boko haram's peace deal: Yar'Adua's bitter experience threatens proposal by Vanguard Media Limited

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BY EMMA AMAIZE, Regional Editor, SouthSouth UNDREDS of vic tims of the flood disaster in Kogi State are reportedly trooping to Delta State, where they believe Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan is more compassionate in the aftermath of the natural calamity. Just two days ago, flood victims in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, besieged the streets, accusing the state government of abandoning them for over one week, in spite of huge funds and relief materials collected on their behalf. The protesters, some of who wore overcast faces, a number dressed in threadbare dresses , oth-

Kogi flood victims ‘invade’ Delta ers had their babies strapped behind them, alleged that government officials had diverted food items meant for them into private use. Unknown to the Kogi flood victims, majority of the flood camps in Delta were in the process of winding up and the victims were already returning home to restart life. Delta State Committee of Flood, headed by Justice Francis Tabai (rtd), ran into some of the victims from Kogi barely 24 hours after its inauguration. The committee members met the Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs,

from Kogi pleading desperately with officials at the Illah camp, Illah in Oshimili North Local Government Area, to allow them in, as they were hungry. A source told Sunday Vanguard, “The committee noticed over 100 women and children fresh presumably IDPs locked outside the gate of the camp, as officials refused them in on the grounds that the camp was winding up and there were no relief materials for their upkeep”. The victims told members of the committee that they were from Kogi and needed care, but they were advised to to go to

Asaba or any other designated camp close to them for registration, as the Illah camp was, indeed, winding up. A member of the committee said: “As at when

we visited Illah flood victims’ camp, there were only 45 families remaining in the said camp. The development we were told by officials of the camp was quite under-

standable due to the fact that majority of the said IDPs are farmers and fishermen/women from neighbouring Kogi and Anambra states, who are very eager to return to their trades, especially since now is the peak period of their trade.”

...Mukoro donates BY EVELYN USMAN HE Delta State Peoples Democratic PDP governorship aspirant in the 2011 general elections, Professor Saliba Mukoro, has donated relief materials worth millions of naira to four rehabilitation camps of flood victims in the state.

The camps which benefited from the gesture included Ughelli , Oleh, Ozoro and Asaba flood rehabilitation camps. Presenting the relief materials which included bags of rice, cassava flour popular known as garri, bathing soaps, loaves of bread among others, Mukoro, who was repre-

sented by Mr Joshua Panama, appealed to corporate organizations, non– governmental organizations as well as wellmeaning Nigerians, to assist the victims, stating that government could not do it alone. While receiving the relief materials, Camp Commandant of St. Micheal College, Oleh, Mrs. Helen Obanedo, expressed gratitude over the gesture which she described as a show of love and concern to fellow Nigerians, adding that it would go a long way to ameliorate the victim’s pains.

Industrial relations parley on transformation agenda BY DEMOLA AKINYEMI, Ilorin

OVERNOR of Edo State,Comrade Adams Oshiomole, will on Tuesday in Benin-City, declare open the fourth national industrial relations workshop tagged, “Repositioning Industrial Relations Practice in the public service towards achieving the transformation agenda of government”. According to a statement issued by Deputy Director(Public Relations),Michael Imoudu National Institute For Labor Studies(MINILS), Ilorin, Mr Wale Ibrahim, the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) is collaborating with MINILS to organize the 3-day national workshop from 6 to 8 November. The statement noted that the workshop, among others, is designed to re-orientate and reposition industrial relations critical stakeholders and key players, most especially those in the public sector, improve their knowledge and sharpen their skills on best ways of managing current industrial relations issues and challenges that are capable of jeopardizing amiable interactions among the social partners for the achievement of the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

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Two drug traffickers to spend 14 years in prison BY DANIEL ETEGHE

WO drug traffickers arrested by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) Abuja, will spend the next 14 years in prison. The convicts, Mbechi Obiageli Susan, 38, and Obiora Boniface Okechukwu, 36, according to Justice Chukwu Evoh of the Federal High Court, Abuja, will spend seven years each in prison over

unlawful importation of narcotics. Justice Evoh, in his ruling, said both convicts will serve the prison term for pleading guilty to unlawful importation of narcotics without wasting the time of the court. He held that the convicts had shown sufficient remorse and that the court expected them to turn a new leaf and contribute to the development of the country after completing their jail terms. Susan,with Nigerian international passport number A00288396, had

claimed she was three months pregnant when stopped for routine search on her way from SaoPaulo, Brazil. She warned that scanning machine could harm her unborn baby. However, when placed under observation, she excreted 51 pellets of cocaine weighing 900 g r a m m e s .

Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State (left), congratulating the new deputy governor of the state, Lady Valerie Ebe, after her swearing-in at Government House Banquet Hall, Uyo, yesterday.

Yar’Adua bitter experience threatens peace proposal Continued from page 1

to the experience of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, President Goodluck Jonathan’s late boss, who had attempted to strike a deal with the then fledgling sect by releasing some of its members. Upon the release, the sect members regrouped and relaunched its offensive while mobilizing and swelling its ranks.

dependable intelligence source said, at the weekend, that “that experience is still very fresh in the consciousness of those who were privy to that arrangement when the late President was alive and would, therefore, not want to repeat the same thing. One of the conditions precedent for the peace talks proposed by Boko Haram is that its members in the custody of the Federal Government should be released. “What guarantees can we get that once these people are released as a sign of good faith, they would not go and regroup and launch fresh offensive against the government?”, the source said. “This was what happened between 2008 and 2009 when former President Yar ’Adua tried to broker a peace deal which was kick-started by the

release of some members of the sect”. The apprehension of government, independent investigations carried out by Sunday Vanguard suggest, has to do with the belief in government circles that the leadership of Boko Haram may not be in total control of some of the members. This belief is strengthened by the plethora of criminal activities being carried out in parts of northern Nigeria and which are attributed to the sect but which the sect’s leadership deny from time to time. The reasoning in government, it was discovered, is that any form of talks opened between it and Boko Haram may not yield the desired result as there are now established splinter groups that sometimes operate independent of the sect’s high command. In fact, according to a source close to the operations of the sect, “some of the members of the group who are sometimes expected to return the arms that have been used for an operation or operations sometimes do not. It is a few of these guys who give a bad name to the group and that is why sometimes the group’s

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high command comes out to deny some criminal acts attributed to it”. Yet, information filtered out yesterday that some of the proposed persons by the sect may not be trusted by government. Abu Mohammed Ibn Abdulaziz, the second-incommand to Boko Haram’s leader, Abubakar Shekau, presented the conditions on Thursday during a radio conference with journalists in Maiduguri.

he second-in-command named former military head of state and presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, General Muhammadu Buhari; Dr. S h e t t i m a Monguno; a former Yobe State Governor, Bukar Ibrahim; Ambassador Gaji Galtimari; and Aisha Alkali Wakil, and her husband, Alkali, as “trusted” Nigerians it would be ready to negotiate with in Saudi Arabia. To represent the sect at the talks would be Abdulaziz, Abu Abbas, Sheikh Ibrahim Yusuf, Sheikh Sani Kontogora and Mamman Nur. As for the former head of state (Buhari), his decision not to have anything to do with the Jonathan administration may not grant him disposition to mediate. Sunday Vanguard was made to understand that one of the persons proposed for the talks may have links with AlQaeda In The Islamic Magreb, AQIM, and, therefore, may not be trusted as a mediator. A few others are viewed by the intelligence community as not being capable of coming clean because of past frightful experiences in the hands of the sect members. But again fuelling the indication that the proposal may have been killed on arrival were the murder of General Muhammed Shuwa (rtd) and another deadly attack by men suspected to be members of the sect in Maiduguri at the weekend. The attack on Damboa town, some kilometers from Maiduguri, left four dead, the council secretariat complex, 20 houses and a fire station petrol-bombed with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Also playing out significantly in the consciousness of those in government (while not wanting to be seen as not prepared for peace talks) is the caliber and sensibilities of the names proposed by the sect as mediators. Already, the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, has objected to the inclusion of Buhari. 4 killed as Boko Haram fire rages, reports Ndahi MARANMA

hose killed in the Friday evening attack in the Borno town were identified as a fire officer, Hassan Maina, who was shot when the assailants attacked his office; a staffer of Borno State High Court, Maiduguri, Mallam Ndajara Ndahi, said to be visiting his family in Damboa; and two security guards trying to put out the fire at the council secretariat complex. Two similar attacks were said to have been carried out on the town in April and August, leaving many dead. According to an eyewitness, Madu Usman, a resident, said the gunmen came in four unmarked vehicles, chanting, ‘God is great! God is great!!’ meaning Allahu Akbar, and marched to the Damboa Council Secretariat Complex and housing estate and threw explosives and petrol-bomb at the b u i l d i n g s . The security guards at the buildings, he said, fled, but two of them who stayed back to put out the fire ignited by the bombing were shot in the legs and chests. The both died at the entrance of the secretariat complex. Usman, in a telephone chat yesterday, told our correspondent that the gunmen came through Maiduguri Road at about 4p.m. on Friday, and fired gunshots to scare people at the Damboa market. “We had to run for our lives, as the shops and market stalls were hurriedly shut. The men of the military Joint Task Force (JTF) and policemen rushed to the scene of the incident,”the eye witness stated. Confirming the incident yesterday in Maiduguri, the spokesman of Borno State Police Command, Gideon Jibrin, said he

had just received reports of multiple attacks and bombings of three public buildings, including the fire service station of Damboa this morning (Saturday) by suspected gunmen of Boko Haram. He said the gunmen used IEDS and cans of petrol in torching the public buildings, adding that no policeman was killed in the attacks. The torched buildings, according to him, include the fire service station, 20 housing units of the council and secretariat comp l e x . Gideon said: “As soon as the police area commander of Damboa sends in his report to the police headquarters, the media will be briefed,” adding that no arrests had been made. CAN queries Buhari’s nomination as negotiator, reports VINCENT UJUMADU

eanwhile CAN in the

17 southern states, yesterday, queried the rationale behind the purported nomination of Buhari to represent Boko Haram in the proposed negotiation with government, describing it as an eye opener in the entire debacle. CAN secretary in charge of the 17 states, Dr. Joseph Ajujungwa, in a statement, said it left to Nigerians to judge what had been happening regarding the issue of Boko Haram which had killed hundreds of Nigerians. The statement said: “May I use this opportunity to ask why General Buhari? As the secretary of CAN in the 17 southern states, the truth will one day be made manifest. “General Buhari, as I read in the newspapers, had said that if he was not declared president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2011, he will make Nigeria ungovernable for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Other people also said so. “Since then, Nigeria has not known peace. All the people that said similar thing are moving about freely and, today, one of them is going to moderate the peace talk. The blood of those killed by Boko Haram sect is speaking and God is not happy as we condemn the unprovoked attacks on innocent citizens of Nigeria. The truth cannot be hidden for ever. The president, Dr. Jonathan, should open his eyes.”

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Sports Festival: Colour as FG, states hoist flags in Lagos he 18 th National Sports Festival being hosted by Lagos took another colourful climb yesterday, as the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory Abuja hoisted their flags to confirm their participation at the games with the Vice President Namadi Sambo restating the commitment of the Federal Government to sports development in the

...VP Namadi Sambo, Fashola preach value of games country. The Vice President, who spoke as a representative of President Goodluck Jonathan at the ceremony which took place at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere and had Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) of Lagos State, his Kogi State counterpart, Captain

Idris Wada, several deputy governors and commissioners for sports in attendance, said the commitment informed the recent hosting of a presidential retreat on sports. Sambo said the Federal Government will ensure that the recommendations of the technical committee on the Presidential Retreat on Sports are

implemented. In his address, the chief host, Fashola, said rather than engender crisis, the creation of state identities like flags can only strengthen the nation’s unity wondering what would have been the colour and value of the flag hoisting event if there was only one flag to be hoisted for the National Sports Festival.

550 Katsina pilgrims return

he first flight carrying a total of 550 pilgrims has arrived Umar Musa Yar’Adua International Airport Katsina. The plane touched the ground at about 11p.m. on Thursday. The pilgrims on board were those airlifted to Saudi Arabia in the first flight from Dutsinma, Danmusa, Batsari and Kurfi in Dutsinma zone. The Permanent Secretary for Religious Affairs Alhaji Lawal Danhaire and the Airport Manager Alhaji Bello Sabo Giade received the pilgrims, among whom were the member of the State House of Assembly representing Dutsinma Alhaji Halilu Ibrahim Karofi. Some of the pilgrims expressed gratitude to the state government for keeping to the promise to bring them back home in time. They also thanked the state government for giving them 300 Saudi Riyals at the holy Land.

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5 feared dead in Delta task force, gamblers clash BY FESTUS Ughelli

AHON,

ELL was let loose in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State following a violent clash between members of Agbarho Security Task Force and suspected gamblers which left five persons dead. Sunday Vanguard gathered that one Ovuoke Ojo, 28, a native of Ekrerhavwe-Agbarho, was shot dead by members of the security task force while reportedly gambling with some friends. The source alleged that the security task force swooped on them at Uwhrughele road in the Agbarho metropolis at about 5pm on Thursday. In what appeared as a

reprisal attack, the member of the security task force, simply identified as Ogiribo, who allegedly fired the shot that killed the youth, was beheaded and roasted while other members of the security group scampered for safety, a source said. The source disclosed that the body of the killed vigilante member was taken to 5-Junction, a popular spot in the town, where it was roasted. It was learnt that passersby were killed by stray bullets from military men who were immediately drafted to the town to assist the police in putting the situation under control. Sunday Vanguard source said men of the joint military task force (JTF) had taken over the

town, patrolling the streets. The source added that residents of the area were still in shock over the killings which he described as unfortunate. Confirming the incident, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Delta State Police Command, Mr Charles Muka, said it was a clash between members of the community ’s security task force and suspected cult members. According to Muka, seven persons have been arrested by men of the JTF and handed over to the police in Agbarho. He however said the situation was under control, urging residents of the area to go about their normal businesses. He added that the police was on top of the matter.

Suntai’s injured aides flown out BY HENRY UMORU

HE three injured aides of Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State in penultimate Thursday’s plane crash were yesterday evacuated to Germany for further treatment. The aides, who were receiving treatment at the National Hospital Abuja, were flown out days after the governor was taken to Germany from the same hospital.

The journey started at 9am when the convoy of the Taraba deputy governor, Garba Umar, drove into the international wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja with the aides. The injured aides are the aide-camp, ADC, Illiya Dasat; the Chief Security Officer, CSO, Tino Dangana; and the Chief Detail, CD, Joel. The Germany bound air ambulance, marked MED EVAC Aircraft:-

Challenger 601 with registration number DBUSY, took off from the Airport at 9.05am. Also with the deputy governor at the airport were the Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly, Istaphanus Gbana; commissioner for information, Emmanuel Bello; and commissioner for water resources.

Agba Akin Kehinde Olaosebikan, in the midst of the children of Oluyole Cheshire Home , celebrating his golden jubilee anniversary.

Illegal N11m withdrawal:

ICPC arrests 4 bank officials BY BRIDGET AMATA & KAFAYA TIJANI

Four bank officials have been arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for allegedly flouting the directive of a court order in a case under investigation by the ICPC. In the course of investigating a petition alleging fraud of over a billion Naira, ICPC had secured and served court orders freezing the bank account of the chairman and other principal staff of a local government in the South-South. However, one of the suspects (names

withheld) withdrew N11.8 million from his personal account inspite of the court order thereby impeding investigations. ICPC bared its fangs and arrested four of the bank’s officials to determine their culpability or

Delta 2015:

Presidential aide endorsed BY TOMMY ANADUAKA

YOUTH leader and former Transition Committee Secretary of Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State, Hon Alex Ujumba Odiokoh has stressed the need for all hands to be on deck to

FG advocates common youth policy in Africa BY CALEB AYANSINA

he Federal Government has called on leaderships in Africa to join hands to evolving a common policy approach in developing elaborate programmes that will address the challenges of developing human social capital that the continent is blessed with. The Minister of Youth Development, Inuwa Abdul-Kadir, made the call at a press briefing on the celebration of the African Youth Day in Abuja. According to him, “the day provides a platform to develop the desired partnership among governments, National, Regional, International NGOs and Civil Societies in youth development.

”In line with this year’s theme: ‘Africa - Deliver as One for Sustainable Youth Development’, the ministry is working out a partnership proposal with relevant stakeholders to further celebrate the event with programmes that are

negligence. Meanwhile, ICPC had directed the bank to immediately deposit the equivalent of N11.8 million withdrawn from the suspect’s account into the Commission’s Asset and Recovery Account until investigations are completed.

beyond conferences and seminars”. The Minister noted that there is need to celebrate the good deeds of african youths despite the present insecurity challenges faced by some countries in the African continent.

ensure the election of Prof. Sylvester Monye as the next governor of the state in 2015. Odiokoh gave the charge at Onoicha-Ugbo when he received members of a political pressure group under the aeiges of “Forum for Good Leadership”who paid him a courtesy visit. The group through its leader/ spokesman Olorogun Akute Obanyedo said that the purpose of their visit was to inform him of the group’s overall decision to throw its weight behind the 2015 governorship aspiration of Monye, the Special Adviser to the President on Performance Monitoring and Evaluation.

Pneumonia more dangerous than malaria, HIV/AIDS —Imoke’s wife BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, Calabar

IFE of Governor Liyel Imoke of Cross River State, Obioma, says the fight against the eradication of pneumonia in the state must be total as the sickness kills more people than malaria and HIV/AIDS combined together. Mrs. Imoke stated this

while declaring open a two-day training workshop organized by Partnership Opportunity for Women Empowerment Realization, POWER, with support from John Hopkins Bloomberg and International Vaccine Access Centre Organizers for Community Volunteers on Pneumonia Preven-

tion and Control, in Calabar. She said that participants at the workshop, which had the theme, ‘Reducing Pneumonia disease burden at the grassroots level in Cross River State through community engagement’, will enlighten women at the grassroots a how to prevent pneumonia which she said was preventable and treatable.

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 9

MAILBAG

All letters bearing writers' names and full addresses should be typed and forwarded to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, Kirikiri Canal, P. M. B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E-mail: sunvanguardmail@yahoo.com

Oshiomhole: Coping with the responsibilities of gateway governor Dear Sir,

ENIN City, the ancient headquarters of the famous Benin Kingdom and, in more modern times, capital of Edo State, has never had it so good.The state never experienced so much transformation as it is recently experiencing under the leadership of the Comrade Governor, Adams Aliu Oshiomhole. And looking at all that is happening in that state in totality; the transformation could not have come at a more auspicious time than now when Nigerians are beginning to appreciate the essence and benefits of good governance in their lives. And for Benin City, it is more so because of her strategic location as a Gateway City to the East, West, South and North of this great country. However, in spite of this strategic location as a transit city for travellers criss-crossing between the North and South and between the East and the West of this country, Benin City had remained developmentally static over the years. It was as if the city was allergic to reforms. In fact, for many years, Benin City was like a transit camp, a stopover location where travellers just stopped to wash their feet, ease themselves, eat breakfast and move on without doing anything to improve the place. In truth, all the distant haulage companies, including those hauling cargo as well as those transporting human beings, have their transit offices in Benin City. The transport companies have a long history of transiting in Benin City on their way to the North, West, South and East of the country. But, in spite of the huge profits made by these companies, their prosperity

has not rubbed off on the Ancient City. The truth of the matter is that those transiting companies found nothing on ground to build on. The City itself was not ready to reform. For many years, the leaders of the city, both political and traditional, worked conspiratorially to keep that city stagnant. Hardcore traditionalists were not ready to yield ground for development. Roads could not be constructed or widened because the land through which they would pass were sacred, dedicated to one evil and capricious god or the other. As for the political leaders, most of them fell in line with the traditionalists, using the above reasons as an excuse for nonperformance. That is why the Comrade Governor must be commended for breaking the traditional jinx to open up the state for

modernization and infrastructural development. Today, Benin City has acquired a new look with its hitherto footpaths now widened to dual carriageways and beautified to add colour to the streets. Infrastructure in state establishments are being renewed and reconstructed to meet the demands of modernity. On the heels of the infrastructural renewals are investments, from both Private and Public sectors in various areas of human development but especially in the hospitality industry. While new five star hotels are springing up in various parts of the state, old ones hitherto made inconsequential by reason of inaccessibility, have acquired a new status. Suddenly, oil workers, who made Port Harcourt their place of sojourn over the years, have found a new haven in the City of Benin. Life has suddenly come to the City as

travellers, who always were eager to pass through very quickly before, now wish to stay and explore the new city. It takes the tenure of a visionary and forward looking leader to make positive things happen in the life of the citizenry.It requires vision to see the economic potential of the city as a Gateway or transit city. Indeed, the responsibilities of Comrade Oshiomhole as head of government of that Gateway City is legion. Coping with the number of travellers transiting that city on a daily basis can be quite challenging especially as it concerns the security of the State. But the benefits can be enormous if properly harnessed by the Government. Charles Afe Ikhaghe, lives in Lagos afeikhaghe@yahoo.com, 08185783454.

SOS to Governor Amaechi Dear Sir,

ESIDENTS of Oyigbo town and environs are writhing in pains as a result of bad roads. Almost all the roads there are impassable. Mostly affected are location road through Mbano camp, stretching to Oyigbo west, Others are school, Chigbu, Ochiri and other roads around MIFE axis. The situation is so pitiable that people find it extremely difficult to get to their destinations on time.

Pedestrians now avoid the main roads that have turned to ponds and pass through people's verandas while the motorists take the risk of swimming the pond-like roads as they cannot fly. In the suburbs, the situation is better witnessed than imagined. Many roads through which the people can reach the metropolis have been over grown with weeds. I do not want to know whose responsibility it is to amend this eye sore, whether it is the state or the local governments, but my concern is that

something reasonable should be done as soon as possible to arrest the pitiable situation in order to give the residents a sense of belonging. Moreover, Oyigbo town is part and parcel of the state and should be treated like others.So I sincerely appeal to Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State to come the rescue of Oyigbo residents. Nkemakolam Gabriel , Port Harcourt, 08072257360.

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PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

The normality of abnormality (1) Goodluck Jonathan and his motley crowd of ministers, court jesters and bag carriers, it is difficult to be optimistic about the immediate future. For instance, inflation in Nigeria at this time especially with regard to the prices of basic food items and other essential commodities is steadily approaching the omega point that could spark off violent demonstrations nationwide, unless bold

HAT Nigeria is in deep crisis right now is a big understatement: the country is actually drifting into a black hole of existential abyss from which she might never escape. In fact, abnormality is becoming the “new normal” to the extent that universal standards of civilised behaviour are almost passé. Right from the topmost controllers of political, economic and religious institutions to the lowest, malignant corruption, ethnicity and wickedness are corroding the moral glue that holds us together as members of one large family. Of course, we are always reminded by those in power that every country has problems too. Nigerians already know that,but the major troubling issue is that Nigerian rulers keep repeating and worsening the mistakes of their predecessors. In a future essay, I will analyse the recurrent follies of the ruling elite. Suffice it to say, however, that except for the big men and thick madams who are benefiting from the system, most Nigerians will accept without hesitation that their existential condition since the return to civilian government in 1999 has not really improved. And with the mediocre management of the country by President

Nigeria’s ruling elite, namely, lack of creativity and will to follow through and sustain programmes that can transform the country. Remember, the federal government spent hundreds of millions of tax payers’ naira on the programme: no one till date has provided a detailed account of how the funds were spent. As far as I know, there is no accountability, no feedback,

The federal government spent hundreds of millions of tax payers’ naira on the programme: no one till date has provided a detailed account of how the funds were spent

measures are taken quickly to arrest the trend. Again, deteriorating insecurity in the form of kidnappings, armed robberies, and terrorism by Boko Haram has made life in many parts of Nigeria “nasty, brutish and short.” Several months ago I argued elsewhere that the rebranding programme launched with fanfare by late President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and his minister of information and communication, Prof. Dora Akunyili, is dead and buried. Indeed, the fate of the programme is a paradigm case of what is seriously wrong with

no monitoring to determine the extent to which the programme succeeded or failed to achieve the objectives for which it was established in the first place. Additionally, no lessons have been learnt from the rebranding programme, and the possibility of government repeating exactly those mistakes that crippled the project cannot be ruled out. Now, although the present administration has tacitly abandoned the rebranding experiment, the current minister of information may, as part of the reelection scheme of President Jonathan, either

clone the programme or float a new one altogether,thereby creating a new group of overnight millionaires. Be that as it may, it is fair to say that the effort at national image engineering which Akunyili championed enthusiasticallyis a big failure. Consequently, the former minister ought to be sorely disappointed about the current status of her pet project especially in the light of recent events which have further sullied the negative image of our country. We shall discuss a few of such events, paying particular attention to aspects that have not received adequate attention from commentators. The first one is the heart-wrenching horrifying murder of four undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt on the basis of unproven allegation of theft. As everyone knows, extra-judicial killing of accused persons is unconstitutional and morally reprehensible.Hence, I am in total agreement with all those that havecondemned the mob and poured invectives on perpetrators of the crime against humanity. But few have taken the pains to analyse the probable cause(s) of the psychological condition which propel an individual, or group of individuals, to lynch and burn fellow human beings to death in a frenzy of sadism. I believe that unless there is a scientific analysis of the real causes of malignant sadism and mob psychology, we, as individuals and groups, would be unable to understand and control the psychic mechanisms that predispose human beings to extreme cruelty

and wickednessunder certain circumstances.At the outset, we must avoid the terrible mistake of explaining away the terrible murder we are discussing as “an act of the devil,” which is normal in a religion-intoxicated society such as ours. Such superstitious explanation, rather than clarify the issues involved actually befogs it. As with all psychological phenomena, the causes of extreme sadism in an individual and, by extension, in a mob,are incredibly complex, such that it would be naïve to single out a single factor. According to the German-born American psychoanalyst, Erich Fromm, individual and social factors responsible for sadistic behaviour are so complex that only a thorough empirical analysis of all the factors involved will do. Nevertheless, there is doubt that individual factors such as phylogenetically programmed dispositions, idiosyncrasies of family experiences, and exceptional events in a person’s life play a role. Again, social character, the relatively recurrent behavioural disposition of a social group, is important also, because no human being is an island. In the first case, for example, if a child is alienated, deprived of love, or frequently subjected to fright-inducing corporal punishment in the name of discipline, the probability that she or he would grow into a sadistic adult will be quite high, whereas a child reared in an atmosphere of love, joy and belongingness in which punishment is severely limited in intensity and related to specific and stated misbehaviour will un-

likely be a sadist later. Therefore, depending on the temperament of the child, fear of sadistic punishment can become a dominant motive in his life, to the extent of impairing his sense of selfidentity, of integrity and self-confidence. Whatever may be the source of sadism in an individual, the social character of a group will determine the extent to which his sadistic tendencies would be acted upon. Thus, if a sadistic person lives in a community where an overwhelming majority is nonsadistic and where sadistic behaviour is loathed, the sadistic individual will not necessarily change his character, but he will not act upon it; the sadism will not disappear, but it will be dormant because circumstances are unfavourable for its manifestation. Many parents, guardians and teachers in Nigeria still believe that frequent sadistic corporal punishment of children is the best method for inculcating discipline. But a number of studies conducted in the United States suggest otherwise; the research findings demonstrate that strict adherence to the biblical injunction, “spare the rod and spoil the child,”is injurious to the physical and emotional development of children. I am completely convinced that the people who actually lynched the four young men and burnt them afterwards, and the mob that watched gleefully without raising one word of protest, are sadists whose normal emotional development had been crippled by bad upbringing. TO BE CONTINUED.

Constitution Review: Planned constituency sessions excites civil society, stakeholders BY BILESANMI OLALEKAN

he planned Peoples’ Public Sessions by the House of Representatives through which it intends to take the constitution review process to the grassroots across the 360 federal constituencies in the country has continued to generate excitement from civil society groups, international development agencies and other stakeholders in the polity. In a related development, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has pledged its support for

*NOA Mobilizes Support the initiative and directed its field officers across the country to assist in mobilizing Nigerians to participate in the constituency meetings. The peoples’ public sessions is a novel programme by the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review intended to make the amendment process allinclusive, participatory and all-encompassing by involving Nigerians in the nooks and crannies of the country. It will hold on November 10 after an

official flag-off to be performed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives on November 8. At different fora including exploratory meetings held between the House Committee and stakeholders, civil society groups and organizations have lauded the initiative and pledged total commitment to making it achieve the desired results. Speaking on a programme monitored on AIT during the week, civil rights activist and member, National

Human Rights Commission Board, Hajia Saudatu Mahpi, commended the House of Representatives for initiating the

constituency meetings. Representatives of professional interest groups, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders at a

meeting with the House Committee hailed the efforts and also offered suggestions on how to make the process thorough.

BATNF boosts agriculture in Kogi BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

he British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) has boosted agricultural production in Kogi State through the donation of a multi-million naira cassava processing Cottage factory to Achoze communi-

ty, in Okene, Kogi State. Chairman of BATN Foundation, who doubled as the Chairman of SURE-P, Dr. Christopher Kolade, while presenting the handover certificate to the Ogwozumo Fadama III users in the community yesterday, said the initiative is part of BATN cooperate social responsibility

in Nigeria aimed at assisting the people fight poverty. ”The mission of the foundation is to improve the quality of life of citizens in rural and urban areas in Nigeria with focus on four areas; sustainable agricultural development, sustainable portable water supply, environmental.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 11

Taraba State ‘HouseBoys’ house boys who are pushed here and there and are used at will to do dirty jobs. This aptly summarizes what happened on Thursday October 4, 2012, when the State legislature impeached the Deputy Governor, Sani Abubakar Danladi. His misconduct which was serious enough to the legislators to warrant his impeachment was that he used his office to attract favours and development to himself and his local

The Assembly did nothing different from what some of their colleagues in other states have done in the past

community. In other words, Taraba legislators relied on nepotism, another word for zoning, as an impeachable offence a rather common short coming of every Nigerian politician. We only hope that legislatures elsewhere would not seek to surpass the feat of Taraba by making the offence ret-

Nature as a Terrorist

F anybody is still in doubt about the re ality of global warming, the images coming out of New York this past week ought to put paid to the skepticism. Global warming is real folks, and storms like “Hurricane Sandy,” metrologists now warn us, is the new normal. That is, we must begin realistically to expect that these devastating natural events will continue to happen at even increasing velocity. New York City and the entire American mid-Atlantic came under the fierce umbrage of nature this time. What we saw in the picture of the carnage is that in spite of all our exertions at domesticating or “civilizing” nature and the natural environment, our power over the sublime is puny. Nature is a terrorist. Think New York City and September 11, 2001. On this particular day, two planes flew directly into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, then one of most visible landmarks in the New York city skyline; a true tribute to human engineering inge-

nuity and dare; a real tower of babel. In one tragic day and in a vicious and daring act, suicide bombers hijacked planes and flew them straight into this towering edifice and brought it low. The image of that event is still quite a shock. The panic in the city was total. America had come under attack. The panic soon spread across the United States and quickly across the world, thanks certainly, to the new global network of televisions and the internet. The general panic in the city and the material cost continues in part to be one of the great lore of contemporary terrorism. America went to war as a result of that attack. Using its might and its fiery instruments of war, the United States went after Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, and after Saddam Hussein in Iraq to press home the fact that no one messes with America. Of course, there were consequences in America’s war policies: it created the image across the world of America as the big bad

Bayelsa State. Rather, they should see the new law as part of Taraba’s home grown democracy and seek to sanitize it from its current crudity. In earnest, if the Deputy Governor deserved to be impeached for ‘cornering’ goodies to his local area, was his said locality better favoured than Sun-

wolf. In any case, the US got bin Laden and got Saddam, and are still fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But roll back the times, and you have Hurricane Sandy. This storm – a slow moving monster, rising through the North Atlantic oscillation, staged a three-pronged attack: first it moved through the Caribbean, where a low wind shear and warm waters allowed it to strengthen, and gathering strength caused devastation on its path from Kingston Jamai-

ODAY’S article was originally in tended for publication last week but was for sensitivity sake, shelved because of the plane crash involving Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State. Thank God the Governor and his entire entourage survived and are now receiving medical attention. But is it not too early now to put up the same article? It does not appear so as the law making body of the state has by resolution proclaimed that nothing big happened and that Suntai’s situation does not call for an Acting Governor to continue to coordinate governance in the state. So, here we go. Taraba State like most Nigerian communities has a below average literacy rate. This is a point which the State Legislature exemplifies with a posture that glaring reflects the fact that the state is not knowledge driven. Indeed, Taraba legislators have a disposition that appears formed from the mentality of over-grown

rospective and creating another form of punishment for ‘offenders’ who having left office can no longer be impeached. If that happens, Nasarawa State for instance may move against their former leader who in his days in office developed Keffi his locality- better than Lafia, the State Capital. Instead of using it to compound the Nigerian dilemma, the new Taraba law should operate only in Jalingo. Legislators representing Taraba State in the National Assembly should therefore not procure binoculars to search for any recent project in

tai, the Governor ’s village? Is it in order for legislators to surreptitiously clamour for contracts in their own localities in the name of constituency projects? Interestingly, no one gets to hear the value of the projects nor who the contractors are and whether the said projects are ever executed. To arrive at the conclusion that the Deputy Governor was corrupt his income was compared with the quantum of his alleged property but no one told the world if the awesome property of the man was costlier than just one item - the string of aircraft of his principal. Amusingly, our law makers do not ‘know’ their own takehome pay. Taraba legislators were silent on how exactly the Deputy Governor got his alleged large parcel of land suggesting that the Governor has no supervisory powers over his Deputy. Rather, it looked like every “offence” of the Deputy Governor was committed when he had the uncommon opportunity to act as Governor in the absence of the substantive holder of the position. In short, it is easy to conclude from the manner of the impeachment that the Governor was unable to call his offending Deputy to order hence the legislators graciously helped to get rid of the irritant. The Assembly did nothing different from

what some of their colleagues in other states have done in the past. The other day, Niger State legislators removed their speaker a few hours after his selection for lack of performance! Thus, the development of Nigeria’s democracy has established the growing expertise of our law makers to operate like touts now and again. The Taraba legislators for instance were on one of their spurious breaks from where they were summoned together on the night for the impeachment. This leaves us to imagine that they could be ordered about like house boys and that there may be some veracity in the rumour making the rounds in the wake of the impeachment that each law maker got an incentive of N60 million to do a hatchet job. Thus impeachment - a constitutional penalty for serious misconduct - was as usual domesticated and materialized. Even the judiciary was not left out of the comedy as the evidence of a bank loan with which the Deputy Governor prosecuted his projects was discountenanced. A team of non-partisan persons of proven integrity empanelled to investigate the allegations contained in the impeachment notice included a person who had earlier been allegedly indicted by a judicial panel in the same State. We also hear that even the Chief Judge who

constituted the panel had remained in office for longer than allowed by law. We can therefore impute that the dramatis personae in the Taraba impeachment saga were compromised. Thus the impeached Deputy Governor was himself naïve to have waited for the impeachment which even the blind could see coming. His Akwa Ibom State counterpart has become the wiser for it. We are however unable to overemphasize the blame worthiness of the Taraba legislators because house boys have no discretion and initiative; they only rationalize what they do with “that is how others use to do it”. In addition, their motivation was so fulfilling that a few days later when their Governor was involved in a plane crash, they remained so loyal that they preferred an injured goal keeper to continue to serve as the captain of their soccer team. Bad enough but they are not too different from a former Attorney General, who not too long ago, while espousing the law insisted that a sick President could rule Nigeria from anywhere! While wishing Taraba State the best in the coming years, her legislators are here reminded of the African adage that when a free born is sent the message of a slave, he delivers it not like a slave but as a freeborn.

time, but became a tropical cyclone, and made its final landfall on Atlantic City, New Jersey. The path of this storm now bears the imprint of a vast natural disaster; of nature at her angriest; of nature as a terrorist. Compared in impact and destruction, the effect of this storm makes the September 11 attack look like a mere kick on the sheen of New York. From the Jersey shores to New York’s Coney Island and beyond, the image of devastation is unprecedented. It is as though the entire American Mid-Atlantic came under a terrorist attack: the destruction of city infrastructure – power lines, bridges, roads, city transportation, the entire superstructure of living in a

natural disaster to over 20 billion US dollars, and counting. As I write this, people are still in refugee shelters, over six million people are still without electricity; it was instructive seeing New Yorkers queuing to buy scarce fuel with gasoline cans, an image that quickly resonates with me as a Nigerian who has seen long queues at gas stations during many periods of fuel scarcity. To the American, this is apocalypse. The world ends when you can no longer guarantee the basic presence of the things they take for granted: fuel, electricity, your ATM card; in short the collapse of the world is marked in the power of the virtual world and its reality that we have created to distance us from the tactile feel of the real world. All that came to fore this past week when the waters rose in anger against our human excesses and threw a hydrogen bomb on America’s greatest city. I think part of the unnerving frustrations in this scenario is that the United States, usually powerful and decisive against any adversary feels itself powerless before this particular foe – nature – who has become a global terrorist. Not that nature is to blame. We, in our imprudent consumption, and our fierce desires for energy, have awakened its most terrifying instincts by

the things we have done and failed to do. These nature-borne disasters are not restricted to America – we have seen the disastrous effects of the earthquakes in Japan, and the increasing power and frequency of the Tsunamis. For long, metrologists and earth scientists who have measured changes in atmospheric chemistry have warned that many coastal cities and landscapes will disappear, consumed by water, as a result of global warming which would unleash increasingly powerful oceanic surges in coming years. We better pay attention. Three weeks ago in Nigeria, the floodplains of the Niger was overwhelmed, across six states North and South and through the Niger delta, with a devastating storm that left many inhabitants of these areas flooded, homeless and on the run. I was touched personally by the cry of the former senator, Mrs. Stella Omu, spouse of Major-General Charles Omu who lamented that the tropical storms, Nigeria’s own equivalent of the Atlantic hurricanes, has left her homeland so flooded that it is impossible to bury her brother, who is still lying in the mortuary. It is instructive to us all. The devastating reach of the storm must teach us a lesson.

The general panic in the city and the material cost continues in part to be one of the great lore of contemporary terrorism

ca to Santiago de Cuba; it moved quickly through Florida, this hurricane prone part of the United States, its southernmost part, known in Piratical lore as Tortuga, which on the map looks like America’s tail dipping into the waters. The slow moving storm ignored Florida this

place line New York City came to a massive halt. Wall Street and the New York stock exchange closed down for two days, and no trading went on. There was nothing to trade, exceptperhaps disaster stock. Appraisers put the potential cost to insurance following this

PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

I can’t cope with this itching! Dear Rebecca

AM 24. I left sec ondary school three years ago, but due to financial constraint, I’ve not been able to realize my ambition of going further in my educational career. S o , I picked up a job where I’m paid ten thousand naira a month. A problem I’ve had since my childhood is that I have severe itching in my private part. The itching is so bad that some times I’m forced to scratch in the public. Although it has not prevented me from having fun, I have stopped my girlfriend from coming near, and I’m too ashamed to tell her why. I know I will get married and I will not want to go on scratching before my wife. Please help me solve this problem because I don’t know what to do again. Merry, Port Harcourt. REPLY

know that you may not agree with this, but a skin expert says that personal cleanliness may be responsible for this problem right from your child hood. Having a bath daily or even thrice daily does not make us totally clean. It all depends on how we have our bath and th state of our underwear. The private part should be thoroughly washed with sponge, soap and clean water, and we should change our underwear at least once a day. Our under-garments should be washed and rinsed thoroughly. Not keeping your private part clean may cause, not only itching and sores , but also genital lice down below. If you have lice there, then you can pass it on to your partner when you make love. I suggest you have a shave there and for a while use a mild antiseptic soap daily . If there is no improvement within a week or two , and if there are swellings, sores or any abnormality with your organ, go and see a skin specialist in a general or teaching hospital. Tell

the nurse your problem and you will be directed to the right section. You’re wise to stop having sex, for if you continue, you will give the condition to your partner. Actually, you may have contracted the condition from another person, like wearing someone else’s underwear or trousers or jeans. Perhaps it came from unwashed second hand clothing. I suggest you stick to no-sex until marriage. It is not food or water, so, you will not die from not having it.

Should I kill this rival? Dear Rebecca I am 22, and the lady I’m in love with is of the same age . Our affair started two years ago. My problem is that when I see her discussing with her ex-boyfriend I get the feeling she’s going to leave me. I have already told her to leave the boy but she had said it was impossible since she’s in love with him. For me, this is very disheartening especially as I can’t sleep without thinking about her. To strengthen our relationship I left my former girlfriend – someone that my parents had chosen for me. I had told them then that I should be allowed to make my own choice. My parents were quite understanding. They told me to keep them informed whenever I’m ready for marriage. Now see how this girls is treating me. What do I do with her? Am I to use charms on her to make her love only me, or kill her boyfriend? James, Abuja. REPLY

very useful quality to help us cope with life, is the acquisition of self-confidence. Without it, we would be tossed here and there by people

and situations, as life’s winds blow, and we would be unhappy most of the time. Wherever you find yourself, be polite, courteous and humble, but never feel inferior to any one. Without undue pride and boasting, have confidence in your ability to be pleasing and acceptable to other people, including girls. If you are hardworking, good-mannered, responsible, humorous, clean and friendly, people will be drawn to you. Don t feel threatened when your girl (or even wife) talks to another man. If it is a serious relationship like marriage you can ask what’s going on if you see your wife in a romantic position with another man, or you find love text messages/mail in her possession, or strange men call her up on telephone. On these occasions, you could exhibit a mature and righteous anger . By asking your girlfriend to give up the other man, when you’re merely boyfriend/girlfriend, you are exhibiting insecurity and lack of confidence. These are some of the things which may make girls look down on men. It’s like you feel yourself unworthy of her, and are

pleading with her to love you. That’s demeaning for anyone. If you’ve offended someone, you can apologize for your act and ask for forgiveness. That’s noble, but it’s pathetic to start begging another person to please remain with you in a relationship. This girl has been honest

It’s not her fault that you gave up your girlfriend, in order to be totally committed to her. In your mail, you didn’t say that she forced you to do that. My guess is that you didn’t love the other girl enough to remain with her. I’m surprised that at 22, your parents are choosing a

Harboring bitter feelings will only keep you in bondage, not to mention that it could lead you into committing a crime which could land you in jail

enough to tell you that she can never leave the other boy. This doesn’t mean that she’s not fond of you. She is, but she loves the other guy more, and doesn’t want to lose him. Let’s face it, he got there first, and you’re the newcomer in her love life.

girl for you! People can introduce you to a girl, but you don’t have to accept her. You should have your own idea of how your ideal woman to marry should be. Redeem your self-respect by leaving this girl

alone. Don’t contact her, don’t make any trouble. If you meet, say a polite ‘hi’ and move on. She would feel humiliated that you are no longer chasing after her. Be a gentleman and say ‘hi’ to her boyfriend too, if they’re together. You’re not ready to settle down now and since this girl is of the same age as you, she could be ready for marriage now, and is probably on the lookout for suitors who are in a position to marry her now. Harboring bitter feelings will only keep you in bondage, not to mention that it could lead you into committing a crime which could land you in jail. No human being is worth doing things that could land you in jail, and mess up your entire life, for. Accept the situation and set your heart free for a relationship with another girl. I suggest you have several responsible girls as just friends, so that you can have the opportunity to study and understand girls more, while concentrating on your studies, or, whatever you’re doing about a future career. This is more important to you now.

•All letters for publication on this page should be sent to: Dear Rebecca, Vanguard Media Ltd, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B 1007, Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria. E-mail: dearrebecca2@yahoo.com

SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

NOVEMBER 4, 2012,

PAGE 13

PROLOGUE

River State

Bayelsa State

River State

By Jide Ajani

ust imagine President Goodluck Jonathan, Governors Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and Seriake Dickson on the Abuja Airport Expressway sitting on the sidewalk at about 8:15 tomorrow morning – a Monday. Then imagine the three men of South South extraction, suddenly sensing that vehicles are not close by on the four-lane major highway in the direction of the Federal Capital City, FCT, Abuja, dash into the centre lane, sit down, and start rolling dice. Then imagine this game of suicide is only to prove who among the three is the bravest. Mind you, there is a prize to be won. Again, you then imagine, is it not the one among the three that survives from the necessarily impending ghastly motor accident on that highway that would enjoy the prize money? That is the best way to demonstrate the folly in what the three men have embarked upon. But for the late President Umaru Musa Yar ’Adua’s Amnesty Programme, Nigeria’s production capacity and total crude oil output may have dropped to less than 500,000bpd of crude oil. Now that the Amnesty Programme appears to have restored production (not necessarily that it has worked perfectly), the other flank of discontent is majorly the North East geo-political zone of the country, with occasional disruption in the lives of those in the North West zone. Therefore, in a country of clashing socio-political and economic interests, nay a discombobulating ethnoreligious scenario, how else can any sane person describe the sound of the drums of war occasioned by an act of commission on the part of the Federal C M Y K

THE WAR OF THE BROTHERS OVER 300,000 BPD

President and two govs rolling dice on the highway at rush hour Government of Nigeria, over which Jonathan presides? It is into this already deadly mix that the two state governors and a president are spoiling for blinded righteousness like heirs of disaster. Indeed, if for nothing else, it is shameful that all three men are from the South South geo-political zone. It becomes even more shameful that the three men belong to the same scourge that has continued to rape Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Yet, a simple matter of boundary adjustment between two states has

who would speak for the people; people who are concerned because of their standing in society and, therefore, their slice of whatever accrues or had always accrued. On the last day of October, traditional rulers took to the streets in Rivers State. The bone of contention is the Soku oil fields/oil well that produces about 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day. The unfolding drama, no doubt, requires some degree of diplomacy to handle so as to prevent it from snowballing into bloodletting. Bayelsa State was carved out of

The bone of contention is the Soku oil fields/oil well that produces about 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day now become a matter in which a president, the President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria has been insinuated into – mind you, with insults flying from different corners by those who should know better! In a country where allocations to governments are not necessarily felt by the masses, the correlation between what Bayelsa and Rivers are pushing for and the rolling of dice on the highway is simply that they might all get consumed. All the sides have recruited people

Rivers State in 1996. The 1st to 10th edition of the administrative map, which depict both states, had always placed Kula, ElemSangama, Soku, Idama and Abissa in Rivers State, with the boundary being River Santa Barbara. But the 11th edition of the map moved the boundary and changed all that. Now, the new boundary is River Sombreiro in Nembe area of Bayelsa State, when the provisional 12th edition of the administrative map was released. Both sides are laying claim to the

Soku fields. They are mobilizing their people. The Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, has come out to say the allegation that it moved five oil communities from Rivers State was misleading. Bayelsa State government insists that the latest map shows the oil fields on its territory. Rivers State is claiming that the Federal Government admitted that it made a mistake in the 11th edition of the administrative map and that it promised to correct it in the 12th edition which it has not. The critically honest question to ask are: Was there a war in Nigeria recently with debilitating effects as to cause a boundary adjustment? Was there an earthquake or other such seismic activities of gargantuan proportions as to engender the need for boundary adjustment? Who are the individuals who made the mistake in the 11 th administrative map? What sanctions or punishment would be meted on them for incitement and possible breach of peace in the Niger Delta? For now, what is going on is no different from the scenario painted above, of a president and two governors rolling dice on the highway – might we add, at rush hour.

PAGE 14—SUNDAY

Vanguard , NOVEMBER 4, 2012

RIVERS

Traditional rulers take battle to the streets *FG should correct its mistake as admitted – Gov. Amaechi BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

The Kalabari Protest In PH

ary demarcating the two areas, adding that it had been so for over a hundred years. He said even the colonial masters recognised this and worked with it. Describing the shift as the height of illegality and likely to overheat the polity, he said they would resist the attempt to make any part of the Kalabari nation be under the Nembe traditional council. Receiving their protest letter, the deputy governor assured it would be delivered to the governor. He pleaded with the National Assembly to urgently come to the aid of

he battle between Rivers State and its neighbouring Bayelsa State, over who owns the stretch of area that generates three hundred thousand barrels of crude oil per day has left the court room. The battle is now on the streets of Port Harcourt where, on Wednesday, traditional rulers, chiefs and other prominent community leaders of Kalabari stock took to the streets in Port Harcourt protesting what they dubbed an attempt to deny them of part of their ancestry with an alleged shift in the boundary demarcating Degema Division from the old Brass Division. Decked in very rich flowing black Kalabari attires with complementary black hats, the protesters marched from Isaac Boro Park, Port Harcourt, to the Government House, also in the capital city. Youths carrying placards and banners with various inscriptions were in front of them. Some of the placards read: ‘Bayelsa, Niger Delta will boil again,’ ‘We say no to executive high handedness’, ‘Bakassi to Cameroon: Kalabari to Bayelsa, No’. Before presenting their protest letter to the governor of the state who was represented by his deputy, Engr Tele Ikuru, His Royal Highness, Disreal Gbobo Bob-Manuel II, Owukori IX, Amanyanabo of Abonnema, said Amanyanabo of Abonnema (middle) with other chiefs they were there to seek the support of the state government to help them redress a calculated location and Fiscal Commis- the state, saying the state had attempt to balkanise the Kala- sion, if not urgently ad- not been able to get justice on dressed, could provoke an- the issue. bari nation. According to him, federal He explained that the sudden other round of hostilities in agencies had also been frusthe region, he said: “We shift of the boundary between trating every attempt by the have come here to protest Degema Division and Brass state government to ensure peacefully. Our people are Division to River Sombreiro, in the problem was resolved. getting restless and restive. the 12th provisional edition of “We have gone to court but the administrative map of Nige- We are begging them to the court is tight”, he said. calm down. After a while it ria had moved about ninety perThe deputy governor said might be difficult to control cent of Kalabari communities in what was even more shocking them”. Akuku Toru to Nembe in Bayelwas that money from oil and That carried a tinge of sa State. gas proceeds in the disputed threat. Stressing that the action by the communities amounting to He said River Santa BarNational Boundary Commission seventeen billion naira that bara is the original boundand Revenue Mobilisation AlC M Y K

was paid into an escrow account was suddenly released to Bayelsa State when the matter had not been resolved. “Soku has been known to be part of Rivers State. Suddenly we woke up to hear Soku does not belong to Rivers again. While we were challenging this, we asked that the whole money from there be paid into an escrow account. Suddenly they paid the money to Bayelsa State.” The protesters later convened a press conference where they poured out their minds. Mr Dokubo, one of the protesters and who was part of the legal team that headed to court on the issue, accused President Goodluck Jonathan of being behind the boundary adjustment. According to him, the problem started when Jonathan was deputy governor in Bayelsa State. He said deputy governors automatically head their state boundary commission. He said as Deputy governor, Jonathan first allegedly influenced the boundary to be shifted to San Bartolomew. Adding that when he rose to the position of Vice President, he allegedly frustrated all efforts to resolve the matter until the provisional 12th edition of the administrative map was released, this time with the boundary now River Sombreiro in Nembe area of Bayelsa State. “Goodluck Jonathan first shifted it when he was deputy governor of Bayelsa State. When he moved to governor, the problem doubled. When he became Vice President, the

Governor Rotimi Amaechi

problem tripled. Now that he is President, the problem is still there. All these things are being orchestrated because the benefiting state is where the President comes from. Has the President stopped payment of the money in the escrow account to Bayelsa State?” he queried. Dokubo said a federal agency refused to certify a document they needed to take to the Supreme Court on the matter. But the same agency certified the document for Bayelsa State on the suit. “So the handwriting is very clear on the wall”, he opined. The Amanyanabo of Kalabari Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Prof T. Princewill, re-echoed the position in his speech at the event, entitled, “Clarion call for urgent intervention to prevent imminent crisis in the Niger Delta”. The monarch, who was represented by one of his chiefs, Awoyesuku Jack, said President Jonathan had deliberately allowed the dispute to linger on.

Continues on page 16

SUNDAY

Vanguard,

NOVEMBER 4, 2012,

BAYELSA

*Don’t blackmail President Jonathan – Traditional Ruler BY SAM OYADONGHA

hough the issue of the rightful ownership of oil wells in the disputed area which predates the creation of Bayelsa State had been on ground, it was again brought to the front burner on Monday when the Kalabari National Forum and some monarchs went to Abuja to protest the alleged surreptitious moves by some Federal Government officials to excise five oil producing Kalabari communities of Rivers State with a view to dashing them to Bayelsa State for political reasons. The protesters also accused President Goodluck Jonathan, an indigene of Bayelsa State, of interfering in a boundary dispute between the two states. But in a swift reaction, the Bayelsa State Government dismissed the alleged move to forcefully annex any territory or people into Bayelsa, noting that Ijaw strategic interest demanded that Ijaws, wherever they were, should be supported and strengthened and not forced into Bayelsa. The government, in a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Bayelsa governor, Mr. Daniel Governor Seriake Dickson Iworiso-Markson, described the purported claim as an attempt by detractors of the Ijaw fairs: ”That by the 11th edination to create unnecessary tion of the administrative map strife and hostility within the of Nigeria published in 2000, Ijaw ethnic family to Ijaw na- Bayelsa State as a state was tion’s collective disadvantage. entitled to derivation and othThe statement noted:“Firstly, er claims from crude oil prowe assure our Ijaw kith and duction in respect of oil exkin in the Kalabari clan of Riv- ploration carried out within its ers State that there is no such territory as stated in the said move to forcefully annex any map. It is important to note territory or people into Bayel- that the claim of a state to dersa State. We further wish to ivation on account of oil prostate that the Ijaw strategic duction within its territory is interest demands that Ijaws different from ownership of wherever they are should be land by families, communities supported and strengthened and even clans. Whereas the and not to be forced into claim of a state is based on Bayelsa State. That the pur- territorial boundaries conported claim is an attempt by tained in the administrative the detractors of the Ijaw eth- map, that of a clan, family and nic family to our collective dis- community is based on tradiadvantage.” tional history, possession and The state government then other forms of ownership. launched into what it de- Therefore, it is very common scribed as the true state of af- in the Niger Delta, owing to C M Y K

King Iyerite Awululu, Olua 1, Ibenyanaowei of Oluasiri

the way and manner states were created, for communities or clans to be in one state while part of the ancestral land is in another. The family, clan or community does not cease to be traditional owners of such lands, while the state in which the land forms a part exercise administrative control over such land and therefore, entitled to derivation. ”By the said 11th edition of the administrative map of the Federal Republic of Nigeria dated 2000, Bayelsa State is entitled to derivation in respect of all the oil wells within the state territory. The government of Rivers State has been receiving derivation revenue over several oil facilities

The area belongs to Bayelsa by law —State Govt

the ancestral land of any family, community or clan in Kalabari clan, it does not detract from the right of the state to receive derivation. In the same vein, it does not also detract from the ownership or title to such land by the family, clan or community which must be acknowledged and treated as such. Derivation revenue is not paid to families, clans or communities but to state governments, exercising administrative control over the territory where production takes place. ”The government of Bayelsa State has through its consultants verified and computed all such derivation monies wrongly paid to or received

The government of Bayelsa State has computed all such derivation monies wrongly paid to or received by Rivers; We condemn the attempt to link the President to what is clearly an exercise of Bayelsa State Government’s right

and installations which are clearly within Bayelsa territory from 1999 till date in spite of the clear boundary delineation in the said map. We acknowledge the long standing dispute between the Ijaws in Bayelsa in Nembe clan and the Ijaws in Kalabari clan in Rivers State over traditional land boundaries. The claims predate the creation of Bayelsa State. However, the present issue is not about Nembe people laying claim to Kalabari land or of people trying to annex Kalabari land and communities as part of Bayelsa State. ”Rather, the present claim is about the right of Bayelsa State like any other state, to derivation revenue in respect of activities within its territory as stated in the administrative map of Nigeria. Even if any land in question in Bayelsa State is found to be

by Rivers State over the years. ”We condemn the deliberate and mischievous attempt to link the President to what is clearly an exercise of Bayelsa State Government’s right. The government of Rivers State itself has made several such claims of wrongful payments of derivation monies and has severally received refund in deserving cases.” ”The questions to be answered by Rivers State government are as follows: Is the Rivers State government saying that because the President is from Bayelsa State, it therefore means that the state should sleep over its rights and entitlements? Or was Dr. Goodluck Jonathan Vice President and President of Nigeria in 1992 and 2000 when these maps were produced? What about the refunds received by the Rivers State government from other states

PAGE 15

that such funds were wrongly paid to? Should we then associate the refunds with the Presidency? ”We take serious exception to the antics of the Rivers State government in its attempt to always blackmail the President in a bid to gain unnecessary advantage. ”We therefore request the government of Rivers State to tender an unreserved apology to Mr. President and the government of Bayelsa State over its unguarded, mischievous and misleading statements, which clearly are calculated to disparage the Presidency and incite violence between the two states.” Governor Seriake Dickson said the law, as it is known, deals with facts and concrete evidence. On the issue of ownership and claims by the Rivers government to Soku Oil Wells, he said: “I believe it is no longer news that Rivers State Government took Bayelsa State Government to the Federal High Court on this same issue and lost. “Instead of appealing the matter in the Appeal Court, the Rivers State government, invoked the constitutional provision and filed a suit in the Supreme Court in 2011 and this year the Supreme Court upheld Bayelsa State’s position.” In the meantime, the paramount ruler of Oluasiri clan in Nembe council area, His Royal Highness, King Iyeritei Awululu, threw his weight behind the state government, saying the latter has the right to defend what truly belongs to her. He said the Bayelsa government position is backed by law. In a related development, the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, has said the allegation that it moved five oil communities from Rivers State was misleading. Chairman of the commission, Mr. Elias Mbam, at a news conference in Abuja, said, “It is worth mentioning that the commission does not act in isolation without reference to other relevant government agencies at all levels. Indeed, the commission does not, on its own, generate data, demarcate boundaries or attribute oil wells to any state. Rather, the commission relies on data or information from relevant government agencies, including the Department of Petroleum Resources, the National Boundary Commission and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation.” On the alleged revenue from Soku community being attributed to Bayelsa, he said the commission relied on the decisions of the Presidential Committee on Verification of Oil Well of 2000 to do its work. Continues on Page 16

PAGE 16—SUNDAY

Vanguard , NOVEMBER 4, 2012

RIVERS Continued from page 14 “ We make bold to say that our President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, is very well acquainted with the facts of this explosive matter, but has allowed it to fester. May be because his native state is the beneficiary of this arrogance and outright wickedness against a people who solidly stood by him more than any other group in the federation when he passionately sought help to ascend to the high office of President of our dear country”, he said. Jack explained that when they first noticed a shift from the original River Santa Barbara boundary to San Bartholomew in the 11th edition of the administration map of Nigeria that was published, they complained and got assurance that it would be corrected in the subsequent edition. But what they saw in the provisional 12th edition of the map was more shocking. He said this time they moved the boundary further to River Sombreiro, thus ceding about ninety percent of Akuku Toru local government area in Rivers State to Bayelsa. He said they became more troubled when Timipre Sylva visited Soku in his capacity as governor of Bayelsa. They were worried that a governor of Bayelsa would visit the area unaccompanied by the governor of Rivers State they claimed to belong to. Former Vice Chancellor of University of Port Harcourt, Prof Nimi Briggs, who also spoke, pleaded with the National Boundary Commission to right the wrong on the boundary. Meantime, President Jonathan, in a press statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Reuben Abati, denied any involvement in the issue. But Governor Amaechi has urged Bayelsa State government to stay off its oil rich Soku and Elem Sangama communities, saying they are in Rivers territory. He spoke in Calabar, Cross River State, while declaring open a capacity building programme for members of the Rivers State House of Assembly. According to the governor, the Federal Government admitted in court that it made mistake in the 11th edition of the administrative map and it would be corrected, insisting that reference should be made to the 1st to 10th edition of the administrative map as a guide to right what he termed the error on the 11th edition and the provisional 12th edition of the map. C M Y K

Traditional rulers take battle to the streets “We will not allow the attempt by the Bayelsa State government to collect our oil wells. I have read what the Bayelsa State governor said. That the 11th edition of the (administrative) map (of Nigeria) gave them the oil wells. When? They didn’t talk about the 1st edition to the 10th edition, they chose to avoid that, and went to the 11th edition, but the question they should answer is why void the previous editions? “But the Federal Government came to court and said, ‘oh we made a mistake in the 11th edition, we will correct it’. They should correct it; the documents were filed by their lawyers, not our lawyers. All we want is for the Federal Government to go back to the 10th edition and correct everything...”. The governor assured that he would stand by the Kalabari people to ensure they got back what truly belonged to them. “I want the Kalabari people

to represent themselves and I will stand behind them, and all what we are saying is that they should look from the 1st to the 10th edition (of the administrative map) and not an imaginary 11th edition”, Amaechi added. “It won’t work; it will certainly not work, no matter how they try to intimidate the agencies of the Federal Gov-

ernment, we will continue to go to court and let our people know that the agencies of the Federal Government are being intimidated, that is what we are saying”. Now that the struggle between the two states over who owns the five communities has moved from the court room to the streets, efforts should made to effec-

tively manage it so that it does not snowball into violence. Memories of the Warri war among brothers in Delta State are still very fresh. The war that wreaked so much havoc on the economy of the area should not be allowed to play up between Rivers and Bayelsa States and the neighbouring brothers, Kalabari/ Nembe.

President Goodluck Jonathan

BAYELSA

The area belongs to Bayelsa by law —State Govt Continued from page 14 The paramount ruler of Oluasiri in Nembe LGA of Bayelsa, HRH, King Iyeritei Awululu, has, in the meantime, urged the Federal Government to embark on immediate boundary demarcation in the disputed oil rich Soku enclave between Bayelsa and Rivers. Awululu, in an interview in Yenagoa, said the call became imperative in order to avert possible bloodshed between the two sister states. He described as misplaced claims by the Kalabari National Forum that the Bayelsa government was planning to annex five oil rich communities in Kalabari Kingdom in Rivers State. He said the Soku oil field, which is host to a gas plant and the bone of contention, is on Oluasiri territory in Nembe council area and not on Kalabiri land as being claimed by the Rivers people. According to him, “Oluasiri is the 13th ward in Nembe council area and have boundary with Odua, Abua and Akuku-Toru. The Soku Gas Plant is at the centre of Oluasiri land. The place is far from Soku and it is a minimum

of 22 minutes drive on the fastest speed boat.” He said the instrument that created the Nembe district council in the then Eastern Region was in 1955/ 56 while the instrument creating Kalabari district was in 1960/61. “If you look at the instrument creating the Kalabari district council in the then Eastern Region, you will not see Elemsangama in it but you will see Orusangama,” he remarked. Awululu noted that the people of Bille have also cautioned the Kalabaris on this matter, adding that Mr. President should not be dragged into the matter which had been on ground long before he even delved into politics. Awululu, who blamed former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the National Boundary Commission for dragging its feet over the boundary demarcation, called on the Federal Government to immediately commence the boundary demarcation to avoid crisis in the area. The Nembe people, he declared,

would not allow themselves to be intimidated by protest and that Bayelsa State would not back down from claiming what rightly belonged to her. “The Supreme Court has decided the case in favour of Bayelsa State. It is therefore strange that the Kalabari people are saying they have communities there. They don’t have any community there,”the monarch said. ”They are just crying foul over nothing. This matter was on and the argument has been on before President Jonathan was even born. We have been fighting over this matter for years. “If former President Olusegun Obasanjo had acted, they won’t be blackmailing Mr. President now. The best option out of this matter is boundary demarcation. ”The National Boundary Commission should act fast. They should not wait for any blood bath before they act. On this issue, we are not going to back down, we are equal to the task. Government should do their work, once they do their work, we would have peace.”

SUNDAY

Vanguard,

NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 17

(2) KADUNA BOMBING

The church after the blast

Okada, Please lead me to St. Rita Catholic Church — Suicide Bomber How inter-religious mayhem was narrowly averted Accounts by survivors By Luka Binniyat f the bomb ferrying man’s mission man and the Church. It was obvious that the cadets were was to kill, an unsuspecting commercial motorcyclist bent on refusing him entry. His escort popularly called okada helped seal on bike sat on his machine thinking the fate of those present at the St. Rita his service would be paid for soon as Catholic Church, Badarwa, Kaduna the “big” man found space to park. But strangely, as recalled by those last Sunday, a Sabbath day. That was the day a man of fiendish who claimed to have witnessed what disposition, determined to end his life happened, the driver hastily reversed and those of other innocent people in some few metres; he then surged a macabre manner, loaded explosives forward in full speed, heading directly into a Mercedes Benz SUV, black in for the fence of the church. With mouths agape, the okada rider colour, and headed for the Church. Badarwa is a rather rundown suburb and the cadets watched him as he of Kaduna, where Christians and rammed the luxury car into the fence Muslims live side-by-side in an uneasy relationship that has continued to oscillate between cold, warm and hot. According to accounts, it would appear that the man was a stranger to Badarwa, because he had driven past a crossing leading to the fortified church and had had cause to stop an okada operator for direction, promising to pay handsomely if he would lead him to the Church. It was an innocuous demand with the and drove through. A few metres ahead laid the Catholic prospect of a good return, the bike man must have reasoned. And in less than shrine where the Virgin Mary is a minute he led the stranger in the usually venerated. He took it down too. But that shrine slowed his pace. tinted four-wheel Benz to the Then, suddenly, just before he could barricaded gate of the Church, where Rev, Father Mike Bonni was offering burst into the Church, packed with Communion Prayers. It was about 8: over 1000 worshippers, the jeep 45 am, and there was no sign of the became a mobile bomb. The explosion that resulted could be usual two, armed policemen and two members of the Civil Defence Corps heard within a five kilometre radius there. Sunday Vanguard was able to confirm this. Now a drama ensued between the driver of the vehicle and the okada operator. Instead of paying the bike man, the man in the jeep started arguing with the people at the gate to allow him in. But the three lads in Scene of the brown khaki and brown boots (church church blast cadets) brandishing metal detectors refused him entry, saying only the parish priest was allowed to park his car within the church premises during Mass. Heavy metal bars stood between the

from the blast. And it created a rattling tremor too. It brought down the wall of the church, sending shrapnels and projectiles into the congregation. Though the vehicle never made it into the church building, its effect was felt by the building. Adjoining buildings were damaged including parked cars, as part of the exploded car bust into flames. Survivors recalled a scene of chaos. Burnt human flesh and the effluvium of the explosives created an offensive gas. “The okada man was shouting

If I had known that this man was evil, I would not have directed him here. Oh Allah, what has become of this world’ ”

C M Y K

in shock, reciting la’Ila Illahu in Arabic, an eyewitness recounted to Sunday Vanguard some hours after the explosion. “He was saying, ‘if I had known that this man was evil, I would not have directed him here. Oh Allah, what has become of this world’ ”, the eye witness told Sunday Vanguard. In Bardarwa, as in most parts of Kaduna town where Muslims and Christians have d e f i n e d boundaries, there are two kinds of p e o p l e that respond to such emergencies: Those that go for the rescue, and those that maim, kill and destroy property as a means of vengeance. Unfortunately for

the Hausa okada rider, those that first heard his lamentation were of the second category. “He is with the bomber! He brought the bomber! Kill him! Burn him!” rented the air. Sunday Vanguard was told by eye witnesses that the crowd ostensibly Christian youths, descended on him, and set him ablaze, along with his bike. His murder may have averted a bigger calamity, as events were to later show. But, just as the mob began to swell, with youths trooping out from different directions, the Army arrived and stamped out the emerging revolt. But the arrival of the military men did not stop the pandemonium that was to take over the city. The body of the suicide bomber, (likely a member of the Islamic Terrorist Boko Haram) was cut into two - his lower and upper torso. His upper torso was flung from the jeep onto the fence where it dangled, with the suicide bomber still showing signs of live. “Some one came with a stick and started hitting it”, said another eye witness, “but soldiers chased him away”. At the end of the whole gory event, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) put the death toll at 8, with 135 injured. It would however appear that the collateral damage was the painfully slow rate of reconciliation between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna that was again shattered. Catholic Arch-Bishop of Kaduna diocese, Mathew Man Oso Ndagos, when he spoke to the press after visiting and praying with some 14 injured members of the Church at St. Gerard’s Catholic Hospital, Kakuri, said: “What happened was unfortunate, being the second time that the Catholic Church, and the third Continues on page 18

PAGE 18—SUNDAY

Vanguard , NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Continued from page 17 time Churches were bombed in Kaduna State. Once again, as Christians and as Catholics, we are challenged to deliver our own faith to witness for us. I think we are even called to witness our faith as more credible and to bear the message of the Bible to those who hate us. “In the five hospitals we have visited so far, most of the victims are children. And therefore you begin to wonder if a human being in his full senses could do such a thing. Honestly, as a person, I believe that the person who could carry out such wickedness, deserve our pity and mercy. He has only tested the integrity of our faith; these kinds of people are not in their right senses. “How could a human being, who claims to be working for any kind of god, go to a place where people are worshiping God with a bomb and do this kind of harm to them? I know we are in difficult times, but my advice to Christians and my fellow Catholics in Kaduna State is that difficult situations do not make us less Christians. In the same vein, difficult situations do not make us less human. No matter how difficult the situation is. My appeal to Catholic youths and all our Christian brethren is ‘never, never retaliate’! Two wrongs can never, and will never make a right”, he said. But, not many Christians in Kaduna town have such grace and magnanimity towards the Muslim camps.

n Sabo, Television Village, Narayi, Maraban Rido and most Christian strong holds, the youths mobilised for a show-down but discovered that the Muslim minority had fled as soon as they heard about the carnage at St. Rita. But, as news filtered that the Christian youths in Badarawa had taken their pound of flesh and that the harm was not of unforgivable proportion, added to the pleas of local elders and church leaders, what would have been a headache for the Army and police subsided. On the other hand, Muslim youths in Tudun Wada, Rigassa, Kawo, Rafin Guza and places they have strong presence, also armed up, waiting to attack any non-Muslim that wondered into their zone – this, in readiness for any “ retaliatory” assault on their members. But by noon, with two military helicopters flying low over the town, and wailing sirens of armed soldiers and police in open vans supported by armoured cars, anxiety soon ebbed away, and the town started life anew. By evening, businesses almost returned to normal but some shops remained shut. Governor Patrick Yakowa of Kaduna State heaved a sigh of relief the next day after going round to see what happened and consoling and speaking with the injured. At a press conference that day, Governor Yakowa said “I have gone to the affected Church, and I have visited all the injured patients and I am deeply saddened by what happened. But I thank God, because C M Y K

‘Inter-religious mayhem was narrowly averted’ it could have been worse. “I met the officiating priest during the Mass Service. His name is Rev. Fada Mike Bunni. He was able to tell me that the bomber was very determined to kill all the over 1000 worshippers in the Church. And you could see how daring he was. He did not go through the gate. He drove straight against the fenced wall of the Church. The Priest said that if the fence of the church was not strong enough, he could have driven through the walls of the Church and detonated the bomb there.

Blast victims

But the bomb went off just outside the door of the church and brought it down. T hat was why the casualty was not that much. Four were killed. That was what I was told. About 100 were injured. So, you see, we have to thank God for his infinite grace, because the casualty could have been far worse. “The Priest told me that no amount of terror will frustrate him from worshiping Christ, and that Terror cannot detect how we worship God. “I want to use this opportunity to also say that no amount of wickedness of terrorism will deter us from pursuing our agenda of Peace, Development and Security. The few evil ones in this state cannot frustrate the state”, he said. So far, no group has claimed responsibility, but the style of the bomber clearly shows the signature of the Boko Haram sect.

KADUNA: A history of bombings April 8th 2011 Police uncovered massive bombing plots in Kaduna after a bomb explosion killed one person. On this day, three hours after the Kaduna State Police Command said it was aware of plans for massive violence to disrupt the presidential election, a bomb exploded in Mahuta, a dusty, rusty overcrowded suburb, killing the handler and maiming one Mohammed, a suspected accomplice who was rushed to St. Gerald Hospital Kaduna under police cover. The police said it found over 100 strands of dynamites loaded in three sacks in the home of the arrested bomber. . 17th April 2011 Police arrested 4 foreigners after two bomb blasts. The Kaduna State Police Command this day paraded four arrested foreigners and a Nigerian accomplice after two bombs exploded the previous night at an interval of two hours injuring eight and destroying some structures. According to the then Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Mr. John Haruna (now deceased), the second explosion which took place near the high profile public gathering place, Magajin Gari Sharia Court area, around 10:30 pm, could have killed hundreds if it had been detonated at a busy hour. 22 April 2011 A bomb-making factory was uncovered after a blast killed one person. The Kaduna State Police Command took newsmen to a bomb making shop it uncovered at the Rafin Guza area of Kaduna metropolis. The Police also displayed recovered arms from the shop. Late CP Haruna had said eight persons were arrested three of whom were critically injured during the blast which occurred at about 6.00pm the previous day. June 11th, 2011 Police found bomb at Gonin Gora market. Police Anti Bomb Disposal squad on this day discovered and detonated a live bomb in a market place in Gonin Gora area of Kaduna metropolis at about 11 am. Kaduna State Police Spokesperson, DSP Aminu Lawan said, “an explosive object (was) discovered by the people and they quickly alerted us and we were able to move to the scene, recovered and detonated the object immediately”. June 13th, 2011 Bomb found at NNPC quarters. The Police recovered an explosive on the road leading into the NNPC staff quarters at Narayi, Kaduna. “Our men were alerted to the presence of an explosive

around 4am by the security man”, said Kaduna State Police Command spokesman, DSP Amuni Lawal. “We quickly mobilised our team and decommissioned the bomb. We are investigating the matter”, he said. 14th June 2011 On this day, a bomb, strategically placed under a bridge near a high profile private secondary school, which, if exploded, could have cut off the southern part of Kaduna metropolis from its north flank, was discovered by the Police. The bomb was planted on a rail track near an overhead bridge behind Dambo International School around Barnawa GRA in the heart of Kaduna city. The Police Officer in charge of the police anti-bomb squad, DSP Patrick David Effiong, who spoke at the scene of the discovery said, “the explosive is capable of causing massive destruction and would have cut-off the bridge” December 6th, 2011 A shattering explosion in the heart of Kaduna metropolis in the morning rush hours of this day bought down a block of shops and apartments, which promptly went under smouldering flames leading to the agonising death of eight persons. February 7th, 2012 The Police found a bomb in a compound and promptly detonate the explosive safely. The bomb was discovered in the Tudun Wada house of Hon. Auwalu Ali Tafoki, a former chairman of Kaduna South Local Area. The discovery created panic and anxiety making residents of the area to scamper to safety as it was believed to be capable of destroying the whole area. However, it was expertly detonated by men of the Police Anti Bomb Squad without a single casualty recorded. February 15th 2012 A member of the Kaduna State anti-bomb squad, Sgt Sunday Badang, was on this day blown to pieces when he attempted to decommission a bomb planted under the Sultan Bello pedestrian bridge, in Kaduna. April 1 st 2012 On this fools’ day, a man suspected to be making improvised bombs was killed by an explosion at Unguwan Muazu area of Kaduna, said Kaduna State Police Spokesman, Deputy Superintendent of police(DSP) Aminu Lawal in a telephone interview with Sunday

SUNDAY

Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 19

CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT:

What the people want * Parties, women, youths, CSOs, media list demands By Clifford Ndujihe

he National Assembly will give Nigerians a new constitution in nine months time, if the Senate timetable for amending the codebook is anything to go by. According to a 16-month and 11-point timetable, of which four points have been treated, a bill for the amended constitution would be passed by the state Houses of Assembly in July 2013. Having identified issues for the presentation round of the amendment (April 2012), requested for submission of memoranda (May/June 2012); held retreat to consider memoranda (July, 2012) and held public hearing on the issues highlighted in the submitted memoranda (October 2012), the 48-man Senate Constitution Review Committee (SCRC) will between November 15 and 16 fan out to the six geo-political zones of the country for zonal public hearings. The event is expected to hold in the six geo-political zones namely North West (Sokoto); North East (Gombe); North Central (Makurdi), South East (Enugu); South-South (Calabar); and South West (Lagos). Thereafter, the exercise will continue in January next year with a retreat to aggregate public views and inputs leading to drafting of the amendment bill (February 2013), meeting with state Houses of Assembly (February 2013), introduction of the bill to the Senate (March 2013) and passage of the bill (June 2013). Since the Senate opened the window for the amendment, the SCRC has received 231 memoranda in addition to 56 other memoranda proposing the creation of additional states across the country. Among those who have submitted memoranda to the Senate panel and proffered suggestions on how to make 1999 Constitution a people’s grand norm are coalitions of women groups, youth associations, the political parties, the media and civil society organizations (CSOs). We need younger president, govs – Senate President David Mark and Speaker Aminu Tambuwal....opened new Youths To tap the physical and mental ener- window for constitution amendment gies of the youths in the onerous task and marginalization of youths, who of nation building, Nigerian youths constitute about 60 per cent of the pophave asked for outright removal of age ulation, in the affairs of the nation, they limit or in the alternative reduction of said, in a memo to the SCRC: “Nigeria age qualification for contesting elecneeds to recognize the need to broadtion to the office of the president from en the space for democratic participa40 years to 35 years; governors and tion and provide equal opportunities Senate (30 years); House of Represenfor macro and micro nationalities. The tatives and state Houses of Assembly consequences of political alienation (25 years). and social exclusion are so grave that This is one of the 10 demands that if they are not curtailed, they can spell the youths on the banner of Youth Allidoom to any developing democracy. ance on Constitution Review (YACOR), Furthermore, the high rate of crime and a coalition of 30 groups, are asking the violence, youth restiveness, political National Assembly to include in the apathy and unemployment are some new constitution. consequences of continuous political The youths, 50,546 of them, reached exclusion and marginalization. It is agreements on the demands at a twitcommon knowledge that effective youth ter conference with the theme: ‘The engagement has potential for facilitatNigerian Constitution: `Our right, our ing national growth and development future,’ held on August 23, 2012. “Similarly, recent statistics also rePained by the worsening exclusion C M Y K

President Goodluck Jonathan.... What agenda?

leased by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reveal that there are 73.5 million registered voters in Nigeria. Sixty per cent of registered voters are between the ages of 18 and 35.Therefore, it is fair, just and equitable to open the space for young people to participate in socio-economic and political ventures. The potency of youth engagement will enhance the credibility of the electoral process and deepen democracy.” Aside opening the political and economic space to accommodate younger Nigerians, YACOR asked that Chapter 2 of the 1999 Constitution should be made enforceable to “address the socio-economic needs of young people in Nigeria, e.g., access to free and compulsory education, employment, housing, healthcare and quality food. Enforcement of Chapter 2 should adopt a similar enforcement regime to Chapter 4 in the constitution.” Picking holes in a situation where the national youth leader of one of the leading political parties is a 60-year old, YACOR sought a constitutional provision defining the youth to comprise all males and females aged 18 to 35 years. They also demanded 10 per cent of legislative positions for youths. “In order to create more space for democratic participation, it is recommended that Section 49 of the 1999 Constitution be amended to ensure that 30 per cent of

party lists under the proposed proportional representation system are reserved for women, 10 per cent for youths and 5 per cent for physically challenged persons, without prejudice to their right to also compete for representation under the first-past-the-post system. This recommendation is made pursuant to the recommendation of the Justice Uwais committee’s recommendation on electoral reform.” The youths also urged the amendment of the immunity clause under Section 308 (1) (a) to prevent its abuse by presidents, governors and their deputies. “The immunity clause should also be subject to the review of a Federal High Court in the case of governors and their deputies, and to the review of the Supreme Court in the case of the president and his deputy. The immunity must be subject to some specific exceptions, like murder, insanity, flagrant looting of state treasury, etc. Since those kinds of conduct while in office were not, ipso facto, intended to be protected by the framers of the constitution, they should, therefore, not come under the immunity umbrella.” Empowering women is smart economics – Women In a memorandum prepared from inputs made by 360 women organizations drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country, women, under the auspices of Gender and Constitution Review Network (GECORN), urged the lawmakers to address the injustices and imbalance in opportunity between men and women that exclusion of women has caused. According to them, redressing the injustice “is not just about human rights, it is smart economics.” Continues on page 20

PAGE 20 — SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Continued from page 19 Specifically, the women prayed as follows: “Inclusion – The 1999 Constitution should be re-drafted so that the word ‘he or him’ should be replaced with he/ she and him/her… “Citizenship – Section 26 (2) should be amended to confer citizenship by registration to a foreign spouse of a woman just like her male counterpart. Section 29 (4) should be abrogated as it condones the incidences of child marriages and legalizes violence from early marriage contrary to the Child’s Rights Act 2003.” They urged that the following provision in the constitution: “The term ‘indigene of a state’ shall mean – “(i) any Nigerian born of parents, who are descendants of that state (ii) A Nigerian citizen shall be deemed to be an indigene of the state in which that person is born and has spent the first five years of his/her life (iii) A Nigerian is deemed to have acquired the indigeneship of any state in which he/she has continuously resided for at least 10 years (iv) A Nigerian woman or man should have the right to enjoy the rights accrued to the indigenes of either her place of origin or that of her husband and vice versa.”

hey also sought law targeting violence against women be cause “the Nigerian constitution is silent on harmful traditional practices that affect the dignity of women and girls.” On Affirmative Action, the women recommended the implementation of a national gender policy providing that, “the state at all levels shall put in place 35 per cent affirmative action to ensure that women, minorities, people with disabilities and other maginalised groups participate and are represented in governance and other spheres of life. That the affirmative action policy herein provided shall be a temporary measure to operate for not less than 10 years after which it shall be assessed to determine its continuance.” Among other demands, the women canvassed independent candidacy, amendment of federal character principle to include women, amendment of land use act to guarantee equal access to land and adequate compensation to men, women and the poor, and devolution of power to the federating units with more powers devolved to the local councils. ‘How constitution impedes media function’ Disturbed by some provisions of the constitution and absence of provisions that hinder media practice, media practitioners, in a memorandum prepared by Media Network on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said some specific and crucial amendments in the grand norm were needed to enable the media carry out its watchdog role robustly to the betterment of the country. Some of the amendments include

Alooma Mukhtar, Chief Justice of Nigeria

imate duty by being locked up in an office in the station. From Dele Giwa in 1986 to many others in recent times, many journalists have been killed with no clue yet on the assassins. Yet investigative journalism remains a major tool through which journalists could monitor governance and make government accountable to the people as envisaged by the constitution. Indeed, it allows them to work in accordance with the definition of their profession as a public trust with citizens to expose wrongs and promote human rights. “State media on the other hand are often incapacitated from professionally performing their oversight functions through the mode of appointment of the managers and editors, which leaves little to desire about editorial independence, critical journalism, tenure security and compliance with code of ethics. To the extent that their deserved security is not in place, an attitude of self censorship prevails. “Against this background, it is worrisome that the obligation by the media to freely monitor governance and make government accountable to the people as provided for in Section 22 cannot be legally enforced; a journalist whose right has been violated in the course of ensuring governance accountability cannot seek the protection of the court. “Also, Section 22 does not impose an obligation on the state or public institutions not to initiate policies and actions that can jeopardize the ability of the media to carry out the responsibility of monitoring governance; it does not declare illegal any state action that prevents the media from acting in accordance with the provision of Section 22 and it does not provide strong protection for state media.” Noting that the foregoing makes a constitutional mechanism to strengthen the watchdog role of the media a key imperative, they canvassed that Section 22 be removed from chapter II and be made a section or subsection of Section 39 under chapter IV (Fundamental human rights) to make it possible for the right conferred on the media therein to be legally enforceable.

Women seek new deal in new constitution constitutional recognition for media/ press freedom, relocation of the media’s governance monitoring function to make it enforceable, constitutional guarantee of the right of access to information, exclusion of presidential participation in the broadcast media licencing, constitutional recognition for broadcast regulatory body and repositioning the responsibility for licence fee collection and management among others. On the right of access to information, the media urged “that a constitutional backing for the right of access to infor-

enforceable. Section 22 of chapter II (Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy) obligates the media as follows: “The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this chapter and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.” However, they said this right could not be enforced because the whole chapter II of the 1999 Constitution where Section 22 is located is non-jus-

A constitutional backing for the right of access to information should be included in the proposed new Constitution as a sub-section of the current Section 39.

C M Y K

mation should be included in the proposed new Constitution as a sub-section of the current Section 39. The section should be a comprehensive section containing guarantees for a range of free expression, media freedom and access to information rights.” The Media Network lamented that the rights conferred on the media by Section 22 of the Constitution were not

ticiable. In the memo, they lamented that, given the culture of secrecy and impunity that prevails in the country, journalists have been attacked and press freedom violated in the course of making government accountable to the people. “Recently, six journalists attempting to cover a police visit by a former state governor were barred from their legit-

How to ensure free, fair polls – Political parties To ensure violence-free and credible elections in the country, 40 of the 57 political parties with leaders of the Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC) and Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), met in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and agreed on the need to submit a joint memorandum on constitution amendment to the National Assembly. For a start, the parties want the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be removed from the Continues on page 21

SUNDAY

Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 21

‘Why INEC should be unbundled’ Continued from page 20 list of federal executive bodies to guarantee its independence from executive interference and influence. They want the INEC Board membership to be composed of chairman, deputy chairman, six persons from the geopolitical zones and a nominee each from CSOs, Labour, Nigeria Bar Association, women organizations, media and youth groups. They also want the appointment of the INEC chairman taken away from the president and handed over to the National Judicial Council, NJC, with the approval of the Senate. Also removal of the INEC chairman and members of the Board should only be done on the recommendation of the NJC by two-third majority of the Senate, which shall include at least 10 members of the minority parties in the Senate. The parties called for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) and their structures incorporated within the structure of INEC to form a single election management body for the country. In like manner, they want the registration of political parties to be taken away from INEC and given to the Political Parties Registration and Regulatory Commission (PPRRC), which would also perform other functions like monitoring organization and operation of parties; auditing funds and accounts of parties; issue rules for and monitor political campaigns, etc. The parties, in an unusual demand, asked for a single date for presidential, gubernatorial, National Assembly and State Assembly elections, which should be held at least six months before the expiration of the term of the incumbent office holders. Instead of the winner-takes-all scenario that obtains currently in electoral contests, they canvassed the introduction of proportional representation in the legislature at all levels where votes scored would count in getting legislative seats. Among other recommendations, the parties sought the abolition of the joint state/local government account; sponsorship of candidates for election by electoral alliance; separation of the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and states from that of the Minister of Justice and Commissioner for Justice; constitutional provision for annual grant to political parties; and creation of Electoral Offences Commission, which will establish mobile courts to facilitate the prosecution of electoral offenders. Remove NYSC, Land-Use Acts – CSOs In a memorandum prepared by a coalition of 65 civil society organizations, the NGOs sought the re-

Attahiru Jega, INEC Chairman moval of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Act and Land Use Act from the constitution. They anchored the need to remove Land Use Act from the constitution on the grounds that “land issues are related to social, cultural and economic matters, which evolve and are dynamic…The issues of gender and resource control have

aspects tied to land use ” and so it needs to be amended to respond to emerging trends in societal development. They also canvassed the removal of the NYSC Act “in the light of the level of insecurity in the nation and the perception that the scheme may have become anachronistic, requiring a tinkering with the ACT, if not repealed which its present status will not allow.” Among others, the CSOs sought 11 amendments covering electoral reforms, gender and special interest groups, local government reform, citizenship and indigenship, police reform, devolution of powers, fiscal federalism, immunity clause and mayoral status for the FCT Administration. On electoral reform, the CSOs sought autonomy and independence of the

INEC through amendment of Section 153 of the constitution to remove INEC from the list of federal executive bodies; National Assembly to midwife the process of appointing INEC chair and members with input from CSOs, organized private sector, women, youth, Labour, NBA, etc; and composition of INEC Board should include representatives of CSOs, OPS, Labour, women, NBA, people with disabilities, etc. They also want INEC unbundled with the establishment of Electoral Offences Commission (EOC), and Political Party Registration and Regulatory Agency (PPRRA) and the amendment of Section 174 (c) to exclude electoral offences from the powers of the Attorney General. Lamenting that SIECs had been greatly compromised by most state governments and given that most SIECs have not been able to conduct local government elections in the country, the CSOs called for the amendment of Section 197 (b) and Third Schedule Part II to expunge the establishment and

Our case for Anioma State By Kester Ifeadi

HE Organisation for the Advancement of Anioma Culture, OFAAC, and Anioma people in the Diaspora support the creation of Anioma State. The creation of Anioma State is overdue. The biggest motivating factor for the demand for the actualisation of Anioma lies in the collective resolve of the people for equity and selfdetermination. Anioma has a population of about 1.5 million with a land mass of about 6, 300square kilometres, even bigger than some countries. The land is endowed with oil, gas, rich farmlands, beautiful culture, diverse ecosystem with breath-taking tourist sites and historical monuments, coupled with an amazing human resource. Above all, the land is peaceful. In Anioma land, we do not have militancy. We are making a passionate appeal to the relevant authorities to fulfil the enduring aspiration of our people by creating Anioma State. The demand for Anioma State dates back to 1954 when Anioma people requested the then colonial government to create West Niger Province for them. In 1975, Anioma leaders presented another application to the Justice Ayo Irikefe States Creation Committee which was established in 1974. This was followed by another application and memoranda to the Constituent Assembly and the National Assembly. Almost all Nigeria’s

Presidents and Heads of State between 1979 and 1999 received these applications and memoranda. Anioma passed all the assessment by the National Assembly Conference Committee Report for Creation and was earmarked to become a state but for the military takeover of government in January 1984. Military governments since then created 12 out of the 14 states already approved, leaving Anioma and Katagum. The leadership of the current National Assembly should look dispassionately into the demand for Anioma State and the approval for the creation made to President Shehu Shagari’s government which was halted. Since the unfair balkanization of Anioma people into the old Warri Ifeadi and Benin Provinces, the people are branded minorities, a burden that persists in Delta State. How can anyone justify the fact that 21 years after Delta State was created, Anioma is yet to produce a governor? Anioma people question the poor status of Asaba, capital of Delta State. Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Professor) Chike Edozien, who is the Chairman

of the Central Working Committee of the Movement for the Actualization of Anioma State, on v a isit to the National Assembly, told the leadership that the creation of the state would bring the long desired justice to Anioma people. Senator Uche Chukwumerijie, at a symposium, said, “If civil war was one black spot in the history of Nigeria and if blackness has degree of blackness, then Asaba is the blackest spot in the Nigeria history”. And going by the plight of the people, Chukwumerijie likened the region to a capsule and climax of genocidal wave that was called the Nigerian civil war. General Yakubu Gowon recently tendered a public apology to Anioma people on the genocide they suffered during the civil war. The people need more than an apology as they have continued to live in pain and deprivation. The only way to reverse the perceived gratuitous injustice is for Anioma State to be created. Ifeadi, an architect, is President of the Organisation For the Advancement of Anioma Culture, OFAAC, the cultural umbrella body of Anioma people in Nigeria and Diaspora

PAGE 22 —SUNDAY Vanguard , NOVEMBER 4 , 2012

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

When you marry a wildcat, you settle your differences with physical blows!

OME years back, a close friend in vited three of her friends to lunch to mark her husband’s birthday. Just the five of us, she warned on the phone - a subtle way of telling us not to even think of bringing any hangers-on to her ‘exclusive’ do. We all three knew Bose and her no-nonsense attitude. Even Oba, her husband tread on egg-shells whenever she was in her foul wood - which was often. Anyway, we were all looking forward to what we imagined would be a declicious spread of local and foreign dishes - Bose, whatever her fault, was a darn good cook. We were a bit on guard when Oba was the one who welcomed us as we pressed the bell, screaming ‘Bose, Bose, your friends are here o!’ Bose appeared, dressed in pants and a very sexy blouse, a defiant look on her face. In the meantime, no aroma of any kind watted from the kitchen. “If my friends are here nko?” Bose sneared. “It is your birthday, you entertain them/ ’ The gist of it was there was no celebratory lunch of any kind. Bose glared at her husband, yelling she hadn’t done any shopping and she wasn’t up to cooking anything all of us should go and stuff ourselves! As she flauced out of the living room, her eldest daughter surfaced, looking extremely embarrassed. But Oba quickly took charge. He gave some money to her daughter to make a quick dash to the nearest fastfood spot and get us some assortment of food.

Then with Bose still raving and ranting, he served the food his daughter brought back in the formal dining room as if it was the most delicious feast in the world, all the while regaling us with entertaining stories as if nothing was remotely out of the ordinary. Now, were we surprised by this turn of event? Not in the least. We were all aware of Bose and Oba’s volatile marriage. Bose often attacked her husband, subjecting him to a string of battering. Oba often regaled us with tales of how he was scratched, punched an even hit over the head with a bottle, as well as having windscreen of a favourite vehicle smashed by his excessively jealous wife. The rows were never-ending and spill into his official duties. On one occasion, he alleged Bose was waiting for him outside his office after he’d just finished a meeting with his key staff. “When I came out,” he said, “She confronted me about something and when I didn’t give her the type of answer she sought, she sank her teeth into my hand.” Another time, Ola claimed Bose threw a glass of wine all over his best agbada. “I’d been getting ready for this wedding reception which I was to chair. At the last minute, Bose opted out because we had some disagreement and I went to the toilet to put some final adjustment to my cap. When she charged into the toilet to speak to me, I gave her some smart

(Of course, it helps if you don’t need to). Vague expressions of acknowledgement such as “I admire how you’re dealing with this” or “I know it is difficult” will go a long way.

Alec answer, and this really brought her back up. She went back to the room, picked up the glass of red wine I was sipping and threw it all over my clothes ... “

he million dollar question really is: Does Ola bring out the worst in his wife? Bose might have a volatile temper but it seems Ola often feeds on that to show her up as a cantakerous woman. Once they had a tiff and it came to light Bose was enraged because he found a love letter in her husband’s briefcase. “You knew there was the likelihood of her finding the letter, so why did you bring it home,” I asked him as soon as Bose left the room. He shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eyes. Bose had always told her friends Ola was a very difficult man to live with. That his ‘throwaways comments were always meant to be hurtful and they get un-

der her skin- and there is nothing some women like more than a blazing row to prove that her man is at least paying attention to her. Ola admits he could be hurtful and selfish at times. “But how does that make me different from most men whose wives don’t beat them up?” Despite Bose’s ‘unreasonableness’, Ola remains fond of his wife. To every one on the outside looking in, Ola is not a villain but a real gentleman being constantly maltreated by his wife. But then, they’re not married to him! How to massage your man’s ego ow do you cheer up a man who is down in the dumps? Every woman feels better for being complimented on her appearance, but what is the equivalent of “you look beautiful” for a

Pasola Fred Obinna pasola2007@yahoo.co.uk +2348057161505,+233260947966

Errors of love

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"

Beauty Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring C M Y K

Love always has its errors. Sometime we try to refresh only to realise it we be nice to shutdown.But, the hardest part is to re-start your life and re-format your heart. Chris Onunaku dekris4real@gmail.com 08032988826/08184844015

The power of love Love is a magic spell that makes someone to do extra-ordinary things. It's a spell that makes one to cross boundaries, it's a feelings that propels someone to make indecisive decision, a spell that can separate a man from the world. Love can bring you fortune, love can bring you misfortune. with my lit-

man? The quickest way to compliment anyone is to refer to their sex appeal. A man is turned on by what he sees; a woman turned on by what she hears.

ence, to charm a woman, a man need only tell her that she is beautiful but to compliment a man, you need only to let him know that what he says is riveting. As every seductress knows, you start by making a man feel witty and clever. That is not always a plausible response, but there is another route. Men are notoriously bad at expressing their feelings, yet, deep down, they are troubled by them. they want to be understood without having to go through the . agony of self-revelation. So, as he sits there, numb and depressed, neither witty nor clever, let him believe you understand how he feels.

A whopper?! (Humour} A young woman starts work in a pharmacy. She likes the job but is shy about selling condoms. ‘Don’t worry: her boss says. ‘My regular customers don’t even ask for condoms. Instead they ask for a 310 (small), 320 (medium) or 330 (large).” The girl’s first day goes well. But on the second day a big guy walks into the shop and say: “350, please.” The girl panics and goes out the back to ask her boss what to do. ‘Has he got a yellow bucket between his legs?’ her boss asks. ‘Yes’ she says. ‘Yes, he has.’ ‘Then go and give him N350’ the boss says. “He’s the window cleaner.” Tit for tat! {Humourl traffic policeman is rushed to hospital with an inflamed appendix. the doctors operate right away and tell him all is now well. But he keeps feeling something pulling on his public hair. He’s worried he might need more surgery so he finally plucks up the courage to take a look at what is making him so uncomfortlable. He can’t believe what he sees. There, taped firmly across his public hair, are three wide strips of very sticky adhesive tape. Written in letters across the tape is: Get well soon ... from the nurse you arrested last week for a traffic offence.

tle much experience, life has thought me that blood is thicker than water, but love is thicker than blood. I love you my love, nothing will change it. Kelechi Ndubisi kconeofafrica@gmail.com, 08032900530, 08185515552

My Dear Your love is the my light of heart; whom else shall I love? Your love is the strength of my life; of whom else shall I love? Though beautiful girls may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear. One thing I have desired of my love that i will seek. That our love may last forever and we may dwell in the house of the lord. All the days of our life to behold the beauty of the Lord. Amen. I love you..... Emma Mine, Delta State, 07051037749

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 23

Where did all that passion go?

T was a little inci dent, but it opened the floodgate of nostalgia. I’d arrived late at a wedding reception and was ushered to what looked like the high table. The groom’s mother is a close friend. I sensed rather than saw this look of disapproval burning into my scalp. I turned, and there she was Dolapo’s wife. I held her gaze and gave as much hostility as she emitted. She promptly looked away. How long ago was it? Over 20 years at least. I’d met Dolapo on a flight from abroad when he wangled his way to the empty seat by my side in first class. Those were the good old days! The goodies I didn’t want jostled about in the haul was deliberately perched on the empty seat next to mine. I had to shift for Dolapo to sit down. It later expired that the seat was booked in his assistant’s name but he quickly nudged the poor man towards his own seat so he could sit next to me. I wasn’t really interested in what he had to say. Someone else had treated me to this holiday and I’d had fun. Then I noticed he was a picky eater. First, he didn’t touch the individual pot of caviar that was served with the starter. Then the lobster

in his main dish was left untouched. ‘’I’m allergic to sea food,” he whined. Deftly, I scooped the lobster on to my plate and retrieved the pot of caviar. “That moment you stole my food,” Dolapo” later boasted, “I knew I would get my pound of flesh!” And he was a very easy person to love. In spite of his position, he conducted our affair as if he were single. Our social outings were very public and once or twice, his private driver had hinted I should ask him to be a bit careful. that whenever he sent him to mine, it was always within ear-short of the poor wife. What exactly was I supposed to do? From the little he told me, his marriage obviously wasn’t up to much. What was more, I was almost divorced, I had no irate husband to worry about. We were together every opportunity we had and the man’s appetite for sex was insatiable! It was as if he couldn’t have enough of me. Even when we were apart, I had one of these cordless phones with a very wide range as mobiles weren’t in vogue then. I took the phone everywhere I went and became a laughing stock with my friends.

“Still, Dolapo’s wife’s ghost was always there. I saw both of them together a few times in the dailies and she fitted my image of a dull, frumpy wife. Even the wig she always had on looked like a badly used mop. I was never a frumpy dresser and for him, I push the boat out a bit – wearing really flattering gears anytime we were together. And he often spent the night too – his martyr of a wife never questioned him and they had separate bedrooms. Within months, I had a stack of romantically crafted letters and cards. Our torried affair went on for close to two years when wifey struck

Do yourself a favour: Exercise!

happened to be dis cussing health with a friend. I mentioned that everyone needed some form of exercise; even the sick. At this my firend shot back that he only needed his food and water to stay healthy. He also didn’t see how an ailing individual could exercise. True, next to air, we must have food and water for life. But it is also true that when the body loses tone on account of insufficient physical activity air, food and water never seem tobe enough. If this trend of lack of muscle tone is allowed to go on, very soon, a lack of zest and drive, and of energy, becomes one’s lot. When we move the body in physical activities, we take in more oxygen by breathing deeper and fuller to balance the outflow of energy. The increased heart rate brought on by exercise also makes the heart itself stronger, allowing it to

pump blood more efficiently. In terms of the sick, such as in the case of someone who is hypertensive, it is known that exercise taken in therapeutic doses is capable of reversing the condition. If exercise tkaen in sensible measures can restore health, then it goes to show that we need it all the time. We need to have a certain amount of physical fitness to keep ailments at bay. Even when sleep has not been as long as we would have it, sometimes we can still instill some exuberance, some vitality into the body by tapping our energy reserves through some simple stretching and flexing exercises. If you can wake up every morning and invoke the discipline to work out the body for as little as 15 to 20 minutes, that, coupled with good nutrition must guarantee you great vitality.

We all have different levels of vigour but the truth is, we can gradually train the body to give more, to do more. Life is for living with enthusiasm, with vitality, with

*Shoulderstand

through a phone call She sneered over the phone I wou8ldn’t be the first and I adefinitely wouldnt be the last. I simply hung up on her and called Dolapo immediately to ask where she got my number from. He had no idea but that didn’t stop her from calling again. I simply ignored her. Then came the day I’d sneaked off to a party – which was a rarity since I met Dolapo – and she was on the phone at least 12 mightnight when I got home. “Shouldn’t you be in bed instead of harassing innocent citizens?’, I spat down the phone. She unleashed a string of expetives. `My last laugh is going to be the

zest, with drive. If you lack these, it’s time to go shopping! We start from here. The shoulders stand Technique: Lying on your back, draw up your knees. Place both hands at the back with thumps to the hipz. Now, with a bit of momentum, hoist the legs up and point the toes skyward. For a beginner a half-minute in this posture will do until over the longrun you can stay for upwards of five minutes. Benefits: The shoulder stand allows the right stimulation for under - or over functioning of the endocrine

sweetest’, she yelled. `Your husband doesn’t love you’, I told her. “Where is your self-respect/’. `Well, I’m here and you’re still on youro wn, a mere mistress’, she replied smugly and slammed down the phone. She later told Dolapo she’d discovered my phone number via an anonymous call she’d received. The caller said ‘ your husband’s f***ing a woman called Candy. If you don’t believe me, call this number and talk to her.’ She already knew who I was, so the number really helped. I had no idea who could have done a thing like that. One of my so-called friends? A friend of his? Yet in spite of all this, they still lived together, five children between them. As she’d rightly predicted though, things started falling apart. Dolapo wasn’t as besotted as he once was and guess who called to find out if I knew Dolapo had gotten someone else pregnant? The wife, I told her she was lying. ‘Why don’t you ask him yourself?’ she challenged. ‘He just brought the tramp to the house to be introduced to the family as his second wife.’ She gave me a name. I called Dolapo immedi-

ately and he told me he was sick and tired of me not being totally divorced from my husband. That technically, I was still married and it would be foolish for a man in his position to keep on latching into a married woman. I was stunned. If I’d expected this kind of brush-off, I would have been prepared for it. Could a man who showed so much passion be this fickle? I didn’t see him again until years after. He’d come to apologise, he said. His new ‘ wife’had bneen sent packing after she’d been caught a couple of times with other men, mostly his friends. Apology accepted, I told him. Minutes later, my flavour-of-the-moment walked in. They were both shocked to see each other because they worked with the same establishment. Only he held a position senior to Dolapo’s and Dolapo had to leave. It was a really sad experience as I felt absolutely nothing for him. All that passion that almost destroyed us, where did it go? It was a triumph of sort to see his humiliation. And now his long suffering wife was scowling at me? Just how much should a woman take to keep a floundering marriage?!

glands. For instance, under active thyroid can be improved to help stave off excess fat. Vrkasana Standing straight up, help your right foot to your inner left thigh. Clasping your palm, find a focal point and fix the attention there away from your body. The idea is to keep the entire body very still. Benefits: This particular posture helps to calm the nerves and soothes the mind. There’s usually a lot of hopping around trying to stay on one foot but very soon it can be mastered. The “A” head stand For those not capable of doing the full head stand, the abbreviated version called the “A” head stand will suffice. Technique: Stand with feet very wide apart. Now slowly and carefully lower your trunk with your hands planted firmly down on the

floor. Now bring your head to rest on the floor and then gently remove both hands from the floor and grasp your ankles. Duration: You may stay in this position from 20 seconds to a minute or more as you improve. Benefits: The posture directs blood to the head especially nourishing the brain and the pituitary gland, the master gland, because it has a say in how the other glands should function. The triangle pose Stand with feet wide apart then turning the trunk to the left bend the left knee to waist level. The right foot should be diagonal to your waist. The knee must be locked. Then spread out the hands on both sides of your body. Benefits: The triangle pose is one great toner of flab about the thighs. It instills great strength in the legs as a whole.

Yoga classes at 32 Ademola Adetokunbo Victoria Island, Lagos, 9.10am on Saturdays

PAGE 24—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

0818-825-0810 Sir pls do not beg them, they started the whole problem in Jan I966, if they want to go to another senseless war the Yorubas are not afraid “0806-381-2705 I am an Igbo man. Thanks for not being provoked to attack any of the actors in the melodrama..Chidoxie K Okoro “0803-779-0589 Those who are defending late Pa Awo’s war time policies; the likes of Odia Ofeimun, Femi Fani-Kayode and others, Thanks “0813-048-9394 I had some rspt 4 u but am wiser 2day. U publish d trash 4rm the edo coward and u support hm by hidin his numba den you went on 2 publish other anti igbo smnts. Haba. Truth is constant”. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND COMMENTS My answer to the first one is, “who is to say sorry?” The decisions made during the war on both sides were not subjected to referendum. Neither Igbo nor non-Igbo were asked what is to be done. Awo is dead and Gowon rejects the accusations. Yes I have been reading Odia’s revelations, for knowledge, not as a weapon to use against Igbo people or to justify Awo; I have gone past

Exploiting young girls “Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.” Abraham Lincoln HE successful conviction of Os ezua Osolase 42, was welcomed by AFRUCA(Africans Unite Against Child Abuse) that commended British government on the successful prosecution of a prolific child trafficker. The agency stated such conviction will serve as a warning to others who are willing to exploit young girls with a promise of a better live in Europe only to be sold into prostitution. Osolase, who has HIV, was found guilty after a six-week trial of five counts of trafficking for sexual exploitation, one count of rape and one of

sexual activity with a child. Police identified flight records, mobile phones and pre-paid credit cards to show that he recruited 28 girls and escorted many of them abroad over a 15-month period from 2010 in a scam that could have netted him around £1.5 million. He received a 20-year jail term and will be deported after he served his sentence. He, like others like him, use the threat of witchcraft and ‘juju’ rituals to coerce and subjugate his victims while handing them out as ‘commodities’ by selling them to criminal gangs who send them off on the street as prostitutes. Child trafficking is one of the most horrendous crimes threatening

If Jonathan had done that, he would probably be working with his third Minister of Petroleum by now. That Ministry alone allows more funds to be stolen than would have been needed to invest in half a million minienterprises

Edo man who, by the way, works in Enugu and so asked for his number not to be published. When an Edo man wrote about the personal trauma he suffered when Biafra soldiers entered his town and family home and an Igbo youth asking for “TRUTH” calls his lamentations “trash”, perhaps he can understand why there is still a great ethnic divide in Nigeria. I don’t suppose the poor

Let us move on to other matters.

our society and those who perpetuate these crimes are profiting from the exploitation ,suffering and abuses of children. Some people don’t see a distinction between child trafficking and house help, but let’s cut the fat and it is modern day slavery. Having a house help is common place at home and abroad. Young people are sought from the villages, with a promise of life in city and money that can help the family in the village. These young people are worked so

are used as servants and house helps. Those that escape the life of servitude and suffering have described their lives behind closed doors as never ending misery of menial work at the beck and call of the family. In this day and age , we have got to move away from this dogma and educate poor, young, deprived girls in particular to a level where they can work their way out of poverty and be a useful member of society. They say that when you educate a girl, then you educate a whole gen-

ITH so many other issues begging for attention, I still strongly believe that putting an end to this needlessly divisive controversy is in our collective interest. Still, below are the responses to last week’s second attempt. “0803-779-0589…granted the views of those for and against Achebe’s book what is expected from those injured by the truths as revealed by the Book is to simply say we are sorry. To my mind this will surely heal the wounds…Those of us in Biafra are convinced that it was a war of genocide… “0805-395-8322…Yes you played a very good role in your mediatory article. Not Dr Yakubu Gowon who should burt his head in shame. He is a pretender of peace but will never see it till he dies… Nigeria should pray never to have such amateur President again. John Agu, M Lagos. “0805-511-8007 I respect you sir. “0805-771-3057 I hope you’ve seen the new angle to the “TRUTH” from Odia. I cant wait for the subsequent piece. You can’t forget Fela’s piece ”Wen trouble sleep…” Let who have ears hear.

that. I just want us to have peace and not start another conflict just because a book was written. My views about the book will go down to the grave with me. I thank those who think we should not allow this Book to divide us even more. Yesufu and I are on the same page; the two sides will never give up. Perhaps those who feel the same way will join me in appealing to our young, and surprisingly old, warriors to allow peace to reign. I have published part of the text sent to me by the owner of 0813-048-9394, for the second week in a row, together with the personal insults to me and the

Achebe/Awo war: A plea for sanity –3

Edo man will love Igbos more after this but I also plead with him. Forget 0813-048-9394; think instead of the millions of decent Igbo and co-Nigerians. They are the ones that matter. Some people in every ethnic group dig the graves of their fellowmen; with spoken words or with written messages. Finally, when Dm Emeka Ojukwu died, a request was made of me by a group to allow them to publish in their programme for the burial service a piece I wrote years ago titled “Heroes of the Twentieth Century in Nigeria”. Ojukwu was one of those I selected. The young man, who is so full of anger and bad manners, would be better advised to read that piece. I am sorry for him and his parents. Thank God, few Igbo youth with whom I have been associated are like this.

FILICIDE AS GOVT. POLICY –1 “Thinking men know that work is the salvation of the race, morally, physically, socially [and economically]. Work does more than get us our living; it gets us our life. Henry Ford I, “Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice and need”. Voltaire, . After reading sections

Some people don’t see a distinction between child trafficking and house help, but let’s cut the fat and it is modern day slavery

hard, treated so badly without pay and respite. We have similarly heard such horror stories of some families inviting young children over to the UK and they

eration. There has to be some national awareness programme that addresses these nefarious activities and give the family an alternative to selling their children into slav-

28 to 31 of the 2013 budget titled Job Creation, but which should have been more appropriately titled No Job Creation, it is clear that this nation’s political leaders, at Federal, States and Local government levels are either deliberately or inadvertently embarking on something close to filicide. Don’t go looking for your dictionary; Unijankara faculty members have done that for you. Filicide means killing young people irrespective of age, gender, state of origin or ethnic group. And, Nigerian governments are doing it remorselessly in the most invisible way possible – they are sentencing them to lifetimes of unemployment. If a foreign country had dropped a smart bomb, which selectively kills 2030 million of our young ones, we would cry holocaust (I avoided genocide because that has become a highly charged word in Nigeria today) and we would be right even if the bomb takes up to thirty years to finish them off. What then is the difference between that and the loss of a whole generation of kids to life-long joblessness? Are we not creating so many million individuals who are, and will be, victims of “boredom, vice and need”? Each time I read about some young people caught carrying drugs at our airports, or those accused of kidnapping, or armed robbery, the first thought in my mind is, “what role did the society and our governments have to play in this”? Well, let me point out one cardinal role – pervasive corruption in all govern-

ments - irrespective of party in power and at what level, federal, state, and local government. Incidentally, the public servants themselves know this very well. When participants, at the first retreat organized by Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, for Federal government top executives, were asked to list the most important problem militating against our development, over 60% of them wrote corruption. President Jonathan, who clearly failed to grasp the opportunity to make a statement, regarded the result as a personal insult. He announced that he disagreed. Instead, he released a trope of words which failed to address the issue. A different kind of President would have told the Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Agencies present that since they have all agreed that corruption is the main problem he will start correcting the situation by firing anyone from whose Ministry or agency the first bad odour of scandal emanates – regardless of who that is. If he had done that, he would probably be working with his third Minister of Petroleum by now. That Ministry alone allows more funds to be stolen than would have been needed to invest in half a million mini-enterprises. In the second edition of PDP: CORRUPTION INCORPORATED, Nigerians will read about the over N8 trillion the nation had lost through organized, and officially condoned, grand larceny, in the Ministry of Petroleum in the last three years alone…

ery and a life of suffering.

ness.

Abuse of power He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commanderAristotle The abuse of power never ceases to amaze me especially when it comes to Nigerians. Where on earth in any civilised country would you get a governor of a state physically abusing the top man of an energy company for not producing enough power outage ! On Saturday, 20th October, 2012 the management staff were summoned to the governor ’s residence and according to the papers, the Sokoto Governor, Aliyu Magatarkada Wamakko got out his Bulala and whipped the acting Managing Director of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Mohammed Adamu and then he ordered the security officials to carry on the beating ! Funny that the Governor has failed to explain his brutality and mad-

Mixed bag of e-mail “You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life-Winston Churchill Last week, I must have touched a raw nerve re: “ Jesus does not do coins”, and I received a mixed bag of emails, some good and some well, full of hot air. Without exemption, thank you all for your comments. What I have learnt is that there are certain subject matters that riles some members of our society - religion, known personalities, pastors, any tribal comments and citizenry immoral attitudes. Oh, it is like waving a red flag at a bull! How I wish these same people with their vitriolic could put it to better use. Perhaps they can write and share their opinions on more salient topics like extensive poverty, insecurities ,politicians, corruption, domestic violence, inadequate social and health care facilities.

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 27

Scars of Tiv/ Fulani herdsmen war everywhere in Benue * Deserted village

BY PETER DURU, Makurdi

n the last one year, Tiv speaking communities in Guma, Makurdi and Gwer West local government areas of Benue State have suddenly become theatres of war following the unending clashes between native Tiv farmers and invading Fulani herdsmen. As at the last count, no fewer than 60 villages, communities and settlements have either been sacked or razed by the Fulani hardsmen who consistently raid Tiv communities along the Benue -Nasarawa borders. The crisis was sparked off years back when Tiv farmers accused the herdsmen from neighbouring Nasarawa State of grazing their cows on cultivated farmlands while the Fulanis, on the other hand, said their Tiv hosts were annihilating their cattle. The crisis snowballed into a major conflict and bloodbath that has persisted despite efforts by the Benue and Nasarawa governments to check the killing of farmers, women and children. Not even the intervention of the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, and the setting up of a truce committee headed by the Emir of Gombe has been able to calm frayed nerves. The fighting took a dangerous dimension with the Fulanis allegedly engaging mercenaries to prosecute the conflict. This marked the beginning of beheading of Tiv farmers, women and children along the Benue-Nasarawa borders where flowing non-seasonal rivers created good pastureland for the herdsmen who are alleged to always wield very sophisticated weapons, C M Y K

ready for battle as they graze their cattle on farmlands along the volatile area. While many have lost count of casuality from the attacks, it is estimated that not less than 350 lives may have been lost to the carnage with women and children being badly hit. Only few months ago, the conflict claimed the life of a lieutenant of the Nigerian Army who alongside his colleagues were drafted to the scene of the fighting to maintain the peace at the communities in Gwer West local government area of Benue state. Perhaps, the slaughtering of 30 people recently at Yogbo in Guma local government area of Benue State by the herdsmen may be a wake up call for the Federal Government to find lasting peace in the affected areas. The renewed crisis also left several farmlands in ruins while houses and huts worth several millions of Naira were also torcched. Sunday Vanguard gathered from residents of the community who have taken refuge in Makurdi that the herdsmen attacked Yogbo at about 7a.m. on a Sunday when most of the residents had gone to church. According to one John Usher,

* House razed

* Abomste

who said he escaped with his wife and three children from the sudden attack, “We never envisaged any attack on that day, because we had been living in peace with one another for some time now ”. He continued: “So we were surprised when the assailants suddenly attacked us, slaughtering over 30 women and children who were at home when many families had gone to church; we heard screams of women and children being murdered by the marauders who quickly disappeared after carrying out the dastardly attack. “Given the timing of this latest attack on Tiv farmers, it has become worrisome that anytime the year is com-

* Usher ... escaped assailants with wife and children

ing to an end, these ugly incidents always occur leading to the spilling of blood and the wanton destruction of property and farm yields of Tiv farmers by the invading Fulani herdsmen; it is just unfortunate”. Reacting to the latest killings,the Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Mr. David Iorhemba, urged the Federal Government to set up a panel of inquiry into the lingering Tiv farmers and Fulani herdsmen crisis. He also pleaded with government to take decisive steps to disarm the mercenaries whom he claimed had been deployed by the herdsmen along the Benue-Nasarawa borders. The Speaker, who confirmed that not less than 30 persons were killed in the fresh attack on Yogbo, his constituency, warned that the conflict within the axis had taken a dangerous dimension resulting in the shedding of innocent blood. He said, “We are disappointed that the Nasarawa government has repeatedly failed to check the influx of mercenaries who camp in their communities to wreak havoc on my people, despite several moves by the Benue State government to arrest the trend.

”The unfortunate development has necessitated the need for the Federal Government to set up a panel of inquiry into the persistent bloodbath that has left most of the Tiv communities ravaged and desolated”. Iorhemba warned that if steps were not taken to stem the killings, the Tiv nation would take its case to the United Nations. Also reacting to the killings, the paramount ruler of Nagi Kingdom whose domain had severally been attacked by the marauders, Ter Nagi, Chief Daniel Abomste, lamented that the conflict had led to the slaughtering of over 80 of his subjects just as he also alleged the complicity of the Nasarawa government in the bloodbath. Abomste maintained that the neighbouring Nasarawa government was deliberately frustrating efforts by the Benue government to find lasting solution to the recurrent carnage along the Benue-Nasarawa border communities. The paramount ruler regretted that, “the invading herdsmen are doing these with the tacit support of the Nasarawa State government”’ ”How can anybody explain that these invading Fulani mercenaries maintain bases in communities in Nasarawa State which they use as launching pad against Tiv farmers both in Benue and Nasarawa states yet the state government and the security agencies in that state feign ignorance of their activities”.”They invade our communities in canoes provided by the indigenous community, because we all know that Fulanis don’t go in canoes. These mercenaries are killing our people and sacking our communities and everyone is turning a blind eye”

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 25

Strange fire amputates 5-yr-old girl wife’s arm but was rescued while my daughter was not lucky. “He said that when they wanted to rescue my daughter from the burning fire, my daughter fell on a melting plastic bowl which affected her two legs. “They quickly rushed her to the hospital but all to no avail as the doctors said they had no choice but to amputate her two legs . “We were also told that, we should wait until her two thighs shoot up before they could carry out a surgery on her. “They took both of them (mother and daughter) to the State Hospital, Ijaye, Abeokuta and one Adisa Thompson gave them N5,000”. When asked what he wanted the state governor to do for his family, Bamgboye said: “I have spent a lot on this child and I am still spending. I want the government of Ogun State and the people to help me with money because I have been instructed not to give the girl certain foods and that I should bring her back for regular check-ups and that I would need to still bring her back to the hospital for the surgery to be carried out on her when her thighs have developed. I will need up to N1 million”. He however disclosed that Ogun State Ministry of Women Affairs had been written on the matter but yet to get a reply. Bamgboye also claimed that he had attempted to get access to Governor Amosun but was unsuccessful.

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

o Mr Idowu Bamgboye Ezekiel, a- 62 year-old pensioner in the employ of Ogun State in the Ministry of Finance between 1975 and 1999, life after service seems to be c r u e l . The ill-wind blew and almost scattered his life . And to worsen his condition, his wife and five year-old daughter were almost killed in a mysterious fire that chopped off the daughter ’s two legs and part of his wife arm. This unfortunate incident, according to Bamgboye, occurred after his first wife eloped with his first son. His appearance at the NUJ Secretariat, Oke-Ilewo, Abeokuta, on Wednesday caught the people’s attention when he demanded an audience with journalists. When Bamgbose displayed the picture of his amputated daughter, it was like a movie. The tragedy hit the girl, identified as Mofolorunso Omotomiwa, and mother, Shakira, on February 11, 2011, she was crippled by a mysterious fire which also burnt his wife Shakirat Ezekiel’s arm. Consequent upon the incident, Bamgbose said was advised by his family members to send Shakirat away but he refused. According to him, his first marriage was contracted in 1989 and produced a son named Emmanuel but,his first wife, identified as Sherifat Omonusi, bolted away with boy due to his financial incapability. He later got married to Shakirat 17 years after. The union, according to him, produced the only girl child who has been now crippled by the mysterious fire. Bamgboye was a messenger with Ogun State Ministry of Finance between 1975 and 1999 when he retired and later joined a private security outfit where he collects N11,000 monthly as salary. He gave a vivid account of how the tragedy struck his family and submitted that unless public spirited individuals, especially Governor Ibikunle Amosun come to his rescue, his life that seems to have been scattered by the mysterious inferno might not be put together till he dies. Bamgboye, who lives at OsuEgungunla compound in Ake, Abeokuta, accused his neighbours of nursing hatred against his wife, who, according to him, was suffering from epilepsy before he decided to marry her out of pity. The neighbours, he said, stopped his wife from cooking in the kitchen and at the passage which prompted her to be cooking in their one room apartment. C M Y K

* The victim in hospital bed

The old-man said that if not for the insistence of the neighbours that made his wife to cook in the room on that fateful day, the tragedy would not have occurred to his wife and daughter. He narrated: “On February 11, 2011, I was on night duty that day as a security officer. I got a call from one of my neighbours who alerted me that my room had been gutted by fire. “I was told that the incidence occurred as a result of an explosion which occurred following the spill of kerosene after my wife fell down near the stove which has already been lit. “According to the person that explained to me, the explosion trapped my

By Fredrick Okopie

oved by the plight of children living in the Lagos State Motherless Babies Home (LSMBH), Lekki, Lagos, the founder of Saratu Kitchener Foundation, SKF, Miss Saratu Kitchener, 17, last week, gave out playground fittings to the orphanage home. The gesture took many by suprise as they could not believe how Kitchener single handedly raised the fund to purchase the playing fittings. The home with 116 children was established in 1997 by Lagos State government in collaboration with the Lions Club to provide care for abandoned and abused children. LSMBH is solely responsible for the mental and social development of

* Cripped baby

17-year-old donates to orphanage home

Saratu Kitchener at the orphange home

every child in its custody. Speaking to Sunday Vanguard, Kitchener said, “ I was struck by stories of new born babies being abandoned just outside this home in the middle of the night I began to see how it is that Nigeria’s myriad problems hit children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, hardest.” The Taraba State-born philanthropist revealed that she started off wanting to raise awareness among her peers by organising Sunday visits to the orphanage. “We would bring along books, diapers, milk etc. as well as

Sunday lunch for the children to show love to them”. How did she raise the fund, she said, “To raise fund, I organised a cardmaking workshop here at the orphanage, giving the children the freedom to stimulate their minds and create. I then took the designs to a company called Snappy Snaps in the UK, to be published as Christmas cards. The sale of the cards to family and close friends raised the fund needed to buy the playing ground fitting.

PAGE 26—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

BY EMMA ARUBI

n January 16, 2012, Chevron Nigeria Limited KS Endeavor Rig, with scores of personnel on board, caught fire in what is allegedly the worst gas blow-out in Nigeria, killing two persons and leaving several others seriously injured and traumatized. The gas explosion occurred at Chevron’s Funiwa North Apoi Field in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State with over 80 workers made up of Itsekiri, Ilaje and Ijaw who, today, allege that they have been abandoned with no salary and other benefits in spite of their collective agreement. The workers had allegedly been employed by a firm, Fode, contracted by the oil giant. The chairman of the workers union and NUPENG/ PENGASSEN officials, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard, bared their minds on the matter, threatening to shut down the industry if steps are not taken to immediately address the plight of the workers. ‘How the rig exploded’ According to the chairman of the workers union, Mr. Mike Oru, six days before the explosion, the oil well they were working in was “undercontrol situation”. The meaning is that there was a problem and that Chevron representative, their company staff and other personnel on board were fully aware of the problem having drilled up to 12,945 ft with 3, 845 holes. Oru said: “Inspite of this, the company (fode) insisted that work must continue as they kept asking unnecessary technical questions that lasted for about 30-minutes about how we came to know of the problem and therefore failing to obey tenet number 8 which admonished that any abnormal condition must be addressed. “Meanwhile, instead of having two pool pushers on board, only one was running the rig which made the job difficult. Another person had to act in the absence of the other tool pusher. Yet the Chevron representative was present and no effort was made to evacuate or reduce personnel on board the troubled rig in this uncomfortable condition within the six-days of well –control. “Sadly, when the rig C M Y K

‘How we survived gas disaster’ Workers relive incident 10 mths after, say they have been abandoned

* The ill-fated rig

eventually caught fire and the workers jumped into the waters, it took Chevron five to six hours before their first rescue helicopter came. It was a fishing trawler and Shell helicopter that came fast enough to rescue the over 80% of the affected workers on board. Curiously, it should take about one hour and ten minutes for Chevron helicopter to get to the location, thus questioning Chevron’s safety and evacuation regulation compliance level”.

By Adeola Adenuga & Oluwatobiloba Adeyemi

In a letter addressed to PENGASSEN and NUPENG chairmen by Oru, he expressed regret that a day after the gas explosion, their company, Fode, issued redundancy letters to all of them. “Then, three days later, some of the workers who had developed different illnesses, including shock and high blood pressure, from the incident and taking treatment from the company hospital were disallowed from continuing to receive

him as his biological father. Eunice, who claimed to be a member of the Bible Life Church, also informed the court that she lived together with her husband for three years, but did not get pregnant, adding that she met another man called Sule who impregnated her within three m o n t h s . ” When l met Sule, l introduced him to Mesheck as my brother, because Mesheck did not know then that I had already got pregnant for Sule”. The wife therefore urged the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her the custory of the child. Mesheck denied the allegation of low sperm count and told the court he would have sent Eunice packing when he realised that she was wayward.

Woman stuns court: My husband is not my son’s biological father

38yearo l d nurse, Mrs. Eunice Odidi, told a Lagos customary court sitting in Ajegunle that her husband, Mesheck, was not the biological father of her son. She said she knew her husband was just having sex with her for the fun of it, because, according to her, he had low sperm count. ”When l noticed that my husband could not impregnate me, I advised him to approach a doctor who later confirmed that his sperm count was very low ”. The petitioner said she decided to drag her husband to court in order not to make her child see

treatments. The workers union chairman went on: “Chevron officials addressed us and promised that all the workers welfare would be taken care of and that the workers would be on stand-by while their pay will go on. They also promised to liaise with the management of Fode to meet the necessary obligations and expressed regret for turning up late for rescue operation. So the question remains, at what point did Chevron/Fode

decide to abandon these traumatized workers with no salary, allowances, compensation and safety award in total disregard to their collective bargaining agreement? We will shut down the oil industry – PENGASSAN/ NUPENG Zonal chairmen of PENGASSEN and NUPENG, Comrades Elvis Irefo and Edmond Ofudje, who spoke on the incident, said they had intervened on the matter and met all relevant authorities but all to no avail. They claimed that Chevron declined responsibility on the matter while Fode management said the oil giant had not paid them to enable them meet their obligations to the workers. Both unions called the attention of the federal authorities to the impact of the gas explosion/pollution on the acquatic, humanitarian, and vegetational life of the environment. They also directed the attention of government to the cost of the burnt rig and its implication to oil and gas production to the nation and requested investigation into the gas explosion with a view to remedying the plight of the workers and compensation from Chevron, just as they threatened that if action was not expeditiously taken, they would shut down the oil industry. According to them, they had exhausted all avenues of redress with Chevron and Fode.

‘My wife enjoyed sex outside, but starved me of it’ By Adeola Adenuga & Oluwatobiloba Adeyemi e middle-aged man, Mr. Adelek ary tom cus Ake an Adejumo, told his court sitting in Abeokuta that . sex of him d wif e, Ola nik e, sta rve ir the sed cau lly rea t wha t tha He claimed always misunderstanding was that she time he any t tha ing add , sex of denied him ays picked approached her for sex, she alw him . h wit qua rre l was e wif the t tha The husband alleged ers . lov ng you h wit g tin flir alw ays and she ”Men always called her on phone, them join ld wou she t tha m the used to tell bar s”” . in ing her Olanike denied the allegation, say out any go to her w husband would not allo h her. wit sex e hav to e asid day he set her furt for e cas the The court adjourned hearing.

28—SUNDAY, Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Jolomi & Ehima in love vows

The couple; Jolomi and Ehima in traditional attires

ith the toast and the vow “I will marry my beloved in whom I am well pleased... the one who shares my hopes, dreams and aspirations (Sol 5;16)” Jolomi Frederick Amuka, son of Mr and Mrs Sunny Amuka of Jakpa, Warri North L.G.A. of Delta state and Ehima

Magdalene Eluem, daughter of Chief and Mrs Paul Ajude Eluem of Idumuesah in Ika NorthEast L.G.A. of Delta state sealed months of courtship and romance in a wedlock that had the two families sparing no expense in making sure the couple had a union to last a lifetime, not only in their memories but also in the memories of those that attended the blissful union. The Journey began on Friday, September 14, 2012 at Owa, Delta state where the couple and the families observed the traditional marriage rites followed by the ‘White’ solemnisation which took place next day, September 15, 2012 at St. Dominic Catholic Church, also in Owa, Delta state. Then it was razzmatazz all the way as guests, from

within and outside the state were treated to a

posh reception at Ezinne Event Centre.

The couple; Jolomi and Ehima after church. Photos by Nath Onojake.

The couple; Jolomi and Ehima flanked by their sponsors, Senator and Mrs Roland Owie

The couple; Jolomi and Ehima with the bride’s relations.

The couple; Jolomi and Ehima with the groom’s relations L-R: Mr. Sam Amuka, Mr Willie Onyekwere, Mr. Sunny Amuka,groom’s father, Chief Paul Eluem, bride’s father, Mr. Chike Nwanzere and Mr Martin Ikediashi

L-R: Mrs. Julie Amuka, Mrs Alice Amuka, Mrs Chuko Aminaghan, groom’s mum and Mrs Rita Amuka

From right: Mrs. Lydia Arigbe, Mrs. Veronica Amuka, Mrs Tobi Odunaiya and Mrs Chuko Aminaghan

NOVEMBER 4, 2012 —29

Pulsating pizazz as Admiral Kanu’s son weds

ear-Admiral Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu (Rtd) has paid his dues, not only in the military, after ruling two States, Imo and Lagos states and striking gold in the business sector, with a chain of business concerns under his wings. So, when it was his son’s wedding, Kelly Ndubuisi who was hooked by Onyedikachi Ebere, daughter of Mazi Mathias Okoronkwo, society’s finest paid him back in bloom of pomp and pizazz. The wedding took place on Saturday, October 27th at

The couple; Kelly and Onye Kanu with groom’s parents, RearAdmiral Ndubuisi Kanu (Rtd) and wife, Christine

L-R:Mr. Tony Onoh, Mr. John KanuIroegbu and Mrs. Chizo Kanu-Iroegbu

Our Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square followed by the reception at Landmark Village Event Center Victoria Island. Photos by Bunmi Azeez. Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (Rtd), his wife and Chief Ayo Adebanjo

L-R:Mr. Kanu Onuma, Reginald Ihejiahi, MD, Fidelity Bank Plc and Chief Christopher Ezeh, Chairman of Fidelity Bank

Rear Admiral Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd) groom’s dad (rt), Gov. Theodore Orji of Abia State (3rd right), the couple (m) and other officiating ministers.

Prof. Anya O. Anya and his wife.

Glo delights at Ojude Oba

jude Oba 2012 was celebrated with unprecedented pomp, amidst dancing, singing and merriment, thanks to the leading telecommunications company, Globacom, which brought its enormous might to enhance the content and colour of the annual event. The colourful extravaganza was spiced with the historic donation of a block of classrooms and ICT Lab by the company to Muslim College, Ijebu Ode, and an all-night musical jamboree which featured some of the best acts in the land, including Pasuma Wonder. There was also a Beauty Pageant which paraded a bevy of beautiful ladies in Ijebuland.

Tomilayo Awonuga, winner of the Beauty pageant

The Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona flanked by the Gov. of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and the Senate President, Senator David Mark

L-R:S. A. on Education to the Gov. of Ogun State, Mr Tunji Abimbola; Glo’s Folu Aderibigbe;reps. of the Awujale , Chief Fassy Yussu; Head of CSR, Glo, Mrs Ben Ayede; and Glo Biz Dir., Ogun State, Mr Dare Oyewale

The Ex. Dir., H.R., Glo, Mr Adewale Sangowawa presenting the 3rd cash prize to Egbe Mafowoku

Ogun First Lady , Mrs Amosun presents star prize of N750, 000 to Egbe Arobayo

PAGE 30—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMER 4, 2012, PAGE 31

PAGE 32 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

‘People with disabilities are normal phenomenon’ already are being given skills to bake different kinds of cookies, cakes and meat pies and they can also make scented candles. They are doing so many things yet businesses are not employing them. What the Lagos State law is saying is that out of 100% employees in an organization, at least 5% should be people with disabilities. What this means is that

Dr. (Mrs.) Yinka Akindayomi BY FUNMI AJUMOBI

HE Children Developmental Centre, CDC, a facility that provides educational and ancillary services for children and young adults with disabilities and their families under the auspices of the Finding Normal Movement, FNM, is promoting a Disability Awareness Week from November12-16 to advocate the inclusion of people who have disabilities in all available services, amenities and opportunities provided for other citizens. Dr. (Mrs.) Yinka Akindayomi, Service Director of CDC said that the phrase ‘Finding Normal’ is an idea which seeks to find out what people think is normal in the society. “In Nigeria, we have looked for abilities in disabilities, we are always saying that there is ability in disability but I feel that it does not have the desired impact because when you look at how long the phrase has been thrown around, very little has been done for children and adults with disabilities. So, we decided about two years ago to do it in a totally new light and find out what people think is normal in our society”. According to Akindayomi, people with disabilities are not abnormal. “What really is normal? When you say that people with disabilities are not normal, what are you saying? Compared to society, this is a normal thing within the society. People with disabilities are normal phenomenon in every society. Disability is part of human experience, it is natural and people need to learn that”.

kindayomi said the theme for the week is ‘Disability Confidence’. The CDC Service Director explained that the reason the movement decided on the theme was because of the Lagos State Special People’s Law recently enacted. “We are trying to build on this law because what the law is saying is that if you have an office, a bank or any business establishment, you have to make them more friendly towards people with disabilities. They have a lot to contribute to our lives and businesses if we would allow them. For instance, we have adults here who C M Y K

organizations should be disability conscious. They have to understand the needs of people with disability, they have to make sure that on their staff they have people with disabilities; they have to understand that their talent pool could also come from people with disability and if they ’ve got products, they could design their products to meet the needs of people with disability. If we can sensitize businesses, young adults with disabilities can get employed in these business and they can live independent lives. In communities, it is businesses that drive certain things. What we are trying to do now is to get the businesses to drive disability confidence so that they can have influence on the community and the government”.

rograms scheduled to celebrate the Disability Awareness Week

People with disabilities are normal phenomenon in every society. Disability is part of human experience, it is natural and people need to learn that

will flag off at the CDC on Tuesday November 12. It is tagged ‘Share my Culture’ to educate participants on the beauty of diversity. On Thursday, November 15,Finding Normal Movement and other partners including Nollywood actors and actresses will go on a High Personality Walk in Surulere, Lagos. Participants will set out from CDC by 8am. The week’s activities will be capped by FNM’s traditional evening of entertainment and education, Finding Normal, which will hold on Friday, November 16 at the Wheat Baker Hotel, Ikoyi by 6.30pm. Speaking on the choice of venue for the program, Akindayomi said that people associate disability with

poverty and squalor which is necessarily not true. “When we make use of venues like this for our programs, we tell people that the people with disabilities are not necessarily poor people. Also, these kinds of venues attract certain set of people like decision makers, movers and shakers of the country and policy makers. They are the ones who can do something to change the situation”, she stated. The CDC boss said the centre, which started 18 years ago, deals with any child that has developmental disability like down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism, severe learning difficulty and multiple disabilities. The centre provides services like education, rehabilitation, care services and support for the family of people with disabilities.

nce diagnosis has been made and confirmed, the CDC then decides what kind of program the child needs. Akindayomi explained that there are some kids with disabilities who attend the centre and also go to regular schools and that they are doing well while there are others whose needs cannot be met by regular schools but by the centre. Another advocacy aspect of the centre is the training given to teachers. According to Akindayomi, teachers are trained to identify children with special needs in their classrooms and not only to seek help for them but be able to do something about it and take care of them.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 33

The Judiciary and Our Judges HE idea here is not to criticize. But our court found Governor Ibori without stain; he pleaded guilty in the UK, and was sentenced to 13 years in prison in a foreign land. The Oceanic Bank Chief Executive Mrs. Cecilia Ibru has been in jail for almost two years, while the courts entertain Nigerians with orchestrated delays and manipulation of its processes and deliberately shielding the other bank Chief Executives from the course of justice. It is common knowledge that “elected” political leaders pledge state, local government, or constituency allocations for favourable judgment; fraudsters pledge bounties, corrupt public officials their loots. The role of Magistrates, Registrars, and Judges in leading national transformation is well cut out; Save Nigeria, shun corruption; wield the gavel with courage and justice.

The Media Transformation is about people. Until habits and attitudes change, nothing changes. Expose and report corruption in a way that discourages potential perpetrators. X-ray the image, conduct and poise of the leaders of other industrialized nations and emerging economies; USA, UK, Japan, and China, Indonesia, Singapore, Mexico, Brazil, India and South Korea; and promote them as examples for our leaders. Continuously beam the legislators, executives, judiciary, public servants, business men and factory workers of the G8 and G20 countries at work; create opportunities to interview and interact with them, and use your different media to project what makes them excel for Nigerians to see, and emulate. People change when they are confronted with nobler and better ways that could enrich their lives. Elder Statesmen and Former Heads of State They have played their roles and are a living testimony that the old ways are not the best for Nigeria. If during their years Nigeria had advanced to become a G8/G20 nation or a permanent member of the Security Council, their generation would have been our heroes. They are in the vantage position to speak out and shed light on the booby traps to nation building, so that past mistakes are avoided. By 2030 Nigeria’s population will be almost doubled. Haste is required to create jobs, empower our people, grow our economy,

ECONOMY AND NATIONAL TRANSFORMATION(2)

How to make Vision 20:2020 happen, by Okey Nwosu

Goodluck Jonathan and enrich our perspectives. Extreme tribalism, religious fanaticism, and god-fatherism deprive our different people the strength in our diversity. As leaders you owe it to yourselves and the country to advocate and play the lead role. You can make the transformation run better in as many ways as you may choose. Scholars and Academics Change is difficult; people change only when their perceptions and mental paradigms shift. You can lead transformation by using your

In this concluding part, Okey Nwosu identifies other segments of Nigerians who are vital for the transformation of the nation, especially as it relates to Vision 20:2020

Okey Nwosu Malaysians, Indonesians, Saudi Arabians and Iranians have done it; Indians in the Diaspora championed a lot of changes at home, and today India is a health Mecca. Copy, or create templates; your abilities are not in doubt; you can teach the people at home how to collaborate, how to plan long term, create niches, and pull resources together. National Transformation creates a viable platform for every one of you to make a lasting imprint at “home”.

Transformation requires that you rise above the hardship and continue to seek and transfer relevant knowledge and enhance learning

skills, classrooms and pens to project facts, new realities, alternative and better ways of doing things for students, industry, business, government leaders to see. We may lack the resources at the moment to fund groundbreaking scientific researches, but the internet has made it easier to do great literary reviews that could be impactful in our circumstance. Transformation requires that you rise above the hardship and continue to seek and transfer relevant knowledge and enhance learning. Nigerians in the Diaspora Transformation is a clarion call, no matter where you may be. The Asian tigers pulled together to roar; the Nigerian Eagle will only soar when your great intellect and sophisticated world view find a place in the transformation process.

Shamsudeen Usman

Traditional and Religious leaders They have their roles well defined as every one of the 167million Nigerians is from a community and each of them worships somewhere. These leaders shape culture and tradition, and mould the spirit. Culture is powerful and the spirit is a super force. They could lead transformation by enriching the cultural and spiritual vitality of all of us. Our native values, storytelling, rituals and artifacts make meanings; excavating the relics of historical and heroic exploits, framing and reframing of these have been found to energize a people to great action and accomplishment. Transformation is not simply about copying what works in Japan, rather we mesh those with our originality.

Career public officials, men and women of different professions and trade, and parents you are called to act with diligence, and lead by example; be the mirror. Public trust requires accountability; excellence requires commitment, great society requires quality parenting. We are all called to take a lead role for Nigeria to make the transformational leap. Colin Powell says that in the end, what matters is not what the leader says but what he/she does; true leadership is do as I do and not as I say. Whether you are a teacher, businessman, artisan, office worker or farmer, transformation means no more business as usual, no “deals”, lawlessness, or apathy. Transformation says own what you do, and own your country and stop its abuse. Support the government in its good causes, bark when they derail. Like Caesar ’s wife be beyond reproach. My friends the Youth Empowerment Summit Group, I have taken steps to throw light on some of what is required from the various stakeholders as you requested in your brief; it is not exhaustive.

y interactions with the national coor dinator Hon Anselm Chinedu Nebeife, a wise and true patriot and a quintessential man of action, and with the members of the executive committee have shown you to be a group that is committed to noble causes. I have faith in your mission, that the entire executives and members of the YESgroup will go door to door across the nation to mobilize Nigerians into the transformation-craft. You are the youth of Nigeria, the Transformation is for you. If you support and drive it, it will work, if you do not, it will fail. You are extremely impor-

tant in the equation; if Transformation succeeds the youths of Nigeria are the biggest beneficiaries, you will walk tall in all parts of the world. Nigeria will become a strong country with its strength deriving from strong village, town, and LGA/ city economies. The world will come to find you in your “cityvillages” in no distant time. At the moment, unemployment is dealing a deadly blow on our young people. You have the potential to compete with your contemporaries in China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Canada, USA, UK and Australia, but the present system denies you the wings to fly and excel. Quality education will give the same skillsets and toolkits to the youth as the young people in Japan; transformation will guarantee those. Do not be dismayed; bring your creativity, tremendous energy and passion to life to lead this transformation. I am aware we have had our hopes raised before, there are numerous failed promises, and we have been taken advantage of in the past. Do not tire, be firm; do not expect me or anyone including the governors or President Jonathan to motivate you to action. Take the lead. Put on your thinking cap. If you ignite a spark you will motivate the entire stakeholders to action. And you can. Before I close, I will tell you how my son spurred me to learn how to drive myself to greater action. I went bicycle riding with Elochukwu, my 7 year old son recently. He has newly learnt to ride a bicycle. This day I tried to get him to apply some energy and ride up a hilly path. I stayed at the other end and asked him to ride to where I was. As I watched him coming closer I clapped and tried to encourage him to get to the finish line. He pedaled with difficulty towards the end as he completed the race. Tired, he came with me to sit on grass besides a tree that provided some shade. As I congratulated him and tried to talk, he interrupted me and said “Daddy, I want to tell you something”. He was exasperating and excited at the same time. He said that as he rode and got exhausted, he thought to himself of a song that could motivate him to complete the race. Then he started to sing to himself “Pedal, pedal to the limit. Pedal, pedal to the limit” and he sang on till he got to Continues on page 34

PAGE 34—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012 decent accommodation to encourage 100 per cent compliance to our statutory duty. hat do you want to achieve with the Excise Monitoring Team, set up recently by your Command? Our excise record shows that officers in that department are working tirelessly. The Excise Monitoring Team was established to ensure compliance with the unit cost analysis on excise from different factories. Our antismuggling campaign is on top gear and we are blocking all lope holes, even as we are getting maximum cooperation from border communities in policing the border. Our strategy is not just to curtail smuggling, but to facilitate trade at border areas and encourage speedy clearance of goods. What measures did you put in place to revamp the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) in the Command, after being inactive for a long time? Our target is to ensure that the FTZ is resuscitated to function optimally, in order to achieve the intended purpose for which it was established. When fully utilised, it will boost revenue generation for government. So, people are encouraged to come into Customs area with their products and this will be ready

Idiroko, now a reflection of modern border environment ….Re-opens Free Trade Zone

Idiroko, the border line between Nigeria and Benin republic is in the news again. The border previously known as a war zone for Officers of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and smugglers, due to the volatile nature of the border communities has changed in a jiffy. Idiroko is now a reflection of modern day border region, as Customs carried out operations in the last two months without any record of casualties in the area. The officials of Immigration, Nigerian Police, Customs and other security agencies now work in synergy to ensure effective policing of the border points. The Free Trade Zone in the Command, which was inactive for a long time, has been revamped, an initiative, which will enhance increased revenue generation for government, when the zone is fully utilised. The new Customs management in the Command is also putting measures in place to bring a NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO) in charge of micro finance projects to facilitate women empowerment projects through establishment of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), all in a bid to curtail smuggling and ensure legitimate trades. Also, NCS now allows other children from the communities to attend the customs schools in the region, a development which has given the communities a sense of belonging. The New Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command, Comptroller Prince Ade Dosumu, who took over in September this year, speaks on the plan by his team to create a peaceful ambience for revenue generation and trade facilitation, rather than incessant conflicts.

OUR team has carried out daily operations within the last two months without record of casualties in the Command. How did you achieve this? To start with, the new approach in Ogun Command now is to create an enabling environment that will enable us work effectively to even generate more revenue for government and facilitate trade in line with global trend, instead of hostility. As such, we held several town hall meetings with relevant security agencies, directors of State Security Services (SSS) and traditional rulers who are closer to the grass root people to build a good working relationship in order to achieve a common goal. This has paid off greatly, because incessant conflicts had become a thing of the pass for both Customs and the border C M Y K

communities. This has reflected positively on our operations. For instance, in the month of October alone, we recorded over 99 seizures, N450million revenue, as against N324million realised in September and Duty Paid Value (DPV) of over N128million in terms of the seizures.

BY TUNJI AFUWAPE BY UDEME CLEMENT

Compt. Prince Ade Dosumu

Our strategy is not just to curtail smuggling, but to facilitate trade at border areas and encourage speedy clearance of goods

he in-dept capacity building programmes and the Six-Point agenda of the Comptroller General of Customs, Dikko Inde, are guiding us well, because his management dynamism and exemplary leadership skills are impacting positively on the on-going reform in the Service. This is the first time in the history of NCS that over 75 per cent of officers had been trained in various capacity building programmes within and out side the country. This

has brought to bear competence and innovation in the Service, which explained why we are ready to take over from our service providers by 2013. Do you think taking over from your service providers will pave the way for sustainability, especially in terms of revenue generation? We have been understudying them and will perform creditably, because the capacity building exercises are designed to boost competence and efficiency in the system. The management has repositioned the Service to anchor it well in order to achieve the single window concept, by ensuring that it is fully established. For example, our e-processes are functioning well. Recently, the NCS acquired a 12-seater jet to strengthen aerial surveillance at different terrain-land and sea- that dot the nation’s borders, which includes riverine and mountainous areas. So, the management has provided us with necessary logistics, work tools and adequate motivation in terms of good salaries and

by November this year. e learnt that your

Command is also making effort to embark on community projects. What informed this initiative? Customs reform has impacted positively on different aspects of economic growth and development in the country, since the current management took over in the last three years. That is why the Service is now so unique and out standing from what we had in the past. Our duty as trade facilitators is to enhance development now and in the long-run. For example, communities partnering with us to ensure compliance in legitimate trades to support government will benefit from social projects like provision of boreholes and drugs for their primary health care centres. Aside from that, we are mapping out strategy to bring in a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that is purely micro-finance oriented to empower the women in the communities on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). What is your vision for the Command? My vision is to leave a legacy of a modern day border that is Customs friendly and healthy for more revenue generation and trade facilitation, like what obtains in developed countries.

From left: Executive council member, Women in Management and Business,Mrs May Mbu, chairperson, Mrs Adeola Azeez,and executive council member, Mrs Osayi AlileOruene at the woman in management and business/ annual confrence media brifing in Lagos . Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi

How to make Vision 20:2020 happen Continued from page 33 the finish line. He said “Daddy, really when I started the song, the tiredness, the struggle and the pain evaporated; and I was not going to give up until I got to the end” My young boy taught me a significant lesson with his song; “Pedal, pedal to the limit”. While the content of the song makes meaning, the import in my son’s lesson are twofolds; that when creativity takes over the soul in every human person, no task is impossible, there is nothing that can stop the spirit; and that there is always a way to motivate oneself under any condition to achieve a noble goal. I believe and I am convinced that Transformation-YESgroup will be the ones more than any other to assure that the Transformation is pedaled to the limit until Nigeria takes that seat, nay, those seats. Today also, The Transformation-YESgroup, gives me a new impetus to say to Mr. President, Transformation-Yes; no going back; Going back will be surrendering this

country to catastrophic revolution and anarchy. Irrespective of the pull to retrogression and the various forces of dissention, Mr. President should push on and get more creative, engage the great force amongst the young people whose future you have determined to make better, empower them and create a whole new and overwhelming ecosystem that will not only pull Nigeria out of the failed state doldrum but put it where it belongs, G20, G8 and permanent seat in Security Council of the United Nation. My last word t times people assume that the World Bank, IMF and other institutions’ templates for sustainable development are a magic wand. That is not quite correct. The idea of one suit fits all is untenable. Nations have their peculiarities. A Nation can borrow or steal development ideas from IMF, World bank, other notable institutions and nations, but must fortify such with their own original and breakthrough strategic creations. Notwithstanding what anyone thinks, our country will leap to unparalleled greatness if we are able

to mobilize and empower the grassroots to lead transformation. If the federal government can collaborate with the other tiers of government to systematically get N5billion worth of investment and industrialization fund into each and every Senatorial district in our land, the creativity, entrepreneurship and sense of industry of our different people will be challenged and powered, and Nigeria will

not be the same again. This is radical, you may say. Yes, it is courageous, groundbreaking and uncommon actions that cause real progressive change to happen. How do we find the money? That’s what the financial experts in and outside the government are for. Transformation-YES, it’s for me and you; it is for every one of us to make it happen.

From left: Chuks Iku,Pulicity Secretary, Committee of EBanking Industry Heads, CeBIH; Chuma Ezirim Chairman;CeBIH and Adeyinka Adeyemi, MD InterMarc Consulting Ltd at the 2012 annual Conference/Retreat of the CeBIH in Calabar,Cross Rivers State.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 35

Brands & Loyalty Program G

LOBALLY, brand building and successful marketing is coming down to relationship building and management, real hard, for brands. Consumer brand experience now come down with direct impact on sales graphs and figures in quantifiable terms, more than ever before. It is gradually catching on with discerning brand managers, especially with banks, airlines telecom companies, hotels and leisure. In developed economies, loyalty program as sale tool has even moved from accumulating gain-points on consumer engagement or experience to becoming very important element of an over-all customer strategy based on total experience including dialogue, insight and personalized offers. For example, hotels are now using information gleaned from loyalty program to customize the consumer experience by adding personal touches to rooms. Banks now practice customer reward system based on intimacy and value of engagement in form of customized personal service delivery, by tying together several products into pointsbased loyalty programs. What markets stated above do, is reward different customers differently. Given that loyalty program as a marketing tool, its effectiveness depends on a given brand's program so as will attract or entice the right customers to remain loyal. At the end of the day, it all comes down to cost computation, therefore, as in other strategic tools, customer loyalty program must be designed to attract plus return on investment. The most basic kind of loyalty program is based purely on transactions. Customers accumulate points redeemable for free goods or discounts on related products. It's a tactical or promotional marketing initiative, also capable of stimulating revenue in the short term. So the trend is tasking on creativity and strategic planning on the basis of experiential marketing support. It basically engages customers in form of appreciation for experiencing or engaging the brand, such that connects brand and customer at a point of friendship way beyond the brand's core value essence. It is about personalizing the relationship between brand and customer; it's about consumer experience. I once had a very exciting loyalty program experience with Emirate airline in one of my travels from Dubai to Lagos. Going by their program design, the lot fell on me to be rewarded as a frequent flyer, in form of class upgrade. The experience of flying on Business Class from my Economy Class went a long way to establish the loyalty I developed for the brand (unfortunately that friendship was compromised when I lost one of my luggages in a subsequent trip). Such is brands' gains from a well executed loyalty C M Y K

program, and the developed market is driving further in the use of such programs to drive customer loyalty, competitive advantage and total consumer satisfaction. Unfortunately, brands in our local market are yet to connect with this unique global trend. Instead, the population of unhappy customers keeps growing. Across segments in our local market, the overriding marketing objective is rather brutal, unfriendly

The most basic kind of loyalty program is based purely on transactions. Customers accumulate points redeemable for free goods or discounts on related products

and selfish. Most of the brands in almost all of the market segments are primarily concerned with meeting market target in volume and value terms, not minding the consumer experience not even with franchises of global brands in this market. They

all gain from the huge size of this market, being the largest market in Africa, and compromise the consumers because of the largely unregulated nature of the market. How else would one look at the consumer experience of a brand like MultiChoice/DSTV in Nigeria? In the first place, customers have to go through a lot of deprivation in terms of time and resources to be connected, and then continue with the exorbitant subscription paid through an equally tedious process. To add to it all, they broadcast stale contents / programs repeatedly, totally disregarding decency and respect for viewers' money. Now, all that happens and continue to happen because the system does not have effective and efficient checks to regulate trade and practice of brands such as MultiChoice/DSTV. The situation is even made worse by the character of consumers in this market. To a great extent, lack of options really leaves the average consumer without choice. As in the case of the cable television market, what choice is there to enable the average consumer make rationale decision, even in the face of compromises? In fact, it is so bad, corporate customers and some very high net-worth subscribers pay two years on ahead on account, for uninterrupted experience because there are no options. The good thing, however, is that the economy is opening up to foreign influences. They may not be obviously purposeful with exposing the Nigerian customer to the luxurious customer treatment in their home markets (cost consideration), but the vestiges will

manifest in the long run. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Woolworth and Shoprite are all going to change the face of brands management in this market in the long run. The telecom market is peculiar in influence as a tool for socio-economic development, no doubt, but it remains the one market requiring of improved customer experience management. As in the retail and fast food markets, change is coming the way brands in these markets are managed, considering that with time, consumer appreciation will grow, resulting in a more purposeful brands management. The most manifest of brands support today is product campaigns. Because advertising is most often not based on challenging consumer expectation, such initiatives are not deep in concept, creativity and strategy. In fact if it were possible to be absolutely quiet, the few brands that still invest in advertising would have ceased to bother. So, the main objective for most brands communication is consumer mind presence not even top of mind awareness. It is enough for the brand's showing on advert media, just so that it is seen to be advertising. F o r reasons of pseudo-competition, brands in telecom and drinks market (especially the alcoholic drinks segment finds it very easy to hold promotions, promising all sorts of prizes to be won. The interesting about some of the promotions is that they are not primarily consumer rewarding. At best, they heighten consumer awareness and brand consideration because of the exciting prices promised. But we have also gathered that consumers are beginning to doubt the authenticity of some of paraded winners and their prices. So much is done with computer graphics and structured photography to gain in authenticity. But the consumer is getting wiser. In developed markets, loyalty program as a tactical sales promotion tool has even been taken far beyond basic points gathering, to a more effective engagement that now see brands deliberately investing to learn more about their customers by tracking not just their purchases but also their attitudes and needs. A loyalty program can serve as a platform to facilitate richer, more frequent dialogues with customers, to learn things about them that might not be revealed by their transactions. The degree to which customers find real value on a loyalty program will depend on how different they are in needs. So the brand will gain more by appreciating the deep individual differences in the diverse array of customers, and treat of them with care at same level of individuality. It will cost much to achieve this, but the brands stands to gain much more at the end. By meeting those needs, brands can create a solid basis for loyalty, improving the right customers' lifetime values and earning a higher in the process. It all comes down to Total Consumer Satisfaction, which should be the primary objective of every brand.

PAGE 36 — SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Christians are being driven away from the North – Okoh, Primate, Anglican Church *’How to effectively disburse flood funds’ *Speaks on the problem with same sex marriage By Caleb Ayansina Nigeria is contending with many challenges: insecurity, flood, corruption among others. It is against this backdrop that the Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rt Revd Nicholas Okoh, speaks on the forthcoming Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCCON) to entrench sound biblical teaching for quality life style. Excerpts: How do you situate the conference some Christian leaders are spearheading against the backdrop of the challenges facing the nation? In 2008, the Church of Nigeria and some other bishops who strongly believed in the orthodoxy of the scripture went to Jerusalem instead of Lambert. Over a thousand delegates, made of bishops, their wives, priests, youths, made the trip. They affirmed very strongly what we called the Jerusalem Declaration. So Divine Commonwealth Conference (DIVCON) is an off-shoot of Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON). What we are having now is the second edition of DIVCON. So the aim of the conference is to bring together people of like minds, people who believe strongly in the orthodoxy of the scripture. It is the coming together of those who believe that the scripture should not only rule our faith but also our habits, that is, how we practice our faith. We understand commonwealth to be the Christian faith that we believe in. The theme for this year ’s conference is: ‘Contending For The Faith’. The theme is taken from the book of Jude. Who are those expected for the conference? People of all denominations are invited. But we want only those who agree with the orthodoxy of the scripture to come, because we don’t want the conference to be controversial. So, if you don’t accept what we believe, do not come. We are all aware that some people are trying to introduce same sex marriage as alternative kind of marriage. But to us, there is nothing like this in the Bible. What the Bible recognizes is a marriage between a man and a woman. A man and a woman should raise a family, not a same sex couple. This is God’s own arrangement. Any other things some people are promoting don’t tally with God’s arrangement. We are not on their side. What message do you want people to take home from the conference? Our message is that Christians should stand up for the right teaching of the word because this is what leads to right living. The idea of some people bastardising the position of the Bible on what a family is shouldn’t be condoned. So we should contend for

Rt Revd Nicholas Okoh....There is need for long term planning. the orthodoxy of our faith. By the time someone is saying a man should marry a man or a woman should marry a woman, he/she is radicalizing the idea of marriage. And this is contrary to our understanding of marriage as outlined in the Bible. Those opposed to the law against same sex marriage said it is an infringement on human rights? What about God’s rights? He created the world and put us here, He told us how we should marry but you chose your own way. You can live your life the way you wish to, but you must respect the law of the land. We in the

salvage the s i t u a t i o n because the government is sovereign. Even the Church is under the jurisdiction of government. People pay tax to the government, so we should know what they are doing about this situation. When it is time to share government allocation, the Church doesn’t get any money. Rather, it is shared among the federal, state and the local councils. This makes it important for us to ask them how they are

handling the situation. But this is not to say the Anglican Church isn’t doing anything to help those affected by the flood and the menace of Boko Haram. We have divided the Church into three sections, the South East, South West and the North. The contributions from these zones will be sent to a central purse from which we will do what we can to assist our people. Are you satisfied with the measures taken so far by government on the matter? I think the Federal Government has reacted well, but giving out funds and raising a committee to raise more

The situation is unfair to Christians in the North. Almost all the Christians in the North have been driven away. Meanwhile northern Muslims in the South practice their religion without any hindrance Church will not fight anyone who has chosen to live their lives the way they understand. But our position is that we will never support same sex marriage. We will continue to make our point strongly that same sex marriage is ungodly and you cannot find any word in the Bible to back this kind of marriage. What step is the Church taking on those affected by recent floods across the country? The Church would like to ask government on what it is doing to

funds. But you and I know that in Nigeria the problem isn’t about policies, the challenge comes with how they are implemented. I tend to agree with what some groups have said. They argue that government should give them whatever it wants to give them directly. This is not the time to award contracts. So government should not just set-up a committee, it has to monitor the committee in order for them to treat this matter with a sense of urgency.

The situation is really bad; so there is no time for contractors to bid, and then sign the contract before they get to work. Some of them might even have to give 30 percent of the contract sum to those who awarded the contract, and then they are left with funds that will be inadequate. This is a humanitarian situation which nobody should see as an opportunity for profiteering. We have to understand that flooding is fast becoming a global challenge with countries like America, Australia, China and other countries. Having said this, Nigeria has to find a solution to this problem because since I was born, I have never seen this level of flooding. Climate change is a reality that government must wake up to. There is need for long term planning, Nigeria as a country cannot afford to fold its arms and watch as flooding destroys our economy. The flood disaster has destroyed the source of livelihood of thousands of people. The Federal Government pledged to stop the importation of rice by 2014. But now how do they stop the importation when you have nothing to eat due to the destruction of farm land by the flood? If government doesn’t tackle the issue of flooding, hunger will take over the land and prices of food stuff will go higher than what the poor can afford. On Allu and Mubi killings, what is your reaction? There is so much wickedness in the land. Let’s assume those students stole the cell phones and lap tops as being claimed by those who killed them, is it enough to set a human being on fire? This is a case of wickedness and sadism by those who set them on fire and watched them burn to death; I think there is evil in the land with demonic powers oppressing the people. I was in Yola, when I heard about the story of what happened in Mubi with the slitting of people’s throats and the shooting of those who tried to rescue them. There is indeed evil in the land and government should tame these wild people with the law. The law can control these evil people. What will you say about the effect of Boko Haram activities on Christianity? The situation is unfair to Christians in the North. Almost all the Christians in the North have been driven away. Meanwhile northern Muslims in the South practice their religion without any hindrance. Life is all about give and take; for some people to deprive other groups of their privileges calls for a rethink. The northern leaders should speak to their people just like leaders in the South ensure that their people do what is right. It is only fair that the northerners reciprocate the gesture of southerners.

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 37

ODIA OFEIMUN AND THE ACHEBE CONTROVERSY (2)

n this second part, you would observe views that are manifestly contradictory and would leave you with the conclusion that they can be described as products of biased minds or the display of crass ignorance – the former should suffice. The posers raised last week regarding the following are dealt with: Which book did Achebe write which captured all but a coup, of all that was happening wrongly in the country during the First Republic? Was Nnamdi Azikiwe sounded out by Igbo officers on the possibility of carrying out a coup in 1964, two years before the January 1966 coup? What was the plan of the coup makers of 1966 for Awolowo? Was Awolowo privy to what the eventual coup makers planned to do with him? What was so important about the Emmanuel Ifeajuna manuscript that Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to get to read it? Yet, there are still many more posers that Ofeimun would rather Nigerians avert their minds to. The multi-national, doing good business in Nigeria, did not want to antagonize a military dictatorship that had just come to power. The UK office therefore sent the manuscript to the Nigerian High commission office in London to find out if the manuscript would pass something of a civility test. The new High Commissioner to Britain happened to be Brigadier Ogundipe who had only just survived the counter coup of July 29, 1966 and had escaped to London. He was easily the most senior officer in the Nigerian Army and should rightly have become Head of State if it depended on seniority. Having just avoided untoward consequences for being so prominent, was he in a position to accede to the request? Brigadier Ogundipe simply caused the manuscript to be sent home to the authorities in Lagos.

ealously, the authorities marched on the Longman office in Ikeja and arrested the executives who had sent the manuscripts to the UK for publication. JP Clark, who brought the manuscript, could not be reached. Or so the Longman executives reported. But the military authorities knew what to do. As JP Clark would have it in his lecture: “An interesting development from my visit to the then Special Branch of the Nigeria Police Force at Force Headquarters was that my late friend, Aminu Abdulahi, fresh from assignments in London and Nairobi, moved in from his cousin, M.D. Yusufu, to live with me for a year and keep an eye on me. I have never discussed the matter with our inimitable master

Ghana, Major General Aguiyi Ironsi wanted to have him back as he had Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, Chris Okigbo was given the letter to take to President Kwame Nkrumah. But he needed company, someone who shared influential literary friends with him in Accra, but more importantly, someone who could add his voice to persuade Ifeajuna to come home and assume responsibility for his action. We knew the dangers of our assignment. 'JP, I cant bear a pin prick', Chris had laughed. Yet, when war came, he was to take up arms and die for a new cause. Chris had in fact driven Emman, disguised as a girl, from Ibadan to the then Dahomey border, after he found his way back from Enugu a defeated man”. Achebe, started the controversy on Awolowo’s war-time policy; Ofeimun, attempts to set records straight

Awolowo and the forgotten documents of the civil war spy-catcher of those days. Some years later, he gave me the good advice that the state does not mind what a writer scribbles about it as long as he does not go on to put his words into action. As for the manuscript: “I have often wondered over the years what became of this manuscript that I kept at one time in a baby's cot. When the publisher

purpose of letting you into all this is to help fill in a few details left out in the history of military intervention in Nigeria. Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna is made the villain, while Major Chukuma Nzeogwu is the hero. The portraits are not that black and white and far apart. They both killed their superior officers and a number of key political leaders in

My purpose of letting you into all this is to help fill in a few details left out in the history of military intervention in Nigeria. Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna is made the villain, while Major Chukuma Nzeogwu is the hero Longman chickened out of the project, I handed it over to a brother-in-law of Ifeajuna's to take home to his wife, Rose. I found portions of it later reproduced in General Olusegun Obasanjo's biography of Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu” JP rounds out his narrative thus: “My

the country in a common cause. So where lies the difference? Where the distinction? I have always found it difficult to understand why one is made out a villain and the other a hero”. “After the events of the momentous day broke upon us all, and Major Ifeajuna was reported to have fled to

JP Clark does not say that he was in that party but readers of Soyinka's memoirs YOU MUST SET FORTH AT DAWN, would find on page 286-287 of the Nigerian edition, the following: “JP, I always suspected, did have a first-hand knowledge, albeit vague, of the very first coup de'tat of 1966. With Christopher Okigbo, he had accompanied one of the principals Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna across the border, the latter in female disguise. JP turned back at the border while Christopher crossed over to the Republic of Benin (then Dahomey) taking charge of Ifeajuna who was by then virtually an emotional wreck, haunted Christopher related by images of bloodstreams cascading from his dying victims, his superior officers, none of whom was a stranger to him”. Soyinka adds: “JP brought back with him the manuscript of Ifeajuna's account of the coup, hurriedly put together during this period of hiding by that young major and former athlete he was one of the four who set a joint 6'6 record in high jump at the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, 1956. Knowledge of the existence of the manuscript set off a wild hunt by Gowon's Military Intelligence, desperate for an authentic, firsthand account of those who had plotted the '66 coup, who had done the killings, what civilians, especially politicians, had prior knowledge or had collaborated in the putsch. For a while JP Clark was deemed a security risk. So were his publishers, Longmans, whose editors at one time or the other held the explosive manuscript Continues on page 38 C M Y K

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ODIA OFEIMUN AND THE ACHEBE CONTROVERSY

Awolowo and the forgotten documents of the civil war Continued from page 37 in their possession, debating the wisdom of releasing its contents into the market”. JP's account in his National Merit Award lecture unpacks the mystery further. He writes: “We took two trips to Accra by air, the first was a full meeting with Ifeajuna, the second to give his host government time to arrange for evacuation, while he wrote up the defence he would have given at his court-martial in Lagos. We just made it back before Ghana, too, fell to the military. I still wonder what effect the example of Nigeria had upon them. Nkrumah for all his revolutionary fervour , did not know what to do with Major Ifeajuna. He, therefore sent him to his army for debriefing, and they advised the president against giving him the airplane he asked for to return to Lagos to finish his operation. JP continues: “The man could not understand what had happened in Nigeria, Ifeajuna, told us. So he packed off his unexpected guest to Winneba to be with his compatriots, SG. Ikoku and Dr. Bankole Akpata. With both these ideologues, our stay with Ifeajuna became one running seminar. What became clear was that it was not the Nigerian Army that seized power on January 15, 1966. It was a faction of it, racing against another to secure power for the political alliance of their choice. This group was for UPGA. It beat the other one to the gun, the faction in full support of the governing NNA alliance. That Ifeajuna said, explained the pattern of targets and killings”. JP Clark said he had asked Ifeajuna at Accra: “Did the General know about your plan?” “Well, not really, I was just a Brigade Major, and you don't always get that close to a General. But I remember on some of those briefings on the situation in the West , when I said it couldn't go on forever like that, he growled that we junior officers should not go and start anything foolish”. “And the President away on his Caribbean cruise” “But you know the politicians were all wooing the army” he said, “Our plan was to bring Chief Awolowo out of jail in Calabar to head our government and break up the country into more states to make for a true federation”. I have taken the pains to be overgenerous with these quotes because they provide an interesting preface to Chinua Achebe's take on it. As narrated by Ezenwa Ohaeto, Achebe's biographer, the Ifeajuna manuscript was one of those which came to Citadel Press, the wartime outfit that Christopher Okigbo suggested that they set up. Achebe had said: “…well, you set it up, you know about it, and I'll join. He said, You'll be chairman and I'll be Managing Director, so the Citadel Press was formed. The name came from the idea of the fortress you flee from a foreign land, in danger, and return home to your citadel”. C M Y K

Christopher Okigbo avity, Chinua idly solicited manuscripts Achebe may for the publishing house. have been As Ohaeto writes: “Okigreading the bo also brought another manuscript manuscript to Citadel from what Press which was from he knew of Emmanuel Ifeajuna, one Ifeajuna's of the plotters of the 15 f a m e d January 1966 coup. The capacity for manuscript was Ifeajuna's not standstory of the coup and he •Odumegwu Ojukwu, late Biafran *Yakubu Gowon, war-time head ing, in his leader gave it to Okigbo who of state college enthusiastically passed it days, by on to Achebe after reading what he it. It was a work that had done, as even JP , his finest defendAchebe considered important so he also Ifeajuna, Okigbo and Nzeogwu. He er has narrated. added, however, that even if the read it immediately. But he discovered that there were flaws in the story. He manuscript had been accepted by Or, perhaps, there were things those criticized it for two reasons: It seemed Citadel Press, it would not have been great writers did not tell themselves to me to be self-serving. Emmanuel was published, because the publishing house even in their closeness. For instance JP was destroyed at the same time as these attempting a story in which he was a Clark is reported by Ohaeto to have three men when the war moved closer”. centre and everybody else was marginexclaimed after reading the advance al. So he was the star of the thing. I did There are reasons to believe that the copy of Achebe's A man of the people : not know what they did or did not but Citadel encounter was not the first in 'Chinua, I know you are a prophet. reading his account in the manuscript, I which Chinua Achebe was rejecting the Everything in this book has happened thought that the author was painting document. The relationship between except a military coup'. There is no way himself as a hero”. Christopher Okigbo and Chinua Achebe of knowing, until their memoirs, whether “The other reason was quite serious, was at all times during this period so either of them was aware of the rumour, as Achebe explains: '…. within the story close that it is not conceivable that soon entrenched by later events, that itself there were contradictions'. Achebe Okigbo could have failed to brief him Nnamdi Azikiwe had been sounded out told Okigbo that it was not a reliable and about the dynamite that JP brought from by Igbo officers, Ojukwu specifically, on honest account of what happened. As Ifeajuna. Besides, as Editorial Adviser carrying out a coup during the 1964 an example, he cited Ifeajuna's to Heinemann, Achebe was sufficiently election crisis. Azikiwe had refused. description of the coup plotters at their close to the publishing mill and the That rumour is in the same class as the first meeting in a man's chalet in a burgeoning literati not to have heard other one: that, tipped off by Ifeajuna catering guest house. The plotters are about the manuscript. Arguably, it is before the January 15, 1966 coup, Zik coming into the chalet late in the night unlikely that Chinua Achebe was seeing went on a health cruise in the Carribbean and Ifeajuna describes the room as being the manuscript for the first time in Biafra. under the auspices of Haiti's Papa Doc, in darkness since they are keen not to He was too much in the same circles with an old schoolmate. All the same, if Chinua Achebe did not know about the rumour, he certainly was well placed enough to have known that Nnamdi Azikiwe had refused to call on Balewa to form a Government in 1964 because the election was rigged. Azikiwe had written a long speech, published in an early edition of his newspaper, the West African Pilot, explaining why he would not call on the Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa, to form a government. And then another emergency edition was published later in the day in which he wrote another speech calling on the arouse suspicion. They all assemble and Okigbo in his many schemes and with Prime Minister to form a government. Ifeajuna claims that he stood up and JP Clark at the University of Lagos, not The Great Zik had virtually been put addressed them while watching their to have been aware of the document under house arrest by the British faces and noting their reactions. Since that Okigbo and JP Clark brought with Commander of the Nigerian Army, it is supposed to be dark, Achebe Ifeajuna from Accra. However, whenever Welby Everard. Discovering that the regarded that description as dubious. it was that Chinua Achebe saw the army would not obey their commander Okigbo laughed and remarked that manuscript, the issue is whether his in chief, Zik capitulated. His capitulation Ifeajuna was probably being lyrical. editorial judgment had anything to do was facilitated by the whispering Some days after that conversation, with the document not seeing the light campaign that it was only two medical Okigbo came to Achebe and told him of day. opinions that were required to prove What is known of it from his him unfit to take a decision. As Dudley that Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu had asked him: 'I hear you and Achebe are biographer's narration does not make footnoted in his Introduction to Nigerian going to publish Emma's lies?'. That Achebe culpable. Achebe's position on Politics, “The President gave way when comment by Nzeogwu, a principal actor the manuscript could still be faulted he realized there was a move to declare in the January coup, confirmed that the however on the grounds that even an him medically incapable of continuing unreliable story told by a major actor in in office”. (p.312)As I have argued in manuscript was unreliable.' an event of such earth-shaking newspaper articles, this was the very first Times were to turn disastrous for many proportions in the history of a young coup in Nigeria's post-independence of those actors before the end of 1967. nation-state, deserved to be known. How history. It was the Rubicon crossed after In later years, Achebe reflected that he many stories of the civil war today are which every Nigerian political party had might have made a different decision if without the self-serving disposition of Continues on page 39 he had known what lay ahead for their narrators? Talking about unreliabil-

Within the story itself there were contradictions'. Achebe told Okigbo that it was not a reliable and honest account of what happened

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ODIA OFEIMUN AND THE ACHEBE CONTROVERSY

Awolowo and the forgotten documents of the civil war Continued from page 38 to build and flex a military muzzle in anticipation of a long expected blow up.

his is the point in the narrative where questions are usually raised about the Awolowo factor: whether he was privy to what the coup makers planned to do with him. Easily dismissed but not scorched is that the soldiers had good reasons for wanting Awolowo above all other living politicians in the country at that time. There was a FREE AWO movement into which even political opponents had plugged for relevance. Since Awolowo began to suffer the series of house arrests and detentions, before the eventual jail term was confirmed by the Supreme Court, his voice, which consistently defended the poor and the underprivileged had been missing in national affairs. Younger radicals remembered Awolowo's opposition to the Anglo-Nigerian Defence Pact, his consistent defence of the rule of law, his unflagging pursuit of social welfare policies against the economics of waste which characterized the capitalist road that Nigeria was taking, and the general slowness in responding to the struggle in the rest of Africa to eliminate colonialism and set Africa free. The Hansards of the Federal House of representatives in Lagos reveal the valiant efforts that Awolowo had made to change the street-beggar economy that Nigeria ran, his opposition to undiluted private enterprise, and his general resistance to the various attempts, to sell a newspaper gag law, a preventive detention act, and the general de-federalization of the country. Anyone knowing these would not be surprised that the younger radicals in the country were on Awolowo's side. Awolowo himself had brought in many young radical elements like SG Ikoku, Bola Ige, Samuel Aluko, Oluwasanmi, Bankole Akpata and others to his side who were generally viewed as socialists involved in creating a better future for the country. This is what Ojukwu means when he says that Awolowo was a hero. The circle of young radicals were enthused by the presence of Segun Awolowo, just returned from law studies in Britain, who was fresh air in the circles in which Awolowo was seen as a brand to be emulated. Segun's death in a motor accident during his trials won his father the sympathy of this younger generation. The most well known poets in Nigeria, Wole Soyinka, Christopher Okigbo and JP Clark wrote poems at that time that have served as witnesses to travails of the man and his times. The poets belonged to a small circle of radical intellectuals in the country who knew one another in the University College Ibadan (UCI) and shared a common, energized, notion of a country that would move the world. In spite of the ethnic fractionalization that was a permanent feature of life in Nigeria’s public space, the young Turks of the period were parleying across occupational and ethnic lines. It is not clear how much they shared in a political sense. The question may be asked: how many of them were notionally privy to the idea of a coup – the one supposedly being planned by Awolowo or, later, the one that was supposed to be in the offing after Ojukwu sounded out Nnamdi C M Y K

*Nnamdi Azikiwe (Ojukwu sought his views) Azikiwe about one during the election crisis in 1964? What may be argued with some certainty is that many of them could see that there was a plot to expose and destroy the Action Group, the ruling party in the Western Region. The plot had begun with the declaration of a state of emergency in the Region, the setting up of the Coker Commision of Enquiry to prove corruption in the management of AG's company, the NIPC, so that the Federal government could seize the assets of the company; and then the in-

ny trial, that they were sending guerillas for training in Ghana was correct in so far as it was not stretched to imply that it was pursuant to carrying out a coup against the government of the Federation. What is generally ignored by the narrators of this segment of Nigeria’s story, in spite of the admission of its truth by critical participants, is that every Nigerian political party at that time was training toughs for armed struggle. It may be a secret to those who never bothered to look at what was happening outside the newspapers. This is backhandedly confirmed by Tanko Yakasai in his recent autobiography where he details an added dimension that NEPU proinsurgents were in league with a Camerounian political party in sending activists for training in Eastern Europe. This should of course be understood against the background of the struggle in the North between NPC's thugs 'Jam'iyyar Mahaukata’, ‘Sons of madmen'- who wore wooden or 'akushi' hats, described in Allan Feinstein's African Revolutionary as having “semiofficial sanction to fight against southern dominance”. They “subsequently extended their terrorism to a group of NEPU adherents' so that 'NEPU retaliated with a “Positive Action Wing” (PAW) who wore 'calabash helmets' and were determined to resist the NPC's routine assaults that saw candidates of the opposition jailed or killed, their houses and farms destroyed and, in the case of opposition parties from the south, whole city wide or region-wide riots organized to distance them from power.

This is backhandedly confirmed by Tanko Yakasai in his recent autobiography where he details an added dimension that NEPU pro-insurgents were in league with a Camerounian political party in sending activists for training in Eastern Europe stitution of a treasonable felony trial to settle the question of the party’s survival once and for all. Later, the plot covered the establishment of the Banjo Commission to prove the failure of free education, Awolowo's most sensational contribution to development in the country and the star performance that made his party so impregnable in the West. In spite of, or because of, the underhand methods that were being used to drown out Awolowo, anyone who cared to look could tell that he was more sinned against than sinning. In particular, regarding the 1962 treasonable felony trial, involving him and 27 others, any objective observer could have seen that what Awolowo had done apart from organizing a political party was being a thorn in the flesh of the independence government. In the face of the evident plans to destroy his party so that the coalition partners could chop up its remains, he had vowed that he and his party would make the West ungovernable rather than let the region be taken outside the electoral process. His party began to train people to make sure that no undemocratic victories would befall the region. The party sent apparatchiks to Ghana to train. So the accusation during the treasonable felo-

NEPU went beyond a PAW response to the Mahaukata. The party, as Tanko Yankasai authoritatively reveals, already had experience in the training of

guerillas for the Camerounian Sawaba Party(p.209).

n relation to the South, the NPC idea was actually quite fundamentalist because it was primed by the conception of a National Army as a catchment of thugs for realizing partisan ends. The truth of this can now be checked against the testimonies of several NPC stalwarts. They had sent several of their young men into the Nigerian Army to prepare for the day when the military would be needed to settle political scores. Evidently, the parties in coalition at the Federal level were neither true to one another nor to themselves. They saw the destruction of the Action Group differently. They who were busy organizing insurgents against other parties and using even the state apparatus to realize partisan goals needed to hide their activities by accusing the opposition of treason. According to Dudley, the NCNC wished that the Action Group be destroyed so that they, the only member of the coalition that had a foothold in the West, would inherit the West and then confront the North with a Southern solidarity. After Awolowo was jailed in 1962, NCNC strategists actually tried to swallow up the West by forming a coalition with the Akintola faction of the AG which had become the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP). They did not reckon with the ingenuity of that doughty fighter, the Are Ona Kankanfo himself. He saw the score quickly. He preferred an alliance with the senior partner in the coalition, the NPC. It was only after failing with the NNDP that the NCNC came back to the AG, this time, in search of a foothold rather than a routing. The Action Group leader, in prison, advised his followers to coast along until it became obvious that the NCNC was more interested in power at the centre and would not like to lose the perks from the coalition in the Federal House. By the time the Western Regional election of 1965 was rigged, the Action Group had formalized an organizational prong that enabled the members, at large, to fulfill the old promise by their leader: rather than for the West to be taken over by undemocratic means, the region would be made ungovernable. This was proficiently achieved with the Wetie riots – dousing opponents with petrol to aid match flare - that gave the sobriquet of the WildWild West to the region.

*Tanko Yakassai, reportedly confirmed “training of guerillas for the Camerounian Sawaba”

f course, at the point of the region-wide riots, it was clear that the two coalition partners, working together for the destruction of the AG would have to re-strategize. Although sharing power at the Federal level, they nevertheless worked against each other everywhere else. The NPC had planned to use its men in the national army for a coup that would clear the nation of the insurgents in the West and in the Middle Belt, especially in Tivland, where there was an active guerilla war against the government. Meanwhile, by 1964, the UMBC had joined with NEPU to carry out a Northern liberation of sorts before facing the Federal behemoth. They all however joined the United ProContinues on page 40

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ODIA OFEIMUN AND THE ACHEBE CONTROVERSY Continued from page 18 gressive Grand Alliance, UPGA, whose game, with the NCNC as the core-party, was to go for broke. There seemed to be a consensus across the country, and in every political party, that the crisis could only be resolved through violence. All the political parties were primed for it.

n a country, so wired for armed struggle, there was bound to be very little room for the truth to have dominion. What had to be done through the law courts, as the Action Group would discover, was very much a charade. Awolowo was convicted on the ground that he was so over-weaningly ambitious that although he was not specifically found guilty, his fingerprints could be read on all the events that were to culminate in a coup. The judges, to prove the vaulting nature of the ambitions, took judicial notice of the dreams that Awolowo had recorded in a notebook which he called Flashes of Inspiration. It must be one of the unique court cases in history in which a man was jailed for what he said he saw in a dream rather than what he actually did. Nigeria had simply become a country seeded by and overcome by paranoia, an atmosphere of psychological block, making it difficult to look at opponents with any objectivity. The tendency was to accept every charge as true, the more heinous the better, if directed at someone about whom something good is not supposed to be said. So the charge of treasonable felony was swallowed hook and line without the minimum application of gumption. As it turned out, and as Obasanjo has told the story, Chukwuma Nzeogwu was the intelligence officer who was attached to the efforts to unravel the veracity of the charges in the Coker Commission and Treasonable Felony trial. He was obviously privy to the discovery made by the Coker Commission that Awolowo kept a good account: that he had more money before he became a Premier of western Region than he had in his account after eight years of living in his own house, not in the state house, and spending his own money on entertainment. Even when Kwame Nkrumah visited Nigeria on a state visit, the Ghanaian President stayed in Awolowo's house at Oke Ado in Ibadan. Not in any state house. Thus, there is every reason to assume that Nzeogwu had enough information about the man’s distance from the common run of politicians in the country for Awolowo to be raised above the slough of general discussions and brickbats. What cannot be established is whether the coup makers ever made an attempt to contact Awolowo in jail. From Ifeajuna's account, the coup makers were quite dubious about Awolowo's support. They had therefore decided that if they released him and he failed to be their leader, they would lock him up in the state house and issue decrees in his name. Quite glaring in the so-called master plan is that the coup makers were horridly naïve and permutative. So much so that about the senior officers Ifeajuna writes: “some of our senior officers who were likely to fight on the side of the regime were to be arrested while action took place. We also had to watch the concentration of senior officials . Only those who resisted arrest or fired at troops were to be fired at. When action was completed and a new regime was set up, they were to be released and C M Y K

Awolowo and the forgotten documents of the civil war given appointments, but not necessarily related to what posts they held before the event. We were to present our General with a 'fait accompli'. We were to apologize to him for our actions and request him to join us and take over the plans. If he was not prepared to join us, we would request that he should leave us alone to complete it. And in that case

Rather than for the West to be taken over by undemocratic means, the region would be made ungovernable. This was proficiently achieved with the Wetie riots – dousing opponents with petrol to aid match flare - that gave the sobriquet of the WildWild West to the region

Second reason was that , if he returned, we had to deal with him. But the task of clearing his residence at the state house would require more troops than we could conveniently muster.” So did he nudge the President to exit while they plotted? He wrote: “We considered that two VIPs would be of importance to us in controlling the nation. If our General agreed to come with us, then he could rest in charge of the army or he could be head of state. He was acceptable to most officers and men. We would have to appeal to him. We knew that without him it would be difficult to hold the country. “We also believed that Chief Obafemi Awolowo had become recognized as the rallying point of our nation. If we attempted any set-up without him, we could quite easily end up opposed by the relatively progressive political parties. For him therefore we had the post of executive president or Prime Minister depending on the reaction of our General. But we were also afraid that he could refuse to accept power handed over to him by us. There was the possibility of this highly principled man re-

Ladoke Akintola and Ahmadu Bello’s January 14 meeting agreement were to we were to appeal to the officer next in line to come to our help”(70). This sounds like the view of an officer and gentleman who expected the behaviour of others to be determined by his view of human nature rather than by the exigencies on the ground. Ifeajuna as much as lends credence to the charge that Nnamdi Azikiwe was tipped off to go on a health cruise so that he would not be around during the action. He writes: “We were to act before the exPresident returned from his trip to Europe and his carousing cruise to the Caribbean. This, for two reasons. Firstly, we were certain that he would put up a fight against us. Not that this mattered: but as the head of state he could easily call in foreign troops. In his absence only the Prime Minister could do so. And so the number of persons to invite foreign troops was reduced from two to one.

fusing to come out of jail to assume the highest post in the land. I took care of this. We were to go to him and explain the facts and appeal to him. We planned to bring him into Lagos by air before noon on 15 January. If he refused to leave jail, he was to be ordered to do so. As a prisoner he had no choice. We were to transfer him to the State House and if he still refused, we were to hold him here and inform him that this was his new gaol house! Meanwhile we planned to get the elders of the state to help us get him to agree. If in the end he refused, he was to be held and decrees were to be issued in his name”. Surely, part of the naivity of the coup makers, or the mis-interpretation of their wishes by their failed coup-leader, is that they hoped to set up a cabinet of civil servants and abolish the Federal

system of government. “We had made a selection of fifteen civil servants from all over the country, all of them available on call in the federal civil service. We planned to abolish the federal system of government and get back to the military system. The country was to be broken up into fifteen provinces. In each province there was to be a military governor and a head of administatration. The regions were to start winding up themselves by handing over at once minor functions to the new provinces. On the other hand, major functions of the regions were at once to be taken over by the government in Lagos”. That is, in effect, they would get out of prison a man who went to jail for seeking to entrench Federalism and ask him to run a military system, more or less a unitary system. Although the immediate creation of provinces would have mollified Awolowo and many of those who later joined in the revenge coup, there was evident naivety, if not suicidal predisposition in coup makers' waffling on the question of Federalism or unitarism.

t any rate, according to information vouchsafed after the coup, they had to act to upstage the plans of the Northern People's Congress (NPC) which was to have sent soldiers to the Western Region on January 17, 1966 to deal with the insurgents in the Western Region. When Western Premier Akintola left the NPC leader, Sir Ahmadu Bello on the 14th of January and jetted homewards to Ibadan, he was certain that the deal was fool-proof until the Five Majors of January 15, 1966 struck. Lets grant the benefit of the doubt: that Awolowo would have been released immediately on January 15, 1966 but for those who hijacked the coup from the five majors. Or was it simply taken over from, or handed over by, the five majors? As the narrative goes, the officer detailed to fly Awolowo to Lagos from Calabar already had his brief. But it never happened. Ojukwu, in effective control of Kano had already scuttled any plan that could take off from what could have become a Kano front. After he was made military Governor of the East, he had urgent matters to attend to which could not have put Awolowo on the agenda. So there is no point disputing his claim that be signed a warrant for the release of the prisoner. It was clearly not agreed that the warrant should be executed. Imaginably, a government that moved quickly to enact a Unitary Decree could not have been in a hurry to release a sworn Federalist from jail.

Next week: Getting a bit more complicated in terms, there is a riddle to be solved: “Whatever is the case, it was the release that enabled Awolowo to participate in the discussions to resolve the crisis through sundry Leaders of Thought Meetings up till Awolowo’s peace-hunt to Enugu before the first shot in the Civil war was fired”. What was to be the significance of this meeting and the records thereform, for the 1979 general election?

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 41

HE battle was fierce but the saving grace was the impact of government on the lives of the grassroots people in the past three and a half years which actually earned the newly elected governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Abayomi Mimiko, a second term in office. His case could be likened to that of the biblical Daniel in the fiery furnace that came out unscratched. But in the case of Iroko, he was rattled by the forces that ganged up against his re election even within his cabinet. Iroko has proved wrong those who thought he would be subsumed by the forces from the five other South West governors, joined by their Edo State countepart and coordinated by Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola. He has become the second governor after the late Chief Adekunle Ajasin to secure a second term mandate from the people of Ondo State though Ajasin second term ambition was short-lived, no thanks to a military putsch. The build up to the election was frightening as allegations and counter allegations of violence, arms build up were dished out by the campaign organisations of the three leading political parties. But all the tension frizzled out following the arrival of security operatives including 11,000 policemen, 8,000 soldiers and 7,000 civil defence personnel for the October 20 election. INEC declared the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mimiko, as the fifth civilian governor of the state after thrashing twelve other candidates in the election. Announcing the result of the governorship election, the Returning Officer of INEC, Prof Adebiyi Daramola, who is Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure, FUTA, said Mimiko scored 260,199 votes, Chief Olusola Oke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 155,961 votes while the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), got 143,512 votes. Critical analysis of the results indicated that Mimiko won in 13 local governments, the PDP in two local governments while the ACN won in three local governments. It was equally noticed that the defeat of Mimiko in Owo and Ilaje was as a result of the agenda of some political office holders in the two councils though in Mimiko cabinet but still want to make a statement that blood is thicker than water hence they surreptitiously worked for the candidates in the opposition party. Mimiko scored over 25percent of votes required in all the 18 council areas of the C M Y K

Ondo: An election and its intrigues *Result splits PDP

*State awaits ACN’s decision

Olusegun Mimiko

state including the five councils that he lost to the ACN and PDP. Some surprises noticed in the results of the election showed that in Owo, which is the hometown of the Akeredolu, Mimiko defeated him in his unit and ward while Akeredolu eventually won the local government. It was gathered that some political appointees of the governor from that area sold out. They were alleged to have worked for Akeredolu. The ACNcandidate polled 17,967 votes in the council while Mimiko polled 14,870votes. The leader of the LP in Owo, Hon Niran Sule Akinsuyi, was arrested on trumped up charges which allowed the ACN to perfect their winning plan. But this was not until Akinsuyi saw to it that Akeredolu was roundly defeated by Mimiko in his unit and ward. Also in Ilaje where the candidate of the PDP, Oke, hails from, some members of the Mimiko cabinet from the area equally reportedly supported their son (Oke) leaving the governor in the lurch. Oke polled 19,281votes while Mimiko scored 8,538votes. In Akoko Southwest local government, where Mimiko has a large number of political office holders, he still lost the council to the ACN candidate who polled 13,623votes while he scored 11,833votes. The reason for the loss of this council is said to be as a result of the squabbles the younger brother of the governor, Prof Femi Mimiko, who is the Vice Chancellor of Adekunle AjasinUniversity Akungba Akoko, had with some stakeholders in the council. Interestingly, Mimiko’s deputy, Alhaji Ali Olanusi, hails from the area with a commissioner, a member of the House of Assembly, the

Olusola Oke

chairman of the council and of recent an ambassador. All of them could not stop the moving machine of the ACN on election day. It was equally gathered that Senator Ajayi Boroffice, who is now in ACN and fighting to retain his seat following his defection from the LP, and the family of the late Chief Adebayo Adefarati mobilised

Oluwarotimi Akeredolu

Now to how Mimiko won in the other 13 council areas. The governor hails from the central senatorial area which has the chunk of the votes. He not only concentrated his projects in these areas, Mimiko equally appointed at least two commissioners each from these six councils. Winning all the six councils in the central is an evidence of his performance and

BY DAYO JOHNSON

Mimiko won in Ose and the three of the four councils in Akoko, Ese Odo, Ile Oluji/Okeigbo and Irele, following the numerous projects initiated and completed in these areas

against Mimiko in the council. Infact, the PDP came second to show the disdain of the people of Akoko SW for the ruling LP. The LP was equally roundly defeated in Odigbo, the council where the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon Samuel Adesina; the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Rotimi Adelola; and a host of other political appointees including a commissioner hail from. It was gathered that the ACN was able to win the council because the area is populated by non-indigenes from Oyo and Osun states. It is therefore commonsensical that the people of the area voted for the ACN which is controlling their states. In Okitipupa, the singular effort of the immediate past governor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, paid off for the opposition PDP which scored 21,024 votes; LP polled 11, 968 and the ACN 8,495.

popularity. He was able to poach other councils in both the South and North senatorial districts. Mimiko won in Ose and the three of the four councils in Akoko, Ese Odo, Ile Oluji/ Okeigbo and Irele, following the numerous projects initiated and completed in these areas. Also the support the governor received from the national leaders of the NLC worked tremendously in his favour as the National President of the NLC, Comrade Abdul Waheed Omar, and TUC President, Peter Esele, attended two rallies to drum support for Mimiko. The support of Afenifere leaders also boosted Mimiko’s second term chance while some notable leaders of the opposition PDP within and outside the state worked underground for the governor ’s re election. The Yoruba leaders position was

that the ACN should not be allowed to capture the state. But while the election has been won by Mimiko as usual, the opposition parties are kicking against the results. First to raise eyebrow was the Chairman of the ACN, Chief Bisi Akande, who described the election as not credible, saying he would never congratulated a winner that emerged through a fraught processes. The party said it would make its position known after analysing the result of the election. In other words, the decision to head to the tribunal or not would be taken thereafter. The state PDP, on its own, has called the bluff of its National Working Committee, NWC, President Goodluck Jonathan and other governors of the party that have congratulated Mimiko on his re election and insisted that its candidate was heading for the tribunal to challenge the results as declared by INEC. A statement signed by the state publicity secretary of the party, Wale Ozogoro, in Akure, said: “The Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State is studying the gubernatorial result released by INEC with a view to pursuing justice through appropriate quarters”. “We are complying and collating reports across the state and we are heading for tribunal to seek redress. The party has noticed misapplication of electoral guidelines in the gubernatorial election. We are indeed convinced that justice will be achieved as we intend to seek same at the appropriate time. However, the party is not taking aback as to the comments of few individuals who feel that the party should not approach justice to seek redress. We want to put it on record that seeking justice at the appropriate quarter is part of the rule of law, which is the bedrock of democratic ethos. “We therefore, want to avail ourselves of every available option under the law to seek justice and rekindle the hope and aspiration of all Ondo people that democracy built on fairness, equity, and justice can truly be achieved. Indeed you have spoken and demonstrated it through your votes that you wanted a change and a rapid departure from underdevelopment, however, your votes will count and hope will be restored in shortest possible time. All Ondo people should be resolute, determined and keep faith with Peoples Democratic Party and Chief Olusola Oke as we sincerely hope to get justice through the court.”

PAGE 42—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Why Nigeria needs an Igbo president—Kalu *’I didn’t stop Ekwueme in 1999' *Says S/East should get at least one more state

ORMER governor of Abia State, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, says there is need to elect an Igbo man as president in 2015 if the country must make progress, just as he dispelled the insinuation that he scuttled Dr. Alex Ekwueme’s presidential ambition in 1999. Kalu, who is the founder of Njiko Igbo, a socio-political group committed to advancing the Igbo interest in the country, stated this while speaking as guest on “Platform”, a Radio Nigeria political programme. He said the need for a president of Igbo extraction had become imperative because, apart from the SouthEast, all other sections of the country had the opportunity of producing a president. Consequently, Kalu said, in the interest of equity and fair play, other parts should allow an Igbo man to emerge as president in 2015, pointing out that, as at today, the Igbo were the most populous ethnic group in the country. His words: “I am not even canvassing for Nigerian president. I am saying that an Igbo man should be president in 2015. It matters where the president comes from because all segments of the society had been president. People continue letting Ndigbo down because they think we were defeated during the war, which is not true. “And until an Igbo man rules this country, the country will not move anywhere.” Speaking on Njiko Igbo, the former governor explained

People continue letting Ndigbo down because they think we were defeated during the war, which is not true. “And until an Igbo man rules this country, the country will not move anywhere

Chief Orji Uzor Kalu....The Njiko Igbo is totally socio-political. that the socio-political group was geared towards mobilising all Igbo sons and daughters to champion the cause of Ndigbo. He said the group was neither tied to any political party nor out to displace other existing platforms in the South-East. According to him, “we are not trying to do the job of Ohanaeze. We are not trying to do the job of Aka Ikenga. We are not trying to do the job of Igbo Congress or any other Igbo platform. The Njiko Igbo is totally socio-political. “It is purely an avenue to get back all political parties that

are Igbo-based and see if they can become one platform to win an election any day, any time. Those organisations are socio-cultural. We are sociopolitical. We don’t hide it. Njiko Igbo cannot put anybody on any platform to run for election because it is not a political party. We want to get all political players to see if they can agree together.” He expressed optimism that the organisation would be able to get 65-70 percent of Ndigbo to agree on the Igbo project. Speaking on the role he played in the emergence of former

President Olusegun Obasanjo as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999, Kalu said he told Ekwueme in 1998 that the military had zeroed in on Obasanjo as the next president. He said he alerted the former vice president to this, so that he could negotiate with the military, especially as Obasanjo had already made some commitments to the North. The former governor said instead of Ekwueme’s group appreciating him for his suggestions, he was called an “apostle of doom” and asked out of the house for speaking the truth. “I told Ekwueme in his house in 1998 that the military had made up their mind on President Obasanjo. I told him this in his house to enable him talk to the military. I heard from a reliable source that the military had made up their

mind to give the presidency to the West to pacify them for June 12. I explained all these to him. Instead of appreciating what I said, they sent me out for speaking the truth. I never scuttled anybody’s political well-being. I only spoke the truth to them even before the convention,” Kalu stated. “I told them to go to the military and negotiate because Obasanjo had gone and made promises. I told him that if he didn’t do that, it meant he was not ready for leadership. I told him ‘this is where this people are going and unless you go and negotiate with them, it would be disastrous’. They said I was an apostle of doom and I left the house.” On the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution, he called for the creation of at least an additional state for the SouthEast. However, the former governor stated that in a situation where the National Assembly would want to create states in other geo-political zones, then the South-East should get more than one state to bring it at par with other zones. Furthermore, Kalu said the constitution should be amended to make for only one legislative house at the federal level. He also canvassed that the legislature should be a part-time job. He said it did not make sense to use 25 percent of the budget in servicing the federal legislature, especially when there were serious developmental challenges confronting the country.

The North is using Boko Haram to distract Jonathan-Zuokumor BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

Hon.Frank Zuokumor is one of the National Co-ordinators of the Pressure Group, Southern Mandate, and a former Chairman of Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.In this interview, Zuokumor assesses the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, the partial removal of subsidy on fuel, development in the Niger Delta, Boko Haram and other national issues. Excerpts:

HAT is your candid assessment of the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan? He is one of the best C M Y K

presidents so far. What is your take on the partial removal of fuel subsidy by the president early this year? Complete deregulation is the solution. One of the reasons Mr. President gave for the removal of subsidy is corruption. Today, he has been vindicated. Most of those major players who were part of the protest which greeted the announcement were beneficiaries of the corruption in the subsidy regime. Where was the equalization fund all this while when petroleum products were being sold for more than 10 times above the approved pump price in the riverine areas? The people in the core North are complaining. Apart from a few

Frank Zuokumor urban areas, where else are we buying the products at pump price? For instance, should government release N10 billion, Nigerians only get services for N10 million, yet people are agitating for the retention of fuel subsidy. This is a bastardized system. You can use the whole of your tenure to fight corruption in

this sector. Corruption has become a way of life in Nigeria, not caused by the regime but a carryover of past governments. That is why all the major probes by the NASS ended up in scandals. Are you satisfied with the amnesty programme of the Federal Government? It is working; it is one of the reasons peace has returned to the Niger Delta. Mr. President and his predecessors got it right and Kingsley Kuku is handling it well. We at the Southern Mandate want to laud President Goodluck Jonathan for stabilizing the nation’s economy with the amnesty programme. The president should be given a pat on the back over the success recorded

so far on the amnesty programme. We call on detractors to give President Jonathan a free hand to govern the country. Available data in the oil industry shows that Nigeria is currently producing about three million barrels of crude oil per day as against a daily production figure of 700,000bpd at the peak of the Niger Delta crisis in January, 2009. The nation and its Joint Venture Partners are now making production savings of approximately two million barrels per day. If this figure is computed on an exchange rate of about N160 to $1, daily production savings for Nigeria and the Joint Venture Partners presently Continues on page 54

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 43

Oyo: The gov’s wife and the politics of 2015 By OLA AJAYI

Mrs. Florence Ajimobi

HEN allegations and counter-allegations begin to occupy the political landscape in Ibadan, the political headquarters of the South West, it only tells everyone that preparations for the next election have started. So, when the allegation of money laundering against the wife of the Oyo State governor, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi, filled the airwaves, last Tuesday, it did not take political observers long to read the handwriting on the wall that it was intended to discredit the current administration of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). An evening newspaper had alleged that the governor’s wife was arrested by London Metropolitan Police. Considering the allegation as very damaging to his administration which has preached against corruption and extravagant spending, Governor Abiola Ajimobi did not waste time in filing a N1billion suit against Independent Communications Network Limited. This was disclosed by the Special Adviser on Media to the governor, Dr. Festus Adedayo. According to him, the evening

Some analysts are of the belief that unless the opposition embarks on this campaign of calumny, PDP will find itself in a tight corner in 2015 considering the giant developmental strides of the ruling party ACN

newspaper had, on Tuesday, published a piece entitled, ‘Anxiety over Florence Ajimobi’s alleged arrest in UK’, wherein it published a story purportedly written by an online agency named Newsleak which alleged that the wife of the governor had been arrested in London for money laundering. The government decried what it called dirty politicking by the opposition in the state who use the media for the propagation of their falsehood, stating that the courts would be able to compel those behind this wicked lie to provide details of the veracity or otherwise of their claims on the governor’s wife. Also, Mrs. Ajimobi, while speaking in a telephone interview before her arrival, denied her alleged arrest, saying the report was concocted by her husband’s political opponents. She said, “I don’t know what they are talking about; I don’t know where they got the information from. I left Nigeria on Sunday and not arrested. ”I was not arrested by the police. I came to the UK with my daughter on Sunday. Now I am getting ready to come back home. I have not been invited by the police and I don’t know what all this is about. C M Y K

”I have a 14-year-old daughter who has been there for five years. She has been here since 2007. She came to Nigeria for two weeks; we left Nigeria Sunday morning. That is my mission here”. Mrs. Ajimobi noted that she read the report in England and was shocked. ”I read it but there is no iota of truth in everything they wrote. I’m sure it is the opposition and I am surprised that some people can descend so low to write falsehood.” According to her, the writer of the story pandered to the dictates of some people and allowed himself to be used. On the allegation that her current trip was the 52nd time, she said, “It then means I am not living in Nigeria. Maybe when I travel back, I will show you my passport to count how many times I have travelled. ”My daughter is complaining that I am not regular here in the UK even though people complain too. I make her come to Nigeria more because I can’t afford to spend 10 days or more here.” She returned to Nigeria the following day describing the allegation as part of the dirty politics which the state had been known for. In their own reaction, Oyo ACN Women’s Wing condemned the publication. The party’s women leader, Mrs. Mabel Williams, argued that the publication was malicious and a cheap blackmail of evil doers which has failed. ” We condemn unequivocally the publication as Her Excellency, Mrs. Florence Ajimobi can never be involved in such a deal. She is a woman of impeccable character, diligent, honest, a caring mother, and a role model worthy of emulation.” After the denial of the governor ’s wife’s arrest by the Metropolitan Police, the opposition party is singing another tune. The Oyo PDP, through Mr. Luqman Agboluaje, said the public should divert its attention from the arrest and money but focus on the fact that the governor’s daughter is schooling abroad whereas her father is claiming that the state education standard was excellent. In a quick response, ACN, through Dauda Kolawole, accused the PDP of having driven Ajimobi’s daughter to the UK because of violence and bloodletting. It argued that it was the violence and gangsterism unleashed on Ajimobi, at the thick of the realization of his stolen election victory in 2007, viciously stolen by the PDP, that made him relocate his last daughter to the UK. ”This ugly day in 2007, Mrs Ajimobi had driven to her daughter ’s school in Oluyole, Ibadan, to pick her daughter who was attending school in the Oluyole Estate area when PDP thugs stopped their car and stripped the school girls she hitch-hiked from school naked”, the ACN said. It explained further that Mrs. Ajimobi and her daughter ran to a nearby house and hid behind their rescuer’s freezer. “When the PDP assailants, holding cudgels and cutlasses, demanded her whereabouts from the owner of the house, he declined ever seeing her and her daughter. Shaken by the near-death of his daughter and wife, Ajimobi had to relocate his daughter to the UK”. Some analysts are of the belief that unless the opposition embarks on this campaign of calumny, PDP will find itself in a tight corner in 2015 considering the giant developmental strides of the ruling party ACN. The analysts say when allegations of this nature start coming in torrents, then the drum beats of 2015 elections have started. Any party that gets its dance steps right at this time will definitely steer the ship of governance after the 2015 polls. Governor Ajimobi should expect more of this politics in the months to come.

PAGE 44—SUNDAY VANGUARD,NOVEMBER 4, 2012

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Dating? Show some class I

F you want to know the mind of

young people, listen to new gen eration FM stations; particularly those programmes where they invite listeners’ views on a particular subject/ story. “Hello, you guys and dolls out there! Give us your take on this interesting incident. To mark his girlfriend’s birthday, a guy invited her out for drinks after work on a week day. He took her to a posh restaurant and they ordered drinks. He then left for the washroom. As the lady waited, she found that she was very hungry. So, she called a waiter and asked for a plate of fried rice. When her boyfriend returned to their table, the drinks waiter came and served their drinks. While they were drinking and chatting, the other waiter brought the fried rice to the lady. ‘I’m not paying for that,’ the boyfriend promptly told her. The lady was so offended by his behaviour that she told him there and then that she would no longer accept dates from him. Dear listeners, what do you think of the lady’s reaction? Was it right? After all, they professed to love each other. And the guy? Was it right for him to react the way he did, and show himself so mean? Please ring …................ to give your view” Responses came in fast; with ladies leading in the attack. ‘What a horrible horrible man! The lady was right to dump him right there. I hope she never goes back to him.’ ‘Was that man alright in his head? How could he have humiliated a lady he claimed to love? How much is a plate of rice, that he had to tell her that he wasn’t going to pay for it? He’s no gentleman at all.’ ‘I’m glad the lady dropped him like a hot potato! What a pig? If he could afford drinks for both of them, he could afford a plate of rice too. He should have seen that she must have been hungry to order for the plate of rice.’ ‘Can you imagine such an un-gentleman act? Even a stark illiterate from the remotest village wouldn’t behave like that. The man is really disgusting. He’s too mean and stingy to make a good husband and father. No way!’ ‘Hey girls, cool it!’, came a man’s voice. ‘The dude must have had a good reason for reacting like he did. I wouldn’t have reacted that way, but I don’t think the lady’s reaction was the right one. To dump a guy on the spot because he said he wouldn’t pay for a plate of rice seems pretty mean to me. I thought she loved him.’ ‘Thank you, my brother,’ said another male voice. ‘I support your view. I wouldn’t have said what the guy said, but a loving girlfriend would have reacted in a humorous way, and told him’ Alright, I’ll pay. Don’t worry. Get a smile back on your face. Can I order a plate for you too? It looks nice.’ The guy would then feel ashamed of himself and perhaps apologize. The evening would then end pleasantly.’ ‘Hello? I support the last speaker. The girl met meanness with meanness. Two wrongs never make a right. She should have reasoned that perhaps the guy didn’t have enough money on him to cover the plate of rice, and patted his hand and told him that she would pay.’ The radio anchorwoman now broke in to ask why the lady should pay for her meal when it was the boyfriend who invited her out for drinks on her birthday. ‘Guys, he wasn’t forced to invite her out, C M Y K

View-Point

Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor

Decent behaviour/ comportment brings you class, even if you’re poor, and they make you stand out at any gathering

so, allowing her to pay for anything would have been inappropriate. He should have paid for the plate of rice without complaining. I know you have to support your fellow man, but his behaviour wasn’t a loving and respectful one.’ ‘Madam, shouldn’t the lady have told him first that she would like a plate of rice, instead of ordering it behind his back? Even when he returned to the table she didn’t mention it until the food was served her.’ ‘But it was no big deal! After all, she could easily pay for it herself. He invited her out so, he had to pay for whatever she wanted.’ I had to attend to other matters, so, I didn’t know how the discussion ended. Pondering on the story later, I concluded that we need to introduce Etiquette into our learning system. In our early years, our teachers passed on to us, what their own teachers had taught them about how to talk, walk, sit, get up from a chair, pick up something from the floor, use cutlery at meal times, and eat with elbows off the table. I attended missionary (C.M.S/ANGLICAN) schools all through my formative years, and our expatriate teachers in college insisted on all these, and you just had to comply. Boys and girls were taught separately, how to comport themselves in a manner which would portray them as Ladies, and Gentlement. I know that we’re living in an era where rules giving dignity to human behaviour/

character are on their way out, and anything goes in the way you dress and behave. People now talk garbage, and comport themselves in outrageous manner, all in the name of being trendy and ‘free’. It’s good to free, but this should come with dignity, self-control, self-respect and finesse. We worship money and a life of opulence so much these days that we’ve thrown good manners/behaviour to the wind. Not so long ago, many of the wealthy and the well-educated exuded class in the way they comported themselves and some were considered role models. Not any more. The more educated, posh and wealthy people are these days, the more they exhibit a lack of class and decency in their comportment. I don’t blame the young ones. They can’t exhibit what wasn’t taught them at home or at school. Their parents and teachers perhaps don’t know any better themselves. So, they tend to copy their mates, usually, those with no decent upbringing themselves. We need to go back to the drawing board and bring back the teaching of etiquette, not only in educational institutions, but also at gatherings for young people, e.g. a ten minute talk at seminars, workshops, etc.. Now, back to the radio story on the couple in the restaurant. A lack of etiquette on both parts brought the discord. The lady shouldn’t have ordered any food, at the risk

of remaining hungry till she got home, since the man had told her he was taking her out for drinks. Food and drinks are two different things. To assume that he wouldn’t mind, and order food behind his back, even if he’s excessively rich, was bad manners, and showed that she lacked class. The response of the man to the incident was primitive, even though the lady was at fault for not seeking his permission first. I’m sure he reacted harshly because of that, and also to save himself the embarrassment of not having enough money to foot the bill later. He should have remained calm, and waited to see what the bill would be. If he was short of the total, he could then ask her politely if she could lend him the balance, as he didn’t have enough money on him, and that he would repay the next day. A decent lady would apologize for the situation she had caused, and make up the shortfall. She wouldn’t despise him for not having enough money on him; not if she loves him for himself. In fact, she would admire him for the mature way he handled the matter. Who knows, that may teach her to keep within the terms of an outing next time. Decent behaviour/comportment brings you class, even if you’re poor, and they make you stand out at any gathering. What’s more, you would pass these on to your children who, if they imbibe them, would always make you proud of their total makeup.

LATEST TREND IN CHINESE FASHION whatsonxiamen.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 45

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We're privileged to be hosting Women for Africa â&#x20AC;&#x201D; IW Grace Adekoya As the National Governing Body of Inner Wheel Clubs in Nigeria looks forward to hosting the first edition of 'Women for Africa- the role of Inner Wheel' in Nigeria, Mrs.Grace Abosede Adekoya(JP), National Representative/President of the Inner Wheel, speaks on the relevance of the conference in this interview. She reveals that the conference had been organised in three European countries- Finland, Turkey and Italy, under the aegis of 'Women for Europe'. The 3-day conference is billed to commence in Lagos this Friday, with women from across the world and different walks of life in attendance. Enjoy! BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA What's the focus of this conference? HE conference would be looking at issues like peace, education and mother's word; networking for renewable energy for Africa; creating awareness on common women medical diseases; micro credit empowerment; and flood prevention and control; women in the green economy. It is the first of its kind, and it's going to be a seminar with a difference because every participant owes it as a duty to put into practice the knowledge that would be gained. But why the choice of these topics and how relevant are they to contemporary Africa? These highlighted issues are apt, and I must say we're very privileged to be hosting the conference in Nigeria. According to the testimony of the Immediate Past International President for Inner Wheel, the editions hosted in Europe have been quite beneficial, and we also believe that a conference of this nature could help move Africa forward. Apart from the seminar being beneficial to Africa in general, it is specifically going to be empowering for women. We all know what's presently happening in some parts of Africa, especially in Nigeria. Peace and security are almost eluding us! As women and mothers, we're praying that peace revisits this nation. You see, this is why it is important to enlighten as many women as possible through this 3-day conference. The young men and women who constitute violence in this country are from homes, and this is why it is necessary for mothers to teach peace and love to their children right from the home. We really need to have more women of virtues; women that would stand for peace and fairness at every point in time. This way, we can go a long way to impact our society. It is however sad to find that in some homes, women are still being battered by their husbands! What are fathers teaching children? What virtues do we want them to take outside? Is it violence? Another salient issue we're looking at is renewable energy. In Nigeria, we have enough sunlight that can always give us electricity, but we are not utilizing that advantage. So many businesses have died just because power holding is holding unto power! At least, with solar energy, people would always have lights to go about their businesses. We're partnering with BIDA Polytechnic on this.

*Mrs.Adekoya

Peace and security are almost eluding us! As women and mothers, we're praying that peace revisits this nation.

Flood is another major problem. A lot of communities are being destroyed by flood, and the root cause of this is from the environment! People build houses on water-ways, mismanage drainages, etc., and do not realize that they are gradually endangering their lives. In Lagos for example, government has been trying to warn people against building or living in flood-prone areas, but they wouldn't listen! When anything happens now, they begin to call on government!

But how would people yield when there is no affordable housing by government? I understand your point. I know that desisting from living in flood-prone areas might be difficult because there is scarce affordable housing, and that's one area we would really want government to improve on. Even the so-called low income housing being put up by government is too exorbitant! I would also suggest that government starts helping low-income earners own houses through mortgage. You earlier mentioned micro credit; is this the first time you're engaging in this? This is not the first time we're giving out micro credit facilities, but the point is that we've only been doing it at the district and club level, and not in the council. We have three districts in Nigeria and these are 911, 913 and 914, so, during our last council meeting, the three Chairmen of these districts underwent a ballot session and fortunately for District 911, they got the first number. For that, the first micro-credit loan gathered by the council would first be given to District 911 for disbursement to selected indigent people in its jurisdiction- Lagos and Ogun State. How has it been since you assumed office as National Representative/ President for 2012/2013? It has been interesting and challenging. Apart from carrying out administrative charges, we've been engaged it a number of projects. The funds are not there, but with the grace of God, we are able to do our best. We get support from like-minded individuals and a few companies, and we try as much as we can to utilize these funds accountably. For example, two weeks ago for example, I was in Lagos to give out some school aids to children. We presented 50 school bags and exercise books to indigent pupils of Tokunbo Alli Primary and Nursery School, Ikeja. This was to give them a sense of belonging and hope for the future. We would also be at orphanage homes to do the same. Also, we've put together some money that we're going to present to flood victims in Anambra State. Again, recently, we got an eight year old boy with hole in the heart, and we're supporting him with fund for surgery. However, I want to use this opportunity to call on organisations and like-minded individuals to support our cause so we could do more. C M Y K

PAGE 46 — SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

By DR. JOSEPH O. OKPAKU, Sr.

our years ago in 2008 the entire world was engrossed in, and enraptured by a global political phenomenon about to happen: The United States of America was about to elect a Black man as its President and Commanderin-Chief. It had been a long tough run-up to the elections. A young first time member of the U.S. Senate whose first introduction to the political world was when he gave the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Party Convention in Boston at which Senator John Kerry was nominated to run for president against Republican candidate and incumbent President George W. Bush, had simply done what for most was only conceivable in a dream. He would run for U.S. president not to prove a point, no matter how profound, polemical or populist, but to win, simply and seriously. Easily recognisable as brilliant, intellectual, articulate and charismatic, Barack Obama had little money of the sort that makes presidential candidates credible. He also did not seem to have the organisation machine that would deliver support and the votes for reasons that might not have much to do with his ideas or vision for America but for the promise of the payback value of having made him president. Nor did he, for that matter, have the political pedigree that would at least provide a starting point for a journey that would at best be daunting even for the wealthiest and most seasoned candidate. Whatever else he had or did not have, Barack Obama, the son of an equally brilliant and intellectual African father and a scholar of white American pedigree for a mother, had for his most potent resources, only an impossible dream, an American public that would be pushed to the limit to live up to its most fundamental creed and propaganda, and a Black American population that having had a whiff of what just could be possible against all odds, was ready to give all it had and even lots more to bring about a miracle. It was the circumstance of infinite hope and all-encompassing faith—two things Obama

Obama: The Second Time Around

and all African Americans had a lot of, and thoroughly understood. The Black American, having had as a people to rely for sheer survival on the hope of succor for the pain and humiliation of slavery and its aftermath, was no stranger to God and the promise of miracles. The Black church, the most enduring, most powerful and often grossly underestimated ultimate engine, arbiter and protector of Black life in America, would turn itself out to support the dream of its own child. Such incredibly formidable force. There were other non-white minorities, especially those colloquially grouped together as “Hispanics”, immigrants of full or partial African descent from Spanish-speaking countries and societies in North and South America, the Caribbean and Europe. There were also young people and women of all races who, in addition to overcoming class, gender or age discrimination, saw in Obama’s candidacy both a rare opportunity to change the nature and soul of America as well as simply be part of bringing about the accomplishment of the impossible, once again, the dream and promise of a miracle. All of these groups,

Americans began to see for the first time the incredible power and reach of the vast grassroots machine that the young Barack Obama had quietly put together especially the liberal white female, also had one important even if unspoken passion namely to cut the white American male to size. Barack Obama would face the most formidable opponent possible in then Senator Hilary Clinton in the Democratic Party primaries. Senator Clinton, in addition to being able to stand tall on her own track record, had the magic, political muscle and savvy, and the powerful appeal and charisma of her husband, ex-President Bill Clinton, one of the most popular and astute American politicians of all times. To the maximum extend they both shared the same captive support audience, including Black Americans who often

embraced the idea that Bill Clinton was deep down one of theirs—the true “first Black American President” as they often quibbed. In a way it was as if unable to entertain the possibility of a real African American ever becoming the president of the country, they felt that Bill Clinton, who also had a humble pedigree not dissimilar to that of most Black Americans, would do just fine. The primary contest between Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton will go down in history as a slugfest par excellence. Having underestimated Obama almost to the point of dismissing him as a serious opponent, it was as if in a way she was counting heavily on the hope that the American female voter, Black or white, would wholeheartedly and passionately support a female candidate, especially one with a more than credible possibility of winning the elections such as Hilary Clinton represented. Hillary Clinton also had the sympathy (more like empathy) of the American female from the fallout from her husband’s indiscrete affair with Monica Lewinski. But following the results of the Iowa State primaries, the traditional trend setter for American primaries its small population (and, therefore, small electoral weight notwithstanding) in which Barack Obama beat Hilary Clinton to the shock of virtually everyone, the game changed. Americans began to see for the first time the incredible power and reach of the vast grassroots machine that the young Barack Obama had quietly put together, an army of foot soldiers that simply worked their heads and soles off, and their hearts too, crisscrossing the entire United States canvassing just about everyone they could reach. Deploying the unique enabling facilitations of the Internet and its social network capacities, these

young (and not quite so young) “Obama boys and girls” reached everywhere awakening the dream of eminent possibilities that had laid dormant in most Americans for the longest time. They would solicit for only just five dollar contributions to the campaign effort, but in so doing, would demonstrate a unique tenet of simple arithmetic, namely that you can match or supersede any large number if you had a large enough multiple of a small number. With millions giving freely of their modest five dollars, the Obama campaign would raise one of the largest war chests in the history of American presidential elections. All of this would stun Hilary Clinton and ruffle the feathers of Bill Clinton so much that in his frustration he would utter something during the New Hampshire primaries, the next battleground of the primaries, that would offend most Black Americans, especially those of them who were struggling with how to choose between their two favourite candidates. In particular, it would offend the Black mother, the Black woman, that quintessential mother hen icon of maternal sacrifice in the protection of her child. The Black church would react quickly and decisively, and the Clintons would experience their verdict when the primaries moved on to the voters of North and South Carolina, Virginia and throughout the American South. This would virtually sign paid to Hilary Clinton’s 2008 presidential hopes. Significant then as now, was Obama’s performance in the first Democratic Party primary debate against Hillary Clinton. Senator Clinton would come at him with little or no restraint and throw everything at him, including the kitchen sink. At some point in the campaign, she would even hold up a real boxing glove. Continues tomorrow

Dr. Joseph O. Okpaku, Sr., President and Publisher of Third Press Publishers and Chairman of Telecom Africa International Corporation, is a renowned scholar and expert of strategic development and global issues. He is regarded as a Renaissance man and a leading 21st Century philosopher. C M Y K

PAGE 46—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

VIEWPOINT

The fallout of peace in the oil bearing region.

OLLOWING a memoran dum by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on the growth and industrialization of the oil producing states in Nigeria, the Federal Government recently approved 44 projects for the Niger Delta. According to the Information Minister, Labaran Maku, the projects include the construction of roads, bridges (and) environmental projects as part of the phased development of the region. The projects are expected to spur economic development of the region. The move represents a welcome response to calls on the Federal Government to apply the resounding success of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) as a lever for the limitless economic, industrial and social changes in the Niger Delta. The argument is that if peace is the outcome of amnesty, there must be a progression that we must refer to as the fallout of peace. The process does not terminate at the point where we have drawn on amnesty to achieve a cessation of hostilities and attained calm in the region. There must be a continuum

Time for big business in Niger Delta where the new thesis of peace must also give birth to a new set of enterprises. We must relate amnesty to the rubric of dialectics. Only then can we understand the full potential and advantages of what the scheme has offered the country and its citizens.

BY DANIEL ALABRAH VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Amnesty’s peace is not peace for the sake of peace. It is a soil in which we must sow seeds of development and investment

If the pre-amnesty era produced in the Niger Delta a horde of armed lords and their acolytes that were protesting the hijack of their God-given resources and the resultant clashes between them and the state crippled the nation’s economy and scared local and foreign investors, it follows that a post-amnesty era must logi-

cally have its own soil (conditions) of productive (non-destructive) result. We must see the Federal Government’s move on these 44 projects in the Niger Delta in that dialectical light. Amnesty’s peace is not peace for the sake of peace. It is a soil in which we must sow seeds of development and investment. It is a soil from which will arise “a strong manufacturing base… so that we could offer opportunities for employment, innovations and dignified living to all Nigerians,” according to the Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Hon. Kingsley Kuku. The Niger Delta should now be the fulcrum of the country’s industrial development and partnership with foreign investors, thanks to amnesty. To get an objective appreciation of what this piece is about, let us look at the pattern of Chinese economic intervention in Africa in recent years. China has been initiating apex-level contact with the continent lately. Recently, President Hu Jintao led economiccum-diplomatic delegations to at least five African nations. He was in Nigeria, Tanzania, Mauritius, Senegal and Mali. A close check revealed that

some of these were societies in transition, where after conflict resulting from challenges in nation-building, a definite path is now being chosen as an enduring foundation for progress. The Chinese are a calculating lot. They engage in business in societies that have potential for growth; where there is peace and stability along with the generous provision of renewable resources and sustainable energy. Amnesty has the paved way for Nigeria to assume these magnets for investments. It is conceivable, therefore, that the Chinese, whose country has effectively emerged as the world’s second biggest economic player, would see Niger Delta’s bouquet of developmental invectives through the amnesty programme and the Federal Government’s initiative as a green light to invest in the area. Of course, it is not only the Chinese that will be interested in doing business in the Niger Delta. I foresee the group of Asian Tigers stepping in also with their technological prowess and their investment. Looking ahead to that era, Kuku says there “will be increasing plurality and complexity in (the) society” of the big business amnesty’s peace is offering in the Niger Delta.

The former agitators will then secure employment to exhibit the skills they have acquired under the amnesty programme. They won’t have to wait endlessly for jobs that are not forthcoming if 44 projects are on the way and there are conditions enticing foreign companies to come in with their capital. These were not possibilities, even in the minds of the most incurable optimists among us! But the daring alternative view of the late President Umaru Yar ’Adua and his successor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, in bringing on board the amnesty intervention has changed the situation radically. It has given us a new lease of life, offering hope that we can diversify our export portfolio as well as industrialize and engage in non-oil business. The future of rapid transformation awaits the country with the starting blocks in the Niger Delta, courtesy the peace midwifed by amnesty. And as Kuku said, the program has achieved “what it was meant to do and the benefits accruing from it far outweigh its costs.” Alabrah is Head, Media and Communications, Presidential Amnesty Office, Abuja, Nigeria.

Dickson, Zuma & Investment Fever BY FRANCIS OTTAH AGBO

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The economic collaboration between South African and Bayelsa State.

N Friday, October 26, Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State and his investment team stormed Johannesburg, the business capital of South Africa on the invitation of President Jacob Zuma. This visit and the power packed investment summit, held at the Hilton Hotel, upped the ante in the vortex of investment in Bayelsa State. The meeting was sequel to the governor ’s visit to the country in May where he and his team wooed investors to the state. These businessmen are expected to replicate some of the infrastructure that make South Africa a strong economy in Bayelsa. This novel drive of Dickson is hinged on his belief that Bayelsa has a lot to tap from the South African economy which he describes as having all the trap-

pings of a first world economy. Expectedly, the governor ’s first pot of call was the South African State House in Pretoria. Zuma was at the University of Pretoria where he was delivering a lecture in an occasion put together to honour the longest serving president of African National Congress (ANC), the late Oliver Thambo, and others. When he was told that Dickson had arrived, there was no other way the South African strongman could have honoured the countryman - governor than to cut short his engagement and cruise to his office to receive the governor and his team. Dickson informed his host that he is currently emulating his party, African National Congress (ANC), by running Bayelsa from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) headquarters in Yenagoa at least once every month. While rolling out the investment potentials of his state, the governor proclaimed that government has put in place time-tested insurance policies for all investors and investment. He said his government has turned the state into a construction site by embarking on

massive road networks, the construction of Deep Sea Port in Angge, modern airport in Yenagoa and other infrastructural drives, adding that unlike in the last five years, the state now has enough savings to meet up with contractual

VIEWPOINT

The electorate have the right to know the resources accruing to the state and how they are spent which to me is a cardinal principal of democracy

agreements and cater for the rainy day. What appeared to have impressed the president significantly was the free education policy of Bayelsa and the fact that the country-man governor did not go to the capital market to finance these

lofty projects and programmes. Responding, Zuma praised Dickson for enthroning probity and accountability in the governance culture of Bayelsa. After the courtesy call, the governor and his team hosted what a pundit tagged mega Investment Forum at the Hilton Hotel in Johannesburg where the potentials of the glory of all lands were laid bare. Dickson went down memory lane on why it was crucial for his state to partner with South Africa and assured investors of having a return for their money in Bayelsa. He however warned brief case businessmen and contractors to keep off from his state. He averred that he is the first governor in Nigeria to have enacted Compulsory Savings Law and Transparency and Accountability Law which make it compulsory for government to save money for the state and render account to the people of the state because in his words “the electorate have the right to know the resources accruing to the state and how they are spent which to me is a cardinal principal of democracy.” The South African govern-

ment was represented at the investment forum by the First Lady, Mrs Nompumelo Ntuli Zuma, and the South African Deputy Minister of Economic Planning, Professor Elizabeth Thabelth Mukezi. The minister looked forward to the signing of MoU between South African Infrastructure Development Corporation and Bayelsa State and emphasized the willingness of South Africa to partner with Bayelsa State because in her words, “Governor Dickson has put in place in-built parameters that are likely to make his state an investor’s destination.” The climax of the investment forum was the signing of letters of cooperation with Naidoo and Associates Consulting Engineers and Construction Management Company and the Black Business Council which represents the 5 th African Black Business Community. The governor also inspected the Bayelsa Development Corporation office billed to be commissioned in January. Agbo, a Nigerian based journalist and public affairs analyst, wrote from South Africa.

Contribution of not more than 800 words should be sent to sundayvanguard@yahoo.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 47

TRIBUTE

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Health Care Reform in Anambra

The road to health for all and Onitsha South Local Govin Anambra. ernment Areas and sinking of boreholes. With recent commissioning HEN Governor Peter Obi assumed office of Orange Petroleum by in 2006, he said he Presient Goodluck Ebele would reverse the state’s econ- Jonathan, encomiums poured omy which was in decline, in for the governor. Indeed he budget deficits and growing funded and saw to its compleinequities that undermined tion. He stresses that he indeed opportunities for future generations. He has since been listens to what the people are working hard to translate his concerned about. Often at cabinet meetings, he would ask vision into action. The introduction of ANIDS his commissioners to come up (Anambra Integrated Develop- with crisp statements of what ment Strategy) marked the had been achieved and targets beginning of massive devel- which should be met within a opment of the state through given time span. There was the construction of about 300 need to show evidence of kilometers of road network, prosperity, evidence of fall in bridges across rivers; develop- unemployment, prompt payment of public infrastructures; ment of the salaries of teachrebuilding of schools, hospi- ers and civil servants and pentals, new state secretariat, sion. Current and wasteful acsports stadia in Onitsha North tivities of the local govern-

ments have been minimized through direct labour. He said he likes administration members who offer constructive criticisms. He loves

BY OKEREKE CLETUS

There is bound to be a potentially limitless demand for health care for as long it is provided free at the point of delivery

to know what other people think of him. He has attracted the brewery of South Africa to the state. The governor’s ideas on health reform are the right ones and

he deserves much more of the credit and acclaim which he has been given. Apart from the upgrading of Amaku General Hospital, Awka to a teaching hospital, he rebuilt, equipped and refurbished several schools of nursing and midwifery in Anambra. He equipped the Onitsha General Hospital with modern equipment for cancer detection. He donated 30 buses including ambulances to various health establishments in the state. In his health care reform, he realized that absence of incentives is affecting performance of workers. He has since introduced in built incentives to encourage the staff. Those hospitals which perform better in terms of more patients now receive extra gratuitous payment.

But the rigid control by the state management health board ought to be loosened at the center to make way for greater diversity in the provision of health care. Hospitals should be contracted out to groups or charities for better management or even a buy out. There ought to be a kind of privatization. Even those hospitals that have surplus land that they don’t need should dispose partVIEWPOINT of the surplus land and use the money realized to improve efficiency. Most of the hospitals should be encouraged to have greater responsibility for their affairs. There is bound to be a potentially limitless demand for health care for as long it is provided free at the point of delivery. The number of elderly people who make the greatest call on our health institutions is increasing. If infant mortality is to be checked, more inceptives should be given to doctors and midwives for better performance. •Okereke can be reached on 08033780968, Cletusokereke@yahoo.com.

Claude Ake and the paradigm of alternative development in Africa(2) en eggs. What roles should development and democracy therefore play in resuscitating this ailing goose? In answering this question, Ake interrogated democracy as both a moral imperative and a means to an end. In Development and Democracy in Africa (1996), he argued:

TRIBUTE BY TUNJI OLAOPA

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF Reflections on the late Prof Claude Ake

Professor Claude Ake ably oriented towards the socialist paradigm of development. However, beyond this theoretical necessity of applying scientific knowledge to the task of development in Africa, Professor Ake was fully aware of the burden of practice especially on a continent where the gap between theory and practice is often part of the continent’s predicament. Thus, in 1991, he founded the Centre for Advanced Social Science (CASS) in Port Harcourt. Similar to Aboyade’s Development Policy Centre, CASS was meant to serve as a think tank for exploring the nexus between development thinking and practice with local imperatives including the mediation of the oil, environmental and ethnic problems represented by volatile Niger Delta region in Nigeria.

ASS equally provided Ake with the requisite opportunity to confront the menace of political corruption in Nigeria and the prospect of a democracy driven by developmental imperative. Being a Nigerian was itself a methodological advantage for Ake. Nigeria constitutes a paradigmatic representation of the paradox of underdevelopment within the context of abundance of mineral and human capital resources. And there was no better place to exemplify this paradox than the oil-producing Niger Delta which had by then become the violated and exhausted proverbial goose laying the gold-

evelopment can only be related to and driven by social will in the context of democracy. It is only in this context that the people can be the means and the end of development. Without democracy, the advantages of demarginalizing Africans in the development process and giving them control cannot be realized. With minor exceptions, African elites have placed great obstacles in the way of development by their antipathy to democracy.

E began his search for an enabling par adigm for redesigning the future of Africa and Nigeria through the interrogation of the social sciences as the disciplinary template for the imperial domination of knowledge production in Africa. In 1979, his seminal book titled Social Science as Imperialism became the entry point for an acute understanding of the African predicament, a rethinking of the idea of development and globalisation, and the imperative of the decolonial responsibility of the social science in Africa especially with regard to knowledge production. Ake’s argument is a simple one: The origin of the Western paradigm of the social sciences as well as the adaptation of that paradigm by developing societies and academes enables the foisting of an imperialist capitalist ethos and development ideals that serve imperialist and ideological purposes. Our first condition of intellectual and developmental liberation therefore consists in the restructuring of the intellectual framework guiding the social science paradigm in Africa. The burden of Ake’s intervention borders on the relevance of what Peter Ekeh refers to as the migrated structures in Africa and how these can be significantly deconstructed and rehabilitated to accommodate the dynamics of a genuine Afrocentric and indigenous knowledge that carries the burden of Africa’s historical experiences and can serve as the basis for development and democratisation. This demands from us, Ake posits, the construction of a new model of the social sciences suit-

African elites have placed great obstacles in the way of development by their antipathy to democracy

The logic is simple: The people are the agents of development; hence, they ought also to drive the policies that bring about such development. The strategy therefore is, to use the words of William Gladstone, “All the world over, I will back the masses against the classes”. It is this people-factor that defines the greatest task of Claude Ake as an intellectual. The people are considered the end of any development paradigm and the means to any democratic progress. And their

only hope of achieving this lies in a social revolution that will enthrone social democracy that represents their interests much more than any ideology or paradigm of political development. This task places Ake in the tradition of most great intellectuals in the world—Aristotle, Cicero, Rousseau, Locke, Negri, and others. For Ake, as for all these intellectuals, Herbert Aptheker, the American historian sums the perspective: “It is what the masses endure, how they resist, how they struggle that forms the body of true history. It is the coming into being, the bringing forth of the new...that is the heart of true history.” Flowing from the uniqueness of an indigenous knowledge system that recognize the necessity of generating an endogenous base for development, Claude Ake logically locates the people at the core of a development framework that catalyses a social reconstruction and national transformation from the grassroots. It is in this deep sense that Claude Ake’s theory of national integration in Nigeria is significant. In other words, the mobilisation of the grassroots for development and democratisation, in Ake’s view, represents Nigeria’s greatest hope for redemption, a perspective that is also a critical plank in Aboyade’s development praxis. Yet, the masses usually stand alone and against a long history of class rejection. The Duke of Wellington expresses the attitude of most leadership against the people when he warned: “You must build your House of Parliament upon the river: so...that the populace cannot exact their demands by sitting down round you.” W. S. Gilbert, the British playwright, expresses the same thought more poetically: Bow, bow, ye lower middle c l a s s e s ! Bow, bow, ye tradesmen, bow, ye masses! This trajectory of the destiny of the people in political perception constitutes the second tragic consequence of the intel-

lectual status of Claude Ake. He had an unabashed optimism VIEWPOINT about the possibility of the people redeeming their own image and status in the political arena. He believed that the future of a stable and politically committed polity lies with the people rather than with their elites. He also realized that such a possibility for a people-driven democracy stands a chance of triumphing eventually. According to him: Such a people-driven democratization, however, will continue to be challenged by the elitedriven democratization that reduces democracy to multiparty electoral competition and generally exploits it as a strategy of power. It is by no means clear that the people-driven democracy will prevail. But it has a fair chance.

t’s been 16 years now since Professor Claude Eleme Ake, the democratic intellectual, left this terrestrial realm, and yet the people are still struggling to make a democratic impact. It’s more than a decade now since the wave of democracy engulfed the African continent. And, tragically again, Claude Ake is no longer around to assist us in understanding its dynamics and possibilities. The death of Ake many years ago constitutes a real tragedy for Nigeria in the midst of many other tragedies. And, as Chinua Achebe prophesied, “real tragedy is never resolved. It goes on hopelessly forever.” Our only chance to break the cycle is to return to what he left for us and attempt to discern a worthy future out of them. When the Nigerian Project is brought face to face with the rich intellectual diagnosis inherent in the corpus of development and democratic analysis provided by Ake, we can only hope that it will find in it a therapeutic injection capable of catalyzing national transformation. *Olaopa, a federal permanent secretary, can be reached via tolaopa2003@yahoo.com

PAGE 48—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

chimeena@yahoo.com 0802635036

Theatre as diplomatic soldiering …example of The Legendary Inikpi

A performance on the occasion.

BY MCPHILIPS NWACHUKWU THEATRE

HERE are several ways one can be an ambassador to one’s nation. Apart from the conventional posting of career diplomats to other nations of the world as ambassadors, academics and work qualify at several levels as ambassadors to their nations where ever their works find themselves outside of the shores of their home countries. Specifically, in the humanities, theatre practice and profession have come to be typified as one of the most vibrant and dynamic ways that cultures, histories and traditions of peoples of one country are exported to other countries all over the world either as literary applications via playwriting or stage/film productions. One of such theatre practitioners in Nigeria is Professor Emmy Unuja Ikanaba Idegu of the Department of Theatre and Performing Arts, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. In far away Israel last month at ZOA Theatre, Tel Aviv, one of his plays, The Legendary Inikpi was staged as a Command Performance as part of the activities to commemorate the 20 years of the restoration of diplomatic ties between Nigeria and State of Israel and for the celebration of Nigeria’s 52nd independence in Israel.The play was performed by the African Israeli Stage based in Israel. The Legendary Inikpi is a play that captures theatrically, the war between

the Igala and the Beni people from 1515-1516 Nigeria. History has it that the Ata Igala (the Igala King), Ayegba Oma Idoko was a bosom friend to the Oba of Benin to whom he always made eunuchs for his palace. Somehow, there was some misunderstanding that made this hitherto cordial relationship sour. It turned bitter when the Ata Igala thought the messengers he sent to his friend the Oba who did not return home were captured

Using this story as his historical material, Emmy Unuja Ikanaba in the play graphically represents this unique aspect of the Igala history and he calls to question all over again, the imperative of selfless sacrifice for the general good of a people

by the Oba preparatory to taking war to Ida the traditional and administrative headquarters of the Igala kingdom and if possible, annex Igalaland. The Ata Igala, Ayegba Oma Idoko consulted the oracle and the ancestors divined that nothing short of the life burial sacrifice of his most cherished child, Princess Inikpi will suffice. His-

torically, the Ata Ayegba Oma Idoko was said to have resisted the oracle demand for a considerable length of time until Princess Inikpi got to hear about it. She walked up to her father and agreed to offer her life via the life burial sacrifice to save both her father and the entire Igala kingdom from the fierce battle ahead. Agonizingly, Ayegba succumbed to the ancestors’ demands on Inikpi’s agreement. Princess Inikpi was thereafter buried alive by the river Niger bank at Ida where till date her statue stands at the very spot of the sacrifice. After the sacrifice, the Bini forces were crossing the River Niger to Ida to battle and annihilate the Igala people when they saw the town in flames. What was the need of taking war to a burning people and town they thought, and went back home. Till date, the battle never came to Ida. The Ata Igala, Ayegba Oma Idoko and the Igala people lived in peace thereafter. Using this story as his historical material, Emmy Unuja Ikanaba in the play graphically represents this unique aspect of the Igala history and he calls to question all over again, the imperative of selfless sacrifice for the general good of a people. Emmy Unuja Ikanaba Idegu, Professor of Indigenous Performance and Playwriting is becoming an undisputed advocate of the study of Israeli theatre in Nigeria. Starting his theatre journey that has so far spanned about three decades, not until December 2008

when he was invited as Guest to the most popular Israeli theatre festival, the Acco Theatre Festival and to also present a paper at the Theatre Studies Department, University of Tel Aviv. He used the occasion of his presence in Israel in 2008 to interact with a lot of his professional colleagues and attend several live stage productions, films and street/community theatre performances. During the said visit Professor Idegu gave out copies of his plays to quite a number of people. According to him, this way, he was exporting his plays including The Legendary Inikpi, Omodoko, and Tough Man that all have Igala history, tradition and culture as their backgrounds. It was this visit and the gift of The Legendary Inikpi to quite a number of Israelis, that eventually caught the fancy of the African Israeli Stage who saw in the play the global thematic thrust of selfless sacrifice, and thereafter, the play was translated into Hebrew and performed with English sub titling on Tuesday October 16th 2012. Nigeria celebrated 20 years of the restoration of diplomatic relations with the State of Israel and also celebrated her 52nd year of independence in October 2012 in Israel. As part of these two great memorable events, The Legendary Inikpi was staged as command performance. The cast was composed basically of Israelis with two or three Israelis of African descent. The actors were Kais Nashif, Netzanet Mekonen,Hadar Levin, Liad Frank, Uri Sagi, Vincent Adeyinka, Omer Cohen Eden and Idit Biney. The musicians were Pascal Izik Neuton, Ophir Baron, Pierre Shain and Milo. Stage and Costume Designer was Tali Itzchaki. Light Designer was Shachar Verechzon. The Multi Media section was made up of Liad Frank, Yoni Cohen and Gai Aisner. While the translation from English to Hebrew was done by Lihi Barzel-Melamed. And the entire production was directed by a vibrant Israeli director called Yaffa Schust er. Every play text has its originality in story, thematic thrust, setting, audience and similar dramatic elements. When the play text leaves the confines of its original status, it is left for the director to interpret all these elements to suit the demands and exigencies of the new abode. The original story in The Legendary Inikpi, is selfless sacrifice. Selfless sacrifice itself is a universal phenomenon. Though the play talks about the selfless sacrifice of Princess Inikpi to save Igala Kingdom from annihilation by the Bini invading forces. The audience which was made up of Nigerians, Israelis and other foreign Continues on page 49

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012, PAGE 49

FG commissions culturalindustrial centre BY CALEB AYANSINA LECTURE

Chief Edem Duke THE Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Chief Edem Duke last week commissioned culturalindustrial centre built in a bid to alleviate poverty. The project located in Gidan Ajia Orozo, a satellite town in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is one of the 12 cultural-industrial centers waiting to be commissioned in the 6 – Geo political zones of the country. At the commissioning, the Minister said the centre was built to provide cultural services to their immediate communities and build capacities in entrepreneurial activities. This according to him is to create jobs in line with the vision 20-2020 objec-

tive of the Federal Government. Represented at the event by his Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Ibukun Odusote, Duke said the cultural activities include crafts, prints, weaving, pottery, beading and further research into how these cultural services can become more viable. He called on States across the nation to work together with his Ministry to strengthen the contribution of the cultural industries to the economic growth and opportunities in various states. The Minister made the imperative of Private Sector partnerships in running the activities of the Cultural centres and in helping to contribute through investments to the taking of the nation’s economy to the next step. The Permanent Secretary, Mrs Ibukun Odusote represented by the Director Culture Alhaji Abdulkadir Mukhtar said the cultural industries which are knowledge – based and labour intensive are known to have capacities to create employment and wealth. These industries which hitherto have enjoyed adequate attention by various governments according to her, are today increasingly growing to assume major economic significance in the history of the sector. In his remark, the Seriki of Gidan Ajia, Alhaji Sule Baba extended the gratitude of the entire Gidan Ajia Community and promised not to let the Ministry down in the usage of the facilities provided. The 12 Cultural Industries centres where the industries are located include Enugu, Taraba, Ondo, Benue, Sokoto and FCT.

Heart lifting worship during the concert.

Worship for Change benefit concert BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA CONCERT

ECENTLY Fountain of Praise hosted her annual Worship for Change benefit concert, to aid orphans, less privileged and children with special needs. The worship for change concert which started several years back have raised about $100,000 utilized to affect the lives of less privilege kids. Featuring several sizzling gospel artistes like: Wale Adenuga the visionary of Worship for Praise benefit concert, Freke, Eben, Psalmos and Nathaniel Bassey, the event was no doubt a heart lifting and amazing experience for lovers of gospel music. Gospel music took an innovative twist at the concert; affirming that it is definitely a new dawn for the genre of

Theatre as diplomatic soldiering Continued from page 48 nationals was very receptive. In the audience were diplomats of other nations led of course by the Nigerian Ambassador to the State of Israel, His Excellency Ambassador David Oladipo Obasa who spoke very well about the play. In fact, he buttressed the selflessness of Princess Inikpi and explained the audience the imperative of this history to the Igala Kingdom, to Nigeria and of course the universality of the message. The production of The Legendary Inikpi by the African Israeli Stage was not devoid of cultural challenges and directorial license to the interpretation of text outside of its immediate Igala setting. Within the Igala context of the play for instance, you can never have a woman Ohioga Ata as ifa consultant. But here in the production was a powerful female Ohioga Ata that stunned the audience with her superlative performance. At a point when she came on stage as the Ohioga Ata to announce the demands of the ancestors that Inikpi be offered for sacrifice, the entire audience went still and calm. She so acted

the role that she unambiguously carried the charisma, aura, serenity, reverence and awe that the playwright confessed he never saw any male Ohioga Ata, not even in the production of The Legendary Inikpi that he directed a couple of years ago Simply put, it was a transparent artistic success. One of the most difficult members of the audience for any director is to have the playwright right there. Most difficult because being the

Another display at the event.

author and creator of the work, the director’s interpretation should be seen to at least be close to the original intention of the playwright. The second challenge with the play production has to do with all historical plays. Both the play text and its production must be close to the history being represented via dramaturgy. For an Israeli Troupe, performing an Igala historical play on both levels, they did very well.

gospel music. After the opening prayers, the sonorous voice of Fountain of Praise choir filled the atmosphere by preparing the pathway for other gospel acts that mounted the stage afterward. Co-hosting the event alongside Saco is Freke, a renowned comedian.He proved beyond measure that it is possible to have an unadulterated and clean comedy without being unnecessarily boring. Over the years pledges made at the event have been used to benefit the children living at the Dustbin Estate in Ajegunle. The organizers of the event have also partnered with LOTS Charity Foundation to put together a befitting Resource centre that helps in giving these children a head-start in life. Passionate about touching and changing lives Wale Adenuga, the visioner of Worship for Change, has written songs like: Today O, You alone are worthy Lord, Lord because of Me amongst others which have become worship favourite staples in many churches.

Awhinawhi donates to flood victims

N response to calls for assistance to flood victims across the state, Chief Solomon Awhinawhi, former member of House of Representatives, has donated relief materials to some flood displaced persons in Ughelli North and South local government areas of Delta State. Chief Awhinawhi, who visited the Oharisi Primary School, Ughelli and Otu Jeremi camps,Oviri Olomu, Ewu and Gbaregolor communities, noted that the devastation caused by the flood cannot be quantified and appealed to the people to put the tragedy behind them. He sympathized with the victims at the camps and communities, particularly those that lost their loved ones, saying that he shared in their pains and will always be in touch with them as well as contribute to their welfare. Awhinawhi represented by Chief Henry Awhefada, Sam Omoko and Barr. Ese Abigor presented bags of rice, beans, garri, tubers of yams, toiletries, gallons of vegetable oil, amongst others to the flood victims. Receiving the items at the Oharisi camp Ughelli,an official of the State Emergency Relief Agency thanked Chief Awhinawhi for the gesture and promised to use the items judiciously for the upkeep of the victims.

PAGE 50 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, OCTOBER 14, 2012

GKS laments rising rate of divorces in Nigeria

Oritsejafor donates relief materials to flood victims BY

BY SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA

HE chairman of the Executive Board of God’s Kingdom Society (GKS), Brother Godwin Ifeacho, has decried the increasing rate of divorce in Nigeria and other parts of the world, warning that the trend was contrary to the divine order and posed grave dangers to the wellbeing of the society. In an address read at this year ’s “Freedom Day Divine Service” at the GKS Service Hall, Elelenwo, near Port Harcourt, entitled “Living a godly life in Christ Jesus”, Brother Ifeacho, noted that most divorces were caused by financial problems, infidelity, disrespect or disregard for each other, among other reasons and exhorted all couples to live up to their marriage vows by using the word of God “to work on their problems with prayers to God with Whom all things are possible”. Drawing inspiration from Matthew 19:9, Malachi 2:14-16 and Hebrews 13:4, he stated at the service which also featured the dedication of the ultra-modern Service Hall of GKS, Elelenwo branch, that marital break-ups were undermining social cohesion and heightening youth restiveness, hence the need for couples to avoid resorting to divorce at the least opportunity. Another area, he said, many professed Christians were coming short of the demands of God was in the area of sexual morality. He regretted that “though some claim to be Christians yet they indulge in fornication, adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, prostitution, cohabitation or trial marriage or even what some call “open marriage” loose relationships in which the parties agree to have other sexual partners contrary to the Bible”. He also charged those who want to live godly lives to reflect their beliefs in their manner of dressing as it gives immediate impression of the persons character and world view. “One cannot dress indecently, portraying oneself as loose in morals or wild in character or as a dev-

iant just to be seen as fashionable and yet want to be taken seriously as a Christian,” he said while rebuking the attitude of some men who were fond of instructing their wives to wear outfits that expose their bodies. He urged women to disobey such instructions “for we must obey God rather than men”. Speaking at the Service Hall dedication, the chairman of the GKS Elelenwo branch, Brother Henry Obukonise thanked God for the efforts of the church hierarchy and the members over the years which has culminated

in the completion of the hall. Present at the service were a member of the GKS Executive Board, Brother Samuel Ayavoro, the minister in charge of Rivers State branches, Brother Timothy Esimagbele, the chairman of the GKS Laity, Brother Emmanuel Ogidi as well as GKS members and invited guests from Rivers, Bayelsa and Abia states. The GKS marks the birth of Christ which she calls “Freedom Day” in the month of October every year by way of Divine Services which feature sermons, songs and dances and answering of questions from members

of the public. Similarly, vice chairman, Executive Board, Brother Felix Adedokun said the entire world is still in search of genuine freedom because of the deceit of mankind. Addressing newsmen after the Freedom Day teaching in Lagos, Brother Adedokun lamented that Christian leaders are not speaking the truth on the actual birth date of Jesus Christ, adding that the Bible did not mention a particular date or month that the messiah was born. In his words: “The geographical features of Palestine do not support

the belief of some that Christ was born in December. The cold of the night in Palestine from December to February is very piercing and it was not the custom of shepherds to watch their flock in the open fields later than the end of October. It is in the least degree incredible that the birth of Christ could have taken place at the end of December”. On the state of the nation, the GKS official urged Nigerians to have the fear of God, imbibe integrity and shun all forms of unrighteousness.

Dedication of a new church building & vicarage by the Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh at St. Mary's Anglican Church, Ajasa, Ipaja, Lagos. Picture shows Justice Babasola Ogunade, Chancellor, Lagos West, Bishop of Lagos West, Rt. Rev. Peter Adebiyi and the primate, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh delivering his sermon at the occasion. Photo: DIRAN OSHE.

Cleric urges couples to avoid ethnic biases By Olayinka LATONA

ORRIED by the fre-quent incidents of divorce in Nigeria with its dire effect on the society, the programme director of Made For Each Other Ministry, Pastor Kunle Adedini has identified ethnic bias, comparison, financial disharmony as some of

challenges working against marriages. Adedini, who spoke at a Marriage Seminar held recently in Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos, noted that for any marriage succeed, both partners must pay a price because it is a journey for two personalities. Listing five cardinal truths to a successful marriage, Adedini said marriage is a journey that involves two personalities of humanity and

divinity and requires grace to run because it is not a bed of roses. He noted that marriage is the only institution where a certificate is issued before examination, hence the need for partners to live the rest of their lives to justify the certificate by their daily living. “To overcome marital problems, couples must have a family vision, define their own happin-

ess, get rid of third party, trust one another and dream at their own pace. “In the school of marriage no graduation, you can only make progress. Anybody who tries to graduate would be a drop-out. Marriage is also a life sentence and it requires a price to pay,” he stated. He enjoined couples and intending couples to seek God’s help for grace to run their marriages.

SAM

EYOBOKA

AT I O N A L President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN and General Overseer of Warribased Word of Life Bible Church, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor has donated items worth millions of naira to victims of floods that had ravaged parts of the country scattered in different camps in Delta State. A church delegation led by the wife of the CAN president, Pastor (Mrs.) Helen Oritsejafor visited different centres set up by the Delta State Government with trucks containing relief materials to cushion the debilitating effect of the flood on hundreds of thousands of displaced persons in the state. Donating food items including bags of rice, beans, garri, jerry cans of vegetable oil, bags of salt and cartons of toiletries to alleviate the suffering of the internally displaced persons and their children at the different camps, Pastor Oritsejafor told the affected victims that church was moved by the devastation of disaster. The delegation visited the Carveginia Primary School resettlement centre in Warri, Ogbe Ijoh Primary School also in War ri, Oharisi Primary School camp in Ughelli, St. Michael College, Oleh, the headquarters of Isoko South Local Government Area as well as the camp located in AGGS, Ozoro in Isoko North Local Government Area. The church also took the gospel of love to the Otu Jeremi and Okwagbe, both in Ughelli South Local Government Area camps and was received by welfare officers drawn from different organizations and government, with words of encouragement to the victims. Drawing inspiration from different biblical passages, Mama Oritsejafor told the flood victims to always draw closer to their Maker who only can adequately comfort them at a time like this and take them through this current wilderness period.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012 — PAGE 51

NCPC partners Catholic Pilgrims Committee BY

SAM

EYOBOKA

WHEN FOREVER IS NOT FOREVER

OT even once did anyone in the bible ever talk about everlasting life. At best, they talked about “age-lasting life.” Neither did anyone say anything would happen forever or forever and ever. As a matter of fact, the words “forever,” “eternal,” and “everlasting” never once occur in the bible. If these words are in your bible, they are the result of wrong translations of the Hebrew word “olam” and the Greek word “aion;” which correctly mean a period of time or an age in English. What the scriptures talk about are ages past, this present age and ages to come. When the English bible says something is “forever,” one thing is for sure; that “forever ” will come to an end. Not forever Take a look at the following anomalies. Jonah was swallowed live by a big fish. While in the belly of the fish, he says: "I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me FOREVER." (Jonah 2:6). However, Jonah was not in the fish forever. He was only there for three days and three nights. When a slave loved his master and did not wish to go free at the end of the seventh year: “Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an aul; and he shall serve him FOREVER.” (Exodus 21:6). Of course, that "forever" could not possibly be longer than his lifespan. When Solomon built the Jerusalem temple, he told God in his prayer of dedication: “I have surely built You an exalted house, and a place for You to dwell in FOREVER.” (1 Kings 8:13). The Lord answered Solomon: “I have heard your prayer and your supplication that you have made before Me; I have consecrated this house which you have built to put My name there FOREVER, and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” (1 Kings 9:3). However, Solomon's temple did not last forever. It only lasted for about 400

years. Clearly, these bible translations are wrong and misleading. In one case "forever" means only three days and nights. In another case, it means a man's lifetime. In yet another case, it means 400 years. This demonstrates the original words could not have meant unending or eternal. They mean an age with both a beginning and an end. There are 339 “forever ” in the Old Testament King James bible and 51 “forever ” in the New Testament, making 390 in all. Not a single one of them means forever.

Time-bound forever

iven the wrong translations in the English bible, we discover time in eternity. Revelation says: "The smoke of their torment ascends FOREVER and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image." (Revelation 14:11). However, there is no time in eternity;

limited by the "until,” meaning the "forever" is not forever.

Forever forevers

and

Moreover, the singular form of a word cannot have the same meaning as the plural. If both the singular and the plural are used in the original Hebrew or Greek, the distinctions must also be presented in the English translation. Yet, in certain places in the English bible, the plural form of the Greek word "aion" (which is "aions") is translated as exactly the same word as the singular form and thereby its true meaning is lost in the English translation. For example, in Ephesians 3:21, the original Greek says: "Unto all generations for the AION of the AIONS." However, in the English translation, there is no indication that the first "aion" is singular and the second plural. It still says: "Unto all generations for

ut ages are time and time can be added to time. Therefore, when the Greek New Testament speaks of "the ages of the ages," it is not speaking of eternity but of aggregated periods of time. We do not get eternity by adding up all the ages of the past to the ages of the future. That means we are still operating in time, which has a beginning and an end. However, eternity is everlasting; completely outside of time.

Doctrinal Gaffes

When the English bible says something is “forever,” one thing is for sure; that “forever” will come to an end neither can there be day or night. Once we are still talking of day and night, it means we are operating in time and have not yet reached timeless eter nity. Therefore, this scripture should not say in English "their torment ascends for ever and ever." It should say "their torment ascends for the ages of the ages." Take a second look at this proclamation in Isaiah: “The forts and towers will become lairs FOREVER, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks- until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field.” (Isaiah 32:14-15). This translation has an inherent contradiction. It situates eternity (forever) within time. Since the forts and the towers will become lairs until the Spirit is poured from on high, then the situation cannot be forever. The "forever" is

"and ever" can be added to it. Only time can be compounded. But no time can be added to eternity. You cannot have two eternities. Neither can you add one eternity to another eter nity. Eter nity is absolute timelessness, without beginning or end. Granted, we cannot add "and ever" to “forever;” as obtains in the English bible, making it “forever and ever.”

ever and ever" because the translators cannot say "for ever and evers." In Revelation 1:6, the original Greek bible says "To him be glory for the AIONS of the AIONS." However, the English translation does not indicate the “aions” are plural. It still says: "To Him be glory for ever and ever" because the translators cannot say "for evers and evers." English translators muddle up everything; failing to differentiate between the “age of the age;” the “age of the ages;” the “ages of the ages” and eternity.

Forever and ever

n their arbitrary harmonization of the scriptures, English translators also rendered what is in the original Greek text as "the ages of the ages" as "for ever and ever" in the English bible. This is nonsensical. "For ever" cannot be endless if

Because the English bible talks of eternity (“forever and ever ”), when no such expression actually exists in the original Hebrew and Greek scriptures, we have misunderstood the scope of God’s wrath and judgment. Christians assume these have eternal implications, when in fact the bible does not say so. A key example here is the “Christian hell,” where God allegedly burns and torments sinners “forever and ever.” Such place is without scriptural validity. The bible only talks of ages to come. It does not deal with eternity. There is also no indication how long an age or the ages will last. Much of what we know about “hell” is extra-biblical, developed long after the bible was compiled, and often extrapolated into the scriptures by bible redactors and translators. There is persuasive evidence that “hell” is something the Catholic Church invented in order to control lives and scare unbelievers; but that would have to be the subject-matter of another article of faith.

HE Nigerian Christian P i l g r i m Commission (NCPC), has perfected plans to partner with the Abuja Catholic Archdiocesan Pilgrimage Committee in order to move Christian Pilgrimage in Nigeria to greater heights and encourage Christians who are Catholics to go on pilgrimage. Executive Secretary of NCPC, Mr. John Kennedy Opara disclosed this recently in his office while playing host to members of the Abuja Catholic A r c h d i o c e s a n Pilgrimage Committee who paid him a visit to acquaint themselves with the activities of the Commission and to see how NCPC and the committee could work in close synergy to get more Catholics involved in pilgrimage activities. The NCPC boss explained that partnership between the commission and the committee would go a long way to help Catholics wishing to travel to the Holy Land through the Commission enjoy the concessional exchange rate approved by Mr. President. The Executive Secretary added that the procurement of visas would be made easy for

them through this partnership, adding that the Committee would be dealing directly with their intending pilgrims in selling of forms and payment. In his words, “through partnership with your committee, we would be sure that no pilgrim would abscond”, while encouraging the committee members to continue to sensitize Catholics about pilgrimage so that the needed awareness would be achieved. He explained that the Commission has a calendar of activity which is approved by Mr. President at the beginning of every year, noting that the Commission has been working earnestly in line with its calendar of activity. Opara used the opportunity of the visit to congratulate the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Eminence John Onaiyekan for his elevation to Cardinal, assuring them that he would continue to support the new cardinal through prayers. In his response, the chairman of the committee, Rev. Father Daniel Agbe explained that their visit was to see the arrangements put in place for a hitch-free pilgrimage exercise this year and to see how the committee could partner with NCPC.

Job creation can end Boko Haram menace, says C&S By BOSE ADELAJA

PIRITUAL leader and chairman Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Worldwide, Rev. Samuel Abidoye, has attributed the present security challenges in Nigeria to unequal distribution of wealth in the country even as he called on government at all levels, corporate organisations and individuals to create jobs for Nigerian youths. Speaking at an interactive session with journalists during the church's 72th international conference with theme “My year of triumph”, which took place at Oko-Oba, Agege in Lagos, he lamented that many Nigerian youths are easily enticed into the Islamic sect as a result of idleness. Abidoye explained

that the conference which kicked off on Monday was to give members a reflection of the past and present plans of the church in order to restrategize for the future. The spiritual father also advised political leaders in the country to stay away from corruption so as to leave a legacy for the youths, adding that the Movement will not relent in praying against bad leadership, kidnapping and bombings amongst others. His words: “The country is deeply in corruption, how can some body earn as much as N20 billion in a month while others are hunger? Unemployment is on the increase in Nigeria. We can create jobs among the youths to reduce the menace of Boko Haram,” he said.

CHRISTIAN FESTIVAL IN November 2012 November 30: St. Andrew's Day

PAGE 52—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

Falling in love

alling in love may be one of the greatest feelings ever. There is an actual chemical process that happens to a person who is falling in love. All of the senses have a greater intensity. Colours seem brighter, sounds more resonant and smells more powerful when you are in love. When you are with your lover there is no greater feeling in the world, and when you are not you spend all your time thinking of each other. Falling in love is truly an awesome feeling. cheers!

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SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012 — PAGE 53

Oba Okunade Sijuade Annual Leadership Lecture and Award Series

Obama, Romney and ‘act of God’

HEN Super Storm Sandy decided to unleash its fury on the East Coast of America, it was a nightmare that Republican Party Candidate, Mitt Romney would have loved to avoid or possibly pray against is manifestation. But the Hurricane came and may have put “San San” in his ambition to become the 45 th President of the United States of America, come November 6, 2012.. Buoyed by the resurgence of his impressive performance at the first presidential debate, Romney found a voice and a message. The poor state of the economy became his mantra. He waxed stronger in opinion polls and in the media. He became the best the next president in the eye of the media. Issues bordering on Romney’s failure to fully disclose his tax return, his flip flops on issues, and changing from his ideological base as a conservative to a moderate, were pushed aside by the media, to the credit of the Romney campaign which made economy the number one issue in the election. Despite the fact that President Obama preformed better in the two subsequent debates, the momentum remained with Romney as we continued to close in on the president in the battle ground states of Ohio, Florida, Colorado, New York, Pennsylvania etc. But the unexpected happened: Hurricane sandy became the Deux Ex-Machina that may have shattered Romney’s dream and perhaps strengthened President’s Obama’s faltering reelection chances. This intervention of nature according to Colorado based Nigerian, Jossy Adam, is not good news for the Republican party candidate because it gave President Obama, the most needed opportunity to use his power of incumbency but the more importantly, those who would vote on November 6, 2012, would want to be sure that they are not gambling with

their future. The case for continuity has become a priority. The desire for federal support to the victims of Hurricane Sandy has equally become urgent and these have been playing in favour of President Obama. Post scenario

Hurricane

Both President Obama and Mitt Romney suspended their campaign events to attend to the Hurricane Sandy’s visit. By the time they resumed last Thursday the former Governor of Massachusetts seemed to have lost the momentum he built from the first debate. First, the Governor of New Jersey, Mr. Chris Christie, who was one of Obama’s vitriolic critic became one of the first persons to commend

BY HUGO ODIOGOR

More bad news came for Mitt Romney when the October job figures for the month of October was released on Friday by the Labour Department

President Obama for the prompt and efficient handling of the crisis created by Hurricane Sandy. The GOP candidate, Romney became constrained in his criticism of President Obama, who as the Commander-in-chief, has been saddled with managing the Sandy catastrophe which claimed 88 lives, a death toll far greater than what was lost in Benghazi. Romney has found himself on a bad spot as majority of the victims would need federal government bail out, to be able to recover from their losses. Romney earlier said 47% of Americans are victims of the economic system who depend on government subsidy to survive. Now those who suffered from the impact

of Hurricane Sandy would need government support for insurance companies, to be able to replace their cars, homes create new job or restart their businesses, rebuild infrastructures Romney is hard put to advocate for federal bail out which he has criticized in the past especially when it was extended to auto companies and financial institutions that were hit by the financial meltdown in 2008. Some of the critical post Hurricane Sandy campaign issues have centred on prevailing reality and other than ideological ideals which was the dominant position of the two main candidates. Americans affected by the disaster want immediate support to pull through President Obama has changed from the defensive campaign, to providing messages of hope as well as testimonials of his accomplishments in the past four years. Economic rebound More bad news came for Mitt Romney when the October job figures for the month of October was released on Friday by the Labour Department. The GOP candidate has made creation of jobs and revamping the economy the cardinal focus of his attack on the Obama administration. The Labour Department report shows that 171,000 new jobs were created which was higher than the 125,00 new jobs expected by economists. Most of the jobs came from the private sector. The report has come handy for President Obama who swiftly told his supporters that more than 4 million jobs were created since 2009 economic decline. The report also indicated a drop in unemployment rate to below 8%. The report also revised the September figures upwards from 114,000 new jobs to 148,000. Given that fact that the auto companies are doing great, the housing sector is rebounding all these have made many observer to wonder whether Hurricane Sandy is a democrat. Back in April 2012, U.S Immigration Lawyer, McAnthoney Ndukaeze unequivocally said Mitt Romney will win the nomination for Republican Party, but when it comes tom winning the presidential election against Barack Obama, “I can tell you that Romney will not be president of the United States of America.”

Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuade (right), and chairman of the occasion, Dr Frederick Fasehun, during the maiden edition of the Oba Okunade Sijuade Annual Leadership Lecture and Distinguished Award Series in Ile Ife yesterday .Photos by Dare Fasube

A cross section of royal fathers.

From left: Keynote speaker, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, Erelu Abiola Dosumu and Prof. Siyan Oyeweso.

From left: Prof. Sola Olowu, chief medical director, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, Ile Ife; Prof Olusanya Adejuyigbe and Vice Chancellor, OAU, Prof. Bamitale Omole.

PAGE 54 -- SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

The North is using Boko Haram to distract Jonathan—Zuokumor Continued from page 42 stand at N43.2 billion per day. Since Nigeria’s oil production ranged between 2.4 and 2.6 barrels for all of 2011, savings for Nigeria and the JV Partners for the year ending 2011 was estimated to be a whooping N6 trillion. The Presidential Amnesty Office in the first and second phases of its homegrown disarmament, demobilization and reintegration component of the amnesty programme involved about 26,358 former armed agitators in the nation’s oil bearing Niger Delta region. The feat triggered global demand for transfer of this programme from the United Nations and other international agencies to governments of participating nations. Boko Haram The Boko Haram insurgency was masterminded by some northern leaders for selfish reasons. That is why Boko Haram has no clear ideology, no cogent reason. It is a secret political par-

The plot against Jonathan is diabolical and that is why we are sensitizing our people early enough to be ready for the unseen

ty that is ready to even kill their own as long as it will make news at the end of the day. No meaningful development seems to be going on in the Niger Delta region now that we have somebody from the region as president. What do you have to say about this? Jonathan is doing well even in the Niger Delta. Let me specifically point out channels he has created and what he is doing all over the region. The former board of the NDDC was sacked and a focused board was set up. It has awarded over sixty mega projects all over the Niger Delta for execution within Mr. President’s two years in office. Since the inception of the NDDC, impediments have been placed before the body C M Y K

such as embargo in the award of contracts or directives limiting them from performing beyond a point. But President Jonathan, within his short stay in office, dismantled all the hurdles and facilitated the process for the NDDC to perform. Provision has been made for the opening of all the ports in the Niger Delta including Calabar, Warri, Koko, Sapele, Onne and Port Harcourt. This is a programme designed to boost the economic and social life of the Niger Delta. What about the East West Road? From the explanations of the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, the design of the road was faulty, so it was re-designed and funds have been provided for it. The framework is there and, in a few months, you will see construction work in full swing. Threat to impeach Jonathan It is a sectional agenda being carried out by the Speaker of the House of

Representatives, Tambuwal and his likes, but it will fail. The sponsors are deliberately trying to distract the president from the business of governance and to intimidate him. We will react on all fronts. The plot against Jonathan is diabolical and that is why we are sensitizing our people early enough to be ready for the unseen. It is not like before where we allow certain things to go. If Jonathan’s face is not good enough to rule Nigeria, then our oil is not good enough to sustain the country. What is the agenda of your group, the Southern Mandate? To sensitize our people of the antics of some leaders in the North who are bent in frustrating

Jonathan’s administration, his policies and by extension frustrating any act that is favourable to our people, to unite our people; the various ethnic groups for the challenges ahead. At the press briefing by your group, you mentioned that Malabu Oil probing is likely to cause disaffection and tension in the Niger Delta The Niger Delta struggle was caused by so many factors, one of which is the deliberate scheming out of indigenes of the oil bearing areas from the oil industry. Some of our youths attacked oil installations simply because of the revocation of Malabu oil block. Can you mention one indigene of the Niger Delta who owns an oil block? The only man that managed to get one is being deliberately haunted. Even as attacks on the amnesty programme are yet to abate, the socalled northern elders and leaders angling for President Jonathan’s head have in their usual style, set out a fresh offensive through the House of Representatives in the form of a probe into the handling of the Malabu Oil Block OPL 245 deal by the present administration which facilitated an out-of-court settlement in a protracted legal tussle between Malabu Oil owned by Chief Dan Etete, an Ijaw and Shell Petroleum and partners who controlled some shares in the oil block in dispute. It is needless to restate the circumstances of the case which started from the regime of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as all the facts are in the public domain. We are however, shocked that a paltry sum of $2.1 billion said to have been paid as compensation for the obnoxious and provocative disenfranchisement of the only oil block owned by a Niger Delta indigene had suddenly become a subject of interest and probe at the National Assembly. This is unacceptable to us and we view it as a deliberate plot to deny the Niger Delta people of the right to their God-given wealth.

AWC:Hamilton charges Falcons to remain focused BY EDDIE AKALONU

OACH Paul Hamilton has described the Super Falcons’ performance in the on-going African Women Championships in Equatorial Guinea as wonderful and restated his belief that they are on course to retaining the cup. “With the victories and class they showed, I remain very positive that they will win again particularly after that hard-won tie over Cameroon on a very bad pitch,” he said. Hamilton has also asked the team to remain focused and approach the rest of the matches in the championship with utmost caution, stressing that it is by doing so that victory can be achieved. “They must remain focused and work harder to avoid the intrigues in competitions of this nature,”he advised, adding “news of poor reception meted out to the team on arrival by

the host country shows they are desperate and would employ any possible means just to frustrate and stop our girls.” “I commend the coaches and players for what they have done so far and I can only hope that this continues, he said, adding, “the fact that the hosts are scoring high must never be overlooked.”

Prior to the start of the championship, top striker and African Footballer of the Year award winner, Perpetua Nkwocha, had announced this championship would be her last for the country, as she plans to get married soon. Hamilton, who has had the privilege of coaching the both male and female senior teams and Flying Eagles said it was more important that the Falcons win this AWC, as a perfect wedding gift to Nkwocha. “I will be the happiest man if Falcons win this edition because it will be the perfect parting and wedding gift to Perpetua because she is one player who has served this country well with body and mind. In-fact she has given everything she has to the country since emerging into national limelight,”he said.

•Coach Ikhana

Team Akpabioism ready for ex-Eagles —Bassey HE November 24 novelty football match slated for the Uyo Stadium in Akwa Ibom State between some Henry Nwosu-led ex-Eagles and Team Akpabioism led by the Akwa Ibom State governor, Chief Godswill Akpabio, is in top gear. Pastor James Bassey, Chancellor of Apabioism Centre of Leadership Development who disclosed this, said prominent members of Governor Akpabio’s team including the Secretary to the State Government, Obong Umanah 0. Umanah, commissioner for sports, finance and others are already very enthusiastic about the tournament, which will be broadcast live on Nigeria’s premier television station and other formidable electronic media like AIT and Channels Television. For this important national sporting activity, Pastor Bassey also said that security is a top agenda as “all the necessary security agents, including the police, army and civil defence corps among others, have been informed and they have equally pledged their unalloyed support and commitment to the success of the tournament.” It will be recalled that about 20 ex-Eagles have

signed to partake in the novelty match which Pastor Bassey is part of activities lined up for the Third Akpabioism Lecture, an annual event since 2010 for the promotion and entrenchment of the out-

standing leadership qualities of Gov. Godswill Akpabio in the nation’s firmament. To join Nwosu are Etim Esin, Friday Ekpo, Peter Rufai, Victor Ikpeba and Taribo West, among others.

Shocking! Ondo may not participate in Sports Festival BY OSARETIN EMUZE HE people of Ondo State may still be savouring the victory of Governor Segun Mimiko at the recent polls but would be shocked to hear that their State may not be part of the 18th National Sports Festival holding in Lagos later this month. A source close to State’s Ministry of Sports revealed that the re-election of the Governor cost the State a lot of funds and as a result the government is unable to release funds for the camping of the State’s athletes for the festival. According to the source, the athletes are yet to begin official camping but are training on their own hoping that funds may be released soon. The festival is just three weeks away.

“We are not sure of participating in the festival because of lack of funds but we are training on our own, nothing is coming from the government,” the source said. Meanwhile, athletes and officials who won medals to place fourth at the last National Sports Festival in Port Harcourt, their first in the competition’s history, are spoiling for a showdown with the authorities over their neglect by the State government. “For the first time in the history of Ondo State we came fourth and won many medals. To our surprise, our State governor till date has not deemed it fit to reward us, not even a handshake. It is very sad because other States rewarded their athletes greatly,” one of the athletes lamented.

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012 — 55

AWC: Beware of Equatorial Guineans, Josy Lad warns Falcons By BEN EFE ORMER Super Fal cons coach, Josy Lad has posited that the Equatorial Guinea team is the only obstacle that will block Nigeria from winning her ninth African Women’s Championship title. Josy Lad, who led the Falcons to a fruitless chase at the 2008 edition in Equatorial Guinea declared that the hosts, were capable of doing anything to achieve victory and as such the Falcons had better be pre-

pared for their antics. Equatorial Guinea dispatched Nigeria in the semi-final in 2008. However, both teams may not cross paths until the final, unless of course the Falcons fail to get the desired result in their game against Cote ‘d Ivoire today. “The Falcons have all it takes to win the Championship. They have made a good showing in their group B games so far and I don’t see them stumbling. What I will advise them to do, is to beware of the Equatorial Guineans’

PWF Championship Cup kicks off

he second Pauline and Wilson F o u n d a t i o n Championship Cup kicks off on November 5 at the mainbowl of the National Stadium, Surulere Lagos. Fifty six grassroots teams from across Lagos State will be slugging it out for the N750,000 top prize. Draw for the championship was held at the SWAN Hall, National Stadium Tuesday and the defending champions, Shaggy FC will begin the defence of the trophy they won last year with a clash against FC Shakka. The draw witnessed eight seeded teams drawn tops of Groups A to H. Each group has eight teams and will play on home and away basis. After the first round of competition eight teams will emerge and the best six losers will join the eight group champions for the second round. Sponsor of the tournament, Innocent Ogah, said he was C M Y K

inspired by the need to put smiles on the faces of the teeming youth and provide a platform for them to achieve their lifetime dreams of becoming stars through football. He said the second placed team will take home N350,000 while the second runner up goes home with N200,000.

antics. That was what they did to us in 2008, the players who were with me then and are there right now with team will testify to what I am saying. The hosts will stop at nothing to win and I want the Falcons to put their feet down. If they are focused no matter what antics the Guineans will employ, they will not be able to stop the Falcons from bringing the trophy home,” said the veteran coach. The Falcons currently sit on top of Group B with two wins, while Cote d’Ivoire edged Cameroon to third position with a superior goal difference. Cote d’ Ivoire who fell to Cameroon 41 in their last Group B game, need a win over the Falcons to stand a realistic chance of going through as Cameroon is expected to beat Ethiopia, the weakest team of the group. Coach Kadiri Ikhana has however, stated that they will go all out and collect the maximum points.

MASTERFUL.... Super Eagles’ Chelsea forward, Victor Moses (l) was at his best yesterday, scoring his first Premier League goal against Swansea but his effort was watered down as the host leveled scores at 1-1 to share the points.

Moses scores first Premier League goal •Refs plan Blues boycott N

IGERIA’S Victor Moses scored his first premier league goal yesterday as Chelsea were held to a one all draw by Swansea at the Liberty Stadium. The Blues laboured for most of the game until the 60th minute when Victor Moses headed in with his back against the Swansea post after a flick on by Gary Cahil. Chelsea pressed forward, but failed to secure their lead as Swansea swarmed forward seeking the equaliser on a rainy afternoon. They were rewarded as Chelsea defenders failed to clear their lines and paid dearly as Pablo Her-

nandez fired from the edge of the box with two minutes remaining on the watch. Chelsea with the result relinquished their leadership of the premier league table. Manchester United are new league leaders with their 2-1 win over Arsenal. They have 24 points while Chelsea

have 23 points. Meanwhile referees are planing a boycott of Chelsea games following allegations of racial abuse level against Mark Clattenburg. Police and the Football Association have launched formal investigations into the European champions’ allegations

Clattenburg used ‘inappropriate language’ towards John Obi Mikel. And ex-Premier League referee Clive Wilkes says the feelings of some of his former colleagues are so strong that they have started to discuss refusing to take charge of Chelsea’s games.

Cowbell Football Academy membership hits 140 EMBERSHIP of Cowbell Football Academy has increased by more than 100 per cent

FANS IDOL... US tennis player Venus Williams signs autographs for anxious fans after an exhibition match with her sister Serena at the Lagos Lawn Tennis Club Friday. Venus won 6-4, 7-5. The Williams sisters and their mother Oracene Price are on a visit to Lagos and South Africa to encourage athletes on the continent to strive for excellence in their sport. Photo: AFP

following the sponsorship of Promasidor Nigeria Limited, makers of Cowbell milk. Godwin Dudu Orumen, Rector of the academy disclosed this in Lagos, remarking that at “first we were an academy that had only about 60 children, but now have about 140 between aged between 4 and 17.” He said on the Cowbell platform, Promasidor has demonstrated that it listens to the needs of the environment and where it does business, adding that the number of coaches has also increased to six because of the financial support from the company to run weekly activity. We have activity on Saturday where all the kids come to but we also run extra trainings on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the elite corps of about 33 players aged between 14 and 17.

“The Cowbell Academy is a place where play and learning never stops. So we build sound minds and sound bodies who are able to do anything and as we speak, we have played about 42 or 43 friendly matches at different categories under the 11 and under 17 age categories, and guess what, there has been only one yellow card. So we are achieving one of our strong points which is, discipline,” Dudu said. In his contribution, Mr. Andrew Enahoro, Head Legal and Public Relations of Promasidor said the company is very excited at the increase recorded at the academy as it has given them opportunity to touch more lives. AWC matches Nigeria v Cote d’Ivoire 1.30pm Cameroon v Ethiopia 1.30pm

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 4, 2012

TODAY’S MATCHES QPR

Reading

Liverpool

Newcastle 4pm

FG committed to revamping sports – Jonathan

Target 2015 Nations Cup title, Odegbami advises Keshi

•Hoists flag for Eko 2012 By JACOB AJOM

ORMER Green Eagles captain, Chief Segun Odegbami (MON) has advised the Super Eagles Chief Coach, Stephen Keshi to look beyond the 2013 Nations Cup holding in South Africa and plan for the subsequent edition in 2015. Chief Odegbami, who won the African Club Winners Cup with Shooting Stars of Ibadan in 1976 spoke in Lagos on the chances of the Eagles against group mates Zambia, Burkina Faso and Ethiopia as well as in the entire competition during a press briefing to usher in the 2013 NNPC/Shell Cup for All Nigeria Secondary Schools Football Championships. “I think Keshi should concentrate on building the team which he is already doing by blending the local players with the Europebased ones. I don’t think we have a team that can win the 2013 Nations Cup yet,” he said. He said that by blending the players from the local league with their foreign-based counterparts, Keshi was on the right path of building a team that Nigerians would be proud

of, not necessarily for the 2013 Nations Cup, adding however that “if they go on to win the Nations Cup in South Africa, that would be a bonus. The team should be strong enough to win the 2015 Nations Cup.” Meanwhile, Chief Odegbami said that the NNPC/Shell Cup would

RESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan has reiterated the federal government’s determination to revamp the sports sector during his tenure. Speaking in Lagos during the Flag Hoisting Ceremony of Eko 2012 National Sports Festival yesterday President Jonathan who was represented by the Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo stated that “the federal government is committed to the transformation of the sports sector in the country,” pointing out that this was aptly demonstrated with the recent Presidential Retreat on Sports which held in Abuja. He assured that, “Government is committed to the full implementation of the recommendations made by the retreat working group.” The President underscored the significance of the flag hoisting ceremony as a symbol of unity among the country’s federating units. Said he, “This event is unique as it does not only stimulate participating states and the FCT to action towards the preparation of their athletes for the games, it also brings together representatives of all the states together to remind them that the festival has actually begun.” Sambo who flew into the Teslim Balogun Stadium in an helicopter hoisted the Nigerian flag while the host Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola who assured repeatedly that Lagos was ready for the games hoisted the Lagos state flag. The Lagos State deputy Governor and chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Adejoke Orelope Adefolure and chairman of the Main Organising Committee, Dr. Patrick Ekeji jointly hoisted the festival flag while representatives of the 36 states and the FCT hoisted their various flags. Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada was personally present to hoist his state’s flag.

Super Falcons’ goal machine Perpetua Nkwocha set to truncate the semi final ambition of the Ivorian women today.

1.30pm

continue to produce younger players who could fit into any of the nation’s age grade football teams even as he challenged the press to point to any member of the current Golden Eaglets who is in school. “Genuine U-17 players should still be in school and not playing for any club. The

NNPC/Shell Cup is not an age grade competition, it is for secondary school students but that does not mean that those who are 30 years can play in the competition, that is why there is some level of screening to ascertain only those are young participate,” he stressed.

ACROSS 1. Nigeria’s neighbour (8) 4. Nigerian tribe (4) 6. Bird of prey (5) 7. Geometrical shape (8) 8. Shaft (4) 9. Tidy (4) 10. Turncoat (8) 11. One (4) 12. Within (2) 13. Boxes in training (5) 15. Tub (4) 18. Looked at (4) 21. Nigerian state (4) 23. Notion (4) 25. Sports field (5) 27. Above (2) 28. Image (4) 29. Lowers (8) 30. Emblem (4) 31. Hausa boy’s name (4) 32. Dared (8) 34. Barrier (5) 35. Friend (4) 36. Gently (8)

DOWN 1.Bed (3) 2. Enugu soccer team (7) 3. Maiden name (3) 4. Planet (7) 5. Chosen by vote (7) 9. After this (4) 10. Knock (3) 14. Nigerian Grammy Laureate (3) 16. Hatchet (3) 17. Hello (2) 19. Still (3) 20. Mathematical constant (2) 21. Anambra city (7) 22. Cancel (7) 24. Extinct flightless bird (4) 25. Sowed (7) 26. Lettuce (3) 32. Animal doctor (3) 33. Twelve hours (3)

SEE SOLUTION ON PAGE

Results Man Utd Fulham Norwhich Sunderland Swansea Tottenham West Ham

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Arsenal Everton Stoke Aston Villa Chelsea Wigan Man City

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