ABIA GOVERNORSHIP: More confusion as third contender emerges by Vanguard Media Limited

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How Oyo lawmaker was murdered By Ola Ajayi, Ibadan A member of Oyo State House of Assembly, Mr. Gideon Aremu, representing Oorelope constituency, has been reportedly murdered by unknown gunmen. He was said to have been killed on Friday night in his Alakia residence in Egbeda Local Government Area where assailants shot him at close range. The attackers, numbering three, were said to have trailed him to his residence around 11pm. Sunday Vanguard gathered that he had some money on him at the time, but the assailants did not take

anything from him except his mobile phone. The APC lawmaker was said to have been shot severally by his attackers immediately he alighted from his car. He reportedly died as he was being rushed to a nearby private hospital. The deceased and other legislators, Sunday Vanguard gathered, had breakfast with a former governor in his Bodija residence that Friday evening. Until his death, he was the Chairman, Oyo State House of Assembly Committee on Information, Public Relations and Security.

Confirming the incident, Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adekunle Ajisebutu, said, “It is true that the gentleman was killed”. Oyo State APC described the death as shocking and called for thorough investigation into the matter by security agencies with a view to bringing the culprits to justice. The party, in a statement by its Director of Publicity and Strategy, Olawale Sadare, said the deceased was an energetic, diligent and easy-going politician “whose death had opened another sad chapter in the history of the Pacesetter State”.

Peace rally against herdsmen killings in Enugu State, organized by the Catholic Diocese at Holy Ghost Cathedral Arena, yesterday

Rivers APC chieftain charged afresh with murder By Jimitota Onoyume A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State, Mr Ojukaye Flag – Amachree, has been slammed a fresh five-count charge bordering on the alleged murder of one Iminabo Dokubo, attempted murder of Ipalibo Jackson and related issues before a High Court in Port Harcourt.

The former Chairman, Asari Toru local government area during the tenure of former Governor Chibuike Amaechi was not in court to take his plea because the prisons authorities, in a letter to the court, said he was sick Justice Iyayi Laminkara, after hearing the charges against the accused, issued a warrant for the Port Harcourt

Diamond Bank partners SME100 to boost MSMEs’ capacity

iamond Bank, in partnership with SME100, has rolled out strategic capacity development programmes that would boost the productive strength of Micro, Small and Medium scale Enterprises, MSMEs. The Bank’s Chief Executive Officer, Uzoma Dozie, stated at a networking event in Lagos for MSME operators and stakeholders, that the sector holds the key to rapid economic growth, pointing out that the adoption of technology in structuring their businesses is the surest way to business stability and predictable breakthrough. Speaking on the topic: “The Age of Digital Disruption; Leveraging Technology for Business Growth,” Dozie, noted that the need for small businesses to adopt technology in their processes cannot be overemphasised, stressing that technology stimulates productivity while

saving time and energy. “The future of Africa is digital, and technology creates opportunities for the acquisition of useful skills and this should be embraced by all business owners.

he Australian High Commission will host a screening of the successful Australian film ‘Mabo’ at the Silverbird Entertainment Centre on 28 June, 2016. The film is based on the incredible life story of Australian civil rights hero Koiki ‘Eddie’ Mabo, an indigenous Australian from Murray Island in the Torres

By Francis Igata,Enugu

he Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Calistus Onaga, on Saturday at the Holy Ghost Cathedral, slammed security agencies in the state, for not doing enough to curb the incessant menace of herdsmen which has created an ominous cloud of fear and foreboding hanging thick over the people in their own home

Strait. Produced by Australian company Blackfella Films and featuring some of Australia’s finest acting talent, the film premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2012. It received positive reviews from film critics and was publicly screened on the national television station, the ABC, in June that year.

Surveyors commend Delta govt, DESOPADEC on prudence By Egufe Yafugborhi

ELTA state government has been commended for prudent management of resources in the cost effective manner it awards and executes its contracts and programmes. The commendation came from the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors which, on account of the acknowledgement, honoured Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and William Makinde, Managing Director, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission,

A cross section of students of Goodshepherd Private School, performing during the 2016 edition of Festival of Chorale and Classical Music for Public and Private Schools in Lagos State, organized by Lagos State Ministry of Education, at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

Herdsmen Attack: Enugu Catholic Bishop blas blasts ts reassures on safety of lives, property security agencies •Ugwuanyi •Rejects Grazing Bill

Australian High Commission screening of ‘Mabo’

Prisons to produce the accused in court on July 4 to answer for the fresh charges. The Court of Appeal is expected to entertain application for bail of the accused on same day. Meantime, one of the lawyers of Ojukaye, Barrister Ken Aswuete, said his client had not been served the fresh charges pressed against him by the state government, adding that he was being persecuted. He said his client, who had been standing trial for the murder of one Smart Soberekon during the April 2015 elections, had been remanded in prison custody for over a month.

DESOPADEC, who also earned the honour. Project Director, DESOPADEC, Pastor Phillip Gbason who stood in for the Governor and DESOPADEC MD during the honour by the Delta state chapter of the institute at its meeting in Warri stressed that the “current administration is committed to prudent use of resources in these hard times, saying government wa s humbled by the recognition coming from a reputable professional body.”

state. This was at a time the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was at the Cathedral with other security chiefs to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order, yesterday, also renewed his earlier statement that the Nimbo massacre would not be allowed to repeat itself in any part of the state; while stressing that his administration had done much to contain the ugly incident. The assurance came as Catholic faithful in Enugu, Awgu and Nsukka Dioceses, held peaceful prayer processions over the activities of herdsmen in communities in the state, with a call on the government to put in place adequate security measures to check the trend. The governor, who joined in the prayer rally held at the Ghost Cathedral, Enugu, called on the faithful to remain law abiding, assuring that government was doing all it can to ensure peace and coexistence of people in the state. He said: “We have continued to take necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the state. We are currently engaged in the process of reactivating the neighbourhood watch associations in every community in the state and in aid of which we have approved an initial seed sum of N100 million. “We also constituted a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to unravel the facts and circumstances surrounding the incident and also determine the best ways to prevent its recurrence. “At a meeting with the Fulani and Shuwa Arab communities in Enugu State,

we collectively condemned such criminal acts as armed robbery, kidnapping, rape and destruction of farms that are associated with herdsmen and agreed to ban night grazing in Enugu State. We have also empowered Chairmen of Local Government Councils to hold security meetings in their respective areas. We also held a meeting with Traditional Rulers and Presidents General of town unions in the state, where we took far reaching decisions on how to prevent future clashes between herdsmen and their host communities. More importantly, we have enjoyed the support of Enugu people who have continued to believe in our leadership and in our ability to handle this matter satisfactorily” BISHOP ONAGA ANGRY

Furious with obvious security lapses surrounding the Nimbo massacre, the Catholic Bishop, Callistus Onaga, said that the Church had been praying about the mounting challenges posed by the activities of the herdsmen, especially in rural communities in the state, stressing that the church was interested in peace. He stated that the most recent and widely reported incident at Nimbo, Uzo Uwani council in which several farmers and citizens were butchered to death in their homes was a culmination of a growing culture of impunity, arrogance and dare-devilry among the herdsmen, saying that some of them had become “increasingly lawless. “The result is that an ominous cloud of fear, foreboding and insecurity now hangs thick over our people in their own home

state. So far, the response of the various security agencies to these attacks and needless provocations have not been enough to give the people a sense of being protected by them”, he said He called on the federal government to drop, without further delay, the grazing bill, stressing that it was capable of tearing apart the fragile unity of the country. “Nigerians are already suffering much on account of the economic hardships in the country at the

moment. To add to this by abdicating its responsibility in the provision of security for the people would amount to insensitivity on the part of the government”, he said. Calling on the people to remain law abiding and continue to work for the harmonious co-existence of all Nigerians, Bishop Onaga urged local community leaders to refrain from entering into agreements with herdsmen or with any group of persons that would create room for tension and crisis.

Reyenieju lauds Oritsejafor for successful handover Nigeria’s Christian

HE successful election of a new President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) to succeed Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has been described as a clear testimony of the qualitative leadership by its immediate past leader. The member representing Warri Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju, who stated this, noted that for the period that Oritsejafor presided over

community, the quality of leadership he provided endeared him not only to the generality of members of the association, but to Nigerians at large. The lawmaker told Sunday Vanguard: “Pastor Orisejafor remains an epitome of sincerity, dynamic leadership and large heartedness such that the organisation in spite of its drive for holiness and spirituality, also became concern of the social realities within which it subsists.

CORRECTION Yesterday, we used the photograph of Mr. Louis Odion, former Commissioner for Information, Edo State, in error to illustrate a story. The picture of Barr. Anslem Ojezua, the Edo State A P C Chairman, ought to have been used. We regret this error. •Louis Odion •Anselm Ojezua

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016,PAGE 5

Anarchy looms in Abia as third contender emerges, challenges court ruling affirming Ogah as gov-elect By Ugochukwu Alaribe and Omeiza Ajayi

he confusion, trig gered by Dr Uche chukwu Sampson Ogah, who obtained a court order which sacked Governor Okezie Ikpeazu and affirmed him as governor-elect, expanded, at the weekend, as the third contender to the Abia governorship emerged. A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the state, Friday Nwosu, filed a suit against the judgment of the Federal High Court which declared Ogah as governor-elect. Nwosu averred that the court, having disqualified Ikpeazu as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Abia in the 2015 polls, should have declared him as governorelect and not Ogah. The PDP governorship aspirant argued that the court ought not to have allowed Ogah to benefit from the primary election he condemned by refusing to sign the result while also petitioning the leadership of the party and asking it to conduct another primary election. Meanwhile, Ogah, yesterday, described as an affront on the rule of law the refusal of the Abia State Chief Judge, Theresa Uzoukwu, to swear him in as “the only elected governor” of the state. In his Suit No.FHC/ABJ/ CS/71/2016, filed at the Federal High Court, Owerri against Ogah, the PDP, Ikpeazu, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nwosu is seeking five reliefs: “An order setting aside the declaration of the 1st respondent, Uche Ogah, as the elected governor of Abia State as declared by the trial court, an order that the 1st respondent is stopped from claiming any right or benefit from the 2nd respondent’s (PDP) gubernatorial primary election of 8/12/2014 in Abia State having waived his right to do so; an order striking out the 1st respondent’s (Uche Ogah)’s suit on the ground that it constitutes an abuse of court process; an order that the suit of 1st respondent i.e. (Suit No. FHC/ ABJ/CS/71/2016) is incompetent and the trial court lacks the jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit.” He further stated: “The judgment is in error and cannot stand judicial scrutiny. Dr.

Uche Ogah should not be allowed to benefit from an exercise he totally condemned by refusing to sign the result and petitioning the party to conduct another primary election. He should wait for the rerun of the PDP primary which he prayed for in his petition to the party. In the eyes of the law, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu and Sir Friday Nwosu were the only candidates who ran for the party primary. Since Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu has been disqualified, I remain the lawful candidate of the PDP and ought to be declared governor.” Justice A.I. Allagoa of the Federal High Court, Owerri has fixed tomorrow and Tuesday to hear Nwosu’s suit against Ikpeazu and Ogah. Sunday Vanguard gathered that Nwosu was the first aspirant to file a tax forgery suit against Ikpeazu and joined Ogah as one of the respondents in Suit FHC/ABJ/CS/184/ 2015, FHC/UM/CS/64/2015 and FHC/CS/OW/191/2015. The suit, filed at the Federal High Court 7, Abuja, and presided over by Justice Adeniyi Ademola, had suffered several delays before it was transferred to Umuahia after which Nwosu petitioned the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta, accusing Justice F.A. Olubanjo of bias. As a result of the petition, Auta transferred the matter to the Federal High Court, Owerri, then presided over by Justice S.M.Shuaibu. Shuaibu was soon transferred to Kaduna Division, but was granted an assignment order to hear and conclude the matter. The assignment order was later revoked by Auta when Ikpeazu’s counsel, C.C. Elele, protested and accused Shuaibu of bias. Rule of law on trial – Ogah escribing as an af front on the rule of law, the refusal of the state’s Chief Judge, Theresa Uzoukwu, to swear him in as the duly-elected governor of the state, yesterday, Ogah, said the action was capable of undermining the peace and stability of Abia. He contended that the stay of execution of the order of court procured by Ikpeazu was a black-market injunction that had no force of law. The court-declared governor-elect, who spoke to journalists in Abuja through his Special Adviser on Public

Communications, Monday Onyekachi Ubani, said there was a clear difference between a pre-election matter on which the Federal High Court premised its ruling and the post-election trial of matters by tribunals on the issue of stay of execution or arrest of judgement. “I am not ignorant of the black market injunction allegedly obtained by Dr Ikpeazu at Osisioma Ngwa High Court restraining the Chief Judge of Abia State from swearing-in Dr Ogah. That interim order was premised on Section 143 of the Electoral Act which is only applicable to judgments obtained in election tribunals, but not in preelection matters. It is a laughable ruling not worth the paper it was written. For God’s sake, a High Court in Abia is a court of coordinate jurisdiction with a Federal High Court and so any order given by such court to contradict an earlier order of the same court is ipso facto null and void. It is only a higher court that has the legal capacity to reverse the earlier order or judgement,” he stated. “In a pre-election matter the enforceability of a court judgement is immediate as the losing side in the legal argument, in this case, Dr Ikpeazu, was never adjudged to have been qualified to contest the election in the first place while in a post-election matter the mandate enjoyed by an incumbent subsists until the tribunal or appellate courts rule otherwise. “Failure or delay to swear Dr Ogah in as the duly elected Governor of Abia State is an unqualified affront to the rule of law and constitutional governance in a true democracy, and an act that is capable of

BREAKING OF FAST

President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Chief Dr. Mrs. Nike Akande, CON and President Muhammadu Buhari(left), during the break of Ramadan fast at the Aso Villa, Abuja CONDOLENCE

Kogunan Sakwatto, Mallam Danladi Bako who represented the Sultan of Sokoto (l) commiserating with the Elder Brother of the deceased, Chief Okechukwu Maduekwe while Former Secretary PDP Board of Trustees, Prof. Jerry Gana (2l) and Dr. Placid Njokwu (r) looked on during condolence visit to the family of the Late Ojo Maduekwe at the Ministers' Quarters, Maitama, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi Adeshida. undermining the peace and stability of the state. Dr Ikpeazu has been duly removed as Abia State Governor and no amount of legal shenanigans and illegal public holidays will derail the law of the land taking full effect. Dr Ogah will be sworn-in in due course so

as to avoid the dangerous power vacuum that currently exists in Abia State, and for him to begin the urgent task of empowering Abians with his laudable developmental programmes already lined up”. He stated that INEC acted

within its powers as a lawabiding institution in issuing Dr Ogah a certificate of return “so as to avoid an unpalatable leadership vacuum in the state”. Ubani stressed:”The court having found that the information Dr Ikpeazu supplied about his tax payments were all false, ruled that he was not qualified to have participated in the primary election of PDP in Dec 2014, that all the votes he gathered at the said primaries were invalid and of no effect, in fact wasted. Since a general election has been held and the PDP won, Dr Ikpeazu was asked to vacate his seat while the certificate of return should be issued to Dr Ogah who came second during the primary election. He was ordered to be sworn in by the Chief Judge of Abia State immediately. Note the word used by the presiding judge was immediately. Enrollment order was procured by Dr Uche Ogah and INEC was served and they obeyed the extant judgement of the Federal High Court by issuing Dr Ogah with the certificate of return”. He described Dr Ogah as a man of peace who has already stretched out his hand of fellowship to his predecessor to join him in the task of building the state. “His Excellency is a man of peace and he has extended a positive arm of peace not just to his predecessor alone, but to all his predecessor’s supporters because as members of the same political party, it is in the interest of the party and the good people of the state that they close ranks and work together for a smooth transfer of power and the unhampered running of the new administration”.

FOILED ATTACKS ON OIL FACILITIES IN N-DELTA

Avengers, Tompolo disown alleged bombers in DSS custody By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, SouthSouth, Kingsley Omonobi,Egufe Yafugborhi and Perez Brisibe

HE Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, yes terday, denied that two suspects, Christian Oluba, alias Sensor, and Selky Kile Torughedi, arrested by the Department of Security Service, DSS, in connection with foiled attacks on oil facilities in the Niger Delta, were its members. In addition, fugitive ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, allegedly identified by Torughedi, according to the DSS, as the person that sent him to kill a serving army officer, Major M.B Yahaya, said the claim was a farce. The DSS, had, last Friday, said it arrested Torughedi, described as a close associate of Tompolo in Calabar, Cross River State, after he had carried out reconnaissance on the home of Yahaya in Kaduna, while Sensor was seized as he was allegedly perfecting plans to carry out attacks on oil and gas pipelines, including storage points.

The security agency said both suspects were members of the NDA and that it foiled fresh plans by militants to attack oil pipelines in the region by arresting the masterminds.

‘Sleeper agents’

Avengers, in a statement, by its spokesperson, self-styled Brig Gen Mudoch Agbinibo, said: “Reports that two suspects, Mr Christian Oluba, alias Sensor, and Selky Kile Torughedi, arrested by DSS, are alleged members of Niger Delta Avengers is laughable. The fact is that they are sleeper agents of the DSS sent after the Niger Delta Avengers. “The boys has (sic) the right to demand for their money from DSS. Why not pay them instead of arresting and labeling them as Niger Delta Avengers members. “If DSS is denying this, let them allow the suspects to speak to the press. We (Niger Delta Avengers) do not have any connection with these boys. We dare the DSS to allow the boys to tell the world their side of the story. “DSS and Nigeria Army

cannot win the Niger Delta war by feeding the President with false information about the situation of things in the region. It is all-good because, as it seems, the DSS is now having internal crisis with most of their sleeper agents and it is a sign that God is on our side.”

Crux of the matter

The group went on: “There are problem (sic) in the Niger Delta region such as underdevelopment, environmental degradation, lack of infrastructure and the issue of selfdetermination. These are the areas Mr. President should focus on, not arresting their allies and linking them to Niger Delta Avengers. “This is to DSS Director Lawal Daura: This is the holy month of Ramadan and, as a Muslim, you hold it to Allah and the Nigeria people to say the truth. Why not come out with the truth? “To the Nigeria press, there is always two sides to a story. Why not try to get the other side of the story by interviewing the boys? “The Nigeria Army will

never get us (Niger Delta Avengers). Let them go and settle with their sleeper agents and stop deceiving the general public and their President.” ‘DSS using people to frame Tompolo’ Tompolo, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard through his Media Consultant, Paul Bebenimibo, said he never at any time recruited Torughedi, also known as Young Shall Grow, to assassinate Major Yahaya as reported. Bebenimibo asserted that Selky, who used to be close to Tompolo just as any other agitator involved in the Niger Delta struggle, was allegedly being used by the security agency to get at Tompolo. “Apart from him, they are also using another ex-militant leader now. Like I said, I cannot tell you that Tompolo does not know Young Shall Grow. He definitely had met many of them with his position in the struggle. Some are his contemporaries, others are his boys, but that is not to say that he is in control of what they

•Continues on page 6

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Uduaghan bemoans state of critical healthcare in Nigeria By Chioma Obinna

former governor of Del ta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, has bemoaned the state of critical care in the country, stating that 43 years after the first Intensive Care Unit, ICU, was established in Nigeria, critical care in the country is still in its infancy. Uduaghan, who acknowledged that critical care is expensive anywhere in the world, said less than 7 percent budgetary allocation committed to healthcare was very low compared to the World Health Organisation, WHO, 15 percent recommendation. Uduaghan spoke in Lagos, during the Annual General Meeting 7 Scientific Conference of the Critical Care Society of Nigeria, CCSN, with the theme: “Challenges of Critical Care in Nigeria”. The erstwhile governor said as a way out, there is need for the country to urgently go into Private –Public- Partnership,

B-R-I-E-F-S Ojo Maduekwe was a loyal party man, says Anenih

The Vice President,Prof Yemi Osinbajo inspects the guards of honour during the Senior Course 38 graduation ceremony at Jaji,Friday. PPP, model to ensure that challenges of critical care services which includes, inadequate training, and maintenance of equipment among others are dully taken care of. “There is need to increase

manpower development, level of awareness on basic resuscitations among health workers,” he stated. He stressed the need for the country to pursue critical care through effective healthcare

financing. Corroborating their views, a Critical Care Physician and Secretary, CSSN, Dr Kingsley Tobi said Nigeria is below standard in terms of critical care.

tablished an enviable reputation as a cargo airline with high professional standards, reliable on-time

delivery performance backed up with an exemplary air safety record. Allied Air is presently the

only Nigerian registered cargo airline and the biggest B737F cargo operator in the West and Central Af-

ORMER Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih, has described the late Secretary of the BoT, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, as a loyal party man who remained committed and steadfast to the PDP till the end. In a statement released in Abuja, Chief Tony Anenih, who spoke on behalf of himself and his family, said “the sudden death of Chief Ojo Maduekwe was shocking and heartbreaking to us and the PDP, which we, along with other leaders, laboured very hard, since 1998, to build into a strong party that governed the Federal Republic of Nigeria for sixteen years. “Chief Ojo Maduekwe carried out all his assignments as Minister in charge of three different portfolios, National Secretary of the PDP, Ambassador and, until his death, Secretary of the BoT, with distinction. “Our nation and the PDP, in particular, will sorely miss Chief Ojo Maduekwe’s brilliant perspectives on major issues of national interest as well as his service to humanity. “Our hearts go to his wife and the rest of the family as we join them in prayers to God to grant them the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss of such a great nationalist, wonderful husband and father.”

2016: Esan Group appeals to APC leaders to cede Deputy Allied Air leads Africa’s Cargo Aviation Industry in IATA Certifications Gov ticket to Edo Central By Emeka Anaeto, Economy Editor

llied Air Limited, Africa’s leading cargo airline operator, has emerged the first cargo airline in Africa to bag the prestigious IATA Operational Safety Audit, IOSA Certification, issued by the International Air Transport Association, IATA, the trade association of the world’s airlines. The IOSA program is an internationally recognized and accepted evaluation system designed to assess the operational management and control systems of an airline. Allied Air was founded in 1998 by Captain Valentine Tongo, a seasoned pilot with over 30 years flying experience behind him. Actual operations started in 2004 with the purchase of her first Boeing 727aircraft.Three more 727-200SF were added to the fleet to cope with the increasing volume of cargo being handled by the airline. The airline has since upgraded her fleet to include three modern Boeing 737400SFaircrafts and phased out the 727’s. Over the years the company has es-

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

18 injured in Mecca stampede

IGHTEEN pilgrims have been injured in a stampede near Islam’s holiest site, Saudi media reported, yesterday, as the kingdom continues to review safety after a deadly crush during last year’s hajj. The incident happened on Friday night near the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the AlRiyadh newspaper said, as Muslims gathered in large numbers to mark the Night of Destiny, one of the high points of the holy fasting month of Ramadan. All the injured were treated at the scene and none required admission to hospital, the newspaper cited a health official as saying. Every year, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims flock to Mecca to carry out the lesser umra pilgrimage during Ramadan — especially during its last 10 days. They include the Night of Destiny, when the angel Gabriel is believed to have given the Prophet Mohammed the verses of the Koran.

The incident comes as Saudi authorities continue to unveil new safety measures for this year’s hajj in September. A crush at last year’s hajj killed more than 2,000 pilgrims in the worst disaster to ever strike the annual ritual. According to figures from foreign officials, at least 2,297 pilgrims died. Saudi Arabia issued a death toll of 769.

We are not owing Pensioners – Ogun government By Daud Olatunji

HE Ogun State Government has debunked the report that it is owing local government pensioners, saying, it does not owe any category of pensioners in the state. The state government, in a statement issued by Senior Special Assistant to the governor on media, Soyinka Adejuwon, said “all pensioners in Ogun State have been paid up till May 2016 while we are currently

Avengers, Tompolo disown alleged bombers in DSS custody •Continued from page 5 do,” he said. “The first time they used him against Tompolo was shortly after ex-militants accepted amnesty in 2009. And if you know Tompolo, he is not the kind of person that goes for revenge, he leaves revenge for God. So I can tell you categorically that Tompolo did not send Selky to kill anybody. “In 2006 when a Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, representative was kidnapped at Letugbene in Bayesla State and Tompolo facilitated his release, nine of his boys who went on the rescue mission were killed by soldiers, who opened fire on them when they were returning. Tompolo as their leader did not seek to revenge. “Also in 2009 when soldiers

were hunting for him, they destroyed Gbaramatu Kingdom, he did not revenge. During the latest invasion of Oporoza, nobody fired a single shot at the soldiers that ransacked the town. So, what is he avenging against Major Yahaya that he would send somebody to Kaduna to kill him?”

Militants ‘suspend bombing of Bonga fields, others by two weeks’ Meanwhile, a militant group, which claimed to have replaced the NDA, Asawana Deadly Force of Niger Delta, ADFND, said, yesterday, that it had shifted “planned bombing of Bonga Oil and Gas Fields, as well as other strate-

Newspapers reported on Friday that, among new security measures, hajj pilgrims this year will have to wear an electronic safety bracelet to store their personal information, including address and medical records. The hajj and umra pilgrimages bring millions of Muslims to the holy places in Saudi Arabia every year.

gic places in southern Nigeria”, which it slated for yesterday, by two weeks. In a statement by its leader, self-styled Commander Olomubini Kakarakokoro, a.k.a No Mercy, the group said: “We want to tell Nigerians that our July 2 date for the bombing of Bonga Oil and Gas Fields, Asaba/Onitsha Bridge, Lagos Mainland Bridge and the homes of several corrupt Nigerians, has been shifted by two weeks. “The reason for the shift is as a result of talks by the Presidency begging us to be patient for a while. But our warning to all users of the mentioned places remains valid. They should take note: We don’t mean to take any life but if need be we will. Our fight is for the development of the oil

processing the payment of their June pensions.” The statement quoted the state Commissioner for Finance, Mr. Wale Osinowo while reacting to media reports emanating from a protest staged by some members of the Association of Local Government Pensioners on Thursday, saying , “the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration is known for always placing the welfare of senior citizens on the front burner. rich Niger Delta. “We shall, at the expiry of the two weeks, also go after those people that call themselves leaders from the Niger Delta that have been betraying us. We will use them as example to the rest of the world if they don’t stop betraying us”.

IGP carries out aerial surveillance of creeks in Delta In a related development, Acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, at the weekend, carried out an onthe-spot assessment of security situation in some flash points in the creeks of Delta State. A statement from Force Headquarters said the visit came about because, “in recent times, some riverine communities in the Niger-Delta witnessed renewed militancy occasioned by pipeline and oil installations vandalization, thereby causing environmental and security challenges”.

ENIN CITY-THE Esan Consultative Forum, a socio cul tural organization in Edo Central senatorial district of Edo State, has appealed to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to cede the deputy governorship ticket of the party to Edo Central senatorial district of the state. In a statement from the Forum, it lamented that the area had been politically marginalised since the creation of the state from the old Bendel in 1991, adding that even as one of the tripods on which the state stands, it has neither produced a governor nor deputy governor”. According to the statement, “unambiguously, with the Chief Odigie Oyegun and Rev Peter Obada (south/north), Lucky Igbinedion and Mike Ogiadomhen (south/north) and the present Aliyu Adams Oshiomhole/Egbranmwen Odubu, (north/south) tickets recorded by history, it needs not be over emphasised that the zone has suffered the indignity of being a disregarded and disparaged part of the trinity. “Significantly, Esan people played a loyal part of the seven and a half years of the current Oshiomhole administration. The reason is not far to seek. Emphatically too, they spoke with one voice when the time came for them to play their part in not only marketing Godwin Obaseki, the party’s choice for September governorship election to delegates, they also helped in delivering his victory in the recently concluded party primaries”, it stated.

Shrinking revenues: Delta begs runaway investors to return BY FESTUSAHON & EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

ARRI - The Delta State Government has implored in vestors who pulled out of the state in the past over harsh investment climate to return back with assurance of the current administration’s commitment to provide enabling environment for safe business. Chairman, Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, Sir Monday Onyema, made the appeal on Friday as he led the board on a “know your taxpayers” tour of coprorate bodies and business outfits across Warri and environs. The DBIR boss was reacting to a complaint by Godwin Ugbon, General Manager at Niger Benue Transport Company, Warri, who said, “Shell shouldn’t have been allowed to pull out of the state, forcing closure of several other businesses and aggravating economic hardship in the state.” Onyema said, “Even before he heard the recurring complaint from the NBTC manager, the state government under Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa already appreciates the said costly error and the consequences for the economy.

Sheriff out to kill PDP — ADEYEYE BY BEN AGANDE, ABUJA

NTERIM spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, has warned that Senator Ali Modu Sheriff’s goal is to factionalism the party and finally kill it. “It is now evident to all discerning minds in the country that its former acting National Chairman is on a designed mission to kill and destroy the party and all its gains in nurturing and sustaining democracy in the country,”Adeyeye said. “Intelligence available shows that Senator Sheriff, in league with some agents of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, having nothing to lose and everything to gain if it helps destroy the PDP, has continued to enjoy the support of non-PDP members to carry out their nefarious acts”. The spokesperson said that members of the party across the country were aware of the goal of the former Borno State governor and have chosen to ignore him.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016,PAGE 7

The General Officer Commanding 7 Div. Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, yesterday, leading officers and men on streets of Maiduguri during the 2016 environmental sanitation exercise to commemorate Nigerian Army Day Remembrance celebration. Photo by Ndahi Marama

L-R: Ade Ajayi, Business Director ASG, Microsoft Nigeria; Ikenna Odike, Managing Director, Customer Contact Solutions Nigeria Limited; Omomene Odike, Managing Director, U-Connect Human Resources Limited; Ben Afudego, Partner Advisory Services Ernest & Young; and Rob Giles, Head, Transaction and Electronic Banking, Diamond bank Plc, at the Launch of Gr8Jobsng recruitment platform, powered by U-connect in Lagos .

We’re lending to nations, says Adeboye By Sam Eyoboka & Olayinka Latona

HE General Oveerseer of the Reedemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye who has declared that the later part of 2016 will witness a positive turnaround Friday night affirmed that Nigeria has indeed been lending to other nations of the world through the extraordinary exploits of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG. Speaking on a topic titled “Power to prosper”, being theme of the July edition of the monthly Holy Ghost Service at the Redemption Camp on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the cleric, dressed in blue jeans trouser and short to mark the School of

Disciples’ Convention, said the church now has presence in 190 nations of the world. According to him, prosperity is a decree of the Lord for every true child of God, stressing that the God of Nigeria is wealthy. “We are not poor because we are already in the business of lending to nations. We are buying churches and establishing institutions in all these countries,” he noted. Adeboye, who had urged Nigerians to be prayerful and patient because God is capable of solving all the present challenges confronting Nigerians, said there are two types of prosperity—true prosperity and false prosperity. True prosperity, he argued, does not necessarily translate to abundance of wealth that you

have, but definitely it includes money, contentment, good health, freedom, fruitfulness, joy, peace of mind and spiritual well being. Defining prosperity after the first message in the same title by the regional pastor in charge of Region 20, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade and a session of prayers for the restoration of the nation by the wife of the General Overseer, Pastor (Mrs) Folu Adeboye, the former lecturer in mathematics further defined true prosperity as a function of money, contentment, good health, peace of mind, joy and others.

EKITI BLOODY CLASH

Group pleads with Fayose against pardon for convicts

ome members of Esure Ekiti in Irepodun Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State have appealed to Governor Ayo Fayose against pardoning seven persons convicted of rioting and malicious damage in the community in 2014. No fewer than seven persons were convicted in 2014 after a bloody feud between two quarters of Ilomu and Ayinshin in the town. Those convicted are Ojo Adedara,Ojo Ayodeji, Ayilaran Ayodele Olabode, Babatunde Fayobi, Ajinde Afolabi , Anifowose Dare, Ilesanmi Sunday and Siaku Toyinbo. A letter of appeal, dated June 29, 2016, written on behalf of Ilomu quarters by their counsel, Dr A.O Adebayo, said the town had remained peaceful since the accused persons were convicted, alleging that their pardon may jeopardise the peace.

PAGE 8 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

RENEWED N-DELTA MILITANCY

My encounters with Tompolo —Omolubi Newuwumi, ‘Gentle General’ Why Itsekiri don’t carry arms like Ijaw •

By Emma Amaize,

Regional Editor, South-South

IGER-DELTA activist and security expert, Comrade Omolubi Newuwumi, aka ‘Gentle General,’ is to the Itsekiri ethnic nationality in Delta State what former militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, is to the Ijaw nation. Newuwumi, a former member of the Delta Waterways and Security Committee, DWSC, Warri, now Delta Waterways and Land Security Committee, was a dogged fighter for the Itsekiri nation during the Ijaw/ Itsekiri crisis, which snowballed into the Niger Delta struggle. He told Sunday Vanguard that he loathed cruel conflict and abduction, but rose in protection of his people when they almost faced annihilation from the Ijaw fighters, who had superior weapons and foot soldiers. Until lately, he was the Commissioner for Youth Development in the state; he spoke on his relationship with Tompolo, the agitation for social and economic justice in the oil-rich region and the raving militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, NDA. Excerpts: We understand you are to the Itsekiri ethnic nationality what Tompolo is to the Ijaw nation, what was the purpose of the struggle in your time and the difference today? Yes, to a large extent, but we both share different ideologies. In the war, the Ijaw, which Tompolo led was more like the aggressor, but I only rose to lead my people in defense when the government of that time failed to defend us against our more formidable opponents for more than two years. Until date, the relics of the destruction of Itsekiri communities are still there for everyone to see. Ours, the Itsekiri was an intellectual battle for control of resources, we abhor militancy, and kidnapping, as they practice them now and I will not support it because of the negative impact it is having in our environment. This belief does not make me a lazy man, but I simply choose to be honest and peaceful, probably that is why I am not a billionaire like most of the so-called ‘generals today. I believe in fighting for the people because it is only when the people are given the basic amenities of life that we can have peace. In addition, there will be no peace when there is no equal right, justice and the rule of law in place. What will I gain if I had accepted the tag of militant general and made much money when thousands of people

affected by the Warri crisis, which metamorphosed in the Niger Delta struggle/Amnesty program, are suffering till today? Thousands of homes were destroyed and many cannot go back to their villages and towns as a result of the crisis, so what manner of leader will I be if I use their weaknesses to make so much money, while the people are left impoverished? So the purpose of the struggle in my time was for the people to have a good life from the abundance of the natural resources God endowed them with , but today’s struggle is for the selfish purpose. Have you and Ijaw Tompolo met either in the battlefront or in real life, what kind of person is he? Yes, during the battle to save my people from total annihilation from the surface of the earth. We met during the Warri crisis; I remember the occasion an occasion in the Benin River when I was coming from rescuing my people stranded in Ogheye community. I will tell that story on a latter day. However, beyond that, we both represent different things to a different people. Maybe we might be fighting the course of liberating the people of the region from social economy slavery in the midst of plenty, but we sure have different ideologies and different ways of looking at things. I for one, I repeat once again, abhor violence, kidnapping and destruction of government and oil companies installations to get even with government, but maybe he has a different approach. The choice of non-violence is a personal decision, which I have taken for a long time but that does not mean that we, as Itsekiri, are weak, we only look at things at different perceptive. I am still a gentle general, as my people know me very well; it is just that I choose to remain calm and peaceful. My second encounter was when we met also in his Camp 5 when we agreed to put an end to the crisis between the Itsekiris and the Ijaw. Like my first encounter, I will tell the story of my second encounter on a latter date. How will you describe the Niger Delta Avengers and its mission? The pattern of their operation is very clear and an indication that it was formed to frustrate the present administration. The destruction of pipelines and oil installations is unmistakably terrorism and economy sabotage. Simply put, they are faceless, senseless and partisan in nature, and an orchestra devised by corrupt individuals and politi-

In the war, the Ijaw, which Tompolo led was more like the aggressor, but I only rose to lead my people in defense when the government of that time failed to defend us against our more formidable opponents for more than two years cians to frustrate the present administration’s resolve and determination to fight corruption in the country. They are only using fighting for resource control for the Niger Delta as a means to achieving their egotistical desires because if not for their own selfish desire, why are they asking the federal government to release some individual found to be involved in corrupt practices. Another aspect of the Avengers is the deliberate attacks on oil installations, which apart from killing the already Nigeria fragile economy is also destroying the region’s environment and its ecosystem. The destruction affects the immediate environment and health of the people the Avengers claims to protect. Like the name, Avengers, I think it was primarily formed to avenge the prosecution of their brothers and some corrupt Nigerians, who are facing criminal charges, if not, what are they avenging and who are they avenging for? Ijaw people blame your kinsmen, Ayiri Emami, for fingering Tompolo in the on-going bombing, do you agree with them? Without mincing words, those who are blaming him chose to run away from the obvious fact. The Niger Delta area is a peculiar terrain, where everybody seems to know each other. Nobody, I repeat nobody or group of persons will dare carry out such nefarious activities in

Tompolo backyard without his knowledge or him knowing them. Avengers have bombed some oil facilities in Itsekiri territory too, do you see anything incongruous? This is absurd; it is an act capable of provoking the Itsekiri nation and personalities like me. I am categorically saying that if they continue, they may force us, Itsekiri, to protect our territory, especially if the present administration fails in their responsibilities to protect lives and properties. We will be prepared to assist the government to end the bombings of oil installations in our area just like the role of the civilian JTF in the north, which has yielded successful results. As I said before, the destruction caused us by the Ijaw, which wanted to wipe us from the earth surface is still there, years after the crisis ended. The memories are still fresh in our mind for those of us who lived to tell the sad tales of woes and wanton destruction and killings in our communities. We will not fold our hands this time to let them destroy us as they did before. The then federal and state governments failed to protect us from the Ijaw until we decided to take our own destiny into our hands and defend ourselves. I just hope this present government will not abandoning us to our fate. Why are the Itsekiris not carrying guns today? The Itsekiri people are a group of intellectual, peace loving and lawabiding people, hence carrying gun is not a way of life of the Itsekiri people. If you look at history, you will find out that it was an Itsekiri man, the late Justice Atake that first started the intellectual struggle for resources control even before Ken Saro Wiwa. So the struggle is not a new thing for us, it is just that we are not used to militancy, kidnapping and other forms of criminality in our fight for true federalism and equality for the region. Anyway, we are soon coming out with a formidable platform to tackle all these issues because the Itsekiris has kept silent for a while now. Very soon, the new group, which is non-political called the Niger Delta Patriotic Front, NDPF, will emerge and come out with its agenda and demands. There will no genuine negotiation without the full involvement of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality because in Delta for example, the numbers of oil wells in Itsekiri land is much more than that of any other tribe. Government declared ceasefire and wants to negotiate with Avengers, but some are saying no, what do you think?

I think in the first place who is fighting whom that they declared a ceasefire? It just a pity that the Nigeria government has concluded arrangements to negotiate with them just like the amnesty deal. But to me, it is very unfortunate, especially with some of the conditions in their demands like the release of Col Sambo Dasuki (retd) and leader of the Indigenous People of Biafraa, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu , which has no bearing whatsoever with the Niger Delta struggle. Well, let them negotiate with them; let us see what their demands are really and the persons behind the masquerade. It will also let us know or confirm if Tompolo is behind the whole arrangement. However, beyond all these, the question on my mind is: whom do they want to negotiate with? For whom are they negotiating? Is it for the ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta or for only the Ijaw? Who are those to go there to negotiate with government? In whose interest, I do not think the negotiations will work because already the components of the formation of the group, NDA, is faulty, their demands are faulty and did not articulate all the demands of the Niger Delta people. Just like the amnesty program, which made some individuals super rich and a particular ethnic group very rich, the negotiation is bound to fail unless the Federal Government do what is right for the people of the Niger Delta. We must tell ourselves the truth; first, why did they not put machinery in motion to forestall what is happening now? Was the amnesty program a success or a failure? Yes, it was a failure because of the way they implemented it, especially as it has to do with stipends and training of beneficiaries from the ethnic nationalities and communities bearing oil. The development of the impacted communities and the region in general as contained in the amnesty framework is yet to make any headway. The Niger Delta master plan is yet to take shape, there are many issues, also remember that the issue of pipelines vandalisation also has to do with criminal elements, made up of contractors, who repair damage pipelines and those in charge of awarding contracts for damaged installations in the oil companies. Therefore, you cannot rule out criminality from these acts. That is why I will not support negotiation between Federal Government and the Avengers because they do not represent Niger Delta and its demands are not genuine enough.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 9

SENATE FORGERY TRIAL

By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor &

Ikechukwu Nnochiri

enator Ita Enang, the presidential liaison officer to the Senate, was like a fish out of water, penultimate Saturday, at the opening of the Senate Retreat on Constitution Review at Eko Hotel, Lagos. A man who, in ordinary times, would have flow with his former colleagues, bantering and teasing one another, stayed in one corner of the Expo Hall of Eko Hotel. Enang’s difficulties were understandable. Not only is he President Muhammadu Buhari’s pointsman in the Senate, he is also a prosecution witness in the forgery case filed by the Attorney General of the Federation against the two presiding officers of the Senate. With Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu taking central roles at the opening ceremony, it was understandable that Enang would somewhat fidget. Fidgety or not, the gloves were formally put off, last week, after Saraki and Ekweremadu were arraigned at a Federal High Court on a two-count charge of forgery. Arraigned with them were the

Turbulent relationship ahead for Presidency/ National Assembly nsttiittuutttee abuse of ge cons •Charrge proocceessss — Courrtt judicial pr immediate past Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, and his deputy, Mr. Ben Efeturie. The worsening relationship between the Presidency and the legislative branches of government aborted the planned breaking of fast between the President and principal officials of the legislature. The breaking of fast was, however, not something some of the legislators had even been keen about. One senior official of the National Assembly narrated how, at a previous interaction called to ponder over the fate of the then controversial 2016 Budget proposals, the President had seemingly talked down on them. Presidential media assistant, Mallam Garba Shehu, in a reaction to assertions that the faceoff had led to the cancellation of the breaking of fast, replied to the contrary, alluding to what he called scheduling difficulties. Shehu said it was not a

“cancellation.” “Please don’t call it cancellation because nothing like that happened. The President’s Iftar for the leadership of the National Assembly was postponed, to be rescheduled for another date,” he said. However, by the weekend, the prospects of leaders of the two arms of government sitting down to dine were increasingly unlikely. Not after a Federal High Court on Tuesday sitting in Abuja described the charges against the four men as an abuse of court process. Justice Gabriel Kolawole described the criminal charges against the quartet as an abuse of court processes on the fact that the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, SAN proceeded to file the charges despite the fact that a civil action on the issue had been lodged since last year

before his court. Senator Gilbert Nnaji had filed the action before Justice Kolawole last year seeking to stop the court to stop the AGF and the Inspector General of Police from going ahead to take action on the police report into the investigation of the issue of the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Order. Interestingly, Malami acted as a counsel to the defendants in the suit who were mainly members of the Senate Unity Forum, SUF who were opposed to the election of Senator Saraki as Senate President. Malami, however, dropped out of the case after he was appointed the AGF. Justice Kolawole, who said he would have out rightly dismissed the criminal charges if they had been brought before his court, said that the AGF should have used his discretion to stop any charge brought in breach of court process given that a civil action was already in action. He specifically noted that the AGF, before his appointment, was a counsel in the matter representing Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, who authored the petition to the police that led to the police report under contention. Kolawole, in ruling said: “The Plaintiff ’s “motion ex parte” dated 23/6/16 is one that seeks restraining orders against these two (2) constitutional offices created by the constitution. Both Continues on page 10

PAGE 10—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

Continued from page 9 are connected with law enforcement and by extension, due administration of justice”. “The criminal charge dated 10/6/ 16 attached as Exhibit “B” to the plaintiff ’s “motion ex pate” is a criminal process filed on behalf of the 2nd defendant by D.E. Kaswe, Esq. who signed the said charge as a “Principal State Counsel” for “The Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice” was listed as one of the leading Senior Advocates of Nigeria who filed the “motion of notice” attached as Exhibit “D” to the plaintiff ’s ex parte application and it was an application by which Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, who until the learned Attorney-General of the Federation was appointed as the Minister of Justice, was his erstwhile client”. “In the “list of witnesses and their addresses”, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, who wrote the “Petition” to the 1st defendant on 30/6/15 – as the Secretary of “The Unity Forum” in the Senate is listed as No. 1 of the witnesses to be called by the state on the criminal charge dated 10/6/16 which was filed whilst the instant proceedings are still pending”. “When I read the provisions of section 174(1) – (3) of the constitution, as amended, I am not in any doubt, that by section (174(2) of the constitution, that D.E. Kaswe, Esq. who signed the criminal charge in exhibit “b” as “principal state counsel” did so on the authority of the 2nd defendant”. “Having regard to these issues, I asked myself what is the appropriate order this court can make given these peculiar facts of the involvement of the current occupant of the office created by Section 150(1) of the constitution – who “doubled” as it were, as one of the leading Counsels to the “Petitioner”, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi and fortuitously, was appointed by the President as the Minister of Justice?” “Regardless of whichever way it is looked at, I will still hold the view, that constitutional powers conferred on all persons and authorities, including arms and agencies of government are required to be exercised in good faith and where as in this instance, it relates to the institution of criminal proceedings, it must be seen to have been properly exercised strictly in “public interest”. “But, having regard to the peculiar facts which I have analyzed, the said criminal charge dated 10/6/16 and attached as exhibit “B” to the Plaintiff ’s “motion ex parte” dated 23/6/16, given the course of these proceedings as I had in detail, highlighted, can only be seen as one that constitutes an “abuse of legal process” to use the very words in section 174(3) of the constitution”. “In all of these facts and issues, having regard to the pendency of this suit in which the defendants have both filed processes, one

•Saraki

•Ekweremadu

Turbulent relationship ahead for Presidency/National Assembly question that did not cease to resonate in my thoughts is why this “desperate haste” to prefer the criminal indictments in exhibit “B” the investigation of which is at the heart of this suit and of the parallel suit in exhibit “E”, and which indictments, by law are not time barred as the substantive suit before this court, had by consent of both the Plaintiff ’s Counsel and the 1st defendant’s Counsel, been scheduled for 6/7/16 for hearing”. “It is the event of the steps taken by the defendants in utter defiance of this pending suit, that in my view, unobtrusively betrayed the possible genuineness of the defendants’ intention and of the 2nd defendant’s motives as steps taken which are beyond serving the “public interest” by the commencement of a criminal trial in the FCT High Court in order to subvert the pending suits in the Federal High Court one of which has been fixed for 6/7/16". “By the extant Supreme Court’s decisions, once a court comes to the decision that a particular process before it constitutes

abuse of judicial or legal process, the appropriate orders it can make, is to put an end to the continuation of such proceeding”. “Do I proceed and make such order? I probably would have done so if the criminal charge dated 10/6/16 was pending before this court”. “But as it is, it is pending before my learned brother, the Hon. Justice Yusuf Halilu of the FCT High court, which is a court of co-ordinate jurisdiction and who has become seised of the charge as at 21/6/16 when he adjourned it to 27/6/16 for the arraignment of the defendants listed in Exhibit “B” attached to the Plaintiff ’s “Motion Ex parte”. The prospects of a quick resolution of the suit against Saraki and Ekweremadu were not helped by the sharp exchange of words that followed the arraignment of the four men on Monday. Saraki, in his sharpest criticism of the President, claimed that a cabal had hijacked power from Buhari. Ekweremadu also alleged a persecution against him on account of his position

as the highest political office holder in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, even as he insinuated a quiet marginalisation of his section of the country where Buhari received the fewest votes in last year’s presidential election. The Deputy Senate President further rattled the Presidency when he circulated his issues with the Federal Government and his trial to the international community, putting Buhari’s increasing aptitude for international acclaim in jeopardy. Fireworks Apparently harried by the assertions of the two men, the Presidency replied the two top lawmakers, on Tuesday, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr. Babachir David Lawal, popularly referred to as BD Lawal within the Buhari inner caucus. The SGF charged the two men to resign, a tone that some stakeholders had claimed had all along been the desire of the Presidency. “The complaint leading to the forgery investigation was reported to the Police by some aggrieved Senators who specifically accused certain persons. It is not the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is involved and not the House of Representatives,” Lawal said in a statement. His suggestion that Saraki and Ekweremadu were specifically accused of forging the Senate rules has been pooh-poohed by the two men who have repeatedly claimed that the petition to the police and the police report on the investigation did not mention any of them. That claim apparently took further importance as the trial commenced last Monday when it was discovered that the police report on the investigation was not included in the court processes. Associates of the men under trial implied that the report could not be used to successfully prosecute the men who are claiming that the application of judicial sanction on the internal processes of the Senate was a violation of the principle of separation of power. Meanwhile, the claim that the Senate President ruled the disputed Standing Order as authentic, on June 24, 2015, may have also complicated the matter as there is no record of any senator disputing the ruling of Saraki on the matter. As things are, Enang’s discomfiture over the issue has not eased. At the weekend, the presidential adviser tried to explain himself on his role as a prosecution witness against the Senate President and his deputy. He said that his enlistment flowed from his role as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business in the immediate past Senate and not necessarily on account of his position as a presidential aide. Whatever the case, that assertion is the proof for critics who say that the trial of Saraki and Ekweremadu is geared at settling issues that preceded their election as the Senate chief helmsmen.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 11

By Abu Quassim

ince the issue of how Senate Standing Orders can be changed has been subject of both on-going civil and criminal litigations which are now threatening the freedom of the presiding officers and the independence of the institution itself, it is pertinent that one addresses the question of how does the Senate generate its rules and how does it amend it? Starting from June 1999, when the 4th Senate was inaugurated, the convention has been established that the bureaucracy, that is the Clerk of the Senate and his staff, prepare the Standing Order with which the Senate will be inaugurated. The Rules contained in the Standing Order may or may not be adapted from the one used by the previous Senate, and also with or without some changes. That is why the Senate rule book provides for the process of amending the rules so that, after the Senate has been properly convened and inaugurated, members can use the provision to put the rules in the shape that represent their interests. The current Standing Order in use has the provision for amendment in Order 110 (1-5). It should also be noted that the Standing Order used by a previous Senate is deemed dead with the Senate that adopted and used it. That is why all the Standing Orders, except the one first used to inaugurate the 4th Senate, have the label ‘as amended’. After a Senate is dissolved at the end of the tenure by the presiding officer, the rule book dies with it. On the day of inauguration of a new Senate, the first thing that is done is for the Clerk of the National Assembly to read the Proclamation Order by the President of the Republic. The reading of the President’s Proclamation Order breaths live into an hitherto dead Senate and brings it alive. Then the Clerk will make a roll call of the senators present and confirm the writs of election as well as declaration of assets and liabilities of senators-elect in alphabetical order. After this, the Clerk will call for nomination of candidates for the office of Senate President. Each nomination made by a senatorelect must be seconded by another senator-elect. The senator-elect so nominated must indicate his acceptance of the nomination. After the close of nominations, it is either the sole candidate is led to the elevated chair of the Senate President by his nominators to be sworn -in as it happened in the case of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki or, where there are two candidates, the senators-elect go on to vote for the candidates so nominated. In Saraki’s case, he was the sole nominee. So, whatever provision guiding election was not activated on June 9, 2015. The oath of Allegiance and Oath of Membership are then administered on the Senate President-elect by the clerk of

The making of Senate rules and the forger y controversy

the National Assembly. Having been sworn-in, the new helmsman returns his acknowledgement to the Senate for the honour conferred on him. He then goes ahead to sit in the chair. The mace, which hitherto had been laid on the lower bracket, is then laid on the upper bracket of the table. The same procedure is applied in the election of the Deputy Senate President. We have to note that up to this point, the electors are senators-elect. It is the newly elected Senate President who will then administer oaths of Membership and Allegiance on the senators-elect after which they become senators. Implication The implication of the above procedure is that no senator can before or, at the first sitting influence the procedure or the rules to be used. The senators, as at that time, are inchoate. They are still senators-elect with no role, influence or power to effect changes or their will on the Senate. That remains the prerogative of the Clerk of the National Assembly or the Clerk of the Senate. The Clerk is also free to use his discretion, since it is known that after the Senators-elect are sworn in on the inaugural day, any senator who does not like any provision in the Standing Order can initiate or activate the process for amending the said rule. Order 110 mentioned above empowers “any senator desiring to amend any part of the rules”. It does not talk of a senator-elect. Again, the Senate can adopt the provisional Standing Order presented to it on the first day by the bureaucracy

and, therefore, it remains the Standing Order of the institution. Now, how does the above stated explanation apply to the case of forgery instituted against Saraki, his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, and his deputy, Mr. Ben Efeturi? First, the Standing Order used by the Seventh Senate is deemed dead with that Senate. Also, the copies of the Standing Order distributed to Senators-elect on June 9, 2015, during their inauguration, was prepared, and rightly so, by the National Assembly bureaucracy. Since members of the Eighth Senate had the opportunity to amend the provisions of the rule book titled, ‘Senate Standing Orders 2015 As Amended’, after they have been inaugurated and nobody has initiated the procedure for amendment, then it is deemed that they have adopted, accepted and endorsed what was initially the creation of the bureaucracy. The issue of forgery can therefore not arise as a man cannot forge his own signature. One version Also, forgery can only exist where there is an original and a fake. The present Standing Orders of the Senate has no fake version. Only one version exists. One of the senators who are not happy with the emergence of Saraki and Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively once raised their dislike for certain provisions of the Standing Order now in use on the floor and, since the motion was unpopular, it was overruled by

the majority. At that point, the Senate only once again confirmed that it has adopted the Standing Order which has now been operational for the past 13 months. Also, with the procedure stated above, it is clear that no senatorelect can influence the content of the Standing Order. They actually have no say on it. Even, if a senator-elect could have a say, definitely Saraki who was not a member of the leadership of the Seventh Senate, did not have the influence or power and reach to direct what should happen. It should also be noted that the said Order 3 (3)(e) (ii), which is said to have provided for secret balloting instead of open show of hand as provided in the Standing Order 2011, was not used in Saraki’s election to the office of Senate President. He emerged unopposed under Order (3) (c) which is consistent in all the previous rules. That is why it is surprising that with the police report, statements by those interrogated and other documents not mentioning Saraki’s name or involvement, he is still dragged into the present case by those who want to get him out of office by all means. Those same political opponents believe they can use the opportunity of the trial to throw out the PDP man in an APCcontrolled Senate, that is Ekweremadu. Like Saraki, the incumbent Deputy Senate President was a senator-elect on June 9, 2015 before he was elected. He could not have been in a position to insist that certain rule be adopted. In any case, whatever rule was adopted, on June 9, 2015, could not have changed the result as PDP members formed the majority on the floor of the Senate that day. The APC that has majority of the members has a divided house and a good number of its members also chose to embark on a voyage of discovery to the International Conference Centre (ICC) at a time they were supposed to be inside the chambers for their inauguration and election of the Senate Presiding Officers. Game The decision to now put Saraki and the others on trial was a simple game by the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami, who was a lawyer to the aggrieved senators before he was appointed to his present office to help his clients achieve what they could not do on the floor of the Senate and what may not be possible with their civil suit. That is why the issues of conflict of interest, abuse of office, abuse of judicial process, intimidation of the Senate, violation of the principle of separation of power, checks and balances and the rest are relevant in the on-going suit.

*Quassim lives in Abuja

PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

IKORODU MASSACRE Fear of the unknown reigns in Lagos/Ogun border communities

By Bose Adelaja

here is an adage in Yoruba language which says, ‘’Eni ti Sango ba ti oju e wo’le, ko ni ba won bu Obakoso’’, meaning that he who witnesses the wrath of thunder will never abuse its gods. This can be likened to the situation in Elepete and Imuti, two Lagos and Ogun border communities near Ikorodu which, for about two weeks, became a war zone, following three separate attacks by suspected militants. The attacks generated controversy as some people said they were masterminded by some Niger-Delta militants suspected to be Ijaw while others alleged they were carried out by pipeline vandals located in the area, especially as no group has claimed responsibiliy. The attacks claimed no fewer than 30 lives and property worth millions of naira destroyed and this has grounded economic and economic activities which led to people fleeing the area. The said communities were said to be at peace before government established its presence in the area to check petroleum pipeline vandals in Arepo, Majidun and Oke-Oko who are neighbours but located differently. Arepo, Majidun, Elepete and Imuti are connected through water, a distance that can be done in thirty minutes, and the communities had been at peace though engaged in illicit trade of petroleum products until government came to tackle pipeline vandalisation which was said to have been traced to the communities and this led to the vandals relocating. Sources said that the petroleum vandalisation business had not been easy as it was in the past, a situation which made some of the vandals to quit the illicit business

while the hardened ones remained in it, not minding the risks involved. The crisis was said to have emerged from an illicit dealer (names withheld) who resides in Elepete but operates a filling station at Imuti. His terms of business was said to have included delivery of products to him before payment to the vandals. Meanwhile, supply of products was no longer regular as government had effectively checked the activities of vandals in the area. The illicit dealer failed to meet up with payment of the previous supply made to him which led to threats by his suppliers. As he refused to pay, the vandals mobilized and attacked the petrol station. The said owner of the petrol station was said to have used his connection to engage the men of Special Anti Robbery Squad SARS, Lagos. Subsequently, the vandals were traced to a hotel in Elepete where two of them were killed. After the killing, the vandals mobilized for reprisal attack on the night of Friday, June 17, killing 15 residents of Imuti. As if that was not enough, another attack was launched on Monday, June 20, on Elepe where the petroleum dealer resides and three people were killed. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the petrol station owner then mobilized landlords to protect both communities against continuous attacks by the vandals. It was gathered that the information filtered to the vandals who saw it as an affront and decided to strike again on the night of Thursday, June 23, during which 10 of the landlords from Elepete and Imuti were killed. The following morning, Friday, June 24, three more landlords were killed. Sources told Sunday Vanguard

The mother of three, who came from Ilogbo, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, was killed by stray bullets while the brother-inlaw sustained injuries. She has since been buried according to Muslim rites

that, that Friday was supposed to be for candle light procession, for the two vandals killed by the police but his colleagues got to know that some landlords of the two communities had been engaged in vigilante activities since after their previous attacks. This triggered the third action that led to more killings. About 30 lives were said to have been lost and the communities and environs like Iyana-IgboOlomu, Imagbon, Kajola, OkeAyo, Oke-Imuti and parts of ItaOluwo deserted. Lagos and Ogun state governments have, in the meantime, waded into the crisis by deploying military and paramilitary groups to the affected communities to ensure sanity but the communities remainsd scanty for fear of further attacks. The residents were even scared of giving out information about the incidents for fear of future attacks. One of the victims was said to be an auto electrician, Waheed Buhari, aka Yah Alau, alleged to have been shot dead in front of his room, while his daughter, Mariam, 13, a pupil of AUD Primary School, Idi-Agbalumo, was said to have sustained bullet

•Some residents fleeing Elepete in a pick up van

wounds and is currently undergoing treatment in a private hospital. Another pathetic killing was that of a visitor, Mrs Mariam Afees, aged 40, who was said to be on a visit to her younger sister but her untimely death, while in company of her brother-in-law in their home unknown to them that there was a crisis. The mother of three, who came from Ilogbo, in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, was killed by stray bullets while the brother-in-law sustained injuries. She has since been buried according to Muslim rites. Another victim, Peter Gbenga Dehinbo, a transporter, met his death on his way home from work. He drove into the crisis but narrowly escaped the attack. Meanwhile, on arrival at home, the wife had gone for church vigil but the house help came to open the door. The assailants were said to have shot the house help and, while Dehinbo dashed to rescue her, they rushed at him and shot him dead on the spot. The Beninoise house help survived. Last Monday, Ogun State deputy governor, Chief Yetunde Onanuga, on a tour of the troubled area, had her convoy attacked by some suspected militants at Arepo. Sunday Vanguard had a chat with the founder\leader of the Oodua Peoples’ Congress, OPC, Dr Frederick Fasehun, who said the incident was a rare discord which may have been masterminded by some politicians. He claimed he was in constant touch with Ijaw leaders, ‘’The leaders and I interact often. I believe the incident was a rare discord as some politicians may be playing pranks but there is no cause for alarm since we are in accord with the Ijaw leaders. Also, we have our intelligence network and the issue on ground will be well handled. A fortnight ago, I met with some Ijaw leaders; so, if there had been discord, we will find a way to settle it, it is more of smoke without fire.’’ Some of the communities fall under Sagamu LGA, whose Chairman, Honourable Omosanya Awoniyi, condemned the killings, saying he had reported the incident to appropriate authorities. He sued for peace.“Similarly, the National Task Force on Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition, Light Weapons and Pipeline Vandalisation, has urged the Federal Government to curb illegal importation of ammunition into the country in order to tackle security challenges in the area. The South West Coordinator of the Task Force, Col. Anthony Olawale Awote, said government's effort to eradicate criminal activities would only be fruitful if illegal arms could be stopped from entering the country. Awote appealed to the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the bill on the establishment of the Task Force.“Efforts to reach the Ayangburen of Ikorodu proved abortive. Despite the presence of security personnel, the embattled communities remained deserted as the villagers only come to study the environment at day-time only to return to neighbouring communities for shelter in the night. During one of our visits to the communities, scared residents, who pleaded anonymity, said only a few of the villagers had returned while others come to study the environment and go for fear of the unknown.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 13

PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

people

Our Rescue Story,

PO VER A POVER VERTT Y IN AFRIC AFRICA

Our Our Rescue Rescue Mission, Mission, by Akinwumi Adesina, AfDB President •Says bank mobilising $3bn to boost technology in Nigeria, other African countries

•Akinwumi

BY ONOME AMAWHE

r Akinwumi Adesina, Nigeria’s immediate past Minister of Agriculture, is the President of African Development Bank (AfDB). In this interview, Adesina speaks on the AfDB’s moves to help the continent eradicate poverty and position Africa as an industrial and economic giant. You have a very interesting mandate as a bank, which is to support Africa in areas that constitute a critical part of the continent’s development strategy. How has the AfDB approached this mandate so far? We are adopting a selective focused approach away from the shotgun approach. We have identified five elements that we believe if dealt with appropriately will allow the developmental potential of the continent to run free. Coined “The High Fives”, these five priority areas within the context of the bank’s Ten-Year Strategy—to light up and power Africa, feed Africa, integrate Africa, industrialize Africa, and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa— represent the bank’s blueprint for African countries to embark on a course of sustainable transformation. You have worn many different hats at global institutions in the course of your career. Your appointment as President of the AfDB is your first outing in a financial institution. What do you think you will enjoy

most about being a development banker? What does being a development banker symbolize or mean to you? My mandate as President of the African Development Bank affords me the opportunity to work with highly trained and qualified professionals on some of the continent’s most challenging development goals (i.e access to clean energy for all). At the end of my tenure, it will mean a lot to me, if the general sentiment on the continent is that there has been in improvement of the quality of life of African women and men as a result of the operations and projects led by the African Development Bank. By any measure, you are successful in your chosen endeavor. I’m sure there are several reasons for your success, but why do you believe that you have so been successful? I think I have been successful for two main reasons. First, I have always believed in myselfI always set very high targets for myself and I firmly believe that if I can think of something, then I certainly can do it. Second, I believe in excellence. My father was a farmer and so we lived with limited resources. My father only went to school at the age of 14 and upon completion of his education, he joined the civil service at a very low level and made his way to the top. I therefore believed in my father, who served as my role model. Under your leadership, how will the bank encourage entrepreneurship on the

The bank will have a strong focus on job creation for the youth. After all, Africa has a very young population and these youngsters need to become entrepreneurs to create growth for themselves and for others continent? What have been the biggest challenges of helping to establish a culture of entrepreneurship in Africa? The bank will have a strong focus on job creation for the youth. After all, Africa has a very young population and these youngsters need to become entrepreneurs to create growth for themselves and for others. Africa has a legacy that does not promote entrepreneurship amongst young people seeking white collar jobs instead of

entrepreneurship opportunities. And small businesses are often driven by survival needs rather than through entrepreneurial drive. The bank is spearheading an initiative that will boost African entrepreneurs, by channeling both ‘patient investments’ and technical assistance through a wide range of funds, incubators and other agencies that support early stage and start-up SMEs. The bank will also support education systems that prepare students for life as entrepreneurs. And the bank will have a strong focus on agriculture and agribusiness, and in particular on smallholder farmers, to enhance productivity and value chains. After all, agriculture remains the mainstay of many Africans, but it is not commonly viewed from an entrepreneurial perspective. The AfDB has come to adapt to Africa’s growth and focus – to what extent will you look at the world’s other development banks as models to follow? In addition to the 40/50 year old+ Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the Asian Development Bank (AsDB), other development banks have been created in the last two years- these include the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the New Development Bank (NDB). There are, therefore, many more partners from which we can learn. There is indeed more complementarity between our bank and other

MDBs than ever before. Just in 2015, we signed an MDB- risk exposure exchange with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), which is expected to increase our lending headroom by over $10 billion. What degree of intercontinental partnership is appropriate for the AfDB, and how will the prevailing macroeconomic situation affect your assessment of partnership moves? The size of investments needed to take the continent from where it is today to where the bank wants it to be at the end of my tenure is very ambitious. And this will not be attained with the bank’s own resources alone. Therefore, the bank is gearing itself to play a leading role in bringing together all partners sharing the same development objectives and vision for the African continent. The current mobilization of partners has scaled up to a level never reached before but this was not at the expense of quality. The current economic downside fueled by depressed commodity prices should not be a big deterrent to our mobilization effort. As a matter of fact, this is an opportunity for the continent to boost its growth by the supply of services. How does the AfDB’s

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 15

people

’Bank mobilising $3 billion to boost technology in Nigeria, other African countries’ do you think is the best way to address this problem, and with what resources? How has the AfDB approached this scourge since its inception? The best way to address this problem is by financing SMEs which constitute over 80% of the continent’s private sector, and, as you know, the private sector is the creator of wealth and veritable engine of economic growth in Africa. We have launched several programs, such as the Africa SME program the Trade Finance Program, the Private Sector Credit Enhancement Facility, to increase financial support to the private sector in Africa with the aim of eradicating poverty.

•Akinwumi

Continued from page 14 strategic partnership with the AFRICA CEO FORUM factor into the bank group’s strategy? The fact that the Africa CEO Forum offers the Bank another platform to connect with CEOs and leaders of main African businesses and enterprises is very important. Large businesses have the moral responsibility to support the growth and development of the continent. The sharing of ideas and exchanges that happen during the Africa CEO Forum allows us, at AfDB, to better implement our strategies. In what way is the AfDB shifting Africa’s industrial base into more technologically oriented enterprises? Technological progress offers Africa opportunities to leapfrog its development and have its own kind of industrial revolution. For instance, mobile phone-based technological innovations are changing the service delivery landscape in Africa in a number of sectors such as mobile-money, pay-to-go energy payment, health care and agricultural services. Not only are these innovations leapfrogging traditional service delivery constraints, they are also expanding the service delivery frontier—making more and better services available with any given level of resources. They also provide budgetary relief/savings for government and improving service delivery and efficiency gains. The potential of Africa’s technology innovation is evident with the likes of enterprises such as Mpesa, Jumia, Iroko TV, etc, and the bank is powering these opportunities to new record levels – transforming Africa to an Innovation continent. Technology and innovation parks have been financed by the bank to support technology oriented enterprises in Senegal, and Cape Verde, while Nigeria, Rwanda, Zambia are soon to follow. In addition to building innovation ecosystem

capacity in our membercountries, the bank is also facilitating access to finance these businesses via the development of Africa’s venture capital markets. A pan-African Fund – Africa Innovation Fundis in process, which will mobilize over US$ 3 billion for technology enabled ventures, while innovation funds in Rwanda (US$100 million), Cote d’ Ivoire (US$120 million) and Nigeria (US$150 million) are being established. Are there certain sectors in which SMEs have the potentials to play a more active role in AFRICA’s development? SMEs are crucial for Africa’s development. More than 90% of businesses in Africa are SMEs. SMEs make a huge contribution to GDP. This is not only so in Africa, this is globally the case. In Africa, a lot of SMEs are still operating in the informal sector, often for good reasons, but it hinders their growth. There are challenges in the enabling environment that must be overcome that will assist SMEs to reach their growth potential. You asked me earlier about entrepreneurship. I believe SMEs and entrepreneurship are essentially the same. Entrepreneurially-driven SMEs are the drivers of growth in our economies. We need to create such growth- oriented SMEs and assist them, through a level playing ground, to grow, prosper and create jobs. It is true that growth opportunities may be more abundant in some sectors compared to others; agribusiness, health, education, clean energy offer tremendous opportunities. But there are also lots of opportunities in many other sectors, and if we can get small businesses to innovate and industrialize, they can also play important roles in local and internal value chains. How do you go about scaling up the AfDB’s trade finance activities to channel critical trade support to companies across the African continent? AfDB has always recognized

The recent global financial crisis and the dislocation that followed revealed deep structural issues in the market that required a different approach from the bank the importance of access to trade finance for businesses, especially SMEs, as a means of promoting trade and hence economic development. In the past, the Bank worked through regional Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) such as Afreximbank, PTA Bank and Africa Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) to provide critical trade support to businesses on the continent. However, the recent global financial crisis and the dislocation that followed revealed deep structural issues in the market that required a different approach from the bank. And we responded by setting up a dedicated trade finance operation to intervene directly in the market. In just over 2 years our program has supported more than 80 local banks in 25 African countries. We have catalyzed approximately USD 3 billion of trade in vital sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing and construction. More than 60% of the transactions supported are on account of SMEs. In recognition of these achievements in such a short period of time and cognizant of the estimated large and growing trade finance gap in Africa, currently projected at

USD 130 billion, the bank plans to considerably scale up its trade finance operations. My team is currently preparing an updated trade finance business plan to consolidate our role as a major provider of trade finance on the continent. When this plan is implemented, we will support at least USD 10 billion of trade in 5 years. We will provide greater financing where it is needed including to regional DFIs active in trade finance and strengthen our engagement with other Multilateral Development Banks such as IFC, EBRD and International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) to build the capacity of local financial institutions to improve access to trade finance for local businesses across Africa. It is therefore important that we scale up our trade finance activities and remain meaningfully engaged in this space for the benefit of our Regional MemberCountries. You have identified poverty as a scourge that “the continent must not simply manage but eradicate”. What

What could be your challenges managing an African Bank Group, in a continent where the global economic crisis meets an ongoing local crisis of poverty and unrest? The main challenge is that of a slowdown in the global economy. But I must state that Africa is a resilient continent- expected to grow by 4.4% in 2016, above 3.5% for the global economy and slightly behind the 6% for Asia. However, at the back of challenges lie opportunities. And in the case of Africa, the opportunities are the need to increase energy production, build infrastructure and diversify our economies. What lessons did you learn on your way to becoming the President of the AfDB? I leant one main lesson. That we have to believe in ourselves and in whatever we do. I wanted to be the President of the AfDB. I believed in myself and I worked hard towards achieving this. What are the key success factors for a President of the AfDB? I believe there are four main success factors. First, the ability to set ambitious targets. Second, the need to be reformminded: to change the Bank’s processes from “business as usual” to those that are more efficient and faster. One needs to be close to his clients and respond adequately to their needs. Finally, one needs to strengthen strategic partnerships with all stakeholders- the private sector, civil society, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and philanthropic organizations, amongst others. If you had to define the AfDB in one sentence, what would it be? The African Development Bank: The engine of the winning Africa

PAGE 16, SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

people I stopped Lagos Anglicans’ division along Yoruba, Igbo lines-Retiring Archbishop, Prof. Akinde • Says he solved scientific problem that defied classroom solution in church By Sam Eyoboka and Olayinka Latona

ORN in Kaduna on August 25, 1946, Archbishop (Professor) Adebayo Dada Akinde spent his formative years there even though his parents were of Egba (father) and Sierra Leonean (mother) extractions. Akinde, an electronics engineer and computer scientist, earned a B.Sc. degree in electronics from the then University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University). He proceeded to the UK to obtain an M.Sc and Ph.D in electrical engineering and computer science (hardware) from the University College, London, and University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, respectively. While at Ile-Ife he pursued an academic career, first in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, and then in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. At different times between 1983 and 1993, he served as acting head and substantive head of Department of Computer Science and Engineering. Akinde was elected Archbishop of Lagos Mainland Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) in 2012. On August 23, he is retiring in line with the constitution of the church on attainment of 70 years. In this interview, Akinde reminiscences on his ministry and next line action after retirement. Ten years ago a computer engineer was drafted from his workshop to an ecclesiastical duties. How was the transformation and how has the journey been? I have spent in the church, literally, all my life. From age 10, I came under the influence of the pioneer Bishop of the then old Egba-Egbado Diocese, the late Jonathan Shoremi Adeniyi. Whatever I got engaged, service to the church of God was part of it. All the time I was working as a computer engineer, as a teacher, professional, public servant, I was also involved in the church. But I must say that in 1979, I asked for ordination and I got ordained into the ministry in the Anglican Communion. Going full time only afforded me more time to be in God’s service. Coming to the church was not in 2006 actually but in 2000 when I served as Provost in the Cathedral of St. Peter’s, Ake. I served there for almost six years. I have learnt lessons which I could never have learnt anywhere else coming into the full time service in the Anglican Communion. I happen to be the pioneer Bishop of the Lagos Mainland Diocese and I have to put the necessary structures in place. Having to manage the diversity in the membership is another challenge. Of course the public and social image of the office posed their own challenges as well. And having to get involved in advocacy, justice and social issues more than ever before was another challenge but in everything, we have every cause to thank God. C M Y K

What values would you say your coming in as full-time minister brought to the Anglican Communion at the time you did? I have never depended on my own ability or wisdom or competence in our accomplishment. Working in the position that one is, is a highly spiritual matter. It is completely different from the secular, it has not much to do with your intellect, attainment, accomplishment, academic, financial, material whatsover but more of openness to God, dependence on God, obedience to God and of course arming oneself with the word of God. To your question, coming into the episcopacy has taught me to be more prayerful. And having a Ph.D or being a professor has not hindered my exposure to God. If anything, the privilege God has given me in the course of my academic pursuit has made me to believe and fear God more. This God we serve is an awesome God. I have always said it that the inspiration that earned me the Ph.D degree in the United Kingdom, I got in the course of His service. I had a scientific problem and had been racking my brain, reading, consulting but it was in a service on a Sunday that clear ideas of a new dimension came in and I remember having to quickly scribble it down. This was unusual, it must have been from the Holy Spirit Himself. The greatest teacher, the comforter was ministering to me and I quickly wrote it down and that was how I made the

I found this wrangling strange. When we came in and I found out that it was an issue, I consulted the Lord on how to handle the situation

breakthrough in my Ph.D research in engineering. Being a scientist does not preclude my belief in God, for me, my belief in God. Some scientists do question the existence of God. It wasn’t so for you? I am a scientist; and by His grace, I am not an ordinary scientist. I am an accomplished scientist and my faith in God has enhanced my work. I never had conflict. I know the limits of my intellectual capacity which is infinitesimally small when compared to the unlimited intellect of God. Those who say they are scientists and want to subject spiritual things to scientific scrutiny are deluding themselves. That is the intellectual confusion obtainable in the West now. What we see happening there in terms of human sexuality is a classical example of intellectual confusion among people suffering from the loss of Christian memory. The White people (specifically the Church of England) brought Christianity to us. They brought the Bible to us and they were scientists. In the 18th century, eminent scientists who were Christians existed then. They never queried the supremacy and sovereignty of God. So what is happening now is intellectual confusion and it is a manifestation that they have lost their Christian memory. Your low and high moments in the ministry I never ministered in Lagos until I came in as the

Diocesan Bishop. The bulk of my ministry had been in the rural areas; the closest I was, was in my native town of Abeokuta which was not a village anyway and it was a preparation ground. Coming to Lagos from Abeokuta, I saw things being done on a different level completely. Every service in Lagos, there is a printed programme, exotic, elaborate; whereas in our native town, if we must, it must be for a purpose but in Lagos, being a cosmopolitan place, I had to quickly adjust and I thank God for helping me to adjust. Secondly, I never knew, until I came to Lagos that there were rumblings with tribal connotation in the church of God. I believe what Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Gentiles, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus”. Coming from the academic environment, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife where I spent most of my life, and being an academic environment, world class global standard, nobody talks about tribes, about race, about creed or such pedestrian issues. What mattered is your brain, your contributions. I found this wrangling strange. When we came in and I found out that it was an issue, I consulted the Lord on how to handle the situation and I thank God that there has been peace in the Diocese and, by the grace of God, the Diocese will continue to know peace. Serving God is independent of tribe, parochial interest, creed, sex, or status. God has created male and female, the high, the mighty, the lowly. And the more we open ourselves to the spirit of God, the less of these non-essential considerations. You will find out interestingly that one of the final prayers of Jesus Christ while on earth was: ‘That they may be one just as God the father and Himself

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016,PAGE 17

people Continued from page 16 were one’. Unity in the church of God should be a routine thing; division, quarrelsome are indicative of spiritual immaturity and carnality. That is the truth. If you are taller than I, you cannot be shorter than I again. I will be shorter than you and I have defeated you in that aspect. Tall or short, fat or slim are all creatures of God and in Christ we have to be one. Despite all the efforts to ensure unity in the church, mundane things still thrive probably not only in Mainland Diocese but also in the Archdiocese of Lagos. We still have issues over Igbo, Yoruba, Urhobo, Isoko churches. Why is it like that? When you have such divisions and wrangling, it is an indication of carnality, that is, worshipping God but carrying out our Christianity in the flesh and in carnality. It is a sign of spritual immaturity. A mature Christian doesn’t know whether someone is white, tall, short and all those things. And if you look around, it is in Christendom that you will find a fat man that will marry a lady that is a twiggy and they will be happy or you find the wife tall and the husband short in stature and they did not look at the physical before taking their decisions. It is when one is carnal that the emphasis is laid on the physical; the more spiritual we are, the more obedient we are to God and the more of Christ will be seen in us. Ten years down the line now, are there things you wish you have more time to do which you are unable to do? I had never had an agenda of my own. I was called by God and was brought to office by Him and as such I have to run God’s agenda for the church. And as much as God reveals an assignment to us, I put in my very best to accomplish it. I have not been perfect, but I strive to give God the best of my endeavour. From that perspective, I never had an agenda of myself. Usually the first three days in December, every year, I try to be alone with God. If I know the period will be busy, I use the last three days in November, to seek God’s mind for me in the coming year and I quickly note such things down. Let me take you to the Bible, God has said whenever we come to Him and ask Him for something, He will not deny us if we ask aright. My job here is not about myself but the church and God who is the owner of the church. Then I go to Him every time to ask what He wants me to do and He gives the revelation, directives and, whenever God gives me an agenda and the resources are not available, I go back to Him and cry to Him for the resources. I will

‘I solved scientific problem that defied classroom solution in church’ give you an example. All the major projects that we have undertaken in the Anglican Diocese of Lagos Mainland, I never levied any church in the Diocese because I will never embark on a project if God did not give the go ahead. Take this diocesan headquarters for example, the building is by the clear leading of God and at the time we laid the foundation, the total money we had in the Diocese was N3 million and, by the time we completed and furnished it, we had spent over N100 million. People came in and gave as I prayed for provision. There was a particular man who started with half a million; a month after, he sent another one. This was a man in his 80s. Few months again without any solicitation he added N1 million and I said ‘baba you are giving us another money’, and he said the church of God must be completed. When you run God’s agenda in God’s church, you will have the courage to ask God for resources when the need arises and He will answer.

When you have such divisions and wrangling, it is an indication of carnality, that is, worshipping God but carrying out our Christianity in the flesh and in carnality. It is a sign of spritual immaturity

The Bishop is going on retirement but it is obvious he is not tired... I have to go at 70. It is a constitutional provision of my church and I really want to go. I know God is still leading us to continue to serve Him in some other ways. By His grace I can never do without His work. I have been a minister all the way but I will still be serving God. I believe God that He can still use us more in my professional field in this country and beyond.

•Akinde with journalists after the interview C M Y K

What will you be doing in retirement? I am going back to my first love, science and technology advocacy. The truth of the matter is that no nation can make meaningful and sustainable

development without credible, solid foundation in science and technology. I have trained all my learning life in that sphere of knowledge, science and technology and I want to get into it for the benefit of mankind. We need to promote science and technology, we must as a nation generate wealth (money); we are too much of a consuming nation, we consume products that other nations produce. Nothing should stop Nigerians from producing, consuming at home as well as exporting. In developed countries, the bulk of what they use within their nation is produced locally. We import almost 95 per cent of our automobile needs. I don’t know the proportion in health but I know we import heavily even things as common as dressing materials. We must begin to make money; when you import, you take your own money to keep the citizens of other nations at work, you keep their factories going, and their citizens are gainfully employed whereas ours are idling away, unemployment is almost going through the roof in our country and I did not think Nigeria is a wealthy nation. So the limited wealth that we have is a situation that we now have to cart a sizeable proportion of it out for failure to produce locally needs. There must be reversed. We must start making wealth, generate things locally: vehicles; even aircraft. Nigeria has people with knowledge to do some of these things. There are Nigerians doing these things abroad. There are Nigerians in NASA. Why can’t they come and do it in our native country? Is any of your children taking to ministry? God blessed us with three young men and none of them has taken after us in the ministry but all three of them are involved in the church. They are church workers not paid as church workers but working in the church of God. How does it feel being the Bishop of the mother of the Vice President of Nigeria? It is a privilege and we must thank God. The mother of the Vice President is a committed Christian, a dedicated child of God, an excellent church woman. Even in her capacity as the mother of the Vice President, it has not changed her Christian activities. Mama Osinbajo still comes to bible study, prayer sessions on Sundays as long as she is around. An hour before the commencement of the service, Mama would have been in the church. Her son, being the Vice President, has not diminished her Christian activities and these become more appreciable because she is an octogenarian. She just loves her God.

PAGE 18–SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

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COMMON SEXU AL PR OBLEMS AND THEIR NO VEL T Y BASED SOL UTIONS (AD VER TORIAL) SEXUAL PROBLEMS NOVEL VELT SOLUTIONS (ADVER VERT Sir I don’t enjoy sex no matter how hard a man tries. I am never hungry for sex. I don’t know why. Please I need something that can really help me want sex and enjoy intercourse when I use it– Ifeoma First of allIfeoma, are you attracted to men? Be honest. We don’t judge. If you are not attracted to men, then there is nothing any man can do to fix that and it is not your fault. People are the way they are. If your problem however is a lack of sexual interest, it could be any number of things. One possibility is that you are an Asexual. An Asexual is a man or woman with no sexual interest or desire and there are people like that in the world. Your inability to enjoy sex can also be hormonal or psychological.If it is hormonal, a supplement like Velextra or G Female Oral tabletswill help you. An orgasm gel and avibrator will also contribute greatlytoyour sexual desire and enjoyment. But if the problem is psychological, say for example that you were sexually abused or raped in the past, then only a psychologist can get you through it. Sometimes the problem is also the manner of approach. Women respond better to sex when there is anticipation and anticipation comes with the right frame of mind. The catalyst for anticipation can be anything from a flirtatious conversationor a funny joke to an act of kindness. But from the way you sound, it is either you are gay, asexual or psychologically inhibited.

From everything I have explained to you, which one do you think it is? – Uche Good day sir. I enjoy your educational articles a lot. Please what supplement will you recommend for effective penis enlargement? I understand that one has to use it with a Penis Pump so I have bought the pump already – Simon Get Vimax penis enlarger. It is one of the best right now – Uche I want to reorder Sex Voltz. It helped me with my erection and performance– Otunba Segun Yes we have Sex Voltz. Call the numbers below to order or get it online at www.zeevirtualmedia.com I take the Spanish Fly drink when I want to switch on and be aroused but I have never really found out what the ideal dosage is. How should it be taken? Mary Half a bottle of the Spanish Fly drink is the equivalent of one daily dose. Each bottle contains two doses for two different days – Uche I read one of your articles on female arousal disorder and I felt as if you were talking directly to me because I have that problem. I want to get the gel first and then buy the drug when I have enough money – Rita That is fine Rita. Get the Nympho’s Desire Arousal Balm and a Vibrating Bullet. They are affordable and work wonders – Uche I am interested in buying a dildo that is as realistic as

the real thing. I don’t want it to vibrate. Please add a lubricant too – Grace Take the Hard Man realistic dong. It is around eight inches long, veined and supple like a real penis. For the lubricant, get the Hydro Play Water Based Glide. It is big and dispenses in a nonmessy fashion – Uche What is this thing I took? Boss Rhino is insane! I took this thing on Wednesday afternoon. I was expecting my girlfriend from Uyo but she missed her flight. She finally got to my place Friday evening. I was beginning to feel that the drug was wasted until she took a shower and we got busy. Let us just say that I put the fear of the Boss in her! I hammered four times in one night and by Sunday morning; we had done it eleven times. Uche I will vote for you for president!What was that?! - Ubong You are welcome. That is all for today. Adults in need of these treatments/novelties 08171912551, can call 08027901621 or 07086754515 for help or v i s i t www.zeevirtualmedia.comZee Virtual Media delivers all over Nigeria. For enquiries email us at custserv@zeevirtualmedia.comUche Edochie, MD, Zee Virtual Media .

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 19 08116759757

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SHAMELESS SECURITY GUARD CONFRONTS GIRL, 6

‘I slept with you only once, contrary to your claim of five times’ A

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA 47-year-old security guard, identified as Victor Osubie, is in police custody for allegedly defiling a six-year-old girl, Bola (not real name), in Sagamu Road, Ikorodu, Lagos. It was alleged that the suspect, who works at an events centre used by the victim’s mother as an event planner, slept with Bola severally. But the bubble burst on May 30, 2016, when he reportedly slept with the victim. Sunday Vanguard learned that Victor had intercourse with the victim after she returned from an errand. He allegedly took the kid inside his room, asked her to pull her clothes and then had intercourse her. The victim was taken to Ikorodu General Hospital for medical examination which confirmed that she had had intercourse severally. The case was reported at Sagamu Police Division, Ikorodu Road but the suspect allegedly fled when the police came to arrest him. He was, however, arrested, penultimate Wednesday, while the case was transferred to the State Investigation and Intelligence Department, SCIID, Panti for further investigation.

*Suspect ... I did it only once Narrating how she was allegedly slept with by the suspect, the Basic Two pupil said: “Uncle Victor called me to help

him buy MTN N100 recharge card for him. When I went to the place where they sell the recharge card, the people were

Lagos Chapter of Nollywood’s Creative Designers Guild born

gratulated the executives and, indeed, the branch, and, in her pep talk, advised the new exco to show of responsibility. Miss Ogo Mbonu of the Delta State branch was on ground to observe and encourage the pioneer executives. Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria is one of the professional guilds of Nollywood. Its members function as visual conceptualists, translators of descriptions in screenplays from written words to images. Members are set designers, who conceptualise, design and construct appropriate backgrounds for the stories to be told, the props builders/managers, the costume designers/wardrobe managers, the make-up artiste, etcetera. All these production personnel who operate under the supervision of an art director or a production designer as the case may be, are principal stakeholders in the artistes world of make - believe.

*Akinyemi emerges Chairman

By Yinka Ajayi

he Creative Designers Guild of Nigeria made history, last Tuesday, as the much awaited separation of power between the national body and the Lagos branch of the guild came to being. The exercise, which gave birth to the autonomous Lagos branch, took place at the National Theatre of Nigeria. At the end of the keenly contested election, the following members emerged as the pioneer executives of the Lagos branch : Chairman: Pst.Joy Osawaru Akinyemi; Vice Chairman:Mr.Sam MBA; Secretary:Thelma Ozy Smith; Asst.Sec.:Mr.Innocent Abah; P.R.O.:Mrs.Chioma Daniels

•President of the Guild, Ms Iyen Agbonifo-Obaseki Anijah; Treasurer/Financial Sec:Ms.Salome Oputa; and Provost:Mrs.Thelma Fiberesima. The President of the Guild, Ms Iyen Agbonifo-Obaseki, con-

“Immediately, I confronted Victor, who said he was sorry and that he didn’t know what came over him when he slept with my daughter. I told him it was not a matter of he was sorry, and that it was not something that happened once. I called my husband to inform him about the incident and he asked me to report the case to the police. When I got to the police station, they took my daughter to Ikorodu General Hospital for medical examination. “I thank God who used my little daughter to draw my attention to what had been happening. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known that he had been taking advantage of my daughter since last year. I guess Victor felt because I was busy, I won’t notice that my daughter was not around.” Suspect’s story Looking dejected, the suspect, whose wife and kids are said to be resident in Delta State, said: “I was mad when I did it. I didn’t know what came over me. What will my family and friends say when the news gets to them that I had intercourse with a six-year-old? My wife and kids are in Delta State. I live alone in Lagos. It is only once that I did it.”

•Dr. Fidelis Akhagboso Ayabae,MD/CEO, Fidson Healthcare Plc, Lagos (4th from left) in a handshake with Ray Festus Symperr, Founding President, Afemai Foundation for Sustainable Growth & Transformation (3rd from left) while receiving a souvenir during a courtesy visit on him by the organisation, recently.

Delta LG councillors, clerks tasked on lawmaking By Festus Ahon

•The executives after their swearing-in

not around. So I went back to give him his money. After giving him his money, he called me back, asked me to pull my pants and he put his manhood inside my private part. Uncle has done it five times to me. The first time was after my graduation ceremony (from kindergarten) last year July.” The mother also spoke. She said: “While I was in the hall on that fateful day trying to put finishing touches to the decoration for an event, my little daughter walked up to me and said she couldn’t find her elder sister Bola. “Immediately I began to search for her. I went outside the hall to look for her; I didn’t see her, so I came back to the hall. “Later I saw her walking out of one of the rooms attached to the gallery used by the security guard, Victor. As she got close to where I was, she kept saying, `Mummy, please don’t tell my daddy. Mummy, please don’t tell my daddy’. I promised her I won’t tell her daddy. But I noticed she was really scared. When she got close to me, I held her and I asked her what the matter was. I was shocked when she opened up and alleged that Victor, the security guard whom I have helped countless times, had repeatedly had intercourse with her.

two day conference for coun cillors and clerks of the legislative arms of the 25 local government councils in Delta State, yesterday ended in Asaba with a charge on participants to update themselves with modern trends of lawmaking. The State Commissioner, Directorate of Local Government Affairs, Sir Bright Edejewhro in a keynote address at the ceremony, said human resources development was an integral part of every production hence the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa approved the conference. Edejewhro said the Directorate of

Local Government Affairs has been given the mandate to train political office holders at the local government level, adding that the conference which was a total departure from the ones organized in the past was meant to achieve a specific objective of producing a unified legislative standing order for use by all the legislative arms of the 25 local government councils in the state. He said it was sad to observe that all the various legislative arms in the 25 local government councils of the state have different standing orders guiding proceedings, hence the need to bring them together to produce a generally acceptable docu-

ment that would now be used by all the legislative arms in Delta State. Saying that although the task was enormous, Edejewhro said with the cooperation of relevant stakeholders, including experienced lawmakers, lawyers and season technocrats, the goal would be achieved. The Commissioner disclosed that at the end of the conference a booklet of the standing order based on resolution would be produced and distributed to all councillors and clerks in the state. He thanked Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for his support and creating the enabling environment for the organisation of the conference.

PAGE 20—SUNDAY

Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

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08116759757

By Abiodun Alade To address the current gap in the quantity of blood supplied in the country and the actual amount the nation needs, High Life Church has launched a non-governmental Organisation called LifeBlood Nigeria. LifeBlood’s research shows Nigeria collects only 38 percent of the required amount of blood each year. The official launch of the NGO, which coincided with this year’s edition of the World Blood Donor Day, was performed in Lagos by the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Blood Transfusion Service, Dr (Mrs.) Modupe Olaiya, who was represented by Dr Samuel Alori. Delivering the key note address, Olaiya reminded that blood transfusion is an essential component of healthcare, saying: “To achieve safe and adequate supply of blood, blood donation must be voluntary and blood donation must also be regular. In line with World Health Organization (WHO), recommendations, all blood donations must come from voluntary donors and all blood donations should be screened for infections prior to use.” He outlined some of the enduring challenges in blood transfusion in Nigeria to include sub-optimal recruitment and retention of voluntary; nonremunerated blood donors due to

‘Nigeria is 62 percent short of blood bank requirement’

wrong cultural belief and lack of awareness surrounding the issue as well as the dependence on family replacement and commercial blood donors. She commended LifeBlood Nigeria initiative and also applauded High Life Church for an excellent start with voluntary blood donation and

commended the global nature of the campaign, saying that LifeBlood’s goals are achievable. In his remarks, Pastor Carlton Williams of High Life Church enjoined the congregation and well-wishers to change the world from where they are seated, saying that the understanding of the

160 tons of US seeds for Adamawa, Borno 6,000 households BY FUNMI AJUMOBI

he United States (US) government, through its Agency for International Development (USAID), has delivered over 160 metric tons of seeds, comprising of maize, sorghum, millet, groundnut, and

cowpea, to over 6,000 households in Adamawa and Borno states. According to Michael T. Harvey, USAID/Nigeria Mission Director, the distribution efforts are literally sowing the seeds for recovery and resilience of internally displaced persons, IDPs, adding that working with the Nigerian government and other partners, USAID plays active

Omo-Agege in Orogun By Festus Ahon

There

was jubilation when the people of Orogun in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State converged at Orogun Primary School to honour one of their own, Ovie Omo-Agege, on his inauguration as senator representing Delta Central. The civic reception, which attracted both indigenes and friends of the kingdom from across the country, was held amid pomp as the venue was filled to capacity with politicians and non-politicians alike. Children were not left out as they trooped into the venue to catch a glimpse of Omo-Agege and other prominent Deltans including Chief Great Ogboru, Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor, Chief Adolo Okotie-Eboh, Prophet Jones Erhue, Chief Austin Uloho and Elder Peter Erebi. The senator, who showed up actively in the political firmament in 2002, has brought fame and attracted government presence to the Orogun Kingdom, the Urhobo nation and Delta State. His passion to render quality service and political representation to the people came to fore in 2007 when he ran for the state governorship. Even though he lost the election, the 2010 re-run and the 2011 governorship to former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, his desire to

serve was not dampened. He also ran for the state governorship in 2015 without success. In 2015, he took a detour when he decided to seek the Senate seat and joined forces with Ogboru on the platform of the Labour Party, a development that gave him his first electoral victory. The road to the Senate was rough as his main opponent in the election, Chief Ighoyota Amori, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was declared the winner of the election by INEC. Dissatisfied, Omo-Agege went to the

church’s role in society must change. According to Pastor Williams, “The era of mere doctrinal purity is past. The time of limiting our expression of Christ to just understanding the plan of God for an individual’s life is past. This is the day when nations are impacted by the structures of the kingdom through you and me.”

roles in helping the North-East realize its full potentials. Harvey also said that $133 million was used by USAID in collaboration with the Nigerian government at the federal, state, and local levels to support several humanitarian, transitional, and longer-term development activities in North Eastern Nigeria saying that current and forthcoming activities will improve

governmental capacity and performance, strengthen food security, and provide services for IDPs More than 60,000 IDPs in the local government authorities of Madagali, Michika, Gombe, and Fufore of Adamawa, and Kaga of Borno benefitted from this effort. USAID collaborated with the Adamawa State Ministry of Agriculture, the American University of Nigeria’s Adamawa Peace Initiative, and the Borno State government to ensure the distribution occurred ahead of this year’s planting season.

tribunal which upheld the election of Amori. The senator appealed the judgment of the lower tribunal where his mandate was restored. His victory at the Appeal Court on December 19, 2015 led to jubilation across many towns and villages in Urhobo land. Omo-Agege, in his speech on that day, said: “With profound gratitude in my heart and on behalf of my dear wife, Barrister (Mrs) Rosemary Omo-Agege, our dear children and our entire family, let me specially thank the entire Orogun Clan for this reception. It is a special honour to me and my blessed family.

“During the campaigns, we made an irrevocable commitment to help our people in measurable ways. We declared our readiness to rescue and reposition the Urhobo Nation on a sustainable path of excellence using every tool of legislative power. We are already on that path”. Chairman of the reception ceremony, Mr Marvel Akpoyibo, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, in his speech, said: “even at the risk of sounding political that our son whom the entire Orogun Kingdom is honouring today was and will ever remain the best candidate to represent our interest at the Senate.

EPC ’80 Set Reunion

From left: Chief Ogo Emenike,Managing Director,Tummy Tummy Foods Industries Limited;Ijemba Ekenedilichukwu[Humblesmith], and Mr Chijioke Anumoka,General Manager,Tummy Tummy Foods Industries Limited at the unveiling of Humblesmith as Brand Ambassador of Tummy Tummy Foods Industries Limited in Lagos.

6 years after separating at school, the 1980 Set of Ekiti Parapo College (EPC), Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State are reuniting at a get-together scheduled to hold at Excellence Hotel, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos on Saturday, July 16. A statement by the Co-Chairmen of the Planning Committee, Messers Bankole Ige and Kayode Abe, said Set members from Lagos, Ibadan, Akure, Ado-Ekiti and Abuja, among others, are expected to grace the ceremony. The statement described the gathering as a great opportunity for the EPC old students to reunite after 36 years of separation.

Edge Series holds student summit By Abiodun Alade

wiftThink Limited, through her human capacity development initiative, The Edge Series, has announced the hosting of the third edition of its The Edge Series Student Summit (TESS). It will focus on the theme ‘What are you saying?’ as it takes an exciting dimension focusing on Sales and Marketing aimed at preparing young Nigerian students for the a world where “everyone is selling something”. The summit intends to help participants find a voice of their own, sharpen their presentation skills at all levels, teach relationship management and business etiquette rules, while providing valuable head start for new businesses. A line up of seasoned speakers for this year ’s edition include Richmond Johnson (International Leadership and Management Consultant), Gina London (CNN Veteran), Olusola Amusan (Citizenship Manager, Microsoft Nigeria), Jimi Tewe (Career Specialist), Opeyemi Awoyemi (Jobberman.com Co-Founder), Chude Jideonwo (RedMedia Africa), Audu Maikori (President of Chocolate City Group) and Lala Akindoju (CEO The Make it Happen Productions).

Etisalat employees enlighten students on career choices By Etop Ekanem tisalat Nigeria has once again demonstrated its commitment E to empower y

oung persons with quality education through its career counselling programme for secondary school students held in Epe, Lagos State recently. Etisalat Career Counselling is a oneday session for junior and senior secondary school students held in partnership with Leadership Empowerment and Resource Network, (LEARN), a not-for-profit Organisation. Director, Regulatory & CSR, Etisalat Nigeria, Ikenna Ikeme, explained that the career counselling platform enabled Etisalat employees to fulfil a desire to give back to society, appreciate volunteering time and employ their skills in providing career counselling and mentorship to students. He said: ?Career counselling scheme brings fulfilment to us at Etisalat because it enables us demonstrate our passion for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), through both internal and external platforms. We are aware that students need appropriate direction towards making compatible and fulfilling career choices, because a wrong career move will likely have serious negative long-term effects. ?Since 2010, our observation during career counselling is that whatever the persona and backgrounds of these students, one thing remains consistent: the eagerness to learn and participate. This is very significant for us.? Ikeme further disclosed that over 7,000 students had benefited from the initiative which was designed to appropriately guide students of secondary schools in the junior and senior levels, towards making sound, positive and fulfilling career decisions which will provide long-term benefits to them, their families, organisations, and ultimately the nation.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 21

By ROTIMI AGBANA

WARD-winning Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar, has laid bare her mind on the sentiments attached to the divine institution, marriage. The sociology graduate of Bayero University, Kano, says she has no immediate plans to be addressed as a Mrs. anytime soon, as there’s no happiness or genuine love these days. Speaking recently on the most hallowed topic, the curvy actress said “Marriage has been overrated. It’s just too much of a headache with how things are now. Even ordinary relationship is a huge burden, huge headache and heartbreaking, let alone

Halima Abubakar shares her frustrations with marriage marriage. When you can’t stand each other as boyfriend and girlfriend, how would you live together under the same roof when you get married? People only know themselves physically, not spiritually, so they end up getting bored with each other. And they will say they don’t want to get divorce because of what society would say after investing so much on the marriage. They stay in marriage and later it may become very irritating and they start fighting. Before they know it, everything

Judith Audu celebrates birthday with touching revelations

becomes violent”. Asked if she was interested in marriage, she responded “No, people should only try to be nice about marriage, to make me interested in it. Don’t tell me actresses don’t stay in marriage. Olu Jacobs and Joke Silva have been married for long and they’re still in their marriage. Nothing happened to their union. Omotola and her husband have been married for long; they’re still very much together. What I’m trying to say is that going into marriage needs a lot; you don’t just go into it. Marriage these days is not based on happiness and genuine love” she opined.

NLIKE many actresses these days who celebrate their birthdays with wanton pictures and gleeful chants, Judith Audu, took the time out to have a sober reflection on her life. In her birthday message, the actress revealed that the last one year has been the most traumatic, the most dramatic and the most exerting year of her life.“It’s been a hell of a journey I tell you, if you walk in my shoes for as little as 30mins, I bet you will be shocked but God has been faithful, always holding my hands through it all, so, I would never let go, fall or fail, its been God, his Grace, Mercies, Favours and Goodness has been my shield, so no matter the dark valley, He makes sure His name gets glorified... The past one year has been filled with the most revelations and manifestations I have had in my life, its been my most difficult and yet victorious year yet. My God has been equipping me for this New Year. It can only get better from here and I want to believe this new year is filled with a rollercoster of positive surprises, greater heights, and I pray His will shall be done in my life,” she wrote. “Today I celebrate life, my husband, my family, my friends, my amazing colleagues, awesome people of the press, •Judith my social media family, well Audu wishers, thank you all for making this journey worth it and giving me a reason to look on to tomorrow with renewed hope, laughter and strength. You mean so much to me than you can ever imagine...Say a word of prayer for me today, its the best birthday gift you can give me, well, aside cash, camera, lens, lights or script and feel free to party on my behalf “she added.

•Halima Abubakar

I look ffor or war d ttoo pla ying orw ard playing se xy sexy xy,, classy police of offficer — Joke Jigan By KEHINDE AJOSE

J •Joke Jigan

oke Jigan is a talented actress who shot into limelight through her movie Bisola Beyonce. Since then she has continued to wow her fans with myriad of roles she plays in movies. In a chat with Potpourri, the sexy actress tells us the role she looks forward to playing. “I will love to play the role of a sexy and classy police officer. I see it in American movies and will love to bring it to life in our own movies. I look forward to playing that role. Every profession has its own challenges. I am determined to face whatever comes my way in this profession. One of the challenges we face in this profession is that of cash flow and also getting the permission from people to use their houses in our movies,” she said.

Association of Nigerian Musicologists holds her 14th International Conference

By OSA AMADI

HE Association of Nigerian Musicologists (ANM) will hold her 14th International Conference titled “Nigerian Indigenous Music and the Changing Times”, from 16th – 19th August, 2016, at the Department of Creative Arts, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos. Prof. Anthony Mereni and Osita Ezewanebe (Associate Professor and HOD, Creative Arts Department, UNILAG) are convener and coconveners respectively. The Keynote address will be delivered by Steve Ayorinde, Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State, while the first lead paper will be given by Prof. Tunji Vidal, former Dean of PG School, OAU, Ile-Ife.

The second lead paper will be presented by Prof. Cordis M. Achike of music department, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State. Speaking with Sunday Vanguard on the features of the conference, Dr. Stephen Olusoji, renowned classical music composer and LOC Chairman of ANM, said art music composition, music therapy, gender issues, pop music, socio-political change, movies, techniques for teaching music in the 21st century, sustainable development, globalisation, economy, technology, and their relationships with Nigerian Indigenous music, will form the sub-themes of the conference.

PAGE 22—SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

BY KEHINDE AJOSE

Simi Simi Ogunleye popularly known as Simi in the music industry is one of the fast rising divas at the moment. The graduate of Covenant University signed to X3M Music, finally got the nod of her fans with the release of her highlife infused song, Jamb Question. Simi’s story telling ability, impeccable voice texture and deep lyrics are perhaps what makes her sought after. She clinched the award for the Most Promising Music Act at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards last year. She’s making more noise with her ‘Love Don’t Care’.

Adokiye No one knows how she

Just as the competition in the music industry gets stiffer, there are some divas who seem to thrive in it. In no particular order, we look at some divas, who have only recently hit stardom and are not allowing the competition to get to them. Everyday, their profiles rise, their music become more popular and they look good to be around for many more years. does it, but Adokiye Kyrian knows how to get the right attention for her brand. The multi-talented actress, entrepreneur and singer may not make your list of Alist pop stars but she definitely is on her way to music’s zenith. Last year, she released a groovy Afropop song titled ‘Glory’ .The song has continued to get brilliant reviews. With a strong social media presence, sex appeal and unbeatable stagecraft, Adokiye may give the likes of Tiwa Savage a run for their money. She recently released the visual to the audio.

D’ija Hadiza Blell popularly known as Aphrodija, without a shadow of doubt, is one of the hottest singers around. The Glo ambassador signed to Don Jazzy’s Mavin Records, has proven her mettle as one of the rising female acts to watch out for. Her hit songs, Awww and Amen continues to wow fans across the nation. Though petite, she has this confidence that shows forth whenever she sings. She has been nominated for awards like Nigeria Entertainment

•Di'ja

awards and clinched the Best New Artist award at the Beat Awards. Her latest single is ‘Take Kiss’

Immaculate Edache

Curvy Immaculate is an effervescent songbird who broke into the industry after becoming the first runner-up in Project Fame Season 6. She is currently signed to Tee-Y mix’s Vivace Records .The beautiful singer is not only aware of her vocal strength, she also flaunts her sensuality at every given opportunity. She is a graduate of Benue State University where she obtained a degree in Mass Communications.

Victoria Kimani

Armed with good looks and a melodious voice, Chocolate City’s Victoria

Kimani has become one of the most sought after divas in the music industry. The American-born Nigeriabased artiste caught the attention of Audi Maikori when she did a cover of Ice Prince’s Oleku. The delectable songstress is popular for her hit song Show produced by Tekno. She was selected alongside Omotola, Waje and Yemi Alade for the One Campaign theme song.

Ruby Gyang

Blessed with a soothing voice, Ruby Gyang can be described as a singer who goes any length to produce harmonious sounds. The Benue native is popular for songs like Good Man, Down and Okay. Her versatility is evident in her collaborations with artistes like M.I, Naeto C and Youssou N’Dour. In 2014, she clinched the award for Extraordinaire Vocal Performance at the Too Exclusive Awards. This year, she unveiled her EP titled: This is love.

•Simi • Ruby Gyang •Immaculate

•Aramide •Adokiye

•Sandra Ifudu

Aramide When Aramide burst onto the music scene a few years back with cover of Davido’s Ekuro, her talent as a singer got a few people talking. It was when she released Iwo ni kan that people started paying her the attention she deserves. The talented singer and guitarist is signed to Baseline Records. Early this year, she clinched the award for the Best Vocal Performance at the Headies 2015. She defeated other contenders like Waje, Asa and Yemi Alade.

Sandra Ifudu Sandra’s voice texture and stage craft makes her an artiste who will surely wow you with her soprano. The English graduate of Madonna University recently released a love tune titled ‘Yeah Yeah’ which is rocking the airwaves. The song is produced by Fliptyce. Even Denrele and actor Sunkanmi Omobolanle cannot resist the charm this damsel oozes as they both described her as hot. “ Only Sandra Ifudu can do in 15 minutes what it would take Jack Bauer 24 hours to do. Her new single ‘Yeah Yeah’ by Fliptyce is hot,” quipped Denrele Edun.

•Victoria Kimani

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 23

AYO ONIKOYI 08052201215

City Chorale Husse arri Old S tudents mar k 69 Lagos Husseyy College W Warri Students mark dazzles in Germany

L-R: Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (retd); Dr Alex Ekwueme, Dr (Mrs) Evelyn Urhobo, chairman, Hussey College Warri Old Students Association, Lagos State Branch and Mr Joseph Awala, Vice President.

L-R: Prof Hope Eghagha, Oba Tijani Akinloye, the Ojomu of Ajiran land and Pharm. Lawrence Ayanfulu, chairman of the occasion.

ussey College, Warri, Old S t u d e n t s Association, Lagos Branch, recently celebrated its 69th Founders Day anniversary with a dinner at the Metropolitan Club, Victoria Island, Lagos. The well-attended ceremony saw some members of the association being recognised and honoured with merit awards for their contribution to the course of the association and for their feat in their chosen callings. Photos by Sola Oyelese

LAGOS City Chorale (Multi-International Award Winning Choir) directed by Sir Emeka Nwokedi recently returned from 11-day tour in Germany. The group was invited by the Confederation of German Choral Association to present Nigerian/ African sacred choral music at the just concluded Musica Sacra International Festival in Marktoberdorf, Germany. They had a total of 11 concerts in different cities which include Augsburg, Kaufbeuren, Fussen, Worms and Ulm.

LCC presenting Nigerian/African Sacred Choral Music in Ecumenical Service in Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Holy Trinity Church) in Kaufbeuren, Germany.

L-R: HRM Oba Tijani Akinloye, the Ojomu of Ajiran land; Pharm. Lawrence Ayanfulu, Chief Kofi Kartey and Chief Brown Mene, representing the Olu of Warri. Lagos City Chorale with Sir Emeka Nwokedi conducting at the Opening Concert of the Musica Sacra International Fstival in Marktoberdorf, Germany.

L-R: Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni (Rtd); Dr (Mrs) Helen Ekwueme and Dr Alex Ekwueme.

L-R: Renato Awani, Ewo Dare Mabiaku; Rita Begho and Nneka Oduah .

Mar yland R otar es anniv er sar Maryland Ro taryy Club celebrat celebrates anniver ersar saryy

ecently the Rotary Cub of Maryland, Ikeja, Lagos, marked its 14th anniversary with a courtesy call on the Oba of Onigbongbo, Ikeja, Lagos, Kabiyesi Oba Munirudeen Olatunji Yusuf

L-R: President, Rotary Club of Maryland, Rotarian Femi Akodu, with Charter President, Rotarian Bola Oyebade, Past President Rotarian Kareem Arigbabu and Past President, Rotarian Sidney Asiegbu. C M Y K

Lagos City Chorale directed by Sir Emeka Nwokedi performing in Sparkasse (Bank) in the Markplatz (Market place).

At Baale Alaworoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burial

L-R: Past President Rotarian Doyin Adebayo, with Charter President, Rotarian Bola Oyebade, the President, Rotarian Femi Akodu, Kabiyesi Oba Nurudeen Yusuf of Onigbongbo, Ikeja, Lagos, incoming President, Rotarian Babatunde Ojo, and past President Kareem Arigbabu.

L-R: Chief Jelili A. Ashade - Baale of Alaworo, Chief Ade Ebenezer - Baale of Agogunbe Ilubu and Chief Yunsa Fagbohun - Baale of Eteko

P AGE 24— SUND AY Vanguard , JUL Y 3 , 2016 SUNDA JULY

Some men actually love their women fat!

f you believe that it’s only svelte women that grab all the good-looking men, leaving the unsavoury ones to fat women, you are wrong! More than ever before, women with more bounce-tothe-ounce, are being encouraged to flaunt what they have. All over the world, there have also been beauty pageants specially designed for volumptous women. Afterall there are lots of men that salivate over fleshy women. Like Kay, for instance. A friend of several years, he’d always been full of praises for them. “It is really exciting when a well-endowed woman gets undressed when you’re in the room. The sight of very fleshy boobs tumbling free from the bra always want me to bury my head between her cleavage. Heaven! tumbling free from the bra”, he whooped, rubbing his hands with glee. Susan doesn’t joke with her food in spite of the size 24 figure. She was the brunt of cruel jibes when she was in school. “But when I entered university, I didn’t really give a hoot about my figure”, she told me. “By this time, I’d had a handful of boyfriends. One actually said he loved me until I was eventually dumped because, according to him, people always point and stare at you when we go out’. Simply put, he thought I was an embarrassment. What a kick in the teeth! What did I do? I reverted to sweet, fattening

food for comfort. And put on more weight. “When I discovered that there were some girls fatter than me, with tons of confidence on campus, I forgot my inhibitions. So, when I met this skinny man at a party who said I was gorgeous, I didn’t shrink back. His name was Phil and his sincere compliments won me over in an instant. It was the first of many feel-good phrases he heaped on me and I lapped it up. We became intimate almost immediately and he couldn’t have enough of me. ‘I like the feeling of a woman in control’, he told me, ‘and I love big women and their beautiful fat flesh squashing me. Skinny girls are just bony and full of themselves while you are amazing. You care about me, not selfish about your looks! In case you haven’t noticed, there is an increase in demand for big women in recent years. And the service they offer include ‘squashing’. According to Jenny, a fat happy Londoner. “I was seriously contemplating getting a gastric band to curb my obesity and researching the options opened to me on the internet when I noticed the BBW site. Big Beautiful Women. I 1clicked it and found a website with pictures of fat women posing in lovely dresses and even their undies. And they were bigger than me. In other words, while I’d spent my adult years cowering and

lacking in confidence, the women looked happy and proud. And male admirers were sending them adoring messages. It was like I’d stumbled into a magical new world where obese women were goddesses, their curves worshipped. “It was through the site that I learnt that lots of men love having a big woman sit on them. Such women are called squashers. I’d never heard of such a thing, but I read how some men craved the feel of a big women in sexy lingerie pining down their body. It was

seen to be erotic and relaxing. And what was more exciting was the site explained there was a lot of demands for squashers in Britain. As ridiculous as it sounded, I decided to give it a go. Before I could change my mind, I put a snap of me in sexy lingerie on the site and was amazed at the response. The site explained that squashers were not prostitutes and couldn’t be roped by the squashee. And as many squashees loved eating too, I could be treated to scrumptious meals before

dates. “When I finally met a prospective squashee, I was relieved he didn’t look like a pervert. As a matter of fact, he was a shy business man, slim and middle aged. Later in bed, I took off my dress and he lay on the bed, and feeling really self conscious, I lowered my big bottom unto his chest. It was a big scary putting all my weight on his skinny ribs. ‘I’m not breaking any bones am I?”, I teased him. He managed to shake his head while I straddled him, bending down to press my cleavage against his face. He seemed to be enjoying it. “He told me honestly that I was gorgeous. It felt so good to be appreciated. Later, when we’d know each other a while, he confessed that, ‘I feel strong and masculine because I’m bearing your weight. Yet I feel dominated too - when you sit on me. I can’t even breath freely until you stand up” I it was as if by being helpless, they found freedom. A lot saw my big squashy body as motherly and comforting ... “ Talk about being a lucky star shining brightly above for everyone. When I discussed Jenny ’s experience, with Susan, she found it amusing. “I haven’t had that kind of adventure yet. For now, I’m happy to be big, proud, curvy and confident 1 don’t need to pack my bum on any man’s chest to be sexually fulfilled” .

08052201867(Text Only)

The Writer's Pose The Writer's Pose Sit on your heels and raise your left hand from below and get your back, hold the left hand with the right from above so that the right elbow points upward. Stay in the position for a minute and alternate with the left hand above and the right below Benefits: The Writer's Pose strengthens the shoulders and tones up the muscles of the arms,improving the circulation there.

Yoga Classes STARTED Physical Therapy Centre

* The Writer's Pose(Standing) C M Y K

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

* The Writer's Pose

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 25

healthy living

SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY Mrs Ann Valentina Ideh, a renown ophthalmologist in Edo State, Is the proprietor of Prime Opticals and Eye Clinic in Benin City. Every year, Ideh embarks on free eye treatment which includes surgery for indigent patients. Over 2,000 people have benefited. This year’s treatment took place penultimate week. In this interview, Ideh gives an insight into how the project started and why blindness keeps increasing in Nigeria. Excerpts:

an we know how this free eye treatment started?

An ophthalmologist is basically the head of the eye care team. This means I’m a trained medical doctor who, after Youth Service and my house job, has done extra five years minimum course to do ophthalmology which is a course to treat people with eye challenges through the use of glasses, drugs or surgery. I trained at the University of Ibadan for my medical course and, for my post graduate program, I was at the Morfeild Hospital, the University of Benin and I also spent six years in India just to update myself. When I finished from the University of Benin, I knew after my post graduate program that I didn’t want to work in government service. I was a bit frustrated as a resident because of the strikes and not being able to get things done. If you needed to get something done like surgery, you had to wait because there was lack of basic things like light and water. But going out on my own, I wanted to establish the kind of hospital that would be different. I wanted a clinic that would be an alternative to the government hospital and, 27 years later, I’m happy and proud to say that I have a big private practice. I get respect from teaching hospitals, from my friends here and there. I feel fulfilled because people come to learn new procedures from me. My mother was into community development. At that time, we would go out to the villages where they had events and we used to have a lot of people coming to stay with us. Anytime my mother, a Permanent Secretary, brought some of these people from the villages, I knew that they were very different, everything that seemed like we took for granted was not what they were used to and she always used to say there was dignity in labor and she also used to help them financially. Then I realized that sometimes God places you in a situation where He wants to use you. So, when I was fifty, I had this clinic a long time ago, but I realized that people would come into the clinic and, when they come, maybe they would be told consultation was five thousand naira and, because they might not have enough money, they would walk away. So I thought why didn’t we have a time when we could open the clinic and people could be treated free of charge? But, first of all, we had to have enough staff and then you had to have a big clinic, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to cope. So I talked to some charity organizations like Charilove. When I checked fifty, I decided not to have a party. I said I was going to raise money to open a home for the handicapped, I raised N1million for them and everyone was so happy. Then the question came. How are we going to keep this up? I thought I could give back from the skill that I have and that is ophthalmology. So I sat down with my staff and told them we should do something for the community. So we went out to the morning show on ITV and we sent messages to churches. That was how we started the first eye clinic. It was successful, everyone just walked in, then we categorized the patients. We had old patients who we charged consultation and professional fees but, this time, we went straight to drug sales. And then for blind patients, we have card charts. For three children

C M Y K

•Mrs Ann Ideh

DEADLY MIX:

Hypertension plus cataract who had been categorized for surgery in the last camp, they were born blind but unfortunately we can’t attend to them this week because we are doing like seven or eight patients a day. The children need to be put to sleep; so they are going to have to wait till next week when we are free. We need to have time for them, we need to bring anaesthetics to put them to sleep and they were children brought in by good Samaritans. I have about 30 people who work with me but they can’t deal with the number of people we have here; so we have volunteers. Every year, we see about 2,000 new patients. But we probably see about 100 in a day because we see between 600 and 700 in a week. We categorize them, some are free, some are marked down, but everyone has a discount on what we charge. After the patients have all come in, we can now distinguish between those who would get free glasses from those who need free drugs and free surgery. This year’s free medical treatment, how long is the exercise going to last? It lasts for one week, it starts on Monday and goes on till Friday. What we do is we get people registered between 8am and 3pm so that we can attend to all the people in one day, we don’t want spill over to the next day. The surgery you do, how is it arranged? Yesterday, we did eight surgeries. I don’t know how many have been lined up for tomorrow. Some of them are free, some are marked down but are

Many people walking around are hypertensive. What we do here is to screen people for blood pressure during which we find out a lot of things. You need to have your blood pressure and your blood sugar screened at least once a year discounted. There was a woman we saw yesterday, she was diabetic, blind, you could see the husband was in need, those are the kind of people that we give free treatment. Those ones are not hard to identify; so, we just pick them and tell them we help with one eye, ‘ what we want to do is to help you to be able to see’. What is actually responsible for blindness which seems to be rampant today? Diabetes comes due to the fact that we take too many sugary things and we take a lot of food that we should not normally take. You are going out to parties, you don’t know what they

cooked. They give you salad with a lot of sugar and you eat without knowing the consequence. Are you aware that when you go to fast food restaurants, they put a lot of sugar in the salad you eat to make it sweet? That is not the way we used to do it. Our diets have changed a lot. We eat a lot of processed food. Before, we were eating yam, garri, home grown rice but now we are eating polished rice, we do not take enough vegetables or give them to our children. We have water bottles inside which we put clean water for our children but now children go to school with juice, soft drinks and so on. Their diet from the beginning is already wrong. We are giving them noodle to eat and what is noodle? The spice used in it is not healthy. Many people walking around are hypertensive. What we do here is to screen people for blood pressure during which we find out a lot of things. You need to have your blood pressure and your blood sugar screened at least once a year. If you are told you are hypertensive or diabetic, it’s usually a lifelong thing. Our patients think that when you go to the hospital and your doctor says you are now controlled, it means you should stop the drugs. We have a lot of people with that, diabetes is one of the causes of cataract. Hypertension is also one of the causes of the problems at the back of the eye. We have people who come in like that because they do not know they are hypertensive. Diabetic patients cannot have surgery if their blood sugar is not controlled. If

Continues on page 26

PAGE 26—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016,

healthy living

4,000 killer chemicals inside tobacco smoke — Dr Abayomi Ajayi, Medical Director, Nordica Fertility Centre, Lagos.

*Worse still, Soda ages immune cells by two years BY CHIOMA OBINNA

any Nigerians still doubt the ultimate price to pay for smoking: Death. The perception about smoking may not be unconnected with the common saying among smokers, “It is a matter of taking a bottle of Soda water to clear the system” This has been a long standing belief among smokers. Unfortunately, Soda is not an escape route as the scary truth is that the drink is just as bad as smoking a cigarette. Worse still, studies have shown that a daily Soda habit can age your immune cells by two years. Soda has also been linked to rising rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases. But why is smoking a killer habit? According to the World Health Organisation, WHO, about six million people die from tobacco consumption annually. Further breaking the deaths down, according to WHO, whereas five million die from direct consumption, 600,000 non-smokers die from exposure to second-hand smoke also known as passive smoking. Second-hand smoke is the smoke that fills restaurants, offices or other enclosed spaces where people burn tobacco products such as cigarettes, bidis and water-pipes. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer. Unfortunately, smoking of cigarette and India hemp is common place among young adults, and even secondary school students across the country. Hospital statistics have shown a rise in cases of smoking-related ailments such as kidney diseases and cancer, among others. It is also an established fact that smoking has been found to harm virtually every organ in the body and diminishes overall health. Smoking is a leading cause. It causes cancer of the lungs, esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, colon and rectum, as well as acute myeloid leukemia. A renown cardiologist, Dr Kingsley Akinroye, said tobacco smoking is harmful as it affects almost every organ in the body, hence the need for people to be educated on the dangers of smoking. According to him, tobacco smoking

A woman, who smokes during or after pregnancy, increases her infant’s risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome causes heart diseases, stroke, aortic aneurysm chronic obstructive pulmonary disease chronic bronchitis and emphysema, diabetes, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, age related macular degeneration, cataract, and worsens asthma symptoms in adults. Akinroye, who is also the Executive Director, Nigerian Heart Federation, NHF, said: “Also smokers are at higher risk of developing pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other airway

infections. “It also causes inflammation and impairs immune function. Smoking makes it harder for a woman to get pregnant. A pregnant woman who smokes is at higher risk of miscarriage, having an ectopic pregnancy, having her baby born too early and with an abnormally low birth weight, and having her baby born with cleft lips and cleft palate. “A woman, who smokes during or after pregnancy, increases her infant’s risk of death from sudden infant death syndrome. Men, who smoke, are at greater risk of erectile dysfunction. Cigarette smoking and exposure to tobacco smoke cause many premature deaths each year in Nigeria. Smoking is the leading cause of premature, preventable deaths in Nigeria and Africa at large. However, the good news is that regardless of their age, smokers can substantially reduce their risk of diseases, including cancer by quitting smoking”. Nigeria became a signatory to WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in June 2004 and took giant strides on March 15, 2011 when the Senate passed a bill to regulate and control production, manufacture, sale,

advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. To reduce effects of smoking among Nigerians, Akinroye called for effective enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act passed by the 7th Assembly and signed into law in 2015. Akinroye, who expressed worry on the rise in tobacco smoking among school children and the delay in the implementation of the Tobacco Control Act, urged smokers to quit the habit to avoid becoming a victim. He said only few African countries have honoured their own pledge by ensuring that all tobacco sold has no brand name on the packaging. “Federal government should take a cue from those few countries as giant of Africa. It is all about the President making a pronouncement that we have to honour the treaty that we signed. Number two, we now have a tobacco law in the country. Are we honouring the law former President Goodluck Jonathan signed in 2015? One of the ways we can honour a law is by empowering the agencies for implementation and also funding is very important.” WHO Framework Convention on tobacco recommends that parties consider adoption of plain packaging and through the World No Tobacco Day 2016, WHO aims to highlight the role of plain packaging as part of a comprehensive, multispectral approach to tobacco control and facilities policy development by Member States. WHO also encourages Member States to work towards plain packaging in a step-wise approach by strengthening packaging and labeling measures and restrictions on advertising, promotion and sponsorship. In recent times, there has a global awakening on the adverse effects of tobacco consumption and different countries have risen up to fight against the growing casualty from its consumption. Unfortunately, Nigeria is way back even after the last administration in 2015 passed into law the billed that banned smoking in public places. Lagos State House of Assembly earlier banned smoking in public places in January 2014. With the World Health Organisation, WHO, explanation that there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke and about 80 percent of the world’s 1 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, there is need for the country to enforce policies that will discourage smoking, particularly in public places.

Hypertension plus cataract Continued from page 25 they do, they might have infections which are bound to heal slowly. They are most likely to have complications after surgery. Most of our diabetic patients, their meals are majorly carbohydrate, which is mostly starch. Protein is richer than carbohydrate; so it’s difficult when you tell the patient to eat a lot of green plantain, amala made from plantain and wheat. Here we eat a lot of rice, yam and so on. Carbohydrate is our main meal but it’s supposed to be protein and vegetables which would be the main meal. Children are also supposed to come in for a check before going into primary school. This is to check their eyesight before it gets worse. Some children need glasses to correct their sight on

C M Y K

time but some parents say their children are too small to wear glasses at that age. Babies wear glasses, the glasses are specially made with a band around the head. If you postpone treatment for a yet unborn until he is born, the vision is not going to be good. The development of the eye has to do with age, the development of the eye is between birth and nine years. If during that period you do not maximize the use of the eye, it might be too late. So children have to be brought in when they are not seeing or if the parents notice their eyes are moving around like albino children. Such children have to have a test every year until they get to 21 and are fully grown at which stage we know we cannot improve their vision anymore. Adults need to have at least a check every two years. If you are diabetic or hypertensive, you have

to have your eyes checked every year. Another problem is glaucoma, which is a different and painless disease. It is the loss of vision over time. You cannot tell if you have glaucoma unless you go for eye test. It doesn’t give pain or happen rapidly. It is a disease which does not have a cure but can only be managed with treatment. And the stage which you walk in with the disease, we can manage it using drugs, laser and surgery. But most of our patients come in late and we help them manage the remaining 10% of the vision they have. Patients most time do not admit they have the disease. It is a disease where you have to use drugs for the rest of your life and the drugs would not make the eye better and if you don’t use the drugs, your situation gets worse. It is usually hard to explain it to the patient. It is most rampant to black people and

people over 40. We the blacks are very prone because we have pigments and the pigments block where the eye is supposed to drain out. Due to that, pressure builds up in the eye and destroys the nerve over time. Cataract can be treated by surgery, but glaucoma cannot be fully cured. Then there is diabetes and hypertension which affect the back of the eye. Once you are 40, you need to get glasses because your lens get weaker. If you have a family history of eye problem, you need to get checked because there is a possibility you have it too. As our hair grows, so does our eyes. A healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle can prevent some eye problems even in old age. If you are not taking care of your eyes, with age, your eye strength would degenerate. Taking care of your body also takes care of your eyes and having regular eye checks also help.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 27

royaity DODDAN BARRACKS POLITICS

Obasanjo dissapointed lobbyists for my sake —Nwokedi, Achalla monarch

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

gwe Alex Nwokedi, a veteran journalist, will be 80 on December 18 and only recently clocked 20 on the throne as Uthokoneze Achalla in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State. He started out as a sports writer with Daily Times. He grew through the ranks to become the Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) from where the then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo, appointed him his Press Secretary, at the then sent of power, Doddan Barracks, Lagos. The former Chairman, Anambra State •Nwokedi...I stopped law programme midway Traditional Rulers Council also served under Obasanjo’s successor, President Shehu Usman Shagari, briefly as Press number of lawyers in Nigeria. We even Secretary before he was redeployed to the Nigerian National have a Senior Advocate of Nigeria Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as General Manager, Public (SAN) who is my elder brother’s son, Affairs. He was also the pioneer Manager, Electricity Prince Uche Nwokedi, and in his Corporation of Nigeria (ECN). In this interview held in his father, we produced a Supreme Court palace in Achalla, Nwokedi spoke on his life story, his kingdom Judge who was also the pioneer Chairman, National Human Rights and the state of the nation. Excerpts:

th ecently you celebrated your 20 anniversary on the throne and, by December 18, you will be 80. What is your life story like? I didn’t know I was going get to the point I am now when I started. The Lord has done a lot in my life and I am highly appreciative of that. What was your childhood like? When I was a child I was a bit rascally. I lived with a teacher, who flogged the hell out of me to make me what I am today, and because of the training I had as a child, I never joked with my education. How did you become the Press Secretary to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as military Head of State? They gave him some names to consider, according to the story he himself told. Then he looked at the names and said, ‘Let me pick somebody who will give publicity to me and not to himself.’ Then he selected me. General Obasanjo is a great man and I will always cherish my being very close to him because I learned a lot from him. Could you let us into a little of what you learned from him? I learned from him, for example, to be proactive as the image maker of the commander-in-chief. If he asked me to do something, I would do it to the best of my ability. From him I also learned to tolerate, I learned to cherish, I learned to give good value to whatever I do and I also learned to appreciate whatever God gives me. General Obasanjo is one of the greatest leaders in (the history of) Nigeria. Obasanjo, Azikiwe, Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, these are men we should cherish in Nigeria. All of us are human beings. We have faults. But I would always cherish my very close association with Obasanjo. You were a notable Igbo man. At the time you were ripe for marriage and, despite the ethnic issues in Nigeria, C M Y K

Commission (NHRC).

you married a Yoruba woman. What was the inspiration? My father ensured that all of us his children didn’t school in Eastern Region as it was called in those days. Where did you school? All of us schooled in Lagos. Honourable Justice Paul Nkemdilim Nwokedi, CON, myself, Akune Willie Nwokedi, Igwe Charley Nwokedi attended St. Gregory’s College, Lagos. So, my father must have his reason for sending us outside Igbo land to school. Were you able to find out why? His reason for sending us outside Igbo land to school was to broaden our knowledge and for us to make friends and mix with people from other parts of Nigeria. By this I see my father as one of the greatest men because he thought very far. So, by taking us out of Achalla in the then Eastern Region to school in Lagos, he must have thought that he was sending us to Lagos and to a prestigious college like St. Gregory’s, to widen our knowledge, make friends and broaden our exposure. You are not a lawyer but virtually all your children are lawyers. Was that your choice or the choice of your brother who is a judge? I studied law but I stopped half way and went to do international relations. Again, Nwokedi’s family is a family of lawyers. I think we have about 14 lawyers now. Family of lawyers? How? Our father was a court clerk and rose to become Njikoka Customary Court judge. Njikoka at that time included Achalla, Abaagara, Awka and all those communities around Awka. Njikoka in Igbo means it is better to come together and my father was the judge of customary court of that area. So, we were born into the legal system with our father being the judge of a customary court. I think at the moment, the Nwokedi family is one of the families with largest

So, you can see that we have a legal background. But in my case, I did law half way and then stopped to study international relations. On my children, I didn’t tell them what to study but I gave them advice. For example, my nephew, who is a SAN, wanted to do philosophy, economics in Oxford but I told

They gave him some names to consider, according to the story he himself told. Then he looked at the names and said, ‘Let me pick somebody who will give publicity to me and not to himself’

him, no. The advice I give all my children is that, whatever you want to study, first of all do law because law is a utility profession, with it you can do any job. You can be selfengaged, you can work in a council, you can teach. Law is a utility profession, just like journalism. But I am very lucky that I went into journalism. I used to be the Secretary of the Nigerian Union Journalists and there are people that I met and whom I will always appreciate Peter Enahoro, Edie Aderinokun, Sam Amuka, Bisi Lawrence, etc. I have always had good friends but one thing is that, my friends’ character does not influence me. I used to have a friend whose mother was always so happy to see us together. But one day, his sister, I don’t want to mention

names, said to me, “How come that this your friend is so bad that any time we are looking for him, we have to go and look for him either in Lion Building or another place? But you don’t behave like him. Both of you are so close but you are so different. You don’t behave like him. How? Tell me how you manage to cope with him.’ I said nobody can influence my character and that that is how my Lord made me. But why did you stop your law programme? I got scholarship to study in the University of Oslo, Norway, that made me to stop my legal studies and change to international relations using that opportunity of scholarship to study abroad. Now back to your Igbo/Yoruba marriage. How did it play out despite the difference in culture? By our background, we are not tribalists and we are not clannish. We are not sectionalists. We have broad minds and I married a wife who I would say is one of the best in the world. I am not trying to flatter her but I must tell you that she was the one that tolerated me, not me tolerating her. She tolerated me and all my faults and she assisted me to be what I am today. Your kingdom of Achalla is different from other Igbo communities as if you come from different sources. What do I not know? Achalla is a highly cultural community, very traditional. We are what we call Orlu. We are Igbo aborigine. Others are foreigners because they met us here. And really, my family is Igala from the North. How did your ancestors come from the North to settle in Achalla? The head of Igala at that time was an elephant hunter. This place was a haven for elephants and so, he hunted from Igala to this place and he became ill and died. Achalla people became afraid that Igala people would come and fight them thinking that they killed their kinsman. So, they buried him in a place called Eke and planted an Iroko tree there to mark it out. Up till today, the Iroko tree is there. You had once seen the seat of power having worked as image maker to a Head of State. What is your word for the sitting people in government who say they are out to govern with discipline? You have to discipline yourself first and you do this by not being a tribalist, by not being money-minded, by loving your neighbour as yourself. When you do these, you can come all out to say that you want to discipline others. A thief, for instance, cannot possibly discipline another thief. Again, to Nigerian people who are being governed, we are very good people but we should play our complementary role to the role of people in government by also disciplining ourselves. Nobody is perfect but it is noble that when we make mistakes, we try to correct ourselves. th As you are riding towards your 80 birthday, what do you wish for Achalla? I want to see a very highly educated Achalla where primary schools and

colleges are improved. I want to see a generally improved community.

PAGE 28—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 08056180152, SMS only

Want sparkling white teeth? Clean them with banana peel!

ho doesn’t want dazzling white teeth without spending a fortune at the dentist?

Especially when you can spend next to nothing to get them sparkling white? Old wives’ tales? Well, according to websites devoted to the unlikely fruits, spices and oils which promise to give you a knock-them-dead smile at a fraction of the price dentists charge. This is not so far fetched. But as for Dr.Uchenna Okoye, a clinical director at London Smiling Dental Group, a bit of caution is advised before you make your teeth worse than they are. He then gives his opinion on the various ‘ wonder cure’ for yellowing teeth. Strawberries: Claim Mash up a ripe strawberr y, dip your toothbrush in it and brush carefully over teeth. Within two weeks, your teeth will be whiter. Dentist’s Verdict: True - Strawberries contain citric acid, which can weaken the surface hardness of your teeth. But it also contains the more gentle malic acid, and the riper the strawberry becomes, the higher the concentration of malic acid compared to the more harmful citric acid. So choose a really ripe strawberry, rub it on your teeth and just like exfoliating the skin, it does remove superficial debris. The malic acid won’t actually break down the stain molecules, but the surface clean gives your teeth a whiter appearance. A gentle and effective natural whitener.

Orange Pith: Claim The white part of the orange skin, between the surface and the flesh of the fruit, contains a d-limene, which can help remove stains from your teeth after using it for three weeks. Peel the orange, keeping as much of the white pith as you can. Rub the white part of the peel over your teeth, and let the juice sit on your teeth for three to five minutes. Brush your teeth thoroughly to clean away pulp and peel, and after several weeks the chemical will have whitened the appearance. Verdict: False - The advice I give all my patients is to be very wary of fruit juices and drink them with a straw (if they have to drink juice at all). So this claim goes against every piece of advice and scientific evidence I can think of. The citric acid within the orange causes tooth enamel to dissolve. This erosion can lead to tooth decay, and once the erosion has reached the soft, inner layer of your teeth known as dentine, you’ll experience sensitivity and pain. Avoid. Banana Peel: Claim High levels of potassium, magnesium and manganese in bananas can help remove stains from teeth. Simply peel a ripe banana, and rub your teeth with the insides of the peel for about two minutes. After three weeks, your teeth will have whitened. Verdict: True - If you rub the skin, it can act as a gentle exfoliator and will remove some surface

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"

LOVE AND ANGER

Love is something that brings joy to the heart

wine and tea. In a cup, mix half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda with half a teaspoon of water, mix to form a paste, dip your toothbrush into the mixture and brush teeth for one to two minutes. After just a few days you will notice a difference.

stains, but the banana will not reach the inside the pores on the surface of your enamel - so no true ‘deep’ clean will take place. However, I like the idea that you can eat a banana and give your teeth a quick healthy buff before running off to a meeting. Cider Vinegar: Claim Rinsing with apple cider vinegar (mixed two parts of water) will make teeth whiter and protect teeth and gums from bacteria. Verdict: False - Cider Vinegar is a favourite of ‘detox’ devotees. Once swallowed, it mixes with pancreatic secretions in the intestines and turns alkaline, but when it hits your teeth, it is an acid, albeit a weak one. This makes the enamel on your teeth less resistant to damage - like wetting a chalk and then scraping off the surface. A low acid level - such as the malic acid in strawberries - won’t harm your teeth. But this will buff away a deeper layer of enamel, and should be avoided. Coconut Oil: Claim - A 3,000-year-old

Ayurvedic way to clean teeth is to swish a tablespoon of oil (usually coconut, sesame or olive oil) around your mouth for 20 minutes every morning. The coconut oil sticks to the oil in the cell membrane of any bacteria in your mouth, so when you spit it out, you are ridding your mouth of unwanted microorganisms. Used by stars including Gwyneth Paltrow, who claim it whitens teeth and improves complexion. Verdict: False - There is no scientific evidence at all that ‘oil pulling’ as it’s called, will whiten teeth, or even remove bacteria. It’s possible that the act of swishing the oil around your mouth will dislodge some bacteria or debris, so followed by a careful brushing session, your teeth may look cleaner. But no science shows that oil pulling will make your teeth any whiter. Bicarbonate of Soda: Claim - Bicarbonate of soda is a mild abrasive which effectively removes stains on teeth caused by coffee, red

and mind of people. It brings smiles on the faces of couples and lovers. Anger is a destroyer, it brings hatred and misunderstanding between couples and lovers... Love and anger have no limit,so you choose love and have a beautiful and lovely life.. Things are to be used and people are to be loved.... Watch your THOUGHT because they become WORD, watch your word because they become ACTION,watch your action because they become HABIT, watch your habit because they become CHARACTER then watch your character because they become your DESTINY.

Verdict: Tr ue Bicarbonate of soda otherwise known as baking soda - is somehow considered natural but it is actually a chemical, and used commercially in some teeth - whitening products and toothpastes. It does effectively remove plaque and debris in the surface of the teeth to make them appear brighter, and it also can neutralise bacteria/ acids in the mouth. But it is an abrasive compound and, as such, will damage the enamel protecting the teeth if used too much. Try it three times a year to lift those surface stains, and to avoid damaging the enamel, use your finger to rub it on or a flannel. Lemons: Claim - Suck on a slice of lemon for several minutes each morning, or rinse your mouth with lemon juice squeezed into a glass of water. The acid from the lemon will deep-clean even the tiniest of molecules lodged in your teeth. Verdict: False - Lemons have such a high concentration of citric acid that their juice is acidic enough to corrode enamel. Lemon juice has no place in the mouth at all. Lemons are more acidic than vinegar. Far from whitening your

teeth, they ’ll dissolve them away. I have seen patients who such lemons and are left with the imprint of a lemon slice on their teeth requiring bonding and veneering to cover it up. Avoid this at all costs - it is the same as bathing your teeth in a glass of cola. So which is best? Strawberries beat them all hands down! What You See Is All You Get! (Humour) During a wild weekend in Edinburgh with the lads, Vinnie declares; ‘I’m going to wear a kilt out clubbing tonight.’ The others laugh but Vinnie insists embracing the traditional costume will get him lots of female attention. That night, Vinnie’s kilt swishes around his bare knees as they swagger into a club. Immediately a beautiful woman sways up to him. ‘Hey, handsome,’ she says with a wink. ‘Is there anything worn under that kilt?’ ‘Oh no,’ Vinnie declares hastily. ‘It’s all in perfect working order.’ Do It Yourself! (Humour) One night, Alex is in the mood to make love to his beautiful wife, Gail. Not wanting to sound too blunt, he whispers: ‘Would it be OK for me to put my letter in your post box?’ ‘No, it would not!’ she fires back. An hour later he’s still feeling frisky. ‘Any chance of posting my letter in your post box now?’ he murmurs. ‘No! Go to sleep,’ Gail replies firmly. But as time ticks by, she relents and says huskily: ‘OK, you can put your letter in my post box now ... ‘ ‘Forget it,’ Alex snaps. ‘It’s been delivered by hand.’

Charles Chidubem Ogbonna charlesprince850@yahoo.com 08169186581.

Your love!

Your love changes the weather; Cold winter to blooming spring, You touch me- light as feather; My soul feels a thousand zings. Nehita Dessi Otoibhi nehitaadotoibhi@gmail.com 07069093160)

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 29

Nigerian Governors: Their ways and their friends

omedies are probably the best channels of effectively transmitting messages to a number of people. Unlike the media that concentrate more on information and education, which many people in a recession hardly patronize, the comedian relies more on entertainment for sending messages to people who when fully amused by the comedian’s jokes assimilate the messages more easily. The last time I watched one, was last year when a comedian humorously sold a story of how big men in society have the same tendencies as thugs, hooligans and criminals. The story according to the comedian was about a group of rascals in a community who held an all night party where anyone in attendance got so much to eat with a sizeable number were left drunk. They were celebrating one of their own, who was promoted to the post of Commissioner of Police a few days earlier.

The comedian’s concluding statement was that the story explains why the police sometimes watch thugs engage in criminal activities undisturbed. Anyone who doubts the lesson the comedian sought to teach, may never understand why some of our governors have so many miscreants as friends and associates. We hear the posture guarantees what is known as nuisance value. Some of our governors and political office holders enjoy the proverbial primitive accumulation of wealth in which they appropriate unto themselves far more wealth than they and their children yet unborn would need for over 100 years. They squander public resources without regards for the adverse effects such a posture could have on their constituents who have for long looked up to them in vain for a change to their impoverished situation. Some of them charter flights because they can’t

PhD,Depar tment of Philosophy, University of Lagos 08116759758

Pachyderms and governance (1)

igeria, the country bequeathed us by the British colonialists, is beset with problems most of which are attributable to incompetent leadership. In their legitimate quest for positive change, Nigerians voted in large numbers for the All Progressives Congress (APC). I am one of those Nigerians who believe that dredging up a seventy two year old retired soldier, Muhammadu Buhari, to vie for the presidency for an unprecedented fourth time after his brief tenure as military head of state thirtyfive years ago is counterproductive and retrogressive. On several occasions last year, before the presidential elections, I had stated reasons for my position. I argued that Buhari is somewhat too old to lead right now, given the enormous pressure and demands of the office of the President in a fractious, economically and politically backward large country such as ours, which might take their toll on his mental and physical health. Again, I stated that his democratic credentials are very thin because of his background as a military officer for the greater part of his youth and his purist Islamic proclivities. Buhari seemed to me then,

and still does now that he is President, to be primarily concerned with the projection and protection of the interests of the core Fulani Northern establishment that had dominated political leadership in Northern Nigeria since the jihads of Uthman Dan Fodio in the nineteenth century. In otherwords, I believe that as an individual Buhari is more committed to the reaffirmation and consolidation of the hegemonic interests of the ruling elite in Northern Nigeria than to the building of a Nigerian state founded on a just and functional federalism. Sentiment aside, generally the appointments he has made thus far corroborates my belief that President Buhari looks at Nigeria through the lens of a devout Muslim Fulani man: he sees himself as a Northerner and a Muslim first before everything else. Those who argue that Mr. President has every right to appoint whomsoever he pleases ignore the fact that in a paralytic federation like Nigeria, it is imperative for justice and fairness that appointments to top public offices must be made with a keen eye for spread and equitable representation of the various federating units. That is why, despite his weaknesses and errors of judgment,

really afford to travel with the rest of us in a passenger aircraft. If a journey from their state capital to Abuja to pick-up their share of the monthly federation allocation is by road, then so much gets spent on an entourage of about 15 cars in addition to the number on ground in their liaison offices in Abuja. The same extravagance is extended to spouses and other relations. Although the trend has been

Quite often, our Ogas criminalize dissent, making sycophants the only people who are free in society. Any other person whatsoever, who disagrees with their view point, would have to face not only the Oga but his numerous friends and associates slightly reduced by the current economic gloom, so much of the little that comes is still wasted on frivolities while salaries of teachers and civil servants are left unpaid for months. Quite often, our Ogas former President Goodluck Jonathan was reasonably fair in his key political appointments by ensuring balance between the North and the South. Clearly, the recent appointment of a Northerner as Inspector General of Police to replace Solomon Arase from Edo state who retired recently is in line with the steady northernisation of key federal appointments by President Buhari. Now, it is either the President is pachydermatous to demands for restructuring Nigeria on the architectonic of a functional federation or he is still dancing to the antiquated feudalist tunes played by conservative elements in the north who believe that northerners have a historic mission to, in the words of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, "continue their uninterrupted conquest to the sea." Of course, the President is clearly wrong for disregarding, completely, report of the 2014 national conference organized by the previous administration - it seems to me that by so doing, he carried his disdain for Jonathan too far. To worsen matters, Buhari's spokesperson who claimed that he is too busy to read the report inadvertently confirmed the suspicion in certain quarters that the President does not have the required intellectual dexterity and temperamental flexibility to deal with the complexities of democratic governance. That may indeed be the case, but I am not surprised that President Muhammadu Buhari is still attached to the centralised command-andobey leadership principles he imbibed both as a highranking military officer and as a devout Muslim. Those who naively swallowed lock, stock and barrel his claim of a converted democrat conveniently forgot the adage

criminalize dissent, making sycophants the only people who are free in society. Any other person whatsoever, who disagrees with their view point, would have to face not only the Oga but his numerous friends and associates. The issue at stake is irrelevant; be it electioneering which includes voting, the counting of votes and declaration of winners in an election or an election petition by a tribunal or any case in any court of justice. It can also be labour unrest which of recent features nonpayment of workers’ salaries. It is usually in respect any of these issues that the nuisance value referred to earlier is brought to play. Bearing in mind that there are many political parties, there would always be tension in the polity as other politicians may oppose those in power. Considering also that many people like civil servants and pensioners will have to bear the brunt of reckless spending in government, they too will have to face the so called friends of those in authority who are generally violent. These supporters take different forms. In a study in 2013, a Researcher, Shankyula Tersoo Samuel found that in the Northern part of Nigeria, most of them are known as Karare, a youth group of people between the ages of 8 – 35 years, some of them being

school drop-outs and drug addicts. In Kaduna, they are called Kawaye or ‘ yan mage’ while in Borno, the name is ecomog. In Kano they are called “ yan daba”. Bauchi people call them “sara suka” just as they are known as “area boys” in Lagos. They are used by politicians at all times to intimidate political opponents into accepting the position of their sponsors.

that "you cannot teach an old dog new tricks." Even a neophyte psychologist knows that with advancing age, the probability of dropping old habits and entrenched mode of thought and imbibing new ones decreases. It is against this background that one can

achieve meaningful development. But even if our political leaders develop the appropriate attitude for good governance in a democratic set up, the present military-style federalism introduced by the then Col. Yakubu Gowon in 1967 would not allow the federating units, specifically the six geopolitical zones, to optimally explore the natural and human resources domiciled in their domains. To buttress my point, consider the exclusive legislative list contained in the 1999 constitution, Second Schedule, Part I. Now, even if we have good leaders, the unitarist provisions in that list would still inhibit rapid development of each federating unit because its capacity for independent and innovative development are severely limited by unnecessary straitjackets contained in the constitution. If the military officers and their civilian collaborators who formulated the constitution wanted Nigeria to have a functional federation, there is no good reason why the exclusive list, that is, those items exclusively under the power of the federal government, should be so long to the extent of asphyxiating the states. If Nigeria operates a functional federation, why should exploration and exploitation of natural resources such as minerals, including crude oil and natural gas, be the exclusive preserve of the federal government? Why should the constitution stipulate that matters relating to labour, particularly determination of minimum wage, belong exclusively to the centre, considering the fact that the economic potentials and socio-cultural realities in the various federating units are not the same? In a sane society where members of the ruling elite genuinely appreciate the utilitarian character of governance as a tool for

If Nigeria operates a functional federation, why should exploration and exploitation of natural resources such as minerals, including crude oil and natural gas, be the exclusive preserve of the federal government? understand why Mr. President summarily dismissed renewed calls for restructuring the country using recommendations of the 2014 conference as a foil. Buharimaniacs in government and outside of it who think that the on-going lopsided war against corruption targeted mainly at members of the shambolic Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would somehow silence the calls for political reconstruction of the country are wasting their time. Of course, corruption is a serious problem; but the garrison federalism stipulated by the constitution is the fertiliser that nourishes it. Let us make certain points clear. It is true, as some people have argued, that Nigeria needs attitudinal and moral revolution especially at the leadership level in order to

Before the 2015 elections, political opponents credited the existence of thugs (“Kalare”) in Gombe to former Governor Goje just as those in Rivers are credited to Governor Wike and his predecessor Rotimi Amaechi. In Bayelsa State, thugs who attacked a high court in Yenogoa were allegedly led by Governor Seriake Dickson. A video showing the incident went virile on the Internet while the Nigerian Bar Association reportedly sent a query on it to the governor who himself is a lawyer and former Attorney General of the state. A similar attack on a high court in Ekiti had been credited by political opponents to Governor Fayose of Ekiti State. Only two weeks back, the Edo State Government claimed that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State had recruited and dispatched 40 political thugs to each of the border villages between Edo and Delta with the sole aim of registering them as voters before engaging their

services to perpetrate violence during the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State. After the Edo deputy governor, Dr Pius Odubu fell apart with his boss, he and his followers were attacked at a rally in Auchi. Because government knows who is who in the business, it was able to know that those who operated in Auchi belonged to Odubu. After elections, the base of our governors’ friends widens to include all unemployed and poor people looking for means of livelihood. In Oyo State, civil servants went on strike in connection with the failure of the state government to pay their salaries for several months. The response of the governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi was to get some of his friends numbering about 50,000 artisans, traders, tailors, hairdressers, technicians, shoe makers, butchers, commercial drivers, students and a host of others to organise a rally in his favour on the subject. A similar solidarity demonstration in support of Governor Fayose’s failure to pay salaries to Ekiti civil servants was earlier organized by some members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NUTRW) in Ado Ekiti. It is therefore obvious that our governors have the same modus operandi and similar friends enhancing the well being of the greatest number of people, efforts are made towards establishing a political arrangement suitable for meeting the hopes and aspirations of the masses. Unfortunately, in Nigeria the political class are still immersed in ethnocentrism and the quest for bulimic accumulation to the extent of refusing to learn appropriate lessons from our shambolic political history. A careful look at Nigerian history since independence would establish that, despite the teething post-independence problems of the First Republic, the regional structure inherited from the departing British colonial administrators was congenial to the pluralistic character of the country, which made possible the unprecedented economic development before the civil war almost damaged everything. Therefore, if the President and members of the National Assembly are really interested in a geopolitical paradigm for sustainable development, they should not look elsewhere: they should study both the regional system of government from 1960 to 1966 and recommendations of the 2014 national conference and distil a political arrangement that is better than what we have presently. This suggestion is realistic, practical and achievable. Unfortunately, President Buhari and his cohorts are not keen to do what is necessary to arrest the gradual but steady weakening of the shaky foundation on which our country is built. In my opinion, the divisive character of the present administration has exacerbated the centrifugal forces that threaten the very basis of Nigeria as a single geopolitical entity.

To be continued

PAGE 30—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

metro

FALLOUT OF LAGOS DEATH, MAYHEM

Buy from hawker on the road, go to jail – Gov. Ambode By Olasunkanmi Akoni

ast Wednesday, around 12 noon, at Maryland Bus Stop, along Ikorodu Road, Lagos, peace was temporally disrupted by rampaging miscreants, otherwise called, “Area Boys”, over alleged killing of a hawker by a fast moving truck. The yet to be identified middle-aged hawker, while fleeing from law enforcement agents for fear of arrest, suddenly ran into the truck and died on the spot. Consequently, Area Boys around mobilized and started attacking, in sight, all buses operating under the Bus Rapid Transit, BRT, inflicting severe injuries on passengers in the process. It was gathered that the incident happened when the hawker, a male, suddenly sighted the convoy of officials of Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), who were returning from an operation in Ojuelegba, enroute to Alausa, Ikeja. Apparently, thinking they were coming for him, he fled across the road, oblivious of the fast moving on-coming vehicle, which is a delivery truck of a leading producer of soft drinks, and, before any one could say “Jack Robinson,” he had been crushed to death. Irked by the development, the Area Boys, in their C M Y K

hundreds, took t the road went after BRT buses, smashing their screens and attacking passengers on board. They were alleged to have also robbed the passengers of their belongings such as cash, bags, and mobile phones, among others. It took the intervention of men of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, Lagos Taskforce, and other security agents to restore normalcy, but not after over 48 buses hadbeen vandalized. It was gathered that the hawker had been arrested before and was released after payment of N10, 000 fine. “On the fateful day, he was trying to evade another arrest when she met her death. It would have been better for him to be arrested than running to death,” an eyewitness told Sunday Vanguard. According to the Managing Director of Primero Transport Services, Mr. Fola Tinubu, operator of the damaged BRT buses, while speaking on the incident, “Investigation revealed that our buses were not involved in any way or form”. Tinubu, apparently, disturbed by the level of destruction and the sheer number of the buses affected, said the losses, running into several millions of naira, were a clear setback to investment, stressing that the Nigerian public must be educated to draw a line between private

investment and public assets. He believed no amount of provocation should justify the destruction of 48 new buses belonging to a private investor who has provided over 2,500 jobs since the commencement of operations in November 2015 and still counting. “The blue BRT buses did not in any way, directly or otherwise, have contact with the late young man”, the MD stated. “Unfortunately, suspected hoodlums took advantage of the incident to unleash mayhem and terror on our drivers, while also causing severe damages to our buses at the scene of the accident.

Some of our drivers are still receiving medical treatment and some commuters had some of their belongings stolen. “Damages on the buses range from broken windshields, front, sides, rear, to side mirrors while some had their interior dented. The buses will be parked in our depot until repair works are carried out which we expect to run into millions of naira”. He however, assured that within couple of weeks, the buses would return to the road. Ambode fumes Governor Akinwumi Ambode immediately ordered full investigation into the incident. The governor also called for thorough details into the immediate and remote cause of the killing of the street hawker with the aim preventing future occurrence as well as bringing culprits to book. Ambode, who was said to be irked by the development, immediately, directed the

police and other security agencies to launch a manhunt for the perpetrators and bring them to book. He later announced commencement of total enforcement against street trading and street hawkers, saying that the law banning their activities across Lagos metropolis would take its full course. He said the renewed enforcement is in line with Section One of the Lagos State Street Trading and Illegal Market Prohibition Law 2003 which restricts street trading and hawking in the metropolis. The governor, while sympathizing with the family of the deceased street hawker, regretted that the situation led to the destruction of public assets. “The issue is we need to enforce our laws because we already have a law in respect of that and then there is a clause in it which says the buyer and the seller are both liable and that we are going to fine them either N90, 000 or a six month jail term”, Ambode said. “What we are •Gov doing on Ambode traffic is that we are introducing new strategies to eliminate traffic but Lagos being a cosmopolitan city, you cannot totally eliminate it but now this is the case, in the next few days, you will see on the street of Lagos signs that will be warning you that buyers and hawkers should be aware that there are consequences,” Ambode said. He said his administration had also concluded plans to roll out a massive campaign which would warn both motorists and hawkers of the restrictions and the penalty for defaulters. “We will be watching out for buyers and sellers and all we need is just scapegoat. Don’t buy plantain chips or any other items in traffic from July 1, buyers beware”.

Alleged threat to life

By Kennedy Mbele

HE family of Obiageri Francis in Otolokpo, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, has raised the alarm over alleged threat to the lives of its members since after the alleged murder of their father (Obiageri) in 2005. One of the sons, Mr Denis Francis, in a statement, alleged that the father was killed as a result of his support for a councillorship aspirant in 2004, adding that assailants came after his father after his candidate secured a political party’s ticket for an election. Lamenting that despite reporting the matter to the police for which they promised to carry out thorough investigation, he

alleged that few months after the burial of their father in 2006, they received a threat letter from the suspected killers of their father that they were coming after them (the children). Noting that few days after receipt of the letter there was sporadic gunshots in their compound at midnight, he said: “Only God knows how we managed to escape from the compound that night”. According to him, after that failed attack, one of their uncles in Gambia asked them to come over for safety, “but I and my wife, Blessing Francis, followed a friend to Libya”.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 31

Diaspora Matters

The Political Fall Out of Britain's Referendum on EU

t is over a week now that majority of British voters decided via a referendum that it was time to exit the European Union. The ripples from the outcome of the poll had not settled and there are signs they are not going to settle anytime soon. To many, the results they woke up to on June 24, was not what they expected. The leaders of the group that favoured Britain's continued membership of the Union thought they had victory in their pockets, while the "Brexiters" were not really sure of their position. Although before the voting, opinion polls were reporting no clear majority, however the balance was tilted towards victory for the Remain group. It was no surprise when after the voting closed, Nigel Farage, leader of the United Kingdom Independent Party (UKIP) and a leader of the Leave group gave what seemed like a concession speech. He had feared the worse and was trying to be magnanimous in defeat. This is the second time in a row that the British opinion polls had missed the mark. It will be recalled that the outcome of the 2015 General Elections was far off what was projected by the polls. This reveals that there is need to broaden the "sample" subjects of these polls to get accurate results in future. One week after the results, British politics have taken a dramatic turn. The surprise outcome has claimed many casualties and we are still counting. The first was Prime Minister David Cameron who did not hesitate, by a second, to fall on his own sword. It was him, as the leader of the ruling Conservative Party that promised an EU membership referendum if elected to power. He made good the promise in February when he announced a date for the referendum after his famed negotiations with EU leaders in Brussels. The confidence to call the referendum was inspired by "the gains" he thought he negotiated for UK in Brussels. It would be recalled that Cameron travelled the length and breath of Europe convincing leaders that his country deserved better treatment in the union. After serious bargaining of "whittled down" list of demands, the EU leaders conceded a few to Cameron. The Prime Minister was condemned by the opposition and even some Tory members for celebrating his failure in getting UK a good deal. It was painful to watch Cameron on the steps of 10 Downing Street on the morning of June 24. Accompanied by his wife, Samantha, Cameron was a figure to pity. As he revealed his intention to resign, it was obvious that he had asked

C M Y K

himself at various points after the results, if he took the best decision of calling for the referendum. But Cameron, just like all politicians, is a gambler. His mistake this time around was that he was overconfident that he could sell the EU project to the people. Cameron went to bed the previous night confident that the following day he would be out there literally screaming "in your face" at the Leave Group. As the youngest UK Prime Minister in modern times, Cameron had indicated earlier in his second term in office that there would never be a third term project. But it is sure he never dreamt that one year and couple of months into his majority government he would be forced to step down. Although there were schism, plots and plans from inside his own party there was none strong enough to threaten him as the result of the EU referendum. Let us not condemn Cameron, rather let us put him aside for now and discuss an incomprehensible political loss in the UK. Welcome on stage the colourful and flamboyant former mayor of London, Boris Johnson. A man who had at no time

No matter how the exit of Britain from the EU is reviewed, it is apparent no one predicted what's playing out right now

hidden his desire to become the next Prime Minister after Cameron. In fact, he was accused severally during the referendum campaign that his membership of the Leave group was only grounded on his ambition and not on the principles. Whatever the reasons why he came out in support of the Leave group should be left to him and his conscience. He rose to the occasion and became one of the propelling figures behind the exit. His presentations, though sometimes pedestrian and comical, inspired debates across the country. He was like marmite- you either like him or hate him. Fortunately for

Johnson, he seem to know how to work his magic on the British people. He was quick to mount the rostrum on the morning after the referendum and congratulated the people he would soon reign over for their bravery in deciding to quit the "club". At this stage, all roads to 10 Downing Street, seemed very clear of obstacles for the young Johnson. He must have visualised himself going to meet up with the queen to declare his preparedness to form a government. It was not a dream, it was meant to be a reality. Along the way, a better gambler than Johnson, pulled a fast one to end his ambition and also bring him back to reality. His right hand man during the BREXIT campaign, the Justice Minister Michael Gove, demonstrated once again, that in politics there are no permanent friends but allies. Gove, who until last week Wednesday was one of the biggest supporters of Johnson's premiership, took out a long shining knife and put it through Johnson's back. Despite Gove's repeated denial in the past that he had no desire to become UK Prime Minister, he surprisingly put himself forward on Thursday for the leadership contest. Mr Gove did not only go against his words but also knocked into place the nail to seal Johnson's political future. Gove was not shy in taking Johnson to the cleaners so he could look good to the Tories. He said in the most sneering manner "I have come, reluctantly, to the conclusion that Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead.” This is a classic example of who not to keep as friend or ally. On Thursday, a few minutes before the close of nominations for the leadership contest, Johnson addressed his supporters and literally agreed with Gove that he was not capable of building a team for the rigorous task of governance and of exiting the EU. He ruled himself out of the race even before it began. Johnson's political future was sealed by Gove, Jeremy Corbyn, the opposition Labour leader is however fighting tooth and nail to keep his. The embattled leader has refused to yield to calls for his resignation aftermath of the referendum. Despite a no confidence vote of 172 to 40 against him by the Labour MPs, and the advice of "For heavens sake, man, go!" by Cameron, Corbyn has been adamant, insisting that his leadership is based on the votes of the party members and not MPs. He said: “I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60% of Labour members and supporters..." It is not looking good for Corbyn right now, as the calls for his resignation become loud and louder. Will he be able to ride it through? Will Angela Eagle or Owen Smith save Labour of this lack lustre Corbyn's leadership style? Time will tell. No matter how the exit of Britain from the EU is reviewed, it is apparent no one predicted what's playing out right now.

These are trying times for many people in our country. Families are struggling to meet financial obligations, jobs remain scare, retrenchment is the order of the day in otherwise viable companies, and several other people have other challenges. All of these challenges, including waiting on the Lord for children or marriage partner, etc., are obstacles to a Joyful home. Though this column focuses on the spiritual, we also know that the spiritual and the physical are connected. Are you in doubt? Let’s have a check on Matthew 18 verse 18: “Verily, I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. This leaves no one in doubt about the connection between the physical and the Spiritual. Have you fixed a date for a wedding and you are worried about how to finance it? Commit it not only to the Lord who is the great provider but also take steps to limit your expenses. There is no need to put the man under any form of financial pressure just to impress others. Effective prayer Let’s focus on prayer for a while.. Prayer we all know is one of the ways of communicating with the Lord. While praying, we are always quick to present our requests without expressing due gratitude to God for what he has done in our lives. Often times, we forget that being alive is a miracle and this is because we take it for granted. What one is saying is, how do we pray? For prayer to be effective, one needs to keep off all forms of distractions. We must pray whole-heartedly and communicate with God just like when we discuss with a confidant. While praying, the word of God should be handy. It is not all about just holding the Bible but using the right Bible passage to support our request. That way, we remind God of his covenant with you. We also need to faithfully make prophetic declarations of the word of God into our lives. It is also important that we ask God to remember us. Why? This is because millions of people seek the face of our Father in Heaven. We also need to see every challenge as a burden and be determined to be freed from it. A man of God once said “ to experience total victory and freedom, we must pray until something happens”. In other words, we must not be fed up with prayer. One of the reasons we should not be fed up with prayer is the assurance of the Lord the He will answer us. According to the book of Isaiah 41 vs. 10: “ Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed ; for I am thy God : and I will help thee ; yea , I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness”. We must refuse to be held down by any affliction. Freedom from affliction is given to us by our Lord Jesus. Galatians 5 vs. 1 is our authority . It states : “ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage”. So , we are assured that our God has the capability to free us from any form of bondage From prayer to praise Have you been praying and

Praise until you receive nothing has happened? It is time to change strategy. In this month of perfection, July, we need to do something different to receive something spectacular. Have you heard that you should keep praising God whatever may be the challenge ? I imagine someone saying, ‘how and why should I be praising God when I have become a laughing stock because of a particular challenge?’. Permit me to share this inspiring testimony given by a lady who led a praise

Praise worship makes God to move swiftly, it moves us from the natural to the supernatural

worship at Harken Unto Me O Lord programme held at RCCG, Magodo. She observed that people were not responding to praise worship as they should. Then she went on to give her testimony . Lady B, as I have chosen to call her, said she was married without child for eight years. In the course of seeking solution to her condition, she visited medical doctors one of whom told her that her two tubes were blocked. Hence she had no chance of getting pregnant and therefore she should not expect any child. However, she wanted to have biological children; so she continued to pray. For eight years, nothing happened. Then at the end of the eighth-year, she decided to shift her spiritual focus from prayer to praise. In her words, she stopped praying and began to praise the Lord. She said in the ninth year of her marriage, she got pregnant for the first time in her marriage. No doubt her pregnancy came as a surprise to her doctors. She didn’t go through surgery to open up the blocked fallopian tubes, yet our God, with whom nothing is impossible, did it for her. In the 10th year of her marriage, she gave birth to a baby boy. To the glory of God, this year, 2016, the boy marked his fifth birthday. Isn’t our God awesome? Between praise and thanksgiving Praising God isn’t something that one does for the fun of it. It must be

done wholeheartedly. We must also know that there is a difference between praising God and thanksgiving. Thanksgiving, according to Pastor Bisi Olowoyo of RCCG, is usually to appreciate God for what He has done for us. On the other hand, praise worship is for our expectation and to acknowledge the awesome power of God . When we wholeheartedly praise God, we, sometimes, begin to shed tears of joy. In other cases, one may begin to dance even when no one is beating a drum or playing any musical instrument. Praise worship lifts up our faith and raises our expectation. It can also be regarded as a short cut to reach our God as the Holy Spirit moves swiftly into action. Men of God say that when praise goes up, blessings come down. Praise worship makes God to move swiftly, it moves us from the natural to the supernatural. A man of God told the story of himself and his wife. They had been married for some years without children. They had prayed but nothing happened. They decided to pray for an hour every day. Their chosen time was 11 pm to 12 am . This they did wherever they were. According to him, “ even when I was on a trip, I made sure I honoured the Lord at that hour while my wife at home did the same”. It didn’t take long before they broke through and God gave them a child. The Psalmist wrote in Psalm 76 verses 3-7: “Let the people praise thee, O God ; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy; for thou shall judge the people righteously , and govern the nations upon earth, Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God, let all the people praise thee.” When we praise, verses 6 and 7 tells us what follows: “Then shall the earth yield her increase, and God, even our own God , shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him”. One person who was very good at praising God was King David. Psalm 34 vs 1 states, “ I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth”. Psalm 107 vs 21: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Prepare yourself to testify to His wonderful works by praising him. Take praise worship, as seriously as you take prayer and your miracle will come faster than you can ever imagine. Praise God, get your miracle and let’s share it with others. Have a blessed week.

PAGE 32–SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

Governor Akin Ambode has vindicated me (1) “To know that which before us lies in daily life, is the prime wisdom. What is more is fume.” John Milton, 16081674. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 275). overnor Akin bode Abode’s first year in office is a resounding success by widespread acclamation. Nothing today gives me more joy. Had he failed, I would have been inundated with phone calls and text messages mocking me for calling for a Christian Governor in 2015 at a time when others were too afraid of the “god” of Lagos State politics to mention it. But, then, as always in my life, I believed that all power belongs to God alone. Later, you will read reactions from some people who represented the voices of opposition to my stand at the time. You can judge for yourself who was right. Seldom does a writer who had taken a calculated risk with reputation, and possible life, end up announcing, years after, “I told you so”. Without breach of modesty, readers of this page and this column in late 2011, would recollect my four part series of articles titled: LAGOS STATE GOVERNORSHIP: 2015 CHRISTIAN AGENDA. Expectedly it brought

responses fast, furious, funny and sad. Understandably, because the theme of the series was clear. The so-called Progressives in Lagos state, especially the owner of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, had better start finding a Christian candidate to field for 2015 otherwise they ran a great risk of losing Lagos State. Muslim Governors put forward by the “descendants” of Awolowo had governed Lagos as follows: Jakande- 51 months, Tinubu – 96 months, Fashola had finished 48 months and was set for another 48 months. The total is 243 months; to which they were eager to add another 96 months; to make it 339 months. The only Christian Governor came from the opposition. And, that happened only because the “Progressives” disagreed on the candidate to back between two Muslims – Sarumi and Professor Agbalajobi. Otherwise those eight months served by Sir Otedola would also have gone to a Muslim. To rub salt on injury, we heard from the grapevine of Lagos, that the selection of Fashola’s successor had been narrowed down to four candidates – all Muslims. The second most powerful position in Lagos State is that of Chief of Staff, COS, not

Better in than out (2) "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies."— Groucho Marx hey say a week, is a long time in politics. Well, in the UK, it seems like a lifetime way barely over a week, the UK held a referendum and over a million votes to leave the European Union. I wrote about this last week: Better in than out. Admittedly, no one was prepared for the seismic impact that followed when the UK decided to part ways with the EU. This has left a nation divided: the young versus the old, the working class and the graduates; South versus the North, British nationals and Immigrants, fanning the fear and muting exhilaration in some. The dust is beginning to settle and the political landscape is unclear as politicians jostle for positions and creating political turmoil and hara-kiri. It is not looking as rosy as it was promised for those who were convinced that it would be in the best interest of the country if they left the EU. Many were convinced of the past glory of Britain and so were convinced they could go

it alone. They were afraid of what they see as the changing faces of Britain. I suppose that is immigration for you, you can't have one without the other. The xenophobes in many came up to the fore but they were not admitting this upfront. The last general election was won by the conservatives on the premise that conservatives would have a referendum. Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practise to deceive! The British Prime Minister, David Cameron tendered his resignation and the Pound went free fall, the politicians were falling right, left and centre. The front runner, hotly anticipated prime ministerelect, Boris Johnson now declined to take on the mantle and his stable mate, Michael Gove, withdrew his support for Boris and threw his hat in the ring. They did say that politics is the second oldest profession and it is so full of sleaze, manipulation and spin. Right now, there is a lack of trust for politicians except if you are Jeremy Corbyn, now, that is another story. The chicken has finally come home the roost, and of course, we may have a potential woman PM, Theresa May.

Deputy Governor. In fact all the Christian Deputy Governors were treated worse than dirt from 1999 to 2015. The roll of honour of CoS, from 1999 to 2015, included: Alhaji Lai Mohammed (from Kwara), Alhaji Fashola, Alhaji Hakeem. At one time, the Head of Service was another Alhaji Tinubu. Need I say more? These are facts which nobody can refute – all because of one man. What started as inadvertent discrimination had suddenly become pre-meditated bigotry – especially when we also noticed the pattern of selection of candidates by the owner of the party in other states – Amosun in Ogun, Ajimobi in Oyo, Aregbesola in Osun, even Mimiko and Oshimhole (then of Labor Party) in Ondo and Edo states, were all Muslims. The only exception was Fayemi in Ekiti State. When a leader exhibits that sort of bias, repeatedly, no reasonable person can assume it is any longer an accident. The fight by a group to get the APC to field a MuslimMuslim ticket, for the Presidential election in 2015 had finally laid to rest any argument regarding deliberate discrimination against Christians in Lagos State from 1999. We foresaw this tendency early and we (at least I was) were prepared to resist it. Like black Americans fighting for equal rights, it was not surprising to me that the series evoked the responses it did – mostly from our Muslim, as well as Christian brothers. Below are samples of what I received and my responses to them. I deliberately excluded the death threats at the time because that told me how desperate some people were to hold on to their unfair advantage at all costs. It is gratifying that even former Governor Fashola who opposed us, by stating that Right now, British politics is very gladiatorial and bloody. It says a lot about the calibre of people who are voted by the people to represent them but, instead, they have spun sentiments and they have put the country in a precarious position and with uncertain future. The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne announced that companies have already started cutting back on investments following the vote to leave the European Union. The market has reacted to the verdicts and it is not promising. The rating agencies Fitch and S&P have indeed downgraded the UK's credit rating, meaning they think that lending money to the UK government is less safe than it was last week. There are expectations that there will be more cuts in interest rate in the weeks to come. The experts did warn that leaving the EU will have dire implications, this was played down by the Leave campaigners and so many voted to leave without weighing out the facts from the myths. So Britain has thrown away the political baby with the proverbial bathwater. Exiting the EU means that UK has lost its membership to the largest Single market and free movement of member citizens. EU has scuppered the UK government to renegotiate its way out of the EU, and it has accused the UK of cherry picking and they are determined that the UK cannot have its cake and eat it too.

performance is not religionlinked (as if anybody ever said that), had observed my reply to his statement in the accomplishments of Ambode so far. I said then, “What one man can do, another can do better. Records are created to be broken.” The whole world is witness today to that fact. Below are some of the printable responses to my series in 2011. The rest have been consigned to the dustbin of recent history. Enjoy them. “0803-347-4820 An elderly and wise man like you should not incite people in matter of religion in Lagos. Do not create crisis in Lagos. We Lagosians are peace loving people. “We love peace as we abhor pusillanimity; but, not peace at any price”.Douglas Jerrold, 1803- 1857 Australian writer. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 184. “0805-215-5964 By all standards you qualify as a Senior Citizen of Lagos State.I didn't believe you had a deep thought of what you might be igniting before u write on d Christian Governorship thing in Lagos. Please it takes a slip from people with followership like u to start what they cannot finish as there are millions out there to highjack noble talks and put the state on fire. I am a Christian. Lagos needs peace for development than who is the Gov. Muslim or Christian…”. “This time we aren’t fighting [enemies], we are fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things got, they’re still our friends and this [Lagos State] is still our home”. Harper Lee, in TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD (modified to suit the occasion). If those who sent these messages still read Vanguard, they are witnesses to the fact that the change we asked for occurred without anybody being killed, slapped or even pinched. The Christian brother

can now see that peace can only endure when allied with justice. As for the person who wrote for “ we Lagosians”, I have a message. My father was born in 1890; his father in 1828 and my Daddy told us that our great-grandfather was born in the 1770s – all at Agbowa Ikosi in Lagos State. My grandpa’s grave

The casualty here are young people who feel rightfully ignored, marginalised and betrayed. They feel cheated out of their own future and that their birth right has been tossed and trampled on. The political grandees are narrow-minded and they have voted with their single-mindedness with the air of superiority of the old empire mentality. Don't get me wrong, there were valid concerns: recessions, free movement of EU citizens, high unemployment, resentments of immigrants, a widening gap

within the Union feel betrayed by the outcome. As a result, they have told the UK to leave the European Union sooner rather than later and that there wouldn't be a discussion with the UK, until article 50 is triggered to formalise its exit. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel said "we have no illusions - it's a qualitatively different task" compared with previous crises. The other members are worried about contagion from the UK's economic instability. The Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said of the exit: "the Brits have made a choice. We are sorry, but at the end of the day they will be worse off - not Europe." This fall from grace is spectacular: UK is a political pariah and now the House of parliament is in a serious political free fall, one of treachery and political mongering of the et Brute kind, the eerie rebellion is palpable and we all feel it. It is strange climate right now in the UK and there is a high level of uncertainty. The leaders of the 27 member states, excluding Britain, said in a statement that they hoped to have the UK as a close partner of the EU in future "and we look forward to the UK stating its intentions in this respect. That: "Any agreement, which will be concluded with the UK as a third country, will have to be based on a balance of rights and obligations. Access to the single market requires acceptance of all four freedoms." The "four freedoms" that

The politicians as usual, distracted the people's genuine concerns and played on their fears; the influx of foreigners, short supply of houses, employment, shrinking spending power and the high demands on health and education services between the haves and havenots. The politicians as usual, distracted the people's genuine concerns and played on their fears; the influx of foreigners, short supply of houses, employment, shrinking spending power and the high demands on health and education services. To top it all, the EU members who had supported UK and pleaded for the UK to remain

What started as inadvertent discrimination had suddenly become pre-meditated bigotry – especially when we also noticed the pattern of selection of candidates by the owner of the party in other state

is still in our compound till today. I hope the writer is not the offspring of carpetbaggers who trekked from some village before, or after, roads were tarred to join us. He cannot be more Lagosian than me certainly. Even the owner of ACN is not…. MAKING JOKE OF A SERIOUS MATTER –2 “Of all the grief that harass the distress, sure the most bitter is a scornful jest.” Samuel Johnson, 17091784, (VBQ p 108). Last week you read about the jokes told by the Governors from Northwest and Southwest. I ended by telling our readers that the

Southwest Governor is performing magic. And he proved it during the launch of the School Feeding Programme at Aso Rock. First, “Wonder Governor” announced that he spends N50 per day per pupil while feeding about 250,000 of them. And the Vice President clapped. So, N12.5 million per day goes into it. In a month of 20 days, N250 million would be spent just to feed the kids. Very noble of the Governor. But wait a minute. In December, the state collected minus N24.185 million; and in February N160 million from the Federation account. That a state can spend more money than it collects feeding school children is certainly a huge joke. And those in attendance laughed. But, the real rib-cracker came when the SW Governor told the august participants the content of the “balanced diet” he serves the distressed kids in his state. It includes egbo, a maize meal with a few beans, carefully counted on top, with a teaspoonful of oil and coco-yam porridge – which Wonder Governor swore was balanced diet for other peoples kids –certainly not his own. And the audience laughed again. Yours truly smelt a rotten rat in the whole show and consulted a nutrition expert who pointed out that such a diet, regularly administered to kids, would lead to calcium, iodine and iron deficiency. I can’t help the Governor overcome iodine deficiency. But, the kids can get all the calcium they need if the eat the plates and there will be no iron deficiency if they swallow the spoons. Don’t laugh, please!! How on earth did we come about these jesters called Governors? And, all these at Aso Rock? God help us. underlie the EU's internal market are the freedom of movement of goods, workers, services and capital. The 27 leaders, now minus the UK, made it clear that the EU has to regroup, rally its forces and rethink its strategy. To make matters worse, the Scottish's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has held talks with EU officials in Brussels, after Scottish voters opted to remain in the EU. And she wants to get a better deal for Scotland, as they voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU but as part of the UK, and she is considering a referendum for independence from the UK, so is the Northern Ireland. Of course this has its own implication for some countries who may be considering similar move and that is another headache. At the moment there are now petitions of over 4 million people requesting for a second referendum as many people feel that they were misled. I do not think it is going to go anywhere, as the horse has finally bolted and it is too late to close the stable door. The French president and Spanish prime minister have both said they are opposed to the EU negotiating potential membership for Scotland. Nigeria, like other countries. would do well to take note on how not to behave or lead. The Brexit is staring long into abyss; there was no apparent road map as to how to move the country forward. The country was sold an utopian dream, the politicians exploited and manipulated the fears of the "them and us".

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 33 Edited by EMEKA AGINAM Email: emekaaginam@yahoo.com 08057538314

Beware of products from grey market, Motorola Solutions warns • Nigerian is priority market in Africa

•Uzonna Izugbokwe

ssuring on how best to build safer cities with latest smart public safety devices, software applications, infrastructure and virtual reality-enabled command center concept, -Uzonna Izugbokwe, Ieads channel sales

for Motorola Solutions in English Speaking West Africa in this inter view with Technology Journalists during the training and engagement sessions for Channel Partners, spoke on how best to use two-way radio communication solutions to save

cost, and make businesses more efficient. Stating that Nigeria is a priority market for Motorola, he warned on the dangers of fake products, adding that two-way radio communication devices could be used to reduce security challenges across the country. Excerpt Our core focus Our core focus as at today is on two-way radio communication for commercial market and as well as the public safety. The mobile phone business was a successful business unit of Motorola, but at some point, a purely business decision was made to focus solely on the two-way radio communication business, and that’s where we are today.

How BBM mobile messaging app unlocks opportunity for Africa

obile messaging apps, no doubt, are growing ever more popular with added social networking features - competing to meet the growing demand for free mobile calling and SMS texting services, across the globe, especially in Nigeria and the rest of the African continent as a result of market demand. Although messaging apps have continued to change the way people communicate globally, Nigeria and South Africa appear to be the mobile first markets.

Unlocking business opportunities With the majority of people accessing the internet from their mobile devices instead of desktop, it is clear that mobile messaging driven by BMM is unlocking business opportunities among people across the divide. With close to 10 million visits to the BBM shop per month, and now over 26 million ad requests per day; Matthew Talbot, the Senior Vice President of BBM, in a recent telephone interview with Vanguard revealed that Africa is already becoming a key market for rolling out BBM monetization strategy. Biggest global opportunities Talbot while providing insights on BBM’s strategy and focus on making BBM the most connected and social platform for consumers and highlighting Africa as a strong market with advertising markets in Nigeria and South Africa representing two of the biggest global opportunities for BlackBerry said that as part of its monetization strategy, BBM had recently put their first ad sales representative on the ground, even as he expressed confidence that there would be more to follow including more services will be launched in the near future with Nigeria as the key focus. Speaking on mobile phone messengers, including BBM monetization and the opportunities offered by the African market, he said that, during the last couple of years, BBM has been pushing the limits

Product and solution we have today have adequate documentation from the regulatory authorities Today, you are familiar with our walkey-talkeys, going across regions of several industry verticals from hospitality to public safety, entertainment, religious services, security services and a whole range of other industries. This is our focus now and this is what we offer as Motorola Solutions – two-way radio communication solutions. Building local knowledge with partners Motorola Solutions continues to build local knowledge and understanding in the Nigerian market, working with dedicated partners whilst supporting their growth. We are committed to providing best-in-class products, solutions and services to the Nigerian market by building upon our over 50 years’ experience of doing business across Africa.

phone users; we have created solutions that enables the smart phone to have a PTT function which exists only at the radio prior to dialling. We have a cement manufacturer who has 3 plant where there are about 650 users actively utilizing the Wave Solution. How are they able to do this? Simple. We have about 150 radios, but with more than 90% of his staff owning smart phones, we are able to integrate same on the radio network, without having to give every single user in that factory a radio. So you can see that the Wave Solutions enables them communicate effectively and run more efficient operations. Essentially, what we are doing with the Wave Solution is leveraging on already procured devices that have no direct benefit to Motorola. All you need to do is to have the Wave Application running on it. Another beautiful thing on the Wave Solution is the infrastructure. It does not have to be your own; you can leverage on an existing infrastructure that may be domiciled elsewhere in the world. All you need is an internal protocol process to create the connection. That way, businesses are saving money, because some of the radio cost us much as 500 dollar each, this is a solution that is helping you not to make huge capital expenditure on procuring additional radio for your infrastructure. Our solutions are tailor-made for any environment, it doesn’t matter if it is the army or health care, religious organizations.

of what a messaging app could be. While BBM has continued to build a gateway to the entire connected world, where everyone can interact with friends, family, favorite Regulatory environment brands, shopping outlets, In every product and solution we local merchants, and more, have today, there is adequate he said that, “Since I came to documentation from the BlackBerry in 2014, we’ve •Matthew Product offerings regulatory authorities. We have added a complete Shop We have several product Talbot certification called the SONCAP experience beyond just stickers offerings for the African market, to the declaration of conformity including sponsored stickers, but in this instance, I will speak which is what is required for each subscriptions services, top specifically about the newly and every device that is use here picks for apps, BBM Meetings, network effects take root in launched Wave Solution. We have in Nigeria. Android Wear support, and a several markets across the a huge usage of smart phones in number of privacy and security continent. Nigeria. Just take a step back, you Challenges features including private chat. Local traffic in BBM do understand the difference The problem is the fake and the App payment solutions “In Africa, the BBM Shop gets between the two-way radio and grey market which is a global “We have also launched several over 20 million views each month mobile phones right? Because, issue. We have put in place plans in-app payment solutions, and has tallied 60 million total with the mobile phone, you need to fight grey market. We have including BBM Money, PayPal stickers sent and received. The a minimum of 15 seconds to be campaigns. We are sensitizing and Quickteller in Nigeria. Shop features more than 25 able to establish connection with people. We have been telling Highlighting how the app has sticker packs tailored to the who you are trying to reach, but people the benefits of procuring quickly evolved from a text-only, African market, like Naija Slang. with radio, it is instant. The minute from the real channels, benefit of he said that BlackBerry This focus on local and relevant you push the Push-To-Talk, (PTT), procuring original devices, the smartphone messaging solution content helps drive the numbers function, you are instantly has become a bustling, crosswarranty, after sale support and higher. communicating which platform, global social network. most importantly, the effectiveness BBM payment options encourages effectiveness and Opportunity for young app of what you are buying, you are “BlackBerry has partnered with developers efficiency. sure it is original that have been Interswitch Ltd, Nigeria’s largest “We will grow our users’ base What we have done with the designed to deliver what you payment processor, to enable and products. Our growth in Wave Solution is leveraging on the Nigerians to transfer money or procured it for. We give 12 to 24 Africa is continuing. We are fact that there are smart phones airtime within BBM, as simply as month warranty depending on looking for opportunities for local in the hands of 80-percent mobile they transfer photos or files. what you are buying. developers to work with us on app Great Ad development. This will present performance opportunity for young developers. “The advertising There is huge opportunity for nt Elect, markets in South rmation Processing (IFIP) Preside Africa with BBM. “BBM has nternational Federation for Info the 26th national conference of Nigeria Africa and Nigeria g at changed a lot in its strategy. It is a Mike Hinchey, will be speakin represent two of our chat app that has grown the to hold this month in Abuja. ed slat S, NC , iety Soc ional er put biggest global Com “Information Technology for Nat ecosystem with about 22 million onal conference with the theme, sage nati the mes ll At dwi goo the opportunities. Both ver registered users in Africa and half is expected to will deli a plenary ing Safety and Security’’, Hinchey dur r markets generate ake spe e not of them coming from Nigeria Key as e and serv during the opening ceremony substantial daily ad urity”. which is an important market for ation in National Safety and Sec hancing National Security nov “In on ion sess requests, which are us. As we roll services, Nigeria is a “En c topi the on tion He will give a technical presenta reflected in the pricing key market. s”. tem Sys e war Soft and performance of the g h Centre, a usin BBM growth in Africa Lero-the Irish Software Researc ad units”. He explained. Ireland Hinchey is also the Director of tion nda “Today, we have over 22 million Fou nce Scie centre funded by Although both are seen multi-location national research ’s universities. registered customers in Africa, so and as developing erick, an and with a footprint in all of Irel it continues to be a strong market er Science from University of Lim economies, they are Hinchey holds a B.Sc. in Comput from University of Oxford, UK and PhD in for us. Nigeria and South Africa atics) some of our top are our two top markets in Africa a Member of M.Sc. in Computation (Mathem ity of Cambridge, UK. He is vers Uni from revenue-generating and we continue to see strength in h Computer Computer Science Iris , iety the British Computer Soc markets. Additionally, our user base across Android, ineering Eng Academia Europaea, Fellow of of e itut Inst s, tion lica s and Its App our average clickiOS, BlackBerry 10 and BBOS. On Society, Institute of Mathematic . tralia and Engineers Ireland through rates of 5% are iOS and Android, we see over half Technology and Engineers Aus e Engineering was Director of the NASA Softwar y among the highest che Hin , Lero a million new users install BBM . Hinchey Prior to leading MD elt, enb ce Flight Centre, Gre we’ve seen anywhere in every single month.” That growth , Sweden, oratory at NASA Goddard Spa and Lab Irel , UK in or fess pro ting the world” or or visi rate continues to accelerate as has been previously full profess tralia. Germany, USA, Japan and Aus

IFIP boss to speak at NCS 2016 forum

PAGE 34–SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

Life

How Enugu Hotel Presidential became cattle grazing field By Francis Igata Enugu

ESIDENTS and visitors to Enugu metropolis may never come to terms with the abandonment of Enugu Hotel Presidential, renowned as the ‘Pride of the East, during the eight years administration of former Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State. Built after independence as part of the defunct Eastern Government’s industrialization plan created under the late premier, Dr. Mike Ihuonuka Okpara, which was later bequeathed to the state after the first republic,the gigantic 100-room edifice has become a grazing field for cattle and household animals. Situated close to the threearm zone housing the Lion Building,seat of government,the hotel, which used to be a tourist centre, yielding impressive revenue as of the time of former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani,was abandoned by the Chime administration, leading to its present decrepit state. With a unique mesh of recreational and lifestyle elements, the hotel was a popular destination for Nigerians and foreign visitors. Back in the days when the hotel was open to the public, it offered 100 rooms on four floors with recreational facilities such as swimming pools, tennis courts and a nightclub considered among the best. Reports had it that the Chime administration had planned, with a team of private investors, to transform the former pride of eastern Nigeria, through a concession granted to EHospitality Services

•...Former ‘Pride of the East’ Limited,EHSL, expected to gulp N4billion renovation. Enugu-based lawyer,Ray Nnaji,last Thursday, in a chat with Sunday Vanguard,alleged that the Chime administration sold the hotel even as he renewed his demand on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC,seeking the former governor ’s prosecution. When Sunday Vanguard visited the hotel, which is approximately 15 minutes drive by car from the Akanu Ibiam Enugu International airport,it was discovered that it has become a grazing field. This was even as all the doors,windows, window frames and other fittings have been carted away. The hotel would have played a key role in facilitating business and socio-economic activities across the South-East

When Sunday Vanguard visited the hotel, which is approximately 15 minutes drive by car from the Akanu Ibiam Enugu International airport, it discovered that it has become a grazing field

and South-South geopolitical zones. Unconfirmed reports say the immediate past administration granted multiple concessions to investors at the twilight of its tenure which are now subject of litigation as claims and counter claims are made in a desperate bid to possess the once prestigious hotel which stood as the symbol of the old Eastern Region.

•...One side of the now decrepit hotel C M Y K

Chime sold it —Nnaji Nnaji renewed his demand

on the EFCC,seeking Chime’s prosecution over the alleged sale of the hotel. Nnaji,a former National Auditor of the People Democratic Party,PDP,said he was losing sleep following the decrepit state of the hotel. During the chat with Sunday Vanguard,a crest fallen Nnaji said: “It is no longer news that former governor Chime sold Enugu Hotel Presidential. I had petitioned the EFCC over this matter and they have not done anything as regards investigation. The place has been dilapidated and turned to a grazing reserve following its abandonment. “The hotel should have been generating revenue in form of Internal Generated Revenue,IGR,for the state, especially now that there is crude oil glut at the international market. “Enugu people are losing in the employment they are supposed to source if the hotel was functional. We must not keep quiet on this financial malfeasance as he and his associates sold our collective patrimony. The revenue generated if the hotel was functional could have been channelled to infrastructural development that will alleviate the suffering of the people. “Go round Enugu,you cannot point to one functional state-owned company as a result of Chime’s eight years maladministration. The result is what we are experiencing now as the revenue board is overtaxing individual businesses because the state is not buoyant. That is because there is no revenue from companies like Hotel Presidential. Apart from the fact that he sold the hotel, he could not develop it. “That was the same thing he did with Enugu International Conference Centre, ICC. The place was sold until this present administration came in to salvage the rot. The ICC could have been giving the state at least N1 billion annually in form of revenue apart from employment. But he has sold everything and the state is hanging on the balance now”.

VANGUARD, SUNDAY, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 35

Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep record improved sales 2016 Honda

Hyundai Tucson, Azera earn AutoPacific Vehicle Satisfaction Awards

Honda celebrates four decades of Accordd in in U.S U.S

• America’s Best-Selling Car Over the Past 40 years

ver 40 years and nine generations, Accord has consistently set the benchmark for the U.S. auto industry, earning the trust of more American car buyers than any other car during that period – with sales of more than 12.7 million Accords, the vast majority produced in Honda’s U.S. plants. Through continuous improvement and innovation, Accord has earned a reputation as a segmentdefining product, delivering class-leading reliability and durability with outstanding fuel efficiency and low emissions – along with refined and responsive driving dynamics and top-class safety performance. As one important bellwether of its success, the Accord has been named to Car and Driver magazine’s prestigious “10Best” list a record 30 times, a feat unmatched by any other automobile of any type. And while Accord built its success through the loyalty of the baby boom generation, its popularity continues with younger buyers as the topselling midsize sedan and number two overall (to the Honda Civic) in sales to under-35 car customers for five of the past six years. “The Accord embodies the challenging spirit of Honda and our commitment to delivering innovative products to our customers of the highest quality, reliability and value,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of the Automobile Division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Accord’s success over four decades is deeply woven into the fabric of American car culture and American industry, and we are thankful for and deeply humbled by the loyalty and trust that our customers have placed in Honda and in Accord over the C M Y K

past 40 years.” Accord was the first Honda model and first vehicle from a Japanese automaker to be manufactured in America and has been in continuous production in America for nearly 34 years, since the start 1976 Honda Accord of Honda’s U.S. automobile Japan in March 1988. manufacturing at the company’s From its humble roots as a hatchback Marysville, Ohio auto plant on with a smaller wheelbase than today’s November 1, 1982. Through the subcompact Honda Fit, to today’s full years, it also has been produced in lineup of engines and body styles – the company’s plants in East Liberty, including the Accord Sedan and Coupe Ohio; in Birmingham, Alabama; in and just-launched 2017 Accord Hybrid – Alliston, Ontario, Canada; and in El Accord has a legacy of leadership unique Salto, Jalisco, Mexico. In total, in the industry. Accord’s ongoing success Honda has produced more than 10.7 includes three consecutive years (2013million Accords in North America for 2015) as the top-selling car in America to both local and global markets. individual car buyers. Accord was also the first U.S.-made A core element of Accord’s enduring automobile from a Japanese success is the ability to adapt to the automaker exported overseas, changing needs of customers, including beginning with the shipment of Ohio- younger buyers, which today means made Accords to Taiwan in 1987, meeting demand for advanced followed by the landmark export of connectivity technology. the U.S.-made Accord Coupe to

ith many options in the compact crossover SUV and large car categories, we are proud the Tucson and Azera got the vote from consumers themselves for meeting their wants and needs,” said Mike O’Brien, vice president, corporate and product planning, Hyundai Motor America. “These vehicles took the top spot in owner satisfaction for offering better value, technology, safety and design.” The VSAs are based on survey responses from more than 65,000 owners of new 2015 and 2016 model-year cars and light trucks. The annual survey measures owner satisfaction on 50 separate attributes. These awards identify the most satisfying vehicles on the market and are an industry benchmark which measures how satisfied owners are with their new vehicle. “New car buyers have come to expect quality. These awards show how Hyundai is also focused on their customer ’s needs and desires,” said Daniel Hall, vice president, AutoPacific. The all-new 2016 Hyundai Tucson offers an edgy exterior design, a pair of fuel efficient drivetrains, and a stylish interior that is roomier than its predecessor. The 2016 Tucson also earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS’s) 2016 TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation. The 2016 Azera represents an advanced approach to the traditional premium sedan segment by delivering a powerful yet efficient powertrain, modern design, and luxury features combined with Hyundai’s consistently strong value proposition. Azera continues to offer customers the highest levels of luxury, performance, and efficiency, all brought together in an innovative design.

BPP thumbs up for Toyota Nigeria on new assembly plant

oyota Nigeria Limited again got kudos for the standard and quality of its newly completed assembly plant in Lagos. The acting Director General, Bureau of Public Procurement,BPP Engr. Ahmed Abdul gave the commendation recently when he visited the assembly plant. The DG was taken on a tour of the plant situated on a sprawling expanse of land. He witnessed the demonstration of the assembly line which comprise a two-line plant vis monocoque body and Cabin/Chassis. Explaining the functions, the Managing Director of Toyota (Nigeria) Limited, Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo pointed out that the monocoque line is for assembling passenger cars and mini buses while the Cabin/Chassis is for pick up

and light trucks assembling. He further acquainted the Ag. DG with the quality checks put in place to ensure that vehicles assembled at the plant meet international standards while informing him that the first vehicle, a Hiace was assembled in the plant in December 2015. Engr. Abdul commended the quality of the line and was impressed with the state of the art equipment and investment at the plant. He promised to support TNL in any area possible to ensure the sustenance and continued functioning of the facility. Mr. Kunle Ade- Ojo expressed his unreserved appreciation for the august visit, promising that TNL will continue to align with government policies to launch the Nigerian Automobile industry on the world map and recognition.

From left: Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo Managing Director, Toyota (Nigeria) Limited presenting Parts to the representative of Mechanical Engineering Dept., University of Lagos, Dr. Ojolo, while Mrs Funmi Akingbagbohun, Chairman NIMechE, Lagos Chapter and National Chairman of NIMechE, Engr. Ugochukwu Nzurumike, look on.

PAGE 36–SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

rexmarinus@hotmail.com

Yes, Africans now call Nigeria: “the big fool.” It is such a remarkable transition, from the “giant of Africa” to the “big fool of Africa” because Nigerian public officials are colonized, sanitized,

The president has no constitutional mandate to probe corruption

et us think of the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate as, like a co-pilot. His hands are on the same lever with the president of the senate, navigating the nation through the storms of nation-build. That is right: nation-building does not happen at the executive office, it happens in the chambers of the nation’s legislative houses. This is a fairly clear axiom of democracy: without the parliament, there is no republic. It is the parliament that legitimizes a free democratic state. It is the very source of all powers of governance. The parliament of the land is the most powerful institution of state, not the office of president, as most Nigerians, still steeped in military-era mentality tend to think. The President is a servant of the elected, and constituted National Assembly. While the National Assembly is both the voice, the ears, and the eyes of the public in the system of democratic rule. They do not answer to any other person – neither to the courts nor to the president – but to the people. That is why, whenever there is a coup, the first institution that is abolished is the parliament of the land. For as long as the parliament is in session, the nation exists. But wherever a parliament is abolished, the nation goes

into a hiatus. In that instance, the president answers to no one. That is the meaning of absolutism. The only power parliament accounts to is the people. I need to emphasize this again. Which is why I was both startled and personally horrified this past week on reading the silly letter to the US Congress, the EU, the UK, and the UN, by the Deputy president of senate, Mr. Ike Ekweremadu, complaining that Nigeria’s democracy is threatened. I am horrified that the Nigerian press that consented to dignify such a middling letter by publishing it, did not go, as part of its obligation to the public, to ask Mr. Ekweremadu what he expected the UN, the US Congress, the UK, and the EU to do with his letter of complaint. I do not especially recall that the Speaker of the UK Parliament wrote to Nigeria, or the AU, or the US Congress, or the UN when the “Yes” vote carried on the Brexit referendum, or whenever the Labour Opposition fought with the ruling Conservative party in the Commons. Nor have I even heard, or seen any selfrespecting African nation misusing its sovereign mandate so much as Nigerians in making such silly appeals to the “international community.”

hypnotized, and perhaps in fact, lobotomized so much that they misconstrue their place on the world stage. Nigeria is currently an inferior nation because she is run by inferior men and women. Many of us feel utterly ashamed by the quality of individuals that we have managed to hand over the sovereign mandate, and it is my view that the full measure of Ike Ekweremadu as a legislator and politician can be taken in the weight and significance of his letter. The US Congress or the UK government or the UN does not have voting rights in Nigeria. Ike Ekweremadu did not write to his constituents whom he represents in Enugu, nor to the Nigerian people, whose views and actions, and interests, matter in this question. He did not write a straight and unambiguous letter to the president to back off. He did not write to his legislative colleagues to drive home the necessity of protecting the republic from the intrusion of a rampaging elephant in a China shop. He wrote to some alien powers whose opinions are really inconsequential to whatever might become of this rapidly evolving situation. And I’m sorry to say that Ekweremadu’s letter only proves that he has no business wearing the shoes of mighty men. He has also proved the average Nigerian

politicians utter disrespect of the Nigerian electorate from whom they derive their mandates. He has also demonstrated that he lacks a basic grasp of the nature of his own mandate as a senator of the republic. Perhaps I should outline this basically by saying that the president’s actions, for instance, in these anti-corruption probes,

The National Assembly can also summon anybody before it, including the president of the republic, as well as cause the removal of anybody from office by impeachment, including the president or his Attorney General usurps the power of the legislature. President Buhari has no mandate to probe corruption or misuse of public funds. The only institution mandated by the constitution to probe any person or any institution of government is the National Assembly and the various Houses of Assembly. Here is what the Nigerian constitution says without ambiguity: “ 85. (1) There shall be an AuditorGeneral for the Federation who shall be appointed in accordance with the provisions of section 86 of this Constitution. (2) The public accounts of the Federation and of all offices and courts of the Federation shall be audited and reported on to the Auditor-General who shall submit his reports to the National Assembly; and for

Bayoko, the chief helmsman at Delta Civil Service By Harrison Akamule

hen Reginald Bayoko joined the civil service in Benin, Edo State, he never envisaged he would get to the top of his career but, by dint of hard work and diligence, with the creation of Delta State, many career civil servants of Delta State origin returned to their state of origin. In the past few years, we have had many civil servants who rose through the ranks to the peak of civil service as head of service in Delta. One can recall people like Chief Simeon Efenudu, Mr Okey Ofili, Dr. Sam Okpokpor, Sylvester Mordi, Sir Patrick Origho, among others, most of whom were former students of the University of Ibadan. But today, for the first time, an exstudent of Professor Ambrose Alli University has come to clinch the top slot.. A thorough-bred civil servant whose dress code is the typical suit and tie, he has paid his dues as a career civil servant,

versed in the civil service rules and financial instructions. When the pioneer Chairman of DESOPADEC, Chief Wellington Okrika’s tenure expired, Bayoko stood as an acting Chairman to ensure that • Re g i n a l d every aspect of Bayoko DESOPADEC activities ran smoothly. As Permanent Secretary, he served under three governors, Chief |James Ibori, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, and now, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa. As career civil servant, he knows his onions and can correctly advice the governor in the right direction. Coming from Kiagbodo, home to the Clarks of between 1978 and 1983 at Ambakederemo fame, the Immaculate the young Bayoko was Conception College, resourceful as a young Benin City. He has a rich man knowing how to set reservoir of experience in the fish traps and throw several Boards and the fishing nets in the worked in a number of riverine terrain .To have g o v e r n m e n t surmounted the problems establishments, rising of underdevelopment and through the ranks as passed his school Director of Investments certificate and GCE O’ and Loans, where he level examinations was represented Delta on the not a mean feat. boards of strategic Bayoko did all these companies and

institutions. He has had a wide knowledge of financial dealings and the role of Internal Revenue Board in the state, especially, now that federal allocations are in sharp decline.. Born on July 18, 1966 in Enugu to parents of Burutu Local Government in Delta State, his father hails from Kiagbodo while his mother is from Owhodokporkpor in Ughelli South local government.

that purpose, the AuditorGeneral or any person authorised by him in that behalf shall have access to all the books, records, returns and other documents relating to those accounts. (3) Nothing in subsection (2) of this section shall be construed as authorising the AuditorGeneral to audit the accounts of or appoint auditors for government statutory corporations, commissions, authorities, agencies, including all persons and bodies established by an Act of the National Assembly, but the Auditor-General shall (a) provide such bodies with (i) a list of auditors qualified to be appointed by them as external auditors and from which the bodies shall appoint their external auditors, and (ii) guidelines on the level of fees to be paid to external auditors; and (b) comment on their annual accounts and auditor's reports thereon. (4) The Auditor-General shall have power to conduct checks of all government statutory c o r p o r a t i o n s , commissions, authorities, agencies, including all persons and bodies established by an Act of the National Assembly. (5) The Auditor-General shall, within ninety days of receipt of the AccountantGeneral's financial statement, submit his reports under this section to each House of the National Assembly and each House shall cause the reports to be considered by a committee of the House of the National Assembly responsible for public accounts. (6) In the exercise of his functions under this Constitution, the AuditorGeneral shall not be subject to the direction or

control of any other authority or person.” The National Assembly can also summon anybody before it, including the president of the republic, as well as cause the removal of anybody from office by impeachment, including the president or his Attorney General. The National Assembly can mandate the Attorney General to try the president for treason, if it finds the president to be a threat to the republic. The National Assembly can defund the office of the Attorney General, the EFCC or any statutory office of government, or cause it to go into abeyance. The National Assembly can stop the functions of the federal government by deauthorizing any presidential expenditure. That is the extent of the power of the legislature. With regards to the current distraction of trial for “forgery” of the president and deputy president of senate, one is thoroughly shocked that these gentlemen consented to appear in court! No court of the land has the authority to summon any legislator to court on questions around procedures, discussions, or actions carried out within the chambers of the National Assembly. This is the practice all over the world. The allegation of “forgery” of senate rules is a distraction because the rules of senate are subject to change, and is what it is, when a sitting senate votes to use, amend, or discard it as the case may be, as its guiding frame. It is not subject to the intrusion of any court, much less the presumption of crime by the Attorney General. This, Mr. Ekweremadu and Dr.Saraki ought to know, and should be properly advised, as an act honoring their mandate, to desist from appearing any further before any courts on this matter, and take charge of their legislative duties.

Mr. Bayoko holds a B.Sc. degree in geography and regional planning from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma (1983-1987) and a master ’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Benin (1997). After his compulsory National Youth Service Corps ( NYSC ) assignment, he was appointed into the Bendel Civil Service as Administrative Officer II and posted to the Investment and Loans Department in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. He eventually rose to become Permanent Secretary in 2006. It was while he was Permanent Secretary, Finance, that he was nominated for the Senior Executive Course 36, in Kuru – Jos, in 2014. According to reports from the Kuru Course for Senior Executive Officers, he was rated this way: “Reginald Bayoko was a member of the Study Group 5 and served his group as a Rapporteur and performed creditably well and made invaluable inputs to

various group assignments. An effective team player, he worked in harmony with all team members exhibiting a high level of commitment, cooperation and forthrightness. “Continuing, the report went further: “He displayed commendable leadership skills during group activities as well as plenary sessions where he made positive contributions,’ adding, Bayoko showed dedication and capacity for hard work under pressure and could be relied upon to accomplish arduous tasks within his areas of competence. As a result of these special skills of hard work and competence, he was selected as member of the writing team as well as presenter of the final course report that was presented to the President during the presidential parley in November 2014.” By his recent elevation to the position of Head of the Civil Service in Delta State, he now becomes the first Izon man to occupy this enviable position. The government has made the right choice of a seasoned civil servant.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 37

N his letter to the Corinthians, Paul found it necessary to answer his critics: “We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.” (II Corinthians 4:2). But this is far from the truth. Paul is an expert at distorting the word of God and at using scriptures deceitfully. In Romans 3:10-18, Paul cuts and pastes together six different Old Testament scriptures in order to make the case that no one is righteous in the sight of God. He does this out of his insistence that righteousness can only be imputed to men as a result of Jesus’ allegedly sacrificial death. However, in doing this, he distorts every single scripture he quotes in the confidence that his largely non-Jewish audience would be none the wiser. These distortions become apparent as we dis-aggregate and examine the original scriptures he supposedly refers to one by one. Paul’s distortions Paul borrows his first few verses from Psalm 14:1-3: “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; they have together become unprofitable; there is none who does good, no, not one.’” (Romans 3:10-12). However, Paul is being deliberately misleading. David’s position in the original psalm is not that everybody in the world is unrighteous, as Paul

DISTORTING THE WORD OF GOD would have us believe. While David begins as Paul quotes by talking about the unrighteous, he then goes on to talk about the righteous; the very people Paul is trying to convince us do not exist. David later observes that: “God is with the generation of THE RIGHTEOUS.” (Psalm 14:5). Therefore, this psalm does not in any way support Paul’s bogus doctrine that all men are wicked. Paul then takes the next part of his hatchet job from Psalm 5:9: “Their throat is an open tomb; with their tongues they have practiced deceit.” (Romans 3:13a). Here again, the psalmist has a completely different viewpoint from what Paul ascribes to him. While in the verse Paul cites, the psalmist applies his invective to his enemies; he then proceeds to talk about the righteous, the people Paul says are non-existent: “For you, O LORD, will bless THE RIGHTEOUS; with favour you will surround him as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12). Paul is deceitful Paul continues with a line taken from Psalm 140:3: “The poison of asps is under their lips.” (Romans 3:13b). But here yet again, David is only talking about his ene-

Jesus completely destroys Paul’s doctrine of original-sin by saying Abel, the direct son of Adam, was righteous mies. He soon goes on to differentiate the righteous from the wicked: “Surely THE RIGHTEOUS shall give thanks to your name; THE UPRIGHT shall dwell in your presence.” (Psalm 140:13). Paul then quotes Psalm 10:7: “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness” (Romans 3:14). But we need to ask the same question: does the psalmist apply this as a blanket attribute for all men as Paul would have us believe? The answer is No! Here again, the psalmist differentiates between the righteous and the wicked by identifying “the innocent:” “He sits in the lurking places of the villages; in the secret places he murders THE INNOCENT.” (Psalm 10:8). Paul is dishonest Paul now shifts from psalmists to Isaiah 59:7-8: “Their feet are swift to shed blood; destruction and misery are in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known.” (Romans 3:15-17). But we

know Isaiah does not agree with Paul’s position because the prophet acknowledges the existence of the righteous in his writings: “THE RIGHTEOUS perishes, and no man takes it to heart; merciful men are taken away, while no one considers that THE RIGHTEOUS is taken away from evil.” (Isaiah 57:1). Finally, Paul ends with a quotation from Psalm 36:1: “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” (Romans 3:18). But, here again, David does not agree with him in applying this feature to every human being because he goes on to identify the “upright in heart.” He says to God: “Oh, continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, and your righteousness to THE UPRIGHT in heart.” (Psalm 36:10). Can we still say “there is none righteous, no, not one,” according to scripture? Certainly not! Thereby, a major plank of Paul’s doctrine falls to the ground. The righteous exist

Paul says: “The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (I Corinthians 6:9). But if only the righteous will inherit and all are unrighteous, where then will Paul find the righteous to inherit the kingdom? This leads to the fallacy that God justifies the ungodly: “To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5). It also leads Paul to conclude erroneously that Jesus saves sinners: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (I Timothy 1:15). Jesus contradicts Paul by saying there are many righteous men: “Truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them.” (Matthew 13:17). Indeed, the righteous are referred to over 139 times in the bible. Jesus says there are “just persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7). Therefore, he says he gives his life “as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45); and not, as Paul says erroneously, “as a ransom for all.” (I Timothy 2:6). In fact, Jesus completely destroys Paul’s doctrine of original-sin by saying Abel, the direct son of Adam, was

righteous: “On you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Berachiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar.” (Matthew 23:34-35). How did Abel lose his sinnature when he was not washed in the blood of the lamb? Simple: he never had it. Jesus says: “A good tree does not bear bad fruit.” (Luke 6:43). This means a good man does not have a sinful nature. Furthermore, he says all little children belong to the kingdom of God. (Matthew 18:3). That means babies are not born in sin. Solomon confirms we are created “upright.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Moses also maintains we are not born corrupt: we corrupt ourselves. (Deuteronomy 32:5). According to him, children “have no knowledge of good or evil.” (Deuteronomy 1:39). It is wrong for Paul to give Christians the impression that it is impossible to be righteous when God insists we must be righteous. Throughout the scriptures, God’s main purpose is to call men to righteousness. Jesus says: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness! For they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6). But Paul’s doctrine militates against this kingdom imperative. What would be the point if no one can be righteous? Why bother if Jesus’ righteousness will be imputed to us anyway? Jesus’ doctrine of salvation says all men can be righteous by repenting of sin. Therefore, we have no excuse but to strive to obey his injunction: “Be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48).

Kukah urges IPOD, MASSOB, NDA to go through N’Assembly By Sam Eyoboka

HE Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Mathew Hassan Kukah, Sunday said there is nothing wrong with Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOD, Movement for the Actualiza-tion of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, or any other group wanting to leave Nigeria as long as such agitations or desires are channelled through the National As-

sembly, which is the appropriate and consti-tutional means. Responding to reporters' questions during the 2016 Fathers’ Day celebration at the Catholic Church of Nativity, Festac Town, Lagos, Bishop Kukah said Nigerians must come to term with tenets of democracy which has given us the freedom to express ourselves not just verbally but in action. According to him: “I don’t have a problem with any-

body wanting to leave Nigeria or requesting for a new state or local council, there is absolutely nothing wrong. The only thing wrong is if you fail to understand that we are in democracy and the only way to achieve that is through the National Assembly.” Asked to speak on the correlation of the recent Britain’s exit from the EU and what it portends for Nigeria, he said: “Britain has exited the EU; the history of the EU is over 50 years so it will be an illusion for Nigeria to begin to speculate whether there is a correlation between what has happened and the agitations in our country. First of all Britain is a country and they have exited from a union of countries, it is not British people who have exited from Britain. Scotland tried,

Lutherans urge collaboration in war against corruption

HE Lutheran Church of Nigeria, Resurrection Cathedral has urged Niger-ians Christians to lead the fight against corruption in their various places of assignments, reports OLAYINKA LATONA. Speaking at the celebration of Men's Week at the church Cathedral in Surulere, Lagos, with a theme; "Winn-ing the war against corrupt-ion in Nigeria: Whither the Church? ", chairman of the men's fellowship, Brother Solomon Mkpese explain-ed that Christians are the light and salt of the world and must rise to their res-ponsibility to correct va-rious ills in the Nigerian society. Lamenting the high level of corruption and the poor level of development in the country, Mkpese said Christians

should not be seen to be perpetrating acts of corruption in their places of assignment, rather they should be true ambassadors of Christ wherever they find themselves. One of the discussants and General Secretary/Education Adviser of the Christian Council of Nigeria, CCN, Rev. Ibrahim Yusuf, who was represented by Nation-al Programme Assistant of CCN, Rev. Kolade Fada-hunsi, called on the Church to do away with secularism, and speak with one voice against every appearance of corruption in the Church, among leaders and the society as a whole. In his words: "Church needs to play its role as the light and salt of the world. The Church should speak with one voice and rise against the menace

of corruption. They should join hands with government in the fight against corruption. It is a task which the Church must embrace with all sincerity. "It is unfortunate that the Church has remained too silent in tackling the issues that affect the society. We should eschew our differences and return to God like the prodigal son. "If we reprocess ourselves morally, then we are laying the foundation for a new start for ourselves and the entire country," he stated. In his opening remarks, Bishop of Lutheran Church of Nigeria, Western Zone, Rt. Rev. Gabriel Sadadi described corruption as a canker worm that does nobody any good, urging government to ensure that all governmental institutions are working perfectly to fight corruption within the system. The cleric also urged Niger-ians to support and encourage the government in the campaign against corruption. "According to Mr. President, it is either we kill corruption or corruption will kill us. We must practice sincerity and honesty among ourselves and desist from every corrupt practices," the bishop said.

but the people of Scotland said they want something better. "I think we must come to terms with two things that democracy has given us freedom to express ourselves not just verbally but in action and frankly, I don’t have a problem with anybody wanting to leave Nigeria or stay or wanting a new state or local government, there is absolutely nothing wrong. "The only thing wrong is if you fail to understand that we are in democracy and the only way is through our Representatives and the National Assembly, that is why we have them. President Muhammadu Buhari cannot give you a new local government or a new state. If you want an independent Biafra, household or any other form of independence, the way to go about it is not by agitation but by talking to those who represent you. And if they sponsor a bill and the bill is passed and signed, then you can get whatever you want," he explained. Continuing, the cleric said: “If you want an independent Biafra, independent household or any other form of inde-pendence, the only way to go about it is not by violent agitation but by talking to those who represent you in the National Assembly. Your represent-atives can sponsor a bill and if the bill is passed and signed, then you can get whatever you want.” Blaming politicians for the series of crises in the country, Kukah said: “The political class should be held responsi-ble for the crises we have in the society today. Public office holders are not appointed but elected and the reason they were elected is not to make money for themselves but to serve the country. But as you can see very clearly, what we are having so far is anything but service and this is

why when I hear politicians say we cannot develop in an environ-ment of violence or in an environment that is volatile, politicians do not understand that it is their irresponsible behaviours that are creating violence and anxiety. Ordinarily, an armed robber wants to live in peace. "My idea is that Nigerian politicians must come to the fact that politics is a noble vocation but there are many people that are ill-trained and illequipped and really not prepared for the job of politics in Nigeria," Kukah who said the Catholic Church no longer harbour the desire to break away from CAN because a new leadership has been elected for CAN, he maintained, adding that in the name of modernization every culture is under assault. As Christians and believers, it is from the forces of secularity and this is why "you can see that people are literally worshipping idols; what I mean is that people have turned politics, business and other things that should be noble I do confusion in our so-ciety. "This is why many people go to church and mosque and get there are criminalities and violence, corruption are all on the increase in our society," he added.

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face-Off 2016 GOV POLL

I know what Edo needs to pull through this difficult phase of our national life — Obaseki SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY Mr Godwin Obaseki emerged the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State ahead of the September 10 governorship election. In this interview with Sunday Vanguard, he relishes his victory and declares his plans for the people of the state if elected governor. Excerpts: ow do you feel emerg ing the APC governor ship candidate? I feel very thankful to God because if you cast your mind back when these whole campaign started sometime in October, the view held by many people then was that I did not stand a chance, that I will not fly. Those were the things they said to describe my ambition. And to imagine that from that time till now for the person who came into the contest last, to gather that momentum and prevail, I think all I can do is to say thank God, I am so grateful to God. I am humbled by this success. I know what Edo needs to pull through this difficult phase of our national life. My key motivation is that I believe that Nigeria as a whole is going through a major water shed. If you recall the events that led to the civil war and the changes that have occurred in our federation since the end of the war, how we have come to create a unitary system, how that unitary system has been nurtured by oil resources, that whole phase is now coming to an end. That means a total reorganisation of our entire polity. Bearing that in mind, I just felt that what we need in Edo is someone who has an experience and understanding of the past but he is not an indebted part of that past. So you can see things freshly and differently. And I have looked at all the other players that have indicated interest in the race from the other camp, and I thought that even beyond the credentials of managing the economy, it is just the understanding of the political process.

About the delegates, how did you connect with them? The negative things said about my ambition in the beginning made me to sit back and reflect on how best to serve the people of this state. If you recall, I went round the 18 Local Governments Areas, meeting the town executives, and it was then I appreciated more that it’s beyond that. That if this is an election of party delegates who are known, then you should go and campaign to them. So I just came up with a strategy where I had to meet every delegate. It was just not sufficient to sit down and say okay I have gone in, I have called a few leaders, I have spoken to them and I expect that they would send the word down. For the responsibility I am seeking to take on, I thought I needed to know a lot more, dig deeper. So I took the delegate election as if it was a full blown election. I went to every ward, the 192 wards, I wanted to understand the structure of the government in every ward so I did not go in and ask what is the leadership structure in this ward, who do you say the political leaders are. At the ward level not just at the local government but ward level. After the consultation with the leaders

•Obaseki... I will work very closely with the party at the local government level, what I found was quite revealing because no two wards even in the local government were the same. In terms of their governance arrangement, they had a lot of harmony. You go in they’ll say this is our leader, where should we meet? They would say let us meet in this person’s house. They will all assemble there and they would all come there and listen to you. There are situations where you go in to some wards and there would not be agreement so it started shedding light on the politics of each ward and the peculiarities of each ward. What were those meetings like? What I find even more interesting which played in my favor (and which is divine) was that in every meeting we went to, the people always turned up. And in going into someone’s house you could not find a warmer and cosier environment where you are able to have physical contact with each person, you took their hands, felt whether they were farmers depending on the feel of their hands. You hugged people you broke kola, you pray, you danced so that interaction created that bond and the more I did it, the more I found that these people you call politicians are ordinary day to day people like me and you. I was interested in their communities and I found that quite striking and in most of them, almost all at the end of the day they told you what their problems are. And then I asked them, ' what do you think the solutions are'? In most cases they say the government has to do this or that so I asked them, what of you? What is your own contribution to this process? And then I realized that even at the local levels they also have solutions for the issues. The other thing that was revealing to me also, was levels of development of our state and also in terms of the comparisons because you can see certain trends

We met debts from PDP, we cannot see what the money was used for, even their phantom industries you can’t find them, so we have to be careful that we don’t get people who would misbehave, who have destroyed us and now come singing hosanna today in certain parts of the states. Edo North for example, you can see a trend in the level of development; in Edo central and in the south, you can also see the trends in terms of the development and levels of formation of infrastructure. So, for me, sitting back, I now realized all these. Coming into that arena that day, it was like homecoming. Everywhere I went, every booth I went, I saw people I had been in touch with. People I had contacted. I recognized a lot of people and they recognized me too. Not knowing that the ballot papers they had printed would contain pictures. I have not seen the ballot papers but they told me they had pictures and therefore since most people had come in contact with me, it was easy to recognize me and thumbprint. What effort are you making to reconcile with the other contestants? Immediately after the election I didn’t go to bed. On Sunday evening, the first person I went to was Dr Pius Odubu. I went to his house with some party officials. I went to talk with him and to extend my hand of fellowship and

it was warm, cordial. He expressed his mind, his views as to what he felt and he was very open to reconciliation. He made a remark, he said people are calling him but he wanted to assure us that he was not going to leave the party, that he was going to work for the party. He admitted that he felt hurt and there were things that he felt should not have happened but he was prepared to work with the party and me. To seek full reconciliation, the following morning I went to see Engr. Chris Ogienwonyi, with whom I have a cordial and very warm relationship with, and we spoke. He, too, felt hurt. He said he needed to exhaust the process to convince himself that the primaries were conducted properly, that it truly reflected the outcome and decisions of the delegates which I feel he is entitled to. Later that day I went to see Gen. Charles and we spoke, he opened his arms and said look, he is open to me and that he is willing to work with me. Some of the contestants I have called. I have not been able to see Imasuagbon, he sounds very angry with me and I have not been able to see him. I heard he travelled so he’s the only one person I have not been able to see but I guess with time when he calms down, we will have a meeting but otherwise I have spoken to everybody else and that evening Prof. Osunbor, shook my hands and embraced me. Peter Esele called and pledged his support, Benson Agbomere and Tina O. Yesterday we had another meeting with the comrade governor. In fact it was a success. I don’t know if you have seen some of the photographs. We all went on the inspection together and started the campaign. But in terms of reconciliation, we are working hard and I’m very optimistic that we will be able to get full reconciliation. I, as an individual, I am also doing my own part, I expect that at the end of the registration exercise, I am going to have a meeting and we are all going to sit down and see how we can combine forces and be able to put resources together so that we can have a very effective campaign ahead of September 10. I have reached out, I have stretched my hand to them, I am inviting all the contestants to come and help the organisation. I pray and hope that all of them accept, because each one of us had a plan, so you had to plan your manifesto which was to contribute to Edo State. Now they will all contribute what they have for the development of APC and the state.

How do you feel going to face Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu of the PDP in the contest? I don’t know if he’s going to be my opponent but I also sent him a note congratulating him on his victory and to welcome him and advice that we conduct ourselves in this elections in a very civil manner. I am going to be the governor of Edo State by the grace of God, therefore I’m going to govern every Edo person. But how are you going to deal with leaders like Anenih, Igbinedion? Will you meet them to solicit for their support? I cannot have any animosity towards anyone. But this is a contest and once you are going

into a contest, you don’t go to your opponent and say let us talk. I do not expect them (Igbinedion and Anenih)to vote for me, they will have to vote for whoever is emerging from their party. That is not my priority, my priority is to convince the other people, citizens of Edo State why I am the better candidate and the choice. And at the end of the day when I win why not talk, I mean I will embrace everybody. There is this allegation that you have EFCC case, how true is that? I don’t have a case with EFCC. I read the story as you know, I am on the board of several companies, this is one of the largest German companies in the world, it’s a German company that owns rigs in Nigeria and I am on their board. They had a partner that died many years ago and unfortunately his estates have not been properly managed. His other businesses have gone bankrupt and the company got a petition from the children in their estate claiming, alleging that the company was owing their father but you will see online that there is a full agreement which the company reached with the estate several years age. If you have been reading the papers the family has been having quarrels and internal issues. So it’s one of those kind of problems, they wrote to EFCC and other bodies. If somebody is owing you money, is there not a civil process to go through? Why should it be an EFCC matter? You are in this country, you know how citizens act but it has nothing to do with me, I do not own the company, I am just a shareholder on the board of the company so I don’t have anything to do with it. I did not take money from anybody. What about the issue of your deputy, who are you picking as your running mate? Though I am a party man, I believe it’s a party matter, and the party will look at the political configuration and how to zero in on the candidate. We will work together, I will work very closely with the party.

The opposition party is alleging that the state debt profile is very high, how true is that? I think the press has a major role; how do you determine the debt of a state? There is a debt management office of the country. Google DMO, it will give you a profile of all the states and what they owe. Edo State owes about N41 billion. Edo earns about N24billion in taxes in a year, so in two years we can pay whatever we have outstanding, so I don’t know where this whole contraption of debts is from. We don’t owe a bank a dime because all the bank debts have been rescheduled and refinanced so all you need to do is go to the DMO website, and look at all the states and what they are owing and you will see what Edo State is owing there. It is not a secret or an issue for contemplation. With two years of current tax revenues we can pay out the debt of Edo state. But some of the debts we have restructured are there ten, twenty years. The one we borrowed from the market, we will finish paying next year so what have we done wrong financially? Unlike people who borrowed, you

Continues on page 40

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 39

face-Off EDO GOV POLL

We will surmount PDP crisis to beat APC — Ize-Iyamu By Gabriel Onogholase, Benin-City

astor Osagie Ize-Iyamu is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 10, 2016 governorship election in Edo State. In this interview, Ize Iyamu speaks on his ambition to govern the state, his reconciliation moves to his opponents and their supporters that lost the governorship primary, his recent invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, among other issues. Now that you have emerged the candidate of your party, what is the next line of action? We are trying to put a campaign team together. What we had before was a vehicle to get to the stage we are now. It will be wrong to continue with that same structure. Now, I’m no longer Osagie Ize-Iyamu, an aspirant trying to get the ticket of the PDP, but the candidate of the PDP. I must now sit with the leadership of the party to work out the campaign arrangements, the itinerary and the campaign structure. So, what we are doing now is more of consultation and trying to put up a structure. You also know that we have to do some reconciliation with those who are aggrieved. Some people supported other aspirants, but having won, one must stretch his hands and reach out to them. They are all PDP members and we must try to bring everybody together. Talking about reconciliation, how far have you gone in that direction? We are reaching out and our opponents are also reaching out. We are optimistic that we will come out of the whole exercise stronger than we were before. One thing is that you can’t win everybody, but we will do our best to reach out to aggrieved people. We know that some people, for some reasons, might decide that they are not comfortable and that they want to leave. There is nothing one can do about that. The good thing is that in the other party, there are so many,

who also want to come and identity with us. From the eighteen local government areas, we have people who want to join us. Are you not bothered about the leadership crisis currently affecting your party, the PDP? A lot of our members are worried but, quite frankly, I’m not. I believe it will sort itself out. I know that there is a lot of engagement ongoing at various levels and at the end of the day; the matter will be sorted out. To worry about it, amounts to distraction. I have chosen to focus on the issues here rather than issues I have no control over. I’m happy that the primary we had was witnessed by INEC and they have also expressed satisfaction with the transparency of the process. One of the issues raised by the APC candidate was that the PDP government that you were part of killed the civil service in Edo State. To what level is the claim correct? Maybe he was misquoted or he didn’t know the situation. On the other hand, the Edo State civil service has never had it this bad. The service is totally depleted and is in dire need of new hands. It is very difficult to find anyone who has been recruited in the past eight years. That means that everybody in the civil service came in long before now. Many people have died and many have retired, while punitive dismissals have been carried out without regards to extant rules. In many place, lots of directors have been summarily dismissed without even taking their cases to the Civil Service Commission. I know that before we left, we injected fresh blood into the system. Young professionals such as lawyers, doctors, engineers, teachers and town planners were employed. Today, how many physics or other science teachers do we have in the public schools? Less than 20. How many general surgeons? Two. How many dermatologists? One on contract employment. When you look at the statistics, it is shocking. It is only one quantity surveyor, who is an external person, that does all the bills of quantity in this state. The same man will quantify, supervise and okay payment. How prepared are you to face

departments don’t even have the personnel. A lot of things are being given to external consultants. The level of corruption in the system is staggering. Money that should have been in government’s coffers are in private pockets. Projects are not being advertised and there is no due process in job awards. When you finally get figures of how much jobs were done, they are scandalous. Government cannot disclose even during commissioning stages how much was spent on projects. We have a comprehensive plan that covers every sector and every part of our state because we believe in even development. We don’t develop a place at the detriment of another. Development can go on simultaneously and we believe that Edo State has enough resources to go beyond where we are now. In every area, whether it is health, economy, agriculture sports or tourism, we have a detailed plan of what we intend to do. Sincerely, I believe the present government has been very wicked to Edo people and youths. How can you explain the fact that this government has not employed teachers in the past seven and half years despite the obvious vacancies in the schools? Apart from the urban schools, you need to go to the rural •Pastor areas to see the pathetic Osagie Izesituation. In many of these Iyamu rural schools, they have one principal and one teacher. The public service including the civil

I’m no longer Osagie IzeIyamu, an aspirant trying to get the ticket of the PDP, but the candidate of the PDP. I must now sit with the leadership of the party to work out the campaign arrangements, the itinerary and the campaign structure the APC bearing in mind that the leadership of the Edo APC said the PDP was dead in Edo? How can a party that has two out of the three senators in a state be dead? Out of the nine House of Representatives members in this state, the PDP has five. That was an election that was conducted a little over a year ago; even the governor of the state, which party is representing him in the state House of Assembly? PDP. So what are you be bringing into government? We are coming to government with a clear-cut agenda. We have a clear idea of how we will start and where we are going. We are not coming to government by trying to determine our destination. We have spelt out our ideas in a very simple manner. The economy of the state will be revitalized in such a way that we will not rely solely on what comes from Abuja. We intend to reinvent our public service because it has been destroyed in the past seven to eight years. The morale is currently at the lowest ebb and many core

service is suffering acute shortage of manpower. Most of the legal cases of the government are not being done by the Ministry of Justice, but people outside. What of industries? When I was in government, Bendel Breweries was giving the state millions every month as contribution to the state’s IGR. What about agriculture? Government’s attention to agriculture has been zero, Sports? Edo used to be number one in sports. How come we can no longer compete? Many state governors appear to have hijacked the responsibilities of the local government chairmen. Will you free councils if you become governor? Definitely. The difference between Pastor Ize-Iyamu and many of these people is that I am not afraid to highlight what I intend to do. We intend to ensure strict supervision of council resources and expenditure. We shall, however, encourage financial autonomy for the local government councils and create Local Governments Development Areas (LCDAs) so as to fast track development in these areas. We will also give freedom to local government councils in order to function in accordance with their mandates and protect council chairmen from executive intimidation and constant harassment and unwarranted removal. Council chairmen are elected just like governors, but it is unfortunate that they now live in fear. Their tenures could be brought to a sudden end with an announcement by the governor. How can you remove a man who was elected by his people just because you are governor? You removed the chairman of Orhionmwon, who was elected by his people. You removed chairman

Continues on page 40

PAGE 40—SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

face-Off We will surmount PDP crisis to beat Edo APC — Ize-Iyamu Continues on page 40 of Oredo, even Etsako Central when you are from Etsako West. That amounted to lawlessness and abuse of power. These councils have been castrated and cannot function anymore. State government and supervisors of local governments should publish what the councils are bringing as IGR. Do you know that just as you share VAT, the councils are entitled to 10 per cent of the IGR of the state government, have they ever been given? They have actually aided the financial mess of these councils to the extent that they cannot pay salaries or complete projects. When last did you see council chairman commission a project. On a monthly basis, they are servicing the people that are supposed to supervise them. All kinds of instructions are also being given them to fulfil, thereby leaving them even more indebted. We will empower the council. We will encourage them to explore and exploit their revenue sources. A lot of them have been hijacked by political touts. Money meant for councils cannot be kept in the houses of political touts; it must be returned. There are talks that if elected into office, your government will probe the

current government. Do you actually have such plans? When you use the word probe, it is like you have concluded that they are guilty. I am a lawyer by profession. Of course, there must be handover and the handover note will be thoroughly investigated. Sometimes, the word, probe, is given a negative connotation. I’m happy you didn’t use the word, “prosecute.” Certainly, Edo money belongs to Edo people. If you find out that some of the money went into wrong hands, you take steps within the law to ensure that the money comes back. Our intention is, however, not to witch-hunt anybody. I’m not coming with a mindset to punish or pursue anybody. Certainly, we will look at what is in place. The governor said you will be the easiest candidate to defeat in the election. How easy will it be defeating you? If that was what he said, then he should go to sleep. If he believes it will be easy defeating me, then he should be celebrating. How can a governor, who said it would be easy to defeat me, say that I would be moving from one EFCC cell to another when they are busy campaigning. He is afraid and, in that statement, he has actually expressed his

fear. If EFCC will not help him, what is he going to do? Like I said, the governor should allow his candidate to speak. He (Oshiomhole) should know now that this is not a third term agenda, unless he wants to tell us that he is the one contesting. arned integrity. By the time campaigns start, we will know who is afraid of whom. Nothing has been heard lately about your invitation by the EFCC lately. Is the matter over or when are you •Pastor going Osagie Izeback Iyamu there? EFCC’s invitation is in the public domain. I thank God that the EFCC did not invite me because of any crime I committed. I was the coordinator for the former president in Edo. Money was sent to Edo and, in conjunction with two others, we were told to witness the arrival of the money and to ensure that the money was given to those it was meant for. The money was meant

for the election and it is a common knowledge that election anywhere in the world is capital intensive. There was a budget and every local government area had an amount specified for them. The money was collected and signed for. Those who signed and collected the money also went to their local government areas to disburse it. That was what I explained to the EFCC. As far as we were concerned, the president had an elaborate fund raising that was televised live. I didn’t go there but I saw it on TV. One naturally expected that it was the proceeds of the fund raising that was brought to us. It is instructive to know that I personally did not take one kobo out of the money. Because of my position, I saw myself as someone that should be contributing, not taking out

of money that was brought. So people like us, despite what came, we were adding to it. Perhaps if I had taken some, the issue of Pastor must come and make refund. So, I went to the EFCC and they went to town saying that Pastor has been arrested, Pastor has been detained. In fact, it became a regular song here until I got the ticket. I’m surprised it has stopped now. Before I got the ticket, they were singing it every day as if the intention was to discourage PDP delegates. They had hoped that the more they echoed the story, the likelihood that the PDP delegates would become more scared of supporting me. Now, it has stopped, but I’m sure they are thinking of other things to say. I can assure you that the EFCC thing is not a problem. I have always said the EFCC is a public institution and I must say, to the best of my knowledge, that they have conducted themselves in a very professional manner. If they were to be used, despite my innocence, they could decide to detain me and take me to court. I know the characters on the other side have made overtures, saying, “Detain Pastor, hold him, keep him.” That is a wishful thinking. I will be around to campaign and, by the grace of God, we will win the election resoundingly.

'Edo people will not forgive PDP for killing the civil service system' Continued from page 38 can see what we have used the money for, you can see the infrastructure we have built, you can see the schools we have refurbished. We met debts from PDP, we cannot see what the money was used for, even their phantom industries you can’t find them, so we have to be careful that we don’t get people who would misbehave, who have destroyed us and now come singing hosanna today. People who should be in jail, saying they want to come back and govern us. They come, fill up the whole place with lies and we are consuming the lies like they are true. So what are you bringing to Edo if you become governor? I am new and I am bringing new things with me. I come from a background of working in institutions. So for me I look back and look at institutions. When I first came into the race, people were laughing at me, saying all I know is computer and that do I think it is computer that is used in winning elections. But what we did was we got the names of delegates, their wards. We mapped that data, we tried to understand how these delegates evolved. During the last congress, these were the leaders who brought about the nomination of these delegates. These are their phone numbers and sometimes, these are their birthdays. So when I’m going there, I now know

•Obaseki that rather than just barging in on these people, let me call. The key thing I want to do is to use technological information to run government. We have to run a very smart government because we don’t have the kind of money we used to. The first innovation I want to introduce as the governor is the use of ICT, to move it up much higher so that we can get a lot more efficiency from the little money we have. And the other thing I want to do is to focus mostly on what government should do which is to provide the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive because we will need a lot more private capital to move this economy forward. Look at two investments we have made in the state, those two projects alone are worth two

billion dollars. If we can bring in a lot more of such types of investments then the whole issue of jobs would reduce. I will dedicate a lot more of my time to bring private investments into the state. We need to focus on the economy so that we can take advantage of the unique position of Edo State. The other difference I will make is in terms of governance - one reason why Lagos State is doing very well is because of the governance model incorporated, where the governor is not the party leader so the governor has time to govern while the party politicians can manage the party politics. So that is one thing I hope to introduce to Edo State under my leadership. There are key drivers for a state economy; for us agriculture is it. Agriculture is part of us. In stock exchange today we are one of the two largest agricultural sectors. We have two large agricultural institutions in this state. What we now need to do is expand it and modernise it. We already have a basis to start from. We have a tradition of commercial farming in Nigeria, we just have to leverage on that significantly. There will be mass employment during our government. The past PDP administration destroyed the civil service of Edo State, in their stupidity they took out a whole layer of people, who were trained, out of the civil service, believing naively that they were saving money, and forgetting that those people were going into

the list of pensioners and they did not pay them what was due to them. If I forgive the PDP administration for what they did to this state, one thing I cannot forgive them at all, is what they did to the civil service of Edo state. The experienced civil servants were taken out, leaving the amateur ones to rise in rank without anyone to train them. That is the surest way to destroy a system, not having succession. So the problem we have now is to get people into the civil service and to rapidly retrain them to cope with the challenges of modern governance. People will not just leave and say we want to go and see culture, most times you have something else taking you to a particular place and then in free time you can go to see the culture, so first you have to build infrastructure. Eight years ago the transportation in Edo State was bad but now you can drive from the beginning of airport road straight to Ugbowo, you can drive around the city. What we now need to do is to increase tourism and make it attractive and also make people driving through Edo State to want to stop, to create the environment for businesses to thrive here so that when people are driving through they will have reason to stop. What we need to do is to create businesses, we need to encourage people to invest in business facilities. When people come for business purposes, later on at night they would now want to go out to see the

tourism spots in the state. The fear some people have is that you may mortgage the state to your friends - like Alhaji Dangote and others? I have spent most of my last thirty-something years in investment banking, and the only people I deal with are people who have capital, so there is nobody in any big business today that I have not interacted with. Dangote is the most successful of them. The house I am using now was given to me freely for my campaign by Hakeem Bello Osagie. He is the chairman of Etisalat. I worked with him to divest from UBA. I have worked with almost everybody. Finally God has woken us from our slumber. How can a country that is endowed with people like you and I and all the resources we have, spend 30 billion dollars importing goods and services we can produce but because we had oil revenues, we just thought it was a normal. We have been talking about diversification but as time goes on we always stray from the plan. Out of the ashes, the phoenix will rise again. Nigeria will rise again and that is one of the reasons I am running for governorship of Edo State.

•THIS OBASEKI INTERVIEW IS BEING RE-PRESENTED DUE TO A TECHNICAL MUDDLE NOTICED AFTER PRINTING LAST WEEK

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 41

By Levinus Nwabughiogu Omeiza Ajayi

he national secretariat of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Abuja became a beehive of activities on Tuesday when Delta political heavyweights stormed the place. This is an insider’s account of what transpired. His political sagacity in Delta State paid off on Tuesday. He had fought gallantly to wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the 2015 general elections but lost. Feeling shortchanged, he launched a legal battle which was halted by the Supreme Court judgment that retained Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. He disagreed with the verdict. But then, the highest court in the land had ruled and ended all legal voyages as far as the 2015 Delta gubernatorial election was concerned. But the dogged candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Ologorun O’tega Emerhor, in that election wouldn’t give up. His dream of evolving a new Delta with the zeal to upgrade the infrastructure status and establish industries for youth employment was the fire in his ambition. And so, he came up with another strategy, perhaps, the same strategy you would say changed the status of the present APC from being an opposition to the ruling party at the federal level. Emerhor went back to the drawing board. He reached out to like minds in the state. Consequently, a former opposition figure from the Labour Party, Chief Great Ogboru,

How Emerhor led Great

Ogboru, Victor Ochei to APC

*The Delta APC bigwigs at the Abuja event and an emerging political force, Victor Ochei, a former Speaker of Delta State Assembly have been united with the broom to sweep away the PDP in 2019. Indeed, anyone who knows the trio would not doubt their political prowess in Delta State and with them, PDP in the state may have to beg for a foothold soon. The Emerhor, Ogboru and Ochei are undaunted to achieve the objective. To this end, Emerhor,

HOPE FOR LIFE INITIATIVE

Anyaoku, German diplomat to children: Chase Integrity

By Funmi Ajumobi

OUTHS have been advised to make integrity, rather than wealth chase, as their priority as it is the only collateral that can sustain them through life challenges. A former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and Consul General of the Federal Republic of German Embassy in Lagos, Ingo Herbert offered this piece of advice at a

mentoring programme organised by Hope for Life Initiative for children from select secondary schools in Lagos. According to Chief Emeka Anyaoku, it is important for youths to focus on the right value and reject pursuing wealth, saying that learning to work hard and focussing on what will help them succeed should be number one. “Anyone without a character that people can

who obviously brokered the political alliance, unveiled the bigwigs and a host of their supporters before the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC on Tuesday in Abuja in a colorful event. He said that party in the state has opened discussions with some other key elements of the ruling party in the state. “For too long, you have heard and received only discouraging news from Delta state. Delta state participated in the last general elections and voted for President Muhammadu Buhari but

vouch for, is nobody and when integrity is lost everything is lost. The importance of character should be subordinated to the importance of wealth”, he stated. The Consul General, in his contribution, implored youths to show more respect for themselves and others. Herbert also spoke on the importance of respect for time in all activities. Nigerians and the youths in particular must be trust worthy and strive to be excellent in every area. Ms. Kendi Aig-Imoru , the organiser and co-ordinator of Hope for Life Initiative said the purpose was to expose the children to successful people in the society who are in a position to share their live experiences and how they arrived at their present stations in life.

unfortunately like most states in the South-South, we were robbed by the PDP of our governorship despite our gallant fight up to the Supreme Court”, the Delta APC leaders said. “We come here forcefully having been able to bring together a wide spectrum of leaders and followers in Delta state. We have been in discussion with opposition political heavyweights in Delta state who we know if they join us, Delta Government House in Asaba would be ours”. While receiving them, the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, expressed confidence in the ability of the party to assume the reins of governance in the state in 2019. “I am today very confident that we have a strong APC in Delta state. I am very confident that we have an energized APC in Delta state. Today, we have in our midst, people who understand what it means to be in power because they had been in power”, Odigie Oyegun said. On his part, Deputy National Chairman, South, Mr Segun Oni, said the party remained open to goodspirited politicians in the state who may want to join hands in dislodging the PDP from the Government House, Asaba. He pledged the commitment of the NWC of the party to continue to maintain an all-inclusive stance so that members can find political expression. In his remarks, Ogboru said he had collapsed his entire Labour Party structure into the APC, pledging to work with like-minds in the party to enhance its fortunes in the state. Also speaking, Ochei recounted how he and some of his colleagues were the think-tank of the PDP, saying with their defection to APC, the PDP has lost out in the politics of Delta state. The party is now expected to fix a date to receive the thousands of supporters of the defectors in Delta.

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30 Septemberwill enjoy one month free in October. The special promotion, is offering GOtv Plus and GOtv Value customers who renew their subscription from 18 June to 18 July 2016 and stay continuously connected from 01 July until 30 September, October viewing at no extra cost. Customers must also stay connected on the same bouquet to

DELSU wor vt, sc hool mgt ultimatum oover ver unpaid salaries, arrear workker erss give go govt, school arrearss

TAFF of the Delta State University, Abraka have given one week ultimatum to the university management and the state government to pay up their two months outstanding salaries and two years promotion arrears, failure which, they may not have any other option but to stay out of work. The staff under the aegis of Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, Senior Staff Association of Nigerian University, SSANU, National Association of Academic Technologists, NAAT and Non Academic Staff Union,NASU, said the University had in the past attracted many scholars from within and outside the country.

Decrying what they described as the state government insensitivity to their welfare, they wondered why only the University workers were being owed salaries in the state. Briefing newsmen on behalf of the four unions, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of the University, ASUU, Prof Abel Diakparomre, lamenting that they have been working without pay. Diakparomre said the University was gradually being thrown into the state of jeopardy "as a result of the government's refusal to pay the staff salaries of May and June 2016 in addition to the non-payment of salaries to the staff promoted in 2014 and 2015." He said the state government refusal to pay up their salaries may

affect the second semester examination slated for next week, noting that some of the workers drawn from

the four unions were already being attracted by other universities in Africa.

oup canv ases suppor ts ffor or Ugborhen 2017: Gr Group canvases supports and the entire sons and daughters of credible candidates Ugborhen both at home and in the

s the tenure of present executives of Ugborhen Community draw nearer to an end, a group under the aegis of Concern Indigenes for Ugborhen Community Worldwide (CIUCW) has advised that only credible and viable candidates should be given the opportunity to represent the community. To this end the chairman of the group, Hon. Prince Awe Alfred, appealed to the Duke of Ugborhen Community, Chief Samson Akporie

Diaspora to ensure that only the people with the best interest for he community development are selected through free and fair democratic process. Awe, a Delta State House of Assembly candidate under the canopy of the Advance Congress of Democrats (ACD) explained that the advised became necessary in order to avoid any pitfall that may lead to crises that could threatened the communual bond presently being enjoy in the community.

qualify for the reward. GOtv Value customers may also upgrade to GOtv Plus but those who downgrade or disconnect will forfeit the reward. Subscribers will also enjoy unmatched entertainment in the month of July, with exciting new shows to be launched on the platform. As the Euro 2016 tournament reaches a climax, GOtv will air the semi-final and final matches of the tournament live on SuperSport Select 1. The Nigeria Professional Football League is also at its peak and subscribers can watch local league matches on GOtv. July is a busy month for Zee World, as it launches five amazing new shows. On 1 July, subscribers should get ready for Krishi, the story of a woman who rises from modest beginnings to a successful career. On 26 July, the edge-of-theseat drama provided by Silver Lining will begin. For lovers of culinary programmes, The Urban Cook will launch on Monday 11 July on Zee World. On Tuesday 19 July, subscribers will see the amazing chef, Ranveer Brar, in The Great Indian Kitchen. King of Hearts, will debut Friday, 29 July.

Kids showcase creativity at Indomie ““TTeam YYour our self Up “ exhibition ourself By Funmi Ajumobi ACH time I have the E opportunity of attending children talent shows or

exhibitions, ‘am always optimistic that if Nigerian children can get opportunity like children in the Western world, Nigeria will rule the world. My experience at the exhibition further establishes it that Africa is the hope of the world. The jaw-dropping creativity displayed at the Dufil Prima Foods premises, Lagos, on Wednesday 22nd June 2016, by

several members of the Indomie Fans Club (IFC) during the 2nd edition of the Special Arts and Crafts Exhibition stage of the Indomie Team Yourself Up competition attested to a great future that awaits Nigerian future leaders. Seeing the exhibibited works that none can be pushed aside, the Marketing Director, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Girish Sharma, commended the kids and stated that every participant was a winner as there would be huge consolation prizes, while the best entry, the first runners-up

and the second runners-up would receive cash prizes of N100,000, N75,000 and N50,000 respectively. Explaining the rationale behind the competition, Group Public Relations and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju, explained that the competition was to promote mental development amongst kids, erase the feeling of being worthless which many kids ascribe to themselves, and provide a suitable platform to unleash the latent creativity in many of them.

L-R: Coordinator, Indomie Fans Club, Mrs. Faith Joshua; some pupils ff Great God Academy, Ogun State; Group Public Relations And Events Manger, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Mr. Tope Ashiwaju; and Marketing Director, Dufil Prima Foods Plc, Girish Sharma, during the Indomie “Team Yourself Up” competition held in Lagos.

PAGE 42—SUNDAY

Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

VIEWPOINT By Prince Oliver Okpala VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

A governor’s giant strides

N the past two years, Nigeria has passed through one of the worst periods in its history. Oil prices have plummeted to the lowest possible point and the naira has crashed with it. Allocations from the federation account have nosedived and left huge gaps in the revenues of states. The consequences are severe and unpleasant. Many states now find it difficult to pay salaries and meet their obligations. But the story is different in Anambra State. Like Joseph, Governor Willie Obiano and his team foresaw the impending storm and made adequate preparations for the rainy day. When he assumed the leadership of Anambra State, his first move as a financial expert was to organise a strategic retreat for the state executive council members to prepare them for the task ahead. It was at that retreat that they brain-stormed on the economy and detected the impending fall in oil price. This prepared them for the tough times that now stare us in the face. The result is that while other states are grappling with this new reality, Anambra is not only increasing salaries but also busy embarking on developmental projects. But how did Obiano achieve this feat? At the onset he pointed out that the strategic thrust of his

VIEWPOINT By Frederick Funebi Ogu VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF VIEWPOINT Stemming a continent's biggest threat to development

HE strategy also projects the creation of regular review mechanisms, and a 2050 AIM Strategy High Level College of Champions (HLC2) lobby throughout Africa for the implantation of the strategy. The 2050 AIM Strategy defines maritime security from a continental perspective that encompasses the environmental, economic, social and security dimensions of the AMD. Its objective is to better govern these spheres in order to protect and to realize Africa’s maritime development potential. The document outlines an overall strategy to address Africa’s maritime challenges for sustainable development and competitiveness and to foster more wealth creation from Africa’s oceans, seas and inland water ways by developing a thriving maritime economy and realizing the full potential of sea-based activities in an environmentally sustainable manner. The strategy thus goes beyond the narrow piracy centrist perspective that has driven international maritime security efforts so far. The international community, much to the chagrin of Africa, has so far neglected the broader environment of maritime insecurity, environmental degradation and illegal fishing in Africa. Yet it is this environment that has arguably prevented Africa from realizing its maritime development potential. The international counterpiracy approach reflects the interests of global economic powers dependent on maritime trade (largely western states) rather than those of African states, people and coastal communities. In fact, in their decision instigating the development of the 2050 AIM Strategy, the AU Assembly of African Heads of States and

Willie Obiano and the challenges of developing Anambra administration was anchored on what he termed the four pillars of development, namely, agriculture, industrialization, trade and commerce and oil and gas. According him, these four pillars were to be firmly supported by what he called the 12 enablers without which every effort to develop the pillars would have been in vain. The enablers he explained included fundamentals such as security, education, healthcare, power generation, the environment, finance, social and civil infrastructure, housing and urban development, hospitality and tourism, transportation, water and sanitation as well as youth and sports. In achieving these he vowed that the overriding vision was for Anambra to be the first choice investment destination and most preferred location to site new industries. In this regard, the mission is to create a socially stable, businessfriendly environment that will attract both indigenes and foreigners to seek wealth creating opportunities in the state. Two years on, Obiano has not only kept to his promises but also opened up a new era that demonstrates a robust and dynamic leadership. He has clearly and remarkably shown his ability to lead and a very deep understanding of governance. No doubt, his experience as an accomplished and outstanding accountant, auditor and banker had equipped him tremendously

The administration has set an impressive record in internally generated revenue (IGR) with a remarkable increase from the N500m monthly that it inherited to N1.3bn per month in the discharge of his duties as governor. Indeed the governor has sustained his agenda of transforming the state and today, it is no surprise that he has in just two years given the people a new lease of life. One can only imagine what the future holds with him still on the saddle. The former banker had signaled his intention to turn things around in his somewhat prophetic inaugural address entitled “expanding the frontiers of excellence”. The governor figured out that there could be no meaningful progress in the state without a successful attack against crime. He knew that no investor would go to

a crime-ridden environment. So, he launched an all-out war against kidnappers, armed robbers, drugdealers and child-traffickers. He smashed crime syndicates and pulled down the warehouses used for keeping kidnap victims. The Anambra State Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, ANSIPPA came into being immediately the bill proposing it was signed into law by the state House of Assembly. In a very short time, the agency has justified the governor ’s background as an investment banker with remarkable statistics. The administration has set an impressive record in internally generated revenue (IGR) with a remarkable increase from the N500m monthly that it inherited to N1.3bn per month. Knowing how averse the people are to the payment of taxes and levies, the marginal increase in IGR in the period under review is quite significant and commendable. This was achieved through a timely deployment of cutting edge technology and a clinical weeding out of over 800 ghost workers from the state civil service. Right now, the government’s mantra is “doing more with less,” and its target is to achieve N2.2bn in monthly revenue generation before the end of this year. To open up Anambra for rapid industrialization, he has been rehabilitating bad roads and constructing new ones. In

Ayamalum area, he is building a bridge to facilitate the movement of people. And, he is building pedestrian bridges in Awka as well as constructing the three-arm zone structures, which will be used by members of the state Executive, Legislature, and the Judiciary. Obiano is revamping the educational system, as well as equipping the schools for optimal performance in academic activities. By these interventions he has opened up Anambra to the world and made the state attractive to investors. To date, ANSIPPA has attracted investments valued at $3.2billion to the state. Two years is hardly enough time in the life of any administration to make a lasting impression on the people. But Obiano and his team have demonstrated a strong ambition for greatness, anchored on political sagacity, business acumen, impeccable integrity, administrative excellence, outstanding managerial capability and competence. They have shown that given time and resources, they can turn Anambra into Nigeria’s new postcard for excellence; one can only pray that the good people of the state continue to support the Governor ’s efforts to build a strong, dynamic, virile, industrialized, economically viable and prosperous Anambra. *Okpala is a political analyst.

Africa losing $1 trillion yearly to sea blindness (3) Governments strongly condemned all illegal activities in these regions, including piracy, illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste and the 2050 AIM Strategy even demands appropriate compensation for the five-decades of losses due to IUU and over fishing. The agenda of the 2050 AIM Strategy is certainly ambitious, and given the lack of resources for such activities on the continent, its implementation will largely depend on international funding and support. Recent international initiatives, such as the EU naval capacity building mission ‘EUCAP NESTOR’, Critical Maritime Routes in the Gulf of Guinea (CRIMGO) project, African Partnership Station (APS) and development projects in Somalia, seem to indicate that a greater convergence between African and international maritime security practices is emerging. Nevertheless, for most international actors stopping piracy acts is germane to their actions and partnerships and is most likely to remain more important than fish and African development. Although, such development issues could be targeted within a comprehensive counter-piracy strategy, it remains to be seen whether or not the international community is willing to support the full implementation of the 2050 AIM Strategy beyond measures aimed at protecting international merchant shipping. Agreeing to the AIMS 2050 by member countries is a vital first, but governments must prioritise and deliver, assisted with strong leadership from the AU and more investment in research, science and technology. The AIMS 2050 policy framework encourages individual governments to key into it and internalise the strategy i.e. align their legislation to it. Already, there are several national and regional maritime

strategies in place. Those adopted by ECOWAS, ECCAS and SADC are important building blocks which will contribute towards the effective implementation of the strategy. However, a majority of African countries lack policies for ocean governance. These African countries would be required to develop their domestic maritime strategies which require the involvement of numerous government departments, from environmental affairs to tourism and defence. These departments must first be aligned at a country level, then at a regional level and finally at the continental level. Each country has to sift through memorandum of understanding and protocols signed by each

effectively monitor their territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ). Therefore, collaboration, cooperation, and burden sharing are of vital essence. Fortunately, there are already some moves in the right direction as South Africa, Mozambique and Tanzania have worked closely together in Operation Copper, aiming to create maritime security in the Mozambique Channel by deterring attacks from Somali pirates. Nigeria and Benin Republic worked closely in Operation Prosperity to deter pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea from 2011 to 2012. Nigeria has entered maritime domain awareness (MDA) sharing mechanisms with the navies/ maritime regulatory agencies of

There is a maritime dimension to virtually every major issue facing Africa today, including competitiveness, job creation and security. This is why sea blindness is one of the greatest if not the greatest threat to Africa department and then change conflicting legislation and go through the rigour of getting it through each country ’s parliament. These are definitely time consuming endeavours but necessary evils to actualize the strategy. Nigeria is among such countries that need to develop a national maritime strategy if our dear country is not to be left behind in this new dispensation of AMD awareness. Only five countries in Africa currently have dedicated coast guards, although many navies effectively conduct coast guard duties. The lack of extensive maritime air surveillance and satellite imagery makes it almost impossible for African countries to

Togo, Djibouti, Sao Tome and Principe, Cameroon, Ghana, Gabon, Benin and Equatorial Guinea. Also, cooperation agreements have been signed to establish MDA centers to share information in Mozambique and Tanzania, which could be linked with other centres in South Africa. South Africa, Angola and Namibia are finalizing an agreement on maritime cooperation, focusing on the Benguela current. Conclusively, there is a maritime dimension to virtually every major issue facing Africa today, including competitiveness, job creation and security. This is why sea blindness is one of the greatest if not the greatest threat to Africa. Against this background, Africa

through the 2050 AIM Strategy and other efforts is beginning to construct a maritime security community based on its own experiences, needs and practices. It is an African attempt to reclaim the maritime security agenda from external actors and to define a coherent and development oriented maritime security strategy for the continent that serves the interests of all stakeholders. This is to satisfy the development needs of African states and people as well as international concerns over piracy and the security of global shipping lines. As the inclusive approach of the AU strategy makes clear, maritime security is a matter of good order as well as of just order at sea. Maritime security has to be provided for everyone, and maritime security governance needs to be more inclusive and provide space for the voices and agendas of less powerful groups of global society in an interconnected world. Verily, the human family cannot enjoy security without development and cannot enjoy development without security. The AIMS 2050 will afford Africa to have a better understanding of all activities in its adjoining oceans and seas, and to seriously think strategically on how to maximize the immeasurable wealth opportunities lying therein. However, because of the ambitious nature of the strategy and given the lack of resources in the continent, Africa must look inwards and also outwards for funding and support to ensure its implementation. Building and strengthening our maritime partnerships have become even more critical especially in this Decade of African Seas and Oceans. *Concluded

•Ogu is a public affairs commentator.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 43

VIEWPOINT By Ebere Uzoukwa VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

A governor ’s programme under scrutiny

HEN Okezie Ikpeazu was sworn-in as governor of Abia State, on May 29, 2015, he promised to pursue a coordinated revolution to unlock the economy the economy of the state and expose it to greatness. A sectoral review of the governor’s activities underscores his uncommon commitment to translate spoken words to dividends of democracy irrespective of the present harsh economy. Ikpeazu’s desire to lead Abians back to agriculture towards attaining food sufficiency as well as boosting export of agricultural produce has began to gather momentum as several agricultural programmes such as ‘The Return to Farming’ and ‘Women in Fish Farming Initiative’ have been

Ikpeazu’s revolution in Abia launched in the state. The initiative is aimed at empowering many youths and women through farming cooperatives. The government through the initiative is making land, finance and training accessible for farmers. The vision is also targeted at exploring the agric-economy as a support base for the state economy. Already, the state government has secured N1 billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan that will partly drive the agricultural revolution. A committee anchored by the commissioners of Agriculture and Finance has been setup by the governor to among other things, ensure only genuine farmers benefit from the loan scheme. This is even as the governor had declared the readiness of the state to partner with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in palm oil and cashew cultivation and processing as alternative to oil from Abia.

As part of his entrepreneurial revolution, Ikpeazu has stepped up efforts to revive state owned moribund industries through Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. This is a strategy the governor strongly believes will help create job opportunities for the people as well as shore up internally generated revenue of the state. The governor has pay several unscheduled visit to Golden Guinnea Breweries in Umuahia to extract commitment from the investors towards getting the company back on production before the end of 2016. The efforts of the governor in this direction has started yielding fruits as International Glass Industries, Aba had since began production. As a teacher, Ikpeazu designed potent strategies aimed at entrenching measures for guaranteed standard in the

education sector. These include boosting the morale of teachers through incentives, capacity building via training and retraining programmes as well as providing basic learning tools and infrastructure in the public schools. He also embarked on a large-scale renovation of dilapidated primary school buildings in the state through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), and has announced a N4 billion grant to renovate more primary schools. There is also Friends of Abia School Adoption Initiative (FASAI) through which the government attends to the infrastructural challenges of both secondary and primary schools in the state. The recent appointment of Prof. Uche Ikonne, a renowned scholar and administrator, as the substantive Vice Chancellor of Abia State University, Uturu(ABSU), has also underscored his commitment to reposition the institution to compete favourably with the best universities in the country. As a way of responding to the

present harsh economic situation and fallen revenue as a result of the crash in crude oil price, Ikpeazu launched and took the campaign of promoting made-in-Aba goods to the door-step of Nigerians. Acting as the state ambassador in the project, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe succeeded in awakening the National Assembly and Nigerians to the urgency of reviving the ailing economy through consumption and patronage of locally produced goods. This has led to organizing many trade promotion programmes of the Aba products including the Made-in-Aba Trade Fair which held recently in Abuja. This measure is also aimed at boosting the economy of the state as well as shoring up its IGR. The issue of security has been accorded deserving priority by Ikpeazu considering the fact that no meaningful development takes place under atmosphere of chaos and insecurity. *Uzoukwa, a public affairs analyst, lives in Umuahia.

Growing Edo Economy and the Imperatives of Obaseki’s Candidature VIEWPOINT By Balarabe Oshiafi VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The need for continuity

UR handed down ways of life O as Africans is full of wise sayings which our ancestors left behind to lead us away from the path of attitudinal retardation to which we often stray. One of these sayings is the one credited to the hen to the effect of her avowal to scatter whatever food she cannot eat. This is what the opposition has resorted to be doing by casting aspersion on the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Godwin Obaseki, instead of anchoring campaign on issues.

VIEWPOINT By Akintoba Fatigun VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Another look at the Presidency/ National Assembly face-off

HE Muhammadu Buhari presidency is getting increasingly bold and barefaced in its determination to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu. This should worry every Nigerian hopeful to see a democratic society. Let me explain in case you do not yet get the point. On two occasions, the SenatehadinvitedtheAttorneyGeneral of the Federal, Mr. Abubakar Malami, to appear before its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters. This invitation was predicated on the Senate’s resolution that the nation’s chief law officer should explain the rationale for his office’s prosecution of Saraki and Ekweremadu, and two

VIEWPOINT By Aderemi Oluwanishola VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The bad state of a college and alleged rip-off

AGOS Model School, as the name suggests, was supposed to be the best in terms of ideas, infrastructure, curriculum. It was created as an alternative ,I believe, to what one can get in private schools and the Federal Government- run schools like King’ s College,Queen’ s College and Federal Government Colleges. That must have been the thinking of Lagos State government I

However some of us committed stakeholders are encouraged by the fact that the Edo people cannot be hoodwinked any more. They have become exposed to opportunities to contribute to bettering their own lot by the commendable impact of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and convicion of Obaseki to furtther drive these ideals to take Edo to heigher heights. It is sheer irresponsibility to try to villify a workable ideology and programme while offering nothing. Let spoilers and disgruntled political jobbers not forget so soon that the past government of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State offered neighter infrastructural reengineering nor any prospects of human capacity building. For over eight years in Edo and 16 years in Nigeria, they plundered the

treasury and shamelessly cornered state resources for self aggrandisement. Even a primary school pupil would remember that his classroom was bereft of chairs and water proof roofs. Oshiomhole came and revolutionised the socio-economic life of Edo to the appreciation of the citizenry. He liberalised politics and pushed godfatherism to a position of frantic capitulation. Today what you have is roburst engagement of opposing issues and decent lobbying which itself is the hallmark of participatory democracy. Obaseki’s emergence is a function of his performance and proven capacity to continue to drive the ongoing industrilisation and empowerment programmes towards fruition. He never claimed to have political experience dating

The pointless war others for the alleged forgery of the Senate Standing Order 2015 Malami chose not to turn up for any of the invitations. But on the second occasion, which was on Wednesday of last week, the minister, possibly feeling generous and gratuitous towards the Senate, decided to send a representative. And who did he send? Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecution, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla! While the Presidency has denied its involvement in the unceasing persecution of the Senate President, you would ask yourself why Buhari’s Assistant on Prosecution (whatever that office means) was detailed to represent the AGF. Was this representation due to the dearth of competent personnel in the ministry or a flagrant exhibition of the emasculating muscles of the Federal Government? It appears Buhari government is

actually weary of its own denial of complicity in what looks like the determination to terminate the tenure of the Senate leadership by any means, after all the administration has gradually attained the status of a benevolent dictatorship. Think about the attempt to impose principal officers on the National Assembly (which it eventually succeeded with at the lower chambers), the unrepentant alienation of virtually all the brains who slaved to bring Buhari’s lifetime ambition of becoming President to pass, the serial silence of everyone who has had the audacity to speak against the President even in his days as an aspirant for office, think about the appointments that have continued to spur already abating ethnic emotions all over the country. This President seems ready to confront it and dismiss all those half-hearted denials on the Saraki trial that we have heard until recently.

back to 1914! Yet he has proved a mettle that has made him a primus inter pares. Check this out: Due to the past misrule of the PDP, many states can scarcely pay salaries. Edo has ramained afloat with high potentialities of booming economy with the on-going industrialisation process and boost to internally generated revenue (IGR). In this regard, Obaseki has been a catalyst and has cultivated empathy-based zest to finish it up as the next governor of Edo. The way to go really is the way of the change mantra of the APC. What with the global instability in the global crude oil price and the sociocultural maladies emanating from Nigeria’s dependence on the commodity as a sole source of foreign exchange. Edo needs to tap her huge

agricultural potentials to industrialise the state, empower the youths and increase IGR and this Oshiomhole is already doing and Obaseki has promised to finish with his feasible manifesto of action. What is the PDP bringing? What has it done for Edo before. My discerning people of Edo, be not deceived. Do not allow them to come in and bungle the excellent work Oshiomhole has done in Benin City and other areas even with pile of “Ghana-Must-Go” bags of money. Collect it swiftly if they give you money and say thank you if you like for it is part of our common till which they cornered before. But come September 10, vote Obaseki as the next governor of Edo.

How else do you describe the haughty posturing of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Babachir Lawal, who, recently, came to ventilate on the desire of the administration to get the leadership of the National Assembly out of office? Unwittingly confirming himself as a prominent honcho in the cabal which the Senate leadership alleged had hijacked the Buhari administration, Lawal, in a statement, trampled on a mandate not within his grabs when he suggested that Saraki and Ekweremadu should resign their positions in the pendency of their trial. Here, the SGF spoke like he was not just a member of the red chambers but also like someone who had the mandate of the majority of his imaginary colleagues to ask for a change in the leadership of the Senate. But then, he expressed a stillborn desire of his cohorts in the presidential kitchen cabinet. Like an incurable evil missioner caught in involuntary

sleepwalking, Lawal babble chatted into revealing the blackness in the hearts of those who machinated the travails of Saraki starting with the comedy that they put together at the Code of Conduct Tribunal and the latest hatchment. The SGF would have been within the limits of his command, (if he had any qualification to speak on the matter, given that he is neither presidential spokesperson nor minister of information) if he restricted his intervention to the denial of allegations that a cabal existed within the government, but he went on to suggest the resignation of the two most senior men at the senate! The question to ask the SGF and the government he serves therefore is: “what do you stand to benefit from the resignation of Saraki and Ekweremadu. Isn’t this slip enough to give the presidency away as the voice from inside the masquerade’s cloak? * Fatigun is an Ibadan-based public affairs commentator.

SOS from Lagos Model School to Ambode believe when the model school was conceptualized in the 1970s. There are about five model schools in Lagos including Meiran, Igbokuta and Kankon. Badore is also one of them. The conducive and serene environment for which these schools are noted,unfortunately, is gradually taking a back seat. For the purpose of this piece,I will be concerned with the college in Badore. The school, from the gate, to the premises and the buildings,shows that it has seen better days. You can see this from the rustic gate, to the potholes infested roads and the

dilapidated school buildings. The dormitory and dining hall buildings are an eye sore. Obviously, representation has been made to the school management and Lagos State education ministry on the parlous state of the Badore college. As there was no response, the school management decided to take its destiny in its own hands. It has asked students to start paying(more like contribution) to fix some of the decrepit buildings. My concern is not even the contribution ,I am more worried about the state of the

infrastructure in the school. Two things arise from this. When did it become the lot of the students to start helping government(after paying all that is required) to contribute to renovate government structures. This action, I learnt, has become the practice in the school every year. The parents, through their wards, gather the money, hand over to the school but little or nothing is done at the end of the day. This action ( contribution) obviously has been on for sometime now. The action has not been checked essentially because it has approval from the school

•Oshiafi is resident in IyukuUzairue, Edo State

management. However, whatever that is done in the name of making extra money of those concerned should not be to the detriment and ultimately the lives of the innocent children. I am appealing to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to see that the school is made habitable because, on the long run,whatever happens to the children (God forbid), the governor would be made accountable as the buck stops at his desk.

* Oluwanishola is a concerned parent

PAGE 44 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JULY 3, 2016

KUJE DRAMATIC JAILBREAK

‘It took nearly 24 hours to discover Okah was not among dare-devil inmates who escaped’ By Omeiza Ajayi

as it a jail-break. Was it an invasion? Whatever it was, the evening of Friday, June 24, is certainly one that residents of Kuje, a sub-urban town of nearly 43 kilometres from the Abuja city-centre, are not likely to forget in a hurry. As sounds of gunshots rented the air at about 7:30pm, residents, especially those along the street of Kuje Medium Security Prison and people in Shetiku, a settlement behind the prison, scampered to safety with rumour of a militant invasion of the prison flying about along with bullets. Consequently, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Ahmed Ja’afaru, immediately swung into action ordering two probes. The first was an interim audit of inmates at the facility, which established that two awaiting trial inmates, escaped from the prison. The second probe was to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the incident appropriate remedial measures and sanctions to take. The first probe found that two dare-devil inmates, Maxwell Ajukwu, from Delta State, and Solomon Amodu, from Kogi, had scaled the 25feet-high Kuje Prisons fence. Checks revealed that shots were fired by soldiers and prisons personnel guarding the facility at the time,

It was alleged that militants in the Niger Delta had plotted Okah’s escape in order to enlist his services in the renewed militancy in the region ostensibly to ward off any attack even while combing the immediate vicinity for escapees. NPS Public Relations Officer, DCP Francis Enobore, told Sunday Vanguard that the incident was neither a jailbreak nor an invasion. According to him, the two inmates merely “escaped” from the prison at about 1930hrs. Enobore said the inmates in question were awaiting trial for culpable homicide. Efforts were on in collaboration with sister security agencies to recapture the fleeing inmates, he assured.

Charles Okah intact Immediately the incident

occurred, news filtered in that a brother of Henry Okah, jailed leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Charles Okah, had escaped. It was alleged that militants in the Niger Delta had plotted Okah’s escape in order to enlist his services in the renewed militancy in the region. When Sunday Vanguard visited the prison on Monday, journalists were denied entry . However, Enobore said Okah was still in custody. He also debunked the insinuation that the two fleeing inmates had any relationship with the militant leader. The gist in town had been that while Okah could not escape, one of his accomplice, who allegedly detonated the explosive during the 2010 Independence Day celebration in Abuja, had escaped. The NPS spokesperson told Sunday Vanguard: “Although there was an ‘incident’ at the prison on Friday night, it had nothing to do with Charles Okah. “Yes, there was an incident...but Okah was not involved. It is not true, Charles Okah is still in custody. I have been in touch with our men in the prison facility and there is nothing like that [Okah escaping]. “Contrary to the speculation that there was a jail break in Kuje Medium Security Prison and that Charles Okah had escaped from lawful custody, I wish to state that Charles Okah

is still in the prison safe and sound”. On their part, Okah’s lawyers, First Law Solicitors, said it took both inmates and prisons officials nearly 24hours to ascertain that their client was still in custody. A statement, signed by one Timipa Okponipere, on behalf of the firm, said Okah had no involvement in the incident as he was quarantined in a room at the prison clinic for a suspected lLassa fever infection. “On account of his popularity amongst the inmates, word quickly spread that our client was among the two inmates who escaped by scaling the 25feet-high Kuje Prison fence. It took almost 24 hours for the inmates and authorities to realise that our client had not escaped from the prison. “Our client has further instructed us to notify all Nigerians and the international community that, God willing, and without prejudice to his ongoing trial, he shall triumphantly walk out of the Kuje Prison gates as a free and vindicated man”.

The Nnamdi Kanu theory A new twist was however added to the incident as some Nigerians sympathetic to the Biafran cause have accused government of trying to kill secessionist leader, Nnamdi Kanu. Kanu, who is currently at the prison, is standing trial for alleged “criminal conspiracy, intimidation and membership of an illegal organization”, the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB. After it was ascertained that Okah was still in custody, word went out that the Federal Government planned the whole incident, with the intention of using it as a smokescreen to murder Kanu. From the account of the incident by officials and insiders at the prison, this theory does not however hold any modicum of truth. Security lapses at Kuje Prison

The Federal Government has, in the meantime, admitted noticing security lapses at the prison since last year. Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, stated this after an inspection tour of the Kuje Prison, on Monday in Abuja. Dambazau said he had noted the lapses during the era of Dr Peter Ekpendu as Comptroller General of the NPS. “The last time I was here, I noticed some security gap in the prison, I made my observation then with the former CG Prisons and I noticed the security gap and I told them precisely what to do but unfortunately this (incident) has occurred”, the Minister said. “Two prisoners escaped and these are prisoners who are awaiting trial for murder. So, this is a very serious issue that I cannot be happy about. I think those lapses were the ones that made it possible for the escape.” He assured that the present government will do everything possible to ensure that Nigerian Prisons become a better place for inmates. Dambazau has himself instituted an independent probe of the incident. Although, the minister did not list the lapses, the question is, how did the inmates scale the fence? Was a ladder provided for them or did they form a human ladder? Some insiders have however claimed that since the beginning of Ramadan, some of the rules were relaxed to allow Muslim inmates partake in their very-important spiritual obligation. For instance, the lock-up time for the inmates was said to have been extended to enable them observe iftar or breaking of fast. While this is laudable, as the prison is both a centre for spiritual and attitudinal reformation, the handlers of the facility should have intensified surveillance within this period. Going forward, Nigeria would have to evolve more ingenious ways of ensuring a faster system of criminal justice administration. That way, there would be less awaiting trial inmates at the facilities and the prisons would be decongested. There is also a biased funding of other security agencies to the detriment of the prisons. Most times, when the various tiers of government extend support to “arresting” agencies, the prisons service is often ignored. Then, the location of Kuje Medium Prison is in itself an issue. The prison is located within a residential area. When prisoners escape, they often find it pretty easy to dissolve into the crowd. This is not the case, for instance, with Jos Prison whose immediate neighbours are offices of sister-security agencies.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016 — 45

With US$12,000 a year, I’ll give you world champions —Toblow Seigha Porbeni. He submitted that By Ben Efe

OR most Nigerian athletics coaches, the US$12,000 paid to two Americanborn coaches monthly by the Sports

•Patience Okon George

U N I P O R T celebrates Olympic day run

NIVERSITY of Port Harcourt yesterday was agog with the this year’s Olympic day run with hundreds of keep fit enthusiasts turning up to herald the event. Uniport vice chancellor Professor Lale Ndowa flagged off the 2.5km race, which ran its course through roads around the institution with staff and students in full attendance. The race came to a fitting climax at the university’s sports complex. UniversityofPortdirectorofSports and health services, Professor Ken Anugweje emphasised the need to do regular exercises to keep the body healthy and fit for it to function normally.TheOlympicdayrunwas marked throughout the country yesterday. It is a day set aside to propagate the ideals of the Olympics and also highlight the need to keep fit.

Ministry is a waste considering the fact that the duo and others who are assisting them have not made any difference to Nigerian athletics. The issue of their continued stay as coaches of the high performance centre in Abuja, came to the fore after Nigerian athletes failed to measure up to world standard at the recent African Championships in Durban, South Africa. According to veteran coach Tobias Igwe, a.k.a Toblow, the American coaches and their Nigerian assistants are not living up to expectations in the face of the huge amount paid them. “Give me US$12, 000 a year and I will give Nigeria world champions. This is because rather than help our athletes improve at the so called high performance centre in Abuja, the reverse is the case. “In 2015 some of the athletes who trained with us in Port Harcort did well, only for their performances to be dipping when they got to Abuja,” said Toblow. He argued that coaching was a real problem in Nigerian athletics aside the lack of finances to run their programmes. “Let us put sentiments aside and look at those who can deliver for the country,” he added. Also speaking was veteran coach

the right coaches are not handling Nigerian athletes in international competitions, hence the dip in performancebysomeoftheathletes. “It is rather sad that we couldn’t measure up in our areas of strength at the Africa Championships. This was down to our preparations. Our athletes were not at their best as the coaches who went with the team would want us to believe. “For instance look at Patience Okon George who was running 50.00secs in 2015, she is now doing a 52.2secs. Eriyokan Urukpe who did 44.00secs at the Africa Games inCongo,waspracticallybedridden because the coaches who handle him failed to understand his body mechanism. “In the women long jump, Ese Brume, despite a strong tail wind, could not reproduce the 6.83m they claimed she jumped before the championships. “And can you imagine because of the poor preparations and coaching, our women’s 4x400m team couldn’t even do a proper baton exchange. “The change over between Patience Okon George and Regina George was not smooth and that allowed the South Africans to take advantage. And we have coaches here at home who could have done bettermanagingthosekids,”Porbeni argued.

Bolt suffers muscle tear SAIN Bolt’s Olympic quest 22 to earn selection for the Olympic U is in doubt, after the sprint Games in Rio.” superstar failed to show up for the Yohan Blake, who finished second 100m of the Jamaican trials decided at the weekend. Bolt revealed that he suffered a grade one hamstring injury, which he must recover from before the Rio 2016 Olympics billed for August. “I have submitted a medical exemption to be excused from the 100m final and the remainder of the National Championships,” Bolt said in a statement released through Jamaican officials. “I will seek treatment immediately and hope to show fitness at the London Anniversary Games on July

to Bolt at the London Games in the 100, said he was confident that the world-record-holder will be in Rio. “No doubt, no doubt, no doubt,” Blake said. “It’s just a caution measure. He’s good. Just being cautious.” Blake won the 100 final in 9.95 seconds, 0.01 ahead of Nickel Ashmeade. Jevaughn Minzie got third in 10.02 seconds, which figures to send him to Rio — though his role could depend on how Bolt’s hamstring recovers.

Vanguard’s Kirikiri Warriors held to a draw

ANGUARD Media football team, the Kirikiri Warriors were yesterday held to a 2-2 draw in a well contested match with Indomitable FC of

OLYMPIC DAY RUN: From right; Delta State Head of Service, Mr. Reginald Bayoko, Delta State Sports Commission Director, Mr. Victor Onogagamue and Mrs. Chinoye Daphey during the Olympic day run held in Asaba, yesterday. Photo: Henry Unini

Kirikiri. The man of the match was Vanguard FC’s hit man Martins Obigho who displayed artistic football. Vanguard’s striker Reuben Uwem scored the opener in the first half while the visiting team equalised during the second half. Obi Okechukwu made it two for Vanguard FC and with 10 minutes to full time, Indomitable FC drew level. Both teams played very well and were applauded by their supporters. At the end of the match, coach of the KiriKiri Warriors, Prince Osuagwu showered encomiums on his players even as he appreciated the display of the visitors. Indomitable FC have however, promised Vanguard FC a tougher duel the return leg.

Just believe and you’ll make it

Y Pastor at the Living Faith Church, a.k.a. Winners, Bishop M David Oyedepo always inspires me with messages like this one: “You’ll never arrive at a future you’re not prepared for.” That is the

truth of life. You must work out results, they just don’t happen and never falls from heaven like manna. For you to achieve success in life, you have to first believe that you can achieveit,thenyouputyourhearttoitandstartworkingtowardsachieving it. That is the lesson the victory of little known Leicester City in the 2015/ 2016 English Premier League has thought most people. The same lesson thesuccessfulrunsofarofIcelandintheongoing2016EuroChampionship is teaching football managers, fans and laymen in the beautiful game of football. Wales added their name Friday night with the 3-1 demolition of Belgium. For Leicester City who struggled the previous season and survived relegation, nobody gave them any chance of even finishing at the middle of the table how much more a top four place or the title itself. But they believed in themselves and pushed hard to get into the top four bracket and hardest to remain top after climbing there. When the so-called big four realised that Leicester where truly pushing for the title, the fight became tougher as the minnows fired on all cylinders, churning out victories even if it was just a 1-0 margin. Today they are champions because one man, Claudio Ranieri believed in the small names like Jamie Vardy he assembled and moulded into a superb blend. Shortly after the Leicester fairy tale story, another rookie team, Iceland, a country of about 330,000 people are causing ripples at the ongoing Euro Championship in France. The team did not lose any of their group games, holding Portugal with ‘almighty’ Cristiano Ronaldo to a 1-1 draw. After beating Austria 2-1 in their last group match to top their group, a country like England should have taken them more seriously. But I don’t think they did. They also didn’t remember, maybe, that the same team stopped another big team, The Netherlands from the Euro football party. Host and former world champions, France play them in the quarter finals today at the Stade de France and have stated through one of their top players, Patrice Evra, that they will respect the Icelanders, a thing he thinks England failed to do. I hope they do. This small country is making waves because they believe in themselves and play their game without looking at big names. Today because of their self-belief, they have become impregnable and the big teams are now scared. So even if they lose against France today, they would go home with their heads held high because no one gave them any chance to get out of their group how much more, get to the quarter-finals. It was baffling when our country men, both home and in the diaspora were tensed up when the draws for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers were about to be made in Cairo, Egypt penultimate Friday. There was so much anxiety in the land that one began to ask if suddenly Nigeria has become a minnow in football that the people should get migraine over the opponents the Super Eagles would be drawn against. And when the draws were finally made, shouts of “Group of Death’ from all and sundry including the usual arm chair analysts on the various news channels almost burst my ear drums. Thoughts and comments like these are capable of killing the morale of the team and their technical crew even before a ball is kicked in the qualifiers scheduled to begin later this year. What the players and whoever would be their coach should have behind their minds is self-belief. They should also see themselves as champions going into any game. To be a champion, you must be ready to beat the best and not to pray for ‘soft’ draw or an avenue devoid of the so-called strong teams. If Leicester City and Iceland were thinking like this, they would not have done exploits and be crowned champions(Leicester) or playing in the quarter finals (Iceland) of a very big championship like the European version of the Nations Cup. The time to begin preparing to take on everybody is now for the Super Eagles. That is why the NFF should stop the cat and mouse game over the issue of hiring a coach of whatever hue for the team so that he begins early to plot strategies for the qualifiers. Nigerians cannot afford to sit back and watch the 2018 World Cup without the Eagles. They endured in the 2015 Africa Nations Cup without their team, they will endure again when the 2017 Africa Nations Cup hold next year. If they miss the World Cup in 2018, it will be adding salt to the injury already caused by two Nations Cup misses. And they will never forgive the Amaju Pinnickled Nigeria Football Federation. Down to the Olympics, Nigerian athletes have always believed in themselves and have gone out of their way to prepare themselves for competitions due mostly to the late release of funds from the government. Otherwise, no Nigerian athlete would qualify for any international event, how much more winning any medal. If we go by the way they prepared for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, USA, Chioma Ajunwa would not have been a gold medallist today. The football team would not have been the first African team to win an Olympic gold medal in football. I believe the Nigerian authorities have relied too much on the ‘Nigerian you-can-do-it-spirit’ mentality to deny our athletes quality preparations. If that is what the minister of sports, Solomon Dalung is waiting to rely on for this summer’s Rio Olympics, he will be shocked to go into history books as the worst minister to have administered sports in Nigeria. And this will equally rub off on the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency whether we like it or not

46—SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

Olympic Preparations: D’Tigers storm China for Stankovic Cup •As Aminu Basketball Clinic winds up in Ibadan

HE senior national basketball team, D’Tigers yesterday left the Los Angeles camp in the United States with a 19-man delegation of 13 players and six officials to Beijing, China to participate in the Stankovic Cup . The competition which begins on Tuesday is part of the training programme to prepare the African Champions for the Olympic Games which commences on August 5 in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Captain of D’Tigers, Olumide Oyedeji who disclosed this on phone yesterday said the 13 players heading to China include returnee Ekene Ibekwe who was part of the team to the 2012 London Olympics. Also on the trip are Ebi Ere and Josh Akognon, both of whom were part of the team to the 2006 World Championship in Japan as well as Daniel Nwaelele. Key players of the

•D’TIGERS PIVOT...Chamberlain Oguchi (r) dribbles past an opponent during the 2015 Afrobasket in Tunisia. The team storm China in preparation for the Olympic Games. Afrobasket squad who yet to join the camp are the Aminu bothers of Alade and Al-Farouq. AlFarouq is currently in Nigeria running his 2016 Aminu Basketball

Clinic which kicked off in Ibadan yesterday. The 2-day event which ends today, Aminu said is his way of giving back to the society by helping to hone the skills of

young talents. About 40 kids aged 14 to 18 are being taken on skills clinics in areas like lay ups, defence, passing, ball handling and jab series.

It’s Wales v Portugal, not Bale v Ronaldo, with Ronaldo, Bale says Bale Williams, striker Hal the journey,” said Bale. clash added: “It’s Portugal versus “We fought as hard as Wales, nothing more. It’s in and ARETH Bale’s dream Robson-Kanu anyone. every our hands now, but we can’t Gof winning Euro 2016 substitute Sam Vokes who blade of Wegrass.covered I think we afford to look past the semiwith Wales remains alive got the goals. after he and his team-mates dug deep to send Belgium packing in remarkable fashion in Friday’s quarterfinal. And as they face Portugal in the semi-final on Wednesday, Bale has warned that the tie it not about him and his Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. Wales recovered from Radja Nainggolan’s stunning opener in the 13th minute to win 3-1 in Lille but, rather than go-to man Bale getting on the scoresheet, it was captain Ashley

“It feels incredible. We fully believed we could get this far. We said we’d give it a good go. We’re enjoying

deserve to be in the semifinals. We believe in ourselves. We know what we’re doing.” As for the

EPL clubs chase Robson-Kanu

OUR Premier League managers have been in contact with Wales striker Hal RobsonKanu’s representatives since he scored in Friday ’s win over Belgium. The 27-year-old bagged Wales’ second

goal - a stunning Cruyff turn and finish - in a 3-1 quarter-final victory in Lille, on the same day he became a free agent. Robson-Kanu let his contract run down at Championship side Reading and his preference is a move to

Oduwa faces uncertainty after Nigeria U-23 snub month that Oduwa agent to sign the Spurs

ATHAN Oduwa has been dropped from the Nigeria squad for the Olympics after rejecting a Tottenham contract offer in order to use the tournament to attract a new club. The 20-year-old winger is a member of Spurs’ development squad but had loan spells at Rangers and Colchester in the 2015-16 season to gain first-team experience. Sky Sports claimed last

final. We just have to keep doing what we’ve been doing and we’ll stick to that.”

snubbed the three-year deal that the Londoners offered him and had hoped to impress a new club while playing for his country. The player was not in coach Samson Siasia’s list of 35 players to camp in the USA for the Olympics next month. The ironic twist leaves Oduwa’s future for club and and country in major doubt. It is said that Oduwa has been urged by his

contract, but the player and his family believe he could be playing and earning more elsewhere.

Ighalo Continued from B/P not want to go to China. The Hornets were left reeling by the massive bid for the Nigeria international - who scored 17 goals last season – with Shanghai’s ex-England boss Sven Goran Eriksson keen to

the top-flight of English football. But Sky Sports News HQ understands the Acton-born forward has also received enquiries from China and the UAE, prior to the match. Robson-Kanu has been with Reading since he was trainee, spending time on loan at Southend and Swindon between 2008 and 2009. He has scored 30 goals in over 200 appearances for the Royals, and has 34 caps and four goals for Wales. land him. Last summer, he rejected a £300,000-a-week deal with Qinhuangdao-based Hebei China Fortune, and instead went on to sign a five-year deal with his Hertfordshire club. “I told them it’s not about the money, I’ll wait for God to give me directions,” Ighalo said.

Pinnick, Continued from B/P best option for Nigeria. “I have no idea who is on the list. NFF president, vice president and technical committee chairman will be in the best position to say who becomes the next coach of the Super Eagles. “Within the week I am sure that an announcement will be made,” said NFF director of media and communications, Ademola Olajire. It was gathered that several notable foreign coaches have formally applied to take the Nigerian job. One of such include Slovenian Ivo von Sajh-Scheich who handled Kano Pillars to the semifinal of the Caf Champions

Djokovic Continued from B/P Grand Slam for a man since Rod Laver in 1969. But things began looking bleak for Djokovic when the match began Friday and he dropped the first two sets against Querrey, an American ranked 41st. After play was halted by rain, a recurring theme in this contest and the tournament as a whole, Djokovic came back out Saturday and played much better. He took the third set, then went up a break in the fourth at 5-4. Querrey steeled himself there to break right back, then held to lead 6-5. That’s when Saturday’s third rain delay arrived, following those at 4-0 for

League in 2009. Meanwhile technical committee member, John Mastoroudes, urged the NFF to pick the right coach for the Super Eagles. “The NFF hiring a foreign coach depends on what the blueprint is and what we want to achieve going forward. “If you ask me, we have good local coaches in Nigeria and there are equally good foreign coaches in Europe.” The Super Eagles are drawn in group B dubbed ‘The Group of Death’ in the qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup along with Algeria, Cameroon and Zambia. Nigeria will play the Chipolopolo of Zambia on October 3. Djokovic in the third set, and at 1-all in the fourth. When they resumed, Djokovic held serve to stay in the match and send the fourth set to a tiebreaker. Djokovic went ahead 3-1, but Querrey hung in there, and on his second match point, a stray forehand by the big favorite sailed wide to end it. It’s the first loss for Djokovic at any major tournament in more than a year: He was beaten by Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final in June 2015. Since then, Djokovic won his third trophy at Wimbledon last July, his second at the U.S. Open in September, his sixth at the Australian Open in January, and his first at the French Open less than a month ago.

Iceland Continued from B/P to the historical elite that the old certainties are no more. “There have been surprises since the start of the competition and we realise that being a big nation and playing nice football is not enough to make it to the last four,” Lloris said. “The best teams playing the best football are no longer here today. “It shows that we’re back

Serena Continued from B/P fellow American Christina McHale at Centre Court on Friday. After losing the first set, Williams returned to her chair and slammed her racket against the ground several times before tossing it backward on the slick grass where it landed in the lap of a cameraman positioned in the photo pit. After the match, Williams said she expected to be

to values such as the importance of a collective effort. “It is mental strength that makes the difference and that’s what we will need to qualify.” But it is on the pitch that Lloris believes France have made the greatest steps to proving that, after all of the previous issues and faultlines, Les Bleus are now a team once again. fined for her tirade, even joking that she has not yet met her quota on smashing rackets this season. “I’ve cracked a number of rackets throughout my career,” Williams said. “I’ve gotten fined a number of times for cracking rackets. In fact, I look at it like I didn’t crack one at the French Open or Rome, so I was doing really good. I don’t want to go too long without cracking a racket.’’

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016, PAGE 47

SUNDAY Vanguard, JULY 3, 2016

I’ll use my Ghana experience to help Algeria— Rejavac

country battle Cameroon, Nigeria and Zambia for the 2018 World Cup ticket. Rejavac who was speaking while being

•Pinnick

•Rejavac

EWLY appointed Algeria coach said his experience with the Black Stars of Ghana will be handy as the North African

Pinnick, Green delay Eagles’ coach appointment W

HILE Nigeria’s 2018 World Cup qualification opponents have settled down to business, the Nigeria Football Federation is still undecided about who to lead the Super

Eagles’ campaign. The federation’s top shots failed to reach an agreement after a meeting on Friday in Lagos. Members seem to be torn between Goran Stephanovic and Paul Le

Djokovic suffers Wimbledon upset

Guen. A panel has now been set up to select the Continues on page 46

unveiled in Algiers stated that he was happy to have taken the Desert Warriors of Algeria job. He added that the qualifiers will be a major battle. “I know Africa and I have an idea on how to succeed in my mission. I went to Ghana and this experience will be beneficial to my quest to succeed with the Algerian side. There is a lot of work with the participation in the next AFCON but also the qualification for the World Cup,” stated the Serbian. “I will do my best to give the best of myself and achieve the objectives set. The Algerian team is a very good team but I will try to give it an international dimension.”

EURO 2016: It’s Wales v Portugal, not Bale v Ronaldo, says Bale —P.46

OVAK Djokovic’s 30-match Grand Slam winning streak ended stunningly yesterday with a 7-6 (6), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (5) loss to Sam Querrey in Wimbledon’s third round. Djokovic had won the past four major titles in a row - and was halfway to the first calendar-year Continues on page 46

Serena fined $10,000

ERENA Williams was fined $10,000 for unsportsmanlike conduct when she smashed her racket repeatedly against the turf after dropping the first set against fellow American Christina McHale at Wimbledon. The No. 1-seeded Williams’ fine was from her second-round 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4 victory over Continues on page 46

•VICTORY GREETINGS ...Gareth Bale and Robson Kanu alive and well with Wales after demolishing Belgium.

We need mental strength against Iceland —French captain are no longer here.’ And Tottenham Iceland have already goalkeeper Lloris, the

H •Serena

See solution on page 5

UGO Lloris has warned France that their superior quality cannot be relied upon to

41. Damages (8) ACROSS 1. Governor of Sokoto DOWN 1. Sample (5) State (8) 2. Niger state town (4) 5. Assistant (4) 3. Observe (5) 7. Praise (5) 4. Lecture (6) 8. Upright (4) 5. Everyone (3) 9. Lantern (4) 6. Use (6) 11. Tradition (6) 10. Inquires (4) 13. Lagos 12. Carpet (3) masquerade (3) 14. Colour (6) 15. Exclamation (2) 15. Resistance unit (3) 16. Pig’s nose (5) 17. Coax (4) 18. Agent (3) 19. Rollicked (6) 20. Glitters (6) 21. Hatchet (3) 24. Forward (5) 25. Nigerian state (6) 22. Satisfied (4) 23. Nigerian state (3) 27. Boring tool (3) 26. Cry of derision (3) 29. Ghanaian fabric 27 . African country (6) (5) 28. Endure (4) 31. Perform (2) 29. Child (3) 32. Oshiomhole’s 30. Spoke (6) state (3) 34. U.S. currency (6) 31. Adorn (5) 33. Baking chambers 36. Vow (4) 38. Musical quality (4) (5) 35. Asterisk (4) 39. Inclination (5) 37. Possessed (3) 40. Eager (4)

overcome Euro 2016 minnows Iceland in today’s quarter-final at Stade de France after making the remarkable claim that ‘the best teams

stunned the world, however, by claiming England’s scalp in the second round, earning and deserving a 2-1 victory in Nice.

France captain, believes that the rise of the Cinderella nations should act as a warning Continues on page 46

Ighalo rejects Chinese money again

UPER Eagles striker Odion Ighalo has for the second

time rejected a big money offer to play in the Chinese league and as a result his club, Watford turned down

another £37.5million bid from Shanghai SIPG for Odion Ighalo – because the striker does Continues on page 46

TODAY'S RESULTS Germany Nasarawa Utd

1 (6-5) Italy 1 Rivers Utd

1 0

TODAY’S MATCHES

•Ighalo

France Abia Warriors Akwa Enyimba

v v v v

Iceland 8 pm Plateau 4.00pm Kano 4.00pm El Kanemi... 4.00pm

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