe Nworgu,said the body was monitoring the situation and called on the police to reveal the owners of the cattle. The Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra,MASSOB,led by Uchenna Madu, lamented that herdsmen had pushed the people to the wall. “They have reminded us of the civil war. We may introduce violence which we are not known for”, Madu stated.

APRIL 26: UGWUANYI WEEPS

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State raced down to Ukpabi-Nimbo to ascertain the level destruction and casualty figure. He was greeted by the natives with the decomposing corpse of a teacher,identified as Mr. Ugwuogbu, from Enugu-Ezike in Igbo-North Local Government Area of Enugu State found in the bush by youths who went on search and rescue mission. Ugwuanyi doled out N5 million relief and declared two days of fasting and prayers on the impasse. The governor,who wept on arriving the scene, appealed to the Federal Government to intervene and called on

Continues on page 16

PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

By Anayo Okoli HE rampant invasion of communities across the country T by suspected herdsmen, particularly

last week’s attack on Ukpabi-Nimbo community in Uzo Uwani council area of Enugu State, has raised tension in the South-East. The tension was prompted, especially because the Ukpabi-Nimbo invasion came less than three weeks after the same suspected herdsmen invaded another Enugu community, Ugwuleshi in Awgu, where 76 people were arrested and clamped into Umuahia Prisons where they spent over 10 days before being granted bail by an Umuahia Magistrates Court. The increased attacks by suspected herdsmen in the South-East and other areas have pushed government, communities and groups to take proactive measures. For instance, Abia State House of Assembly has passed a resolution, mandating security agencies to thoroughly search all trucks and other vehicles conveying to the state or passing through the state, laden with cattle, onion, tomato, fruit and other goods, from other parts of the country. The resolution of the House was prompted by a motion of urgent public importance raised by the Minority Leader, Mr. Chibuzo Okogbuo, who lamented the carnage caused by the suspected herdsmen in the Enugu community. In the resolution, the House also urged security agencies to promptly prosecute herdsmen found in possession of illegal arms. To further checkmate herdsmen, the lawmakers mandated every community in Abia State to be “vigilant, proactive and resist the ugly activities of herdsmen”. The House equally called on traditional rulers in the state to sensitize their people on the destructive activities of herdsmen and to engage the leadership of Hausa/Fulani communities in their areas in

ABIA:

We may resort to selfdefence — Town Unions

interactive sessions aimed at embracing a peaceful relationship. The Speaker of the House, Mr. Martins Azubuike, in his remarks, urged security agencies to be more vigilant and alive to their responsibilities and ensure adequate protection of lives and property. Meanwhile, some Igbo leaders have blamed herdsmen’s attacks on the inaction of President Muhammadu Buhari, saying that only the President can halt the rampaging herdsmen. Some of them also blamed state governors for not taking drastic actions against the invaders, urging them to be proactive in warding off the attacks by the herdsmen. According to the Chairman of

South East Town Unions, Chief Emeka Diwe, Buhari’s long silence over the invasion of communities and killing of innocent Nigerians by herdsmen was not encouraging. As the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the President, he said, must ensure the protection of lives and property and lamented that the Constitution left state governors powerless in matters of security. “The truth is that only Buhari can stop his kinsmen from the attacks. This level of invasion, raping of women and killing of innocent Nigerians is suspicious. The least expensive solution, which is also the most effective in solving the problem of herdsmen’s attacks is that only Buhari can stop his kinsmen”, Diwe said. “For those blaming state governors, what do they want them to do? The President is

ANAMBRA:

The resident s’ measures to stop attacks

By Vincent Ujumadu

OLLOWING last week’s slaughtering of dozens of people in Uzouwani local government area of Enugu State by suspected herdsmen, many communities in Anambra State have been strategizing on how to deal with the situation if it arises in their areas. The development jolted many communities in the state, especially those that have sizeable herdsmen in their areas such that emergency meetings were convened by traditional rulers and Presidents General of town unions to decide on measures to adopt. Indeed, the Enugu massacre has made many people in Anambra to take a second look at the large number of Fulani families and commercial motorcycle operators of northern Nigeria descent in the state. Mr. Robinson Nwafor, a community leader in one of the villages in Ayamelum local government area of the state, which shares border with Uzouwani in Enugu State, said the people of the area initially deserted their homes the day the massacre took place and converged in the bush where decisions were taken on how to handle the herdsmen if they exhibited any untoward behavior. He said: “These herdsmen and their C M Y K

cows have been destroying our farms for a long time and, despite all our complaints, nothing has been done by the authorities. What we witness on daily basis is influx of more herdsmen and their wives. They build makeshift houses and return to the houses after grazing and the more worrisome development is the rate at which their population increases. “Following this development, our people have devised means of protecting our crops which is to fence the farms. Apart from the farms, one could, at any time of the day or night, discover that cows have taken over the vicinity of our compounds and our people just watch and pray that they leave on their own volition. “With what happened in Uzouwani, we have decided to empower our

village vigilant group more and part of the decision is to barricade all roads leading to our community with iron rods in such a way that cows cannot pass through them.” Chairman of the Forum of Presidents of Ohaneze in all Igbo – speaking states in the country, Dr. Chris Eluemunoh, wondered why government should create grazing fields for people doing their private businesses, asking, “ what is special about Fulani people and their cows?” Eluemunoh said: “They should create grazing fields in their areas and such a thing should not concern people who are not herdsmen. Forcing people to donate their farmlands for grazing fields will only lead to a catastrophe as clashes are bound to happen between the herdsmen and

The truth is that only Buhari can stop his kinsmen from the attacks. This level of invasion, raping of women and killing of innocent Nigerians is suspicious

the commander-inchief of the armed forces. No governor has direct control of any security service in Nigeria. At least, we learnt about the problem encountered by the Enugu governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, in his effort to reach out to President Buhari over the Fulani herdsmen attacks in his state. The President is supposed to be working directly with governors on security issues. What sense did it make that after the people of Ukpabi-Nimbo were killed and houses burnt, security was later deployed? I think we are playing politics with security issues. “As leaders of town unions in the five states of the South-East, we are disturbed by the activities of the rampaging Fulani herdsmen who have continued to destroy farmlands, rape women and kill innocent people. We are further worried that President Buhari is yet to give this problem the serious attention it deserves. The Fulani herdsmen attack did not start today, but the question is: Were they this daring in their attacks before Buhari emerged President? “People have been killed in Agatu; in Delta, a monarch was kidnapped and found dead. Millions of others have been displaced from their homes. Now Ukpabi-Nimbo community in Enugu has been attacked and people massacred. Enough is enough; we won’t tolerate this again in any part of Igbo land. Nigeria is treading a dangerous path. The President should do everything to douse the suspicion. We are not saying he sent them, but he has the authority to check the attacks to avoid reprisal. Otherwise, individuals and communities may resort to self-defence”. A civil servant in Umuahia, who simply gave his name as Mr. Nwoke, also blamed security agencies for the spread of the attacks by herdsmen, saying they lack adequate intelligence. He also questioned the Department of State Service [DSS] silence over the attacks on Enugu communities when they raised the alarm over alleged shallow graves with five Fulani and two Igbo bodies. Nwoke cautioned them on the way they handle issues to avoid stoking crisis.

farmers. “How do they even want to achieve this? Are they going to confiscate people’s lands to satisfy a section of the country? This law should never be allowed to pass. “The ideal thing is that grazing fields should be created where there are cows and everybody knows where the cows are found in this country. “The highest the government can do is to create ranches in the states where cows can be kept for people to go and buy and the cows should not leave those ranches to wander on people’s farms. That is how it is done in countries that even have more cows than Nigeria. “We discussed this issue at the last National Conference and resolved that only ranches can be created in southern states and not grazing fields.” Also worried by the Enugu massacre, the Anambra State House of Assembly has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the menace of herdsmen to avoid anarchy in the country. Following a matter of urgent public importance motion brought to the floor of the assembly by Hon. Uche Okafor, representing Ayamelum constituency, the lawmakers said Anambra was facing the threat of the herdsmen and argued that something has to be done urgently. Okafor cited the situation at Omasi in his constituency, saying that his people no longer go to their farms for fear of the unknown since it was a border community with Enugu State. The lawmaker recalled that two persons were abducted by herdsmen in Umunmbo in Ayamelum last year and said that there is so much tension in his area.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 15

ENUGU MASSACRE:

The limits of police hypocrisy By Emma Nnadozie, Crime Editor

othing is as provocative as the statement credited to the Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, Mr. Nwodibo Elechukwu, over last Monday massacre of hapless citizens of Ukpabi-Nimbo in Uzo-Uwani L.G.A of the state. He was quoted as stating that the actual figure of casualty was seven persons killed and 10 others injured while two houses were burnt. He went further to cast aspersion on the media by saying that none of them made attempt to ascertain what really happened before going to create panic with their reports concluding that the accounts published were far from the truth. The Commissioner, whose track records were rarely known in the force until his name suddenly came up as the new police boss in Enugu, barely a year ago, continued his swan song over the bloody incident by stating that it was carried out by hoodlums and, thumping his chest, he asserted that his boys “responded swiftly and the hoodlums ran back into the bush.” As interesting as his comments are, many will take consolation with the actions of his boss from Abuja, Solomon Arase, who swiftly responded to the situation by making statements aimed at calming frayed nerves. The Inspector-General of Police also took decisive actions and made pronouncements that went a long way in restoring people’s confidence in the beleaguered Nigeria Police. His directive that a police corporal, openly indicted in the massacre, be immediately arrested and investigated went a long way to buttress the fact that his Commissioner in Enugu not only goofed but deserves to be punished officially for leading the generality of Nigerians and the world astray in a murderous incident that could have been avoided, if he was equal to the responsibilities assigned to him. It should be noted that before the slaughter of innocent farmers at Ukpabi-Nimbo by the herdsmen, the area was a no-go area for indigenes and visitors alike. The herdsmen, in connivance with some local criminals masquerading as members of vigilante along Nsukka- Adani- Onitsha Road, were kidnapping and robbing people almost on a weekly basis. The criminals, who struck in the full glare of armed policemen that claim to be at check-points that dot the road, together with scruffy-looking men that pose as members of vigilante group, armed with antiquated dane guns, sticks and matchets, were demanding for ransom as much as N100million from their victims. They carry out their dastardly operations in a well known spot very close to police checkpoints unchallenged. As soon as they abduct their unsuspecting victim, they dash into the thick bush that surround the area and disappear into thin air. From there, they contact relations of their victims and demand for ransom. Accounts rendered by victims, after regaining freedom in a well known spot along Adada secondary School, Nkpologu, spelt out clearly how they trek through the thick bushes in and around the entire towns and villages that make up Uzo-Uwani L.G.A without resistance or confrontation from security men. In fact, they claim to traverse the length and breath of the entire vast farmlands on foot with their abductors without sighting the main road or hearing sounds of moving vehicles. ‘Ransom-spot’ As soon as the herdsmen collect their ransom, they will lie low for a few days only C M Y K

to re-surface and abduct another victim. Ironically, relations of victims confessed to have paid ransom at the same spot along Adada Secondary School, Nkpologu, notoriously referred to as ‘ransom spot’ and this is well known to security agencies including the police in the area. Attempts made by relations of victims to engage the police always ended disastrously as the kidnappers easily get all information given to the police at Adani Division and, in many cases, the abductors will threaten to kill their victim after getting such information. Aside kidnapping, many people have been killed on the same road by these herdsmen. It was at the same spot that a young girl of 19, Veronica Ezugwu, on returning home from Lagos, was gruesomely killed by herdsmen on a Christmas eve. The unemployed graduate was almost a kilometre to her village in Nkpologu when the marauding herdsmen stopped the commercial bus she was travelling in and, when the driver tried to avoid them, they released volleys of bullets into the bus. The driver escaped unhurt. But Veronica and her niece, a 7-year-old girl that earlier went to Lagos to spend the holidays in her house, were not that lucky. While the small girl was hit on the eye, hot leads of bullets pierced

•CP Nwodibo Elechukwu Veronica’s skull and exited through the back of her head. She died the following day in hospital. Many drivers that ply the same road have also fallen victim to such brutal attacks, yet, we have police checkpoints on the same road where Commissioner of Police Nwodibo superintends. Pointers to the abysmal failure of intelligence gathering by the police in Enugu visa-a-vis Nsukka Area Command, are many. As soon as the 500 armed Fulani herdsmen infiltrated Ukpabi-Nimbo, information went round and the traditional ruler of the town, Igwe John Akor, got in touch with all the security agencies including Enugu government officials. This prompted Governor Ugwuanyi to urgently call an emergency security meeting where he informed them of the impending danger. Mobile policemen and soldiers, including conventional policemen, were drafted to the communities. What ever made the same security agents to withdraw from the danger zone before the attack and re-appear after

the attack remains a big poser. Worse still, few hours before the attack, many of the herdsmen were seen fleeing from the area with thousands of cattle unmolested. So, from all indications, the stage was glaringly set for the deadly attack and the police should have been in a position to forestall it. Yet, Commissioner of Police Nwodibo was grossly unable to halt the impunity with which unconscionable herdsmen unleashed violence on farmers and unsuspecting victims. Rather, he ended up asserting that his men responded swiftly during the attack. This was after scores of villagers, including a teenager that just arrived from Canada and a corps member, were decapitated like goats. Recall that few weeks back, no fewer than 76 able bodied men from Ugwuleshi community in Awgu L.G.A, Enugu state were clamped into prison for no other reason than trying to safeguard the lives of their mothers and wives who were being raped and terrorized by herdsmen in the area. In the same vein, on a day the Inspector-General of Police was busy going round to inspect carnages at Uzo-Uwani area, the unrepentant herdsmen were ploting to attack a serene community, Umuchigbo in Enugu East Council, very close to the Police headquartes in Enugu. There was pandamonium and schools were shut down, as students were asked to go home. Yet, the police in Enugu came out to debunk the scare. Just as IGP Arase assured that he would probe allegations of complicity by his men, who include the divisional police officer, Mathew Amah, and the corporal who was alleged to have led the rampaging herdsmen to Uzo-Uwani, it should interest the authorities to also probe why Commissioner of Police Nwodibo closed his professional eyes while ‘Rome was on fire’. This is because the force has been sufficiently embarrassed and insulted that, in the face of such wanton destruction of lives and property, a man saddled with the responsibility of preventing the carnage, in a feat of self-adulation, decided to look the other way only to end up telling Nigerians what did not happen. Herein lies the hypocrisy inherent in the police.

Reps hit at grazing bills herdsmen”. On the proposed grazing bills before the House, Onyejeocha declared: “Who will give them land for what and what will happen to our cassava and yams? After all, they even said that cow meat is not good”.

By Emman Ovuakporie & Johnbosco Agbakwuru

overnor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi could not stand the sight of what suspected herdsmen did to his people in Ukpabi-Nimbo, in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State and he wept. He must have wondered whether those who carried out the massacre in the community were fellow Nigerians. Many lawmakers described the attack on the Enugu community as another civil war. President Muhammadu Buhari suddenly woke up from his slumber and ordered the arrest of the herdsmen. The House of Representatives, last Tuesday, mandated the InspectorGeneral of Police, IGP, Solomon Arase, to immediately carry out a thorough investigation and bring to justice the perpetrators Some of the lawmakers, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, condemned the attack and dismissed the grazing bills before the House. *This is a manifestation of another civil war – Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, Hon Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Onyejeocha, who represents Isuikwuato/Umunnochi Federal Constituency of Abia, said the attacks by herdsmen on soft targets were gradually assuming a frightening national security challenge. She said the Enugu attack, allegedly carried out by over 500

armed herdsmen, calls to question the effectiveness of intelligence gathering, proactive policing and the combat readiness of security agencies. According to her, the incident was worrisome because security reports had warned of impeding attack, yet nothing was done to nip the development in the bud. While charging religious and political leaders to condemn incendiary activities of herdsmen, she added that their murderous activities are a danger in the belly of our nation. She said, “We should not over-stretch the patience of Nigerians. All the factors that led to the previous civil war are staring on the face. “The consequences would be dire for national stability and cohesion. President Muhammadu Buharu should rise up to the occasion and rejig the security architecture of the nation. “He should give marching orders to heads of security agencies to deal decisively with the terrorists who masquerade as

Following Enugu massacre, we’ll resist grazing bills - Hon Uzoma Nkem-Abonta Abonta, who represents Ukwa East/West Constituency of Abia, described the herdsmen’s attack as a development that will make Nigerians resist the three grazing bills before the House. He said: “We shall use every available legislative instrument to kill the bills because they will further impoverish Southern Nigeria”. “I have more than 200 sms from my constituents asking me to ensure that those bills are not passed and I don’t have any choice than to adequately represent their interests. “The Fulani are nomads in nature and we are talking about increasing animal husbandry as well as increasing the production. Therefore we must find a balance how that should be done. In the House, there are three bills that have been consolidated and the bills talk about having a grazing route and as well as having increasing reserves where herdsmen can do their business. “But I want to point out clearly here now that government has got no business doing business. We must also begin to look at issues the way it is being done worldwide and have the best practices”.

PAGE 16—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

Cries of self-defence rock Igboland Continued from page 13 the community to embrace peace in the wake of the attack. He also visited victims of the attack in hospital, declaring that government will pay their bills while Enugu Emergency Management Agency was ordered to move in and rehabilitate those displaced. Ugwuanyi used the opportunity to commiserate with the traditional ruler of UkpabiNimbo, Igwe John Akor, who said: “The killing,raping,kidnapping of my subjects have come to a head. There is no week that passes that we do not experience kidnapping and killing by herdsmen. It has got out of hand. It was a black Monday. We have been doing our best to have peace with the herdsmen but to no avail. We have called several meetings with those of them from Kogi State,Adani and Enugu. We are appealing to the federal, state and local with governments to come to our aid by giving us adequate security presence. Again,our vast fertile land is what they take advantage of. They harass our people and kill insisting that they own the land and their cattle must graze there. They hold our men at gun point in their farmland and rape their wives,destroy the farms and livestock. Our people have not be going to farm for the past eight months because they are scared not to fall victim to the herdsmen’s siege. “They wield AK47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons. When they meet our people in their farms,they point the gun at them and drive away our people to enable their cattle eat the crops. We have been going through this hell for the past one year. We are requesting federal presence in form of Mobile Police deployment here. The local vigilante should be given incentives to do their job”. Sunday Vanguard’s visit to Ukpabi-Nimbo showed that economic activities in the area had been shut down even as the officials of the West Africa Examination Council, WAEC, involved in the conduct of exams in Ukpabi Secondary School had abandoned their duty post. Natives, especially old women and children, were seen evacuating their valuables to safety for fear of escalation of the Monday attack.

APRIL 27: NATIVES ALLEGE POLICE CORPORAL LED ATTACK C M Y K

They wield AK47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons. When they meet our people in their farms,they point the gun at them and drive away our people to enable their cattle eat the crops. We have been going through this hell for the past one year

While revealing to the Inspector General of Police,Solomon Arase, who visited the community,how the invasion was conducted, a youth leader,George Akogwu, said,”The herdsmen came in two buses bearing AK47 rifles. They invaded the houses and hacked people to death. The attackers were led by a police corporal serving in the local government. “What happened was that the policemen posted to the community left, despite the fact that we pleaded with them to stay till those who would relieve them arrived. But they did not listen to us. “Immediately they moved out that morning, the herdsmen struck. If the policemen had listened to us, the incident may have been nipped in the bud. It was only the Area Commander’s men from Nsukka that responded”.

APRIL 28: UGWUANYI SUMMONS EMERGECY TRADITIONAL RULERS,TOWN UNION LEADERS MEETING

Following his visit to UkpabiNimbo, Ugwuanyi summoned an emergency meeting with the traditional rulers, PresidentGeneral of town unions and leaders of the Neighborhood Watch in all the communities in Enugu. A source disclosed that the meeting, which is part of the action plan of the state government to find a lasting solution to the menace of herdsmen in the state, is scheduled to hold tomorrow, Monday, May

2, at old Governor’s lodge, Enugu. The source also revealed that the governor was determined to put an end to the herdsmen’s attacks which have consumed lives and property of innocent citizens as well as threatened the peace and security of the state and the nation at large. The governor had, when he got security report, last Sunday, that the attack will take place in Ukpabi-Nimbo, he immediately summoned the State Security Council, which met on Sunday night till the early hours of Monday, shortly before the herdsmen struck, regretting that the sad incident still occurred after all the assurances given to him by security operatives that the attack will not happen. Tomorrow’s meeting, according to the source, is expected to map out strategies to promote peace and end attacks from herdsmen in the state.

CAN DECLARES FASTING, PRAYERS, CALLS FOR SELFDEFENSE

The Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, expressed outrage over the UkpabiNimbo attack. Secretary of the body in Enugu State, Apostle Joseph Ajujungwa, said the wanton destruction of lives and property by the herdsmen in the state could no longer be taken for granted. While expressing shock that security operatives could not nip the attack in the bud despite having prior information, Ajujungwa called on South-East communities to rise up and defend themselves. “We are shocked and saddened by the level or carnage perpetrated by these herdsmen in Ukpabi-Nimbo community,”he stated. “More painful is the fact that security agencies had ample time and opportunity but they looked the other way; in view of this, I am calling on the people of Enugu State and other South-East states to rise up and defend themselves because security operatives have failed”. The CAN leader maintained that it would be wrong “for our people to fold their hands and watch helplessly while our women are being raped, our men are being killed and our ancestral land is being taken away.” While calling for investigation of security agencies in the state, he announced oneday of mourning to commiserate with all those who lost their lives in the attack. “In honour of those whose lives were snuffed away by these herdsmen, CAN declares one-day of mourning. Within this period, we ask our people to pray fervently and ask God to take control”, he added.

APRIL 29: UGWUANYI BLAMES SECURITY OPERATIVES FOR ATTACK

Ugwuanyi accused security agencies in the state of complicity despite assurances they gave him that the planned attack will be forestalled. The made the accusation while

speaking during a news briefing at Government House attended by the Deputy Senate President,Ike Ekweremadu,Deputy Governor,Cecila Ezeilo,all serving senators and House of Representatives members in the state. The governor’s speech read in part:”On Sunday, April 24, by 7 pm, the night before this carnage took place, I got security information from Uzo-Uwani Local Government Transition Chairman, Hon. Cornell Onwubuya that such an incident was likely to take place in the state. I immediately summoned a meeting of the State Security Council which commenced by 10 pm. “The meeting was attended by the following: Garrison Commander Brigadier General Olufemi Akinjobi who normally represents the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Nigerian Army,the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Nwodibo Ekechukwu,the State Director of Department State Security Services (DSS), Mr. M. Abdul Malik,the State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, Mr. Lar Stephen,Representatives of the Nigerian Air force, Federal Road Safety Corps and Nigerian Prison Services, who attended as observers. “From the side of government were, myself, the Governor, the Deputy Governor, the Secretary to the State Government, the Chief of Staff, the Chairman, State Traditional Rulers Council and the Honourable Attorney General of the State. “In the meeting, we received assurances from the Commissioner of Police that the Area Commander of SARS was on ground in Nimbo. That the Anti-Terrorism Unit was at Nimbo. That he was in contact with the Kogi State Commissioner of Police and reported suspected herdsmen grouping at Odolu in Kogi State preparatory for an attack on Nimbo and Abbi communities. That Police mobile force and conventional police were already drafted to Nimbo and Abbi communities. That he was in touch with the Area Commander, Idah, ACP Ikegwuonwu and had linked him with the Area Commander, Nsukka, ACP Monday Kuryas. Both men according to the CP reported that there were no traces of suspected herdsmen in Nsukka or Idah. “That he ordered the Area Commander, Nsukka to redeploy to Nimbo. That the Garrison Commander on his part assured the meeting that Military was already deployed to Nimbo. Let me state that the State Government provided logistics for these deployments. After receiving these assurances of deployments to Nimbo, I felt quite confident that we had done everything possible to forestall an attack on Nimbo. I have deliberately narrated what transpired at the Security Council meeting fully conscious of the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution pertaining to my oath of office. I am doing this in due discharge of my duties as Governor. “Sadly, in the early hours of Monday reports of this carnage reached me. More disturbing was the report that the attack of innocent and defenceless citizens were carried out at about 6 30 am. Further reports available to me indicate that apart from the killing and maiming of innocent and defenceless citizens of Nimbo a Church was also burnt. Following this development, I engaged the security agencies in order to ensure that the Nimbo area was secured from further attacks that might escalate the situation. “I am at once, constituting a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of all the violent occurrences in the State associated with suspected Fulani Herdsmen and recommend appropriate measures that will be put in place to prevent future occurrence. “What happened between 6.30am and 7.30 am on Monday 25th April, 2016 despite assurances from the Security Agencies? Only the Security Agencies can answer this question”.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 17

aba Othman Ngelzarma is the National Secretary, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, otherwise known as Fulani herdsmen. In this interview, he explains the challenges confronting the Fulani herdsmen and frowns at the negative profiling of the Fulani people. And whereas he admits that there are a few criminals who are of the Fulani stock, the true situation is that Fulani herdsmen too are victims of cattle rustlers. I want to believe that you have seen part of the Grazing Bills and the question is, do you think that would solve the problem? Firstly, before I say anything, let me use this opportunity to condemn in totality what has taken place in Enugu, it is extremely shocking and I want to sympathise with the government and people of Enugu State irrespective of who has done it. People have lost their lives. It is a sad happening and we hope the security will do all they could to fish out the perpetrators. We, too, have suffered immensely in the hands of these perpetrators because our cattle are lost in their thousands, Fulanis are always kidnapped - hardly a day passes and you will not hear that five or 10 Fulanis have been kidnapped for ransom. Only that it is a silent happening and the media is not covering it. Fulani being kidnapped? Yes. Every day. Find out from Kaduna State. It’s is really sad. These are things that are perpetrated by criminals but, surprisingly, everybody is blaming the Fulani herdsmen; so we are now victims and culprits at the same time. Since some of them are victims, do you think these Bills will address the issues on the table? Yes, definitely. The law governing the establishment of grazing reserves is not new, it started in 1965. Later in 1978, the Land Use Act was extended to cover it. In 1988, National Agriculture Policy also earmarked 10percent of the total national territory for grazing areas that is, 9.8million hectares of land were earmarked in 1988 for grazing reserves. That figure was later increased to 20million hectares. So what happened to all the land? What we have today is less than three million hectares - the socalled gazetted grazing areas cover only about three million. We have about 415 grazing areas and grazing reserves and forest reserves because these are different things. The grazing reserves are those that are gazetted. Out of the 415, 141 were gazetted. And those 141 reserves gazetted cover only about three million hectares of land. And even that one today has been damaged by ecology, encroachment and the rest. If that is the case, you now have state governors who are saying they will not give out any land. Do you think they should just hold on to see how they could solve the clashes first, before the Bills? You see, these clashes came as a result of the absence of developed grazing reserves and the protection of those reserves. These are areas that have suffered a lot of neglect because the pastoralists’ livelihood has been frequently undermined by unfriendly policies and laws. The policies of the past administrations have given more attention to agronomy and not the livestock sub-sector. That is what has caused this problem. This is a consequence of the neglect of this long-term sector of the economy. As I told you, we have about three million hectares which have been destroyed. They are mostly located in the northern and the south-western parts of the country. These are all the states of the North, as well as Oyo and Ogun states. How did the grazing reserves C M Y K

this was the ransom they paid to them. Are you saying people should not say it as it is because it involves the Fulani? Look, we must confess, we have criminals among the Fulani just like any other communities in Nigeria where there are criminals. You are talking about some 30million people in Nigeria. You are also talking about 16million cattle-rearing families in the country. So, if you go to the prison, you will see that the Fulani are more in number. You cannot expect a tribe that occupies just one local government to be compared to one with a spread across the whole country. So what is your group doing? As a voluntary organisation, there is a limit to what we can do. We have been reporting to the security agencies and they have been cooperating with us. In fact, the IGP knows everything. Take for instance the Olu Falae issue. When it happened, a lot of media attacks were on but we didn’t respond; we just took the bull by the horn. We went on tour of the South-West. We went to Lagos, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Ekiti and later we landed in Ondo. Finally, we visited Olu Falae himself and we discussed extensively and that was what laid that matter to rest because much of what happened then was propaganda. Definitely, Olu Falae was kidnapped; he paid ransom and we discovered that some people were involved. We admit that some people have criminal intent but •Baba Othman profiling a whole race because of the Ngelzarma crimes of a few or some is something that is not fair.

Our story, by Fulani herdsmen

work for the herdsmen in the past? A lot of legislations covered them because, if you go to the states, you have the local government and forestry units working effectively to protect the reserves but, today, I do not think they are there again. Some people think if there are grazing reserves, that is where the herdsmen should be? They were occupied to some extent but encroachment by small farmers and bigtime farmers, who acquired land to obtain loans from banks and not for real agriculture and the environment, overgrazing and non-maintenance of the reserves, have rendered them useless.

These are things that are perpetrated by criminals but, surprisingly, everybody is blaming the Fulani herdsmen; so we are now victims and culprits at the same time

Have groups like yours met northern governors to sensitise them to the future dangers of not maintaining those reserves? We have been meeting with them for quite some time now.

herdsmen because most of the challenges we face are not reported.

So why are they not listening? I don’t know. As I told you earlier, it is the neglect of this sector that is causing this problem. If past administrations had done their work like the immediate post-colonial administrations did, we wouldn’t be in this situation that we have found ourselves today. May be the reserves would have been developed to an extent that we won’t have these issues. If you look at the Fulani man, the cattle business is his livelihood, so you then wonder why he would be pushed to the southern part of the country in search of grass and water because, if grass and water were provided in the reserves in the North, I do not think the herdsman would have the desire to go anywhere and expose himself to danger because he always moves with his family. He provides security for his family and security for his business, so how do you expect , no matter how illiterate he is, to go and ignite trouble for himself to get killed. I think some people somewhere are out to profile the Fulani herdsmen as terrorists. Who do you think those people are? We don’t know. That is the problem. We see the media as going against the

But if you don’t incident the cases with the police, how do we report them? The police know very much what is happening. Go to the Police Command in Kaduna State and find out what is happening to the Fulani herdsmen. I’m sure you are aware of the thousands of cattle that are lost daily. Who are the owners of the cattle? They are Fulani herdsmen. We lose a lot of cattle as a result of cattle rustling but who is doing something to protect us? It is only once the coming of this administration that we have seen action being taken in that area. There must be a faint idea of those who are killing people in the name of Fulani herdsmen? They are criminals because we do not know them. But they say they dress like the average Fulani men? That cannot be ruled out. There was a case in Taraba State two years ago. They came in the Fulani attire but, when they were caught, it was discovered that they were not Fulani. Some people are trying to spoil the name of the Fulani herdsmen. That is what we have in the country today. They stereotype and profile the Fulani herdsmen as criminals. What do you do if you were in the shoes of the victims or the media that, while carrying out your duty, the narrative you get is that they were kidnapped by Fulani people and

Some solutions have been proffered but a lot of people are saying the Bills cannot work. Some people insist that the Fulani herdsmen have a business to run and they should finance their business on their own without destroying other peoples’ properties? They are entitled to their opinion but, today, because of the profiling, whichever community that sees a Fulani man is apprehensive. Sometimes, youths of the community would push the Fulani, shoot their cows and that is what ignites problem. We visited Benue State during the last administration and we succeeded in bringing down tension. What we discovered was that when they go to graze in the forest, an area that doesn’t belong to anybody, people would come and demand money from them before they can graze. And even after settling, another group would come and demand for money again and, if they refuse to pay, they shoot the cows. When a Fulani man gets to an area, he reports to the Fulani head in that area and then report to the traditional leadership in the community. This is the culture wherever they go. Today, we have over 30million cows in Nigeria, and over 150million sheep and goats. So, if you don’t plan for these things, there is definitely going to be a problem. We want government to settle these people in a place because we too are tired of all these problems. There is this issue of AK-47? That is one issue I would like to correct. If you see a Fulani man handling AK-47, that is because cattle rustling has become so much that one wonders if there is security in the country. With the coming of this administration, we are seeing a lot of improvement. No peace-loving Fulani man would be carrying AK-47 and moving about. What sort of improvements have you seen from this administration? This administration has helped us recover a lot of cattle. I’m sure you’re aware of the amnesty granted to some of them in Kano State. How do you know your cattle? They have marks and there are traditional ways of identifying the cows. If there are many cows here and a Fulani man wants to identify his own cattle from the recovered cattle, some would sing or make some sounds and you’ll see the Fulani man’s cow coming out in his direction. All of them have marks for identification. In Lagos, we have succeeded in catching about, four times, cattle rustlers.

•THIS INTERVIEW WAS FIRST AIRED ON CHANNELS TELEVISION

PAGE 18—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

Boko Haram their haven. F) That the Fulani Herdsmen causing havoc, raping women, and armed with sophisticated weapons is a grave security threat to the country and should be treated as terrorists. G) Government’s proposal to solve herdsmen/farmers incessant clashes by introducing grazing land reserve all over the country will in our opinion extend their terrorist activities all over the country and this is not acceptable. H) The idea that grazing reserves as a panacea to the problem is not only archaic, but unscientific, unsustainable and most modern nations including Saudi Arabia have introduced ranches instead of Nomadism. I) Moreover, cattle rearing as practiced in Nigeria is a private business, therefore it is unfair for Government to acquire land from Farmers which is their only means of livelihood and give same to the Fulani Herdsmen free of charge. In summary, we advocate the Ranching system which will restrict every Farmer to his own portion of land thus eliminating incessant clashes and unnecessary loss of lives and properties.

hristian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has rejected grazing rights, routes or reserves (3Rs), saying it is a subtle way by the Federal Government to Islamise Nigeria. The position came in a memorandum CAN submitted to the House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, Production and Services, on incessant clashes between pastoralists, farmers and farming communities, last week (April 26 and 27) This paper is presented by Professor Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, a woman. As the only woman, making a presentation, looking at the grazing bill through the eyes and perception of the woman will be one of the wisest things the National Assembly will have to do. The reasons are not farfetched. She is the mother of not just her children but the nation’s children. Also, she is fashioned by God, the creator to be a fitted help,not only for her husband but the whole community of men. As a mother, I see this bill rather than an attempt to give the Fulani herdsmen space, but as an attempt to institutionalise Boko Haramthroughout the country and cripple our children with fears of a people,who rather than love human beings, are more caring and more intimate with their herds. Fear has torments and as mothers, we see our children being tormented physically and even psychologically and emotionally. Time will not permit me to do justice in analyzing the nature of the torments and their effects on our children. As an adult, let me recount my ordeal as a university professor, living near students’ hostels on the University campus. I have Fulani Nomads living behind my house in Port Harcourt. They are wild, uncivilized and inaccessible. They wake us up at four 4 o’clock am daily and make everyone including all my students living in several four 4-storey buildings nearby have high blood pressure. I hope those buildings will not crash soon around my university. When I offered to buy them a grinding machine, they said pounding is their culture, yet their women showed me bleeding blistered hands. When I insisted that I would buy the grinder, they asked me how I would be fuelling it. When I told them to go to the nearby grinder to grind, they said they don’t have N20 naira to grind. When the Iwofe University community told them that they would be reported to the police authorities, they threw such great tantrums threatening that they would wipe away the entire university community and the whole Universe! Their utterances and actions portray that they are ABOVE THE LAW. Everybody and even farmers who cherish life are terrified of them as they kill, rape, bomb, loot and maim anyone that entreats them. I had to go and complain to my brother, the Alhaji, who was hosting them on his land in Port Harcourt, to please intervene; which he graciously obliged me. This should not be treated as an isolated case because I represent the so many women of Nigeria who may never be confident enough to present a memorandum of this nature. I carry their pains and anxieties here because I am a woman like them. As wife, I wish to kneel down and beg our men not to allow them to spread this hostility for whatever reasons which they may be advancing, not at this point in time in our history as a nation, when we are struggling with Boko Haram Insurgents. I will cite a second testimony as a Kwaran from Ira, Kwara State Nigeria. For some time now, whenever, I go home, I observe that the women donot go to their farms anymore. Upon enquiry from the Oba and the women themselves, they explained that the Fulani herdsmen have taken over all their farms with all their crops are eaten up by their cows. They further exclaimed that the herdsmen rape and kill if they dare sight

C M Y K

•Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor,CAN President

Grazing rights, routes or reserves?

It is a subtle way to Islamise Nigeria – CAN them on their farms. The men also do not bother going at all. The Kabiyesisaid he has intervened, but the policemen are also afraid of the Fulani herdsmen. So the Farming occupation has thus been truncated. GOD help us! To my mind, the Fulani herdsmen are business people like others seeking opportunity to market and enlarge their industry. Even nowdoctors are warning that red meat consumption should be curtailed and not as healthy as we thought. What right has the Nigerian Government to forcefully take community lands by legislation to enlarge the Fulaniscow business? Is it that other livestock farmers eg snail, goat etc. will also in every State be given a land as they desire for the enlargement of their businesses throughout the country? Is this the wish of the averageNigerian or is it that the Fulanis have terrorized us so much such that our husbands have become cowards to please them? God forbid! If our husbands will not protect us, we will have no choice but to move out on the street, if this bill is passed, to be killed by the bullets of our motherland. HIGHLIGHTS The Federal Government plans to encourage the Cow Fulani Breeders to establish private Cattle Ranches and Grazing Reserves which is outdated, unscientific and unsustainable. That the nomadic culture of moving cattle from one place to another is not economically sound and that the culture should change for the creation of private cattle ranches with access to all the necessary amenities like schools, hospitals, Banks and proximity to Agro allied industries like Dairy, Tannery and Beef Production. The startling statistics on the unproductivity of the current nomadic system is evident. The population of

Cattle in Nigeria is 15million as against Brazil’s 220 million. Our dairy/milk production is extremely poor with 1L/cow compared to Brazil and Saudi Arabia of 30-40L/cow). Saudi Arabia produces 10 million pints of milk daily while Nigeria spends $1.32million annually on importation of milk powder. The Government is to assist Breeders with grazing grass seed and other incentives. CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (Nigerian Graduate Christian Fellowship Submission – An Affiliate of CAN) A) Grazing reserve/grazing route is unsustainable, conflicts with Land use act of our constitution that vested the power on land allocation to State Governors and not the Federal Government. It is also prone to conflicts with host communities and Farmers. B)The best solution is private ownership of modern day cattle ranches with access to veterinary services, Schools, Irrigation/water supply and other social amenities C) It is wrong for Federal Government to seize a community land and give it to Private businessmen who are cattle breeders as it favours one group at the expense of others. D) The land mass in Northern Nigeria far outstrips what obtained in the South. The entire South eastern states have a land mass of 28,982km2 which is smaller than Kogi State (29,582 km2)! The entire southern states in the west, east and south south is less than a third of the land mass in the North. It is therefore wrong for Government to allocate land from the South to breeders from the North. E) Sambisia forest which is approximately 60,000 Km2 and has more than 6million hectares of land can be used as a national ranch where all breeders from different parts of the country can breed their cattle. This will help to develop the area and derive

RECOMMENDATIONS BY CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (CAN) 1. No grazing rights, routes or reserves (3Rs) because it is private business and tax payers’ money should not be used as in othernormal private businesses in the country. 2. Loans should be sourced for through banks, Federal/State ministries, like other businesses in Nigeria to facilitate their education as an association to improve themselves so that they can fit in with 21st century Nomad practices in line with the millennium development goals. It is a well known fact that the Federal Government has released billions of naira for Grazing Reserves in Northern Nigeria which we presume should be enough. 3. Lands should be sourced at state level or through Northern Governors’ forum where the cows will be in their natural habitat in northern Nigeria. This should not be done by COERCION, MANIPULATION, INTIMIDATION, ENFORCEMENT OF LAW or THE PASSING OF ANY BILL INTO MOTION but with PERSUASION and ENCOURAGEMENT. State Governors should be adequately educated on what they stand to benefit. 4. Ranches/Reserves should be restricted to state of origin of Nomads or anyone into animal husbandry and the remaining untapped, uncultivated vast land space on the entire planet which happens to be in Northern Nigeria. 5. Chief Awolowo said “Tap and pipe water from the Atlantic Ocean to irrigate the whole of Northern Nigeria like other deserts of the world and you will feed the entire world from here”. 6. There should be no driving of herds all over the nation as the excuse to mass murder Nigerians in the South. 7. All Nigerian borders should be tightened, because most of these so called Fulani herdsmen who are actually Boko Haram and illegal immigrants from neighbouring Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic etc. They are definitely not our Nigerian brothers. CONCLUSION: 1. WE BELIEVE THAT THE NATIONAL GRAZING BILL IS A SUBTLE WAY FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ISLAMISE NIGERIA. So, in order to alleviate and prove our fears wrong, such a BILL SHOULD NEVER BE PASSED INTO MOTION because it is not a LEGISLATIVE ISSUE. 2. We are of the opinion that there should be constant dialogue with all the stake holders to formulate a holistic plan that will promote peace, harmony and advancement of our Livestock industry, so that we don’t divide Nigeria into Southeria and Northeria either overtly or covertly.

SUND AY Vanguard , MA Y 1 , 2016, P AGE 19 SUNDA MAY

Husbands who ‘graze’ nearer to home!

T was a most harrowing day with the traffic and Rebecca thought she couldn’t handle more stress as she made her way to one of the high-rise complexes she lived in with her family. It was night already but thank goodness there was electricity. As she moved wearily towards the lift, she saw the typical ‘out of order’ sign and she nearly wept with frustration. She lived on the ninth floor! She took her time climbing the stairs until she got to the fourth floor. She met a group of housewives discussing in the corridor and all of a sudden, their eyes were on Rebecca. Some looked hostile but the majority had nothing but pity for her. Then it all came back to her. A few days ago, on a night almost as bad as this one, she’d just made her way to the flat when there was an angry ring at the door. She yanked her door open ready to tell whoever the nuisance was off. when she saw a neighbour with whom she was fairly friendly. “Mama Junior ”, she greeted but the woman snorted in reply and pushed past her to the living room where her husband was reading the evening papers. Her back was up. “I’ve come to report this animal to you”, she shouted, her eyes flashed hatred and anger as she pointed to Rebecca’s husband. “Wura (her. sixteen year-old daughter) was sent to your floor and your husband lured her into your flat. He told her a lot of rubbish about being alone and helpless and asked her to help him clean around the house. Since we were all family friends, Wura agreed to do the dishes. She was at the sink when your husband crept

behind her, cupping her breasts in his hands. My daughter said she protested and your husband struggled to rape her until she started screaming. “When he eventually let her go, her clothes were rumpled. I was so enraged when she came crying to me that I dragged her down here, thinking your husband would try to deny it. He did try but Wura contradicted him and he shouted her down. He said, in my presence, that he knew all her friends were screwing around, so why was she pretending she’d never had sex before? I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Can you imagine this pervert saying that to a child that I virtually gave birth to in his presence? How low can you sink? The other mothers have complained about him too. This contracting jobs he says he’s doing, when does he have time for them? If this happens to Wura again, I’m not going to be as civilized as I am today, so please ask your husband to keep a tighter rein on his pants or there will be fire". Unfortunately, this would not be the first time Rebecca’s husband had humiliated her and she wondered why she still stuck to the marriage. Her co-tenants’ tittering and sniggering finally put the nail on the coffin of her dead marriage. She would leave her husband. No, better still, she would put his personal effects out in the corridor - afterall the flat was allocated to her. And that’s exactly what she did though with much protest and bitterness from her spineless husband. Some years ago, Francis, a

reputable lawyer nearly wept for joy as he watched his elder daughter being called to the bar. He’d already arranged for his bosom friend, also a lawyer with international connections, to take Rosy his daughter with him on his next trip. “Rosy was born in England” explained her father, “and she insisted on doing her masters there. Martin, my friend, was to settle her into a good school with the possibility of finding a reputable law firm for her to work with afterwards. Rosy wanted to work for a year or so to enable her set up a fairly comfortable flat before she went back to school. When she phoned that she was coming on holidays some six months later, I was angry. Who did she think she was, jetting up and down the place? But she assured me she had a very important decision

to make and I was to be part of it. “As soon as the squeals of welcome died down, my wife blurted out: ‘You are pregnant’? Rosy said ‘ yes’ and before we started asking any questions, Martin came in. The long and short of the story is that Martin said, almost proudly, that he was responsible for the pregnancy. I wanted to hit him. I reminded him that all I asked him to do was put my daughter in school, not in the family way. “In the end, it was resolved that Rosy should have the child abroad. Martin’s wife, who was also a good family friend was bitter and bewildered. How could her husband humiliate her that way? If he wanted a third wife (he already had a second) couldn’t he look further afield than his back yard? All the children were thoroughly

confused. “Anyway, Rosy had her child; my first grandchild and stayed on in England. She wrote later that she had a good job and that as soon as her son was old enough, she would take her to a nanny, so she could continue with her programme. “You can, therefore, imagine my bewilderment when she showed up with her son who was now a year old, already pregnant again. She came with Martin as she did the first time and a determined glint in her eyes - they were `getttng married’ and it was obvious the least we could do was give our blessings. My wife looked really resigned, and Martin immediately beckoned that his friends, who were my friends too, and who were waiting in a couple of cars should be let in for moral support. But did I need that much persuasion to give my blessing to this awkward alliance with the second child on the way? “On the day the supposedly quiet traditional wedding was to take place at my residence, Martin came in with a couple of huge vans. Within minutes, tables, canopies and food items were set up. A combo band was in attendance and he announced with glee that he’d bought his new family a house in Ikoyi and a posh car to boot. That rogue certainly knows how to make offers you cannot refuse albeit grudgingly. For now, I wait with bated-breath for the day my daughter would cry home to us that her husband’s affection for her has been replaced by a younger and prettier fourth ‘ wife’. Its just a matter of time.

08052201867(Text Only)

Long lasting use of legs

HE other day, a lady student of mine in the presence of her sister asked me how come some people who look so trim from working out in the gymnasium don’t seem to be able to sit in the lotus posture or any posture that requires a bending of the knees? The other sister cut in with the statement that though people might look great from the outside, they may not be necessarily fit in an all-round sense. Well, my answer to the question was that most people think that it’s of most importance to workout the musculature to the neglect of the joints. That’s a pretty sad mistake, seeing that when old age begins to set in, it’s the joints that give the most trouble. Little wonder most aging people require a third leg in the shape of walking stick. I’m not against the use of walking stick,s it’s just that people allow themselves to need them too early after middle life. The ankles, the knees and the hips seem to be the first to go. Most elderly people have trouble with one or more of these areas. If grandpa and granny have locomotion problems, how do we ensure we do not go the same way at their age? The sensible thing I think is to start

Yoga Classes

* The Spinal Twist to take care of the legs long before old age overtakes us. This care should mean eating right and exercising right. Exercising right in this sense means ensuring

some of us might have to work a little harder. Whatever the case, it will be reassuring to know you have attained the situation where your joints do not creak from the slightest demands. As youngsters, we allow our bodies to get into all kinds of postures when at play. But when we soon grow up and are supposed to pick up all kinds of things which never seem to serve us right. Taking ourselves too seriously, we do not ‘play’ enough and gradually we acquire a grown up’s body. And what kind of a body is that but one that is less responsive and almost a dead weight. The body is wonderfully made. We can only help ourselves by making changes in ourselves our habits and beyond! We regain a fitter body. Here are some yoga exercises to help you regain suppleness in the joints. Vajrasana or the deep knee bend is done by simply getting down on your heels with the foot lying down with soles up and toes pointing backwards. Arrange the hands neatly on the thighs. Good to practice while watching TV or something. Remember, this is one exercise you

STARTED the workout we engage in should include ankle bends, knee bends and the spinal twist which affects the entire waist. For some, the ability to do such exercises will come easy, while

Physical Therapy Centre @ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island Lagos. 10.00am — 11.00am on Saturdays

can o even after a heavy meal. Sit in the posture for as long as possible. The Supta-Vairasana or the fish is done same as the previous one. The difference being that with this one, you fall on your back, arch your neck and put the dome of the head on the floor with the hands arranged as if in prayer on the chest. In this posture, the stretch on the joints is a lot more intense. The Horizontal Thigh Squat is performed by standing straight with the feet about a foot apart and lowering the upper body till the knees are fully bent and you’re on the balls of your feet. Stretch the hands in front. Do that twice or thrice and for the duration of a minute each time. Matsyendrasana or the spinal twist is done by sitting down with both legs outstretched in front of you. Now bend the left knee and bring the right foot across the left thigh. Bring the left hand to clutch the left knee. The right hand must be placed across the back. Now twist the upper body as you look over the right shoulder. Keep your head up. Do this for some 15 seconds and change legs to twist the other way.

PAGE 20—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 08056180152, SMS only

This Leap Year you can go on your knee and propose to your dithering man!

ow do two people who love each other madly actually make it to the altar? When is the moment right for him to pop the question, or would he leave it till never? How do you convince your man you love him enough to want to commit without forcing the issue and scaring him off? In other words, why the heck, after all these years, hasn’t he asked you to marry him? Becky and Obi have been together for over three years and they have a son to show for the union. “When I got pregnant, we didn’t plan it, I did,” ‘Becky confessed. “We’d been very careful about birthcontrol but I conveniently forgot to take the pill, thinking my getting pregnant would be the right nudge for him to pop the question. I wasn’t expecting anything as dramatic as his going down on bended knee to propose, but a nice line like making an honest woman of me now I was pregnant would have done the trick”. “I was already fed up of explaining our relationship to anybody who wanted to know our status. We live together, so people assume we are married. Things got a bit embarrassing where we had to give different family names. Marriage should be a neat practical solution to romance. But will this clod of mine ever get the hint? We love each other, no doubt about that. We’re good lovers and even better friends. I’ve performed more than my share of domestic duties even the ones I don’t feel happy about. Regularly, we trotoff to the marriage of our mutual friends. We sing thanksgiving songs,

throw confetti and have our picture taken with the happy couple, even appeared in a few softsells. Yet, he’s never caught on to the idea of happily wedded bliss.” Becky has always struck me as a fiercely independent woman. She has a very thriving business and Obi runs a reputable clinic with a doctor friend of his. So, why was she getting apprehensive all of a sudden ‘’Why? Well, I’m over 30", she told me as if that was such a tragedy. “I’ve had a series of serious and assorted boyfriends, livein lovers and grand passion over the years, but not one of these ‘ungratefuls’ has actually popped the question. Afterall, I’m not that bad looking and I even humour Obi by laughing at his pedestrian jokes. “I’ve never entertained even a passing fancy for another man since we became a couple. I’m a charming available girl of marriageable age. I just wish someone would tell Obi that! Living in sin might suit him, but for me, it has lost its glamour. What makes

OUR column to express your loving thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel. Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"

Mother is Special

She's as soft and graceful as a butterfly, yet as strong and courageous

matters worse is that every time I raise the subject of marriage, he looks as frightened as an accused, expecting the worse from a hostile judge. Sometimes, I laugh off his insecurity, strengthened by the knowledge that he truly loves me. The fact still remains we have a child to consider. “On the bad days, I convince myself that just loving me anyway is no way at all. I can’t help but think that if he loves me enough, he’d ask me to marry him. I’ve loved him for ages, and so have friends and relatives who think we’re the perfect couple. So, what’s stopping this perfect couple from signing on the dotted line? Am I living an illusion? What could I be missing as I commit myself to a man who can’t commit? What missed opportunities, what chances at a better life am I giving up whilst I commit myself to Mr. Clay- Feet?” She was at the end of her tethers and wanted me to advise her on what to do- split or stick with her partner? Early last

year, I’d had to console a relation whose ‘husband’ upped and married a girl more than 10 years her junior because she was pregnant and her influential dad held a gun to his head. Did this dad know he had a woman at home with three lovely children? Since they weren’t legally married, the poor mother of his children was sidelined as he planned an elaborate wedding with his new and younger catch. So what do I tell Becky? Then an idea pinged. This year is a leap year! One of its advantages is that a girl can actually ask for her lover ’s hand in marriage! So I told Becky that instead of hanging around waiting for Obi to ask her to marry him, why didn’t she pop the question? In this day and age, woman’s rights should include the right to propose - it shouldn’t be such a male domain! I mean, why do women always leave it to the men who often let them down? “And what if he says no?” asked Becky, who was now giving me a

as a grizzly bear. Her heart is large enough to hold everyone's pain and joy. Her hands are always gentle and soothing. Her arms are always warm and tender. She works hard to make a home feel like home, and she strives to make life pleasant and comfortable for those she loves. She never fails to go that extra mile to make the holidays happy and memorable. Her job is the most difficult and demanding ever known to any human being, yet she's fully dedicated to the task. She's always there for her family, guiding them and keeping them safe from harm. She owns a magical way to raise spirits and make everything feel better. And her sympathy, unselfishness and forgiveness are unending. All that anyone is or could ever hope to be can be attributed to a mother.

strange look. She obviously thought my idea was a bid harebrained, but I told her if he says no, then she would know Obi never meant to marry her in the first place. If he says yes, it needn’t be a lavish wedding. Any registry do would serve the purpose before he changes his mind. And the same goes for all you single women whose men have kept dangling on strings for years. It is your prerogative to now propose to your man. If he says yes, which he probably would, then the risk is worth it. If he says no, you now have to decide what to do and whatever decision you make will no longer be his responsibility. Tackling The Monster Of Insomnia YOU twist and turn every night, trying to get to sleep. Nothing seems to work - and you get more and more stressed. You snap at the kids, snarl at your partner and you can barely get through the day. It is estimated that a lot of the population is prone to insomnia, with women more likely to suffer than men. All sorts of factors can affect our sleep - medical conditions like sleep apnoea, lifestyle issues such as poor diet, or the stress of bereavement, divorce or losing your job. But if insomnia is ruining your life, remember that your family may be suffering too. “However supportive your partner may be, seeing someone at your worst for much of the time is hardly a recipe for a happy domestic life”, says Lynda Brown, author of the Insomniac’s Best Friend: How to Get a

Better Night’s Sleep. And if you are an insomniac with kids, normal family life might seem impossible at times. How many insomniac mothers chide themselves for being irritable with their children? Advise about when you eat, what you eat, how you relax, and what you do and don’t do in the evening, all becomes more complicated when there are two or more to consider. But working out how your insomnia impacts on the people you love is just as important as tackling the problem itself ’. Lynda’s tips will make your days more bearable and hopefully good nights will follow. If you are an insomniac: Remember that your partner needs support too. Show your appreciation whenever you can. Don’t let insomnia rule both of your lives. Try to be more relaxed. “Be nice to yourself and you’ll be nicer to be one. Don’t blame yourself for not sleeping. Tossing and turning, it is usually more disruptive to partners than reading in bed or getting up. Train yourself to lie very still or go into the spare room. Failing that, head for the sofa. Sleeping in separate rooms can be a very touchy issue. Your partner may feel abandoned and you may feel guilty. But if your sleeplessness is getting both of you down, separate rooms may save your relationship. If your partner is an insomniac: Don’t tell them they had more sleep last night than they realise. It doesn’t help an insomniac’s reality is the amount they think they ’ve slept. Understand that when they have a go at you, it’s not really aimed at you.

She instills the teachings that will last a lifetime. She sows the seeds of virtue and morality, and in the process, she opens up love and vast horizons. She's always watching and hoping that her children's goals will have meaning. She always listens and tries to understand even when it's difficult to do so. She's a true friend in every sense of the word. She's noble and sublime, and holds all the beauty of a golden day, yet even during the storms, she always shines bright like an evening star. Her name should be honored well, for she's the closest thing to God on earth. Mine is a Living Testimony,Forever Love and Adore, Mrs Justina .U. Onunaku

Chris Onunaku 08032988826/08184844015. #KriSpiratiOn2016.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 21

Buhari can fight corruption without breaching the law —Akintola, SAN

example which I have given before. It is in the possession of government anyway. In a paper titled: ‘Corruption And The Rule Of Law In Nigeria’ which I delivered in University of Ibadan we need to do. For instance, this issue of anticipatory declaration of assets was first mentioned by me at the conference. I said most of our public officers declare what they don’t have and then try to meet up what they declared. No problems. All you need to do is call for his asset declaration form and call for his tax clearance and balance it. The tax laws are there, exploit that to deal with the situation. If what you declare is not commensurate with your salary, you go to jail. The laws are there. What is so technical or difficult is checking your declaration form and tax clearance? And talking about military personnel, serving or retired, all servicemen are bound by the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20. Under the Armed Forces Disciplinary Act Cap 822, 2007, enacted by Obasanjo, what he did was simple. He repealed through the National Assembly, the Nigerian Army Act, the Nigerian Navy Act and the Nigerian AirForce Act and brought everybody under the Nigerian Armed Forces Act in 2007. He went further to enact the Armed Forces Disciplinary Act which says if you are a serving officer, you are subject to the laws of the military. In other words, if the offence of this nature, corruption, I mean, comes up, you don’t need to take him to the regular courts.

•’The problem with the Saraki case’

•Adv ocat es la w tto o restrain dvocat ocates law herdsmen BY LEKAN BILESANMI

Chief Adeniyi Akintola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, believes the government of President Muhammadu Buhari can fight corruption successfully within the ambit of the law. In this interview, Akintola also faults the procedure employed in the prosecution of Senate President Bukola Saraki for alleged assets declaration breaches by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

ne year after, what is your take on the Buhari administration? So far so good. We thank God that the administration came on board; and at the time it did, because it would have been terrible for Nigeria. By my own reckoning, the rate at which we were sliding down the slope, it was obvious the country was moving towards anarchy; and it was doing so at geometric speed. But it gladdens one’s heart that change eventually came. As a matter of fact, the situation of Nigeria would have been worse than that of Greece if we had allowed the rot that was in the system to continue. President Jonathan was just not in charge. Everybody was doing what he liked. The ministers were behaving as if we were in the jungle. And it was so bad that the President himself was not in a position to arrest the situation. As a matter of fact, former President Olusegun Obasanjo described the situation then as a country of five presidents where the weakest link was Jonathan. He said, of the five Presidents, the only male among them was Jonathan, it was that bad. At the rate the economy was sliding down the slope, we would have just woken up one day and discovered that you could no longer access your money in the bank and you won’t be able to go to the market as it happened in Greeks. The Greece were able to get out of it because they had the support of the European Union. Who would have come to the aid of Nigeria? We are the lone power in the West Africa sub-region. How would we have been able to get out of the state of quagmire? Perhaps, there would have been a revolution. We thank God that the change came at the time it did. I have no regret for the role I played to bring about the change. The change appears to have become a nightmare in the face of the economic hardship the country is experiencing now. How do you feel? Naturally, when change is about to occur, there would be some teething problems; it comes with challenges. What we are facing now is temporary. Having said that, I think we need to be patient. Things were so bad. Many people do not know the extent of the rot in government. When you some things that happened under the former administration, you will be wondering if you are in the right country. Things were so bad that they were borrowing

C M Y K

Even in a democratic setting? You take him before the military court, court martial. Nobody will not be asking for bail there, and you will not be breaching any law.

•Chief Adeniyi Akintola

It has been a government of the illiterate by the illiterate for the enlightened. For example, the fellow who sold the idea to President Buhari to prevent people from running domiciliary account was an economic illiterate money to pay salaries, lying to us that we are the biggest economy in Africa. Are we not? The biggest economy in Africa? Can’t you see what is happening now? The rot we are seeing didn’t start now, it started long ago. And they failed to arrest it. Obasanjo left close to 67 billion dollars when he was leaving office; at the time they were leaving, they left close to 17 billion dollars. And infrastructural development, nil. And so much was budgeted for various infrastructural projects that did not see the light of day. We could not have continued under that situation. For anybody to want to bring us back to the path of sanity, of course, sacrifice has to be made. Agreed that we are all suffering. Everybody is becoming so agitated now because things are not okay. But if we can persevere, at least for once, we have a President who has decided to whip all of us back to line because we all been living beyond our means; both the governed and government, we no longer know our limitations. After the salary increase made possible by Obasanjo, you would see people with one car now having two to three cars. Meanwhile, they forgot that those cars would demand for new tyres, break pads and everybody was just behaving as if they had inexhaustible pipes of money. The lifestyles of some of people were just out of this world. People were celebrating weddings abroad, and on the sea. Things were not just going right. Everybody was becoming in disciplined. So, for once, we see

somebody who could say, ‘Hey, enough of this’. Of course there would be reaction. This is part of the reaction we are all experiencing now. I think we now have somebody who can look at us in the eye and say, ‘look, this thing cannot continue’. Again, Nigerians can see the sincerity. We know that he is not deceiving anybody. He happens to be the only Nigerian leader, known to us in this country, who has no property abroad, Lagos and Abuja. And this is one person who has been governor, GOC, minister of petroleum, head of state. So give it to him, he has the discipline. While you think he has sincerity of purpose, this government also seems to thrive on impunity as illustrated by Femi Falana Of course, when it comes to the issue of the rule of law, I think Femi Falana was right. He was actually echoing the minds of many of us. Like I did say, if a man wants to fight the rot, he needs to go the extra mile by thinking outside the box. He had the golden opportunity which was presented to him by the 36 state governors in the country who suggested to him to declare state of emergency because of the adverse economic situation in the country, but he refused to seize the opportunity and probably suspend rule of law for one year so that he can confront the hydra-headed monster of corruption headlong. Doing that would have meant the relegation of the judiciary to the background. Some people may even say we are back to the military era? Not necessarily. That is one thing about us in this country. None of our former leaders was creative. Many of them were not thinking outside the box. Take the issue of corruption, do you know you can fight corruption without breaching the law? There are enough laws in our statute books, but our inability to think outside the box or to be creative is causing problems. Is it being creative or lack of will? No. It appears there is that dearth of knowledge, there is that lacuna in policy formulation and in the thinking level of the formulators. For instance, you don’t need rocket science to fight corruption. There are enough laws in our statute books. I give an

Why didn’t you tell government this? I have since done that long ago. It is before them. And for those who are retired and, for as long as they are collecting pension, taking tax payers money, they are subject to the same laws. So, Femi Falana was right. It is the inability to think outside the box and that is the danger of having square pegs in round holes. There are enough laws in our statute books. The Land Use Act is there with which you can deal with some of these people. Do you know that under Section 109 of the Land Use Act, all the land of each state is vested in the governor? And under Sections 27 and 29 of the law, the governor can revoke any property for public purpose. If I know that you acquired those property through corrupt means, I can revoke it. You don’t need to breach any law. Is that still not lack of political will on the part of the leadership? You don’t give what you don’t have. The truth of the matter is that most Nigerian leaders don’t read. And, over the years, it has been like that. We didn’t start today. It has been a government of the illiterate by the illiterate for the enlightened. For example, the fellow who sold the idea to President Buhari to prevent people from running domiciliary account was an economic illiterate. Because statistics shows, as explained by Senator Ben Bruce, that over 20 million Nigerians earn offshore income. Now, compare the number with those of the thieves against whom the policy was in place. The number of the so-called thieves, if you count them, they are not up to 5,000. So because the few, who are less than 1% of the population, you prevented people who earn legitimate income from bringing foreign exchange into the economy. And the resultant effect was that the dollar jumped against the naira from 200 to 350,380 and above to one dollar. I know that there are over 1,000 Nigerian lawyers who are international arbitrators, including my humble self, who earn foreign income. There are many Nigerian doctors outside the shores of this country. Meanwhile, they would say you should transfer your Continues on page 22

PAGE 22—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

Continued from page 21 money through the banking system forgetting that the tax regime differs from country to country. If you are transferring your foreign earnings offshore through the banking system in Britain, the VAT regime there is about 22 1/2 % as against 5% in Nigeria. So, it would be fool hardy on your part to transfer that money through the system. You would rather prefer to keep the money in your pocket and take it to your country. All the countries I know all over the world, they encourage their citizens to bring in foreign exchange. What they do is to prevent them from taking it out. I think that should have been the policy that our country should have evolved. Do you know that this no domiciliary account policy improved some other countries economies? Go to Ghana, banks in that country were advertising to Nigerians to come and open domiciliary account. The banks involved are branches of the banks here in Nigeria. And this fact is known to the Central Bank. By the time the policy was reversed, the damage had already been done to the Nigerian economy. It was because of the activity of just one person who I describe as economic illiterate. So the truth of the matter is that most of our leaders are either economic illiterate, legal illiterate, political illiterates, so that it becomes the government of the illiterate by the illiterate for the enlightened. I think that person has done incalculable damage to the Nigerian economy than anything. I don’t know who the fellow is. But I would not know if Mr President is still keeping such a person in his team, whether at the Central Bank or the cabinet. There was this sigh of relief when Dr Ibe Kachikwu was announced as the GMD of NNPC and Minister of State for Petroleum by people who thought his experience would enhance the quality of service delivery of the government of the day, but some are now calling for his resignation? It will not be right for me to sit here and play god over Kachikwu. Like I did say, the problems started long before Buhari came to power. And I think we must appreciate the fact that the last regime was living on borrowed time. All the efforts of the past regime were concentrated on how to win the 2015 election. So, the mines had been laid for what we are having now. So it will be unfair on the part of anybody to start blaming Buhari or Kachikwu. Who do we blame then? Are they not in the saddle? Yes, they are. Responsibility is to correct the situation. We have to look at the remote and immediate cause of these problems. The system we are running is a problem on its own. We are operating a centralized form of government as against federal form of government. We need to have devolution of power. There are a lot of things that do not just add in this country. As long as we continue to deceive ourselves, we will be getting the same results. We have centralized so much that it breeds corruption. It breeds inefficiency. If we have a federal structure where state government can take certain decisions on their own, without depending on NNPC, if each state that has the resources can own refinery, export petroleum products, we won’t be in this quagmire. Tell me any federal state in the world that practices what we are operating here in Nigeria. Are we really federal? That is the remote and immediate cause of the problems we are having now. It is the over centralization that is causing these problems. Look at the issue of power, if Lagos State, under Tinubu administration, had been allowed by the Ministry of Power then to pull through the project it was embarking upon in 2003, Lagos would have been self- sufficient in electricity generation by now. If you are truly running a federal system of government, these problems won’t be there. This thing will persist even after Buhari, unless we change. For example, why should the refinery be owned by government? In Nigeria, it is the tail that wags the dog, rather than the dog waging the tail. Why can’t Bayelsa, Lagos, Rivers, Imo, all those petroleum producing states, be allowed to use what is under their soil and be paying rent to the federal? By now, each of them would have owned one or two refineries which, of course, would be private-sector driven. Thank God for Buhari that is making us realize that the party is over. The party is over in Nigeria. We should seize the opportunity of this new dispensation C M Y K

there is no more to it than meets the eye.

• Akintola

’The problem with the Saraki case’ and know that all of us have to live within our means. We have to know our limitations. There is no reason states like Ekiti, Ebonyi should more than five commissioners. Why should Ekiti want to compete with Lagos, or Ebonyi wants to compete with Bayelsa? It is madness. Every fool should know that Ikoyi/Obalande Local Government Area is richer than Oyo and Osun put together. There are over two five-star hotels in Ikoyi and Obalende. There is no three-star hotel in Oyo and Osun put together. Ask me, why should you have Director of Agric in Ibadan, where is the farm? It is because we don’t know our limitations. We are operating a central uniform kind of government. This is not done in any part of the world. Why must there be uniform salaries under the guise of minimum wages? Even in Cambridge, the professors there don’t earn the same salaries. You are paid according to your terms of employment and level of productivity. Most of the things that were introduced in order to encourage our people to be experts in certain fields when Nigeria got independence, we are still retaining them. For instance, if you are going on sabbatical, you are a professor in Harvard, you are not going to be paid there for that year, but in Nigeria , a professor will earn a salary here and still earn salary where he is doing the sabbatical. In the Western world, Britain, for example, at least I know because my daughter is a medical doctor there, if you are doing your residency, you will not be paid salary because they are training you to become an expert. In Nigeria, residency doctors will even hold the nation to ransom if they are not paid. This policy was introduced to encourage people to become experts in various fields but we still keep the policy even after independence. Why should a worker in my rural area in Ido, Oyo State earn the same salary that his counterpart in Lagos Island is earning? Are their resources the same? All of the local government areas in the country have Directors of Agric, how many of them really have estates or farmlands? It is the system, and I don’t think it will be right to blame the government. Talking about the trial of the Senate President to which you were quoted as having reservation about, what exactly is wrong with the trial? My comment I thought was innocuous. I never spoke with any newspaper. I only spoke with Radio

Kwara. It was at a wedding. And I spoke after so much pressure to hear my comment. I guess the pressure came because they knew I had been involved in cases of some political bigwigs before the Code of Conduct Tribunal before; that actually reinforced their push for me to speak. I gave my opinion which I am entitled to. It is rather unfortunate that some ignorant people out there have been dishing out lies, blackmailing me like asking how I was paid by Saraki. One of them even said he had on good authority that Saraki gave me one million dollars. Saraki is the Senate President, but I don’t think he can identify me in a crowd. He probably knows me through my reputation and name because of my status in the society. Other than that, if he sees me in the crowd, he cannot identify me. And all my life, all the cases I have been handling, it has always been against Saraki’s interest. And my position on the issue of corruption is very clear: I want corrupt public officials to be tried and executed. I have said that severally. It is a known position that I took long ago. However, my grouse with the case is the procedure. I was asked a question. I never spoke about the merit or demerit of the case. I only spoke on the procedure that we already have precedence. That if it was true, like the question they asked me, that the composition of the tribunal was two against three people, I said that would be wrong. I led the team when we disqualified Prince Oluyede who was a member of the Code of Conduct Tribunal when former Vice President Abubakar Atiku was being tried. And the tribunal confirmed that it could not sit because the Code of Conduct Tribunal Act was very clear: There shall be three members. It made no room for any other interpretation. It shall be three members. And the Code of Conduct Tribunal did very well to get another person, M.A Sanni, SAN, from Kwara, to replace Prince Oluyede. And the case of our leader in the South-West, Ashiwaju Tinubu, I was in the team, I was not the leader then. And what our leader, Chief Olanipekun, did was to say, ‘Look, this man has been confronted with the allegation, he has not been asked, he has not made any statement’, just like the Saraki case. And all I said was that the Code of Conduct Tribunal should follow the same procedure. It is as if there are two sets of laws for different people. And that in itself has tainted the trial. And the tribunal would need more than Jesus Christ and Muhammed to convince any discerning mind that

And you still stand by that? Of course I stand by it. And if you read the body of the story carried by the dailies, you would discovered that most newspapers reported and sensionalise it; that is fallacy of assent. The heading they gave to it was quite different from the body of the story. There was no where I said Danladi should not sit. I never said so. I said, one: I don’t know Saraki from Adam. Two: I am not holding brief but I am speaking as a lawyer and an objective person. I also frowned at the media role on the trial and I said it was quite unfortunate that the legal profession was becoming media-driven to the extent that the legal profession is now tilted towards public opinion and what the media says, particularly the social media. Morality is an unruly horse; when you are on it, it takes you to where you don’t expect. For example, it is normal in some communities to entertain their guests with their wives while it is frowned at in other communities. But we have these disco critics who only listen to themselves; no power of reason whatsoever, they just resort to sentiment. And any society that bases its rule of law on sentiment and moral persuasion is doomed. Like I always say, law must be certain. Every citizen must know what the law says on a particular issue. Last year, the Chief Justice of Nigeria sent to all the chief judges across the country, the letter which he addressed to the Chairman of Code of Conduct Tribunal, telling him he is not a judge. ‘Don’t address yourself as a judge, don’t answer my lord, you are just a member of tribunal’. And the CJN copied all the CJs, and, of course, copied the bar. For those of you in the media, you have not done a proper investigative journalism to get that letter. Some of you guys are now writing rubbish such that anyone who fails to key into your own way of thinking must be a thief. Because of the level of poverty, people have lost their sense of reasoning. They just comment on things they know little or nothing about. These are people who have not made any contribution in their lives to national development. They are busy condemning lawyers, forgetting that, without these lawyers, Buhari will not be where he is today. They are now more Catholic than the Pope. Anybody who disagrees with government policy must a thief. That is their mindset, to the extent that people are now afraid to talk which is rather unfortunate. What is your take on the raging herdsmen controversy in some parts of the country? I think the government should act as fast as possible so that there won’t be breakdown of law and order. First of all, I think the Federal Government should initiate a law that whoever wants to be pastoral, there should be a form of green area where the cows would be feeding, not to go to peoples farmland and destroy it, all in the name of wanting to feed the cows. The cows can be restricted to where they are reared. I remember in those days, the Nigerian Railway was bringing cows down here, whenever they were needed. It is like the grazing bill. Such a bill will never work, especially here in the South West. I think we must respect our differences. Who are those mostly involved in the business of cattle?Are they not from the North? How do you now impose a law that you know is mostly workable in the North? We are not pastoral in nature in this part of the country. So tell me, who are most beneficial of the bill if and when passed? Why would you bring your custom and lord it over me in my territory? Just as the governor of Oyo State, Ajimobi, said, it can never work. All these problems are still part of the way the nation is structured. In order words, until we are truly federated, not this kind of centralized form government, we shall continue to experience these problems. We are not a federated state. In a federal state, there is only union, not unity, not this kind of forced unity.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 23

IMPROVED POWER SUPPLY

Continued from last week

In this concluding part of Babatunde RAJI Fashola’s response to some of the Frequently Asked Questions on the power sector,. the Minister of Power, Works and Housing explains that there is a price to pay to have improved electricity supply in Nigeria.

If there is a dispute about policy in the NNPC about restructuring, is the answer to a welfare issue that can be negotiated, resolved or even litigated upon in a court or before an arbitration panel a shut down? Instead of choosing those options, the chosen option was to shut down the gas pipelines. As a result, 13 generation plants were shut down. Was that the best answer? I can’t guarantee people’s behaviour. So it is actually the people who are supposed to be producing the energy that are shutting down production in both the gas companies and DisCos. It is not the President or the Minister. So we need to have a rethink about the productivity of that workforce. What are they doing? What are they contributing to our national productivity? Because, as I said, I am a lawyer and I do not know about the technical side of electricity except what I am learning. But you know what; very highly educated engineers like Engineer Makoju and Prof. Barth Nnaji have operated in this Ministry. It wasn’t that they were not good enough; it was because of some of these attitudes. So, as far as technical capacity lies, we have it. In terms of technical capacity, Engineer Makoju can fix things but he cannot run a power plant on his own, people were employed to do that. I know that Prof. Barth Nnaji knows much more about gas than me but he won’t operate a gas pipeline on his own. The job of a Minister is to coordinate all these activities together in order to engender productivity. If there was a war today, President Buhari, with all his military might would not be the one to carry the gun. His role would be to coordinate. So that is the productive force. What are we getting out of it? That is a question we need to ask. It is, therefore when we all sign up for qualitative and uninterrupted power supply that we can then guarantee what you are talking about. Will the power sector not be better off with the spread of metering and bringing more consumers into the meter net than increasing tariffs? Deregulated, privatized, regulated; they are terms of art. The real purpose is to allow business operate on a commercial basis, in order to create competition, in order to engender productivity. Now meters in electricity production are not as freely sold as the readily available telephones, because there are codes, there are standards, and because of safety as well. Improperly installed meters may become a potential source of danger- fire; using cheap meters can cause accidents. There is a regulatory agency which regulates the types of meters you can use. Installation of meters is a very technical things because the Operators are saying that some people even by-pass their meters. But what is the meter when stripped of its technicalities? An electricity meter is basically just a measuring device to measure how many units of power you use. Meters on a basic level are comparable to measuring devices such as fuel pumps, plastic

The price Nigerians must pay, by Fashola There is a regulatory agency which regulates the types of meters you can use. Installation of meters is a very technical thing because the operators are saying that

water bottles and mudu cups for measuring garri. But we can’t leave meters without going back to tariff. We have about 180 million people. But all the DisCos combined have just about six million consumers in their database combined for Nigeria. Are you telling me in reality that it is only six million people that use electricity in Nigeria? So you can imagine the number of people that are using electricity that is not measured, that is not metered, that is free. Out of that six million that they have, they have metered about three million, inherited and added on. So there is still a gap of close to 50 percent of that six million that need to be metered. Now, in deciding that tariff what did we seek to achieve? It was to say, “stop giving people fixed charges, it’s unfair… Take it out,” because there is no fair basis for doing so. In deciding tariff again what people must understand is that consumers are classed in different categories. R1, for example, is the most vulnerable class of consumers, their tariff is about N4 per kwh or something like that. It remains unchanged. It wasn’t changed; there is a protective policy for the poorest of the poor that if we get power to them they must not pay more than this. These are people who use not more than a light bulb and radio. They don’t have fridge or any big appliances. Then there is R2 one phase; these are people who have the basic one fridge, television and radio. Then there R2, 2 phase and R3, these are those with big appliances, DSTV, air conditioners and all of that. Those are the people whose tariff really went up because they form the real bulk of those who pay for electricity. When you flip it around, it is almost like a type of cross subsidy, let those who can afford pay more and let the poorest of the poor stay where they are, don’t change their tariff. Then we removed, through NERC, the fixed charge, don’t pay the fixed charged any more. We now told the DisCos “If you

get this new tariff, if anybody complains that his bill has gone up, and he disputes that bill, that person is only liable to pay his undisputed last bill”. You cannot say because your bill has gone up so you won’t pay; pay your last undisputed bill so we know you are complaining in good faith; you are not trying to game the system. From that point on, the DisCo cannot disconnect you. If he insists you used the power, let him come and prove it. The only way to prove it is to measure it. That was the first incentive to force the DisCos to meter. But we also had to give them the incentive because people should not forget that meters cost money. On the average, some of the DisCos that I know used to have about three to four hundred thousand consumers that they have to meter and given some of the numbers that I have seen, those run into no less than seven, eight to ten or 18 billion Naira to cover. You don’t keep that kind of money in your pocket, you must go to a bank. Now if a bank wants to lend you that kind of money it wants to see that you can pay and if you are doing it with the old tariff clearly no bank will lend you money because it is an unsustainable business. One of the examples I use is the person selling iced water and the price of ice block has gone up and you say he can’t increase his price but must go and buy more bottles, to sell to who? He won’t recover. That is one thing people must understand about the philosophy behind the tariff. And the other point I want to make is that many of us have generators and we also have inverters. The combined cycle of our inverters and our generators does it produce 24hourelectricity? It does not. Your inverter can only run for about eight hours and so can your generator unless you want to kill it, and that is 16 hours out of 24; you still have eight hours gap. If you combine the cost of the generator, the cost of the inverter and the diesel to power it as well as maintenance cost, how much does it add to, to generate 16 hours of electricity? And then we expect somebody to generate 24 hours of electricity at a cheaper price. That is one way to look at it. And if you cannot do it yourself at a cheaper price, is it fair to ask someone else to do it at a price cheaper and a longer period. That is one side of the coin. The other point and about increasing power is that the old tariff did not allow people to buy power at premium except you were a government agency which was what we did in Lagos. So if for example my diesel costs about N50 a week and I have someone who could give me power at N30 a week and public tariff is about N24 a week, there is no way I can’t take that power at a premium because it is still cheaper. But the old tariff did not allow that. It fixed everybody at the cap. But in the new tariff, we recommended that they should have willing buyer and willing seller. What that would have done if it hadn’t been challenged in court was that it would have allowed the embedded power that people

•Fashola were asking for to take root in various communities across the country in such a way that those who wanted premium power would take premium power, free off the Grid for those who did not want premium power. But again people have said no; perhaps they did not understand. This was a tariff order that was more friendly ultimately to the consumer. And as I said, the old tariff was going to be going up but this new tariff would be coming down in 24 months on a progressive basis. Now I also wish to make this point and I shouldn’t lose the opportunity. I have said that the R1 consumers were protected and so on; but we have heard allegations that the Tariff was increased by 45 percent. That is not correct because the price of power is not exactly the same in e very DisCo just as the price of garri is not the same in every state. So if the amount is not the same can you increase them with the same amount uniformly? How is tariff derived? Tariff derivation starts from the Discos and not from NERC. Each DisCo must hold consultations in its operational area with stakeholders. The law did not say who are the stakeholders but the law did not mention Labour. But each DisCo must now file a return to NERC because NERC is now the referee to say, “Oh you said you consulted people, we want to know who attended. They look at their records, they ask for video recordings and make sure that it happened. And I saw their reports. The interesting thing was that representatives of Labour were present at those disco meetings. May be not in enough numbers but what is enough numbers is a matter for debate. Did they consult? Yes. They issued advertorials as required, in radio, some used radio and television, some used radio, TV and newspapers and some used only newspapers. Once the publication has been made, did we respond? Were we sufficiently educated? I think these were the issues that went on and we saw the classification of people that went there. I saw in their report representatives of organized labour who attended the meetings and signed with their names and email addresses and telephone numbers. So some of the things that have been put in the public are false because there is documentary evidence to show that there was consultation. Was there enough consultation? We can continue to debate that, nobody is ever guilty of over-consultation. If you want to get opinion of everybody in a community you do poll sampling. You don’t speak to everybody in order to get opinion about a poll and that is the whole idea about that. There is also a provision in the law that anybody who is not satisfied with the tariff pronounced by NERC can file an application to NERC asking for a

Continues on page 24

PAGE 24—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

Continued from page 23 review. The law didn’t say you should go and protest or go to Court or Parliament. The law says you should go back to NERC which is obliged to review it. So all of us must become familiar with the consequence of this reform. But in order to close this part, and it is the most important part of the discussion, is that it is the tariff that gives stability to distribution, to transmission, to generation and to gas production. If you don’t have that stability, if you have all the generation capacity, the distribution companies won’t take power, just as you have heard, some are rejecting power because they can’t sell it. And once it has been sent to them, it cannot be stored and they can’t wheel it on. That was why I expressed my opinion and appealed to Nigerians, let’s support this. I think it can work. Today, NERC has issued over 100 licenses for power generation but if the tariff is not right, they won’t translate to power plants. If we allow this stability to stay, I am convinced from what I have seen so far, there can only be incremental power because power is the real business now that everybody is interested and once Nigerians are interested in doing something they don’t lose, they don’t give up. They have this energy. You will see the penetration we have achieved with GSM. Even those we met ahead of us we overtook them. So that is why I am optimistic. But we must set the ground rules. With widespread complaints relating to issues of load shedding, ageing or non-existent transformers in some areas and estimated billings: Why is there poor customer service instead of improved service in the power sector ? We have talked about how long privatization has taken, nearly two years. I’ve talked about the transition in knowledge and capacity. Most of the power plants are very old. Most of the transformers are very old, 30 to 40 years and they are being refitted slowly. I was in Jebba Hydro Power Plant which was built and commissioned by President Buhari when he was Military Head of State. Part of the maintenance schedule for Jebba was a full turn around service scheduled every six years after commissioning. It was not done until 2013, almost 30 years later, so how do you expect that to deliver efficient power? The same thing happened in Egbin, turbines were down; parts were being cannibalized and so on and so forth. At Oji River Power Station, after cannibalizing the old coal plant one turbine at a time, in order to save the other turbines, the whole system finally collapsed and somebody suggested that it should be scrapped. So that is what the businessmen have bought. In the same vein, similar to the same backbone that the GSM operators had of 250,000 lines prior to expansion to the current 100 million lines. So that’s another analogy. So you will have epileptic power supply from time to time until all the equipment is refurbished, changed, upgraded and more power is built in. But as I said, the focus is incremental power. Now why is that important? It is important because all over the world, machines and turbines break down. The reason you do not notice them in those parts of the world is that they have enough and they have redundancy. When one is down they switch to another because they have enough and they have time to carry out routine maintenance on the broken

‘Our focus is on incremental power supply’

•Fashola

to get people to come and repair and so on and so forth. That is the reality. It can be a very profitable business in numbers but it can also be challenging.

NERC has issued over 100 licenses for power generation but if the tariff is not right, they won’t translate to power plants. If we allow this stability to stay, I am convinced’ from what I have seen so far, there can only be incremental power because power is the real business now that everybody is interested in down machines. If you have only one generator in your house, it will not generate power for you while it is being maintained if it breaks down. If you have two, you have a backup. This is just a context for you to see all of this. But customer service must improve. At our meeting in Enugu I said to the DisCos “you have to lead this reform now by taking ownership. You have to have complaints officers that people can reach to explain why they could not have service and how long they have to wait to get it”. That is customer service. They can wait out a problem if they know what the problem is and how long it will take to solve it. But it becomes frustrating if they do not know what’s going on. They need to open more customer service outlets just like the TELCOS have done. Some of them are already opening up portals on the internet which we must also use because they are trying to cut cost. The more customer care centres they open the more rental they pay and you see when they are going to pay rent nobody wants to accept one year rent they all want 3years rent in advance. So these are part of the cultural issues that you and I must also change because they can’t build all of those facilities, they will need to rent. Well, I am sure that their business will be assisted if they see someone who will accept 6 months rent rather than 3years rent in advance. But as the equipment get upgraded they will get better. As I pointed out, all of the lines that come to our homes now don’t belong to NEPA again but belong to the DisCoS. As they age they must change them. They must change within that bandwidth of money they get. Bulk power today for gas is about N13.50kobo per kilowatts, N2.50 kobo for transmission to carry it, you are at N16. The average tariff now is about N24 so N16 to N24 is about N8 and that is the margin of the DisCo to operate its station, get the power to you, to fix broken transformers, to fix your line,

Why not use solar and wind for cheap power if the cost of gas is too expensive? There is a lot of misinformation being thrown out there by people who claim to know, who either have not verified what they learnt yesterday or deliberately seek to mislead the public. Today, the cheapest source of energy is hydro because the turbine is driven by the force of water to create electricity. Hydro is about 4 cents per kilowatt hour followed by gas which is about 11 cents per kilowatt hour. If you multiply that by N200 per dollar hydro comes to about N8 per kilowatt hour while gas come to about N22/kwh. Now the minimum tariff for solar is 17 cents which works out to about N34/kwh. How do you index a tariff of N34 for solar energy on people who are resisting tariff of N24? It cannot be cheap after accounting for imported costs of shipping, transport and demurrage. However, it can get cheaper with locally made photovoltaic panels and cells. As for wind power, upon assumption of office as Minister, even I questioned why we don’t make use of wind energy. The simple answer is that we lack the required wind speed because of our location as a country. To achieve the necessary wind speed of 8 mph as compared to the 4 mph typically available in Nigeria, taller and more expensive wind towers will be required to achieve the same result. If you need a storey building to achieve something and I need to build a 6 storey building to achieve the same result, then I am definitely at a disadvantage compared to you. These are some of the factual realities our experts have not told Nigerians. And so, the answer is again in the energy mix. Take the power closest to the energy and fuel source which will help reduce both tariffs and production costs while making evacuation easier because of an increased ease of planning. What is the future of Power generation in Nigeria given the current state of the Power assets? I think that as long as we can excite the investors’ confidence, the future of power generation is bright. Today, incidentally, I just saw the head of the international nuclear agency who visited to assess the progress of Nigeria’s nuclear power because we are already pursuing, from the previous administrations dating back about 15 years, a nuclear programme. The plan ultimately is to start to produce nuclear energy, 1,200 mw at start, expanding up to about 4,800 mw as we go forward because that would be, again, the new power for developing an emerging economy because most of the big, global economies have signed up to Cop .21 and the Climate Change obligations to reduce

carbon fuel use and therefore nuclear energy will be the alternative energy they will be looking at. Therefore, we will benefit from the technology as time goes on. So the future really, for me, is a very hopeful future. We can ramp up on solar, reduce the cost, we can ramp up on gas, produce more, and we can ramp up on hydro because Zungeru Power Project is now back on stream. Construction stopped for about two years due to court cases and other hindrances. Thanks to the initiative and dedication of the Governor of Niger State, all the cases got out of the way in order for the construction workers, about 800 workers to get back on site. So, there is so much opportunity for inclusion and jobs if people just allow this thing to play. But we can’t force people to do the right thing and that is why I have decided that this discussion is important to educate people and to let Nigerians know that it is one thing to elect a government and another thing to stand by your government, through the distance. And I think ,this is the time the government needs the people to stand by it, and to tell all of those who seek to obstruct the plans that this government has. There must be a continuing ownership of the policy of government. That is the way you give support, and every time your government looks back, the government sees that you are still there, the way you were during the campaigns and during the voting. That is a fuel that government needs to carry on without looking back. Pipeline vandalism contributes largely to the poor generation and transmission output currently being experienced. What steps are you taking to put a stop to this? I think the biggest contribution will come from the communities through whose territories these pipelines pass, to take ownership, to stand as security vanguards for the protection of pipeline assets because if the pipelines work it benefits them more. With the best of intentions, how many kilometres of pipeline could any government really police? And they are as diverse as they are lengthy. So it is a cultural and behavioral remake that we must have, that no matter how aggrieved or upset we are about anything, government assets that deliver power, that support the power system and the economy of the country are not things that we can take our anger out against. There is no society in the world that I know, as vexed as they may be in Europe, as vexed as they were in the Arab Spring, they didn’t damage their power assets and they didn’t damage their gas lines. And I think that is the message really to us. Those assets must remain inviolate. All of us must protect them as if they were our personal assets. And that is when we can then begin to say we will have uninterrupted power. No matter what anybody does, once you take out a gas asset, no matter how much power you have, you shut down the system. From the last outage we had now, it takes days to restore the system back because you have to get the pressure back; before you can begin to hook up all the power plants. So it’s like when you have a dirty fuel filter in your car, it just begins to jerk. And when you drain the tank and switch on the engine, clearly you won’t have enough fuel. You need to wait for the fuel line to be suffused with enough fuel for the pump to activate before driving the car again, so it is the same, it’s not different. What are some of the things you have been able to do since you assumed office? For me it is premature to talk about achievements; this is a journey that hopefully will take us to 2019 when the

Continues on page 25

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 25

Continued from page 24 government’s scorecard will be assessed. So, I don’t think perhaps it is the best time to measure events. Rather we should measure trends. One of the trends is increased power production and that is important. But there is still a problem as I have said. I don’t want to talk about energy in terms of megawatts but in terms of access; how many more people have access to more reliable electricity? That is what is important to me. The amount of electricity produced is meaningless if people can’t tell me that they are getting it. But there are problems along the line. One of the things we have succeeded in doing is building the team to begin to interrelate, that’s why we hold those monthly meetings now because as a ministry we can’t deliver power on our own. We can regulate the GenCos, DisCos and the transmission company (TCN) however we don’t have power over the gas companies as they are regulated by another ministry, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources as well as NNPC. So we need to work with them. So these are the partnerships that we have forged together. At those monthly meetings now there are very senior representatives of those gas companies sitting down with us and taking instructions. So, some of the things we have sorted out, for example, at the last meeting, NEMSA (the safety agency) had a complaint from a DisCo that their meters were not approved for use. In that meeting we resolved it and within 2 weeks, their meters were approved for use. We have issues with gas supply to one of the major power plants, the 240 MW Power Plant at Egbin in Lagos. The groups are talking now; they have reached an agreement so they are going to the gas company to get gas. That, for me, is progress. We had the issue of the unfortunate incident of the young lady who was electrocuted in the University of Lagos. When I became Minister, we stepped in because she had a sibling that also had issues and compensation. We have closed on that and for me again that is progress. We have this court case that has been in court for about 13(thirteen) years. Let me put it differently and accurately, there is a contract that was awarded in 2003 for the supply of meters that was awarded by the old PHCN and it has ended up in court. So that is for 13 years we could not supply those meters and people were bickering and fighting. We have taken that case, really, out of court and we are trying to close it and hopefully take delivery of the meters that have been locked up in a warehouse, I think about 300,000 meters or so. Hopefully they will be useful for some purpose, I do not know. There is a problem with Aba DisCo, by Geometric Power Plant, there is 190 MW there and they are having issues which they were not talking about. We got them to start talking, because if they close an agreement then there is potential to get 190 MW onto the Grid. There is a construction project for a transmission line to feed Alaoji Power Plant and all the way to the South East and the South South. Now, part of the problem, in fact one problem out of the many on that project, is that there is a telecommunications mast belonging to one of the TELCOs. And let me say this publicly, it belongs to Globacom (Glo). And I say this publicly because the Chairman of Glo must be commended for his sense of patriotism. Because of this, they could not energize that line, and that is one of the problems. There are other problems. And I said “Glo, I know him and I will call him”. And I called him and said: “Look Sir, we have this problem and I do not know who got there first but it is easier to remove your transmission mast than for us to remove a transmission line that runs over several

•Fashola

‘The challenges inhibiting power supply’ Our sense of understanding that even though electricity works like magic and you just flick a switch, there is a long process that many of us do not see which results to that magical act

hundred kilometers. Can you please move Sir?” And he said to me, “Look, it will be done in a week,” and it has been done. So we have cleared one problem and we are moving to the next one. There are still other problems such as procurement and so on. So these are some of the things that have been going on backstage. We are also getting the DisCos to take on their responsibilities. We have published the names of all of the heads of the DisCos in the newspapers so that people can know who to call if you have a problem in your distribution area. People call me from as far as Borno State. Now, there was a line that was damaged during the conflict in the Borno which we have restored back to operational status. So these are some of the problems we are solving. People call me from Calabar, Warri, Sapele etc. that they do not have power, but people are also not reporting to their DisCos. So instead of coming to me in Abuja, deal with your DisCos in your area. So we are populating information out about who to call and how to solve complaints. But as they come also, I must commend the Director of Distribution in my Ministry too. As I send those complaints to her, she notes them and is calling the heads of

the DisCos. So all of these things are going on but, these are things that should not be escalating to us in Abuja. They should be dealt with at the customer service level in the states. Consumers too must be up and doing. If there is a fault, go and report it. Sometimes the DisCos do not know that you don’t have power but they are transmitting and distributing power. But again, as they bring on meters, the smart meters they say they are installing then hopefully things will get better. And one of the things to say about meters, some of the complaints we’ve had, and people must just before they get angry, think. Sometimes when they want to come and install meters, people are genuinely not at home. These are some of the problems. And when you look at some of these mass exercises we have done, such as SIM card registration, we always leave it until the last minute. BVN, we left it until the last minute. So, if the whole of Nigeria has not been metered for 66 years, and suddenly we want everything to be donein one year, how really rational is that? Did everybody get a cellphone in the first 2 years? And yet, the phone is something you can freely go and buy for yourself. Some people still do not own a cellphone as we speak. So, for me it is a progress on a journey, and I am optimistic it will be done. Three solutions offered by a critic 1. Trucking of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) 2. Localization of generation, transmission and distribution through micro power plants 3. Enhanced stakeholder inclusion to incorporate investors What was refreshing about this was that at least someone was offering a genuine alternative and it was different from the cacophony of complaints that had characterized the industry. And I say this with respect, many of the commentators just didn’t see anything that was right but they didn’t offer a

solution. Now, the problem with these alternatives, as I know it, is that first of all trucking gas, and I think I read trucking about 500 trucks of gas a day, overlooks the fact that pricing location of the power plant to the gas source is the key to sustainable power. So, when you start trucking 500 trucks of gas every day, who will bear the cost of that trucking? Because transportation becomes incidented to the price of gas. And where do you put it in the tariff? A tariff we are saying people are still finding hard to accept, and then you want to incident cost of transportation into it. You see, and when you look at it, that is why in the past, and even till lately, we had the Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF) which ensures that the price of petroleum products is the same nationwide. It is another subsidy; can we afford to subsidize power again at this time? I am not sure we are ready for it. I think when the market plateaus, and we actually know where the problems are, government can then come and say: “Look, I will carry transmission free as my subsidy”. We can, and I think we will get there. It is premature, the market must play. So that is one limitation with that solution. The other suggestion I think was the embedded generation. Again, it overlooks the gap between the tariff that I have talked about. So, the only way people can have embedded generation is if willing sellers can sell to willing buyers. Yesterday at our meeting, one of the complaints we received was simply that the people in GRA in Ikeja, Lagos had written to NERC and they had not yet gotten a response. They were asking that NERC approve for them to buy power from the Lagos Mainland IPP that we built during my tenure as Governor, because they felt they needed only about 2MW of power to meet all their needs in the community. So, we will see more of that coming to play once the new tariff settles down because it allows willing sellers to sell to willing buyers. We also have applications like that from people on Banana Island that we are looking at, and there are a couple of them like that popping up. There are private companies whom are generating their own power and want to offer more power onto the Grid, but again it is a question of pricing. So, that contribution overlooks the fact that one will not happen without the price. It is more expensive to sell small power than it is to sell big power, and I mean that in the sense of coverage. So, if you are selling to a thousand people, your prices are more competitive than if I am selling to 100 people because I am going to sell at a premium. But once those who buy at a premium take their power that is when what they were using from the public power will be freed up for the 1000 people. As I said, nobody could ever be guilty of over consultation with stakeholders. What we are often guilty of is under consultation and the point is that this is a representative form of governance. So, how many people will be enough consultation? That part of it is welcome, continuous consultation never hurts anybody but if you spend all your time consulting, you will spend no time doing anything at all. And there are times when you think you have sampled enough; you’re right because sometimes to be honest what you hear is more of the reason why it will not work. I am always looking for one reason why it will work so that I will go and try it. This job can be done, we can have power but it will come at a price, and not just the price of the tariff but also the price of our own restraints. Our sense of understanding that even though electricity works like magic and you just flick a switch, there is a long process that many of us do not see which results to that magical act. And anybody who disrupts that system, really, is not a friend of our country, is not a friend of the ordinary people, is not a friend of the champions of change who elected this Government.

PAGE 26— SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

BLEAK MAY DAY

26 states’ workers owed salaries

•‘We have been pauperized, nothing to celebrate’ By Victor Ahiuma-Young,

pensions before workers.

Assistant Labour Editor

S Nigerian workers today join their counterparts across the world to celebrate May Day, gloom, frustration, bitterness, anger, lamentation, and despair are not enough to describe their mood as not more than 10 states have fully paid workers’ salaries and allowances up to date. Investigation by Sunday Vanguard showed that only Edo, Lagos, Delta, Ebonyi, Anambra, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Kano and Enugu states have paid their workers’ salaries and allowances up to April. However, Rivers State has paid March salary and pension up to February, Borno State has paid up to March with the exception of its Hosing Corporation workers, while Ogun State, though paid salary, has neither remitted pension deductions from workers’ salaries for months, and has not paid gratuities since 2012. Among the indebted states are Ekiti, Kwara, Kaduna, Osun, Plateau, Ondo, Abia, Bayelsa, Oyo, Imo, Kogi and Benue. According to checks, while Ekiti State is owing not less two months salaries, the number of months owed pensioners were not known at the time of this report. In Kwara, local government workers and the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, have not been paid between four and five months salaries, staff of the state Water Corporation have not been paid for the past six months, while other paratatals have not been paid in the last two months. Similarly, workers and pensioners in Kaduna State have

LAGOS

Among the indebted states are Ekiti, Kwara, Kaduna, Osun, Plateau, Ondo, Abia, Bayelsa, Oyo, Imo, Kogi and Benue. According to checks, while Ekiti State is owing not less two months salaries, the number of months owed pensioners were not known at the time of this report.

not been paid about seven months arrears, while Osun has unpaid outstanding salaries from July 2015 to January 2016. Plateau State, pensioners are owed eight months, council workers, four months while other workers are owed three months. In Ondo State, while pensioners are owed four months, civil servants are owed five. In Abia State, civil servants are owed between two and four months, but workers of the state Health Management Board have not been paid since December 2015. In the same vein, while civil servants in Imo State were last paid 70 percent of their salaries in January, pensioners cannot even remember when they were last paid. Workers in Oyo State are owed between two and five months, their counterparts in Kogi are owed five months, while those in Benue State are owed three months. According to Sunday Vanguard investigation, Edo State has been up to date in the payment of salaries and pension to its civil servants and pensioners.While thethworkers receive salaries before the 25 of every month, pensioners sometimes receive their

Olasunkanmi Akoni reports that, ahead of today’s Workers’ Day celebrations, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has approved the lump-sum payment of leave allowance to all staff in the state’s mainstream civil service, local governments and the SUBEB with effect from May 2016. Head of Service, Mrs. Olabowale Ademola, who announced this, explained that the approval was sequel to the agreement reached during a meeting with the Lagos State Public Service Joint Negotiating Council, JNC. She said, “Consequently, leave allowance, which is 10 percent of Annual Basic Salary, would henceforth be payable once annually and no longer on monthly basis. The payments would be in batches”. Ademola stated that officers between Grade Levels 1 and 8 would be paid in May, officers between Grade Levels 9 and 12 would be paid in July; officers between Grade Levels 13 and 14 would be paid in September, while officers between Grade Levels 15 and 17 would get their annual leave allowances in October. According to him, the gesture was in furtherance of the state government’s commitment to the welfare of its workforce, urging the staff to reciprocate government’s gesture by renewing their dedication and commitment to duty through improved service delivery to the citizenry. “The above listed government functionaries are hereby enjoined to take note of this approval. I implore you to eschew disloyalty, indiscipline, nonchalant attitude and low productivity,” Ademola stated.

RIVERS:

JIMITOTA ONOYUME reports that Trade Union Congress, TUC, confirmed

that the government had paid workers March salaries. Chairman of TUC in the state, Mr. Chika Onuegbu, said the government had not remitted union dues and other related deductions, adding that TUC had commenced discussion with government on the issue. Onuegbu also confirmed that the state government paid pension till February, saying: “Monthly salaries of civil servants in Rivers State have been paid up to March 2016 though there have been hitches in remitting some components of the salaries, i.e. contributory pension, union dues, federal mortgage housing etc. The union is engaging government on these issues. “Pensioners, under the defined benefit (legacy) scheme, have been paid up to February 2016. The Rivers State government has ceased to pay its statutory contribution or remit the deductions from the salaries of civil servants as stipulated by the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, law. “Our affiliate union has been making efforts to reach the Head of Service, HOS, on this issue.”

BENUE:

According to PETER DURU, in Makurdi, with the dwindling allocation from the Federation Account, Benue State government is grappling with the payment of workers’ salaries costing over N3.7billion monthly. As at today, workers are being owed three months salary arrears covering February, March and April, while pensioners are owed two months. Late last year, the state government was able to secure an agreement with labour in the state which allowed it to alternate the payment of salaries. The agreement entailed that the workers got paid once every two months. Continues on page 27

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 27

26 states’ workers owed salaries

worse in the local governments where workers in some of the councils have lost count of the arrears owed them. Though government has assured the traumatised council workers that the N1.2billion bailout from the Federal Government for the councils was ready to offset some of the backlog of salary arrears owed them, it blamed the delay disburment on the ongoing verification to ascertain the actual staff strength of the councils.The state wage bill is about N4billion while the allocation from the Federation Account, after all deductions, has dropped sharply with the last put at N1.6bn. The state Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (retd), on Monday, summed the Bayelsa situation thus, “It is sad that the state found itself in this situation. Bayelsa is not known to owe salaries. But with N1.6billion, it is physically not possible to pay.”

ABIA:

Continued from page 26

KOGI:

BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO reports that labour is worried over nonpayment of five months salaries and other benefits accruing to its members. The NLC, in a communiqué issued in Lokoja, called on the state government to use the allocation it got for the month of February 2016 to offset the outstanding salaries for the month of December, 2015. The communique, which condemned the payment of salaries, piecemeal, said the payment for October and November 2015 spanned three weeks for each month. It equally called on government to direct the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to release the February allocation to local government areas to cushion the effect of non-payment of salaries to local government workers and teachers. The report added pensioners have not received their pension since December 2015 aside arrears of gratuity.

IMO

: According to Chidi Nkwopara, in Owerri, there is no doubt that there is a running battle between Imo State government and workers.The crux of the matter is on non-payment of salaries and allowances, as well as the palpable stagnation staring civil servants in the face. Government initially opted to downsize its workforce, which labour stoutly resisted. Many workers were actually sacked and a number of others were retired prematurely. The Imo workers situation became a running issue. At a point, the national and state leaders of Nigeria

The NLC, in a communiqué issued in Lokoja, called on the state government to use the allocation it got for the month of February 2016 to offset the outstanding salaries for the month of December, 2015 Labour Congress, NLC, emptied into Imo State, in solidarity with the workers. At the end of the day, government and labour came up with the 70:30 sharing formula, for the payment of salaries. Events have since showed that following this sharing formula, no worker has been paid his full salaries and, since this agreement, workers have been paid only once. Some others, including Imo State University, Owerri, Ministry of Justice, Judiciary and some other establishments have not been paid in the past four months. A recent visit to the State Secretariat along Port Harcourt Road, Owerri, showed that workers are disenchanted and frustrated. Some of the workers who spoke to Sunday Vanguard said they were aggrieved and likely going to stay back home during the May Day celebrations. They complained about hunger, inability to pay house rent medical and school fees of their wards and children. They did not equally see the rationale behind going to celebrate May Day.

OGUN:

DaudOlatunji reports, from Abeokuta, that both workers and pensioners in Ogun are not happy with the state government over outstanding allowances and

deductions. The pensioners, who spoke through the State Secretary of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Bola Lawal, said they were not happy with government over its refusal to pay their gratuities. According to him, the state government had stopped paying gratuities since November 2012 and refused to increase pension. But workers, who spoke through one of the leaders of the union who pleaded anonymity, said the state government was owing them nine months deductions. He said the workers were hopeful that the governor might give them a surprise package on Workers Day.

OYO:

From Ibadan, Ola Ajayi reports that the leadership of the NLC and representatives of the state government have signed a memorandum of understanding on the mode of payment outstanding salaries.According to the state Chairman, NLC, Mr. Waheed Olojede, government and workers have agreed that any allocation received by government would be spent on payment of salary arrears. He said government had paid salaries till December 2015, while local government workers on levels 1-12 had been paid till February, adding that other levels from 13 upward would be paid as soon as government account was credited from the Federation Account.

BAYELSA:

Samuel Oyadongha reports, from Yenagoa, that this is certainly not the best of times for workers in Bayelsa, owed four months’ salaries while retirees are owed seven months arrears. The situation is

According to Anayo Okoli, in Umuahia, Abia workers and pensioners are groaning over nonpayment of arrears of salaries and pensions. While the arrears gap for the workers are gradually closing up, that of pensioners is widening.For the workers, they are owed between two and four months, with workers of the state Health Management Board being the highest owed as they have not been paid since December, 2015, while ministry workers are owed one and two months. Teachers, who embarked on threeday warning strike, were promised to be paid last week and if it had happened, it would have bridged their gap of their arrears to only one month. Though the state NLC commended the Ikpeazu government on its efforts to meet up with salary payment, it noted that it has a lot of work to do in the payment of pension. The pension arrears is over 19 months. According to the union, the backlog of arrears covered between 2014 and 2015, and called on government “to to make plans for clearing the arrears”. According to the state NLC, retired workers of the Abia State University Hospital [ABSUTH] are the worst hit as none of their retired staff has been paid pension since 2014.

ONDO:

Dayo Johnson reports from Akure that the state government is owing pensioners in the state four months pension while civil servants are owed five months salaries. The state Finance Commissioner, Chief Yele Ogundipe, said pensioners had been paid till December last year. He added that civil servants were owed from December last year till date .

PLATEAU:

Marie-Therese Nanlong reports, from Jos, that the Plateau Chairman of NLC, Jubrin Bancir, said, “The situation of salary in the state basically is a little bit bad because, government is managing to pay January 2016 salaries. Local governments have paid up to February 2016, and are trying to pay March and April 2016. “For pensioners, it is up to eight months now and that is to tell you

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Continued from page 27

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. The present government inherited about seven month’s pension arrears. Payment of arrears of pension is ongoing following the receipt N4.207 billion bail-out to the state from the Federal Government. . The governor had, on receipt of the money, set up tripartite committee, comprising of labour leaders, government representatives, and pensioners union to oversee the disbursement of the fund.

how precarious the situation is. This is exactly where we are, but we have engaged government basically before now and I always take opportunity like this to explain to the entire citizens what is happening.”

OSUN:

According to Gbenga Olarinoye, from OSOGBO, controversies have been trailing the issue of payment of salaries and pension in the state as some workers and pensioners are claiming they are owed outstanding balance of July 2015 to January 2016. The NLC in the state, led by Jacob Adekomi, said congress had reached agreement with the state government on the issue of salaries and pension. Adekomi’s statement on the matter read in part: “It has come to the notice of the state Council of the Nigeria Labour Congress that workers are not owed any outstanding balance of salary that has been received. This is a distortion of facts that is meant to cause disharmony between the state workers, who are currently pauperised and suffering, and the state government that has promised the entire work force and pensioners in the state of not only paying back the outstanding balance but also ready to compensate them for their perseverance, endurance and understanding when the economy of the state improves. “Therefore, congress is aware of some people’s, antics who are hell bent on causing crisis of confidence between the congress leadership and their members. It is the belief of the state Council of the congress that what workers in Nigeria as a whole and Osun State in particular are passing through will soon be a thing of the past.”

EBONYI:

Peter Okutu reports, from ABAKALIKI, that Governor David Umahi, since assumption of office on May 29, 2015 has not owed workers a dime as he has made it a duty to pay salaries from the 15th of every month. Also, the administration has on a regular basis ensured that pension is paid.

KANO

: Abdulsalam Muhammad reports, from Kano, that workers and pensioners have been enjoying steady and regular pay as and when due since the inception of the current administration in the state. The development followed increased Internally Generated Revenue ( IGR). The state government augments its allocation from the Federation Account with N1.3 billion monthly to pay workers salaries.

AKWA IBOM:

26 states’ workers owed salaries

This is certainly not the best of times for workers in Bayelsa, owed four months’ salaries while retirees are owed seven months arrears. The situation is worse in the local governments where workers in some of the councils have lost count of the arrears owed them pensioners on its pay roll.

KADUNA : BORNO:

According to Luka Binniyat, in Kaduna, hundreds of workers and pensioners in Kaduna State are lamenting non-payment of emoluments, some stretching to seven months. The workers and pensioners claimed they had been verified and gotten their Biometric Verification Number ,BVN, from their various banks, but were yet to get paid. But the state government said that it had paid up to date all workers and pensioners in the state who had been fully verified and have their BVN. Speaking to Sunday Vanguard , Mr. Samuel Aruwan, spokesman for Governor Nasir El Rufai, said the state government got N2.4 billion from the Federation Account in April, but that its wage bill was N2.1 billion. He added that the government inherited pension arrears of N14.3 billion with 18,265

NDAHI MARAMA reports, from MAIDUGURI, that Since Governor Kashim Shettima assumed the mantle of leadership in 2011 to date, his administration has been paying workers salaries on or before the 25th of every month. According to him, civil servants in the state receive their salaries without hitches, only that of April 2016 that civil servants are yet to receive due to the ongoing verification of staff by a committee set up by the governor. From investigation, only workers who have not been paid their salaries are those working in the state Housing Corporation where they are paid from the revenue they generate. But as a result of insecurity, they found it very difficult to generate enough to sustain their salaries. Sources said they have not received salaries for three months.

KWARA:

Demola Akinyemi reports, from Ilorin, that Kwara State Chairman of NLC, Yekeen

Agunbiade, said workers in the state will be celebrating today’s May Day with mixed feelings as a result of unpaid salaries. According to him, SUBEB and council workers “are being owed between four and five months, while workers in the state Water Corporation are owed six months, even as other parastatals are owed two months salaries.”

EKITI:

According to Rotimi Ojomoyela, from Ado-Ekiti, except the state government clears two out of the four month arrears it owed workers, today’s May Day celebrations will be devoid of the usual fanfare. Workers in the state are being owed four months salaries, while that of pensioners stand at five months..

DELTA:

Festus Ahon reports, from Asaba, that, despite the economic crunch, Delta State government is not owing workers salaries. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, as part of his commitment to the welfare of civil servants, ensures regular monthly payment of salaries. Okowa, in line with his prosperity agenda, is also up and doing in ensuring that the state government meets its commitment to pensioners with a view to clearing their pension arrears and entitlements.

ENUGU:

Francis Igata reports, from Enugu, that public servants are paid on the 25th of every month. This practice has been in place since the immediate past administration of former Governor Sullivan Chime and sustained by his successor,

According to TOM MOSES, in Uyo, ahead of today’s May Day celebrations, the state NLC has urged the state government to resolve the issues of unpaid pension and nonpayment of promotion arrears to its workers. Chairman of the NLC in the state, Ukpong Etim, drew the attention of Governor Udom Emmanuel, to the fact that the State Universal Basic Basic Education Board was allegedly hoarding N395, 308,077.83, meant for that purpose. Etim said that the money could have assisted the state government to settle the 2011/2012 promotion arrears to primary school teachers. He explained some of the pending issues between labour and the state government to include the N775m set aside for the payment of promotion arrears, and in custody of SUBEB. Of this amount, he said N379.691, 922.17m was used to pay 2009/2010 promotion arrears, leaving a balance of N 395,308,077.83 for the payment of future allowances of promotion to primary school teachers He therefore urged the Akwa-Ibom State “government to call on SUBEB to bring out the money, to clear the backlog of promotion arrears of 2011/ 2012 to primary school teachers, while also ensuring that March 2016 teacher’s salaries are promptly paid”.

CROSS RIVER:

Emma Una reports, from Calabar, that the state NLC may today honour Governor Ben Ayade with the “Workers Friendly Governor” award, in recognition of regular payment of salaries. The governor ensures that civil servants are paid in the third week of every month following an agreement with some banks to raise the money to pay the salaries while awaiting the allocation from the Federation Account. However, the council workers are paid two weeks after the payment of civil servants salaries. Pension is also paid a week or two after civil servants have been paid, but gratuities have not been paid since 2011.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 29

Open letter to Nigeria Governors’ Forum “For every folly of their princes, the Greeks feel the lash.”Horace, 65-8 BC (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTES p 61) “…I approached the President and the governors that we defer the loan deductions from the Federation Accounts entitlement….The aim of this is to ensure that we support them through this difficult period to be able to meet salary obligations.” Minister of Finance, April 21, 2016. igerian workers and their dependents now round the clock feel the lashes of hunger, unpaid rent, cars that cannot be maintained, kids’ school fees outstanding, and having to make do with traditional medicine instead of going to a clinic. That is now the situation in every state today and at the Federal level as well. Certainly, it was in a desperate attempt to rescue your states from bankruptcy that the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum, NGF, approached the Federal Government for a bail-out late last year. Most states were recipients of various amounts, ostensibly, to pay accumulated salaries owed to their workers. Some of us warned at the time about two unintended consequences of that plea for assistance. One, it had made the states more dependent on the

Federal Government, which was not established as a bank. Two, it would probably not solve the problem permanently because the causes of the financial distress, in which the states find themselves had not been addressed at all. Consequently, it would not take long before the states are back, cap in hand, begging the Federal Government for help again. This unfortunately, is the situation in which the states find themselves now. Last week, several state governors were seen embracing themselves as the relief announced by the Federal Minister of Finance was announced. That announcement, politically expedient in the short-run, is not even in the long-term interest of the states. Indeed, no PDP governor should accept it without thinking six times. The reason is simple. “He who pays the piper dictates the tune”. Governors rescued by this forbearance by the Federal government have placed their states under the mercy of Buhari and have surrendered a great deal of the autonomy which the constitution granted to the states. For very little money, the governors have betrayed their people and placed them at the mercy of Buhari. The Minister disclosed the

Each one, teach one It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change.And we cannot be intimidated. So we must stand up for what we believe in.”– Wangari Maathai y mother complains that Lagos has been so hot in the last couple of months and I know that she is not the only one.However,my mother takes to sitting in the shade: a spacious balcony surrounded by coconut and palm trees that is slowly attempting to fan stale air. The heat is very troublesome and with incessant power cuts and the shortage of fuel for the generators, it is becoming harder to power the fans and air conditioners. The reality of the problem is, that no amount of air conditioners, cold showers and fans is going to sort out the problem. We have an environmental concern, if you don’t believe me, just look around you, are there

any trees, where you are? Do you live in a concrete jungle? No sight of trees where you live, no one.. We tend to build more houses and not enough trees. The little trees we do have, we fell them for firewood. I remember, my grandfather digging a hole to plant a guava tree in front of our home, that was many years ago. He told me that every man should plant a tree. It is only now that I understand that: “A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they will never sit in.” Well, to me I now understand that the future generation depends on the actions of their forebearers and that benefit will be felt for generations to come. My father also planted the trees around his compound, the ones by the balcony, the very same that the young and old sit under for shelter, the young also pluck its fruits. When I was growing up, it is common to see people take shade under the trees, and families gathered under

strategy for total subjugation of the states by pointing out that the relief is for one month only. So, every month represents another opportunity for the governors to turn to beggars and for the President to assume the position of one granting alms to destitute individuals. To the best of anybody’s knowledge, nobody has ever begged his way from poverty to wealth. Nigerian governors and their states will not be the first to do it. At any rate, they have the wrong benefactor if that is their objective. The Federal Government now unwisely granting the relief to the governors is itself almost totally broke and exists on borrowing and begging. It might be kind-hearted or attempting to generate popularity on the cheap, but, it cannot long sustain the support. Actually, the timing of the announcement suggests that it is all part of a build up to the one year anniversary. The idea might be to make public workers happy for April and May, and then bring them down to reality afterwards. In that case, this is an old trick with a new twist. Nigerians are incredibly deficient in history. With few exceptions, most of us don’t even remember what happened last year – not to talk of five years ago. By January last year, most states already owed their staff several months’ salary. But, as the elections approached, they borrowed heavily to pay for a few months. [Read my column tomorrow titled BAILING OUT STATES: FG’S EXERCISE IN FUTILITY]. With election over, the pattern of failure to pay salary was restarted. Most likely, after the credit might have been claimed for bailing out states in April and May, states will once again be left on their own. When that happens, disaster will follow. The signs are already there

for those who can read the handwriting on the Nigerian sky. The Federal Government, States and Local Governments shared only N299.747BN for March 2016 against N338.765Bn in February of this year. Compare these with N473.832bn for November 2015 and N620.73bn in February 2012 and you need not be an economist to know what is in store for the states, as well as their benefactor – the Federal Government. One of the first Executive orders to be given by Buhari was in connection with salaries which he instructed should be paid on the 25th of every month. Well, economics is no respecter

the trees, men meet up and play Ayo and Ludo. Let's be honest, most people see trees as a waste of space and, as long as they build their homes, what is the need to plant trees or what use is the trees that stood in their plot for many years? Nigeria, is blessed with a land area of 983, 213 km2 occupied by more than 160 million people. We have a green enough landscape but have not been good at tending and cultivating the land, We have instead, abused, over used and under used our green spaces, while many people fell trees for building and building materials, mining resulting in soil erosion, deforestation, over crowding, urbanization, desertification and pollution. The Data for Nigeria in the Little Green Data Book 2015 indicates that 94% of the Nigerian population is exposed to air pollution levels that exceed WHO guidelines (compared to 72% on average in SubSaharan Africa) and air pollution damage costs about 1 percentage post of Gross National Income. Nigeria has no excuse, if Dubai can be an oasis in the middle of a desert, why can't Nigeria? We should be protecting our environment and the government should be organizing grassroots environmental programs so as to include every citizen to participate in making a a greener and a healthier Nigeria. Like environmental

day, everyone has to get involved from ward to local government level and raise community awareness training in schools, colleges and universities. Let's be clear: We need to plant more trees and we need trees more than trees need us. Trees help to combat climate change, it absorbs carbon dioxide that builds up in our

Nigerians are incredibly deficient in history. With few exceptions, most of us don’t even remember what happened last year – not to talk of five years ago

of persons – even Presidents. That order had been quietly ignored for two reasons. First, by due date there is frequently insufficient funds to pay. Second, with the Treasury Single Account, TSA, now in operation, MDAs remit all their funds first and make requests later. But, the main reason is still lack of funds. If the FED experienced difficulties when the distributable revenue was N473.832bn, what will be fate of Buhari’s workers when the income plummeted to

Nigeria has no excuse, if Dubai can be an oasis in the middle of a desert, why can't Nigeria? We should be protecting our environment and the government should be organizing grassroots environmental programs atmosphere, the trees store the carbon and release the oxygen back into the air. That means the quality of air in places that have more trees is better and the quality of life of those that live near tree lined areas breathe better quality of air, which is good for their lungs and less pollution and incidence of asthma and breathing problems. So for instance, where there is an acre of mature trees, this will provide enough oxygen for 18 people. In cities like Lagos, with over 21 million people,

N299.747bn or 63 per cent of the November 2015 and 48 per cent of February 2012 allocations? Those laughing in Aso Rock two weeks ago will soon find laughter far from them. But, there is a way out which the governors have not considered. That approach will buy them more time and put more money into the pockets of their states. But, will they listen? YOU WON’T BELIEVE THIS. “An honest politician is one who when bought, will stand bought.” Simon Cameron, 1799-1889, VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 190. Read what a dishonest PDP politician had to say to others like him. “The Jonathan Government did not have respect for Yoruba. It marginalized the Yoruba. The marginalization started under the regime. Yoruba was to be House of Representatives Speaker; they turned it down. Yoruba had no position from number one to six. Even if we were number six, it was not right. We were not six, seven, eight and nine. It was not a laughing matter. We are not slaves to other zones.” Now guess who said that. The author was Dr Doyin Okupe, who once called Jonathan his “messiah” – a great and unforgivable insult to the Redeemer. It was in the NATION of April 22, 2015, page 42. For over four years, Okupe served GEJ; told Yoruba that the man was the best thing to happen to them. Jonathan deserved the betrayal. Yoruba know better. We know those who point to the family house with the left hand. YORUBA KILLED TWICE KOGI “Supreme Court affirms death sentence on father of

five. A national newspaper, April 23, 2015. People might not have missed the story of Mr James Afolabi, a Yorubaman in Kogi State which is predominantly Igala. Afolabi persecution started when a herdsman Abubakar Mohammed, strayed into his cassava and yam farm destroying almost a year’s work. A confrontation ensued and in the fracas Afolabi allegedly shot Mohammed in the chest. The police waded into the matter because it was a Fulani man who died; if Afolabi had been killed, nothing would have been heard of the matter. Afolabi, in the absence of a lawyer was forced to write a confessional statement admitting the killing even when there were no witnesses. The Kogi High Court, relying on this forced confession, sentenced Afolabi to death. The Court of Appeal upheld the verdict. And now the Supreme Court of Nigeria. Herdsmen kill thousands of Nigerians with impunity, No court, not even the Supreme Court gives a damn. Yoruba people should make the case of Afolabi a pan-Yoruba crusade. This is clear demonstration of hostility of the Igala against Yoruba. The entire South West must retaliate if Afolabi is executed. We must also insist that, henceforth, we receive equal treatment as herdsmen or we go our way. Personally, I have had enough of this nonsense. This is pure injustice and the Justices of the Supreme Court should be ashamed of themselves. Have they not heard of Miranda Case in the US, about police warning suspects that what they say without a lawyer might be used against them? Was Afolabi cautioned? Was he represented in the case which is a capital offence?I will no longer respect any of those (in)Justices of the Supreme Court. This is murder by the Judiciary.

the pollution is very high, too many people experiencing breathing problems from the fume emissions from heavy traffic, constant emission from generators, air conditioners and the heat intensity due to lack of greenery and trees.Dr. Olanweraju Yusuf ,an environmental health specialist said that one of his many concerns is that electricity is unreliable and many residents in Lagos have generators in small, improperly ventilated homes. He said “They breathe that in and it slowly poisons the blood system,” The health implications of these pollutants are numerous and it does markedly affects the mortality rates of its inhabitants. So, we cannot underestimate the benefit of trees in our environment. A tree lined street can help cool the streets by up to 10°F, it will help shade the homes and streets,and it will provide air conditioning without the use of air conditioning, reduces the use of generators and air conditioners. And reduces the emissions from pollutants and carcinogens from air conditioners and generators and thereby improving health, saving energy and money. Trees help prevent soil erosion and helps hold the soil in place and it will prevent flooding. Although we

have dark skin,we are not immune from the rays of ultraviolet exposure and skin cancer, so planting trees provide shades to protect people's skin who tend to spend hours outdoors and for the children, there is nothing better than being able to play under the trees. The World Health Organization, in 2012, pollution contributes to the preventable deaths of an estimated 9 million people each year. This lack of advancement in environmental health is not lost on Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Environment, Laurentia Mallam. Speaking on Earth day event, Mallam has pledged to improve environmental health 50 percent by 2020. “Nigerian citizens deserve air that is clean, water that is drinkable, and land that is safe from contamination,” I am not convinced that the government has the commitment and will to reduce pollution by 2020. The World Bank is working to curb the level of pollution in Lagos; by taking many cars off the road and making more public transport more efficient and accessible, but more needs to done in terms of carpooling, greener cars and greener fuel and perhaps, tax deductions for those driving greener cars. This is a challenge to our government officials in office; make the environment one of their top priorities and plant trees.

PAGE 30—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

Who really wants change in Nigeria?

he All Progressives Congress (APC) won the 2015 Presidential elections in Nigeria because the party promised to bring about positive change in governance. Before the elections, it was generally agreed that corruption was the nation’s number one enemy which must be aggressively fought. President Muhammadu Buhari’s well known disciplined character gave everyone confidence that he would make good his avowed promise to deal with the subject. However, since May 29, 2015 when he assumed office as President, Buhari must have been shocked at the several attacks on him for doing what influenced his election victory. Could it be that the President misread the people’s wish or is it that critics no longer want change? Perhaps the puzzle explains why some ministers were assembled the other day in a town hall

meeting in Lagos to enlighten us all on the challenges and prospects of governance. Unfortunately, the forum could not produce much change because like the one done in the Jonathan years, it did not speak to the common man. How many people got into the town hall; how many people could buy newspapers or afford radio and television to follow what happened there? Indeed, how many had light to listen to or watch the broadcast transmissions? Again, the Central Bank Governor was not there to throw light on the issue of foreign exchange. Otherwise, the Nigeran Labour Congress would have been better informed on how the exchange works. That didn’t happen so labour leaders imagined that the old minimum wage of N18, 000 is now in dollar terms worth N56, 000 which should be the new minimum wage. Interestingly, 24 states are PhD,Depar tment of Philosophy, University of Lagos 08116759758

A secular humanist critique of religion (2)

ike other psychological traits the combination of which, with physical and intellectual attributes, constitute human nature, faith and fear are not necessarily harmful. Faith, in the sense of tentative conviction about something or acceptance of a belief inspite of insufficient evidence, is rational and justified as long as the individual is willing to change his or her mind when better evidence supporting the contrary view becomes available. Now, consider the kind of irrational faith at the core of religion, which is at odds with the appropriate quantum of healthy scepticism advocated by humanists. Kurt Wise, an American geologist, had a promising academic career in geology and palaeontology, having studied at the University of Chicago and Harvard University under renowned scientists. Unfortunately, he allowed fundamentalist belief in the inerrancy of biblical stories to scuttle his scientific ambition. In a fit of religious epiphany, Wise declared that "if all the evidence turns against creationism [in favour of evolution], I would be the first to admit it, but I will still be a creationist because that is what the Word of God seems to indicate. Here I must stand." As this above clearly

indicates, the kind of irrational faith fostered by religion is inimical to reason and the growth of scientific knowledge. Indeed, it is virtually impossible to overestimate the number of people whose lives and legitimate dreams, hopes and aspirations had been completely shattered by dogmatic acceptance of the truth of so-called divinely inspired scriptures. The destructive blend of faith and fear engendered superstitions that, in turn, have led to unnecessary slaughter of countless number of human beings and animals. An obvious example is the ancient practice of sacrificing humans and animals to appease different Gods, for the improvement of agricultural production and for magical practices connected with religion. Now, because the cruelty of killing people and animals was sublimated in the feeling of religious obligation and piety or as an act of true worship, a fiendish mindset gradually evolved which permitted devout believers to differentiate themselves from unbelievers, ascribe high moral value to asceticism and contemplate with satisfaction the alleged eternal tortures of heretics in hellfire after judgement by God. Cruel subjugation of women, the Crusades and Inquisition, persecution of

having difficulties with salary payments of the old rates despite the bail-out funds provided to them by the Federal Government. One change that the nation earnestly wants is an end to fuel scarcity. But from what is happening in our petroleum sector today, there is doubt if stakeholders in the sector want the problem solved. In essence, do those hoarding petroleum products want fuel scarcity to change? Last

One change that the nation earnestly wants is an end to fuel scarcity. But from what is happening in our petroleum sector today, there is doubt if stakeholders in the sector want the problem solved week, officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Ilorin were told by residents that a fuel tanker with covered logo belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) diverted fuel to a private station which was selling the product at exorbitant rates. Those involved in the act cannot scientists and 'heretics,' murderous jihads, the support of slavery and fascist regimes, internecine conflict among religious groups and, in our day, terrorism - all this contradict the self-serving claim of religious apologists that religion is a force for peace, compassion and love. Narrowing it down to Nigeria, one must mention specifically the cruel torture of innocent children accused of witchcraft by lunatic Pentecostal church pastors, based on the bloodthirsty biblical text that "thou shall not suffer a witch to live." Although it would be difficult to provide exact figures, it is probably true that since 1914 when the British created Nigeria, Christians and Muslims have killed more people than were killed during the intertribal conflicts that preceded amalgamation. As a corollary, the wickedness and evil perpetrated by believers are usually motivated by belief in a divine mission. This is particularly true of missionary religions like Christianity and Islam. Christians and Muslims have inflicted upon the world some of the greatest evils ever experienced by humans because they were absolutely convinced that God is on their side, that senseless slaughter of fellow human beings is justified as long as it is carried out in God's name. This attitude stems from uncritical acceptance of what is written in the Holy Bible and the Holy Koran. It is unfortunate that religion makes people to feel quite certain about something which is at best doubtful. Ascertaining the truth about some of the most fundamental issues in human existence is quite challenging and more demanding than most people realise, which implies that to act as most religious devotees do with ruthless determination that their religion has a monopoly

claim to want change. This year’s budget is yet to see the light of day as the nation entered the 5 th month of the year. A few days after it was delivered by President Buhari last December, it was declared missing. It was later found but allegedly doctored in many areas. In several ways, it has taken the same pattern of previous budgets. So, the relevant officials of government in the executive and legislative arms cannot be among those who want change in Nigeria. In earnest, those for whom expensive jeeps have been purchased cannot be our change agents since they cherish lavish spending even during a recession which is one long standing problem in Nigeria. The Nigeria Police does not have enough men to police the nation but it is still forced to provide the elites with security operatives on guard duties. Thus, the police can hardly be part of our desired change. For example, in election matters, it can only announce tough measures. On the eve of the recent Rivers state re-run elections, the police said: “If it would require us to use a mortar pestle to kill a mosquito, we are going to bring any erring person to book. We are not here to plead; we are not here to beg; we are not here to beseech or to request. We are here to tell you that,

should there be any problem, wherever it rises from, we will deal with that problem with the full weight of the law.” So, 6000 conventional Policemen and 14 Units of Police Mobile Force personnel (MOPOL), were sent to compliment the personnel of Rivers State Command during the election. Alas on D-Day, ballot boxes were still snatched. Surely, Nigeria’s political class cannot be classified among those who want change as many people are still dying during elections so that the sponsors of political violence can “ win” elections. It happened in Bayelsa in January and Rivers in March 2016. Boxers and wrestlers who double as legislators in Kogi and Nasarawa states remind us that fighting over material gains subsists in our lawmaking bodies. With little or no change in political behaviour, INEC is left to resurrect its famous slogan of ‘inconclusive’ election. As for local elections, the ruling parties are unwilling to allow their partisan electoral umpires allocate some seats to the opposition. For instance, in Ondo state, local government elections have just ended with the ruling party sweeping all the seats. Hopes that the handling of election petitions by the judiciary might bring change dimmed the other day when eminent lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay articulately bade farewell to

the subject. In the past, prudent management of resources eluded the nation as several ghost workers were always included in the pay roll of many government bodies. In the last few weeks, the media have been replete with fresh reports of ghost workers here and there. Does it mean Okonjo Iweala’s technology didn’t delete them or are these newly born ghosts? Consequently, where is change coming from? If it is the rural areas where the common man lives, that is not likely to happen soon, because governors and their caretaker committees are in partnership in misappropriating local government funds from the federation account hence they donot want elected local councils President Buhari probably thought the change Nigerians clamoured for was to be led by him with the active support of patriots. It is getting clearer that what we really want is for him and only him to solve all our problems including the bottlenecks we create for the system. Not being a military leader any more, Buhari has to contend with Nigeria’s type of democracy especially its convoluted justice delivery system. Under the circumstance, it seems unfair that we are all expecting change which we are not prepared to allow.

of truth is to invite disaster. One of the most reasonable advise ever given was by Cromwell to the Scots before the battle of Dunbar: "I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, think it possible that you may be mistaken." A devout Christian or Muslim would likely ignore

themselves as a special community chosen by God to accomplish a divine mission would try hard to impose their beliefs on others. Worse still, fear of being contaminated by "pagans" compels "the chosen ones" to take drastic measures, particularly war, to prevent it. Sam Harris has masterfully argued in The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason, that fear of contamination is key to understanding the proclivity of religious extremists for fighting ferocious Jihads against infidels; it also explain why they insist on creating a purist Caliphate and on rigid compliance to the injunctions in the Holy Koran and the hadith. Connected to the fact that religion is primarily based on fear and faith is its cavalier attitude to truth, in the fundamental sense of correspondence of beliefs and propositions with facts or reality. The idea of truth is basic in everything we do as humans; it is the compass that guides us in our theoretical and practical pursuits. Truth gives meaning and coherence to our beliefs and activities. Generally, truth is understood intuitively as the correspondence of beliefs with what is out there in the world. But In philosophy, it is not that simple. Whereas idealist philosophers tend to propose coherence of beliefs as the touchstone of truth, pragmatists maintain that a belief or idea is true if "it works" in practice. Some philosophers, especially F.P. Ramsey, have even suggested that the concept of truth is redundant. However, despite disagreements among philosophers concerning the concept of truth, few will dispute the notion that a true idea or belief must be in accord with reality, with the way things really are in the world. It may sound ironic to say that religion does not take the concept of truth seriously, as it

ought to, given that the scriptures purportedly contain divinely inspired truths. Nevertheless, when one considers that for believers, the most important truths about the universe are in religious scriptures which must not be challenged let alone be superseded by research findings in science, the feeling of irony disappears. The idea of 'revealed truth' that is superior to scientific knowledge opens the door to intellectual and epistemological retardation because it allows apologists of faith, especially those with highfalutin academic or ecclesiastical titles, to believe and justify absurdities with tendentious verbose arguments without qualms. In my opinion, anybody that advocates the superiority of so-called unimpugnable 'revealed truth' over truth arrived at through painstaking scientific investigation is not genuinely interested in understanding the objective world. From what is known about the universe, dating back to the time when humans took the first tentative steps to understand the world and themselves, we have learned that the most reliable method for discovering truths is scientific research, not by arbitrarily designating propositions in religious texts as revealed truths. And given that different religious scriptures contain contradictory revelations, it is logically impossible for all of them to be true although they might all be false. Religion oftentimes elevates dubious propositions and outright falsehoods uttered by some ignorant pastoral peoples of old to the privileged position of sacred truth knowable through religious or mystical experience. To be continued.

The idea of truth is basic in everything we do as humans; it is the compass that guides us in our theoretical and practical pursuits Cromwell because, as I argued earlier, religious conviction, especially the kind manifested by a preponderance of believers worldwide, makes no room for scepticism by precluding a priori the possibility of error. Conviction about the unassailable truth of religious scriptures, aside from providing the psychological underpinning of religious wars, causes discrimination based on mode of worship. The Abrahamic religions mentioned earlier, while claiming that all human beings, as children of God, are created equal, also endorse the atavistic concept of "the chosen people." Of course, once the claim is made that God has chosen a certain group of people because of either race or mode of worship, a first class ticket to the evils of discrimination has just been issued. There is enough historical evidence that any group of human beings who generally see

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 31

I won’t marry any of mybabymamas, says Flavour C elebrated highlife musician, Flavour N’abania, has probably broken the hearts of his two babymamas, Sandra Okagbue and Anna Banner, who may be hoping to settle down with the singer someday, following his interview with HipTV where he stated he would not be getting married to any of his Babymamas, adding that for someone like him, marriage would be a huge distraction and that most artistes at their prime in their trade are bound to crash once they get married. “Marriage is not a thing that you just go into. This music business is a serious business. My own opinion, I think if you are in the peak of your career, you don’t need any distraction. So for now, I think marriage could be a distraction for me because it is a whole big institution that when you go in, you have to be fully prepared to know what you are getting into,” he said. “And right now, looking at everything, its not so easy for me now….and most of my colleagues, whenever they get married, everything starts crashing down. I keep asking people, have you ever seen a successful musician having a good home and a good career? Its not going to be easy. If you know one, just tell me” he added.

Stella Damasus explains why she’s not a husband snatcher •Flavour

Social Media adjudge The Gist with Emma Ugolee most followed youth talk show

he name Emmanuel Ugolee is synonymous with Nigerian entertainment as many recall his role in the development of the new age entertainment industry almost two decades ago. After an eleven- year break, Emmanuel Ugolee is back with the current wave of an all entertainment-based talk show which is causing weekly ripples on social media with Instagram and twitter trending topics and video clips. The entire week on social media hovered around the hiphop episode featuring rappers Ikechukwu, Mode 9, Vector and Ill Bliss. With Ikechukwu and Vectors confrontation making the weeks number 1 viral video. The show called ‘The Gist’ strictly dicusses issues around the entertainment industry in general with key players including musicians, actors, writers, sportsmen amongst others, as panelists. ‘The Gist’ has so far featured guests such as Bovi, Timaya, Simi, Uti, Saka, Monalisa Chinda, Joseph Benjamin, Alibaba, Segun Arinze, DJ Jimmy Jatt and many more.Showing on HipTv on DSTV every Monday the gist gives an inside scoop to the inner working of the industry through the dissecting minds of its practitioners. It also has a comedy segment and plays trendy music videos along with a vox pop that samples the pulse of the streets on the subjects discussed.

•Stella Damasus

ollywood actress and singer, Stella Damasus, has been an outcast of sort among some of her colleagues who have labelled her ‘husband-snatcher’ after she started living as a couple with Doris Simeon’s ex husband, Daniel Ademinokan. Since the incident made news a couple of years ago, Stella has kept her peace, refusing to comment on the issue until recently.“I have kept mum on the allegation until now and I feel it’s time I expressed myself.”One of the comments I have seen consistently, over and over again is, ‘Stella snatches somebody’s husband’; ‘Stella the husband snatcher’; which is what has been going on.“And I had sworn that I would never talk about it or even listen or stress myself about the issue. But I have decided to talk about it now, so that I end it once and for all’, she said.“How is it possible to go to somebody’s home, take a happily married man, take his son away from his home and say follow me. “Let’s assume you are a man, and according to their story, he is happily married inside his home with his family complete, and I walk into that home to forcefully take a man, able-bodied man, and a kid, away from somebody’s hand and you are there looking at me. “So, logically, if people actually sit down and think about it intelligently, how do you snatch somebody from somebody and the person is there looking at you? “So when you see a man who has settled ties with a woman and decides to move on with his life and you feel that there is something in this man that you like and he likes you, is there a problem there? “I am not a kid. I am 38 years old. I am not about to start hiding myself’ she said.

Must a woman even marry, Anita Joseph queries I

•Anita Joseph •Emma Ugolee and friends

s there a thing about actress and singer, Anita Joseph and marriage? The thirtysomething diva once refused a marriage proposal from a longtime boyfriend, stating that she could not abandon her career to be a complete housewife. On Monday, the actress post a private message on her phone ‘Must a woman even marry’, sparking speculations that she may be under intense pressure from her family to get a man to marry. When Potpourri reached out to her, the sexy diva declined comment, saying, “my private life is nobody’s business”.

PAGE 32—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

Fans’ jokes on Tiwa Savage/ Teebillz Saga •Tiwa Savage and Teebillz

Compiled by TOFARATI IGE

ince the news of marriage crisis of superstar singer, Tiwa Savage and husband, Teebillz went viral on the social media on Thursday, Nigerians and their fans have been reacting to the saga. The husband, had gone on the Instagram, Thursday morning, to announce that all is not well in his marriage, citing infidelity, betrayal, witchcraft and even bad luck. Some reports even claimed that he attempted suicide on Lekki bridge but was saved by the duo of Peter Okoye and Banky W. But soon after the post appeared on Instagram it was deleted and Teebillz cried out that the post was handiwork of hackers, who had hacked his account. Here are some of the hilarious comments made by Nigerians. Femi Salawu wrote ‘Breaking News! Nigerian Hackers Deny Touching Tee Billz’s IG Account. Threatens Tiwa Savage’s Hubby With Libel Suit...Hackers still angry...hehehe’ @justification wrote ‘When Tiwa sang ‘Doro is a cheerful giver’ we didn’t understand what she meant. Now, we know better.’Mitrovic wrote ‘So if Annie was feeding Teebillz, and 2face was giving Tiwa, was that a fair trade?’Iniubong wrote ‘They will be recording at night alone in the studio and Don Jazzy will be doing only ad-lib. He will not press brezz abi ? Ya not serious.’ Francis wrote ‘Even Don jazzy said “doro big doro heavy doro skillful”. So this was what he meant smh.’ Ebuka wrote ‘Tiwa and Teebillz got married in Dubai without inviting the fans in Nigeria. Now that they’re having trouble in their marriage, why are they informing us. They had better go and solve it in Dubai; who cares?!’ Victor Ichofu wrote ‘Shout out to those that •Bose Alao claimed Tiwa and Teebizz as relationship goals; you played yourself.’

Bose Alao set to premiere fourth film ‘Rivers Between’ N

ollywood actress, Bose Alao is all set to premiere her fourth film ‘Rivers Between’ on June 9, 2016, in Lagos. The film which was shot in Lagos parade a star-cast of top names in the industry. Rivers Between, according to Bose, features Segun Arinze, Ibinabo Fiberesima, herself, Akin Lewis, Belinda Effah, Seun Akindele,Don Pat (Republic of Benin) Foluke Daramole ,Juliana Oloyede and Tolu Awobiyi. Rivers Between is a fictional movie about two African countries (Republic of Belenda and Libertouir) that want to take possessions over a boundary town called “Baini “ without any good in return BAINI is a town full of diamonds and goodies,the president’s daughter was sent on a mission to compromise the town’s patriot, but with the help of Imola, it wasn’t possible to takeover Baini town, which led to chaos, betrayal, misuse of political power . The movie was directed by Chris Eneaji, Produced by Bose Alao O, Powered by BeehayMediaConcepts Nig. Ltd.

EbonyLife Films launches new film ‘The wedding Party’

bony-life Films has launched a new film ‘The Wedding Party’, a romantic comedy directed by ace filmmaker Kemi Adetiba, which will hit the cinemas nationwide in December 2016. Set in Lagos, Nigeria, The Wedding Party is a riveting tale of the complexity of love. It is the story of Dunni Coker, a 24 year-old art gallery owner and only daughter of her parents about to marry the love of her life, IT entrepreneur Dozie. The couple took a vow of chastity and is looking forward to a ground-breaking first night together as a married couple. The date has been set and the bride’s parents, who have recently enjoyed a surge in their fortunes, are going all out to make this the wedding of the century. Dunni’s about to be mother-in-law, Obianuju is having second thoughts about allowing her son marry into a family she considers as beneath them. Between matchmaking attempts on the bridal train, a wedding planner on a mission to succeed, the unruly behaviour of some ‘village’ guests and the groom’s ex-girlfriends looking to make their mark, it is clear the Wedding Party will be the talk of the town. Will it all be too much to bear for the bride or will true love stand even the most chaotic of wedding celebrations? This romantic comedy is set to tickle, challenge and resonate with moviegoers nationwide. Written by playwright, Tosin Otudeko, ‘The Wedding Party’ is a collaboration by some of Africa’s leading film powerhouses - EbonyLife Films, FilmOne Distribution, Inkblot Productions and Koga Studios, respectively. ‘The Wedding Party’ is the second offering from EbonyLife Films after last year’s FIFTY. FIFTY was the undisputed cinema experience of 2015 as the biggest premiere in the history of the Nigerian Movie Industry and the top grossing Nigerian film of 2015.

Akin Lewis, Regina Chukwu robbed on set V

•Ebonylife

eteran actor Akin Lewis and star actress Regina were robbed on Thursday while on location in Surulere. The news of the unfortunate incident was leaked by another veteran actress, Jaiye Kuti who made the announcement as a broadcast on her phone. “Akin Lewis and Regina Chukwu were robbed in a hotel in Surulere while on location. A lot of things were stolen, including their phones” she broadcasts.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY, 1, 2016, PAGE 33

What driv es men a way drives aw BY ONOZURE DANIA

o you ever worry that you are going to lose a good man? If the guy in your life is acting distant or frustrated with you, what he’s actually feeling may mean more about the future of your relationship than you think. The truth is that the most certain and complete way to drive a man away and as far

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DISCLAIMER!

So instead of trying to “fix” all the things that you think are the problem with you in your relationship, you should actually try to change what you believe and prevent these problems in the first place. As you might already know, men aren’t often the best in the world at giving emotional support and at nurturing. He might not recognize what’s really going on with you, or he might not know how to give you what you want, or it might even be that he is afraid of how

you are acting and he doesn’t feel comfortable getting any closer to you. Expect that if a woman likes them, then the woman should feel good when she’s around him. I know it might sound simple, or even stupid, but if a woman is constantly stressed or worried or unhappy when she’s around a man, not only does he feel like he can’t make her happy, but he’ll want to spend less and less time around her.

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PAGE 34—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 35

Two years without Chibok girls:

Children want celebration of victory, not hope M

ARKING the second anniversary of the abduction of 219 female students from the Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State by Boko Haram without any clue, where they are and when they will be reunited with their parents should be the concern of every citizen and government . A saying in the western part of Nigeria goes thus, “It is better to hear that the child is dead than to hear that the child is missing or lost”. This means that when a child is dead, parents can grieve and then surrender to fate knowing that there is nothing they can do to bring the child back. But when a child is missing, it is every day sorrow that put parents in a position of endless hope, ill-health or even death. For the two years since the abduction, civil society organisastions (CSOs) did not relent in their struggle to have the girls freed despite the claim in some quarters that it was to score a political point. If not for the CSOs, especially the Bring Back Our Girls group that steadfastly rallied in Abuja, the abduction may not have remained on the front burner. They brought together people from all walks of life and dedicated their lives to calling on the military to live up to its responsibility and making the world aware that we

can’t keep going when the over 200 girls remain in captivity. The Child Rights Act makes copious provisions on abduction of children. Section 27 of the Act states: “(1) No person shall remove or take a child out of the custody or protection of his father or mother, guardian or such other person having lawful care or charge of the child against the will of the father, mother, guardian or other person. (2) A person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (1) of this section commits an

offence and is liable on conviction (a) where the child is unlawfully removed or taken out of Federal Republic of Nigeria (i) with intention to return the child to Nigeria, to imprisonment for a term of fifteen years; or (ii) with no intention to return the child to Nigeria, to imprisonment for a term of twenty years; b) where the child is unlawfully removed or taken out of the State in which the father, mother, guardian or such other person who has lawful care of the child is ordinarily resident, to imprisonment for a term of ten years; or (c) in any case, to imprisonment for a term of seven years.” It is a grave mistake to continue to keep these children, thus violating their rights. The government, though making efforts to rescue the children from Boko Haram, according to reports, should realise that violence against

children goes beyond its negative impact on them and their families. The government should also know that violence weakens the very foundation of social progress, generates huge costs for society, slows economic development and erodes human and social

In SubSahara Africa, violence against children is estimated to cost US$440 billion each year,”

capital. According to UN Secretary General, Ban KiMoon, “Globally, an estimated US$7 trillion is lost each year due to violence in childhood, equivalent to 8 percent of global GDP. In Sub-Sahara Africa, violence against children is estimated to cost US$440 billion each year,” President Muhammadu Buhari should always remember his commitment to Nigeria at the launch of the Year of Action to End Violence Against Children that his administration ought to enforce all laws that will protect children from violence and to ensure that the rights of children are protected in the country. He should also note the statement of Amina Yusuf who represented Nigeria at the United Nations General Assembly, last September, “I believe Chibok girls will soon return because change has come”.

NEWS

Human Development Initiative organises Health Intervention Programme for Widows in Lagos temperature check, Urine

he yearly intervention programme for widows organised by Human Development Initiatives, a non for profit organization known for helping widows and the vulnerable in the society was held recently at HDI training centre in Lagos. According to Mrs Olufunsho Owasanoye, a member of the Board of Trustees of the organisation, the aim behind the programme is to create a forum for health education on prevailing health problems affecting women, provide opportunity for counselling, treat ailment, dispense of OTC drugs and referrals of serious cases. Speaking further, Mrs Owasanoye said health screening activities was preceded by a health talk this year so as to create awareness and provide information on prevailing health conditions especially those that affect women. She added that the health screening were blood pressure check,

test ‘Urinalysis’, height & weight check, H.I.V & AIDS test, consultation/counselling and treatment of minor ailments with available Over The Counter (OTC) drugs and referral of cases for expert management where necessary. The health intervention programme hosted widows group from Local Council Development Areas of Yaba, Mainland, Odi Olowo Mushin and Bariga while Celestial Church of Christ, Yaba Baptist Church, Federation of Muslim Women of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Women's Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria (WOWICAN) and Surulere Widows group were also in attendance. Total of One hundred and forty three (143) clients and 15 health professionals from HDI attended 2016 Health intervention programme. Among the dignitaries that graced the event are: Dr. Iyabo Adebayo, Dr. Ngo Iyagba representatives from PathCare Nigeria Limited, Health Care International (H.M.O); representatives from JAKIN NGO and other medical volunteer.

CAREER AND KIDS

What will you do when you grow up? “Hey! What are you going to be in future?”, your friend asks you and you quickly say, “I am going to be a doctor ”, without giving it much thought while another of your friends says he does not know what he is going to be in future. Now that you are still in school, sometimes it is hard to think about what kind of job you will be doing when you get older. Even some grown-ups have a hard time figuring out what they really want to be doing. This is why it is important to think about what you might be interested in now. I know that you might not be working for the next ten years, but a little thought will help you know the perfect job for you when you grow up. You might change your mind a thousand times, but at least you have your mind working. Here are some hints on how to start thinking about it:

*Look at a job as a really exciting and fun thing to do every day. *Write down what your interests are. For example, do you care about the health of people around you like caring for your junior ones when they are sick? Then, you could be a medical doctor. Do you like fixing electrical gadget at home? You could be an engineer. Do you like watching movies, and writing? You could be a movie critic for a newspaper or magazine. Do you like being outdoors and like playing games? You could be a minister for sports or a coach. Do you like drawing and computers? You could be a graphic designer. The possibilities are endless. Having a clear idea of what you like will help you decide later in life what path to take. Stay true to yourself and know what works best for you. Just because your parents or friends like certain things does not mean you will. Discover your interests and go for them. With persistence comes success.

PAGE 36—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

AMSON says: “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet.” (Judges 14:14). This is a kingdom dynamic whose implications should not be lost on any believer in Jesus. Blessed is the man who has been held captive. When the Lord delivers him, he shall become a terror to his terrorist. He shall be given the authority to trouble his trouble. The Lord promises not only to redeem our losses, but also to give us back double for our trouble: “As for you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” (Zechariah 9:11-12).

Holding captivity captive When a coalition of three kings attacked and sacked Sodom and Gomorrah, taking Lot captive; his uncle Abraham raised a household army of 318 cooks, drivers and gardeners and rescued him. Abraham led captivity captive, retrieved all the stolen goods and came back with spoils, which he gave as gifts to the king of Sodom. The Egyptians oppressed the children of Israel for over 400 years. But when their time of deliverance came, God held their captivity captive. The Egyptian army not only ended up at the bottom of the Red Sea, the Lord ensured that the Israelites did not leave emptyhanded. Solomon says: “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of

By Sam Eyoboka

LITTLE over two weeks to the elections that will produce Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor's successor, indications emerged during the week that the alleged covert governmental interest in the leadership process of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, is already threatening the electoral process to elect a new president for the apex body of Christians in the country. Feelers reaching Sunday Vanguard indicate that some members of the Electoral College may have been compromised and are threatening that if the ECWA candidate is not allowed to participate in the elections they will frustrate the process and create a lacuna to give the impression that the outgoing CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, wants to prolong his stay. Sources close to the Electoral College, told our reporter that a meeting in Kaduna with some members of the Electoral College in attendance last weekend came up with the strategy that the group would frustrate the Electoral College from fulfilling its constitutional mandate of choosing two candidates for the National Executive Council, who will in turn pick the next CAN president, if the ECWA president was prevented from participating in the process. The APC government at the centre has been fingered to be behind covert moves to compromise the leadership process of the CAN and sponsor a pro-Buhari clergy from the North so as to avoid

DOUBLE FOR TROUBLE water: he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1). God told the Israelites to ask the Egyptians for any of their property they desired, and he made the Egyptians give them whatever they asked for. (Exodus 12:35-36). Imagine this. There was this Jewish slave whose master often made him polish all the silverware in the house. There was no job he hated as much as that one. But one day, on the day of the Passover, the Lord told him to ask for the silverware that he had been polishing. The owner did not know why but he gave them to him. Another Israelite used to wash and iron her mistress’ clothes. The madam had a large collection of lace, guinea brocade and other exclusive clothing. On that fateful day, the maid asked for the best of the clothes she had been washing and ironing, and she took them all away.

David’s spoils David returned home to Ziklag only to discover that the Amalekites had attacked it, burnt it down and taken all the women and children captive. He pursued the enemy on the Lord’s say-so with a

God turns all the plans of the enemy into foolishness. He turns every attack against us to our advantage. ragtag army of only 400 men; overtook them and recovered all that had been stolen. (I Samuel 30:18-20). David came back with so much spoils of war that he was able to give gifts to even those who did not follow him to battle, including distant friends in Israel. In effect, children of God end up better off when we are robbed than when we are not. Our God is plenteous in redemption. Moreover, thanks to God, believers are the general assembly and church of the firstborn. (Hebrews 12:23). Therefore, we are entitled to a double portion. Thus says the Lord, our redeemer: “Instead of your shame you shall have double honour, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.” (Isaiah 61:7).

50:20 principle

Beloved: understand this; internalise it. Everybody and everything is working for you. God is working for you: the devil is also working for you. “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). God turns all the plans of the enemy against us into foolishness. He turns every attack against us to our advantage. Joseph said to his brothers who had sold him as a slave to Egypt: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20). If Joseph’s devious brothers had not sold him into slavery, he would not have ended up in Egypt. If he had not been thrown in jail in Egypt as a result of false accusation, he would not have met the butler. If he had not met the butler, he would not have been introduced to Pharaoh. If he had

not been introduced to Pharaoh, he would not have become Prime Minister. If he had not become Prime Minister of Egypt, he would not have become the instrument of God for salvation from famine of the same brothers who sold him into slavery. In short, the road to God’s blessing is paved with adversity. When God is determined to bless a Daniel, he might end up initially in the lion’s den. Nevertheless, every misfortune will simply take him one step closer to the blessing. Every attack of the enemy is a signal that promotion is on the way. The counsel of God is immutable. Nothing can hinder the purpose of God in the life of his children. In the end you will discover that, unknown to them, your adversaries were all working for God and for you. Thus, the psalmist says to God: “Man's futile wrath will bring you glory. You will use it as an ornament!” (Psalm 76:10).

Devil’s futility Where is God when captivity is holding us captive? He is right there, watching. Where is God when the enemy is planning and scheming against us? God is right there

Group threatens to frustrate CAN elections any radical opposition to his administration from the Christian Community. Based on such fears, two groups under the aegis of the Patriotic Christian Youths of Nigeria (PCYN) and the Northern Christian Youth Solidarity Movement for Emancipation, Development, Justice and Selfdetermination have appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to warn their officials, perceived to be neck deep in ensuring that the Church in Nigeria is divided and destroyed, to desist from that endeavour to avoid a possible setback in government's quest for a change in the country. In a statement signed by Evangelist Simon Timothy Nasso, PCYN urged the president to be mindful that the good intention of his Government to effect genuine change in Nigeria does not suffer a setback if the top officials of his Government are not ready to leave the Church alone. Continuing, PCYN noted that Nigeria is passing through an excruciating period as a result of the current insecurity, economic depreciation and mismanagement of resources, stating "while we pray for President Muhammadu Buhari to have the wisdom and courage to sail through these challenges, we urge the Federal Government to hands off from enforcing its favored candidate for the office of the National CAN President.

"The deliberate exhibition and expression of vested Government interest in the forthcoming CAN election and the attempt to impose a desperate candidate who lacks people-oriented leadership style inform our writing. As Christian Youths of Nigeria, we are interested in knowing the caliber of persons that will lead the Church in this trying period. Any attempt by any person or persons in authority to anoint and sponsor a leader based on parochial interest to lead the Church must be resisted by Nigerian Christian youths," the statement cautioned. According to the evangelist, false messages have been going out that Dr. Jeremiah Gado, who recently address-

ed a Press conference to announce his candidature, is the Northern interest in the CAN election and he is the only qualified candidate who has won his primaries. The PCYN debunked such speculators, describing them as unfounded news aimed at deceiving the public that the CAN leaders are fighting against Northern interest just to earn the favor and sympathy of President Muhammadu Buhari who they perceived as Northern bias. "The sponsors of the falsehood did not tell their pay masters that unlike Nigerian political office zoning, the Church has a different leadership selection process not based on region, tribe and denomination and that Dr.

Jeremiah Gado has not gotten any nomination from his church; ECWA not to talk of scaling through his bloc TEKAN/ECWA hence he is not a nominated candidate for the elections," the statement contended. According to PCYN, Dr. Gado, out of desperation, arranged a kangaroo bloc meeting, appointed an acting Chairman and Secretary to ensure his nomination even when the leader of the bloc, Dr. Emmanuel Dziggau was kidnapped and was still being searched for, as if the contest was much more than life to him. "While Dr. Gado and his team want the public to believe that the contest is between him and the OAIC candidate,

Eschew violence, Mamora urges youths By Olayinka Latona

RSTWHILE APC senator representing Lagos East, Senator Olurunnimbe Mamora has called on Nigerian youths to deploy their mental and physical energies towards productive areas, eschew violence, and have faith in the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration. Speaking at the public presentation of two books, Who Is Enoch Adeboye? and There Is Greatness In You, written by a female journalist with the Independent Newspapers Limited, Mrs. Grace Edema, at NECA House, Alausa, Lagos, Senator Mamora noted that every Nigerian

youth has some form of greatness deposited in his/her life which they must deliberately and diligently develop to propel them to great heights. He said: “Looking at one of the titles; There is Greatness in You, everyone has some form of greatness deposited in his/her life, our youths should prayerfully ask God to reveal such greatness to them. They should eschew all forms social vices and identify in the society role models with good standing that they can emulate and have as mentors." The author, Mrs Edema explained that she got the inspiration having grown up to discover that it was not easy to come by

stories on most of our admired leaders and great achievers in different fields of endeavours. According to her, Who is Enoch Adeboye? tells the story of the life and times of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye. It is a biography designed for young adults. According to her, There Is Greatness In You is centred on everything one needs to know to become exceedingly great, noting that it is a discovery pathfinder book for young adults and those that know their areas of gifting, but are discouraged by parents and relatives from pursuing their dreams.

laughing: “God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans.” (Psalm 2:4). The devil was determined to kill Moses off as a child. He instructed his servant Pharaoh to have all male Jewish children killed at birth. But he who sits in the heavens laughed. God decided to provide a hiding place for Moses. But then he hid Moses in, of all places, the court of Pharaoh himself. Moreover, he caused Pharaoh’s daughter to employ Moses’ mother as his nanny. Thereby, she received wages for taking care of her own son; turning Pharaoh into a big laughing stock: “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place.” (II Corinthians 2:14). The devil caused Job to lose his business, his children and his health. But because he lost, he gained twice of everything he lost. In effect, Satan blundered by afflicting Job. So doing, he laid the foundation for him to receive a double portion from God: “The LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10). The same redemptive principle is applicable to believers who have received forgiveness according to the riches of the grace of Christ: “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she has received from the LORD'S hand double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:2). Prof. Joseph Otubu, it's on record that Rev. Supo Ayokunle, outgoing CAN Vice President who is the head of Baptist Churches in Nigeria and member of Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN) bloc, is also a nominee for the office of the president," the statement added. Dr. Gado, according to the group, is using government machinery and the media as medium for his campaign rather than mobilizing the church groups and the delegates, stressing "he is a candidate that speaks of his selection process and that of other contenders on the media even when the Electoral College, saddled with the responsibility of screening the candidates from various blocs, has not made any statement on the number of the aspirants from the various blocs." On its part, the Northern Christian Youth Solidarity Movement for Emancipation, Development, Justice and Self-Determination is concerned about the desperation of the so-called Northern candidate, noting that such ambition has adversely affected the TEKAN/ECWA Bloc. "We have therefore resolved, as critical stakeholders, that we will no longer fold our hands and watch the body of Christ in Nigeria destroyed just because of an individual’s aspiration. We therefore call on eminent Christian individuals and groups especially the leaders of the Five Blocs of CAN to resist any form of intimidation by enemies of the Church to install a leader for the Church," the statement signed by the group's PRO, Rev. James Gani stated.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016,PAGE 37

The wedding of Biodun Shobanjo’s son

A reception after the wedding between Abimbola Opeyemi Kalejaiye and Babatunde Olushola Shobanjo , the son of advertising guru, Mr. Biodun Shobanjo, was held at the Oriental Hotel ,Victoria Island, Lagos, yesterday. PHOTOS BY AKEEM SALAU

From left: Senator Abiola Ajimobi,governor of Oyo State; his wife, Florence; the new couple, Mr and Mrs Babatunde Shobanjo; Senator Ibikunle Amosun, governor of Ogun State; Mrs Joyce Shobanjo, groom’s mother and Mr Biodun Shobanjo,groom’s father.

The couple, Mr and Mrs Tunde Shobanjo, cutting their wedding cake

From left: Chief Mrs Nike Akande,Dr Doyin Abiola and Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

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Fom left: Asiwaju Jide Awosedo; Sir Steve Omojafor; Mr Dele Adetiba; Mr Biodun Shobanjo; Chief Akin Odunsi and Prof Toyin Ashiru

From left: Mr Jimi Awosika;Mr Wale Olaoye and Faysal Halabi

From left: Mrs Joyce Shobanjo,Mrs Yinka Ayanlaja; Chief Mrs Sade Ogunbiyi and Olori Sinmidele Adesanya

From left: Prof Femi Adelowo and Sir Lana Odutola

From left: Mrs Abimbola Akindeinde, Hajia Amina Tukur amd Mrs Nyingi Allison

Mr Bambo Adesanya,SAN (left) and Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi

From left: Mr Segun Ogunsanya and Mr & Mrs Seni Adetu.

PAGE 38—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016

•Odubu

•Gov Oshiomhole

EDO 2016: Alleged plot to kill Oshiomhole lingers, deputy formally enters gov. race BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENINCITY

he politics of Edo State charged up, last week, following the revT elation that emanated after a peace

meeting between Governor Adams Oshiomhole and his deputy, Dr Pius Odubu. The governor had, at the meeting, alleged that his deputy contracted native doctors to kill him. But his deputy denied the allegation vehemently, asserting that it was masterminded by people who wanted to destroy the cordial relationship between him and his boss over the past seven years. Odubu is one of the governorship aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the September 10 governorship election in the state. Others battling for the APC ticket include Mr Chris Ogienmwonyi, Gen.Charles Airhiavbere, Mr Godwin Obaseki, Mr Kenneth Imasuagbon, former Governor Osarhiemen Osunbor, Comrade Peter Esele and Prof. Frederick Ebegue Amadasun. Odubu and his boss had enjoyed smooth relationship since they came on board in 2008 until recently. As a matter of fact, during the re-election of Oshiomhole in 2012, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, who was in the then ACN, kicked against Oshiomhole’s idea to return Odubu as deputy for second term, but Oshiomhole, in collaboration with members of the Edo in Safe Hands, led by his Commissioner for Works, Osarodion Ogie, came to Odubu’s rescue and subdued Ize-Iyamu. Odubu has been a close political ally of Oshiomhole and it was, as a result of that, that the news of alleged attempt to harm the governor through diabolical means hit the people of the state like whirl-wind. As a result of the alle-

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The Deputy Governor will, by the special grace of God, continue to disappoint the dubious expectations of those who are bent on driving a wedge between him and the Comrade Governor. It is his nature and character to be loyal to those who God has set over him because they are His instruments

gation, Odubu was summoned, last Monday, by the priests of Catholic Church where he worships, to a morning Mass to explain the situation. He told the congregation the allegation was unfounded as it was politically motivated to create crisis between him and the governor, particularly when he is in the race for the governorship ticket of the APC. After listening to his explanation, he was given a rousing ovation. However, on Monday, April 25,

Odubu, in a statement, described the allegation of the plan to eliminate the governor as the figment of the imagination of his political opponents, stressing that he had no problem with his boss. His statement read: “The attention of the Deputy Governor, Dr Pius Odubu, has been drawn to an article in the Vanguard of Sunday, April 24. As 2016, as a practising Catholic, Dr Odubu will not do anything that is unbecoming of a true Christian in the name of politics. God knows that he has never had any pact with any native doctor to kill anyone or avenge for him and he will never condescend to that extent as long as God lives. It is against his faith. “The Bible teaches that even when the innocent suffers and mischief makers and traducers appear to triumph by their cheap blackmail, it is for God alone to avenge. The Deputy Governor will, by the special grace of God, continue to disappoint the dubious expectations of those who are bent on driving a wedge between him and the Comrade Governor. It is his nature and character to be loyal to those who God has set over him because they are His instruments. At a time like this, blackmailers are at their best but the Deputy Governor has decided to take solace in God who knows the hearts of men, trusting and believing, as always, that God will vindicate the just. He wishes to reiterate that he has no rift with the Comrade Governor who he revers and deeply appreciates”. Odubu, who officially declared his ambition to succeed his boss, last Wednesday, reiterated his loyalty to Oshiomhole, saying his political travails were as a result of his decision to join the governorship race just as he vowed never to step

down for any candidate. However, in a press conference,the Edo State Commissioner for Energy and Water Resources, Mr Washington Osifo, faulted Odubu’s allegation that he (Oshiomhole) instructed him and the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr Henry Idahagbon, to write a petition against Odubu to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with a view to impeaching him. While asserting that the governor never asked him to petition the EFCC, Osifo said when the Deputy Governor tried to debunk the allegations in newspaper publications, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Kelly Odaro, he only addressed the issue of native doctors being hired to kill the governor, and failed to debunk the allegation “made against my person regarding my alleged EFCC petition and impeachment plot against the Deputy Governor ”. Osifo recalled that sometime in March 2016, some associates of the Deputy Governor levelled against him the allegation that he sent to the EFCC a petition against Odubu, but that he met with the Deputy Governor to inform him that there was nothing of such and the matter was laid to rest. “I was therefore embarrassed to hear that the Deputy Governor, during a peace meeting with the governor and some leaders of the party, made that allegation again. I have never in my life at any time whatsoever written any petition against any person to the EFCC. It is important to note that the most worrisome part of this matter is the fact that it also touches on the character and person of the Comrade Governor, as it is falsely stated that we wrote the petition against the Deputy Governor under the instruction of the governor. I boldly state that the Comrade Governor has consistently demonstrated that he is a father to all who will never allow any of his sheep to be devoured no matter the circumstances. I bear testimony to the fact that the Comrade Governor does not belong to the realm of mere men or politicians where destruction of other people to further one’s political interest is the acceptable norm”. Meanwhile, Edo PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, hailed Odubu for declaring his intention for the governorship race, last Wednesday, saying he had exhibited boldness despite the frosty relationship with his boss. The PDP went on to accuse Oshiomhole of waging war against his deputy due to his preference for Mr Godwin Obaseki as the governorship candidate of the APC. But a chieftain of the PDP, Okharedia Ihimekpen, described the commendation of Odubu as anti-party and urged the leadership of the party to sanction him. However, while his deputy was declaring his governorship ambition at his campaign office in the GRA, Benin-City, Oshiomhole was inspecting road projects in the state, where old women and men showered prayers of protection on him from any harm from political enemies. Oshiomhole asserted that the prayers of the common people who appreciate the developmental strides of his administration will neutralize and destroy any plot by enemies to kill him. Oshiomhole inspected projects in Igbunaduwa, Upper Siluko, 2nd East Circular and Erediauwa roads. He expressed joy with the progress of work and the quality of work done at the 8 kilometers, underground tunnel with road on top, saying that, despite paucity of funds, God has shown him mercy in the running of the affairs of the state.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 39

46-KILOMETRE PIPELINE

How we got crude flowing again to Warri, Kaduna, Port-Harcourt refineries – Capt Okunbor *Nigeria to export petroleum products by 2019 – Kachikwu

•The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu (2nd right) and others, during the commissioning of the multibillion naira 46 kilometers underground crude oil pipeline from Esacrovos to Warri Refinery and from Bonny to Port Harcourt Refinery, last weekend SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY

he scarcity of petroleum products may soon be a thing of the past following the commissioning of the multibillion naira 46 kilometers underground crude oil pipeline from Esacrovos to Warri refinery and from Bonny to Port Harcourt refinery by the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, last weekend. The initiative is expected to deliver crude directly to the refineries rather than the use of marine vessels which has been employed over the years. This idea was mooted by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration due to the persistent vandalization of oil pipelines in the Niger Delta by saboteurs. In the past, crude was conveyed to the refineries through vessels but the arrangement was not effective as refineries are starved of crude due to vandalism. As a result, the Federal Government approached Ocean Marine Solution, chaired by Capt.Hosa Okunbor, to build the underground pipeline even when a contract was not on ground. Speaking at the commissioning, held in Warri and Port Harcourt refineries, Okunbor said: “We are very glad at what has happened in Nigeria today as, for the first time in about seven years, we are able to deliver the crude line between Escravos and Warri and crude is flowing through the pipeline. You saw that the Minister (Kachikwu) was happy, the refineries workers are happy, we, as a company, are also rejoicing for what God has used us to do. I am so glad because, sometimes, there are certain things you achieve that is more than money. We have created serious value for this country using our own resources. As I speak to you, there is no contract in place, C M Y K

this is what we call cure and pay. You have to cure before you talk about payment. What we believe in our company is that everything is possible when you have the will. We thank God for the new government in the country led by President Muhammadu Buhari”. He went on: “His (Buhari) face has saved this pipeline, everybody today, when you see the seriousness in his face, you know he is a no-nonsense man. We used carrot and stick approach and the communities cooperated with us. The job was very tedious, we were in the creeks. Everyday, there were threats to my life because of what we were trying to do. We had put our lives on the line to rescue Nigeria. We have been able to deliver the Escravos, we have also delivered from Bonny to Port Harcourt. There is crude flowing to Port Harcourt refinery today and from Escravos to Warri. But before this, we were actually there at the time when NNPC wanted to use marine vessels as an alternative to deliver crude to the refineries. It was a project that took us three years to learn the ropes and it was something that was almost impossible but we made it possible. “We were able to save a lot of money for this country because, hitherto, when they pumped through the crude line, they lost 40 per cent of the crude. You can imagine pumping one million barrels and you are losing 400,000 through the pipeline to thieves. But we used vessels to cut that out from the system. Today, we have graduated from that and, because of the determination of the leadership of the NNPC and the Minister who is doing things differently, we are delivering. It was a huge gamble for us as a company because we spent billions of naira to deliver this, and we have not gotten a penny from NNPC. It is now that we will start talking about contract because we

The reality is that if successfully done, the currency swap agreement between China and Nigeria will take away pressure on forex in the short term. This is because Nigeria is importing more items while China is an exporting country

have cured the problem. A lot of people did not understand what we were doing; some wrote petitions that we were given contract but it is not true. It was just a directive that we should go to the creeks and deliver this. At a point, my name was going to be soiled and I believe in my name. I am a role model and I cannot be called a thief. And that was what gave me the will to start this project. I thank the over 74 communities we engaged for their cooperation. To me, my name today is more than money. In business, we create value to make money. “For the first time, Kaduna is producing, Warri is producing, Port Harcourt is producing. So those guys that are hoarding fuel, they better bring them out or they will drink it”. Speaking also at the ceremony, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Kachikwu, disclosed that “there were doubts as to

whether this will ever work but I have always believed in the ingenuity of our engineers, our staff and contractors if given the right environment and I believed there was no solution better than finding crude back to the pipelines into the system”. Kachikwu went on: “That we are pumping crude now to Port Harcourt and from Warri we are pumping to Kaduna is a major achievement. It is the first time our refineries are probably going to work at the same time. It is coming at a time when we are having serious challenges in terms of PMS supply to the country and very serious challenges in terms of efficiency and delivery. This is the handiwork of God. “But I have always believed that we knew what we were doing and it will only take some time to find long term solutions. There are policy issues that will ensure that once we resolve this, we would not have the challenges we had ever again. I apologise to Nigerians who have suffered all this while due to products shortages especially in Abuja, Lagos and Kano but we are beginning to sort out Abuja and Lagos and, once Kaduna begins to produce, the suffering in the North will be over. But over and above that, we are putting long term policies in place on how to ensure that other marketers go out and do their stuff which can then be the string suppliers for the rest of the country. “ I thank President Buhari for his patience and giving us time to accomplish this. But more importantly my heart goes out to those who work here. It is also important to say that while this job was going on, the contractor has not been paid but because he believes in the system, he deployed his people to do all the work that was essential to make this happen.” The Minister added: “We still

have a lot to do. We have investors coming but there are some confusion about what they are coming to do. They are not coming to run the refineries, they are coming to provide funds to take our performance in these refineries to about 90-100 per cent and to help us provide technical skills. Their area of intervention will be funding and to provide technical support, they are not coming to manage the refineries. I have seen a lot of information going around scaring people. I have not yet delivered on the promises I made in the course of restructuring, so people should start working hard. Only us can fix our problems, with the restructuring that is happening. For the first time, the refineries will be getting crude, they will sell their products and earn income. Then the refineries can properly maintain themselves after the intervention is over. For the first time in the past seven years, we have crude pumping to the refineries. These are problems that existed before we came and we are correcting them one by one. This is the only way to change the system. “Two things will happen. The first is that when the upgrades and repairs, led by these foreign investors, are completed, our capacity will move from the current 50 per cent to about 90 per cent. So we move about 20million litres per day. The second is that the refineries we also advertised which is private sector led. By the time that is in full force in the next two years, we will be in excess of 750,000 barrels refining capacity. Our hope is that by 2018, we will be reducing fuel importation with at least 60 per cent because of the upgrading that would have taken place. And by 2019, when those private sector led refineries are in place, we will now export refined petroleum products.”

PAGE 40—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 1, 2016

C M Y K

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 41

rexmarinus@hotmail.com

The ‘Fulani’ Rampage

uhammadu B u h a r i , Nigeria’s current president is a passionate Fulani, and the Fulani are a transnational migrant group, dealing today with the forces of environmental change that are forcing great pressure on their pastoral culture. As desertification intensifies in the Savanah regions, grazing and watering grounds disappear, and drives the herdsmen farther and farther out, seeking places to graze, occupy, or settle. The Fulani herdsmen are no strange sights in Nigeria. In fact J.P. Clark, one of Nigeria’s eminent poets, captures both the life of the Fulani herdsmen, but more specifically the resilience and silent will of the cattle in his poem, “Fulani Cattle.” And I should say that I myself have anticipated a great conflict. In my yet to be published novel, one of the characters, Simple, is lying in the solitude of his farm near the Orashi river, after a day’s work, and after smoking a little grass, and in the haze of sleep he hears the rustle of cattle in a neighboring farm and thinks, they better not come near my farm or I’ll draw blood. Something to that effect. It did occur to me quite early when I penned that scene that a real menace

is brewing, unheeded, and it is the struggle for arable land. What did not occur to me, even in my wildest imagination, is the increasing dimension of war-like activities that now accompany Fulani pastoralists in their moves to settle new grazing areas by force, as the condition of the earth drives them further and further from the Sahel. It may just as well be old grazing pressure, but the recent spate and heightening of attacks of Southern agrarian towns by so-called “Fulani Herdsmen” is throwing many curveballs. This menace has been reported in the North too, in places like Adamawa, the Plateau, Southern Kaduna, Nassarawa and Benue, basically, mostly Christian areas of the North, where frequent attacks and resistance against the so-called “Fulani herdsmen” have been going on in the last two years with growing intensity. The thrust of the attacks has given rise to a religious dimension to this: the fear that the socalled Herdsmen are masking a greater menace: religious and political conquest of a scale comparable to colonialism. Such a possibility should not be dismissed as conspiracy, because indeed, most political and conquest movements are the

‘It’s Time to Party’ Party Etiquette Savvy – PART 1

midst all the stress we experience every day, in a very unique way we have found our very own stress relief. We are living in an environment that if care is not taken could send you off your rocker. It seems like life is so busy there is no time to really take what they call a chill pill. Where some will say that the social functions are too time consuming others have decided to see such opportunities to attend a party as the perfect time to rest, socialize and have a good time too. The season for partying is all year around whether it is to attend weddings, birthdays, funerals, get togethers or corporate events the invites keep pouring in rain or no rain. What better time to get prepared and get your hosting and guest savvy skills intact. Whether you are the host, or the guest it is important to understand the best way you can present yourself to give a good positive impression and to foster the smooth running of your party. We all love

attending parties, we also realize that there is no small party today going by the financial resources required to host even just ten guests. The last thing you want is for your party to flop or your guests leaving quite upset and unattended. Keep reading as I share some strategies with you. HOSTING SAVVY SKILLS Send An Invitation An invitation should always be sent out to potential guests either in written form, by card, letter, email, text or social media, alternatively by word of mouth. Your invitation should be specific stating the purpose of the event or occasion you are inviting them to, the date, time, venue and dresscode if need be. Expect A Response Never assume that sending an invite is an automatic assurance that the guest will attend. Try to work with numbers by calling your guests a few days before to confirm their attendance.

products of conspiracies often publicly denied or even ignored until it is too late. So, the spate of attacks have increased with intensity, and some analysts have noted that the South, once seemingly buffered from these activities have become flashpoints, and areas of serious and rapid conflict involving the so-called “Fulani herdsmen,” since the election and swearing in of President Buhari. Is there a connection? I dare not think. But the evidence is really quite disturbing: the election of Muhammadu Buhari has seemingly emboldened what many are now calling the Fulani militia to operate with greater intensity and with singular objective in areas of the South, and the Benue. First, they came for Olu Falae, former Chief Secretary of the Federation, Minister, and Presidential aspirant, and abducted him in his farm. The real issue for me in the Falae incident is that the firepower and logistical capability reportedly deployed in his abduction proved that a deadly, and well organized force was at play. These were no “ordinary herdsmen.” Another revelation was the utter uselessness of Nigeria’s National Security apparatus: a flatfooted police, and a Department of State Service that has very little intelligence, but are only too good in issuing communiques. Then came the massacre in Agatu. The sacking of an entire community by well-armed “herdsmen” ought to have raised more than a red flag, but no, the train was moving unstoppably eastwards: then last week, the “herdsmen” attacked Uzo-Uwani in Enugu, and Leave a little room for contingencies regarding unexpected guests, don’t forget everybody loves the festive season it is an excuse to party without being invited. Further to this it is a good idea when sending a written invite to provide an opportunity for people to confirm attendance either by RSVP or through social media event calendars requesting whether they will attend or not. Dress Code / Colour Code When choosing a dress or colour code add a theme to it so people will feel more inclined to follow. Colour coding works best with similar event decor for uniformity and uniqueness. Choosing Food Depending on the occasion, time of day and date, your choice of food should cut across both vegetarian and nonvegetarian meals. If you decide to have a potluck party expecting invitees to bring along a dish, be specific as to what you would like them to bring, all to avoid duplication and the chances that you may not have enough main dishes. Remember in the evenings not many people like to eat something heavy, with this in mind a variety of light food like barbecue and salad choices is recommendable. Guest Arrival As the host most of the time your guests like to see

killed about 40 people, as was reported by the press. This came after 76 members of a community in Awgu were arrested for trying to defend their community from this armed militia, and while the DSS allegedly discovered secret graves of the cattlemen in Abia state, for which it called a World

Press conference. Until he was goaded into it by the loud outcr y, President Buhari remained as silent as the Sphinx. When finally he spoke, he instructed the police to investigate. This is utter nonsense. Investigate what? That a community was sacked by armed intruders in an organized pattern that is spreading southwards? Two things are clear to me at this stage: this “Fulani herdsmen” are not the old herdsmen that drove their cattle through the Southern streets of yore. These are well-trained soldiers, with very sophisticated arms. A number of patterns are beginning to emerge, and we must see the pattern in the activities of the Janjaweed in Southern

Sudan, which began to sack villages, rape and kill, and abduct women, especially young women whom they “sold” to slaver y. There is increasing evidence that these people whom the Nigerian press often glibly call, “Fulani Herdsmen” may be more than it seems. They may be an advance party of armed, and well-trained militia, activating the first thrust in a war that we are unprepared to engage. These may be the remnants of the Janjaweed, trained AlQaeda militia, sleeping cells, some of whom are your maiguards, some of whom are mingling with the host communities, and readying to spring into action at the appropriate time, armed with the guns from Libya. That the Nigerian Armed Forces and its National Security services have never paid attention to the infiltration of Nigeria tells so much about the state, quality, and mission of Nigeria’s National Security. As far as I’m concerned also, Governor Ugwuanyi is a weak, unimaginative political leader. Sources said he was aware of the impending attack in Uzo-Uwani. He summoned a meeting, called his Police Chief and the Commander of the 81 Div in Enugu, who asked him to call the President to issue direct orders. The governor allegedly called the president and was kept on hold, and an aide later said the president was too busy to speak to the governor, while a massacre was afoot in Enugu! The Enugu governor has of course denied that all this happened. The next

day he was seen smiling sheepishly into a Camera in Abuja in a picture with the President in Aso Rock. “At no point did I call the president, or anyone in the presidency for that matter. There was no need” Ugwuanyi said. But what did the governor do while Uzo-Uwani burnt? Nothing. He sat in a meeting wringing his hand with worry while a massacre was taking place right under his nose. My question is, “ what would M.I. Okpara have done?” Certainly, Okpara would never have waited for the president before taking charge, by every means necessary, of the protection of the lives of those who elected him and whom he swore to protect. What do these Governors do with all the security votes allotted to them in state budgets if they cannot protect the lives of the citizen? I think it is also clear that over and over again, the police, the military, and the security services have shown that they cannot protect the citizens of Nigeria, and particularly of the East. Here then is the only thing left to be done: every man above the age of 18 in Nigeria must as a matter of obligation and personal safety, procure a gun for their own selfdefence. Citizens must defy the law that forbids them from the right to own guns. Nigerians are on their own now. The nation can no longer protect them. Security must now be a matter of self-help. The attacks in Uzo-Uwani proves this unambiguously, for as one of the community leaders said, “ we knew they were coming.” Yet, they did nothing. They just waited. It is a bloody shame, and a bloody trap.

you first on arrival, try to be present at the entrance to receive your guests. It is also the best opportunity to acknowledge which guests have arrived as well as receive any host gift. Setting the Tone Guests will always feel welcome when the ambience of the venue is conducive, comfortable, lively and happy. Your decor should be simple, elegant, and impressive. Music good or bad can make or break a party it should flow systematically cutting across the guest categories and age groups. Likewise make sure that drinks are sufficient with lots of water to support. Once you have decided to host an event you are deliberately

taking people out of their comfort zone to attend your special occasion, it is your duty to play the perfect host ensuring the smooth running of this event. You will be glad you did and guests will always remember how they were looked after in the event of a future invitation. Link Up Friends, Acquaintances & Family Depending on how large your event is there will be times your guests may not know each other. It is best for you as the host to be the first to initiate introductions. By this you give your guests the opportunity to network better and more

comfortably. Maintain Rapport and be Happy Without a doubt it is very important you wear a smile and keep a cheerful face at all times. Keep the party alive by including side attractions or entertainment if possible. It is easier to keep like-minded guests together to enhance rapport and social networking. The success of a party is determined by how engaging your guests are, it is all about the ambience, flow of communication and level of hospitality.

There is increasing evidence that these people whom the Nigerian press often glibly call, “Fulani Herdsmen” may be more than it seems. They may be an advance party of armed, and well-trained militia, activating the first thrust in a war that we are unprepared to engage

Watch out for my Guest Savvy Skills next week. Happy Reading!

Page 42, SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016

By Gerald Azike

Continued from last week

HEREFORE both sacred tra dition and Sacred Scripture are to be accepted and venerated with the same sense of loyalty and reverence”. Hence, any presentation of Christianity that reduces its existence only to scripture is one sided. The second group of the sources used by the article is the prejudiced Muslim scholars—JD Shams’ book, Where did Jesus die, and Ghulam Ahmad’s Jesus in India etc. Giving thought to these sources, it is incomprehensible that an article that argued for objectivity had a substantial chunk of its position taken on the strength of these Muslim authors’ views about Christianity. It is obvious that using Muslim authors to criticize Christianity makes the article less credible since their existential prejudicial position predisposes the natural outcome of the conclusion. Apart from these prejudices, the books themselves leave much to be desired. In fact, one of the reviews of Where did Jesus die argued that, “to a person who is unfamiliar with scripture and history the book might make an impression, however to even an amateur Christian apologist or historian, the weaknesses of the arguments are so apparent in its utter inability to be convincing”. Therefore, given the fuss made in the By Williams O. Mbamalu

Continued from last week

E insisted that “it was impossible to assert that a supposedly omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent deity would be so narrow-minded as to have a “chosen people” and allow his son to die in disgrace and resurrect afterwards just to atone for our sin.” It is presumed that Anele believes there is an impersonal G[g]od, ultimate reality, or the “Sacred Ultimate”, which Plato expressed as the Idea of the Good. Humanity worshipped a God or gods long before doctrines and philosophical problems concerning God arose. Most of the terms used in discussing about the nature and existence of God include theism, monotheism, polytheism, deism, pantheism, agnosticism and atheism. Each has several schools of thought, and philosophers and theologians have for centuries debated the merits and whether one best captures the nature of God in a given heritage. All of these terms and schools predate Anele’s anthropology, “theology ” and ontology, all of which have suffered shipwreck in his futile attempt to dictate what God must do with fallen humanity in solidarity with Adam. The present problem with the study of God is whether the starting point should be theology or anthropology. Anele collapsed altogether these two most important aspects without isolating the problem with each and without indicating his methodology. Anele locates the socio-political and economic problems of Nigeria in religion, especially Christianity and Islam. Christian ontology is set out in Genesis 1:26-28, not in Genesis 3:14-19. That God is the creator of what comes into existence is a continuing conviction of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The God of Israel is not a crude projection

RIGHT OF REPLY Re: An unbeliever’s interpretation of Easter (3)

article, one would have thought that the article should have elicited the better arguments of theologians like Heinrich Venturini’s A Non-supernatural History of the Great Prophet of Nazareth published in German as Natürliche Geschichte des grossen Prophetess von Nazareth, Karl Bahrdt’s Friechrich’s popular letters about the Bible or even Arthur Drew’ s Christ Myth and their likes. The other group of authors could be classified under Conspiracy theorists. Among those included here is the Holy Grail, Holy Blood, The Jesus Dynasty of JD. Tabor and The Misery of Christianity o f Joachim Kahl. For the Holy Grail, Holy Blood, a simple enquiry on the street of Marseilles in France will reveal the falsity of its conspiracy saga that was based on the forged manuscript that presented Pierre Plantard being a descendant of the Merovingian dynasty in the direct line of Jesus. As Martin Kemp rightly observed in his review, if this work is subjected to serious rational questions “like the house of sand, it washes away as soon as you ask really hard questions about it”. Hence the story in the book according to another reviewer Jeffrey Leach, “is the mother of all conspiracy theories; fifty stories tall and decked out in neon letters with sprinkles on top”.

The other work, which is The Jesus Dynasty of JD Tabor, is awash also with conspiratorial fascination. As Richard Wightman Fox observed in Jesus Nation, “ultimately Tabor leaves the reader confused about whether he thinks the Jesus dynasty is a historical fact or merely an intriguing conjecture”. Expressing a similar view on the author Bert Jan Lietaert Peebolte wrote in the Society of Biblical Literature Review, “some books are written to spread knowledge, others to generate controversy. This book falls into the latter category. In his Jesus Dynasty James Tabor presents a reconstruction of the Jesus movement from a perspective that purports to be a neutral view at the facts. Unfortunately, Tabor’s view is not neutral and his “facts” are not facts.” It is also in the same light that one can assess Joachim Kahl’s The Misery of Christianity with all its bias against Christianity. With these problematic authors presented by the article, what will one conclude in this second part of the rejoinder? In assessing the article against its various sources and the way they were employed by the writer, it is obvious that what Martin Hengel observed in his Studies in Early Christology with Christian critics apply completely to this article

where the writer in expressing the dangers of “an uncritical, sterile apologetic fundamentalism” manifested “sterile critical ignorance” of the basic nature of Christianity. Furthermore, while Bart Ehrman, upon whose work a greater chunk of the article was based, said “competent, wellmeaning, highly intelligent scholars often come to opposite conclusions when looking at the same evidence”. Our article standing on one side of such conclusions went on a wild-goose chase against Christianity. What a mirage! It may be important at this point to express one’s surprise that an article that purports to be scientific in discrediting Christianity, only quoted scanty sources of only the last 30 years. It may be good to let the writer know that scientific study in this field of research for historical purposes has spanned for about 250 years. It first grew out of the Rationalism of the 17th century championed by philosophers like Thomas Hobbes, Benedict Spinoza, and Richard Simon. This rationalistic orientation of the period influenced the academic environment of that period inspiring theologians to begin questioning the biblical texts and its history. In fact, without equivocation, on the evidence provided by Albert Schweitzer in The Quest of the Histori-

Douglas Anele is wrong on Easter (2) of a human being; he is the creative intelligence who fashions reality and reveals his purpose for humanity through chosen agents and events. The personhood and other human characteristics of the Hebraic God as portrayed in the Bible and Qur’an are not intended to induce deity to mortal dimensions and limitations; rather they expressly display a God who is some One, not some-thing. The nature of God in the ancient Greek tradition includes the religious and the philosophical. The people held to the religious view with little or no interest in the philosophical. Homer was the first person to express the notions of deity in the Iliad and Odyssey. The GrecoRoman gods represented the divine guardians of socio-political order and prosperity and according to S. G. F. Brandon “all citizens were expected to participate in their public worship as evidence of their integrity and loyalty.” Some thoughtful Greeks attempted to understand the source of existence through the use of reason, while others turned to mystery religions. In the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E Plato developed the first comprehensive system of philosophy which proposed that only that which transcends the universe, space and time, was ultimate reality. A transcendent God created Adam and Eve who did not have a human father or mother and yet were fully human. Adam had no human predecessor from whom his human nature could in any sense have been taken. The power of Adam’s sin was a cosmic unity; it involves Adam’s posterity in guilt. Anele is apparently not conversant with what is widely called the Hebrew concept of corporate personality, because our solidarity with our fellows is a reality which we tend to overlook in the assertion of our individual independence. It is from this vantage point that Anele

derailed miserably in his failure to decide between the mechanistic views of man held by Descartes and Immanuel Kant and a phenomenological methodology based on close observation, and personal study and experience of human nature itself. Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s political thoughts had been that a proper knowledge of man, and a thorough appreciation and competent application of the principles which govern his physical culture, his mental development and his spiritual self-realisation, is indispensable to any efforts for promoting and guaranteeing his general well-being and happiness. Chief Awolowo’s anthropology remains the vital force that set him above any political leader in Nigeria, in short in Africa and quite far beyond the atomistic approach of Anele who situates Nigeria’s dilapidating socio-political woes in religion alone, and especially the Christian religion. For Awolowo “if any country is to develop, its government has to have a careful, systematic and scientifically thought out plan for its people, a plan with identified goals and objectives.” Anele could not grapple with these immanent realities and arrogantly and vainly stretches toward complicated matters of the incarnation and the works of Christ with audacious power over Christian narrative. The shame of Anele in regard to his allusion to “highlighted contradictory stories in the Gospels” lies in his poverty of the logic of historical thought and he slid into a holist fallacy, that is, the absurd attempt to prevent a historian from knowing anything until he knows everything. Any proper academic norm recognises that historians operate upon certain criteria of factual significance in their work, and that those criteria must be aligned with their own purposes, and methods.

John’s Gospel is completely different from Matthew, Mark and Luke. John said, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:30-31). Thus, John’s Gospel is a selective, an attested, an interpretative, a definitive, and an effective Gospel. The four New Testament Gospel writers were aware that there was no way to synthesize the sum of all human memories and recapture the past in its entirety. Regarding the age of important documents, Millar Burrows writes that “the most important question about an ancient document is not when it was written but what it means, and what historical or other significance it has. A book is not necessarily important because it is old, or unimportant because it is more recent.” Millar further states that “when dealing with an ancient work preserved in one or more manuscripts, the question of the time when the book was composed depends in part on the age of the oldest surviving copy. The manuscript may have been written much later than the original composition of the text it contains; it may be only the last of a long series of copies. But it cannot be older than its contents.” Therefore, Anele’s fallacious argument against the dates of Bible books is crushed out under the weight of the above stated facts. Furthermore, Anele maintained the posture of being a slavish student of Kurt Eichenwald whose literature he lifted wholesale to make a case against the New Testament written in Koinê Greek. Jeremy Duff writes, that Greek was first written th down in the 13 century B.C and that “our first glimpse of Greek is around 1300 BC, because we possess tablets dating to that period

cal Jesus: A Critical Study of its Progress, it began in 1778 when Götthold Ephraim Lessing published the fragment of Reimarus, The Aims of Jesus and His Disciples. A further Installment of the Anonymous Wofenbüttel Fragments. From there then, other scholars joined like David Friedrich Strauss, Bruno Bauer, Baron d’holbach, Albert Kalthof, Rudolf Bultmann, Ernst Käsemann, P. Jensen, S. Lublinski, P.J. Bolland, Van der Berg, Virolleaud, Couched, Massey, Bossi, A. Niemojewski, Brandes, J.M. Robertson, T. Witttaker, W.B. Smith, Arthur Drew” to mention but a few. In fact, its progress is to such an extent that we have had the Second and Third Quest as used in some academic environments. None of these works were cited by the article, yet it kept on claiming, “according to New Testament Scholars” that one is left to wonder, who are they? Does it not strike the writer that he was claiming too much when he kept on pontificating “according to New Testament scholars” when in actual fact he does not seem to have read much of them? The next part of this review will analyze some paragraphs of the article with their assumptions.

•To be concluded •Azike, a reverend father, lives in Rome. written in Greek, though using different script (called Linear B). We then lose sight of it during the so-called ‘dark ages’ (dark because they left us no written records) until about the eighth century BC, when we have our first inscriptions using the Greek alphabet. Not long after this the poems of Homer were written down, one of the great glories of the Greek language.” The ‘golden age’ of Greek literature came by the fifth and fourth centuries BC when Athens had grown to be the cultural capital of the Greek world, producing great drama, oratory, history writing and philosophy –‘classical’ Greek. Greek language had petered out during the hundred years of - say from 50 B. C. to A. D. 50 – when Latin literature was at its height. In the second century there was a renaissance of the Greek spirit, and the Greek flourished once again as a literary language. Eminent Greek writers existed, of whom Plutarch was very prominent in the first century of the Christian era, with other contemporary writers as Appian, the Greek historian of Rome; Pausanias, Galen, the writer on medicine and Lucian. These were writers that employed idioms very differently from the Greek speech current at the time. They were deliberately archaizing, trying to imitate the literary language and style of three or four hundred years ago. But the best literary style is that which best employs all the power of artifice to subdue the current spoken idiom to its purpose.

• To be continued •Mbamalu, a professor of ethics and theology and Extraordinary Lecturer at the Faculty of Theology North West University, Potchefstroom, RSA, presently lectures at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, AletoEleme, PortHarcourt, Rivers S t a t e . E m a i l : mbamalu_christethics@hotmail.com Phone number: 08162081563

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016

VIEWPOINT By Samuel Ndubuisi VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Ex-CDS not guilty until otherwise proven

HE trial of Air Chief Mar shall Alex Badeh has not only become a subject of discussion even among people who have little knowledge of the case but also a subject for political propagandist who want to ride on the destruction of this man who gave thirty-five years of meritorious service in defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria. Whatever issue that has become the subject of this case is a standard practice at the Nigeria Air Force that Badeh met as Chief of the Air Staff. Zeroing on Badeh does not only reflect political vendetta but also an orchestrated effort to ground the former air chief by those he may have offended in the course of discharging his duties. A report published in a national newspaper on Sunday, April 24, titled, “adeh in a poignant struggle over learning and character”, is well crafted to silence the voice of those who stand for justice and fair play. To the writer Badeh should not even be tried but rather sentenced without hearing; this is not good for democracy and a nation that is struggling to meet global best prac-

VIEWPOINT By Obiajulu Ajuluchukwu

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

The secret behind huge revenue generation

N Thursday, April 14, 2016, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) announced, in its IGR Report, that Anambra State showed a great promise in Internally Generated Revenue drive, taking the second position after Ogun State. The Report says Anambra placed second with a significant rise of 29.32 percent indicating an improvement from N10.45bn in 2014 to N14.79bn in 2015. What the report did not capture is that as at March 2013, Anambra’s IGR figures stood at a paltry N500m. That was before Chief Willie Obiano took over the leadership of the state. However, it is instructive to note that long before the NBS Report, Anambra’s impressive performance had been noised around but many people had regarded it as official propaganda. Now, the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics has decorated it with a seal of authenticity. Anambra is undoubtedly on the rise under Obiano. Coming at a time when the nation’s economy is gasping for breath, this is indeed cheerful news.

VIEWPOINT By Abu Muhammad Jawad

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF VIEWPOINT

Questions over the 2019 ticket of the opposition PDP

ORMER Jigawa State gov ernor, Sule Lamido, launched his curious presidential aspiration last week. While declaring, he said he would vie for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ticket in 2019, probably to square up with APC’s President Muhammadu Buhari. He declared his intention when some former PDP governors and the acting National Chairman, Ali Modu Sheriff- himself a

Page 43

ALEX BADEH: Enough of this vilification tices. The claim that the revelations by the prosecution witness stunned the nation is part of the design to convict the air chief before judgement and also influence the trial. Going by the position of the writer and those thinking in his direction, one cannot but sadly conclude that the media trial of the former CDS by the Federal Government is succeeding. Whatever evidence the prosecution witness has given cannot be said to be true until it is proven. The defense in any court has a right to present its case and counter the claims by the prosecution witness. It would interest the writer and indeed many Nigerians to know that many of the so-called startling revelations made by the witness in court were not part of his statement at the EFCC. The witness in the last two hearings had not only contradicted himself but admitted that substantial evidence he gave in court were not part of his statement to the EFCC. If it is easy for haters to continue to publish falsehood to create a complicated case for the accused; hiding under the law of freedom of expression, it is obviously right for those who think otherwise to express themselves to the public in order to clarify the issues thereby uprooting the seed of guilty or, in

the words of the writer, lack of character being consciously or unconsciously planted in the minds of Nigerians. In stating that Badeh’s achievements had nothing to do with the 10-count charge, the writer forgot to inform his readers that the EFCC’s main witness in the case, in a hand-written statement to the EFCC, already stated that “quite a number of welfare and operational projects had been executed through such funds” referring to the N558million he earlier

To the writer Badeh should not even be tried but rather sentenced without hearing; this is not good for democracy and a nation that is struggling to meet global best practices

claimed he handed over to the exCDS monthly. Citing page 86 and 87 of the proof of evidence, the witness wrote in his statement: “Such projects include completion of the NAF Aeronautical Center, construction of officers and air men accommodation, equipping NAF hospitals in Abuja, Lagos, Jos, Makurdi and Kano”. How then can we talk about Badeh’s trial without his achievements? If the charges against Badeh have no relationship with his achievements, why then is the writer so worried about people being reminded of it. The tone of the piece suggests someone who is angry and has already convicted the accused. He obviously does not love the accused, so can’t possibly be directing the ex-CDS, his “sympathisers and his friends” on how best to present their case. With what has happened so far, it is evident that what should be questioned is the character of the anti-graft agency than that of the ex-CDS. In the piece the writer stated that his achievements had nothing to do with the 10-count charge he is facing in court, but also forgot to tell us if there’s any relationship between the charges and the much publicised Dasukigate. Observers were of the view that the story was planted to increase

“the public angst” as displayed by the writer. The writer also failed to mention the fact that after the accused had met his bail conditions, the EFCC refused to do its part of independently veryfing and ascertaining the value of such properties. The EFCC refused to get back to the court within 24 hours in an attempt to delay the ex-CDS’s freedom. The question on people’s lips was “why was EFCC so desperate to keep the accused in detention” The EFCC was also quick to go to the press with their “discovery of 17 accounts belonging to the exCDS” without stating the amount found in the accounts like they usually do. To those who care to listen I will not cease to emphasize that the former air chief is worthy in learning and in character until proven otherwise. That he rose through the ranks as an officer of the Nigerian Air Force, held different elite positions and rose to be the Chief of the Air Staff and Chief of the Defence Staff was not in error. Such a personality must have been certified as worthy to attain that height, unless the writer is of the opinion that the Nigerian military equally lacks character.

•Ndubuisi is a public affairs commentator

Tracking Anambra’s impressive IGR growth However, for many observers of Obiano’s silent revolution in Anambra, the state’s remarkable growth in IGR does not come as a surprise. Shortly after he was sworn in, the governor had swiftly eased himself into action mode by holding a Strategic Retreat for his cabinet. He must have risen from the retreat with a heavy load on his mind; brooding over the future of the state under him and the brass task of leaving a legacy in a dilap-

However, it is instructive to note that long before the NBS Report, Anambra’s impressive performance had been noised around but many people had regarded it as official propaganda

idated economy. He must have wondered what to tell Ndi Anambra after wooing them with a brilliant Economic Blueprint in the heady days of election campaigns. Falling back on his background as an auditor, banker and financial expert, Obiano approached the puzzle of providing a purposeful leadership in a difficult economy by first taking absolute control of what was within his reach. He tightened the noose on government finances, freezing accounts and instilling stringent financial discipline in the government bureaucracy. Then, he swiftly entrenched a process that would lead to accountability and transparency; deploying technology effectively to capture relevant data and seal up every crack in government revenue. The benefits of these measures were almost instantaneous. In March last year, Anambra State was ranked the most transparent state in South East Nigeria by the Federation Accounts Sub-Committee on International Public Sector Accounting System (IPSAS). Anambra polled 80% to emerge tops in the zone. The Survey reviewed the Initiation, Activation and IT Support of states

which involves proper procurement procedures and the adoption of the accounting software, as well as GO-Live which meant deployment readiness, budget conversion, data migration; and IPSAS-compliant book-keeping. Some observers divined from this; that Obiano’s wealth of financial management experience had gradually translated to enhanced financial regulations and practices in the day-to-day implementation of government’s development initiative. To many keen watchers, the IPSAS rating was a clear confirmation that Anambra is in good hands. Demonstrating what has now become a trademark drive for excellence, the governor avoided the comfort zone when Anambra partnered Fidelity Bank on a special IGR Summit in February this year. The event focused intensely on how to shore up the state’s IGR. The Summit attracted a cast of glittering experts; including Ben Akabuezewho is now the Special Adviser to the President on National Planning and James Agada, a leading expert in financial technology among others. Obiano was not mincing words when he announced at the Sum-

Lamido’s curious presidential bid potential aspirant-visited Dutse. Although the PDP is undergoing re-organization, the process that will lead to the future is expected to be charted by elements capable of instilling a vibrant direction, and not a leader entangled in corruption trial. It is quite curious that, while the debate over having Sheriff as the party’s Chairman is still on, Lamido, whose case in a Federal High Court over alleged abuse of office and money laundering is ongoing, reared his head to give the party another unwanted attention. Even the Dutse declaration was

marred when youths, wielding dangerous weapons, attacked innocent party members who were there to welcome the dignitaries. Many were injured, and now recuperating at Dutse General Hospital. Worthy of note was the secrecy of the declaration even to those prominent party members who were in Dutse on a solidarity visit as they were not told about the planned declaration. More worrisome were the antecedents of the former governor and his role in the failure of the party during the 2015 general elections. A former governor who failed to win

a seat in that electoral process ordinarily should not have the guts to become the first to publicly declare for the 2019 presidential race unless there is more to it than meets the eye. The ongoing fraud case against the former governor and his sons ought to have led to self-restraint on the part of Lamido if we were in some other societies. Instead of concentrating to clear himself of the allegations, he chose to plunge into the declaration. The allegations against him, according to the EFCC, include N1.3bn kick back to Bamaina Holdings by some

mit that he had concluded plans to deploy POS devices for revenue collection. A few days after that, he launched POS devices into the revenue collection system in a brisk ceremony at the Alex Ekwueme Square. Obiano’s drive for improved revenue collection did not stop there. He has continued to retool the processes in place, expanding the revenue base by creating new ones like the newly introduced export of vegetables to Europe which is valued at $5m dollars and the removal of bureaucratic bottlenecks in the process of setting up a business in the state. Looking at the emerging pattern, Anambra’s recent surge in IGR, growth as authoritatively confirmed by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, has not only justified his recent emergence as the Sun Governor of the Year. It has also rested all speculations and infuriating idle talks that have tended to attribute the governor’s competent management of the state’s finances to a fictitious N75bn left behind by his predecessor.

•Ajuluchukwu is Head Strategist at VivaCrest Consults Limited, Lagos

contractors working in Jigawa when he was governor. N1bn was also alleged to have been paid directly from state government’s agencies and parastatals to the accounts of a company allegedly owned by Lamido and his sons. For a former governor in court over these allegations, as well as others that included the alleged N9bn Jigawa State Secretariat kickback, it is amazing how he contemplates aspiring for the exalted office of the President of Nigeria under our great party.

•Jawad is based in Chiyako Village, Birnin Kudu Local Govt. Area, Jigawa State.

PAGE 44 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; SUNDAY VANGUARD,MAY 1, 2016

John Agboola Odeyemi Annual Lecture

The 3rd Chief John Agboola Odeyemi Annual Lecture, organized by the Natural History Museum, Obafemi University, Ile-Ife, was held at the Conference Centre of the university on Friday. Photos by Dare Fasube

From left: Lagos SSG, Mr Tunji Bello, Lagos State Governor Akinkunmi Ambode and Senator Gbenga Ashafa

President, Ife Development Board, Prof Muiz Opeloye (left), and GM/Editor-InChief, Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Gbenga Adefaye

From left: Chief John Agboola Odeyemi; the representative of OAU VC, Prof. Omolayo Ajayi; the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr Kayode Fayemi

From left: Hon Jimi Benson, Senator Gbenga Ashafa and Chief Henry Ajomale, APC Chairman, Lagos State

From left: Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, the Chairman of the occasion; Prof. Babajide Alo and his wife, Funmilayo

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016, PAGE 45

Yorubas are treated like natives in Sokoto -- Sultan *Attah of Aiyede makes historic visit to the Sultanate

By Bashir Adefaka

midnight when the host rose and the visitor, accompanied by his entourage and protocol officer stationed with him by Sultan moved back to his lounge. The following day was Wednesday March 23. Members of Council of the Sultanate had been seated at about 10am joined by the Sultan. The Attah arrived Gidan Sariki amidst a very rousing welcome as Hausa people cheered while others watched with kin interest. Members of Yoruba community in Sokoto led by Oba Yoruba, Alhaji Abdul-Fattah Coker, were not left behind as they including Ekiti indigenes in the state sang praises of the visiting Oba. Acknowledging cheers, Attah was led straight to his seat next to that of the Sultan.

rom when he landed at the Sultan Siddique Abubakar III International Airport, Sokoto through the rousing welcome and reception by Sultan and people of Sokoto Sultanate to the extended hospitality at the instance of the Sultan, which he and his entourage rode into in the Zazzau Emirate of Zaria, His Majesty Oba Alhaji AbdulMumini Adebayo Orisagbemi, Arojojoye Abolokefa IV, the Attah of Aiyede-Ekiti, Ekiti apparently – and truly so – found it difficult to believe that he was not an Hausaman to be accorded such unpretending honours. The visit by the Ekiti first class grade A monarch, described by Sultan of Sokoto and Sarikin Mu’mineen of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III and Emir of Zazzau Emirate of Zaria, Alhaji Shehu Idris, as historic being the first of its kind by any Ekiti king to both palaces, was heralded by an advance party on Monday March 21, 2016 to sensitise the seat of caliphate of the coming of the Attah of AiyedeEkiti. Characteristic of him, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, described as the most traveled Sultan in the history of the sultanate, had directed his private secretary and detailed some protocol officers to receive members of the Attah’s advance party with a view to taking care of them and going a step further to prepare for the king’s arrival that would happen the following day. The Sultan’s Palace stopped all arrangement by the visitors to self-cater for their logistics and other needs including accommodation and feedings as it made available all of those up to the airport protocol that ensured Oba Orisagbemi had a truly majestic arrival accompanied with deserved glamour. The aero contractor flight that airlifted the Attah, billed to depart the Murtala Muhammed Airport Ikeja, Lagos at 8.45am that Tuesday March 22 so that the courtesy visit event at Sultan’s Palace would hold by 12pm was rescheduled to 10.35am same day. The great man of Ekiti State traditional community’s arrival went hilarious with the sound of interest as the aero contractor flight bearing the king roared in and touched the ground of the airport in Sokoto at about 1.35pm as against 11.30am. As the door was thrown open with step stood and the Attah stepped out of the plane, the ceremony of his arrival began as an all capturing blast sounded from the trumpet of his trumpeter, Kehinde Olasenhinde, who had arrived the day before with his advance party. Oba Abdul-Mumini Orisagbemi was immediately on the plane’s step by airport officials who led him into the protocol lounge where he was received by members of his entourage including the Arole Oba of Aiyede-Ekiti, Chief Kayode Adetifa, the Media Consultant to the Attach and coordinator of the visit, who incidentally is an Isolo Akure, Ondo State, prince and some other Ekiti State indigenes living in Sokoto who were at the airport with officials of the Sultan’s Palace to receive him. He was then ushered into the waiting royal Mercedes Benz car that the Sultan had provided for him and he was driven in a convoy of three cars to the Sultan’s Guest Lounge to relax and refresh. Upon arrival at the lounge, the Attah, who was received by a protocol officer, Alhaji Abubakar

C M Y K

Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar III is my spiritual leader – Attah of Aiyede-Ekiti

*The Sultan (right) with Oba Oritsagbemi. Inset: The Attah with former President Shagari

Sokoto has been my second home to the extent that as I built a house in Ekiti, so I have built a house here in Sokoto

Yaro, observed his zuhr and asri prayers with other members of staff of Sultan’s Palace that had been attached to stay with him for the time his visit would last. A Muslim traveler is excused from observing his prayers in full and is allowed to merge the prayers in pairs. So he prayed two rakats each for zuhr and asri (and did same for mogrib and ishai). In the evening, the Sultan sought the visitor and members of his entourage for a private meeting and dinner with

him, where he appreciated him and told him what time the courtesy visit event proper would hold the following day. During the dinner, the Sultan opened up on what could be interpreted as a response to the complaints that the leadership of Nigerian Muslim Community was not doing enough to tackle attacks on and misrepresentation of Islam and Muslims in the media.

Why media attacks on Islam, Muslims won’t anger us – Sultan “Those who are abusing us and our religion, let them be. We will continue to be patient until they will no longer be able to do so because, they will be tired one day. Yes, patience, that is what the Qur’an says,” Sultan told his guest, Oba Alhaji Abdul-Mumini Orisagbemi, who is the first Muslim ever to rule Aiyede-Ekiti since it was declared a kingdom at the Odo Otin Declaration of 1847. History has it how Odo Otin declaration was arrived at on the advice of Ajapunda (the title Akure monarch before it became Deji of Akure) that he, Owa Obokun of Ijesha Land and Ewi of Ado-Ekiti should let them call the warrior, Orisagbemi, that was fighting and conquering every community, to a meeting of the Pelupelu (first class Obas), offer him a kingdom and status of first class Oba so that they would be saved from his slaughter in future. The dinner with the Sultan, which started at 9pm dragged into 12

Addressing the Sultan and members of sultanate council during the courtesy visit event, Oba Orisagbemi said that he was in Sokoto to identify with His Eminence Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III being that, according to him, he is a man of many firsts and an embodiment of complete success as world’s 18th most influential Muslim leader, Africa’s number four most influential monarch and Nigeria’s number one king. Attah said beyond being a great monarch, which Alhaji Abubakar is, that, to him, “The Sultan being the leader of the Nigerian Muslim Community is my spiritual leader.” He also told the Sarikin Mu’mineen of Nigeria that he wanted him to pay Ekiti second visit as special guest/ spiritual father of the day at his 2nd coronation coming up in May which the Sultan granted. The Attah of Aiyede-Ekiti was opportune to meet the former

President of Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Shagari (GCFR) who attended the courtesy visit in his capacity as member of sultanate council. Responding, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar told his royal guest how important he took his visit and promised to support and assist him in his bid to move Aiyede-Ekiti forward “by the grace of Allah.” He seized the opportunity of the visit to challenge the Yoruba people living in Sokoto to speak up to their people down South on what the people of Sokoto were doing to them so that, according to him, Sokoto and other Hausa people living in parts of the South would be treated the same way if not better. That was said to be a big challenge by the Sultan to mean that he was confident that no Yoruba or any southerner is treated badly or like stranger in the seat of Caliphate. Speaking after the event, many of the Yoruba people, who spoke to Vanguard, said they never dreamed of ever going to leave Sokoto State as they said there was no such need. A leader of Yoruba Community in Sokoto said, “I can’t forget my home of Ekiti but I must be frank with you, Sokoto has been my second home to the extent that as I built a house in Ekiti so I have built a house here in Sokoto and my family and I are well at home here,” he said.

46—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016

Siasia adds Owolabi to Olympic list N

IGERIA U23 coach Samson Siasia has added Nyokobing of Denmark forward Olajide Samuel Owolabi to the list of overseas-based players expected to try out with the team ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Siasia has submitted a provisional list of 60 players to the Nigeria Football Federation, but he is still adding new discoveries to the list, as he aims to find the perfect squad to the Games. Owolabi, 21, previously trained with the team ahead of the 2015 All Africa Games and the U23 AFCON, but failed to make any of the tournaments as his club failed to release him. He also trained with Manu Garba’s U20 side before the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand, but suffered an injury which knocked him out

•Siasia

AFN thumbs up Warri Peace marathon A THLETICS Federation of Nigeria has given a clear coast for the smooth running of the Warri Peace Marathon race billed for May 28. While pledging technical support for the race the first of its kind in the State, the Athletics Federation of Nigeria urged the organisers to ensure that best professional practices are met to ensure a successful outing for the10km race, which is opened only to local athletes and keep fit enthusiasts in Warri and its environs. Organisers of the race assured that the event meant to cement relationships between the communities in Warri will be an exciting event. “Things are shaping up for the event and we are looking forward to a good outing on May 28. “The major reason for the marathon is to propagate peaceful coexistence among communities around the Warri

Continued from B/P number of sides. But any decision on whether Ighalo is sold will come down to the value of the offers on the table for the striker. The Watford sporting director, who thinks the hitman has been extraordinary, told TMW Radio:”Everything will depend on the offers. This year he did very well, scoring a lot. “Unfortunately in the second half of the season we had a dip, but he was decisive”, Salerno continued.

environment. “We also want to reassure the youths that there is much more to life and healthy living than taking to crime and violent conducts,” said Joyce Bozimo CEO of Tamitare Gym, promoters of the race. Mrs. Bozimo who disclosed that the Delta State government is keying into the event as part of its SMART agenda to move the State towards sustainable development and progress. “We have a lot talented youths in the state and sports are one

•Ogba

Ighalo

“I saw huge growth in the player, he knows how to score in every way. “He’s an extraordinary footballer and many teams could be interested.” The Nigerian has hit the back of the net on 17 occasions so far this season, including a haul of 15 in the Premier League as the Hornets have kept well clear of any relegation worries. Ighalo is locked down on a contract with Watford until the summer of 2020 and the Hornets will no doubt be keen to ask top dollar from any interested parties.

of the avenues the government is looking at as a vehicle to help build capacity for the youths.

of the race for a place in the final squad. The Dream Team which pulled out of the Toulon tournament in France will be attending a four-nation

tourney in Korea. The tournament will feature some of the countries that will also be using the event as part of their preparations for the Olympics.

Eagles call up excites Ndidi

RC Genk midfielder, Wilfred Onyinye Ndidi has expressed relief at another invitation to the Super Eagles with a promise to make a good impression with the coaches this term. Ndidi had received previous

•Ndidi

call ups before now but is yet to play in an official match for the Nigeria senior team and that he would ensure to make the best use of the chance presented him during the two international friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg slated for France and Luxembourg City on May 27 and June 1 respectively. “I am grateful to God for this chance. I was last invited by the Eagles’ coaches during one of the games in Port Harcourt last year under coach Sunday Oliseh but I was not given enough chance to prove myself. I will ensure I seize this opportunity with both hands. Nothing will stop my ambition to play for my country,” Ndidi told Goal.

Boxers target N1m as GOtv Boxing Night 7 holds

HE Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Lagos, will this evening see the return of elite professional boxing, as GOtv Boxing Night 7 holds. Each of the 12 boxers participating in the six-fight will be eyeing the N1million cash prize for the best boxer of the evening and the Mojisola Ogunsanya Memorial Trophy. The biggest fight of the night is the national lightweight title bout between reigning champion, Nurudeen “Prince” Fatai and Oto “Joe Boy ” Joseph. The fight, which had twice been postponed, promises an explosion of fistic grudge and fury. Both boxers met in a national challenge contest at GOtv Boxing Night 4, with Joe Boy winning via a fifth-round knockout. The defeat, unsurprisingly, has left Fatai bearing a giant grudge arising from the feeling that a hand injury he was carrying

Eagles coach Continued from B/P scheduled to do that when I finished at Hearts in Scotland, but I shifted it because I wanted to attend the CAF A license in Abuja,” the coach said. “My visit to Scotland was eye-opening and it showed to me again why cubs in Europe are very prepared because they have experts for all

helped Joe Boy. “He won the fight,” Fatai said. “But it was because I fought with an injury. Now, the injury has gone and I have trained well and ready to make him pay.” Joe Boy, however, is convinced that Fatai will fall again. On a radio programme

where the duo almost fought bare-knuckled, Joe Boy taunted the champion, saying: “I beat you in the past and will do so again even if you acquire four hands in addition to the two you already have. I will also win the N1million.”

Sports OAP Nigeria Info, Mr. Bunmi Haruna; One hundred thousand naira winner, Ms. Suleiman Temitope and Assistant Brand Manager, Guinness, Mr. Afolabi Kasomo during the cheque presentation in the ongoing Guinness “Every Minute Made of Black” Football Promo in Abuja… aspects of their preparations – from fitness conditioning to dieting.” Guardiola will replace Manuel Pellegrini at The Etihad for the new season when Yusuf then hopes to visit. Former Kano Pillars and Enyimba coach Yusuf, who has assisted Stephen Keshi, Sunday Oliseh and Samson Siasia, will lead Nigeria for two friendlies against Mali and Luxembourg in the new month.

Rangers Continued from B/P fixture as one of the most important games Stanley Eguma’s side will partake in this season as it would ideally kick-start their proceedings in the league. Everything has fallen into place for coach Imama Amakpakabo and Rangers. The Flying Antelopes are on top of the ladder with 27 points from a possible 39.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016 — 47

We’ve changed the face of National Stadium Tennis complex —Amaefuna

IGHT years ago, a group of tennis-friendly, leisureseeking friends who were always at the National Stadium Tennis courts, Lagos, paying to play gathered themselves in an informal meeting and resolved to form a tennis club. And that was it; the Mainland Tennis Club was born. The story of the Mainland Tennis Club, which also goes by the name, the National Stadium Tennis Club was told to us by the current President of the club, youthful Dr Emeka Amaefuna. He spoke with Jacob Ajom. Excerpts: When and how Mainland Tennis Club was formed Some 8 years ago, by October, the club started in a very funny way. We used to come here(at the National Stadium Tennis Courts) and do what we call, rent time on the court. That is you pay money and play for an hour or two and you go afterwards. One day, Chief Emeka Okpala, the founding father and first President of the club called us and said he wanted to host us to a meeting. The meeting held at the centre court. He floated the idea of us becoming a club. We discussed it and held elections. We formed a Tennis club without a Tennis Court. After that we needed to have access to the courts so that we can be playing regularly. Through Chief Jonathan Nnaji, who was then the Vice President of the Nigeria Olympic Committee we were able to meet with Engineer Sani Ndanusa then had many caps. He was the Minister of Sports, NOC President and President of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, an office he still holds. He was magnanimous as he gave us access to four(4) courts, including the centre court. Our mission, our objective: To work in tandem with the Nigeria Tennis Federation in a

When truth is turned head down

L-R: Patron MTC, Chief Jonathan, A Patron of Esan Tennis Club, Nnaji, Ochereome Nana(Patron MTC), President of Esan Recreational Club, Emeka Amaefuna(President MTC), Emeka Okpala(Founding President, MTC), and Vice President of MTC, Tochukwu Okeke. the first regime. The second regime under Shola Taylor saw to the provision of a 20 kva generating set and also resurfaced the courts. The present administration under my leadership, has concentrated on enhancing the lighting. We have introduced light in the car park, built boards with water resistant wood round the courts with the club’s name inscribed on them. We have also built an ultra-modern toilet because what we had in the past was uncomfortable. We’ve also renovated the changing rooms with showers and water heater, installed split unit air conditioners in the club house and the changing rooms. We have raised the bar in terms of providing comfort for our members and our visitors. We have also been able to resurface the courts again, courtesy one of our patrons, Walter Akpani. We are still doing a mini pavilion where people can sit and watch games. In October, we will be moving into

•PRESENTATION: President of Mainland Tennis Club, Emeka Amaefuna (R) presenting a trophy to visiting President of the Esan Recreational Club, on their visit to MTC, recently. symbiotic relationship that would benefit both the club, the federation and Nigeria tennis in general. We set out, first to develop the existing infrastructure by giving the environment a tournament outlook by improving on what we met on ground. We built the club house. I was the founding secretary of the club and I designed the club house. Chief Kola Oguntola built the house. Members contributed generously towards the project. We then started resurfacing the courts. W introduced lighting – we can now play at night and renovated the entire place under C M Y K

youth development. We will concentrate on kids from 15 years and under in order to develop future champions. We have initiated a programme which will see our coaches (the club has 5 coaches), take on the kids and run programmes under the auspices of the club. We have tasked members to sponsor/host tournaments for the youth. This is in line with our objective of developing the infrastructure and the sport. The two go hand in hand. How the club operates: First, it must be understood that the Nigeria Tennis Federation, and

by extension, the Ministry of Sports is the owner of this place. From the onset, we were given specific time we could use the courts. On weekdays we are given from 4 pm till dawn. At weekends, we can operate 24 hours. We would have loved a situation where our members are allowed into the stadium free. Right now, we pay like any other outsider. How to become a member: If anybody wants to be a member, he will have his name and picture published on the notice board. You are observed for about six months at the end of which some members would serve as guarantors then you are registered. The fee for a new member is N100,000(One hundred thousand naira). We started with N15,000 then N30,000 and it has increased to the present sum. Membership strength: We are up to 180 in the register but the active members are about 85. This gap is as a result of transfers, relocation to other parts of Lagos and other reasons Members make the club what it is today. Their openhandedness and charitable nature, particularly of our patrons, have made it possible for us to carry out all the projects we have been able to execute. My prayer is that this mentality we are seeing now should be maintained. Tennis in Nigeria: There is so much work to be done. I sympathise with the Tennis federation because of paucity of funds. If they had money, there would have been more tournaments for the players. One good thing is that the federation is supportive of any good. We are affiliated to the NTF and as partners in progress, the club is committed to assisting where possible, particularly as it affects the development of the sport. The standard of tennis in Nigeria is still very low. It has to do with the fact that there are very few tournaments in a year. If the players were exposed to consistent tournaments – like every week, the young ones should be able to challenge their ageing counterparts thus engendering competition and high standards among them. The senior ones should be able to select which tournament they want to take part in. How to make tennis great. No doubt, football remains the number one sport in Nigeria. The only way tennis can impact on the people is to have tennis marketed – through tv and radio commercials, flyers, newspaper adverts and promotional events aimed at popularising the sport. Evolve systematic steps that can motivate the people. We still need a structure where tennis is marketed properly to make people take interest in the sport.

OME people assume that when they are not in charge of a body or organization, those who are there are not qualified to steer the ship of that body. That is the case with basketball in Nigeria since 2013 when the present board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF led by an unassuming gentleman, Tijjani Umar took charge of the federation. The matter was made worse when yours sincerely was also appointed into the Board as a representative of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN, a very strong stakeholder in Nigerian sports. My inclusion has caused nightmares for many a stakeholder in basketball. That war which has continued to rage for three years now culminated in last week’s column by a friend and colleague, Pius Ayinor of Punch newspapers. He portrayed the Umar-led board members as proud people who have refused to throw open the NBBF doors to outsiders to contribute to the development of the sport. His piece attracted the reaction of Mukhtar Kaleh, Vice President of the NBBF, which I have reproduced hereunder: My good friend Pius Ayinor of the Punch Newspapers has been around basketball for quite a long time and he surely knows about the game’s past administrations, he also has the right to express his opinion on any issue as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The write-up, ‘Yeye pride killing Nigeria basketball’, to say the least, is unfortunate and in bad taste. Even as Pius has the right to praise anybody he so wishes to, he should also remember that some of us were big players in the previous board and surely he can not claim to know what happened during the period better than we do. I want to advise Pius to look for pride somewhere else but sure not around the present board of the NBBF. We have been very open and have invited any stakeholder who has anything to offer basketball to come on board and a lot of people have since been contributing to the progress of basketball in Nigeria, people like Deji Jayeola, Ajibarade Bello, Bade Latona, Fani, Lawal Garba, Pastor Skambo Morrison, to name but a few. But those that are so proud are the ones that feel they know better than everybody else and so they can not serve their country unless they are at the driver’s seat; that is pride. Pius should also remember that the current President of the NBBF (Tijjani Umar) was the first to visit the Dolphins basketball facility and was full of praise for his boss, the chairman of the Punch newspapers. On the ABL issue, the NBBF has been magnanimous with the management of the ABL. What I understand is that the league is supposed to be played in four countries, Nigeria, Senegal, Côte D’ Ivoire and Gabon, but has any game been played in any of those countries? No. The fact of the matter is that insiders deceived the ABL, the promoters were told by their friends that they do not need the NBBF and FIBA AFRICA to run the league, and all the NBBF ever asked for was that due process should be followed. In fact the President of the NBBF was at a time, after realizing that a mistake has been done, offered a slot in the ABL which he rejected. I was with Col. Sam Ahmedu, the president of zone 3 in Cairo last month for the central board meeting of Fiba Africa where he was very critical of the ABL. He accused and castigated the ABL of not following due process and openly claimed that he does not own the Lagos Warriors basketball club, this is exactly what the NBBF asked for, due process. If basketball is being killed as Pius wants us to believe, how come his body, the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, Abuja branch and the sports award committee selected the NBBF as the best federation in 2015. I would like to remind whoever wants to hear that the present NBBF has some modest achievements that will forever remain indelible in the history of basketball in this country. There is the back to back Olympic qualification/ticket for the men’s team, which is by no means a great achievement; there is also the Afro Basket trophy which was won for the first time in fifty years, all under the present leadership of this board, no one can delete this from history. Our prayer is, by the time the present board of the NBBF leaves office, whoever takes over the mantle of leadership of the NBBF should do better and bring more glories to Nigeria. Mukhtar Kaleh, Vice President, Nigeria Basketball Federation

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 1, 2016

Eagles coach to understudy Guardiola

UPER Eagles interim coach Salisu Yusuf has disclosed that he plans to return overseas to understudy new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola when the new English

NFF woos FIFA over Bafana friendly T

HE Nigerian Football Federation has made contact with FIFA in a bid to get the goahead for their planned friendly against South Africa in the upcoming international break. The Super Eagles already have two other friendlies planned, but are aiming to squeeze in a third match despite FIFA regulations permitting countries to play only two games during the break. World Football’s governing body say the extra fixture would give Nigeria an unfair advantage in the next edition of the FIFA rankings. However, the NFF hope to receive special dispensation after revealing they are planning to call-up only local-based players for the friendly encounter in Lagos. “We still hope to convince FIFA to allow us play the match in Lagos,” a NFF official told African Football.

•Ighalo

Premier League season. Yusuf was recently at Scottish club Hearts to understudy their workings. “I hope to understudy Pep (Guardiola) by the time he resumes at Manchester City. I was Continues on page 46

•Yusuf

Leicester City set for relaxed as they departed history for Manchester on the

EICESTER City ’s players looked

•GRITTY: Sunderland centre back Younes Kaboul (left) and Stoke City’s Peter Crouch challenge for an aerial ball during the early stages of their English Premier League clash yesterday. The encounter ended 1-1

verge of Premier League glory. Claudio Ranieri’s side face Manchester United at Old Trafford today knowing victory over Louis van Gaal’s men would seal the title. After a remarkable season, the Foxes are now just three points away from starting the party but if the pressure was getting to them, the players weren’t letting it show. And striker Leonardo Ulloa, who will once again step into the boots of the suspended Jamie Vardy on, was one of the Leicester players pictured before boarding the team bus. Welsh midfielder Andy King also cut a relaxed figure while right back and former United man Danny Simpson posted a picture to Twitter of him and star midfielder Riyad Mahrez.

Ighalo can go—Watford Director W

ATFORD sporting director Nicola Salerno concedes that the future of striker Odion Ighalo will depend on what offers are made for the Nigeria international in the summer transfer window. Ighalo has enjoyed a superb Premier League campaign with the Hornets and as a result has seen links with a number of clubs spring up. Both Arsenal and Chelsea have been mooted as keen on the 26-year-old, while Manchester United have also been claimed to be

interested in scooping him up. Salerno feels Ighalo has shown his quality

this season and he believes he could make the difference for a Continues on page 46

•Ulloa

Rangers seek away win at Rivers

IVERS United will welcome leaders Enugu Rangers to the Yakubu Gowon Stadium on Sunday in a much anticipated league tie. The Pride of Rivers are currently 7th on the log

and they have played one stalemate, won six and lost six games already in the campaign. Nevertheless, a win for

Rivers could push them to the top five. This further underlines the Continues on page 46

RESULTS EPL

Everton Newcastle Stoke City Watford West Brom Arsenal

2 1 1 3 0 1

Bournemouth Crystal Palace Sunderland Aston Villa West Ham Norwich City

1 0 1 2 3 0

FIXTURES Tornadoes Enyimba FC Sunshine Shooting Nasarawa Utd FC Giwa Ifeanyiubah Enyimba

EPL See solution on page 4

*Coach Amapakabo

Swansea City Man United

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs v v

El-Kanemi Warriors Lobi Stars Pillars Plateau Utd Warri Wolves Wikki Abia Warriors Lobi Liverpool Leicester City

12 noon 2:05 pm

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