Taped Confessions on an assasin - "How we killed Kano lawmakers for N40,000"

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‘How we killed Kano lawmakers for N40,000’ Continued from page 1 assassinate Hon. Ibrahim Abba Garko and Hon Isa Kademi, both members of Kano State House of Assembly.

The money was said to have even been paid in two installments of N20,000 each.

Garko was killed on November 17, 2012 by gunmen operating on motor bike in front of his house located at Yanáwaki Ungwa-Uku General Area while Kademi fell to the assassins bullets on December 14 in front of his guest house situated at Hotoro Maradun during the evening rush hour.

Until their assassination, Garko, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), represented Garko local government in parliament whereas Kademi, of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), was a three-time chairman of Gaya local government and a former chairman of Association of Local Governments in Kano State.

Sunday Vanguard exclusively obtained the interrogation tape of the professional dyer-turned- selfconfessed assassin, Ibrahim Lawal, in which he claimed to have been a member of the gang that murdered the two lawmakers and named one Alhaji Sale Kura, a PDP chieftain, as their sponsor.

Kano State Police Commissioner, Mr Ibrahim Idris, had, on Wednesday, paraded Lawal and Sale in connection with the assassination. Both of them, however, denied afterwards, their involvement in both killings to journalists.

“I am not a member of Boko Haram. I am a hired assassin and armed robber. We operated in a group of six and all of us live at Ungwa Uku,”Lawal told interrogators in the 25-minute tape.

On the killing of the lawmakers, the suspected assassin said, “We were mobilised by Sale Kura who personally handed over to me N20,000 twice (making N40,000) and we trekked to the abode of one of the targets while some other members of

the gang arrived on motorbike.

“The target was identified and we went out of our way to spray others within the vicinity to avoid any of them recognising us. The gang escaped in the ensuring melee.”

The first scene of the video tape of Lawal’s interrogation opened in an apartment where six cops, led by a high ranking officer, were seated.

A Mobile Police officer came in with the suspected assassin.

A gentle voice fired the first salvo,”Who are you”?

The suspect answered: “My name is Ibrahim Lawal; I live at Layin Yarbawa UngwaUku. I had my primary education at Ungwa Uku, and proceeded to Government Secondary School Bichi. I ventured into professional dying after I dropped out of secondary school.

I maintained a shop at Layin Tazarce at the same quarters.”

In response to a question on whether he was a member of Boko Haram, the suspect, in a loud voice, declared: “I am not a member of Boko Haram; I am a hired assassin and armed robber. We operated in a group of 6 and all of us live at Ungwa Uku”.

“Tell us more about the group”?, one of the police officers said.

Lawal replied: “We have Sagir Yahuza of Farin Massalaci Ungwa Uku, Surajo Adamu of Layin Tazarce Ungwa Uku, Tasiu Shuaibu of Layin Yarabawa Ungwa Uku and Mohammed AbdulSalam of Layin Tazarce Ungwa Uku quarters in Kano metropolis”.

On how he joined the gang, the suspect alleged, “I was personally recruited into the group by Alhaji Sale Kura who happens to be my neighbor and we enjoy a close relationship since 1999 when he became the PDP chairman of Tarauni Local Government Area of Kano State”.

Asked to comment on the criminal gang, Lawal stated: “We are not only into killings, we were also

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involved in violent robbery operations and Alhaji Sale Kura usually provided us with concoction to drink before embarking on operations. The drink had the effect of emboldening us as we confronted risks head on”.

The interrogation drew to a close with a question on how the suspect was captured by the police.

Lawal stated: “I was with Mabo, the leader of the gang, when we received a call that a

person on our hit list was sighted around Mabo shop and we quickly armed ourselves and moved in but, on arriving at the shop, the said person was no where to be found.

“As we were returning to my shop on a motorbike, we were accosted by a team of police officers who arrested me but Mabo was lucky as he escaped.”

Already, the state command of the police has vowed not to

spare anyone connected with the assassination of the lawmakers.

A senior officer of the Command told Sunday Vanguard that: “We would ensure that our investigation into the matter is very thorough as well as send the right signal that the Police Force of today means well; just as our Inspector General, MD Abubakar, is leaving no stone unturned in his transformation of the Force”.

Tree planting exercise in Ikoyi to mark the 75th birthday of environmentalist Newton Jibunoh.

General TY Danjuma (rtd) (2nd from right) planting while Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State (3rd from right) and other guests watch.

I don’t have 48 houses anywhere in the world—Sylva *Says he has only three properties in Abuja *Declares he and wife acquired houses before becoming gov

BY JOSEPH ERUNKE

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ORMER Governor of Bayelya State, Chief Timipre Sylva, yesterday, insisted that the 48 properties in Abuja, allegedly confiscated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, were not his, saying he had no 48 properties anywhere in the world.

According to him, he had only three properties in Abuja but said he and his wife acquired the three Abuja properties before he became governor.

He declared that the three properties were declared in his assets declaration form after he became governor.

In a statement made available to Sunday Vanguard in Abuja, through his counsel, Mr Benson Ibezim, Sylva said the anti-graft agency was out to humiliate him just as he advised people not to jump to conclusion based on what they read in the media.

“We seriously frown at the practice of media trial and condemnation without getting

to the root and substance of the facts. Trials are done in courts of law and not on the pages of newspapers where the general public is fed with all manner of falsehood, including imaginary 48 houses. We humbly and respectfully call on the media to exercise due diligence in their reporting”, he said.

“We were astonished to read

from virtually all Nigerian Newspapers that 48 houses belonging to Chief Timipre Sylva were seized.

In the first instance, Chief Timipre Sylva is not having 48 properties anywhere in the world. The three properties he has in Abuja had been secured by an order of court granted

by F.C.T. High Court and the Continues on page 6

PDP BoT : Ekwueme, Anenih, Nnamani, Ahmadu Ali in battle royale •As consensus bid fails, election holds on Tuesday

BY HENRY UMORU

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OR failing to arrive at a consensus candidate for Tuesday ’s emergence of its Chairman and members of the Board of Trustees, BoT, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, organ is heading for election. The new BoT chairman replaces former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who quit the

position in April 2012.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the move to go ahead with the election became imperative after weeks of scheming, political intrigues and nocturnal meetings geared at getting aspirants to the office to step down for one another especially on the grounds of age.

Some party members, as

Continues on page 6

PAGE 6—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013

PDP BoT : Ekwueme, Anenih, Nnamani, Ahmadu Ali in battle royale Continued from page 5 gathered, had spoken with aspirants that it will not go well to allow former Vice President Alex Ekwueme to go through the rigour of facing an election considering his age having marked his 80th birthday last year.

As the BoT prepares for the election scheduled to hold at the Presidential Villa, the number of candidates that will need the votes of other members have been trimmed from the initial twenty to eleven.

As gathered, South East has Ekwueme; former Senate President Ken Nnamani; Publisher of Champion Newspapers, Chief E m m a n u e l Iwuanyanwu; and Senator Onyeabo Obi; South South: Chief Tony Anenih and Chief Don Etiebet; North Central has only the former PDP National Chairman, Dr. Ahmadu Ali; while South West has Chief Richard Akinjide; former Deputy National Chairman, Shuaibu Oyedokun and Yekini Adeojo.

A former BoT chairman of the Nigeria People’s Party, ANPP, Chief Harry Ayaode Akande; Senator Bode Olajumoke, among others, failed to make the list.

The strong contenders for the PDP BoT position are Anenih, Ekwueme; Nnamani; Ahmadu Ali and Oyedokun, just as if Ali, from Kogi State, emerges, it means the North Central will be most favoured in the Board against the backdrop that the Secretary, Senator Walid Jubrin, from Nasarawa State, is also from North Central.

The PDP BoT, the highest decision body of the party, according to the constitution, comprises of men and women of integrity that have contributed critically to the conception and nurturing of the party, and who have sacrificed much for it, and as contained in Section 12.76 of the party ’s constitution.

The functions of BoT among others are to: ‘’Ensure highest standards of morality in all the activities of the

Party by acting as the conscience of the Party, with power to call to order any officer of the Party whose conduct falls below the norms; ‘’Ensure high morale of members of the Party and that the Party enjoys a good image before the Nigerian populace and is in good political health; and ‘’Harmonise, coordinate, review and advise on policies, programmes and activities of the Party at the national level.”

Obasanjo, who resigned last year as the BoT chairman, was elected June 2007 at the Kano Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

But Anenih, Obasanjo’s predecessor, who wants to bounce back, was conspicuously absent at the Hilton meeting where his head was shaved in his absence.

Ogun Govt secretariat gutted by fire BYDAUD OLATUNJI

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GUN State Government Secretariat, located in Oke-Masan, Abeokuta, was, yesterday evening, gutted by fire.

The fire affected the car park of the Obas complex at the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs within the Governor ’s Office.

Seven vehicles belonging to the state government were razed before the fire was put out by the quick intervention of men of the state Fire Service.

A towing vehicle belonging to Ogun State Parking Management Scheme was seen arriving to remove other vehicles also parked within the vi-

cinity when Sunday Vanguard visited the scene of f i r e .

It was alleged that the fire was caused by bush burning outside the complex.

Speaking with newsmen on the incident, the Deputy Chief of Staff (DCS) to Governor Amosun, Shuaib Salisu, thanked God that the fire was contained by the timely intervention of fire fighters.

He added that the incident was as a result of the bush being burnt near the Governor ’s Office.

The DCS, accompanied by the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Amosun on Media, Funmi Wakama, hinted that men of the Fire Service had been put on red alert in case of any emergency as the fire was still burning outside the fence.

I don’t have 48 houses anywhere in the world—Sylva Continued from page 5 Attorney General of the Federation and EFCC has been duly served since the 27th day of December, 2012”.

The former governor accused the Attorney General of the Federation and the Chairman of EFCC of

sinister plan to humiliate him by throwing him out of his house that he bought before he assumed the governorship office.

“It should also be mentioned that when Chief Timipre Sylva became aware of the sinister plan of the EFCC to humiliate him

by throwing him out of his house that was bought before he became the governor of Bayelsa State, we wrote a letter to the Attorney General of the Federation and the Chairman of EFCC. Till date both of them did not response to the said letters”.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013 — PAGE 7

From left: H.R.H Olufon of Ifon, Orolu Morufu Magbegbeola representing Oni of Ife, Osun State Governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Senator Babajide Omorare at the official commissioning of Ori-Olokun Garden & unveilling of new logo by the Executive Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at Ile-Ife yesterday. Photos by Shola Oyelese.

From left: General Alani Akinrinade (rtd), Senator Babajide Omorare and Felix Awofisayo at the official commissioning of Ori-Olokun Garden & unveilling of new logo yesterday.

Veteran guitarist nabbed with cocaine at Lagos airport

BY DANIEL ETEGHE AND IFEANYI OKOLI

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PERATIVES of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) arrested a veteran guitarist with 1.575kg of cocaine at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos while attempting to board an Air France flight to Italy.

The suspect, Mr. Fatoke Abiodun, a grandfather who played guitar for a Juju maestro for three decades, was arrested following the alleged detection of two parcels of cocaine hidden in the false bottom of his luggage.

While confirming the arrest, NDLEA Commander of the Lagos Airport, Mr. Hamza Umar, said the arrest took place on New Year day.

“We have made the first arrest in the new year.

The suspect, a guitarist, Fatoke Abiodun, was found with 1.575kg of cocaine. The drug was discovered in the false bottom of his luggage during the outward screening of passengers to Italy,” Hamza said.

The 62-year-old grandfather, who is married to four wives with many children, was said to be helping narcotic investigators handling the case. Fatoke allegedly owned up to the crime to the investigators blaming it on financial hardship.

According to Fatoke, “after my primary education, I only did one year

in the secondary school b e f o r e I went into music. I can play any kind of guitar but my music career is a sad story. I played for a top rated musician for 30 years before I was unceremoniously retired in 2007. I was unprepared and without severance money I saw the bitter side of life. This is my first time of involving in drug trafficking. I did it out of frustration because at my age I could not provide for my family. I am ashamed of myself ”.

Speaking on how he got involved in drug trafficking, the suspect was quoted as saying he got a call from a friend. “I live in Ibadan with my family. I was invited to Lagos where I was given 50,000 naira and they promised that every arrangement will be ready for me to travel soon.

They promised to pay me one million naira. If not for my condition, I would have turned down the offer but it was my last hope to free myself from financial difficulty. I was given the bag and my ticket but at the airport NDLEA detected the drug. Since then, I have been in deep pain. I feel bad because I have no one to help me”.

NDLEA Chairman, Ahmadu Giade, described the alleged involvement of the suspect in drug trafficking as sad and disappointing.

His words, “It is sad and disappointing for a grandfather to be involved in drug trafficking. ”The suspect will be charged to court for unlawful exportation and possession of narcotics.

If convicted, he could spend the next 25 years in prison custody.”

Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS) was gutted by fire caused by the high voltage from the source at Orita Bashorun, Ibadan, yesterday.

Picture shows the BSOC burnt main building. Photo: Shola Oyelese

Tinubu heads Awo Centre BoT

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HE Governor of State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has approved the appointment of the pioneer members of Board of Trustees and Board of Directors for the Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance.

The Osun-based centre has Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the head of the BoT. Members include the Nobel Laurel, Professor Wole Soyinka (Ogun); the founder, Aregbesola (Osun); former Vice Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo

Accra agog as Ghana prepares to swear in new president

BY BEN AGANDE, ACCRA, GHAMA

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HE Ghanaian capital, Accra, is wearing a new look as the West African country prepares to swear in President John Dramani Mahama after winning the keenly contested presidential election in December which the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) rejected as being fraught with fraud.

But opposition political party, which has filed

papers to challenge the result of the election at the Ghanaian supreme, is sharply divided as some elements in the party, led by former Ghanaian President John Kufour, have indicated interest to attend the swearing-in of Mahama while the other faction, led by the youth wing, has vowed to resist the participation of its members in the ceremony.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to

join at least ten other African leaders and the representatives of key world powers including the United States of America to attend the ceremony, seen as the celebration of Ghana’s sterling electoral performance in a region that is notorious for flawed elections.

An opinion poll of a cross section of Ghanaians showed that they were evenly divided on the support and opposi-

tion to the outcome of the election result.

A report in the Daily Graphic newspapers yesterday quoted the spokesman of Kufour as saying “his presence at the inauguration will be without prejudice to his party, the NPP’s stance to boycott the ceremony or of his full support for the party ’s petition at the Supreme Court impugning the declaration of the December 2012 elections as announced by the Electoral Commission”.

University, Prof. Wale Omole (Osun); former Vice Chancellor of University of Ado-Ekiti, Prof. Akin Oyebode (Ekiti).

Othe BoT members include ACN chieftain in Edo State Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; Dr. Usman Bugaje (North); Prof. (Mrs) Bolanle Awe (Osun) and Prof. M. A. Makinde, who is also the Director General and Secretary to the B o a r d .

Besides, the Board of Director is headed by Governor Aregbesola with Prof.

Tunde Babawale, ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; human right lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) Hon. Chief Wale Osun and Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa as external members.

Internal members include the DG/CEO, Prof. Makinde; a Director of Training and Research, a Director of Administration and Finance, a Director of Planning, Programmes and Linkages.

PAGE 8—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013

Secret burial of 4-month-old exposes killer dad!

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

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father killing his own son, a fourmonth old baby, sounds gory, bizarre. Many may even doubt if the man is actually the biological father. But that scenario played out in Egbe, Yagba -West Local Government Area of Kogi State.

On 31 December, 2012, when everybody was busy making preparations to enter the new year, Mr. Hosea Folorunsho was allegedly scheming evil

*How he chased wife out before heinous act in his mind.

He murdered his son, Sunday, in his sleep and buried him immediately.

A neighbour allegedly saw him while burying the baby and reported to law enforcement agents.

The suspect is now in police net.

Narrating how Folorunsho, a 46-yearold herbalist, allegedly carried out his scheme, Kogi State Police Commissioner, Alhaji Mohammed Musa Katsina, who paraded the suspect in Lokoja,

disclosed that on 31 December 2012, when Nigerians were expecting the new year with joy and happiness, the herbalist was busy putting finishing touches to the alleged murder. According to the CP, on the fateful day, around 11:55 pm, the father took the baby, who was deep in his sleep, and murdered him.

Katsina said Folorunso then dug a shallow grave in his compound and buried the baby. H e added that the suspect-

ed murderer was arrested by the police ambush squad in Egbe through an infant, adding that, after a thorough investigation, the police in the area took him to the headquarters in Lokoja for further interrogation .

The commissioner noted that, in the course of interrogation, the suspect led the police to where he buried the remains of the little Sunday. Katsina said a renown pathologist in Lokoja was in the

process of carrying out autopsy to ascertain mode of killing, saying, as soon as the result of the test was ready, the suspect will be charged to court.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that Folorunso, apparently hiding his motive, in the night of 31 December, 2011, engaged his wife in a quarrel which prompted the wife to flee the house to hibernate in a friend’s house. Possibly due to the quarrel, she failed to carry her baby along.

Hardly has she left

when the husband allegedly executed the killing, dug the ground behind his house and buried the baby.

The suspect allegedly feigned ignorant of his wife’s and son’s whereabouts the next day. But, unknown to him, a neighbour, who saw him while digging the hole, alerted the police and he was arrested.

Katsina described the killing as madness.

He wondered what could have caused a father to kill his own son for alleged rituals.

Army trains for security challenges

BY BASHIR ADEFAKA

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t the moment when security challenges appear to have gone a step beyond the police and is currently facing the armed forces shoulder-to-shoulder, the Nigerian Army is not resting on its oars. It devises tactics and means, from time to time, to get at the route of the challenges bone-to-bone, intelligence-tointelligence and logistics-to-logistics.

That precisely is what the Nigerian Army College of Logistics, under the leadership of Major General A. A. Martins, who is the commandant, has braced up to do.

Just as year 2012 was riding to the end, the college turned out 18 students who had successfully undergone the year ’s Logistics Management Course 10/ 2012. They were in the ranks of lieutenant colonel and its equivalent in the navy, the police and civil service.

At the event, it was emphasized that what the college had done was to add to the logistics required by the armed forces in the country to nip all sorts of internal and external terrorism in the bud. This was to first upgrade the training impact in the officers and staff of the forces regarding Logistics Management Course 10/ 2012 and Logistics Staff Course 9/2012, which have so far been achieved.

The graduation ceremony was graced by eminent people from among the armed forces and the civil society including the Governor of Lagos State, Mr.

Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Security Matters, Major Tunde Panox (rtd); Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Azubuike Ihejirika represented by the Director, Nigerian Army Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, Major General Charles Maduegbunam; Oba of Lagos, His Majesty Oba Rilwan Akiolu I ably represented; Rear Admiral Joe Aikhomu, Head, Naval Standards and Evaluation Branch and many top military chiefs.

At the event, the Chief of Army Staff, Ihejirika, announced incentives with which the Army under his leadership

was planning to uplift the standard and boost the morale of officers and staff of the force. He enumerated the many achievements of NACOL since its inception in 2002.

“The numerous achievements the college has garnered for herself with respect to trainings, seminars and various research inputs to Nigerian policy is highly commendable. I am personally very happy and satisfied with the progress being made in this college. I have been well briefed about the numerous problems confronting the college, and I assure you that your problems will be adequately addressed.

From left: Maj.-Gen. A.A. Martins, Commandant of Nigerian Army College of Logistics, Lagos; Maj.-Gen. Charles Maduegbunam, Director, Nigerian Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, representing LT. GEN. O.A. Ihejirika, Chief of Army Staff; Major[RTD] Tunde Panox, Senior Special Assistant on Security to Lagos State Governor, representing Governor Babatunde Fashola and Rear Admiral Joe Aikhomu, Head, Naval Standards and Evaluation Branch, during the Nigeria Army College of Logistics, Moloney, Lagos, graduation ceremony of Logistics Management Course.

“It is my pleasure to,” therefore, “inform you that the African Study Tour recently approved for the college will commence with the next

Logistics Staff Course in 2013,” Ihejirika said.

Commandant of the college, Martins, said in his welcome address, that continuous training

of officers was an integral part of the force’s professional life geared towards better understanding of roles of the officers and staff.

Ekiti 2014: PDP warned against shelving zoning

BY GBENGA ARIYIBI, Ado Ekiti

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chieftain of the P e o p l e s Democratic Party (PDP) and one of the party’s gubernatorial aspirant in Ekiti State, Chief Dayo Adeyeye, wants the leadership of the party to respect the constitution of the party by adhering to the principle of zoning.

For the purpose of equity and fairness, the PDP must, according to him, zone the 2014 governorship election in the state to the South Senatorial District.

Adeyeye, a former spokesman of panYoruba socio -cultural organisation,Afenifere, however, was optimistic that whether his party adopts the zoning principle or not, he would emerge as the gubernatorial candidate for the 2014 governorship election in the state. Speaking in

Ise-Ekiti, while hosting leaders of the PDP to an end-of-the-year party, the former Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education (SUBEB) noted that no part of the state should be seen as inferior to others.

Adeyeye, apparently reacting to comments by some leaders of the PDP in Ekiti that there would be no zoning as the best candidate should emerge from the gubernatorial primaries to tackle the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) government in the state, said it would amount to cheating the people of the South Senatorial District if the party jettisons the zoning principle.

The PDP chieftain, who went memory lane, stated,” Even in the old Ondo State from where Ekiti was carved out, after the late Pa Michael Ajasin spent his term and the military took

over, the next governorship election was during the aborted Third Republic and all the governorship aspirants in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and the National Republican Convention (NRC) were from the Ekiti axis.

“This was because people knew that for the sake of equity and fairness, the Ekiti people should produce the governor and it was so.

Now, since the creation of Ekiti State and the advent of democratic rule, nobody from the South Senatorial District

has governed the state.

Does it mean there are no competent persons from the area? No. The area has six local governments while the other two districts have five LGs each. We must not create the impression that some people are inferior to the others”.

Group tasks DESOPADEC commissioners on devt

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HE incumbent Chairman, Host Communities of Oil and Gas, HOSTCOM, Delta Central, Chief Moses Irimisose, and the three commissioners representing Urhobo on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas D e v e l o p m e n t C o m m i s s i o n , DESOPADEC, Mr. Henry Ofa, Chief Ominimini Obiuwevwi and Festus Utuama, have been charged to ensure the rapid development of oil producing communities in Urhobo

land. They were also charged to collectively initiate policies and reach out to stakeholders from oil producing communities in Urhobo land to find the best ways to attracting the needed development to the communities.

In a statement by Mr. Peter A. Akpotu, Coordinator of Urhobo Youth Empower ment Front (UYEF), the group affirmed that Chief Irimisose, remains the authentic chairman of HOSTCOM, Delta Central, noting that it was time Urhobo people

learnt to live in peace and show love among themselves.

“Irimisose is still the Chairman of HOSTCOM, Delta Central, he has not been removed or replaced by s t a k e h o l d e r s , H O S T C O M membership and leadership of the various oil producing communities in Delta Central, and we therefore, pass a vote of confidence on Chief Moses Irimisose, Mr. Henry Ofa, Chief Ominimini Obiuwevwi and Festus Utuama.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 9

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Giant of Africa by name Dear Sir,

W

HILE those in corridors of power have dedicated lines that supply electricity to their lodges and offices and they equally have giant generating sets that switch-on automatically when there is power outage in their lodges and offices and which are run and maintained at government expense, they are not perturbed or ashamed of themselves that the so-called giant of Africa is yet to generate up to 4,500MW of electricity, thereby resulting in millions of Nigerians being subjected to perpetual power outages that make them spend a fortune in running and maintaining their generating sets to power their houses, industries, offices etc.

If Iwith my low status, could spend more than N200, 000 in 2012 for running and maintaining my generating set in the vast area of Awka I reside and which has been subjected to electricity supply on alternate days since 2007, you could imagine what companies, banks, my co-residents and government offices have spent in 2012 for lack of adequate electricity supply to several parts of Awka.

It is very annoying that the National Integrated Power Project that was started at Agu-Awka in 2006 to boost electricity supply to the rapidly expanding Awka capital territory and its environs and to supplement the only sub-station at Nibo-Awka that was built in 1972, is still at foundation level,

due to the non release of sufficient funds for its speedy completion to ease our sufferings.

A similar project like that in Ilorin was completed by Dr. Saraki the former governor of Kwara State with the state’s funds and the state was reimbursed by the Federal Government, but our governor is not interested whether we have light or

not, as he has never experienced power outage for five minutes either in his lodge or office since he came to power.

Someone suggested that our clueless, visionless, greedy and corrupt rulers who are bereft of ideas of what governance is all about, will start to give us constant supply of electricity when they and those in

PHCN are barred from using generating sets in their lodges and offices, as that option would make them to be alive to their responsibilities! But who will bell the cat as our Messiah?

Ifeka Okonkwo Ahocol Housing Estate.

Phase II, GRA, Awka.

Delta council boss ends four-month black-out Dear Sir,

R

ESIDENTS of Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State celebrated Christmas in a joyful mood following the efforts by the transition committee chairman, Mr. Collins Olorogun, to end the four months of blackout in the area.

Until his appointment, Bomadi LGA, had been thrown into darkness following a damage to the transmission line supplying electricity to the area at the outset of recent flood, which ravaged some parts of the state, cutting the entire local government from the national grid.

Bomadi, one of the oldest local government Councils in Delta State, has a chequered history of development. Some of its leaders did not put the development of the area and the welfare of the people at heart.

Today, the Olorogun-led administration, in less than two months in office, has given the masses a reason to cheer in the present democratic governance that, indeed, government cares for them. Electricity, one of the critical sectors of the economy, is a prerequisite for socio-economic development. The absence in Bomadi of steady electricity has led to a drop in the volume of socio-economic activities. This is because of the simple fact of high cost of running a business without public power supply.

On taking the mantle of leadership of the council, the young entrepreneur liaised with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to restore electricity supply to the area. This has put smiles on every faces of the people, particularly at a time when residents would have had to celebrate Christmas in darkness. This is even as Olorogun

maintains peaceful atmosphere in the area by frequently meeting with security chiefs. This signals that this administration will go a long way in meeting the yearnings and aspirations of the citizenry.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan should be commended for the appointment of Olorogun as the transition committee chairman who is laying a foundation that would set the local government on the path of socioeconomic development, and ensuring security of lives and property.

The people of the local government area should give him and his team support in mobilizing the resources towards improving the living condition in the area. *EMBALE JONATHAN is Information Officer for Bomadi Local Government

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

Umana’s assault on Akwa Ibom’s reconcilliation process – 1

Educate a woman You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a woman; you educate a generation.”Brigham Young OME say having a girl is like tend ing a neighbours’ garden. This is narrow minded and condescending perspective of low sense of value placed on females in our society.This is born e out of the way people react to the arrival of the birth of a baby boy: that of jubilation and in contrast,the arrival of a baby girl is often greeted with muted commiserations from friends and family. If the truth be told, the mother is often made to feel a failure if she does not provide the family with a male and a heir.

It seems to me, a girl is disadvantaged right from the onset. So when I read that the Principal of Aju-

S

won High School, in Ifo local government area of Ogun State, Mrs. Olufunke Aladeojebi, forcefully examined female students without the consent of the students’ parents. I was revolted and enraged.

I felt compelled to register my abhorrence and contempt for a system that allows such flagrant abuse of power.

According to sources,the principal is a tough woman who ruled her charges with an iron rod. They say she is a tough disciplinarian, no, I disagree what she is, a perpetual abuser of vulnerable young people.

She had the temerity to threaten the students with suspension unless they submitted to this forced internal examination.

Apparently, she took t h i s d e c i s i o n

cept his successor as his “Son”. The pictures that were published in the media did little credit to the electrifying impact of that embrace on the people present. I was happy to be one of them. I was so elated that on Akpabio’s birthday, a card and note were sent to him by courier, expressing gratitude for his attendance and pledging to work for the peace process.

So, unknown to Bishop Ekwuen, he had two allies at the funeral ceremony who were committed to the

Now nobody can ever again claim that Obong Attah is the stumbling block to reconciliation in Akwa Ibom

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reconciliation process which he had openly started. The first was the star of the funeral itself. Most people fail to realize that every funeral has a star; the one on whose behalf people gather and the one who will not go home after the event.

Late Alison Attah, a first class First Lady, the indisputable star of her own “show”, was also passionately committed to bringing about peace in Akwa Ibom. During her last two difficult years on earth, during which I was a constant visitor to her in the

was how to go about delivering on that promise – until Bishop Ekwuem came to the rescue.

The Christmas service jointly attended by Attah and Akpabio represented the result of a reconciliation meeting held earlier in December with the seven eminent Nigerians present.

The joint service was on the advice of the seven wise men and it was intended to continue the reconciliation process with more meetings expected to follow. H.E. Victor Attah kept me in the picture of all that was going

unilaterally because of what she felt was the high level of immorality amongst young people.

As always, the young w o m e n a r e to be blamed!

What makes a change was that the children reported their ordeal to their parents, who in turn reported her to the police and led to her suspension.

The state commissioner for education, Segun Odubela, said the ministry had interrogated the principal to give her fair hearing, adding that a five-man panel consisting of officials of both the ministry and teaching service commission (TESCOM) has been set

what is a violation of female human rights.

In 1999 in Turkey, when a similar incident occurred and young girls were given forced gynaecological examinations in schools.

The country was forced to rescind the controversial law authorising schools to conduct a virginity test on high school female students, when five girls attempted suicide rather than submit to the test.We sureley do not want to subject our children to such desperation and trauma.

If there are any issues regarding the degradation of our society we need not look further than the older

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Victor Attah, former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, at the Reconciliation Service attended jointly with Governor Godswill Akpabio, CON, on December 25, 2012.

The Committee, to which Attah referred, in addition to Prelate Sunday Mbang, included eminent and patriotic Nigerians, in and out of Akwa Ibom State, who had been bothered by the friction between the former and the incumbent governors. They are General Aliyu Gusau (rtd), Dr Haruna Adamu, Dr Asibo Nsienibong, Bishop Joseph Ekwuen, Senator Essien Ibok and Professor Edward Attah. Individually and collectively, they felt that a lot had been lost in terms of lives, resources and opportunities for the development of the state as a result.

And, this was what Bishop Joseph Ekwuwen of the Catholic Church in Uyo wanted to bring to an end when during the funeral of the late former First Lady, Nneyin Alison Attah, he diverted, during his sermon, from the standard eulogies, to address both the former governor and the incumbent governor in Efik language.

For ten minutes he passionately implored the Excellencies to bury the hatchet for the sake of Akwa Ibom in particular and the country as a whole. He ended by asking Akpabio, who was present at the event, to get up and go and embrace Attah and for Attah to ac-

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OTE: This was not the original article scheduled for this day. But some issues intrude on the best made plans demanding urgent response. This is one of them; especially because i am involved as you will find out. Pardon me for this.

Thanks.

“Today is Christmas day – the day in which God sent his only son to bring peace and redemption and to reconcile a fallen world to Himself. That is why I am pleased to be at this Mass – which had been tagged “Mass of Reconciliation”.

"Many of you know that I had played a very significant role in the creation of this State. A few years later, I had the opportunity to serve as its governor. I did everything that could be done within the limits of the resources available to me, to develop this State.

Today, I am out of office but not out of ideas. If there is today a conducive environment and a suitable set of circumstances are being created for the utilization of those ideas, it will not only be unpatriotic, but also extreme folly not to offer those ideas.

I want therefore to thank the governor, to thank Prelate Mbang and his entire committee for initiating this process.

My fervent prayer and hope are that it be sustained and nurtured to fruition for the benefit of this state.

"I thank you" - Obong

hospital and at home, she on three different occasions implored me to do what I could to bring about peace in Akwa Ibom because she was tired of people accusing H.E. Victor Attah of being the stumbling block to peace. The last time came as I was seating with her and the nurse, Miss Yetunde Afolabi. The nurse has beckoned to me that “Madam wants to tell you something”. In halting voice, barely audible, she had said to me, ”Dr, promise me that when I am gone, you will work to reconcile Attah and Akpabio”. My attempt to reassure her that all will be well with her soon was waved off with two words, “Promise me”.

So, I made a promise and incurred a solemn obligation to deliver on that pledge because soon after she passed on to eternal life.

My immediate problem

Unless we look at the way we treat females in our society,we will continue to look for scapegoats

up to further investigate the case and make appropriate recommendations. Call me a cynic, but I don’t think anything will come of it, until we change our mindset on how we treat women. Anything short of this is a mockery and travesty of

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generations. We are the role models and the young look up to us for direction. So, the issue at hand should be why is it that our young people becoming alarmingly promiscuous? Is premarital sexual activity an indication of societal ills?

on for the simple reason that there was a promise to keep. As it turned out, I was also involved in the preparation and publication of the article of On-Shore OffShore Dichotomy, which Commissioner Umana Umana seized upon to rain insults and abuses on Victor Attah in newspaper publications on Thursday, December 27, 2012 and the following day. It was shocking; to say the least. On that “Black Thursday”, I was loading the car to travel out of Lagos for the New Year celebrations; I was also happy that the reconciliation process was well underway. A call came in just as the last bags were being loaded; someone wanted to know if I had read the NATION that day. I had not.

Then, he gave me a summary of the publication. Almost immediately, a call came in from Uyo. Suddenly, instead of going West, I was on a plane flying, not fast enough for me, to Uyo to meet with Obong Attah.

The obvious question was, “what is the appropriate response to this provocative and deliberately insulting and inciting publication given the joint service two days before?” Thank God, H.E. Attah had already decided to maintain silence; eventually that studied silence was modified to allow for my response, as an “insider-outsider ” – for three reasons. But, mainly because I was involved.

Let me assure everybody that there will be no retaliation here; no insults will be rained on Governor Godswill Akpabio. Not because I am afraid of verbal warfare; but because it would amount to a betrayal of a promise given to the gentle departed soul of Her Excellency Allison Attah.

Instead, I will explain a few things which, certainly, my brother Umana might not

be aware of. I proceed in this manner after granting the governor and brother Umana the benefit of doubt that there was no deliberate attempt to derail the peace process.

First, Umana served under Attah for eight years; and, it is certain Attah will never serve under Umana.

Second, Umana had done the Attahs (Obong and late wife) a favour. Now nobody can ever again claim that Obong Attah is the stumbling block to reconciliation in Akwa Ibom.

Third, given the differences in age between Attah and Umana, the former governor could have had a child as old as Umana; if he was not busy collecting the “Golden fleece” abroad.

Even now, Attah is still old enough to be an “Uncle” to his assailant. Indeed, it was not too long ago that the Commissioner referred to his benefactor as “Daddy”. Something must have happened to the traditional respect for elders, as well as benefactors which only the Commissioner can explain. I can bet my last naira that, at one time in the future, he will regret putting his signature to that publication. Disrespect to elders allied to ingratitude, openly demonstrated, had never profited anyone – especially one still nursing a political ambition….

CHIP SHOTS ATTITUDE AS A NATIONAL PROBLEM Our President had decided, for reasons best known to himself that AT TITUDE not CORRUPTION is our national problem. “Don’t give a damn” is the worst attitude imaginable.

How do we address this and what are the provisions in place for the young girls to have a meaningful and healthy future?

These are the salient issues that need to be addressed instead of physically and emotionally abusing young and vulnerable children. Unless we look at the way we treat females in o u r s o c i e t y, w e will continue to look for scapegoats, that is the case, where the men,women and the system continue to mistreat our womenfolk and further regress our society. We cannot afford not to educate our girls, and there has to be a conscious effort in order to remove the obstacles that may hinder their education.

Otherwise, the barriers to progress and wealth will continue to elude us.

The World Bank stated, that in Nigeria, if, young Nigerian women had the same employment rates as young Nigerian men, they would add 13.9 billion Naira in annual GDP.We need to encourage our young women to live up to their full potential. The sad fact is one-quarter to one-half of girls in devel-

oping counties become mothers before age 18 according to the United Nations Population Fund. The focus should therefore be on health and human rights of girls and women,not this wholesale condemnations and casting spurious aspersions on the young girls’ immoralities.

The government should at least channel means and resources into providing formal or vocational education, preventive and treatment programme for adequate family planning, and antenatal services, classes on reproductive and sexual health, STD prevention, contraception, AIDS awareness, and how to seek health care. Women are agent of change and they can effectively make a difference if given the opportunity to reach their potential.

A girl’s success is everyone’s success so it is a win - win situation. We all will be better off by educating our girls and acting decisively on human right violation crimes against women, only then,can we begin to reduce the cycle of poverty.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 11

Kogi State desires better health facilities the country as a lover of made in Nigeria goods.

The Nigerian Medical Association was among the first to commend the governor. While thanking God for the life of Governor Wada, we are not similarly enthused by what is being seen by some people as patriotism.

To start with, it is obvi-

While the Abuja treatment is commendable, it also brings out the disturbing fact that there is no single hospital in Kogi good enough for gubernatorial care!

ous that the Governor made the decision because his stable condition at the end of the initial treatment positioned him to be so disposed.

According to the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Felix Ogedengbe, “there was no immediate need to fly him abroad.”

Wada would probably have had no option if he had a complication similar to what his Taraba

Okorocha: My siren is louder than yours

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NPRECEDENT ED levels of vi olence and public insecurity or disorder have marred the Nigerian social space, so much indeed that Nigerians at every level now live with a siege mentality. A significant level of this state of siege is encouraged and maintained by irresponsible political leadership.

Two weeks ago, Mrs. Chris Anyanwu, the senator representing Owerri in the Nigerian senate claimed to have been run-off the road on her way to her home in Mbaise by a convoy of vehicles accompanying the Imo state governor, Mr. Rochas Okorocha. According to the senator, right about Azara-Egbelu, on the Owerri-Umuahia highway, Mr. Okorocha’s convoy, with its blaring siren and phalanx of heavily armed “security men” stopped

her own witless driver who apparently had been too slow in getting off the road for the governor to sail through .

The governor ’s armed men dragged out the man and beat him mercilessly. Unable to stand the beating any longer, the senator claimed to have intervened: “I rushed out of my car barefoot and started shouting: “I am Senator Chris Anyanwu, please don’t kill my driver.

But one of the armed men charged at me and threatened to shoot me for running into the governor’s convoy. All these while, the Governor was seated in his car with the glass wound down and I heard him shout at his security men to disarm my orderlies”. A cardinal ground for the establishment of government, particularly a government of the people by the people has been violat-

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ently one of them. It is inaccurate to say he did not opt to be flown abroad for treatment because the definition of ‘Oversea treatment’ cannot be narrowed down to one outside a country; it should be inclusive of treatment outside one’s domain. To elicit the applause of this columnist, Wada should have insisted on being treated in Kogi State whose medical facilities

ed. I speak here of the social contract – the basic principle that legitimate authority is established on the consent of the individual. People basically come together to organize their society under the rule of law. The principle of the contract recognizes that in consenting to cede their in-

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N Friday De cember 28, 2012, the Kogi State Governor, Captain Idris Wada was seriously injured in an auto crash. The accident reportedly occurred at Emi Woro village in Ajaokuta Local Government Area of the state when one of the tyres of the governor’s official car, unexpectedly burst in motion.

Wada’s aide-de-camp (ADC), Idris Muhammed, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), lost his life in the crash.

The governor who was initially rushed to the Kogi State Specialist Hospital in Lokoja after the accident, later had surgery at Cedar Crest Hospital, Garki Abuja.

The surgery, which lasted two hours, was rated as successful by the doctors at the hospital who also allegedly revealed that Wada rejected the option of flying him abroad for further treatment. On the basis of this rather uncommon taste, the governor has been applauded all over

State counterpart; Danbaba Suntai experienced some 3months earlier. We agree that some of our leaders take delight in oversea treatment. Indeed, some go there to treat headache while some others go to find out if they might be sick someday in the future which is called ‘medical check-up’.

However, many people who have no faith in our health delivery system are not necessarily unpatriotic. They are only being realistic and Governor Wada is inadvert-

Did the governor break a law in ordering his socalled “security men” to beat up a citizen and thus taking the laws under his own hand as if Imo State is a jungle without courts or magistrates

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dividual freedom to an established government, the individual expects in exchange of his absolute freedom the protection of his rights and liberties by the organized govern-

are in the poor state in which his government inherited them. Instead, the governor whose accident took place some 12 kilometres form Lokoja, his seat of government went hundreds of kilometres ‘abroad’ to Abuja for treatment. In addition, he went to a private rather than a government hospital giving room to the Kogi State Chapter of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), to wonder “ why a man who loved to patronise local hospitals, evaded the state-owned specialist hospital in Lokoja.” The Nation newspaper put it better in its comment of January 3rd, 2013 titled ‘Wada goes back to work’, that “ while the Abuja treatment is commendable, it also brings out the disturbing fact that there is no single hospital in Kogi good enough for gubernatorial care! That is an indictment on his tour of duty as governor.

Now that he has survived the accident therefore, it is time for him to put in place better medical facilities in his state. That way, he would have domesticated, in his own state, his campaign for VIP confidence in our local medical personnel and hospital facilities” The fact that the governor ’s driver who was also involved in the same accident was left in hospital in Lokoja suggests that many Kogi citizens who were made to vote for the governor, in our type of free and fair elections, cannot afford the

Abuja option. They are sentenced to treatment in the State’s poorly equipped hospitals. Anyway we hear the governor is back to base and has allegedly resolved that “2013 would see the visible implementation of his transformation agenda to move Kogi State to where it ought to be”. If so, here are a few reminders. First, the Nigerian Navy during its 56th anniversary some 6 months back chose Karara-Otube in Kogi State as one of the villages to benefit from its medical assistance. According to Navy Commodore Innocent Kofi Yinfaowei, the choice was predicated on the dearth of medical facilities in the village health centre, with a target of no fewer than 2,500 persons suffering from various ailments to benefit from the week-long programme. Second, it took the Australian government to rebuild and restock with drugs a rundown clinic serving the people of Agojeju-Odo community in Omala Local Government Area.

Otherwise the people would have continued to travel far to receive treatment for even common ailments.

Third, only last month, Wada himself admitted that maternal death and infant mortality rate in the State was not only alarming but was on the increase. Speaking at the kick-off of Maternal Newborn and Child Health week, in Lokoja, the governor said, “it is difficult

to ascertain the exact number of new born babies that died in and around birth, and women who died during childbirth”. He then promised to evolve a mechanism to reduce the cost of medical treatment for pregnant women and children under five years across public health institutions in the state.

ment. A contract exists only when these guarantees are met by either party in the relationship between the state and the individual.

A rational individual consents to give up his or her natural freedom in exchange or in the hopes of obtaining the benefits of political order. In other words, government is the largest mutual benefits society ever created by man as a means of taming the wild and insurgent capacities of the individual. Without consent to submit to the established and legitimate authority of the state the individual becomes an outlier; he is governed by the natural instincts to survive; he is untamed by law; and societies slip back to natural states of chaos and disorder, or what Thomas Hobbes called “the state of nature.” Nigeria has inched closer and closer to this situation because the legitimacy of the Nigerian state is increasingly questioned by the people.

There is incoherence in the organization of government. There is in fact rapid discontent. The political leadership seems fundamentally disconnected or dissociated from the common reality of those by whom they derive their legitimate authority. The state

fails because it can no longer guarantee the safety of Nigerians and their fundamental right to life, property, and the pursuit of individual happiness. The mindless overreach of authority bespeaks a fundamental lack of awareness of the nature of the contract between Nigerians and their political representatives. Let me draw this example: a governor of a state who uses an armed convoy and drives rough-shod through the streets, driving citizens out of the road to make way for him sets a very bad example. Governor Okorocha and all such state officials are still hung up on a terrible habit established under military rule in which military administrators saw government as an emergency and citizens as “ordinary civilians.”

The soldiers appropriated all kinds of power, including the power to ride in a sirened convoy of armed men to demonstrate the force of military rule. Such images have no place in a civil and elected government. An elected governor should have no more than a police orderly and an official driver and car for his use and only for official business. Riding about in an armed convoy is mindless overreach; and uncivilized. Sirens were

traditionally reserved for emergency vehicles: police in the pursuit of criminals; ambulances in conveying the sick to the casualty ward, the fire services on emergency runs, and used only on ceremonial occasions for conveying public officials.

There is no protocol under the rule of law that grants the governor of the state any more rights on the road than any other citizen. Governor Okorocha therefore breaks a fundamental law that needs to be addressed very urgently because it goes right up to the very soul of the rule of law.

Does an elected governor have the right to drive other citizens of the state off the road by the use of armed force?

There is no place in the civilized world for such conduct and such primitive show of power. Did the governor break a law in ordering his so-called “security men” to beat up a citizen and thus taking the laws under his own hand as if Imo State is a jungle without courts or magistrates?

Before the law, the governor is equal to the least citizen in Imo State.

His legitimacy is guaranteed by their consent.

Mr. Okorocha ought to be brought to heel on these facts.

In a country where pronouncements are hardly backed by action, the time to act for Wada is now. He should listen to the World Bank, the London Tropical School of Medicine and the Bill gate Institute of Obafemi Awolowo University, IleIfe, which have testified to the efficacy of “the ABIYE safe motherhood Programme’’ in neighbouring Ondo State, which Governor Olusegun Mimiko has used “to drastically reduce infant and maternal mortality.

He should also redress the findings of a recent study, that Kogi East which has produced the Governor of the state since its creation in 1991 has the lion share of 66.3% of health facilities in the State while Kogi West and Central have 19.6% and 14.1% respectively. If Wada provides better health facilities and evolves a more equitable distribution of such facilities in the state, so as to engender equity and social justice we too, will join those who genuinely see him as a patriot.

PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD,JANUARY 6, 2013

Belongingness, gratitude and New Year prophesies (2) greatest gratitude for the gift of life and upbringing. Papa, I know you are gradually inching towards the grave. But be assured that within my limited resources I will continue to ensure that you are looked after as long as you live. My mother, who was your wife of over fifty years, sacrificed a lot for the good of our family. I will continue to remember her till the end.

For all those that were

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ABATEE my car painter and the Automedics crew, especially Sly, Gbola Oba, Manager, Kunle (the Big Boss) – you ensured that my vehicle remained in top condition throughout last year, thank you very much.

Fateye Asodun and Rotimi Omosulu (up and coming scholar), Jude Nwankwo, Dennis Otto, Lugard, Matthew, Igwe, Ojo, Mrs Taiwo and the non-academic staff in Philosophy – I really appreciate your assistance.

My people in Philosophy, University of Ibadan, Drs. Udefi, Agulanna, Ukpokolo, Ekanola and others – I salute you all. Similarly, to the residents of Block C, Highrise, Unilag, I extend my sincere gratitude. My friend Rex Osagiede, thank you for your kindness. I also use this opportunity to console you on the untimely death of your daughter recently. Please take heart and move on because adversities can only make a good man like you stronger. To my aged father, Ebere Ezekiel Anele, and my late mother, Gladys Elewechi, I owe the

2013 must continue the business of living, of working hard to ensure that we improve on ourselves this year. The big hunchback Nigerians have been carrying for decades is incompetent leadership. Since the Biafran war ended in 1970, Nigerian rulers, whether military or civilian, have failed woefully to harness our tremendous human and natural resources to make Nigeria the greatest black nation

The President and his aides are very good on rhetoric, but there is little action to match the fine speeches

not mentioned here but who touched my life positively last year, I am indebted to all of you. Like other years, 2012 was a mixed blessing for me and for every human being on this planet, although the mixture of the good and the bad differs from person to person.

For some people, the good was predominant, for countless others, the bad predominated. But no matter the situation, those of us alive to see

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in the world. It appears that as the years go by, the quality of leadership in the country goes down. For instance, despite the failures of the First Republic, Nigeria still fared better then than the succeeding republics.

Similarly, Gowon’s military government wasted wonderful opportunities for propelling Nigeria into the exclusive club of industrialised countries.

Yet it was better than subsequent military dictator-

Liberty, most precious

T

HE past has noth ing to say that can condemn my present; What is done is done; time to do new and better things. I do agree with the saying that those who don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat it but I go a step further to make an assertion of my own. The past is not the governor of my present; I will learn from it but I will not cow before it. At the dawn of a new year I have given myself a present that is many years over due; Liberty. 2012 was an interesting year in many ways and I am thankful for the grace to have survived it. Liberty would seem a weird kind of present to give oneself so I should explain. Like most people my past

somehow manages to smuggle itself into my decision making processes causing my reactions and decisions to be answers and responses to past events and hurts.

The honest truth is that the voice of the past is louder than that of the present most times and its no wonder that our lives don't move forward at the pace it should. The opportunities are there; we are just so busy looking back; we don't move forward.

Most people start the year with resolutions and it' s a good thing. This will be the first year that I don't have any. 2013 is the year of liberty; this year I am not going to celebrate all of last year's mistakes by creating a strait jacket of resolutions

that will make me feel like a failure every time I fall short. The truth is that most resolutions are borne from the failures of previous years. For those of us over weight, we want to lose weight, so we vow to eat less; those of us lazy, vow to work harder and so on and on, the list is endless. I believe resolutions come from a place of condemnation and that is my grouse. We survive the best we can in different situations and while I admit to having some not so nice vices; I am cutting myself some slack by implementing gradual changes of the environment and situations that breed the said vices. This year I will not be rushed into making choices borne out of desperation

expectation from government this year turns out to be wrong. But I do not see that happening, because, as the saying goes “a leopard does not change it spots overnight.”

Now that 2012 has ended and 2013 has commenced, some selfstyled prophets and “men and women of God” are already prophesying that so-and-so will happen in 2013.

With respect to such prophecies, Nigerians are extremely gullible.

Anyone who takes the trouble to critically analyse such prophecies would notice a serious logical flaw about them: they are expressed in amphibolous propositions which make them immune to falsification.

For instance, supposing Prophet Z says that “in 2013, a prominent politician or businessman will die or that a plane will crash,” it is obvious that the possibility of such an event occurring is within the realm of statistical probability – given the situation in Nigeria the occurrence of such an event is more likely than not. Such prophecy rarely contains names of the prominent people that will die or the ailment that will kill them, or says precisely which plane will crash when and where. It is just like when a pastor, during church service, says that someone in the congregation has a headache or diabetes or is looking for the fruit of the womb. In a gathering of one thousand people or more, it is likely that someone in the crowd might have a

headache or is experiencing some difficulty in getting pregnant. Clearly, such prophecies are clever ways of deceiving the unwary into believing that the pastor or prophet has extraordinary powers.

Even with all the relevant knowledge about a person, no one can say exactly what the future will hold for that person.

Educated guesses and forecasts are possible.

But it is impossible to predict with hundred percent accuracy details of the life of an individual in a year. What people call prophecy is guesswork couched in imprecise religious idiom. For those who believe such prophecies, I enjoin them to remember that nothing under the sun can ever be perfect; so don’t be fooled by charlatans pretending to be what they are not.

There is no good reason why one should bother oneself with such silly approach to life. The way I see it, human life is interesting because it is essentially spontaneous and unpredictable. Thus the best way to live is by optimum courageous utilisation of one’s productive powers in the service of The True, The Good and The Beautiful. If there is one attitude we should cultivate in 2013, aside from a healthy dose of scepticism, it is the attitude of tolerance, of kindness and of committing ourselves completely to any genuine task that we might lay our hands upon. I wish my esteemed readers the very best in 2013.

Concluded.

or frustration. The gift of liberty includes taking time to contemplate and think things out before giving in to knee jerk reactions. This is not the year to be rushed, our responses to most people and situations should be

year when I would deliberately put my phones on silent just to minimise aggravation. Bottom line is that I have come to accept my tiny place in the scheme of things; I can't change anything or sway anyone; I fully accept that all power belongs to God; anything else is vain machinations and ego driven. I have never been one to give advice so this year wont be any different; we all need to accept responsibility for our lives and hanging our decisions on advice is delegating that responsibility. I turn 44 in august later this year and I approach it with graceful acceptance.

There are many things that have not happened in my life so far, many things I have not achieved but true liberty is contentment, a calm acceptance that God has already been more than kind. I am thankful for all the favour, the breakthroughs, healing, love, family and so much more.

Truth is I have come to grow up over the years to realise that my relationship with the Almighty is not contingent on the things He gives

me; he actually doesn't have to give anything and if scores were being kept; I have got more than one person's share!!

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PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

ships. The leitmotif, the principal cause of our arrested development is indiscipline and corruption in leadership.

Therefore, as 2013 comes along, there is little hope that President Goodluck Jonathan and other sybarites running the country presently can deliver good governance to the people. Indeed Mr. President no longer enjoys the tremendous goodwill Nigerians had for him when he contested the presidency and won about nineteen months ago.

As usual, the President and his aides are very good on rhetoric, but there is little action to match the fine speeches.

Corruption is growing rapidly; gross indiscipline and obscene ostentatious lifestyles are still the norm in the corridors of power. Top political office holders and business men and women with connection in high places have continued to exploit weaknesses and loopholes in the system for self-enrichment. Sadly, Nigerians who bear the brunt of bad leadership are unwilling and unable to engage government in sustained peaceful activism to compel it to address urgently the problems of poverty, unemployment, insecurity, indiscipline and corruption. If there is any certainty about Nigeria in 2013 it is this: most items in the transformation agenda of President Jonathan will not be actualised as long as he continues with “business as usual.” I will be surprised, pleasantly surprised really, if my low

You are a pinnacle of God's glory and no matter how many mistakes you may have made, God thinks you are great; you can start again; that's liberty

,

"give me a moment". The moment should ideally be spent on our knees in supplication to God for direction and intervention; thats liberty.

There were days last

S

o as we begin this new year, I wish you all liberty. I wish you the peace that comes with liberty. I pray that the shackles of the past be broken in every life so that you walk into newness and beauty. I know experience is the best teacher but I pray the past be a servant to the present and not its governor. Liberty is the freedom to allow yourself to forgive yourself and others and release any bitterness that is distorting your view of the universe. Truth is you are a pinnacle of God's glory and no matter how many mistakes you may have made, God thinks you are great; you can start again; that's liberty. In 2013, be kind to yourself first and then others; you can't give what you don't have. Liberty is what we all need and I don't just wish it, I prophesy and decree it in the name that is above every name; the name of Jesus...

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 13

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 15

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PAGE 16—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013

TRIBUTE

tribute TRIBUTE IN BRIEF Celebration of a man who towers above his peers on his birthday

Hosa, a Humble Achiever, at 55 cial pilot in 1979 at the age of 21, consequent upon which he started his professional career as a co-pilot with Aero Contractors Limited, which sponsored him to NCAT C .

He attended ACME School of Aeronautics, Fort Worth Texas in 1983 where he obtained his Airline Transport Pilot Licence and was made a captain in the same year at the age of 25. He flew as captain with the Intercontinental Airlines and, in 1985, joined the services of Okada Airlines from where he

H

E moves about without putting on airs; he is as in scrutable as he comes; yet he has all it takes to deliberately bludgeon his way into and dominate the consciousness of Nigerians: vast business interests, mega bucks, heavyweight and influential connections, et al.

But Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo (aka Captain Hosa), who turns 55 on Monday, January 7, 2012, has chosen to don the garb of minimalism, which is, perhaps, a product of his humble upbringing, made possible by the discipline of a clergy father, teacher and community leader, the late Reverend Robert Amos Okunbo.

Even now as an adult, Hosa remains well-taught and advised, in line with the Igbo aphorism that those whose palm kernel has been cracked for them by the benevolent spirit should learn to be humble. It is the humility together with other salient qualities of this cosmopolitan businessman, titanic philanthropist and perceptive politician that this piece is celebrating.

Validation: his accomplishments have not denatured him nor have they gone into his head. In spite of the very high pedestal he occupies, he believes that his best is yet to come; and he has therefore consistently kept his eyes on the ball of expanding his business empire. He has been quietly working at it.

Hosa’s recent breakthrough was the winning of the bids by Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Lim-

Captain Idahosa Wells Okunbo ited, a company in which he is a director, for the Ibadan and Yola Power Distribution Companies (Discos).

And just in case you think he is a captain of the Nigerian Army, your thought is wide-off-the-mark: he is a retired commercial pilot with intimidating business engagements that have spanned a 25 year-period.

Born on January 7, 1958, he started his education at Government Primary School, Benin City, from where he proceeded to the celebrated Federal Government College, Warri, in 1971.

There, he sat for his West African School Certificate Examination and passed in flying colours in 1975.

Desirous to become a pilot, he attended the Nigerian Civil Aviation Training Centre (NCATC), Zaria, where he graduated as a professional commer-

,

BY SUFUYAN OJEIFO

It is the humility together with other salient qualities of this cosmopolitan businessman, titanic philanthropist and perceptive politician that this piece is celebrating

,

retired in 1988 at the age of 30, having logged over 7,000 hours in flying time most of which were jet time.

He moved on to establish Hoslyn Ventures Nigeria Limited, a company that was into procurement in the oil

and gas sector. He is, today, chairman of Ocean Marine Security Limited, a company responsible for offshore asset protection for major oil companies in Nigeria, including the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); and PPP Fluid Mechanics Limited, a crude oil logistics company.

He is a major shareholder in Westminster Group Plc, United Kingdom, and chairman of Westminster Security Solutions Limited, a franchise of Westminster Group Plc UK. He chairs Wells Dredging Limited, involved in dredging, sand filling and shore protection in the Niger Delta region, as well as Wells Habitat Limited, a company partnering the Abuja Environmental Protection Agency in the area of waste management.

Hoslyn Habitat Limited, a foremost design, construction and landscaping company, and Wells Property Development Company Limited, involved in the development of affordable properties for low-income earners, high networth individuals and office development are both under his chairmanship.

In 2012, the American Congress honoured him with the “African Titan” Award for being a voice of the Niger Delta people through his movie: “Black November”. He was recently conferred with the Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by the University of Benin for his invaluable contributions to economic development.

This is wishing him many happy returns of the day. · Ojeifo, a journalist, sent this tribute from Abuja.

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard , JANU ARY 6, 2013, P AGE 17 JANUARY PA

I want to see our people wish we could live better— Amaechi Irun a free edu-

,

cation policy at the university level, but we do not have the money

His Motivation

,

I

BELIEVE that you cannot have public resources and not address the social and economic issues. I want to see our people live better. There are basic issues that, if not addressed, society would not improve. One of them is education. You must recognise the fact that access to education and affordability are two key issues that you must address. In addressing access, you make the schools available for pupils and the citizens to use.

But in addressing access, you cannot divorce access from affordability. Where most people cannot afford education, they do not get their people educated and the consequences of non-education include the fact that ignorance inhibits the mind. So, you can see people who are educated trying to confuse those who are not educated.

You need to liberate the mind and what liberates the mind is education and, if people cannot afford education, then they would not go to school. So, that informed my decision to make it free at primary and secondary levels, which, to me, is sufficient to get the mind liberated. At the university level it is optional. I wish we could run a free education policy at the university level, but we do not have the money.

Education WE flagged off the free education on 1 October 2010 - free text and exercise books are distributed every session to pupils in all state primary and secondary

The Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi Interview

W

ITHIN minutes of meeting Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, you would notice he is impatient and wants to be in charge. His impatience with finishing things quickly has had to battle with traditional bureaucracy.

There is so much to do that he fears there may not be enough time for him to complete the transformational projects for Rivers State.

He is always on the move, a fast meal even on his own table, a diversion at the airport for a quick snack, and fast-paced instructions to his aides to call a commissioner, a permanent secretary, a director-general: whoever needed to be reached, to quicken the pace of work. His appetite for more to be done appears insatiable.

At first you may think it is a show, to impress his guests. You would discover that is Amaechi, simple, demonstrating rather than explaining. He would rather show you what he is doing than sit in the office talking about projects.

Things do slow him down. Being a Port Harcourt boy means knowing many people, who he greets, gives an appointment on the spot, shares his snacks with their children, and enquires if welfare packages had got to staff at locations away from head office.

At a primary health centre, where the doctor had turned up late for work, he asked women, who were around to immunise their kids, whether they were getting adequate attention. A nurse who tried to defend the absentee doctor drew the governor’s anger. Amaechi worked the phones, searching for a doctor to attend to the patients. He reached a doctor on vacation, a member of the State Health Management Board and persuaded her to leave her Christmas shopping to attend to the patients at the health centre. On his way out, a nurse whispered the arrival of a baby to him.

“They want me to give the baby some money. I don’t have money,” he said. Some of his friends on the tour pooled resources and handed the governor a pile. He headed to the ward to see the baby.

Moments after, he was pondering about the absentee doctor. “Something serious must have engaged her attention.

This is the first time I am here and she is absent,” he said.

The next day, the accident could have been fatal. A driver running against traffic panicked on noticing he was face to face with Amaechi, who was driving himself. He tried veering into a side street, the governor bridged his vehicle slightly to stop him. In desperation, the man reversed, brushed the governor’s vehicle, then zoomed off with such ferocity that he could have taken anything on his path.

It happened so quickly. Amaechi thanked God that no one was harmed and we continued the tour. “How would this have been reported?,” he asked, as passers by who witnessed the incident waved to him. He was shocked to learn that reports could have portrayed the driver as the victim of over-zealous security men in the governor’s convoy.

Amaechi hates sirens. He has a constant battle getting his security men to put it off. He prefers moving incognito, waiting for his turn at inter-sections, but the security men would have none of that. Having being denied of leading convoys and blaring sirens, they cling to their final vestige of power – they jump down at the slightest excuse to clear the way. It is not something to concede as they ignore the governor’s protests.

We were on the second day of seeing projects that were changing the face of the state. The previous day, the governor was at a project site by 3am. He woke the contractor and had him over to discuss issues about the road that would be an alternative route while work on Aba Road continues. Contractors are getting used to being summoned at such hours over their work.

“It is a good time to see what is being done. The streets are quiet and you can get a lot done without distractions,” he explained. “I also get a chance to see things for myself when I go on these inspections. Contractors do not know when I will get to their sites.” Not even those in his convoy know where he is heading as he leads from one project to the other.

The changes from the demolitions (his wife’s warehouse was among those affected at Abonema waterside), one of the earliest places that went down as Amaechi commenced the rebuilding of Port Harcourt to the Garden City, are reflecting. There is a lot of work to do, but Rivers State has a workaholic for a governor.

In this interaction with the Vanguard team of Ikeddy ISIGUZO, Chairman, Editorial Board, Azu AKANWA, Emma AZIKEN, Jimitota ONOYUME and Chijioke NWANKPA, who took the pictures, Amaechi, winner of Vanguard’s Personality of The Year 2012, tells his story as he drove us round the State…

schools. Free education in the state’s standard educational facilities is expected to give children from Rivers State an edge in academics, particularly those from poor homes who ordinarily may not have been opportune to have such educational upbringing. Out of 500 new model primary schools being built across our 23 local government areas of the state, 254 are 100 percent completed, 92 are fully functional while the others are being furnished and equipped.

Our initial plan was 750 primary schools by 2015. We have had challenges with getting land to build; there has been an increase in the number of pupils. We would do 500 schools, but a storey-building with 25 classrooms, instead of 14 and not more than 30 students per class. These primary schools are each equipped with ICT facility, modern library, science laboratory, football field, basketball pitch, volleyball pitch, a sick bay, nursery playground.

Twenty-four model secondary schools are being built across the state with standard boarding facilities (two students in each en suite room), free feeding, and free uniforms, fully equipped laboratories for all required subjects, language laboratories, and sporting facilities.

The model school in Eleme will admit its first students, 1,000, in January 2013. Two others, Etche and Saakpenwa, will admit students next academic session, while Emohua, Buguma and Oyigbo are almost completed. The secondary schools would be managed by an educational consultant Educomp Solution. Overseas scholarships and scholarship in schools within Nigeria are awarded yearly to Rivers indigenes at all academic levels, secondary, and tertiary - Bachelor ’s, Master’s and Doctorate degrees as well other scholarly studies. New teachers have been employed in the primary schools while training and re-training of teachers is now a regular affair.

Government is paying an Indian company to manage the model schools.

Continues on page 18

PAGE 18 — SUNDAY

Vanguard , JANUARY 6, 2013

‘Rivers mortality rate has declined’ Continued from page 17 Staff quarters are fully Each of the schools will have a governing board with representations from government, community, labour and Parent Teacher Association, who would run the school.

Health 160 model health centres are operational in our 23 local government areas. The free health care programme has contributed to a decline in the mortality rate of Rivers people particularly maternal and child mortality as the health centres are located to serve every part of the state. All indigenes and residents of the state are beneficiaries of the programme. People in the remote villages or coastal areas no longer have to visit the city for medical care. For secondary health care, there are three new hospitals all completed. They include the ultra modern Rivers State Dental and Maxillofacial Hospital on Aba Road. This facility is completed and being furnished and equipped. The Kelsey Harrison Hospital, formerly known as New Niger Hospital on Emenike Street, Diobu, is fully equipped and ready to take off. The General Hospital at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology is also completed.

Agriculture We have four fish farms-buguma, Andoni, Opobo and Ubima. Banana Farm in Ogoni-100 hectares have been done out of the total 250 hectares. Therefore is among the big farms we have started to create jobs for rural dwellers. It will employ about 500 workers. Rivers Songhai learning initiative has a centre for training, agricultural production, research and development of sustainable agricultural practices. The farm project sits on a 314-hectares land in Bunu-Tai, an agrarian community in Tai Local Government Area of the state. It is about 20 times the size of the Songhai model in Porto Novo – an integrated farm which combines livestock, arable farming, fishery, snail farming and poultry. There is a 2,000-hectare farm in Etche with a total available land space of 3,000 hectares. The farm is projected to cost $140 million. The state is investing $100m; the foreign partner $40 million. The farm would have 300 farming houses, agro processing and 3,000 hectares for cultivation. The 300 houses would accommodate 300 farming families who would live and work on the farm.

Most Important Project ALL of them are important. Education is the most important based on the reasons I have given. But I think if you do not have road network to move goods and services you would not be able to run the economy because you need to run the economy by providing good road networks. People have been complaining of traffic and the reason is not because there are too many cars, but it is because the roads are not enough. We are building more roads and expanding existing ones. There is a road that would take you from the heart of town to the airport and, even though it is not up to 17 kilometres, it would cost us about N200 billion. I do not have that money, but, if I do not do it, Aba Road would continue to be the major trunk road into the city and we will continue to have traffic crisis. We need to deal with the issue of road network.

A Profile Amaechi: Born: 27 May 1965 Place of Birth: Umuordu-Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State Education: University of Port Harcourt (BA, English, 1987) Became Governor: In November 2007, by decision of the Supreme Court that annulled the election of Celestine Omehia; held that the Peoples Democratic Party ticket with which Omehia ran rightly belonged to Amaechi Re-elected Governor: 26 April 2011 Previously: Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, 1999-2007 Married: To Judith, they have three sons

handling security. By February 2013, our security helicopters would have arrived to give the state 24-hour security coverage.

Governors’ Forum BEING the Chairman of the Forum is a big distraction to me. There are many issues that need my attention in Rivers State, but I have to share my time between the Forum and Rivers. However, it is a privilege having to serve in that capacity and enjoying the support of my colleagues. My tenure as Chairman runs out in May. (He was silent when told that his colleagues may want him to continue.)

*TOP: A sickbay in one of the primary schools; MIDDLE: A fish pond at the Songhai integrated farm; and BOTTOM: Operating theatre of Kelsey Harrison Hospital, formerly New Niger Hospital

Health is also important if we have to govern people. If the people are not alive, you cannot govern any person. So we have to provide quality healthcare.

But,basically, the most important is education.

Inspiration WHEN I move around, I see many challenges that are opportunities to improve the lives of our people. Once I discuss them with relevant teams and we can find the money, we design projects that can take care of the situation. We have an option of mechanising the modern farms we have set up with partners. We adopted the manual option to create jobs for more people, who are also learning modern farming skills. They can set up their own farms or continue working in our farms.

The welfare of our people inspires these projects.

New Aircraft MUCH has been said about the aircraft.

It belongs to Rivers State government.

We had three aircraft when I came into office. We sold one to acquire a more modern craft that is also more economical to run. So mischief makers said we bought the aircraft while the state was flooded. The aircraft had been purchased before the flood and it is meant for more efficiency in the operations of the state.

We can save time, keep our schedules, if we are not stranded at airports.

Security Challenges WE have done a lot about security. We are doing more. Before we came to office, kidnapping was a serious challenge. We have dealt with it substantially. We are finishing December without a single report of kidnapping or armed robbery.

We have specially trained policemen

Governors’ Forum Anti-People I SUPPORT the removal of fuel subsidy because we are throwing money away.

The beneficiaries of the subsidy are a few people who the probes have revealed are making billions of Naira at the expense of the people. The Governors’ Forum is accused of supporting removal of subsidy so that governors would get more revenue from the centre. Our position is that removal of subsidy would stop the wastes, make the sector more competitive, attract investors to build refineries and create jobs. Without removal of subsidy, we doubt if these could be achieved, so our position is actually pro-people.

Opposition To The President MOST of the governors are from the same party with the President, but there are several grounds for disagreement.

Some of them border on interpretation of the Constitution. We are not opposed to the President, we are opposed to violation of the Constitution which we swore to uphold. Appropriation of federallygenerated revenue must be in line with the Constitution. We are opposed to the Federal Government accumulating resources that belong to other tiers of government for its use. We are not opposing the President as an individual, but the government.

We are elected to serve our various states. Where the Federal Government takes resources that should go to the states, we would be starved of funds to develop the states. Where we cannot resolve these matters on our own, we head to court to interpret the Constitution. We are in a democracy and must sustain it through the laws.

Continues on page 19

PAGE 18 — SUNDAY

Vanguard , JANUARY 6, 2013

‘Rivers mortality rate has declined’

Amaechi: Born: 27 May 1965 Place of Birth: Umuordu-Ubima, Ikwerre Local Government Area, Rivers State Education: University of Port Harcourt (BA, English, 1987) Became Governor: In November 2007, by decision of the Supreme Court that annulled the election of Celestine Omehia; held that the Peoples Democratic Party ticket with which Omehia ran rightly belonged to Amaechi Re-elected Governor: 26 April 2011 Previously: Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, 1999-2007 Married: To Judith, they have three sons

Continued from page 17 Staff quarters are fully Each of the schools will have a governing board with representations from government, community, labour and Parent Teacher Association, who would run the school.

Health 160 model health centres are operational in our 23 local government areas. The free health care programme has contributed to a decline in the mortality rate of Rivers people particularly maternal and child mortality as the health centres are located to serve every part of the state. All indigenes and residents of the state are beneficiaries of the programme. People in the remote villages or coastal areas no longer have to visit the city for medical care. For secondary health care, there are three new hospitals all completed. They include the ultra modern Rivers State Dental and Maxillofacial Hospital on Aba Road. This facility is completed and being furnished and equipped. The Kelsey Harrison Hospital, formerly known as New Niger Hospital on Emenike Street, Diobu, is fully equipped and ready to take off. The General Hospital at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology is also completed.

Agriculture We have four fish farms-buguma, Andoni, Opobo and Ubima. Banana Farm in Ogoni-100 hectares have been done out of the total 250 hectares. Therefore is among the big farms we have started to create jobs for rural dwellers. It will employ about 500 workers. Rivers Songhai learning initiative has a centre for training, agricultural production, research and development of sustainable agricultural practices. The farm project sits on a 314-hectares land in Bunu-Tai, an agrarian community in Tai Local Government Area of the state. It is about 20 times the size of the Songhai model in Porto Novo – an integrated farm which combines livestock, arable farming, fishery, snail farming and poultry. There is a 2,000-hectare farm in Etche with a total available land space of 3,000 hectares. The farm is projected to cost $140 million. The state is investing $100m; the foreign partner $40 million. The farm would have 300 farming houses, agro processing and 3,000 hectares for cultivation. The 300 houses would accommodate 300 farming families who would live and work on the farm.

Most Important Project ALL of them are important. Education is the most important based on the reasons I have given. But I think if you do not have road network to move goods and services you would not be able to run the economy because you need to run the economy by providing good road networks. People have been complaining of traffic and the reason is not because there are too many cars, but it is because the roads are not enough. We are building more roads and expanding existing ones. There is a road that would take you from the heart of town to the airport and, even though it is not up to 17 kilometres, it would cost us about N200 billion. I do not have that money, but, if I do not do it, Aba Road would continue to be the major trunk road into the city and we will continue to have traffic crisis. We

A Profile

handling security. By February 2013, our security helicopters would have arrived to give the state 24hour security coverage.

Governors’ Forum BEING the Chairman of the Forum is a big distraction to me. There are many issues that need my attention in Rivers State, but I have to share my time between the Forum and Rivers. However, it is a privilege having to serve in that capacity and enjoying the support of my colleagues. My tenure as Chairman runs out in May. (He was silent when told that his colleagues may want him to continue.)

*TOP: A sickbay in one of the primary schools; MIDDLE: A fish pond at the Songhai integrated farm; and BOTTOM: Operating theatre of Kelsey Harrison Hospital, formerly New Niger Hospital need to deal with the issue of road network.

Health is also important if we have to govern people. If the people are not alive, you cannot govern any person. So we have to provide quality healthcare. But,basically, the most important is education.

Inspiration WHEN I move around, I see many challenges that are opportunities to improve the lives of our people.

Once I discuss them with relevant teams and we can find the money, we design projects that can take care of the situation. We have an option of mechanising the modern farms we have set up with partners.

We adopted the manual option to create jobs for more people, who are also learning modern farming skills.

They can set up their own farms or continue working in our farms.

The welfare of our people inspires these projects.

New Aircraft MUCH has been said about the aircraft. It belongs to Rivers State government. We had three aircraft when I came into office. We sold one to acquire a more modern craft that is also more economical to run. So mischief makers said we bought the aircraft while the state was flooded.

The aircraft had been purchased before the flood and it is meant for more efficiency in the operations of the state. We can save time, keep our schedules, if we are not stranded at airports.

Security Challenges WE have done a lot about security.

We are doing more. Before we came to office, kidnapping was a serious challenge. We have dealt with it substantially. We are finishing December without a single report of kidnapping or armed robbery. We have specially trained policemen

Governors’ Forum Anti-People I SUPPORT the removal of fuel subsidy because we are throwing money away. The beneficiaries of the subsidy are a few people who the probes have revealed are making billions of Naira at the expense of the people. The Governors’ Forum is accused of supporting removal of subsidy so that governors would get more revenue from the centre. Our position is that removal of subsidy would stop the wastes, make the sector more competitive, attract investors to build refineries and create jobs. Without removal of subsidy, we doubt if these could be achieved, so our position is actually pro-people.

Opposition To The President MOST of the governors are from the same party with the President, but there are several grounds for disagreement. Some of them border on interpretation of the Constitution.

We are not opposed to the President, we are opposed to violation of the Constitution which we swore to uphold. Appropriation of federallygenerated revenue must be in line with the Constitution. We are opposed to the Federal Government accumulating resources that belong to other tiers of government for its use. We are not opposing the President as an individual, but the government.

We are elected to serve our various states. Where the Federal Government takes resources that should go to the states, we would be starved of funds to develop the states. Where we cannot resolve these matters on our own, we head to court to interpret the Constitution. We are in a democracy and must sustain it through the laws.

Continues on page 19

SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

Continued from page 18

Support For State Police IF we have state police, Rivers would be able to train its police the way it wants. It would not have suffered the loss of those 500 policemen it trained.

Most states are spending a lot of money improving the police which are not under their control. States can use the same resources to fund their own police. Only those with something to hide are afraid of state police.

Due Process Delays WE have a law setting up the Due Process Office. It vets our contracts and issues certification for us to proceed.

Some of the delays that we have with contracts are because they are going through due process. The delays are inconvenient, but they help check abuses in our processes.

Collapsed Airport Road Bridge WE are re-constructing most of the roads we met. They have defects. Some have no drainage or the job was shoddy.

Airport Road is one of many examples.

Some months back the bridge there collapsed and worsened the traffic on Aba Road. We are re-building the bridge.

We had to create an emergency route to ease the traffic while the work continues.

Relations With Peter Odili HE is my boss. I refer to him as my boss and benefactor. We had political disagreements and they have been resolved. I did not set up the Truth & Reconciliation Commission to embarrass him. Many people had grievances when I became governor, the Commission was to reconcile people. He remains my boss.

(He refuses to comment on Dr. Odili’s book, Conscience and History – My Story, saying he had not read it.)

Allegations That He Has Stopped Working PEOPLE are used to seeing me on the road, at project sites and they think that is all the work there was for me to do. I have things to do in the office and the strategy for getting things done keep changing. In the early days, I needed to be out there more often. I was 42, and had a lot more strength.

Most of the projects I was running

PAGE 19

ments. It is different here. They run their councils. I do not deduct anything from their allocations, instead I pay N2 billion every month to the local governments for their teachers’ salaries.

Govs not at war with Jonathan —Amaechi

Challenges Of Federalism THE Federal Government is wasteful.

What does it do with the trillions of Naira it budgets annually? How many houses has it built? Where are the roads it is constructing? We want more powers and resources for the states whose projects affect the people directly. I will use two examples to illustrate how federalism, as we practise it today, is hampering development of the country.

Rivers State is building its own transmission lines and sub-stations to distribute the power it is generating. The state has been told it has no powers to do these, they are federal responsibilities.

Rivers trained 500 policemen in Israel with the understanding that their special training would assist in tackling the security challenges in the state.

The Federal Government transferred them to different parts of the country without telling the state. We have to train a new set.

JANUARY 6, 2013,

Rural Rivers WE are being accused of concentrating on the urban centres, but we are getting to the rural areas. They are included in our educational and health programmes which are progressing at the same pace as the cities. In case of electricity, we are considering other ways of generating power for them. Transportation is still challenging. We are dealing with them.

Our mandate is to improve lives all over Rivers.

*Vanguard team: Isiguzo, Akanwa and Aziken, with Gov. Amaechi around then have been completed. They are in use. It is not true that I am not working. I still inspect projects, more at night, and in the early hours when people are asleep.

That they do not see me doing the inspections does not mean I am not working. Contractors handling our projects know I am working. I call them up most times I am inspecting their work.

New Port Harcourt City THE New City Project is aimed at depopulating Port Harcourt and it is a public-private participation project.

People are to buy and build and it is envisaged that the new city would generate its own 24-hour electricity. Part of it would be an entertainment centre that would be spectacular for its difference to others anywhere in the country.

The centre is a private initiative. The new city has a 1,000 bed hospital a new campus of the Rivers State University of Technology, and a Sports Centre, with a 36,000 capacity stadium and facilities for sports.

A 1,000 housing unit that a German firm is building would commence early 2013.

Next to the New City is the expressway that links the export processing and industrial zones of Onne with all the opportunities that lie there.

His Fears NOT security as you may think. My life is in God’s hands. We passed the security scare when we used to chase criminals in the bush. (A birthday painting with him jumping obstacles in the bush from one of thee military commanders testifies to his adventures.)

The biggest fear is that there may not be time for me to complete the model secondary school projects in all the local government areas, nothing more.

fund all the recurrent expenditure from the IGR. I think our recurrent expenditure in 2012 is nearly N100 or so billion out of a total of N490 billion. Even if we are not able to get N100 billion and get up to N88 or N90 billion as projected by us, then we would have done more than two-thirds of our expectations.

Our recurrent expenditure is exactly 30.9 per cent of the budget. (The Federal Government’s recurrent expenditure is over 72 per cent).

Peer Review Mechanism WE have a peer review mechanism that Justice Muhammadu Uwais chairs.

Different governors face different challenges. You cannot compare any governor with the governor of Rivers State because the amount of revenue we get is quite different from each other. If you want to compare, you have to compare orange with orange and apple with apple, you do not compare orange with apple. In that setting, it is challenging to use the work that is being done in one to compare another state’s. Even with all the money we get, construction cost here is high. Imagine a 17- kilometre road costing N200 billion. As I was pointing out to you, we excavate up to six metres, removing clay before we construct roads. Peer review mechanism must reflect challenges peculiar to each state.

Autonomy For Local Governments LOCAL governments in Rivers State have autonomy. They are elected and run their administrations. I have heard allegations that some governors appropriate the allocations of local govern-

Less Than Three Years Left I HAVE two years and five months to go. I count it everyday. I am grateful to God that He has brought me this far. I am looking forward to finishing the tenure and resting.

Sustainability Projects I AM not worried about what would happen to the projects when I leave.

Whatsoever gave me the idea would also give the next governor the idea to do better than I. He would even have an advantage over me. While I am mobilising resources for new projects, most of his job would be to maintain or complete projects. I think he would have enough resources to carry on very well.

The Next Governor I HAVE to be God to know who would be the next governor. I do not know, but I hope someone who would work for the people of Rivers State would emerge.

His Presidential Ambition THE speculation must have come from my visit to Sokoto. The university was awarding an honorary degree to me, I decided to pass a night there. Some say I want to be a Vice President. I have no such ambitions. At the Governors’ Forum we joke a lot about these things. We are friends. One of the governors sent me gifts for the Christmas celebrations.

When I call him, I will ask if he is lobbying for a presidential ticket, that is how we treat these matters. I am busy trying to fulfil my promises to Rivers people.

His Legacy THE legacy that I have left behind is still on education. When I travel abroad, I meet children say, “Sir, my name is XYZ from Rivers State, I am a scholar, I am on that State’s scholarship. We send 300 students every year to Canada and the United Kingdom for different courses.

Mono Rail THE mono rail is meant to decongest Aba Road, our busiest route. It is only 7.1 kilometres long, but covers the busiest sections of Port Harcourt. If we had money, we would have liked to extend it to other parts of Port Harcourt. The beams are being set and we should deliver that project soon.

Funds For Projects WE have improved Internally Generated Revenue. IGR used to be N2.5 billion, now it is N6.5 and our target for 2013 is N7.5 billion so that we can ensure that we

*Banana farm: A partnership with a Mexican company

PAGE 20—SUNDAY VANGUARD,JANUARY 6, 2013

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2013: Time to put the masses first View-Point W

HEN on Friday December 7, 2012, I read the headline ‘SENATE KICKS AGAINST EXTRA 9 billion naira for Vice-President’s residence’, in one of our national dailies, I felt very frustrated and disappointed, and I began to doubt if our rulers are really aware of the myriad problems Nigeria faces, and how to combat them. Or perhaps they do know, but don’t know which are of utmost importance to the nation. With the numerous aides and advisers that our leaders have around them to help them carry out their duties successfully and creditably, one would expect they know precisely the state of the nation at any given time.

These advisers are meant to feel the pulse of the masses and advise their bosses correctly, so that these bosses can carry out their duties in ways that would benefit our citizens.

I doubt if erecting residences for our leaders at massive costs at a time when government claims it has no money to improve our welfare in meaningful ways, is of great benefit to us at present. How can this bring relief to a nation where unemployment is very high as more and more industries are folding up; bread winners in families are losing their jobs; young people are wearing out their shoes, pounding the pavements in search of elusive jobs (some commit suicide out of despair while some take to crime and prostitution); pensioners are owed several months of their meagre monthly pensions, and several die every year during the rigorous verification exercise. Security is of very great concern these days, but we learn that our law enforcement agencies are no match for their opponents because they lack the sophisticated and high-powered equipment the other side has. At any given time, one after the other, or sometimes at the same time, teachers, doctors, nurses, university staff and other government workers are on strike. Reason?

Government has reneged (yet again!) on its promise of paying the agreed salaries and benefits, and improving their lot. We have many efficient and qualified medical personnel, but there’s brain-drain there because of poor pay and lack of adequate hospital equipment, including steady power supply and reliable generators, with which to work.

Patients suffer lack of care and some deaths occur.

It is one thing to fight tooth and nail to win at elections, or to be appointed into a position of authority, and it is another to know precisely what to do with the power given, in order to fulfill the purpose for which you were chosen/appointed.

I salute the courage of Senator Smart Adeyemi, a former national president of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, for his remark after paying an oversight visit to the site of the project at Aso Drive. The paper said that he noted that such a huge sum of money was uncalled for especially at a time when most Nigerians cannot afford three square meals a day.

His remark, though sincere and echoing what many Nigerians would say on the matter, is courageous because he belongs to the ruling political party. He easily could have kept quiet ‘in order not to upset those who put us there!’.

The nation will now wait to see what the end of the matter will be. Governance and law-making are supposed to put citi-

Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor

Our rulers should wake up and be alive to their responsibilities towards the masses.

They should put the interests of the masses first before their own personal interests. We don’t want a revolution, do we? zens first in their decisions.

I may be wrong, but to me, our VicePresident seems a humble and down-toearth person who wouldn’t insist on having an official residence for his position constructed at such huge costs when he’s very aware of the situation of the average Nigerian. Even though the mansion won’t be his personal property, and there’s no guarantee that it would be completed on time for him and his family to occupy during this his term in office; and even if the project may have been on ground before this present administration came into power (?), I don’t think it’s prudent for us to spend billions of naira on such a project at this point in time. Someone told me that it’s because of the security gadgets that need to be installed that the cost is so high. Fine, but the most effective security is the one that God provides. He will keep safe those whom He will. But let’s make sure that citizens, particularly the masses, have qualitative lives. Maybe we can easily afford this sort of project in future when unemployment is down to almost zero level, and we’re counted among the developped nations of the world, with much improved healthcare, educational system, roads, water supply, and working social services.

I learnt from the news report that the project which is being handled by the Federal Capital Development Agency, who requested for a further nine billion naira,

has already gulped seven billion naira! Now, this is a huge sum of money, by any standard, at least to many of us. To ask for a further nine billion naira, seems outrageous to me when there are so many masses-aimed projects which are begging to be executed.

Most roads all over the country are still quite bad and dangerous. The Lagos/Ibadan road, we’re told, is merely being repaired for traffic at Christmas, and has not been awarded for rehabilitation to any construction company, as we believed. The Lagos/Benin road is still quite testy although repairs are going on still, as on some other roads in the country; thanks to the efforts of the energetic current Minister for Works who seems to be aware of his duties and commitment to making our roads more motorable and safe. We hope lack of funds won’t halt these road works. Fuel scarcity inched back into our lives in September.We’ve been told that de-regulation of pump prices is inevitable, and we shall have to pay more for fuel in this new year. We all know that bad roads and increase in pump prices mean hefty hikes in food prices, as farm products rot away on the farms because the farmers cannot afford the cost of transportation even to the local markets, and those who are able take their products there at huge costs, just have to increase their prices in order to

break even. Market people add their own overheads too, and by the time that yam or plantain gets to your table, you feel the pinch in your pocket.

Right now, doctors are on strike, yet again, in hospitals across the nation.

This means that even the poor healthcare services we have in these health institutions, are no longer available to the common man. Even the poor now have to borrow money to send their sick to India for medical attention.

Power supply has worsened in recent times, and on the days power is supposed to be on in your area, it’s low current for half the time, and no power for the other half. Small scale industries and self-employed artisans are left helplessly idle most of the time.

Senator Adeyemi spoke of three square meals. Sorry, Senator, only the very rich can afford to eat three meals a day these days. Many families can afford only the evening meal, and that’s with the contribution of children who have to go hawk on the streets to help financially in the home.

Our rulers should wake up and be alive to their responsibilities towards the masses. They should put the interests of the masses first before their own personal interests. We don’t want a revolution, do we?

HAPPY, HEALTHY, SUCCESSFUL AND SAFE NEW YEAR TO ALL READERS OF THIS PAGE. AMEN. THANKS FOR READING IT.

LATEST INDIAN FASHION TREND Outsav fashion: Exclusive 2013 style

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 21

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Our elderly parents deserve quality care — Dr Iyabode Cole help take care of her mother, and that was how it all started.

Looking back to the last ten years, how boring or interesting would you say working with aged people could be?

Working with aged people is fantastic and I’m happy when I’m with them. They tell you their problems and you listen carefully because for many of them, their children might not be around them most of the time. I actually go to their houses to care for them one after the other, and in areas where I experience serious challenges, I call in specialists. Some of them have different challenges, and they practically need all the love they can get for the short time. I however feel much fulfilled to be able to show them love and care because they are just like babies.

Dr Iyabode Cole....Living with grandchildren helps aged people a lot

tioner.

Vista Woman had a chat recently at a Rotary Club event with this lady who’s clearly her job.

Our culture as Africans de- enjoying mands that family members Excerpts: care for their elderly, and most HAT got you to families do this to the best of specialize in Geriatric their ability. However, total comwhich is a rare mitment to this is declining due field in ourMedicine own part of the world? to pressures of everyday living I was inspired by the need to take and limited time and funds. Be- care of old people. I’ve been in this sides, our healthcare is yet to in the last ten years include special services for the in my own quiet way. A lot of aged elderly. Ten years ago, Dr people are suffering, especially in (Mrs) Iyabode Khadijat Cole, a the Old People’s Homes, and that 1982 graduate in Medicine, of was one of the things I observed the University of Ife, decided to during my years as a render such services by estab- general practitioner. I observed lishing Khadijat Home Care for they were not getting adequate atand I therefore developed a the elderly, after serving in La- tention, soft spot towards them! A friend acgos State hospitals for some time tually contacted me as a general medical practi- from England and suggested that I

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA

W

C M Y K

We just have to learn to take care of our old parents.

It’s not about killing cows and inviting VIPs and renowned musicians to their burial ceremonies.

We have to give them the best while they are alive because they took care of us when we were young

You need to really spend time with them With some, I may spend hours because they are reluctant for me to leave. Some want special people they can confide in.

Most western countries make provisions for their aged citizens, but we do not have such here; would you say it’s because we don’t consider special services for them necessary?

It’s quite unfortunate that we do not have such here in Nigeria.

However, some children are doing their best to cater for their

aged parents. Some pay the bills from their parents’ estate while some children contribute individually to pay their bills.

Having worked with aged people and perhaps witnessed their children’s attitude towards them sometimes, what do you think of our attitude towards our aged parents?

Many children take care of their parents while some don’t. Also, some children are very loving! The society, especially the non-governmental organisations, is really trying. Every now and then, they pay visits to old people’s homes to show love and care. I’m a member of the Rotary Club and we also do that often.

Our healthcare centres are known for long queues; from your experience, are these people given preferential attention so that they won’t have to queue for long?

I cannot answer that question because the answer would be very bitter to some ears!

Another thing that is gradually creeping into our lives here is the transfer of aged parents to old people’s homes by their children even when they too are living in the same cities…

Frankly, to me, it’s an abomination in our culture. Why can’t your parents stay with you? I know some daughters who take in their parents, and their husbands are very accommodating about it, and they treat these aged parents-in-law nicely. I don’t see any reason why you cannot bring your mother or father into your house. It all depends on understanding, anyway.

Isn’t putting the elderly in Old People’s Homes depriving young children of the opportunity to learn traditional values and culture from their grandparents?

Living with grandchildren helps aged people a lot. Both parties are able to learn from each other and that way, the IQ of these aged remain strong. They learn new things from the young ones while the young ones also learn history and values from their chest of knowledge. I just wish we could change our attitude towards our old parents.

So, what’s your advice to children who still have aged parents to look after?

We just have to learn to take care of our old parents. It’s not about killing cows and inviting VIPs and renowned musicians to their burial ceremonies. We have to give them the best while they are alive because they took care of us when we were young. Otherwise, how else do we pay them back?

Madam, in your old age, would you consent to being taken to old people’s home?

Me? God forbid! My children won’t do that! They can see what I’m doing for aged people, and besides, my first daughter and my baby girl are also medical doctors. They might eventually decide to toe my path.

PAGE 22 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013

I don’t want his attention!

Dear Rebecca am a young girl of sixteen. My prob lem started two years ago when I traveled home for Christmas. I met a boy a year older who wanted to have a relationship with me. Though I refused he insisted on taking my address and gsm number. I obliged. Since my return to Lagos he has mail once reaffirming his love for me.

Last year he came to visit me at my school.

Wanting to know why I did not reply to his mail.

He told me how much he missed me. Recently he sent my cousin to greet me.

Please help me. What should I do? I don’t want to fall in love with this guy. I am too young and also, I want to concentrate on my studies, which is more important to me.

Ije, Lagos.

I

REPL Y REPLY

Y

OU are wise to decide not to have any distrac-

tion from your studies, with a romantic relationship. So, tell this boy when next he contacts you that you are not interested in his advances and he should leave you alone. Be polite but firm about this. If he refuses to listen to you, ask your cousin who he sent to say ‘hello’ to you to tell him to please keep away from you.

He is still after you because you have not really shown that you don’t want him. After all, you gave him you gsm number and your house address. It is a common belief that when some girls say ‘no’ they mean ‘yes’. You would have to convince this boy that you don’t want a relationship with him. I don’t even recommend that you should have any boy around you as a special boyfriend. Just have several responsible boys and girls around you as casual friends. Don’t indulge in talks about sex and a relationship with men for money, etc. Always let your parents know who are your friends - both male and female.

Should I forget this snob?

Dear Rebecca

I

am a boy of 23, and in love with a girl I met during my JAMB examination two years ago.. On my first visit to her house, she welcomed me very warmly and introduced me to her friends, brothers and sisters. At the

I feel like having body contact with her Dear Rebecca

I

am a 17 year old boy in love with a girl of 15 who lives in the same estate as I do.

Although we’ve not started going out, each time she comes to our house, I always feel like going to kiss or fondle her body.

These attempts have always come as a shock to her. So far she has refused to cooperate with me . I love this girl so much.

I don’t want to force her and I don’t know exactly what to do to get her please help Asho, Warri REPL Y REPLY

B

e a gentleman and resist the temptation to kiss or fondle her. If you don’t, things might get

out of hand. As you try to force yourself on her, she would shout for help and you would be arrested and charged for attempted rape, assault, or even rape, if you had sex with her. You could get a jail term, and your future could be ruined.

Even if you escape prison, you would have earned yourself a bad reputation for life.

Then, if this girl yields to temptation and agrees to have sex with you, if her people get to know, you would be arrested and charged for having sex with an under-aged girl. It is unlawful to have sex with a girl under sixteen who is not your wife.

There is also the question of unwanted pregnancy which could lead to likely abortion which could cost the girl her life.

If the pregnancy stays, then you both would be teenage parents, and this would disrupt your educational careers.

There would be big trou-

ble. I am sure you don’t want all this headache.

In the long run, you would lose this girl anyway. My advice is that you enjoy each other’s company, chatting, reading, exchanging magazines, etc. Just be friends and allow good friendship to grow as you study each other , and pursue your studies or training.

Even if she shows a willingness for body contact, you should try and put things under control with self-discipline. Stop meeting in secret places or being alone, just the two of you. Thus, you will resist temptation.

She will respect you if you don’t mess around with her body.

Later, when both of you are older and more mature emotionally and have read books on body development and sex, you could allow physical contact of hugging and kissing.

Leave sex till you are married.

end of this visit she also promised to return my visit.

When she visited me, I was quick to let her know that I was staying with an uncle who at that time had travelled abroad.

She refused to believe me but instead claimed that he was my father.

The truth is that I live with my uncle who lost his wife.

His two children are at school abroad. So whenever he travels, I am usually left behind with his steward in the duplex we live in.

Not too long ago my uncle was duped. As a result of this he decided to go and live abroad finally, and he asked me to go and live with my father. Before this problem my uncle had promised to take me abroad to further my studies.

I told my girlfriend this and even took her to my father ’s house. Since then my girlfriend is no longer interested in me.

She said she did not know I come from a very poor home. Should I continue or forget about her?

Please advise me.

Stevie, Lagos.

REPL Y REPLY

I

know that your pride is hurt and you are disappointed that this girl preferred your uncle’s comfortable accommodation to your dad’s place, but

take heart. There is nothing at stake. You are not looking for a marital partner yet and you and this girl are not really boyfriend/girlfriend yet.

The relationship fell before it could start off properly. That is life.

We all have what we are looking for in a relationship. This girl wants to be associated with the comfortable and wealthy.

That does not make her a bad person. Learn now, however, not to boast about anything; success, wealth, connection, etc, - when you are trying to date a girl. Let her like you for what she can see - That is, your

personality and your character. Trying to impress a girl with stories of family wealth is immature, and a sign that you consider yourself unworthy of her, and you have to say something impressive to win her friendship.

Like you have experienced, wealth can be taken away at anytime.

That’s why we must not be boastful and neglect to give God the glory for who we are, and what we have.

Leave this girl alone, and concentrate on your studies and future. You will meet other girls.

Trying to impress a girl with stories of family wealth is immature, and a sign that you consider yourself unworthy of her, and you have to say something impressive to win her friendship •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 , JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 23

Why ‘sex’ Is no longer such a dirty word!

I

T’S amazing that in this day and age, a lot of readers keep on texting to find out if the stories in this column are true. Relationships are the most complex things the average person can understand and believe me, stories in this column are so tame compared with what goes on in most homes and behind closed doors! Cases of infidelity are as old as the stories you read in the various holy books, and all over the world, a lot of serious journals are introducing ‘human angle’ stories because they ’re what interest readers.

Visitors to Britain and the so-called ‘first’ world countries know that after certain hours of the night, when the kids are tucked in bed, you could flick on a few of the standard channels and watch raw porn movies and it is legal. Here, Femi Kuti crooned ‘Bang, Bang, Bang’, a few years ago and the music was yanked off the air by dogooders who believed it was lewd! The poor man was vindicated when he was specifically asked to

play the same tune at the 2010 World Cup opening in South Africa.

About time we took a look at what is going on globally. Most secondary schools now skip sex education, whilst parents are sometimes too embarrassed to tell their wards about the ‘birds and the bees’ leaving most of our teenagers open to the wiles of paedophiles who trick them into having the most atrocious sex acts and threatening them not to tell if they don’t want to get into serious trouble.

Religious freaks who preach fire and brimstone all of the time are constantly paraded on the pages of newspapers for one lewd act or the other. The most bizarre I read a few years ago, was of a man of God who openly named and shamed the housewives he’d committed adultery with in his church before committing suicide!

There are also stories of holier-than-thou Senator Yerima and his penchant for under-aged girls that have left us speechless a lawmaker thumping his nose at the law of the

land and hiding under the cloak of religion!

Modesty stops me from revealing a lot of atrocities even seemingly respectable men and women get up to in the confines of their rooms.

And that is just the crux of it - whatever takes place between consenting adults should be nothing to be ashamed of.

It’s always been advised that whatever hang-ups you might have about sex should be immediately addressed through counselling or medical help. Sex is the

healthiest exercise in the human life - and if you’re not getting adequate satisfaction from it, or are not getting any at all, something is seriously wrong and you owe it to your well-being to correct the anomaly.

Masturbation does women a lot of good!

Over 60 per cent of women have had to masturbate one way or the other while the others believe they have no need to. Are these later set of people missing out on something special?

According to a psychotherapist, Dr. S. Humphery: A woman

shouldn’t feel under pressure to masturbate just because she feels everyone else is doing it.

If it isn’t your thing- then fine but there are actually some health benefits to self-love. For example, you say you’re short of energy - masturbating, like exercise boosts natural endorphins that can in turn increase energy levels and help you relax. It also improves blood flow to your genital area which means more essential nutrients to help keep the tissue healthy. In addition to this, each time you orgasm, you strengthen

your pelvic floor muscles, which help support your womb, bladder and virgina. The more toned the area, the more snug and fit you’ll have with your partner ’s penis, and the more sensational you’ll feel during sex.

"Solo sex is all about giving yourself pleasure.

It’s no coincidence that women in their 30s masturbate more than twice as often as women in their 20s. As we mature and gain confidence, sex ceases to be just about what men want from us and more about what we want.

Masturbation helps us discover this. Although some women feel they’re betraying their partners by masturbating, the actual benefit it brings to your relationship can be twofold: First, it brings variety into your sex life, giving you an opportunity to explore new desires and fantasies that will find their way into your shared sexual experiences. Second, masturbation will give you a sense of independence from your partner, reminding him you are a sexual person in your own right, which should prevent him taking you for granted.”

08052201867(Text Only)

Exercise helps longevity the world are the Georgians of the Caucasus mountains in Southern Russia, the Hunzas of Kashmir and the Vilcabamba Indians of Ecuador.

These three, seem to share some common traits which must be the key to their longevity. On the whole their diet is frugal, low in salt, refined sugar, fat and high in fibre and hardly any frying in oil.

They consume a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. The drinking water is high in mineral content from fresh mountain streams.

They practise holistic medicine, applying traditional herbs and medicines to forestall and cure diseases. They seldom drink or smoke. They ex-

ercise regularly by way of their hard lives. They don’t use preservatives and live at altitudes with little air pollution. They respect their elders who are actively engaged in their 100s and harp on good human relations over the pursuit of riches.

They live in extended families from the cradle to the grave. They enjoy regular sex even at 100.

All these point to the fact that the healthiest life is the one with as much naturalness as possible.

The further we go from nature, from what’s natural, the less healthy we become.

As regards activity, the more occupied we are the better it is for us. That’s why the person whose job is sedentary must set me aside for regular exercise which need never be over the top.

With exercise there can

be as much as 10 percent of improved physical function in the young. In the old it can make as much as a difference of

,

P

ERSONS with the longest lives in

Exercise improves the blood circulation and this in turn brings extra nutrients to the surface of the skin

,

50 percent.

Exercise, performed on a regular basis can fulfil the anti-ageing functions of regulating weight, joint mobility, flexibility, strengthening of the skeletal system and strengthening of the heart.

Exercise improves the blood circulation and this in turn brings extra nutrients to the surface of the skin, increasing the collagen content to make it thicker and more flexible.

Apart from the above, exercise also helps lower blood pressure, cuts down on the risk of heart attack, stroke, arthritis and depression.

I suppose if we all become very aware of how serious we need to include exercise in the life on account of the many serious conditions we can side-step if we practise, we should be abl;e to summon up the discipline to exercise consistently.

Below are some Yoga postures to practise.

DEEP KNEE BEND (Supine) Technique Sit down in between both heels. Lower the trunk down, first on one elbow then the other and gently ease the whole

trunk flat down with the hands by the sides.

Breathe normally. Stay in the posture for about 10 - 15 seconds. A variant of the posture is to keep the trunk erect.

Benefits: The deep kneebend banishes stiffness in the hips, knes and ankles keeping those areas well lubricated.

HEELS TO CROTCH Technique: Sitting down with the feet extended in front of

you, draw the knees and place the legs flat down on the floor with the feet touching each other and the heels as close to the crotch as can be. Form a ring around the big toes with the forefinger and thumb and then lower the trunk. A variant of the posture is to keep the trunk erect.

Benefits: The posture tones u p the muscles of the legs and it is also said to improve manly vigour.

Heels-to-Crotch Pose

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

P AGE 24 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6 , 2013

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

You can’t really be emotionally detached from an affair!

A

FFAIRS are as old as the mar riage institution and they ’re not going anywhere. No matter your opinion on the topic, the main culprit, the ‘Scarlet woman’ is always seen as scheming, heartless and out for all she could get. Yet she has a heart as vulnerable as the next woman. At least that’s what Carol, a confessed adulterer wants to get across as she tells her story.

“When you have affairs, as I’ve done a few times, you just have to follow the rules,” she said.

“For, while I felt no guilt at having an affair, I fully understood the rules of getting involved with someone else’s husband. There is, if you like, an etiquette of the illicit which is vital to protect the innocent in these situations - his partner, his children. I speak, candidly, from experience. ln my lifetime, I have had three lovers who were married. I don’t, I’m afraid, feel lingering guilt about it, partly because in my friskiest years of the Seventies and Eighties, with the Swinging Sixties still in our memories, everyone was more licentious than they are today. And even the nicest girls weren’t terribly restrained.

Partly though, it’s because even if I know what I did was wrong (OK, very wrong), I also know nobody got hurt - except, obviously, me - because I did know the rules,of having an affair. “ First, you have no rights.

Your feelings and your needs are at the bottom of the heap; below his wife’s, his chiidren’s. So no, you may not phone his home ‘just to hear his voice’ - and slam it down if his wife answers.

Neither can you ask to hear from him during weekends, holidays or at Christmas, regard less of your loneliness or sudden illnesses. You are on your own. You will not send saucy emails or photographs that his wife could stumble

upon on their home computer - even if he asks you to.

You will meet him only at your home or a hotel; if you do venture a meal out, it will be at some far-flung diner where anonymity is more important than the length of the wine list. In short, you will master discretion at all costs.

Sometimes, you have to be more vigilant than the man himself - men tending to pay less attention to detail. A friend had a lover who would spend the occasional weekend with her, having told his wife he was on a business trip overseas.

It was her idea, not his, that she kept a supply of duty-free carrier bags at home, with a bottlev of Scotch in each, to authenticate his story when he arrived home carrying one.

At the heart of all this discretion, as you must keep telling yourself, is that it does not matter how much a man claims to dislike or resent his wife, that woman has done nothing to you and you have no beef with her. He is hers, not yours.

“CIever men should be able to spot from a mile the women who just don’t get this. But far too many don’t. A male friend once confided in me that his silly bit of fluff was getting ‘jolly pushy’, as he called it. He had noticed that, ever so slowly, she was arranging rendezvous at restaurants nearer and nearer to his home. ‘Get rid!’ I yelled.

‘She’s only a trouble maker. In the end, he didn’t, they were discovered and his family was destroyed.

Many mistresses exact revenge not upon the miscreant himself, but upon his family. Leonard ‘Rigsby’ Rossiter a popular British actor went to endless trouble to keep secret his affair with broadcaster Sue Mac-Gregor.

Stie’” waited until he died, then published the story causing unimaginable pain to his wife and children,

Y

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"

My dear

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, because guys like what's hot but once cold they will dump you and go for another hot lady. Find a guy

who had no idea about the affair. “ In similar vein, a widowed friend of mine visit her husband’s grave every year on his birthday, only to find herself beaten to it; recently; a dozen red roses are already neatly in place.

We don’t know who puts them there, but I’ll bet it is an ex-lover. A woman who must know what this does to my friend to see them there.

“As for me and my married lovers, they became little more than lessons harshly learned. With the clarity of hindsight - and with passions calmed by time -I now think only the last of them really might have been a lifelong mate.

“I loved him, he loved me and our compatibility extended way beyond the bedroom. Then, one day, after months of telling me he was only waiting for ‘the right moment’ (huh!) to leave his wife Julie - oh, and that, naturally, ‘that side’ of their marriage had been over for years - he casually announced she wished to try for a baby.

We all have our cut.:off moments and that was mine. I’m not claiming that 1 was suddenly overwhelmed with guilt at my actions; simply that I realised (a) this meant he would not leave Julie, (b) he was lying about ‘that side’ of things and (c) 1 could not mess with the lives of babies.

Even babies not yet conceived.

That day was our last to-

gether. The heartbreak lasted longer than the relationship did and I never trod that path again.

The rules of an affair, I discovered, are too hard and too punishing - even if punishment is exactly what I deserved.”

How Much Hurt Are You Ready To Forgive?

“THERE is such a thing as good anger:” explains psychotherapist, Janice Alpert. “And dealing with it is much better than pretending it is not there” So, at what point do you stop turning the other cheek and go for the an eye-foran-eye option? Does the fact that the person who hurts you says I’m sorry” automatically see you saying - ‘That’s okay, forget it’?

A few weeks ago, at a children’s party, a bored looking young boy suddenly got up from his seat, strolled determinedly towards a much older boy and gave him a slap. The adults around looked shocked. “I’m sorry,” whined the boy. The recipient of the slap wasn’t having any of that. He retaliated with two sharp ones.

The culprit howled in righteous anger: “But I told you 1 was sorry;’ he whined. “If you deliberately hurt someone,” explained an adult to this misguided boy, “Sorry doesn’t make it right. You must be punished.”

who cherish you more than himself, someone that is reminding you of how much he cares and how lucky he is to have you.One that is ready to show you off to the world even when you are dirty, a guy that turns to his friends and says 'thats her, my queen,my would-be wife, the bone that makes me strong, the thought that makes me smile, the only woman I would ever love' my dear, dont waste your time in any unrequited relationship this year, for at a time, no time. There is a better person out there... HAPPY NEW YEAR. Omorville Umoru. omorville@gmail.com, 08062486549

Year 2013,

Oh! So we finally met. My haters thought I can’t see you hale and hearty, but ‘Oghene’ on my side truncated their wishes. Here I am embracing you with gusto and happiness.

While you were at the corner waiting for 2012 to leave the stage, I was basking under her rays of warmth.Now, I

Let’s face it, some people don’t deserve to be forgiven. At least that is what Sandra believed. When she discovered that on the eve of their wedding, her would-be husband, who was supposed to be having a ball at his stag night was in her best friend’s flat having a last mad fling. She was not only furious, she feft let down by the two people she held dear.

“I didn’t find out until years after we were married,” explained Sandra. "A friend invited me to lunch and told me a ‘there’s no easy way to say this’ story, that Ken, my husband, had been carrying on with my so-called best friend since before we got married she knew about his stag night’s escapades too and she wouldn’t have told me if they had put a stop to it. But, at a recent do, she actually saw Ken grab Faith (socalled best friend’s) bum as they both left for his car.

“Rage couldn’t even begin to describe how I felt.

Faith was closer than a sister to me and she was the first I tackled. At first, she denied it but when she realised I had all the facts, she burst into tears and started apologising profusely. But what was she sorry for? For bunking my husband behind my back or for being caught? I told her I never wanted to see her face again. This was a girl I could give my right arm for, that was always helping herself to clothes and shoes from my wardrobe.

“I guess she must have believed Ken came with the package too. As for Ken, nothing but revenge would do. After letting him know what I thought of him, he too blabbed that he was sorry.

I said nothing but I meant to draw my pound of flesh. When next a friend of his flirted with me as he often did I encouraged him. He couldn’t believe his luck! After I slept with him, I thought I would feel elated by my revenge, but I feft terrible. It was then it dawned on me that, instead of using revenge to relieve

my anger, I should have held on to it and, used it as a bargaining chip. Now I’ve ended up making myself look like a victim; and cheap to boot!”

“On a professional level” says Mabel, a 45-year-old company director, “a good grudge could help you avoid bad relationships and cultivate good ones.

When I was personal assistant to the director of marketing company I work for, my job included filtering all calls for my boss. Often distributors would call and berate me for not letting them through to him. They would insult me and had no regard for the job I was trying to do. And then my boss retired and I got promoted.

Now, those distributors still call for information on our products. Some don’t remember me from my personal assistant days, but I distinctly remember them.

“Over the years, I’d kept a sort of mental address book of nasty, bad-tempered people who turned sweet the minute I became successful. If any of my directors ask me for the name of a good and reputable distributor, I’ll offer them the one who is both hardworking and polite and not the megalomaniacs who walked all over me when I was starting out ... “ “While a good grudge commands respect and shows you mean business,” continues Alpert, “you have to be selective. Grudging is like swearing: do it too much and it loses power. A few good reasons to grudge: first, when the act itself is truly awful; second, when your instinct tells you this person is not really sorry; third, when no matter how much you want to forgive, you can’t.

Finally, grudge-bearing ensures you won’t burn other bridges you’d like to keep. The crux is, if you have doubt about whether or not to bear a grudge, you probably should n’t. Just as crucial as sticking to your guns, is knowing when to finally forgive.”

have boarded your flight of Double Portion to my Next Levels. No crash, because Jesus Christ is the pilot and the Holy Spirit the co-pilot. Welcome 2013,my year of Double Portion.

Ovie Ukochovwera, Warri.08030864118. unikovie@yahoo.co.uk

Thank you Lord

For all that has been,thanks Lord.

It seems like yesterday when this year started,with lots of promises and expectations. . .but thank God,atleast we saw the end. Another year has gone, I'm still all alone.

How could this be? Well, for all that has been this year Lord, thanks. For all that will be next year,according to your divine will, Yes. May all who desire greater things believe that next year will be greater,and better...in life and love. I believe.

Let's go there.

Stan Stan. stanfeelings@gmail.com 07035709315 08182459176

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 25

A YEAR LIKE NO OTHER IN OKOBE

‘We lost 120 lives to fire, all we laboured for to flood’

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

2

C M Y K

zThe

zVictims...it

is double tragedy

,

012 remains sad and bitter in the memories of the inhabitants of Okobe in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State. To them, it was a year of double tragedy.

In June, the community witnessed the death of over one hundred and twenty youths who perished in a petrol tanker inferno.

No family was spared the wailing that accompanied the deaths because every home was affected.

Mrs Theresa Ezekiel, a mother of five, lost two children.

There was no family to console the other because the wailing swept through every home. The Okobe experience compared with the Biblical account of the Passover night when every Egyptian family from the palace of Pharaoh to the subjects lost their first male child.

“I did not know today is Christmas until you mentioned it “, a father of three children that perished in the petrol tanker fire told Sunday Vanguard. The father, who did not want his name in print, said the Christmas meant nothing to him without the children around. He was not alone in this mood.

When Sunday Vanguard tried opening conversations with some other parents who lost their children, some community youths quickly intervened, pleading that they should be spared the agony of recalling the sad memories.

The community was quiet and calm during the festive period. A youth leader in the area, Mr Felix O. Felix, said they had never had dull Christmas and new year celebrations like the last one in the area.

According to him, because of the commercial nature of

There was no family to console the other because the wailing swept through every home. The Okobe experience compared with the Biblical account of the Passover night when every Egyptian family from the palace of Pharaoh to the subjects lost their first male child

,

the town, festive periods like Christmas and new year were bubbling moments. But the 2012 edition was different.

The Okobe families were not in the mood for celebrations as they were yet to recover from the pains occasioned by the loss of their loved ones.

Barely four months after the fire disaster, another catastrophe struck in the town, this time flood displaced most members of the community.

Houses, farms and other valuables were submerged in wa-

ter. Many residents were forced to relocate to temporary relief camps set up by Rivers State government to cushion their pains.

The water has receded and the camps shut. The challenge before most of them at the moment is how to begin life afresh.

They appealed to the federal and state governments for assistance to rebuild their mud houses that were washed away by the ravaging flood.

They said they also needed assistance to buy crops for the farming season. They said cassava and yam were among the farm produce that

zWashed

inferno that roasted victims

were washed away.

“The flood destroyed our houses. It also destroyed farm produce. Government should help us with cassava stems as the planting season approaches.

The relief camp has closed.

They should help us, we are begging the government,” Justina Ede, one of the camp coordinators, pleaded.

For Felicia Watson, life had not been the same for her family after the flood disaster. Like others in the community, she lost almost all she had.

When Sunday Vanguard went round Okobe, some residents were seen reconstructing their huts. Those who offered comments said they raised money from relatives outside the community to commence the reconstruction.

away houses being rebuilt

In a related development, Ogoni in Rivers State has appealed to the Federal Government to come to the aid of victims of the flood that submerged communities in four local government areas of the state including Okobe.

Ogoni leaders made the appeal at Ahoada East Local Government Area when they donated relief materials to victims of flood in the four local governments.

In their separate comments, Chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers’ Council and President, Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers, His Royal Majesty, King Godwin Giniwa, Gbenemene Tai Kingdom and Chief Priscilia Vikue respectively, said government should help to provide accommodation for those whose houses were washed away by the flood. The traditional ruler and his subject, who spoke on behalf of the Ogoni nation, said there was urgent need to rebuild the houses of the victims. Chairman of Ahoada West Local Government Area, Mr Awori Miller, who spoke for the four local governments, expressed gratitude to the people of Ogoni. He also thanked the state government for its response to the painful development in the local governments, stressing that most of the communities in the councils were completely taken over by the flood.

PAGE 26 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

‘ 95 underaged girls raped; police officer, lecturer indicted’

BY SUSAN EDEH

N

o fewer than 95 child rape cases have been reported in five northern states.

Gombe tops the states with 50 cases, according to the Child Protection Network (CPN). Kano follows with 22; Bauchi 11; Plateau 8 and Nasarawa 4.

The body did not indicate the period within which the incidents happened.

However, in the Bauchi incidents, one of them involved a police officer who allegedly had carnal knowledge of nine under-aged girls while another involved a lecturer in a tertiary institution who was accused of raping a teenager.

Narrating the incidents, an official of CPN, a non-governmental organisation with the mandate to protect the rights of children, Mrs Lucy Usen, said: “CPN has recorded over 50 cases of child rape across Gombe State, but more cases have not been reported. Bauchi State recorded 11 cases of rape with a particular case of one police officer raping nine under-aged girls and a lecturer of one of the tertiary institutions raping a teenager. In Plateau State where an adult and a minor male rapist gangraped a 14-year old girl, about 8 more cases are at various levels of litigation. In Kano State, CPN recorded 22 cases of child rape while Na-

sarawa State established 4 cases.” Usen spoke at a workshop on child justice administration organised by UNICEF D-Field Office, Bauchi.

While stressing the need for state governments across the country to hasten implementation on the Child Rights Law, the CPN official revealed that the fight against child abuse and molestation is on the increase in the states of northern Nigeria.

She stated that 200 registered cases of child abuse had been registered by concerned stakeholders and they include illegal engagement of underaged children in carnal acts by older men, child abandonment, hawking, stigmatization for witchcraft, illegal detention and other forms of deprivation. According to her, a recent study report in states of Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau, Nasarawa, Borno, Yobe, Jigawa and Kano revealed shocking

and disturbing case of child rights violation, but lamented that more cases of rape were not reported due to fears of stigmatization or ignorance.

Communications Officer of the UNICEF Bauchi Office, Samuel Kalu, who spoke on the UNICEF’s role in promoting child protection, urged media practitioners to champion the crusade for the implementation of the Child Rights Law in Nigeria.

According to him, “The media should see themselves as stakeholders as far as child protection issues are concerned and that is why UNICEF is partnering with the media because people believe strongly in them as their major sources of information. Through advocating and frequent reportage on child protection issues such as the implementation of the Child Rights Law by states that have not done so, stakeholders, lawmakers and state governments in the country would become enlightened and see the need why such a law should be implemented.”

He lamented that children are the most vulnerable members of the society, saying, “Every day in the media, you hear of stories whereby a child is raped, arrested, tortured, accused of witchcraft and left to suffer from hunger and starvation. This situation which most children go through is not healthy for the development of the nation because children are crucial to the future well-being of any society.

All human being have rights, including children, and one of the mandates of UNICEF is to ensure that the rights of children are protected from violation.”

‘How Delta uses FADAMA to stem poverty, boosts food production’

BY FESTUS AHON

D

ELTA State Coordina tor of FADAMA III, Mr Anthony Abanum, in this interview, speaks on how the project is redressing poverty and enhancing agrriculture in the state. He also says the recent flooding in Delta has some positive impact on the project.

Excerpts: How have you fared in the implementation of FADAMA III Project?

We have fared well because, to begin with, majority of the projects are dependent on counterpart funds and, substantially, the state government has been compliant. As we speak now, we have es-

tablished about 134 community sub-projects in different communities. In those 134 communities, we have 7,350 direct beneficiaries. Those direct beneficiaries are almost equal on gender basis, that is male and female. The male is about 51% and female about 49%. We also have about 15 rural infrastructural projects.

Those are projects that benefit substantial proportion of those communities and that one is beyond the boundaries of FADAMA User Group. But as I talk to you, because of the time-table of the projects, we are really concerned more not just on the disbursement profile but also in terms of meeting the real objectives because project implementation is a means of achieving the objec-

Mr. Abanum Anthony,Coordinator, Delta State Fadama III Project tives of the project and I am happy to say that, at midterm, we have established the income of direct beneficiaries to the tune of 36.37%. The target is to achieve about 40% increase in income or 75% of those who are directly benefiting from the projects, but, midway, we are close to what we are supposed to achieve

at the project closure. So we have also achieved a 12% increase in yield of primary produce. And then, if you look at the income too, you see that within the first year of commencement, about 45% of the beneficiaries had an increase of about 22% of their income while those who were not benefiting only had about 11% in-

crease. If you look at it, with or without FADAMA project, you will be able to see the extent to which the project has been able to impact in terms of income. And realize too that at that time many of our projects had not run the full circle. So now that many of the projects have run the full circle and began the second to the third round to the income generation attribute has begun to really show at the state level. We targeted 200 communities now we have crossed 157.

Talking about counterpart funding and considering the paucity of funds at the local government level, what is the involvement of local government councils in the FADAMA project in Delta State?

By design and considering that these projects are being implemented in the communities and local government is responsible for rural development, the project plays a very key role in the local government leadership. Local government leadership is responsible for approving all subprojects before they get here.

They are also expected to have a mandatory payment of N2m as their own counterpart fund.

Many of them did not come on early enough in terms of meeting this obligation but we

Continues on page 27

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 27

The move to save one million children

BY SUZAN EDEH

H

Delta State Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hon Misan Ukubeyinje, addressing a FADAMA function

‘How Delta uses FADAMA to stem poverty, boosts food production’ Agriculture in the mainstay of over 50% of Deltans; how supportive has the state government been in this project?

I think it is more than 50%.

In fact, 70% and over especially now that we are talking about the state government posture on Delta without oil. I think we are lucky with the present political leadership: it is quite friendly. I think among the 36 states and federal cap-

,

Continued from page 26 did quite a lot in trying to reach out in terms of personal contact, group contact, involving the state government, involving Director of Local Government to get them to pay. And for the two local government areas that have not paid, we also don’t want to see a situation where because of either the inability or reluctance of the local government administration to pay, then the beneficiaries begin to suffer. So what we did was to take an initiative to fund the group that is vulnerable, that is another unique aspect of the project.

FADAMA I and FADAMA II, can you give us a brief on these projects, and what is the terminal period of FADAMA III? Logically speaking, if you say FADAMA Three, there is a bright side because there was one and there was two.

FADAMA one was the very first but that was not a poverty alleviation project; it was designed to take care of some water harvesting techniques.

What I mean by that is that they had these pumps where you had to establish tube wells. They are small Indian technology of harvesting water underground for agricultural purposes. Often when the water is there, crop farmers will have need for it, the livestock farmers will have need for it and other categories of the agric sub sector so conflict arising from this led to the design of another project that will be more broad based and addressed in addition to agricultural production to address poverty aspect of the country and so FADAMA two was designed. And the way the World Bank packaged it is that for every credit grant or loan you negotiate with the bank is a separate project. It is therefore regarded as a separate project. FADAMA Two was only in 18 states and six of these states were anchored by the African Development Bank while 12 were by the World Bank; so Delta did not participate because the credit portfolio was not enough.

Federal Government had to now package FADAMA Three to take care of all other states that didn’t benefit from FADAMA Two and those that benefited in FADAMA Two but to a limited extent. So it is because of the achievement of the projects that FADAMA Three came on board. Unlike FADAMA One and Two that were limited and all that; FADAMA Three is national in scope. But the credit portfolios are not the same. For those in FADAMA Two, the credit portfolio was about three million dollars, short of what the new 18 states are getting. And the terminal period, it is five years, ending in 2013.

I see a situation where the project will contribute not just income for beneficiaries but, on the aggregate in terms of food production, there will be self-sufficiency and the excess will go for export outside the state

,

ital territory, we are up there among the 10 that are most compliant with counterpart fund payment obligation. If the local government were as compliant as the state government, we would have long exhausted the World Bank fund that we had to disburse.

Talking about poverty alleviation; how has this project affected the lives of Deltans especially?

All what FADAMA is doing is geared towards enhanced living standard and income.

So we have an increased out-

put that will translate to increase income and higher level of livelihood.

How do you measure the impact of the project on the people?

This is done by empirical studies. When you have these finance agencies involved in all you do, at mid-term, you mount a study on where you are and at project closure too we also do the same so we don’t just give out these fund and go to sleep. As I talk to you now, the World Bank has approved that a study be done on the adoption of the technologies that the project is financing along with ADP. At regular intervals, studies are conducted to examine the variables that will lead to the achievement of project development.

We are drawing closer to the terminal period of this project. Do you have any dream beyond this terminal period and what is your vision for the FADAMA project?

The project closure is at hand, but the design provides for sustainability. First we have what is called FADAMA equity fund where they are expected to deposit some proportion, about 10% of their income, to replace their asset. We have a total of about N5.5m among groups that have done that saving. My dream for FADAMA is that I see a situation where the project will contribute not just income for beneficiaries but, on the aggregate in terms of food production, there will be self-sufficiency and the excess will go for export outside the state and country and contribute subsequently to the present vision of the state government of Delta without oil.

is head is bigger than his body.

Apart from his big head, almost all the bones are sticking out of his flesh.

Baby Buba Shehu is not as healthy as every other chiId you see around . He is suffering from growth retardation. At age 2, he looks Iike a nine months old baby. He cries all the time and his situation gives serious concern to his mother, Hasfat Shehu, a mother of seven. What is making Hafsat’s life very stressfuI is that she has to cater for a two months old baby coupled with Buba’s condition. This case of malnutrition in Buba represents what hundreds of children under the age of 5 are suffering from in Nigeria.

The United Nations Children Trust Fund (UNICEF), in a move to address the probIem acute food and nutrition crisis, partnered with journalists to discuss UNICEF’s interventions to save children under the ages of five from acute malnutrition in eight Sahelian countries, including Nigeria.

Tagged, “Food and nutrition crisis, a call for collective action, “ heId in Kano, it was revealed how hundreds of chiIdren in the affected countries are suffering from acute malnutrition.

The eighth countries affected by food and nutrition crisis are Chad, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Northern Senegal, Northern Cameroon, and Northern Nigeria. A food and nutrition specialist, Mr. Niyi Oyedokun, while presenting a paper during the meeting, pointed out that, in 2011, several early warning systems indicated the onset of severe food insecurity and nutritional crisis even as projected figures suggested that over 1 milIion chiIdren wiII suffer from acute maInutrition (SAM) in 2012 in the eight countries. He defined acute malnutrition as a condition represented by measures of thinness or bilateral edema and said children with severe acute malnutrition are nine times likely to die than children who are not.

According to him, some of the factors for the nutrition crisis in the Sahelian region include scarce rains in 2011 resulting in poor harvests, displacement of people and disruption of food production due to conflicts and violence. “In responding to the nutrition crisis, it is reconmended to use cost effective intervention referred to as Essential Nutrition Action. It is also recommended to focus on the per iod of pregnancy and th rough· the first two years of the child’s life.

When these interventions are implemented together, they contribute to about 60% reduction in child’s mortality”, Oyedokun said.

28—SUNDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

Vivian Ikem and Daniel Obuseh take oath of love C & S 3rd Har Harvvest

T

he two families of Elder Mark Obuseh and Mr. Nath C. Ikem were on December 24, 2012 filled with joy and merriment when their children; Daniel and Vivian sealed the relationship between them in a Holy matrimony. The couple took their oaths of love at The Redeemed Evangelical Mission [TREM], Gbagada, Lagos before ministers of God, led by the General Overseer of the Church and his wife, Bishop and Bishop (Mrs) Mike Okonkwo. Photos by Kehinde Gbadamosi

From Left; Bishop Peace Okonkwo, the couple, Mr and Mrs Daniel Obuseh and Dr Mike Okonkwo

From Left;Mrs Deborah Iyitor, Senator Femi Kila, and Engr Chief Paul Idemudia

From Left;Chief Pius Akinyelure, Chief Afolabi Salami, and Mr Yemi Cardoso

Ibifunke and Adedamisi ADEDAMISI Adegunle and Ibifunke Otemolu were joined as man and wife at St. Agnes Catholic Church, Maryland, Lagos last weekend. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele

From left Mr. Mosunmade and Mrs. Bolatito Adegunle, parents of the bride; Dame Abimbola Fashola, First Lady, Lagos State, the newly wedded Couple, Mr and Mrs Adedamisi and Ibifunke Otemolu; Chief Mrs. Olubunmi and Chief Adepegba Otemolu, parents of the groom C M Y K

Couple's parents (L-R); Elder Mark Obuseh, Mrs Ann Obuseh, Mr Nath .C Ikem, and Pastor[ Mrs] Lizzy Ikem

From Left; Mrs Oluranti Odutola, Engr Adelana Odutola and Mrs Oluwatoyin Ajayi

Ukamaka and Sam THE wedding ceremony/igba nkwu nwanyi between Miss Ukamaka Nnolum and Samuel Nwatu took place at Holy Trinity Church, Awkananaw Agbani Road, Enugu on Friday 4th of December 2012 and reception followed immediately at Late Ogbuefi Sylvanus compound, Umuagu Inyi Town, Oji River LGA of Enugu State.

Mr and Mrs Samuel andUkamaka Nwatu

The Holy Order of Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church, Ibudo Ayo, Jah to Fun mi Ayo nio,held its 3rd Harvest and Annual Anniversary Thanksgiving and Installation at Church Auditorium before the end of last year.

Members and invited dignitaries graced the occasion.

L-R:Most Snr. Apostle A. Ajibola, Most Snr. Apostle A. Adeleke, Special Guest of Honour, Apostle Nathaniel Osundele and Most Snr. Apostle Gbenga Oyegunle

L-R:Prophetess Folakemi Ajibola, Snr. Apostle Adeoye Emmanuel, Baba Ijo, Mrs. Yetunde Odejayi, Iya Ijo and Aladura Tosin Ayeni,

Apostle Tunde Olaewe and Mr . Isiaka Zubair

Ok ugbe-ru Ur hobo par ty Okugbe-ru Urhobo party Members of Okugbe-ru Urhobo Association came together last weekend for their end-ofthe-year party at Kirikiri town, Lagos.

Members of Okugbe-ru Urhobo with their chairman, Mr. Johnbull Omatseye (m)

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013 —29

Son of Direct or SC Cor ps Mobilisation w eds Director or,, NY NYSC Corps weds

I

L-R: Groom's father, Barr. Adewale Kolajo; bride's mother, Olori Mofoluke Adelekun; groom, Oluwatoyin Kolajo; bride, former Princess Tejumade Adelekun; bride's father, Loja of Odo-Iju, Oba Adedoyin Adelekun; and groom's mother,Mrs. Foluso Kolajo.

S.A .on Media to wife of Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Akin Oyedele; and his wife, Oluwaseun

I

t was a story of love, celebration and panache in Ilesa, Osun State during the Yuletide when, Oluwatoyin Odemakin Kolajo, son of Barr. Adewale Kolajo and Mrs. Foluso Kolajo, Director, Corps Mobilisation Dept, National Youth Service Corps headquarters, Abuja wedded Tejumade Tolulope Adelekun, daughter of Loja of Odo-Iju in Atakumosa Local Government of Osun State, Oba Adedoyin Adelekun.

The wedding took place at St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Isona, Ilesa and it was graced by A-list dignitaries who converged on the old town from far and wide.

L-R: Chief Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa and groom's uncle, Mr. Akin Fadeyi

L-R:A retired NYSC official, Mrs. Bisi Adamolekun; and Director, NYSC Public Relations Dept, Mrs Bose Aderibigbe

L-R: Prof. Oladipo Akinkugbe; Mr. Adebola Adebamiro; and Chief Bamidele Aiku, SAN

L-R: A retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Olori Abimbola Ojomo; and Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command, Mrs. Kalafite Adeyemi

Prince Oyewola Olarewaju buried in style

t was fanfare all the way and indeed a celebration of life well spent when the remains of Prince Oyewola George Talabi Olarewaju, father of Vanguard’s Funmi Ajumobi, was committed to mother earth at his home town of Ikoyi Ekiti, Ekiti State. After the funeral service at St. James Anglican Church, Diocese of Ekiti it was celebration galore which saw the children, the extended family, relatives and friends came together for a lavish reception. Photos by Shola Oyelese

Children of deceased with their mother (widow), (L-R); Mrs. Omolara Banke Ogunshakin, Mrs. Victoria Olarewaju (widow), Mrs. Bose Ajibade, Mrs. Bose Ojo, Mrs. Funmi Ajumobi, Mr. Vincent Ajumobi (husband), Prince Toyin Olarewaju, Prince Shola Olarewaju and Mrs. Bola Sule Odu

Papa’s grandchildren at the thanksgiving C M Y K

From left, Olori Adeleye Yemisi, Mrs. Ofitoju Grace and Mrs. Titilayo Ogunlola

From left, Mr. Yomi Dauda of Vanguard, Mrs. Seyi Aniya, Mrs. Charity Eziegbo of Vanguard and Mrs. Yetunde Arebi of Vanguard

Mr and Mrs Ajumobi with sister in-laws; Mrs Tola Babatope and Mrs Mrs Temilade Idowu

From left, Mrs. Mercy Omolade, Mrs. Remi Ogun, Chief (Mrs.) W.F. Akanle and Chief D.O Akanle

PAGE 30—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, 2013,

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013,PAGE 31

PAGE 32 — SUNDAY

Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

Everyone thought I’ll fail —Udeme Ufot, SO&U boss

R

emember that pop ular Guinness TV commercial “My friend Udeme is a great man”? Until I spent over an hour with this innovative middle-aged man who actually produced that ad, I couldn’t grasp why he had to adjudge ‘Udeme’ great.

Mr.Udeme Ufot is the Group Managing Director of SO&U, one of Nigeria’s most influential advertising agencies, affiliated to Saatchi & Saatchi, a global advertising agency.

‘A great seat!’, you might exclaim, but believe me, that isn’t the reason our friend Udeme is a “great man”. In 1990, Udeme Ufot had resigned his rewarding employment with a foremost advertising firm, Insight Communications, and had ventured into private practice relying solely on his creativity and dynamism, knowing well that the field was highly manipulated by the “bigger and older practitioners”. He seemed too brave and almost everyone thought it won’t be long before he crumbled, but it’s over 23 years on and Udeme Ufot is still

making great strides in the world of advertising, even to the extent of winning the Fate Model Entrepreneur Award 2012. We had an inspiring session with him in Lagos.

Courageous beginning

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HEN 23 years ago he became restless about venturing into private practice, Udeme Ufot did not have the ideal prerequisites for setting up an advertising firm.

But today, Udeme is a great man. He had studied industrial design and specialised in graphic design at the Ahmadu Bello University where he graduated and then worked for several years with Insight Communications as a creative artist. That knowledge was of course not enough to run a successful advertising business considering the presence of people who had perhaps studied advertising and managed frontline seats in the industry.

"What a disadvantage!, one would ordinarily think. But Udeme was smart and decided to rely on the main substance visible in advertising- creativity, and within 18 months, the agency was named the most creative in the country.

Naïve team

“Getting started was not easy. We had a bunch of very green, naïve young people. SO&U is an acronym for Gbemi Sajay, Julia Oko and Ufot. We used to be among the backroom guys who get things done in the advertising industry. I have a creative background, Sagay was an art director and Oko was a copy-

writer. So, in the first instance, setting out to establish such business was an anomaly in the industry. This made people laugh at us. But what have seen us through are resilience, determination and focus. We said to ourselves that we’ll go by a very simple strategynobody can deny seeing a good thing when he or she has seen it. What was important to us was to ensure that we very quickly make a mark in our calling", Udeme reveals.

"Therefore, we agreed that any work we found to do, we must do it differently and well.

We rendered outstanding services above what we were paid for! We put our people through intensive training, and we virtually turned the agency into a school. We gradually turned our entire agency into an environment for continuous improvement and learning”.

Gift of creativity

Udeme didn’t just stumble into the creative world of advertising- he had dreamed of it as a teenager! He co-inci-

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BY FEYI BANKOLE

Because we had nothing when we set up SO&U, everyone told me and my team we’ll fail. For the first six months, we couldn’t afford a telephone in the agency, not even curtains

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dentally discovered he had the skills and made conscious efforts towards improvement. Being the son of the Registrar of the University of Calabar at that time, he had access to the university library and read voraciously. While studying a journal on advertising and marketing one day though he had wanted to be a political scientist, he came across an illustration of an impressive looking fellow, and the caption under that illustration read: “A Trendy Art Director ”. Immediately,

Udeme... Easy to succeed when you are doing what you enjoy doing

Udeme fell in love with the art director and his work and began dreaming and working towards becoming one someday.

That was between 1975 and 76.

He adds: “What helped me was that I was talented creatively. Right from my primary school, I could draw very well, I could act in plays and I was very good in literature. In fact, when I sat back and analysed myself, I saw that I had the relevant skills. That’s why I always tell people that it is easier to succeed when you’re doing what you enjoy doing”.

Between passion and success

To Udeme, the relevance of passion to success was invaluable. Having been in business for 23 years, and with a clientele comprising conglomerates and the banking sector, you cannot but wonder how he became one of the few doyens of the industry. “Passion makes the difference! It drives everything.

It’s one thing to have the talent and resources, but you must have the drive, and that drive comes from the passion to succeed. Because we had nothing when we set up SO&U, everyone told me and my team we’ll fail. For the first six months, we couldn’t afford a telephone in the agency, not even curtains.

The first furniture we had was my dining table in my own house. We all sat round that table to do our work! The first furniture in my office as MD was a sofa I brought from my house. I didn’t have a worktable, so, I would write my notes on my thighs. Of course, these lacks aren’t the things that will

make one fail, unlike what many think. I believe it’s about knowing what you lack and being able to improvise. But when you have the passion and drive to succeed, nothing can stop you. That passion drove us and every income we made, we invested in ourselves to acquire knowledge and upgrade our skills. We invested in our business too to furnish the office, buy computers and make ourselves more efficient because we had the vision of where we were taking our agency. If you lack passion, you’ll sit back and lament about what you don’t have: 'I don’t have a godfather, I don’t have money, I can’t find clients because I’ve not worked with clients before…', but when you’re being fired up by passion, nothing will stop you”.

Financial barrier

True to his word, not even financial constraints could make him jettison his aspiration of going into private practice 23 years ago. “This company was started with N60,000 of my life savings in 1990”, Udeme was quick to add. He had started the business in the guestroom of his house, and when in the third month he found an office in Apapa that would cost him a hundred thousand naira rent, not even his age-long bank was willing to loan him N60,000 to augment what he had. A childhood friend came to his rescue and in less than two years after SO&U took off, because he had become influential in the industry, a delegation from the same bank came to woo him to bank with them!

*Udeme...dumped political science for graphic design

There is no greatness without a passion to be great…- Anthony Robbins

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 33

Effective Brand Communication …based on the SMP

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The fact for this week courtesy MEDIA PLANNING SERVICES, Surulere, Lagos grown to assume very critical role. Perhaps we should bring to fore, at this point, the fact that with the evolution in advertising and marketing communication, and perhaps the growing competitive environment, the need for clearer and more defining

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N the spirit of the season, the entire MC&A DIGEST team send their compliments, and we wish all our numerous readers a happy and prosperous 2013. We also hope that in the New Year, the market-place shall be more profitable. To a very large extent, 2012 market-year challenged consumers and trade equally on appropriate return on investment. From the financial product and services market, real estate, health services, pharmaceuticals through to manufacturing, the figures posted negative, not minding the recorded marginal growth in GDP. We at this end have always been cautious in relating with data on macro economy, not being sure those GDP figures are meaningful when it comes to economies such as ours.

The insurance market continues down-ward dive in market penetration. For six years till 2012, studies report has remained constant in returning negatives in market penetration, target market perception and acceptance and portfolio size for risk underwriters. Apart from the statutorily compulsory products, insurance or risk underwriting remains uninteresting to the market.

Industry operators seem not to be too bothered about the low market penetration (owing to negative perception), from what we see. For the period under review, less than 25% of industry players bother to support their brands towards competitive advantages, not to mention industry-wide effort to change market target market perception of insurance and its value-essence.

Market perception of insurance remains the same: UNBELIEF. That takes us to the concept of perception and effective brand support in a competitive market environment. Each time a given consumer takes a product “off the shelf ” he/she primarily expresses individual belief. That belief is the sumtotal of the given consumer ’s feeling and thinking, coming together to trigger the ACTION of buying or product engagement.

Perception derives from communicated messages and past experience. If we relate with the historical reason for advertising (making-known) and past experience, to a lesser degree, the importance of advertising as a brand support tool and its influence on the target consumer begins to get clearer.

More and more, the concept of OBJECTIVE in the creative process of developing advertising messages gets operative. In contemporary advertising objective(s) has

purchase action has a direct reflection of the brand support behind the given product/ brand. Therefore, the extent and quality of brand support/ advertising goes a long way to determine the extent of its success towards achieving set OBJECTIVE.

If we do not deliberately re-engage ourselves in the exact professional practice, brands will continue to suffer, consumers will continue to get confused

distinction among competing brands have had to sharpen the importance of THE OBJECTIVE. As on the sellside, the buy-side has also grown in discernment and gain articulation. One could say consumers are now more demanding of return-oninvestment much as the manufacturer or trade seek marginal gains. Therefore, everybody is asking the same question. Consequently, the single most important reason for every input in form of brand support is invested towards achieving THE OBJECTIVE. Hence the need for continuous assessment of the quality of input for brand supports.

Of critical importance here is extent and quality of creativity in advertising process. Every

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Objectives are derived from articulate analysis of insight – consumer, competition, trade/ market and immediate micro and macro-economic environment. At the start of my career at Insight Communication/MC&A many years back, the training on the process of properly deriving THE OBJECTIVE at all-time was one of those chose challenges that tasked my patience.

Deriving THE OBJECTIVE requires patient systematic consideration of “good information”. So, beyond having to know the right and appropriate information to seek and where from, one has to be professional about data analysis. It is that challenging.

Most of the advertising messages today are not based

on properly articulated overriding objective (reasonwhy) and consequently obscure of purpose. Studies have come to show that the missing link is the absence of the SMP – Single Minded Proposition.

Let us be quick to cut out arguments that may arise from the specific term used here, as the single minded proposition for any creative process is also referred to as USP by some others. It somewhat depends on one’s school of thought. But one tends to be more comfortable with the SMP because of its simplicity for application. Basically, the SMP is that statement of offer that demonstrably lays out the uniqueness of a given brand, for purposes of promise, accountability, credibility and responsibility. The SingleMinded-Proposition for any brand and for any campaign or advertising purpose, clearly spells out that offer unique to the offering brand, which stands it out from among competition. It holds the brand responsible if it fails to deliver on its promise. Also, it absolves the brand in question of any blame that could be from a possible negative experience the target consumer may have had from a competing brand in same market segment.

Therefore, Pampers brand of baby diapers has to be clear on its SMP to avoid suffering from probable ‘mistakes’ of a competing brand (for example Huggies). Every brand is held

accountable for the delivery on its promise.

Characteristic of SMP, it is not an advert message. It is functionally a steering wheel, a guide for the creative process. The SMP is the foundational statement on which advert or campaign messages are based. It is critical of the brand, analytic of competition, focused on consumer needs and expectation, tasking on the strategic planning process and finally instructive of the creative process, till campaign break. In fact, it also informs the basis for post-campaign effectiveness check. The SMP is explicit on a brand’s value essence, after a careful consideration of its attribute, strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. It is highly self-critical of concerned brand. That is why it is true to itself. It does not allow for unsubstantiated claim. It also assures rationalisation of derived positions and claims for reasons of assurance.

As a rule for us, without a tested Single-MindedProposition, there cannot be any purposeful advert.

With a true SMP, advert messages are sharper, precise on message, direct to target audience, effective at message communication. It helps the creative process on the appropriate assemblage of language, words, symbols, pictures and treatment in developing advert messages.

It cuts waste. SMP reinforces brand personality and enhances the value of its equity. It is fundamental in the creative process of developing effective advertising.

Unfortunately, less than 20% of advert messages put out in our market today are based on SMP/USP. Lack of training, mental/intellectual laziness, rush for immediate gains and compromises in the process of agency engagement have all taken away from the extent of professionalism in brands management and marketing communication. If we do not deliberately re-engage ourselves in the exact professional practice, brands will continue to suffer, consumers will continue to get confused. One would expect the APCON (Advertising Practitioner Council of Nigeria) to look at quality of professionalism among practitioners, at least through its academic curricular. In the New Year, the decline in professionalism among practitioners will increase, no doubt, except we step up our engagement without primary focus on immediate gains.

Brand management is not for all-comers. We insist!

PAGE 34 — SUNDAY

Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

13% oil derivation will cause another round of crisis in N-Delta —Senator Okpozo

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

the money and manipulating the local councils. Then I came to the issue of derivation and I told him that there is a law that established the payment of derivation. The 1999 section 162, sub section 2, clearly states that the money belongs to the oil producing communities, but Obasanjo and his predecessors mismanaged the money.

When they saw the decision of the Supreme in 1981, as regards derivation, I was in the government of the then Bendel State then. Justice Atake, my self and other leaders of the then UPN, took the Federal Government to court, we were led by Chief O.N,Rewane and Alfred Rewane. And we obtained

Francis Okpozo is a Second Republic senator and a Niger-Delta leader. He is one of those in the forefront of the agitation that the 13 percent derivation must go straight to oil producing communities and not the state governors. In this interview, he warns that the agitation may snowball into another round of crisis in the Niger-Delta if President Goodluck Jonathan fails to take urgent steps towards addressing the issue. He also speaks on the 2015 presidency, just as he calls on the old brigade politicians to quit politics and allow the younger generation of Nigerians take the mantle of leadership.

Excerpts:

Senator Francis Okpozo particular political party. If their actions are actually politically motivated, then they should join a political party and fight Jonathan in 2015 and stop killing innocent people.

People should not be masquerading under Boko Haram to cause trouble, if any northern leader is not happy with Jonathan, the person should come out and speak out so that we will know how to solve the problem. Killing innocent people will not find solution to their political needs.

13 per cent oil derivation agitation The agitation of the people of the oil producing communities for the total take over of the 13 per cent derivation from the federal allocation is well intended. You could remember that there was a meeting of coastal states about six years ago when Obasanjo was in power. The issue of 13 per cent was the subject matter. All the SouthSouth governors were in attendance, all the military heads in the country were there. When the issue came up,

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OOKING at the events of last year and style of leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, how will you rate his performance so far?

Jonathan has been trying to quell the Boko Haram insurgency. And he has equally tried to solve the Niger Delta youth restiveness which has helped in oil production in the country. The issues involved in the agitations by the Niger Delta militants and the Boko Haram sect are fundamentally different. Not because I come from the Niger Delta where the militants operated, but they operated because of their demand for better conditions.

And these militants did not hide their identity, they came out openly to tell the world how they were being oppressed, therefore they wanted to have a share of the proceeds from oil.

They did not agitate to take all the proceeds from oil, but a portion of it due to the pollution, unemployment and suffering of the people of the Niger Delta. So the Federal Government gave them amnesty and gave a lot of them jobs. The then President Yar ’Adua and Jonathan made that possible. But the case of Boko Haram, what are they agitating about? We do not know them and you can only negotiate with people you see physically. You don’t know them, their needs are not specified, so the question, is what do they actually want? They are not even fighting the Federal Government, they are only killing innocent people, burning churches and killing their own people in mosques. So, any one who is comparing Boko Haram to the Niger Delta crisis is making a big mistake. I commend the action of the President to send the military there to curb their excesses. But I want to inform the people involved in this crisis in the North that they cannot fight the government and I urge the northern leaders to come together and fight these people destroying their own people.

But are you sure that the northern leaders are not be behind the Boko Haram sect for political reasons?

When you are talking of 2015, we have not reached there and Jonathan has not come to say he will be running for a second term in 2015. If he is constitutionally qualified, yes he can run but it is now left for Nigerians to either elect him or reject him in the polls. If the actions of the Boko Haram are politically motivated, that means they are making a mistake because they are not known to be members of a

If care is not taken, the trouble that will arise as a result of this matter will be very devastating. And we have over N7trillion of that money which Obasanjo’s government, Jonathan and others have to account for

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I was the first person Obasanjo recognized to speak and I told him of the failure of his government. I told him why going to take money from allocation B and use it to develop allocation F. Why not spend the money accurately in the areas to which it was allocated. I told him that the state governments are squandering the money. I spoke of the local governments being made idle because the funds are not going to them directly, the governors are pocketing

judgment through Rotimi Williams that derivation fund was meant for the oil producing communities. Then the 1999 constitution stated clearly in section 162 that the money is for the oil producing communities. Even when they are talking about joint account, joint account does not affect derivation.

It is between the state and Federal Governments. Because the law did not specify that they should pay this to the oil producing communities, it created a vacuum for the revenue allocation and Fiscal Commission to mismanage the sharing formula of that fund. The 13 per cent is supposed to be given straight to the oil producing communities. It was an arrangement between the governors and the Presidency to share that money to the detriment of the people of the oil producing communities. Obasanjo made it clear at the meeting at Aso Villa that ‘ you governors, give 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation to the oil producing communities’. That was not what took us there, but the governors went behind to use their state Houses of Assembly to make another law on how to manage the derivation fund excluding the leadership of the oil producing communities. We had no input. The governors disburse the funds the way they liked and that is why the derivation fund is not felt by the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta. We want our money directly as stipulated by law and nobody will change us from that agitation. If care is not taken, the trouble that will arise as a result of this matter will be very devastating. And we have over N7trillion of that money which Obasanjo’s government, Jonathan and others have to account for. And in order to maintain peace temporarily in the Niger Delta, let them tell the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission to stop allocating that money to any other organ other than a body that will be created through the recommendation of the oil producing communities known as the Derivation Board; that Board will manage the money at the grassroots, spend the money for the development of the devastated oil producing communities. If oil is discovered in any area, let them apply the same yardstick to satisfy the area.

It is not a battle between oil producing communities and Nigeria, it is a battle

for what accrues to oil producing communities and nobody must tamper with it.

You predicted victory for Comrade Adams Oshiomhole prior to the July 14, 2012 governorship election. Are you surprised with the decision of the PDP candidate, Gen.Airhiavbere, to go to court?

I am not surprised because he is trying to make himself relevant. Apart from what Oshiomhole has done in the state in the past four years, can Airhiavbere match his records of achievements? He just joined the PDP three months before the election and he has no political experience, his community even said they didn’t know him and rejected him before the election, so who told him he will even win a ward? The man would have gone back to his house to sleep, he made a fundamental mistake to have even gone to run for the election in the first place. Let him go and rest, Oshiomhole has done marvelously well and anybody fighting him or trying to destroy his name is making a mistake. What are the resources of Edo State that people will say they cannot reward Oshiomhole for what he has done in the past four years? That election of July 2012 is a reward for Oshiomhole for his good work. I don’t think going to court will help Airhiavbere, the problem is the people of Edo State. Even if he wins the court case which he cannot, can he convince the people of Edo State? The answer is no.

Drums have started beating for the 2015 presidency. As a South South leader, will you support Jonathan for a second term?

I will not say any thing until he comes out to declare his intention. If he decides to come out and inform us, we will work for him if he considers us relevant. But before he dcides to run for second term, he should please his people at home. Those who supported him before, he should pacify them, especially in Delta State where I come from. He should please the people of Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Edo, because there are lots of infrastructure wasting in the region. Lots of projects such as the East West Road have been abandoned. And my advice for him in this new year is that he must unite Nigerians, create jobs for the youths, ensure cordial relationship with the National Assembly. He must ensure that the judiciary is truly independent and he should abstain from any decision that will go contrary to the genuine wish of the people of Nigeria.

He should spend money judiciously.

He must ensure steady power supply.

I have also noticed that employment into local governments under his administration has been marred with irregularities. Those who don’t have connection don’t get the jobs and it is not good for his name. He should look into that, he should remember that it was Nigerians that voted him into office and not his PDP members. Again, he should reduce the cost of governance, how can lawmakers be earning millions every month; when I was there, my salary was N5,000 a month.

Why are our lawmakers stealing every day, taking all the contracts available because they are party leaders? Local governments should be made autonomous, let their elections be done

by INEC, not the state governments.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 35

2013: How to ensure holistic devt, by Prof Ajakaiye, ex-NISER DG

BY UDEME CLEMENT

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s an economic expert, how will you describe the reforms in various sectors in 2012?

First of all, I want us to look at the banking sector, which is very crucial for economic growth and development. The sector, through the monetary policies formulated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), experienced reforms in different stages. The CBN should be commended for carrying out the reforms in such a manner that depositors funds were intact. Also, if you

President Goodluck Jonathan look at the industry critically, you will realise that aside from internal control mechanism on commercial banks by the CBN, the monetary authority is regularly strengthening the apex bank through intensive capacity building programmes to ensure efficiency in monetary policies formulation and implementation strategies.

The management of CBN often prepares new staff coming into the bank by training them to understand the workings of the economy and how monetary policies as well as other relevant policies of the CBN affect the entire economy.

Are you saying that capacity building plays a major role in the financial sector reforms?

Absolutely, good capacity building programmes equipped and guided the CBN officials on formulating relevant monetary policies suitable for our peculiar financial system to ensure effective and smooth transformation of the industry.

In that capacity, the apex bank was able to restore confidence in the banking system such that you can put money in the bank with the assurance that your money will be intact and you can get it whenever the need arises. For instance, the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management, which is a very important body in Nigeria and the entire West African subregion, is known globally as an expert in capacity building. Since the institute was established on July 22, 1996 by the Governors of the Central Banks of Gambia , Ghana , Liberia , Nigeria and Sierra Leone , it has covered over 400 programmes and most beneficiaries of these programmes are the staff of the CBN. They have been exposed to the programmes developed on sustainable basis, competencies in the fields of macroeconomic, debt

Prof. Olu Ajakaiye and financial sector management by the institute, which enabled them to bring their experience to bear in tackling financial sector challenges.

This implies that they have been exposed to training with broad spectrum on how theories of monetary policies work, and how practice influences theory and implementation.

How do you rate 2012 fiscal year?

Generally, Nigeria is not doing badly but we can do better. We have to be positiveminded and I believe there are prospects for Nigeria ’s economy. Though the country may be facing some challenges at the moment. The reality is that, President Goodluck

typical example is the issue of apathy and they still face that challenge. But as a country, South Africa is among the most articulated economies in the continent.

What will you advise government to do, in order to fast track economic development in 2013?

Nigeria must not be too far from South Africa and should follow the example of South Africa in developing its production system to create jobs and generate revenue for government. This means we must be ready to use monetary policies to influence the process of re-acticulation and encourage the interaction

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As the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Information, presented its score card for 2012 economic year, expectations are high on what government will do to revamp the economy for greater growth in 2013.

Government revealed new strategies to increase crude oil production to about 4million barrels per day and ensures speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that has been in the National Assembly since 2008. It also spoke on the initiative to involve the private sector in power generation, transmission and distribution, the efforts to complete 10 new thermal power plants to boost electricity generation, the proposal on power and gas financing package including government guarantees, proposed infrastructure bonds of about $1 billion and $150 million external funding from the African Development Bank ( A D B ) to enhance sufficient gas supply to the power plants across the country, and increase in electricity supply outputs from the current 4,502 megawatts to 7,000mw at the end of 2013 fiscal year. Government also restated its commitment to continue in developing oil and gas local content, designed to create over 300,000 jobs, as well as the public works targeting over 1,010,000 jobs within three years. While many economists criticised government for what they described as the slow pace of development in 2012, others said there are prospects for the economy in 2013. Olu Ajakaiye, a professor of economics and onetime Director General, Nigeria Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER), speaks on the banking reforms and the need for government to ensure transformation in all sectors of the economy to enhance holistic growth.

dimentary and we still face challenges. For example, South Africa ’s economy is the most advanced in the continent in terms of unique interconnected production system that generates employment and income for the welfare of the people. Notwithstanding, they have their own challenge, which is historical. A

The services we have right now are not sophisticated enough to support and enhance a knowledge-driven economy, especially to achieve the Vision 20:2020 target.

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Jonathan as an individual, cannot transform the economy alone because governance requires collective responsibility. So, all of us must support the efforts and programmes of government to move the country forward.

With high level of poverty and unemployment, where does Nigeria stand in the scheme of things in terms of economic growth and development?

As at now, Nigeria is the second largest economy in Africa after South Africa. When you look at the structure of Nigeria ’s economy, you will discover that it is still very ru-

among various sectors of our economy to create the number of jobs needed to achieve relative full employment. Also, we should generate more income to ensure rapid development and improve the standard of living of the people.

In that case, we will gradually transit from becoming heavily dependent on oil to more varied sources of income in manufacturing and sophisticated services.

Are you saying that the services we have now are not good enough?

The services we have right now are not sophisticated

enough to support and enhance a knowledge- driven economy, especially to achieve the Vision 20:2020 target.

In practical terms, what can government do to enable Nigeria ’s economy function optimally like the advanced countries?

If you look at the banking industry I mentioned earlier, you can see that the sector is doing well in terms of monetary policies formulation and implementation. The truth is that CBN will do its own aspect but other sectors of the economy must be developed as well for us to achieve holistic development. From the look of things now, we have CBN that is prepared to balance and ensure monetary stability, but development is not the work of the Central Bank anywhere in the world.

Government should device the means to develop all sectors of the economy to work in synergy, while the apex bank designs monetary policies to complement the effort of government.

Since the CBN is involved in banking reforms, which department of government is responsible for mapping out strategies for holistic growth of different sectors of the economy?

The departments responsible for holistic development are the line ministries, in particular, ministries of agriculture, industry and infrastructure.

We should put more efforts in developing the power sector in order to tackle the challenges associated with erratic power supply. At present, agriculture has recorded tremendous improvement made possible through the Ministry of Agriculture. The current Minister has been working hard to ensure increase in the value addition of agriculture. He must do more to ensure transformation of raw materials into finished goods and not to leave them at the raw state.

When this is done, the monetary policies of CBN will have the desirable impact not just in banking but the entire economy. For example, there should be collaboration between the CBN, Ministries of Agriculture, Industry and other agencies of government to ensure rapid development.

Farmers must know about interest rate and monitor activities in the stock market like what obtains in developed countries, not what we have now, where only people in Lagos state monitor the stock market, while farmers watch the sun.

PAGE 36—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013

(ENERGY)

Review of oil market in 2012, outlook for 2013- OPEC T

HE first quarter of 2012 witnessed a significant increase in the value of the OPEC Reference Basket.

The upward push was driven by a number of factors, including supply disruptions in the North Sea and some countries in West and East Africa, supply fears due to geopolitical tensions, and increasing speculative activities in the crude futures markets. By the end of the quarter, the Basket’s value had reached over $120 per barrel.

In the second quarter, prices fell below $100 per barrel, as ample supply and concerns about the gloomy economic outlook, particularly in the Euro-zone, outweighed any lingering supply fears, leading to a speculative sell off.

However, in the third quarter, the Basket bounced back to around the $110 per barrel level, where it currently remains. While the world economy experienced another year of deceleration in 2012, some indicators are pointing to a tentative recovery in the second half of the year and this momentum is likely to be carried over into 2013.

The main support comes from the improving economy in the US, which has been lifted by some advances in the labour and the housing markets.

Moreover, the contraction in the Euro-zone has been lessthan-expected in the 3Q12.

With the most recent initiatives helping to foster growth, the Euro-zone could potentially return to growth in the coming year, although this might prove challenging.

However, Japan is the main economy in the OECD that is forecast to continue decelerating significantly in 2013, although the economy could also benefit from renewed momentum in its largest trading partners.

Meanwhile, the major emerging economies appear to have engineered a soft landing in 2012 and growth levels should be mostly at higher levels in the coming year.

China, and to some extent India, are particularly expected to benefit from improving world trade in 2013.

As a result, the coming year could see an end to the deceleration in the world economy, with growth of 3.2%, compared to growth of 3.0% in

the current year. However, many uncertainties remain.

The most important will be avoiding the fiscal cliff in the US, further decisions on austerity issues in the Eurozone, and balancing the need to reduce the fiscal debt burden while stimulating growth in Japan. In the emerging economies, it remains to be seen how domestic demand will be improved, given the likely continuation of low growth in their main exporting markets in the developed world.

Turning to the oil market, the forecast for global oil demand in 2012 has seen ongoing downward revisions to currently stand at 0.8 mb/d.

Unlike in the previous year, the downward revisions in oil demand growth were not confined to the OECD, but also came from China and India. In contrast, Japan’s shut down of almost all its nuclear power plants led the country to rely more heavily on other types of energy.

Japanese oil use in power plants increased from 7.5% of the total energy consumption in the previous year to 19.7%.

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BY KUNLE KALEJAYE with Agency Report

Western Europe, Africa, and the Middle East are driving the decline. In 2013, nonOPEC production is expected to increase by 0.9 mb/d, supported by growth from North America, Africa, Eurasia, and Latin America, while OECD Western Europe is likely to see a continued decline. OPEC NGLs and nonconventional oils are expected to increase by 0.4 mb/d and 0.2 mb/d in 2012 and 2013.

Based on these projections, the growth in total non-OPEC supply including OPEC NGLs and non-conventional oils of around 1.1 mb/d is expected to outpace the increase in world oil demand growth in 2013.

Weakness in the global economy is causing a great deal of uncertainty for the forecast for world oil demand, which has a downward risk, especially in the first half of the year

,

Deziani Alison-Madueke Similarly, India’s oil demand was boosted by the massive electricity shut-down and summertime flooding.

World oil demand growth in 2013 is expected to remain at 0.8 mb/d. However, weakness in the global economy is causing a great deal of uncertainty for the forecast for world oil demand, which has a downward risk, especially in the first half of the year.

A large amount of this risk can be attributed not only to the OECD but also to China and India. The forecast for nonOPEC supply growth in 2012 also experienced downward revisions to stand at 0.5 mb/d.

Since the start of the year, non-OPEC supply has suffered various setbacks due to technical, geological, weather and geopolitical factors. North America is leading the supply growth in 2012, while OECD

This would result in demand for OPEC crude averaging 29.7 mb/d in 2013, or around 0.4 mb/d less than the level estimated for the current year.

Despite the considerable uncertainties affecting supply and demand in the market, and without underestimating the potential impact of nonfundamental factors outlook for the coming year should help support oil market stability.

Brent dips below $112

B

RENT crude slipped below $112 a barrel on Thursday as investors’ focus shifted from a deal to avert the US “fiscal cliff ” to rising oil supply and more budget battles ahead in Washington.

Brent crude fell 57 cents to $111.90 a barrel early on Thursday, after rising more than 1% on Wednesday to settle at the highest since October.

US crude for February delivery was down 57 cents to $92.55 after closing at its highest since September.

“After the initial excitement, reality sets in,” said Victor Shum, oil consultant at IHS Purvin & Gertz. “There will be other negotiations and the deal is a compromise.”

President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans face even bigger budget battles in the next two months after the hard-fought deal halted a round of automatic fiscal tightening that threatened to push the world’s largest economy into recession.

“If one focuses on the oil fundamentals, pricing at the current level appears overbought,” Shum said, pointing to a fragile global economy and growth in oil production from non-Opec countries.

“In 2013, Opec may have to

limit supply in order to accommodate a rise in nonOpec oil production growth,” he said.

Crude production in the US has hit a 19-year high while Russia pumped the most oil in the world last year, ahead of Saudi Arabia.

In the US, a major pipeline expansion that aims to ease the bottleneck at Cushing,

Oklahoma that has depressed US crude prices should pump at full rates from the end of next week.

The spread between Brent and West Texas Intermediate has narrowed to about $19 a barrel, down from 2012 highs of about $26.

Investors will be scouring weekly data on US jobless claims and oil inventories due

later on Thursday for further cues on economic health and fuel demand in the world’s largest economy.

US commercial crude stockpiles likely fell last week due to lower imports as refiners drew down inventories for year-end tax purposes, a preliminary Reuters poll of eight analysts showed.

NNPC Resumes Loading at Ejigbo Depot

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HE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has resumed loading of petrol at Ejigbo Depot, which was halted due to the recent pipeline fire in Ije-Ododo community in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.

The resumption of operation at the depot is expected to ease pressure on the private depots in Apapa, which have been under pressure from tankers that were supposed to load products at Ejigbo Depot.

Findings however revealed that though the NNPC sells at government approved exdepot price of N87.66 per litre to marketers that have bulk purchase agreement with the corporation, these marketers sell at exorbitant price to third parties right inside the depot.

It was learnt that these marketers that buy from the

NNPC, display fully loaded trucks on what is popularly referred to as the ‘tarmac’ inside Ejigbo depot at very high ex-depot price.

The ‘tarmac price’ according to industry sources was N102 per litre at the weekend, while other private depots in Apapa were selling between N97 and N98, potentially signaling no end in sight for the current fuel crisis.

It was also gathered that marketers that buy in bulk from NIPCO Plc at ex-depot price of N94.50, were selling at the gate of the company at N98 per litre during the weekend.

NIPCO Plc sells at the lowest ex-depot price of N94.50 per litre among all the privately-owned depots but this is still far above the government-approved exdepot price of N87.66 per litre, which is honoured by only the

NNPC. “NIPCO sells at N94.50 per litre but you have to wait for over one week for them to programme you to load. It is better to buy at N97 or N98 and carry your products immediately than to pay and wait for over one week because of the cost of funds,” said one of the marketers.

However, the hike in exdepot price has made it difficult for petrol to be sold at the official pump price of N97 per

litre at the filling stations.

Findings also revealed that except the major marketers – Conoil, MRS, Total, Oando, Mobil and Forte Oil, which buy in bulk from the NNPC at the government approved exdepot price, most of the independent marketers sell at between N100 and N120 per litre at the pumps.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 37

BY UDEME CLEMENT

E

X-PRESIDENT O l u s e g u n Obasanjo; former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar; Mini ster of Transport,

Senator Idris Umar; and Africa Region Vice President of World Bank, Mrs Obiageli Ezekwesili; are among the dignitaries expected to participate in this year ’s edition of the annual Nigeria Maritime Expo, tagged NIMAREX 2013.

Addressing newsmen in Lagos , the NIMAREX Executive Secretary, Mr. Bolaji Akinola, said, “NIMAREX 2013 Planning Committee is made up of government officials drawn from various agencies and major stakeholders

Obasanjo, transport minister for maritime expo already inaugurated to achieve this objective.

NIMAREX is an annual event hosted jointly by the Federal Ministry of Transport together with its various parastatals and stakeholders in the maritime industry to showcase the nation’s enormous maritime endowments to the rest of the world.”

He went on, “The first two editions tagged NIMAREX 2011 and NIMAREX 2012, declared open by

representatives of President Goodluck Jonathan and held at the Expo Hall, Eko Hotel , Victoria Island Lagos, recorded monumental attendance by various interest groups and international maritime companies.

Former Heads of State, retired General Yakubu Gowon and Chief Ernest Shonekan; and representative of the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO),

Mr. Koji Sekimizu, attended the event.

NIMAREX 2011 and NIMAREX 2012 have been hailed as huge successes with the quality of participants and exhibitors.

Arrangements are in top gear to ensure that NIMAREX 2013 surpasses the first two editions. The NIMAREX 2 013 Planning Committee has Eze Egwuagwu Chijioke Collins and Barrister (Mrs.) Margaret

Orakwusi as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.

“The theme for NIMAREX 2013 is ’Nigeria Maritime: Invest Now ’ and the event slated for Tuesday 12th to Thursday 14th March, 2013. We are expecting greater participation from Nigerian and foreign shipping companies as well as international oil companies. NIMAREX 2013 will be declared open by President Goodluck Jonathan and has been divided into two distinct parts, namely the exhibition and conference sessions with both running simultaneously. The conference session will run concurrently with the exhibition and distinguished speakers lined up to discuss

various issues. The theme is carefully chosen to reflect the aspirations of the government for accelerated growth of the nation’s maritime industry.”

NERC boss gets GEI appointment

T

HE Chairman and Chief Executive

Officer of the Nigerian

Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Dr. Sam Amadi, has been appointed a member of the Industry Leader Advisory Board of the Global Electricity Initiatives (GEI).

NERC’s Assistant General Manager, Media, Maryam Yaya Abubakar, in a press statement explained that GEI is a joint initiative of the World Energy Council (WEC), the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Global Sustainable Electricity Partnership (GSEP).

The statement stated that a letter of nomination from Philippe Joubert, Executive Chairman of GEI and Dr. Christopher Frei, Secretary General of World Energy Council, noted that the idea of the GEI was established in Durban South Africa during COP 17. In Doha during COP 18, WEC, WBCSD and GSEP agreed to take the initiative forward.

The objective of the new initiative in energy sustainability is to leverage the membership base of WEC, WBCSD and GSEP to widen the impact and deepen the activities of GEI, through a survey of a large number of electricity

utilities and interviews of industry leaders.

According to the statement, the mission of GEI is to “establish a factbased foundation and contribute to more efficient company strategies and government policies.”

Ighodalo now chairman of FAMAD

T

HE Footwear and A c c e s s o r i e s Manufacturing and Distribution (FAMAD) Plc has appointed Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, Managing Partner of SIAO (Chartered Accountants and Auditors) as its chairman after his election into the Board at the just concluded Annual General Meeting of the company held in Lagos.

Ighodalo took over from Chief (Mrs.) Olutoyin Olakunri who declined reelection on account of age.

Also out of the board, is Sir Chima Emenyonu who did not present himself for reelection. Elected along with Ighodalo, is Mrs. Susan Aronke Omame, a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria and a solicitor of the Law Society of England and Wales.

PAGE 38 —SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

You cannot negotiate to be a first child — Debe Ojukwu (2)

BY CHARLES KUMOLU & GBENGA OKE

When people heard that, they disputed it, saying that I was always seen with my father.

Another version was also that my father left my name out of the Will because I fought with him over JAMB office. And this lawyer claims to be a Knight because he uses the title sir. When they found out that I filed this caveat that I gave you, they posted on the internet that my father secretly did a DNA test and found that I was not his son.

T

his is the concluding part of the Debe Ojukwu interview

What do you think could have been responsible for this alleged forgery?

Greed is the driving force behind it, because there are attempts to negotiate my patrimony.

I did not bribe God to make me my father’s first son.

If someone emerges from that door and says he is my father’s son and DNA confirms it; and if the person says he was born on August 2 1956, I will remove my cap and bow for that person because I was born on August 3 1956. And I will not argue with the person because first son comes from God and in Igbo land the first son own the father’s Obi. He holds the Obi in trust for everybody and it is not his private property.

First son is not by appointment or political appointment.

So, now I consider myself to be in an acting capacity for my late father.

Though you don’t reckon with the document as a Will, can you tell us what you think could have been responsible for the overwhelming allocation of properties to Bianca?

It could be because the allotter did the allocation. (prolonged laughter).

That is the reason because the person who got the biggest share did the allocation.

I am doing my work and every body is envious of what I am doing, saying that I am the richest. But Emeka and his siblings did not even get anything from the document.

I understand that there is a property in Onitsha which was given to Emeka?

(Cuts in) That is mama’s house.

That is my grandmother’s house. It could not have been given to Emeka, because it is not my father’s property, but my grandmother’s property and my father and his siblings are supposed to share it.

Did you at any time in your father’s lifetime envisage, that his Will would generate the kind of controversies it is currently generating, because people are beginning to say that they were not surprised about the development, because they felt that controversies lived with Emeka Ojukwu in his lifetime?

No, my father was not controversial.

They will always say that, especially because of the Biafran war.

Some said he should not have gone to war while others okayed it.

But when you look at it, he acted with reasons.

For instance, I could easily have allowed myself to be bought over; I could have even allowed my patrimony to be negotiated.

What is at stake now is the negotiation of my patrimony.

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Debe Ojukwu...First son is not by appointment or political appointment

When God sent me to the world as Ojukwu’s first child, I did not negotiate with anybody. What I’m doing now is that I will never tolerate the negotiation of my patrimony which is not in doubt. For instance when that document was read, my father’s widow said one funny woman emerged as my father’s daughter.

no more. The mother was arranging for the uncles to come on a condolence visit. What prevented them from coming was what they were reading in the papers. They saw that the man on whose back they wanted to ride on to Nnewi, was having problems.

You’re talking about the daughter from a northerner, even you, too, have been

hen you say I am not his child, we should file out all the children and do a DNA like the way it was done on M.K.O Abiola’s children.

They went further again to allege that I said I don’t discuss Tenim’s mother that she is a loose Hausa woman.

Why do you think they have done all these?

They have done many things because I filed a caveat.

I am a catholic and we have what we call grievous sin and venial sin.

When you have sinned you go to confession and the Rev. Fr will give you penance. They offended me for no just cause and by now they should have known that they were misled. Their father did not die, it was our father. We are talking about the children of Dim Emeka OdumegwuOjukwu and not children of Sir Louis Ojukwu.

Upon Ojukwu’s demise, it is his children who are supposed to seat and discuss how he will be buried and not for someone to come and start imposing rules, by appointing a younger son the first son and making the first son a junior son.

When they are penitent, I will know.

But beyond the Will, what could have brought this deep seated division in the family?

It was the funeral that brought the division, because so many people were promised certain things.

But I can not because of a promise throw away my brother.

So for them when they come back, I will not say we will not go forward. The highest they can do is to have done what they have done by removing my name.

Emeka and I before now, did not have any problem, it was the funeral that brought the whole issue. Let me show you something about someone, who they are now saying is the first son.

(Showing Vanguard team massages on his Ipad sent by his younger brother Emeka when Ojukwu was hospitalized at Royal Berkshire Hospital. In the mails that were sent on different occasions, Emeka was enquiring from Debe, who was with the ailing Ojukwu, how their father was faring in London. In most of the mails, Emeka referred to him as Bros mi. In the

I was the one carrying him and, even in the London hospital, I was the only person in this world that went with my whole family to his hospital bed.

My daughters and wife went to him, so what are they saying?

But I have always known about that because my father told me about her.

When I was saying it I was not afraid of any contradiction, because I knew he had a daughter, whose mother is a northerner. He brought the girl’s brother and told us that two of us are brothers. The brother’s name is Bukar. And the girl’s real Hausa name is Aisha. And the surname is not Hamar but Hamman-Maiduguri that was in the force.

When my father died, I called Bukar and he came to my house here. I asked him to tell the mum to bring my sister that our father is

described as not of Ojukwu?

The lawyer, who read the document, said that I saw my father in 1982 when he came back from Ivory Coast. He said I appeared from the woods and said dad you are my father. He said my dad asked who my mother was and I said my mother is dead. The lawyer went further to say that my father said I should summon my mother’s people but I disappeared till date and said that I had never been seen till date.

He also said that it was for that reason that my name was not included in the Will.

Continues on page 39

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013—PAGE 39

You cannot negotiate to be a first child — Debe Ojukwu (2) Continued from page 38 massages, Debe was always giving Emeka, who was in Nigeria update on their father’s state of health).

So when you now look at somebody who sent me all these mails, he now suddenly comes out and tell you he doesn’t know me, perhaps, he has forgotten these mails are there, he has also forgotten that when his mother died, I played a major role.

So I am worried about the way they lied to the world because of pecuniary interests.

With all these kind of situation, they have forgotten we have always been working together in the past; it was this funeral that brought the division because so many people were promised so many things.

For me, I cannot because of promise throw away my brother; but we are already in the same boat, we are already brothers and sisters and that will not stop us from going on, we will go on.

They went ahead to remove my name from the Will but thank God I am a lawyer and removing your name from the Will does not mean you are dis-inherited because the law is very clear and that is why anything you do, you must learn to do it well.

When I read law, I was sleeping at the Supreme Court in Lagos, I was reading all the Court cases and the Registrar at the Court would say this is how Gani Fawehinmi started, that Gani was always coming in to read and he would buy roasted plantain and be eating and reading in the library and he would leave by 6pm. That was how I was reading law, I did not just go to University of Nsukka to study law. When they wrote the Will, they thought it was very perfect but the law makes provision for unmentioned children or what they call pretermitent children.

What is that?

When I was applying for the Caveat, the lawyer who reacted did not read Law very well; he did not know there is provision for what is called “unmentioned child”, because if he had known there was a provision for that, the way he would have made this Will to be able to scale through is to try to assert that I was not given anything because I am okay, or that it has been decided that I should be dis-inherited and if you say somebody is disinherited, it does not mean that person is not your child because child’s position is not something you negotiate. You can decide that in terms of your property, you won’t give the child but that does not mean the child is not yours. We have seen examples of people that died and they gave their properties to charities, but it does not mean those children are not their father’s children because there is no child that applied to be born. They didn’t know about this clause, so when I now put it, they became jittery.

You are fighting a cause that is almost same with what Emeka your brother is fighting. Are both of you in tandem or in talks to challenge this document?

No, we are not working in tandem. Why should we.

Why should you not? Since the controversies on the Will started, has Emeka spoken to you, because as it appears the document did not favour him?

He has not called me since he has been playing this game that he is the first son of the family. How can he come now to talk to

me? Now that I have gone for the Caveat Emptor, Emeka’s statement was that the Will is fake and my own statement is that the purported will is a concoction but I have done what a first son should do. As first son, your duty is to protect the young ones.

If I say the Will was a concoction, I am right. I have done my right as a first son to do a Caveat and I am also challenging the Will, then you Emeka that mentioned that the Will is fake, what have you done or are you now saying the fake Will of your father should be admitted?

The reasons for accepting are very clear, it’s either he is financially incapacitated which is the objective of those who do not want the family members to fight the purported Will. Incapacitate all the children. but I cannot be incapacitated and that is why I was able to follow it up to this extent.

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he path you have followed which is the law suit in Court, don’t you think it will create bad blood in an already polarized family?

Somebody went to forge your fathers Will and you are telling me that I should leave it.

What we are challenging is a legal document. Ideologically, if they have read the Will at the house and they have not read it at the Court, I would not have had access to documents.

If they read the will at home, the Lawyer could have called few journalists and maintain it was Ojukwus Will, then journalists would have gone ahead to publish what was read out and if I challenge the lawyer, he could have told me am not entitled to it. Then journalist will go and publish all you get, meanwhile they will have a copy of that will, then after reading it, they will now go to Court and file it, then I will not know when they apply for probate, I will not know when they get the grant for probate because with probate, when you apply for it, you will publish in the papers.

So if they had done it surreptitiously, I

Debe Ojukwu...Emeka and I before now, did not have any problem try and equal him. That is the burden and it is a very big one.

I always tell people that the shoes my father wore were distended and they were distended as a result of circumstances he found himself during the war, the war situation, that created the person he became and that is why I laugh at people who wake up one day and say they want to become

not united yet.

We need that unity, leadership is very easy if there is unity.

Everybody is a king in his house, to make a governor, everybody in his house has to surrender his kingship and give it to one man and aggregate leadership powers to him, that is what makes a leader very powerful. So the Igbos need to watch it, have some internal control to evolve leadership, not leadership by money.

We Igbos should have a situation whereby we bring our angels to be the foremen; even the other coordinating units in Nigeria would respect that person. It would be easy for other parts of the country to submit to the person. So we must go back to do an introspection, evolve a naturally peculiar election process. I was recommending that with the reality of the circumstances today, any person is queuing up to utilize Igbo leadership should surrender all his wealth to the people. If you want to become a Governor first hand over all the property you have acquired to your people, when we have taken it over, the Ohaneze will fund your campaign, they will support you. Funding your campaign does not necessarily mean money, if the people are really for you. So when we have that, the number of candidates we have automatically trims down, because once you do that, I doubt whether we would have two people remaining. And the person that emerges will be given a condition that he must not be corrupt, he must be just because leadership is about being just.

So, there is need to purge ourselves of our iniquities, purge ourselves from corruption to be attractive to other coordinating units so as to get that leadership.

When he acted in that situation, my father was 33years, but today I am 56years. I am wiser and even, if that situation resurfaces, I will approach it in a different manner because I am more mature wouldn’t have known. Everyone of us would have based our facts on what was read in the media.

How do you want your father to be remembered asides naming certain things after him?

The only way we can remember him and not in monuments is to realise that he lived for equity, he lived for Justice. The whole Igbo women are giving me an award and the whole Nnewi traditional institution is trying to confer on me a Grand Patron. The only way I wished he could be immortalised is to believe those things he lived and died for but not in monuments.

What burden does being an Ojukwu’s son places on you?

Politically, leadership is not hereditary because you mature into it. To me, he is mere perfection so being his son challenges me to be perfect. That is what the burden as his son places on me.

If I were not his son, you can come in here and see me lying on the floor, but because I am his son, I have to try to be at my best, try to excel, even if I cannot surpass him, let me

my father, you cannot replace him because we don’t have a war situation. Anybody that wants to be like my father needs to replicate the same situation for you to be him.

And being that I took after him in all respect, I found myself in the situation my father found himself, I may not act almost the same way for one reason, because I am older. When he acted in that situation, my father was 33years, but today I am 56years.

I am wiser and even if that situation resurfaces, I will approach it in a different manner because I am more matured.

Like now I am having my own crises, one criminal sits somewhere and say I am not Ojukwus son, I am in crises and that crises is making me talk to the media, so for somebody not be in my kind of situation to say he wants to be like me, he will fail.

What do you think the future holds for the Igbo nation in terms of political leadership?

The future has a very good prospect and I believe the Igbos will always get their champions but the problem is that we are

Continues on page 40

PAGE 40—SUNDAY

Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

You cannot negotiate to be a first child — Debe Ojukwu (2) Continued from page 39 What was your relationship with Bianca Ojukwu in the past and what is your relationship with her now?

I have always seen her as my father’s widow. First of all, my mother and Bianca’s mother were best of friends. It was supposed to be a life time relationship.

My mother and Bianca’s mother taught in the same school in Wudi and they lived in the same house.

They were friends when my father started moving with my mother, Bianca’s mother was aware of when I was born and she regards me as her son, that is the relationship. Building up on that, when Bianca started having children, I was the one doing the outing relationship in Lagos, I was the one financing it. I did the one of the twins and the one of the last born as well. Each time they had the children abroad and they were coming back, there was nobody on ground and normally the whole Igbo would come to celebrate with my father, so I was the one throwing the party. I was doing that and my father was very happy

with it and my father encouraged me. You know initially, my father did not have a traditional wedding with Bianca, they only had white wedding in church in Maitama at Abuja, so when it was the turn for the traditional wedding, I was the one that financed the outing ceremony. When the father died, I eventually buried the father alone, I did that. I was doing that because of my father and my father allowed me because he was putting me in a position that those things are supposed to be my responsibility, however excruciating it was because I had my own thinking and I knew those are things I was supposed to do.

So I did them very well and that was why when her father died and my late father was too old to attend those events, I made sure it was done properly. I have always taken her not like a daughter but a junior sister. You know when people are young and enemies begin to come in, they tend to poison people’s minds; I believe her mind was poisoned. So if her mind was poisoned, it is now left for her to purge herself from that poison.

We need that unity, leadership is very easy if there is unity.

Everybody is a king in his house, to make a governor, everybody in his house has to surrender his kingship and give it to one man and aggregate leadership powers to him

Debe Ojukwu...My mother and Bianca’s mother were best of friends For sometime, I have not communicated with her, I have not communicated with anyone of them either because the role they played at the funeral was despicable. There are basic things I expected her to do, even if other people are trying to be over-bearing on her, she as the widow in the house should have risen up to the occasion. There was a day the Governor invited us, I was the one that met the governor, when the President also sent delegation, I was the one the delegates met.

So if all those things are happening, I expected her to overrule them because I was the one carrying him when he was sick, I slept four nights at UNTH, no other person slept like that except me with my eyes open.

I was the one carrying him and even in the

London hospital, I was the only person in this world that went with my whole family to his Hospital bed in London.

My daughters and my wife went to him at his hospital bed, so what are they saying?

My father so much loved my children and you can see pictures of where he was carrying my children - that is somebody they claim did not gave birth to me but yet he is carrying my children. So I didn’t have to start fighting anybody because I knew the enemies. What I expected her to do is to ask “where is brother”, and then tell the people that my husband’s son is not here and when others are doing dust to dust, let him do as well. But she did not do that but supported conspiracy and up till now, I do not know why she conspired against me.

Lagos Boxing Day fire: Our sad story, by traders

BY BOSE ADELAJA

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RADERS at Jankara market on Lagos Island, numbering 420, are accusing security agencies of denying them access to their shops, almost two weeks after an inferno that killed one, injured many and destroyed property worth billions of naira. The fire was reportedly sparked by firecrockers stocked in a warehouse. Since the incident, ,the market had been condoned off by law enforcement agents for security reasons. However, the traders lamented their denial of access to their wares.

Also, the traders called on Governor Babatunde Fashola to conduct proper investigations into the cause of the incident, identifying the owner of the ill-fated warehouse as one Ibiwoye as against one Olalekan fingered by the police.

Here is the version of the story from Okoya/Ojogiwa Traders Association as relived by their chairman, 51-year old Cletus Nnadiukwu, ‘’We want to clear the wrong impression by government because we are the direct victims that witnessed what happened. The inferno was triggered by dynamites stocked at a shop at Ojogiwa Street and the owner of the goods is one Ibiwoye; we wonder how the police arrived at one Semilore Olalekan.

“The items were brought in around midnight of the said day amidst tight security provided by armed Mobile men numbering over a dozen though this has been a routine thing as they

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bring in these dangerous wares. The place is always under lock and key but the revelation got to us on the said day that the items were suspected to be dynamites which were in no way healthy to be stocked in a residential or commercial area. The dealer is said to live at Dosumu Street on Lagos Island where he deals in fireworks. By the market arrangements, what we deal in are kitchen utensils, not fireworks, so, it is highly impossible for such items which are not highly inflammable to have caused the inferno as claimed by government. Nobody could precisely tell the cause of the fire outbreak but our members saw dynamites flying in the air taking off from Ojogiwa Street and lending on surrounding buildings there by aggravating the inferno. The affected shops were 420 in number.”

of over N40m. We use this opportunity to appeal to the state government not to turn deaf ears to our plight as we are not the cause of the inferno. We are responsible citizens of Nigeria with dependants. The government should help fish out this illegal dealer whose sin we are suffering from and as well come to our aid by releasing some funds for us as we are law abiding

citizens of Lagos State.’’

Investigations revealed that the land lady of the said building is popularly called ‘’Iya-Oke’’ who has also disappeared into thin air.

Sources said danger looms on the Island as the owner of the wares that sparked the Boxing Day fire is an influential person as he still has more wares in houses there.

Prayers On their losses, Nnadiukwu said: ‘’The state government should come to our aid as she has been doing in cases like this, we have lost all our life expectations and belongings in one day. Many amongst us obtained loans through various means to pay exorbitantly for shops that are worth N50,000 monthly to be paid for 5 years with 10 per cent agency and agreement and also stocked it with wares.

As a result of this exorbitant rate, many of our members could no longer afford the fees, so, the opportunity of getting that now lies in the hands of the rich many of whom are dealers of this illicit business. One of us lost goods worth

Some of the displaced traders counting their losses.

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BY JIDE AJANI

I

t is complicated. And it would be even more complicated.

Certain events happen in the life of a nation and those events change the course of history for that nation. Nigeria is no exception. For good or ill, some individuals are thrust on a nation as leaders and their actions and in-actions, consciously or sub-consciously, mould the nation’s path to greatness or otherwise. In all of these however, fate plays a very key role. All efforts are sometimes made to look like a fool’s errand when fate strikes. But what is fate? It is that which is inevitable. Its signs are all around us but we, most times, don’t see them. They operate in an invisible manner until fate itself happens on us.

When some inexplicable things happen to individuals, in such an unpalatable manner, people say it is fate. Fate is hardly linked with goodness. Ayanmo (destiny) is usually associated with success. Kadara (fate) is that which is used to explain away the ill-fortune of men and women. But ‘sense’ could be made of fate the minute men introduce logic. It is when logic comes in that linkages are made of some signs to arrive at the reason(s) why certain things happen. Those signs are products of choices arising from decisions we take.

In taking decisions, there is an old prayer beseeching God Almighty to

In the name of the President…let the campaigns begin?

He should be bold enough to outline the issues regarding reelection as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the works of his hands and spare Nigerians the heat of a bonfire for which he is today stockpiling wood

grant “the serenity to accept the things we can not change; the courage to change the ones we can; and, above all, the wisdom to know the difference”. But poor man, no matter how hard he prays, still arrogates to himself the power to do and undo; to change his destiny believing that “his destiny is in his own hands”.

What that does is that it renders the supplication for serenity, courage and wisdom inconsequential. What paradox!

Enter folly. If man believes in his own ability to chart his path to greatness, why then does he needlessly place a burden on God to help him achieve what he already thinks he can achieve? For believers in that Supreme Being, God, they are also admonished to work hard

because there is no food for a lazy man.

So, man may, trherefore, not be all that foolish to try to do something to achieve his goals. However, in doing something, man must recognize that, over time, his ability or inability to read situations properly lead to choices that do not help his objective. And that does not make him foolish.

In the Book of Proverbs, 26, 3-7 (with emphasis on 4 and 5), the following verses say: “A whip for the horse, a bridle for the ass, and a rod for the fool’s back “*Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him “*Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit “He that sendeth a message by the hand of a fool cutteth off the feet, and drinketh damage “The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of a fool”.

Why should you not answer a fool?

Because you do not want to be like him!

But why should you answer a fool? So that he does not think he is wise!

In his 1709 AN ESSAY ON CRITICISM, Alexander Pope, noted that folly could be intense: “Nay, fly to altars; there they’ll talk you dead; For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” If fools rush in where angels fear to tread, Continues on Page 49

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Vanguard ,

JANUARY 6, 2013

Jonathan’s posters of controversy

BY SONI DANIEL, Regional Editor, North

Like a thief in the night

I

f there is one thing that the Jonathan administration has in abundance, it is its unfailing penchant for sometimes doing itself in to surprise Nigerians, particularly on New Year Day. Like a bond keeper, the administration has faithfully lived up to its billing in giving the nation regular doses of unpleasant surprises.

On the first day of 2012, Nigerians woke up to meet a rattling fuel pump price jerk that has halted the economic progress of most Nigerians and stunted their comfort level till date. Now, and perhaps, as a New Year gift, troubled Nigerians who are managing to cope with the myriads of economic woes foisted on them by a government that appears not to have gotten it right after more than a year on the saddle, some mischievous campaign posters purporting to solicit support for President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election in 2015 welcome Nigerians to the New Year.

The glossy posters with Jonathan’s portrait boldly inscribed came with a bang. It was loaded with variegated and serious messages even though it was not signed as a complete advertisement with an identified sponsor. First, it warned those angling for the prized post to steer clear of Aso Rock, the nation’s power base, that ‘there is no vacancy’ there, apparently trying to ruffle the opposition, which is battling to put it acts together with a view to giving Jonathan a good fight in the next presidential election. The campaign material also made a spirited attempt to eulogise Jonathan for ‘doing well’ as a president and called for continuous support for him in the 2015. “One good turn deserves another,” the sponsors of the dubious posters, wrote.

zJonathan...Posters came as another rude shock! raged over the method adopted by hawks to begin another round of campaign for the President, who has repeatedly stated that he will not want to be distracted by the 2015 politics so as to have enough time to concentrate on fixing the mounting problems in Nigeria. Right-thinking Nigerians are apparently amused by the import of the posters, since according to them, nothing has changed in

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Like a bad product, it came with defects

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ut like a bad product, the promoters of the vile communication, could only find space on refuse bins (for effect), newspaper stands and any available roadside medium to paste the posters perhaps in the night, apparently to avoid being identified. From the way the posters were displayed, Nigerians could have mistaken them for one of those religious publicity materials, which have become a regular feature of roads in the FCT but Mr. President’s glossy pictures typified by his unmistakable traditional Ijaw shirt and hat to match, effectively drew attention to what was on offer.

By daybreak on New Year, the posters were already catching

By daybreak on New Year, the posters were already catching fire like a cracker. From the first gate of the Presidential Villa to Yakubu Gowon Crescent and AYA and the surroundings of ECOWAS in Asokoro District, men, women and youths were scrambling for space to catch a glimpse of the posters displayed on any available space

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fire like a cracker. From the first gate of the Presidential Villa to Yakubu Gowon Crescent and AYA and the surroundings of ECOWAS in Asokoro District, men, women and youths were scrambling for space to catch a glimpse of the posters displayed on any available space.

Outrage and indifference over the message

A

s curious Nigerians decoded the mes sages embedded in the posters, some were out-

the land apart from unending rhetoric being churned out by top government officials on where the administration is heading and how the country is achieving conceptual economic boom and employment generation and while young Nigerian graduates roam the streets in search of elusive jobs.

Jonathan had during his campaign for the 2011 election promised to ‘breathe fresh air’ on the nation. It was the same man, who vowed to end endemic corruption and instill a new wave of sanity in the

nation’s polity. As it has turned out, almost two years down the line, the monster of graft has taken a deeper root in the corridors of power, devouring honest Nigerians and throwing up more corrupt men with itchy fingers. The startling revelations coming from the subsidy funds management indicating that the huge sums were swallowed up by mandarins with strong tentacles in the same government, who are almost above the capacity of existing anti-corruption agencies to handle, have made a mockery of any claim by the administration to be confronting graft. It is not surprising therefore why Nigerians have become very skeptical about Jonathan’s promises and the situation may remain so for some time to come until he becomes more serious about redeeming the various promises, some of which the government might have forgotten.

Even the claim that the power sector has witnessed tremendous improvement in recent times is suspect because in the major cities some areas remain in perpetual darkness for days and no explanation is given. That, coupled with the inexplicable jerk in energy tariff thereby giving average Nigerian families a nightmare, may remain a sore point for the administration. Nigerians may not be interested in knowing what amount of electricity is generated by the government but will see and feel the change in the generation and transmission of power once there is constant power

supply to their homes.

All the President’s Men’s Denial

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he Presidency rose at once to disown not only the placement of the message but its timing.

Like a well rehearsed orchestra, the President’s men - Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, the Political Adviser to the President and Dr. Reuben Abati, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity - distanced themselves from what they see as a repugnant message designed to distract their boss from going ahead with his ‘transformation agenda’. Gulak, who spoke from his village in far away Adamawa, was emphatic that the President had not mandated the sponsors to put out the controversial communication material.

“I am sure it is the work of misguided elements who are out to cause confusion among Nigerians,” Gulak told Sunday Vanguard in a telephone interview on Tuesday night.

The following day, Abati took the stage in another interview, castigating the masterminds of the posters. Like Gulak, he insisted that the material did not receive the blessing of his master, who was working hard to fix decrepit Nigeria.

“The President is focused on delivering on his mandate for Nigerians and would not want to be distracted,” Abati chorused like other foot soldiers of Mr. President. He was not yet done!

Continues on page 47

SUNDAY

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JANUARY 6, 2013,

PAGE 47

Jonathan’s posters of controversy “Those pasting the posters are trying to express their own views. The President had stated that he would talk about the Presidential election from 2014 and those doing these things do not have the consent of the president.

“What is of importance now is for the president to deliver on his electioneering promise to Nigerians and not to embark on the pasting of posters.

“The President has not launched any campaign; he believes those doing that are playing games. There is no reason for the president to engage in any form of scaremongering, having said that by 2014 he would make his position on the matter known.

Nigerians should wait till them,” the spokesman declared.

Product of high taste and careful packaging

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ut in spite of the deni al by the President’s men, it has emerged that the posters were carefully packaged and displayed at strategic places in the FCT by hawks working on the Presidential Project. It was learnt that the display of the first set of posters, was a carefully planned plot by Jonathan’s foot soldiers, who wanted to test the political waters for their masters ahead of 2015.

Competent sources confirmed that the group coordinating the posters on behalf of the Presidency would soon blossom into a Non-governmental body and own up to the publicity materials.

The import of the posters was to send a strong message to the opposition, which has been working to metamorphose into a formidable platform to confront Jonathan as a common political party in 2015. The thinking by Jonathan’s political hawks is that it is not proper to leave the turf for the opposition to have a field day while their master pretends to be considering what to do about 2015 when the body language suggests he is going to run. The quality of the posters and the message in them, lend credence to the fact that they were not done by poor and illiterate men in search of what to do in order to earn their meal. The packaging shows clearly that the message was a product of rigorous thinking and produced by sound minds to meet the taste of a sophisticated audience.

But if the Presidency insists

it has no idea of who sponsored the message, Nigerians may want to know how soon an enquiry would be carried out to determine whose money was spent to produce and paste the materials and by who and why?

Posters vanish from Abuja

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erhaps, frustrated Ni gerians still writhing in the pains and agony of soaring cost of living and scarce petroleum products were not too happy to be greeted by the posters as they returned to the nation’s capital to grapple with the complexity of life imposed on them by the system that has woefully failed to protect and secure their lives. It was therefore not surprising why most of the posters were easily defaced and removed from the streets barely a few hours after they were placed by unidentified persons.

In a jiffy, the posters in the highbrow areas of Asokoro, where influential Nigerian politicians and economic players reside, were removed followed by the ones in the suburbs of the FCT. Neither the law-enforcement agencies nor the officials of the FCDA could stop the destruction of the posters.

However, a few of the posters were still left around the premises of the Peoples Democratic Party, Wadata Plaza, in Wuse 5.

Uproar spreads like wildfire over posters

I

n a swift reaction to the development, notable socio-political groups in the country rose against the posters. Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum and the major opposition parties took turns to condemn the timing of the posters and called for probe.

The Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Bauchi State Chapter, asked Jonathan to first of all redeem the electioneering promises he made to Nigerians in 2011 before delving into another round of campaign. Chairman of the CPC in the state, Aliyu Abubakar Saidu, advised Jonathan to save Nigerians from their present predicament before thinking of another election, pointing out that the posters were too hasty.

On his part, the Bishop of the Calabar Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev Tunde Adeyeye, described the posters as the handiwork of stooges bent on diverting the President’s attention from the

zPresident...under pressure to declare second term bid major problems confronting the nation.

Adeyeye said, “This is very Nigerian. That is what we do; we major in minors and then divert attention from the problems of the hardship and poverty we are suffering from.

Adding its voice to the condemnation of the timing of the posters, the South-South Peoples Assembly, SSPA, one of the main support groups for President Jonathan, said that it was too early for anyone to come out with posters campaigning for the president. A founding member of the SSPA, Dr. Ambrose Akpanika, said he did not think that the 2015 poll should dominate issues at this point in time when the

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Continued from page 46

Jonathan would have exceeded his two- term limit, if he contests in 2015, thereby violating the Nigerian Constitution. That has come up because he served out the remaining tenure of Yar ’Adua, which was not contemplated by the law. He has by so doing, taken the oath of office twice and his traducers would not want him to come back for another oath-taking in 2015.

Second Republic lawmaker and social commentator, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, has strongly advised President Jonathan not to waste time going for a second term, since doing so would create a constitutional crisis in the country.

Although the coast is always clear for an in cumbent President and governors to easily win re-election in Nigeria, it is difficult to say how easy Jonathan’s 2015 project will be, given the plethora of opposition against his re-election for now

nation was facing serious challenges that need urgent attention.

Opposition against Jonathan’s re-election mounts

A

lthough the coast is always clear for an in cumbent President and governors to easily win re-election in Nigeria, it is difficult to say how easy Jonathan’s 2015 project will be, given the plethora of opposition against his re-election. The circumstance of his emergence, first, as an acting President following the death of his boss, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and his subsequent enthronement as a substantive President in 2011, have thrown up some knotty issues that were never envisaged by the law. For instance, it has been pointed out that

,

Mohammed told Sunday Vanguard in an exclusive interview that Jonathan was not qualified to contest in 2015, having taken the oath of office twice as Nigeria’s President first in 2010 following the untimely death of Yar’Adua and later in 2011, thereby hitting the limit provided by Nigerian law.

“Most importantly, Jonathan should be told that the Constitution does not allow any Nigerian leader to take the Oath of Office twice.

He has already exhausted the limit of his two terms.

Mohammed advised Jonathan to first subject his Presidential ambition to a judicial interpretation by the Supreme Court so as to stave off looming Constitutional crisis that his action would generate in the country.

According to Mohammed,

Jonathan will be doing Nigerians a big disservice if he waits till 2014 to declare his interest in the 2015 Presidency because there are Nigerians who have real legal issues to take up with him on the matter and he should do it in good time to prevent a constitutional crisis and violence.

“If Mr. President is a true Nigerian leader he should decide now so that those who have issues with him will go to court to challenge him and get redress.

“The issue is not about him but 160 million Nigerians whose fate is tied to the Presidency of Nigeria. Jonathan has no right to dilly dally with the destiny of Nigerians,” he said.

But Section 137 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended states that” A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if “(b) he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections; or ….”

Jonathan has only been elected to the Office of President only once and not twice.

Beyond the alleged constitutional crisis that is likely to be thrown up if Jonathan runs in 2015, one of the PDP governors from the North, where Jonathan derived its strength in the 2011 poll, Sule Lamido, has been mandated by the State House of Assembly to challenge the President in 2015. Lamido has not said anything about the endorsement but he may not be too far from running since he would be completing his second term as a governor come 2015.

All that the governor, whose son, was recently arrested by EFCC operatives at the Aminu Kano International Airport for allegedly carrying undeclared Dollars running into millions of Naira, has said about his presidential ambition is ‘I’m flattered by the linkage of my name with the 2015 presidential poll’.

PAGE 48—SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

JANUARY 6, 2013

Jonathan means well for Nigerians — Abati

BY BEN AGANDE

I

n this interview, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, contends that contrary to the position of the opposition that President Goodluck Jonathan administration has failed in meeting the expectations of Nigerians, the president has actually carried the art of governance to a higher level.

He also speaks on what the government is doing about the security challenge, especially the issue of Boko Haram. According to him, government is winning the war on terrorism. He comments on the controversy surrounding the building of the banquet hall in Aso Rock Villa, the vice president’s residence, war against corruption and other national issues.

Excerpts: What has been the most challenging experience Abati....This president is fighting corruption. since you took this appointment?

I would say that the biggest challenge I have faced is should be a bully. But they have as disinformation by the opposition, by voted thus man to be our president.

The least we can do for him is to president a man who is an epitome of mischief makers and evil minded persons. Disinformation is black support him. What we are asking for decency and a gentleman. There is a propaganda. People who take a is that support. Those who have difference in terms of approach and position just to rubbish government, committed themselves to disinforming style. What people must get used to is discredit it with the aim of the public, we have a duty also to show the fact that it is possible for a decent, embarrassing President Goodluck that they are liars, they are mischief disciplined, gentlemanly person to Jonathan. We have seen a lot of that makers, they are people who do not lead Nigeria. This president is fighting happening. I have been on this job mean well, they are people who are corruption. Those who are saying he for a while now and I can do an personalizing leadership. They want is not fighting corruption are looking intelligent analysis of the territory and President Jonathan’s position which at big headlines. But they should use the demands of what is expected. If is normal. But when a man has won their intellect more positively. there is anything that I have gained in an election free and fair; fair and ake this whole furore, this on this job, it is knowledge. How squarely, that man should be whole filibuster, this whole disinformation works is that Nigerians supported because, ultimately, what is drama over fuel subsidy. The like to believe the worst about their important is the country.

People like to quote the United States man that made it possible is President leaders. It is unfortunate that many Nigerians like to be attracted by of America as a model but they are not Jonathan. As far back as 2010, he had sensational news. I appeal to learning the right lessons from those made it possible, under the leadership Nigerians that as we enter the new examples that they quote. If you look of Olusegun Aganga as the Finance year, we should listen to the truth because all of us are children of God and, somewhere in each person’s constitution, there is a conscience. People should listen more to their hearts. President Jonathan is the man they have voted for because they believe in him.

People have argued that the same goodwill that followed the president’s election has been at the United States, the politicians, Minister, to probe what was going on dissipated because of what people see those who are in power and those in in the Nigerian National Petroleum as his inability to meet the expectation opposition, once the election is over, Corporation. By 2012, it is this same they all rally round in the defense of President Jonathan who ordered a of the people. disciplined probe of the NNPC and I have just identified the problem for the country.

People have argued that the basic the downstream sector of the oil and you: disinformation and it means those of us who manage the president’s expectations from the president as gas industry, and that is what is information process, we need to do priority are not being tackled. People responsible for all these discussion. more. As a spokesman, it means that I take about the seeming lack of Unfortunately people are refusing to have to do more. It means that in 2013, political will to tackle corruption and give him credit for that. Other we will do a lot more because maybe the make reference to the recent administrations before him tried to pry people are not getting the message; Ribadu Committee report. Does the into this sector but they drew blank. I so we will do a lot more in explaining president have the capacity and the think people should acknowledge that under President Jonathan, he is because a lot has been done, a lot has political will to tackle corruption?

I put it to you that this is all about looking at these issues. Consequential been achieved in the aviation sector, in the agricultural sector, in the disinformation that I have spoken action would be taken.

Intervention education, in the power sector. This is of. What this president has not done I have already stated the intervention what Nigerians should be talking is to abuse the rule of law. What he about because this country is not about has not done is to abuse due process. of the president in the petroleum one individual; it is not about I have made it clear before that sector. Look at the port sector reforms.

President Jonathan; it is about Nigerians still have this military hang- It is this president that has made an Nigeria; it is about all of us and if we over that whoever is their president effort to sanitize the ports which were

T

What the president planned to achieve by December was sabotaged by the flood which was a natural accident. The president’s mandate was that by December he wanted people to travel on good roads to their communities

hitherto regarded as centres of corruption and headquarters of scam.

This president has cleaned it up. He has reduced the number of toll gates in the ports. The delivery time is now faster.

The agricultural sector used to be defined by fertilizer scam. That has not happened under this administration. It has been positioned strictly as business. The private sector has been empowered. People should talk about that. That was a major corruption centre that the president has transformed. Also look at the normal run of business. This government is the one that set up a committee to rationalize government departments and agencies. Actions would be taken. It is also this same president that ordered the audit and biometric registration of staff so that those workers in the federal civil service who used to make money by just being mischievous have been driven out of business. When you fight corruption, it fights you back. We have a situation in this country where corruption is fighting back but President Jonathan is determined, he has the political will and he will do all in his powers to take on this challenge. People who say the judicial system is slow, the president cannot dictate to the judiciary. What we do at the executive end is to continue to advertise this message and to say that we expect other departments to key into this process and everything is being done to ensure that the justice delivery and administration system is quickened and made more effective than it is.

Critics have argued that one of the most glaring failures of this administration is the inability to fix the East-West Road the contract for which was awarded more than ten years ago. Does the president feel proud that he cannot fix the most important road for his people in the Niger Delta region?

What the president planned to achieve by December was sabotaged by the flood which was a natural accident. The president’s mandate was that by December he wanted people to travel on good roads to their communities. The flood occurred and it affected the East-West Road. The president talks about the East-West Road again and again. He has taken action on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway to say that no individual can hold this country to ransom and that, if there are issues, government has a duty to stand on the side of the people of Nigeria. That is the principle coming out of the handling of the Lagos Ibadan Expressway.

It is not only about road. The government is also intervening robustly in the aviation sector. The airports in Nigeria today have been transformed. It is in this country that a government shut down the airports with a promise to fix them. Nothing happened. In less than two years, Nigerians can see that Nigerian airports are being transformed because President Jonathan wants safety, he wants to ensure international standards. There is evidence in Lagos and Kano and elsewhere. We need Continues on page 49

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard,

Jonathan means well for Nigerians

Abati....The government is providing jobs

The president has made it clear that we will make more progress and Nigerians should resist the temptation to listen to those who are disinforming the public problem-ridden system. He is trying to clean it up. People must give him time.

Despite the assurance by the president that the Boko Haram menace is being tackled, attacks have continued unabated.

Does government have the capacity to end this security challenge?

The Boko Haram challenge was worse two years ago. Where we are now, what is clear is that the Jonathan administration has shown the deter-

In the name of the President…let the campaigns begin?

Continued from page 45 such folly must be truly intense. And the problem with a fool is that in attempting to fool others, he must indeed first fool himself.

In governance, when Presidents try to feel the pulse of the people, an attempt at hawking folly is always made for those who would buy it. A script writer once noted that people would drink sand in the desert thinking it is water; but a counterpoise by the same sript writer insisted that people would drink sand because they do not know the difference between sand and

water.President Theodore Roosevelt once referred to the presidency of America “as the ‘bully pulpit’ from which to raise issues nationally, for when a president raises an issue, it inevitably becomes subject to public debate”. That was exactly what happened on the first day of 2013. Just as President Goodluck Azikiwe Jonathan did last year when he suddenly and rudely increased the pump-head price of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, popularly called petrol, some individuals posted campaign materials for the president’s re-election. His adviser on media has denied any involvement of

mination to confront this matter headlong; it has gained the required knowledge to expand the capacity to deal with the problem and has become proactive in dealing with the problem.

Every honest Nigerian will tell you that the situation is not as bad as it was. The issue of securing the lives and properties of Nigerians is nonnegotiable. This president has the political will, the determination and the commitment to the interest of Nigerians.

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he president talks about a slim government yet it is expend ing so much money on building a banquet hall. Is that not contradictory?

This has again to do with disinformation by certain parties. The government is building a multipurpose hall which will be used to serve the purpose of even the media.

When I send journalists to the residence of the president, they don’t have anywhere to stay. They stay in the sun. This proposed building is

the presidency in the matter, insisting that he does not want to be distracted. “Those who have done this to him are being truly unfair. And they only want to distract him”. Perish the thought; junk it. We reach for a local jargon, TU-FIA-KWA (stop that trash).

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P AGE 49 PA

— Abati

Continued from page 48 people to acknowledge this.

Look at the railways. Contracts were awarded in the past before and nothing happened. Under President Jonathan, the railways are coming alive. In the North, in the south-west, people are travelling by rail. The president has promised that in terms of infrastructural provisions, what the government has achieved, it will not go back. It will only move forward.

Government’s claim that the economy is growing is not been felt by majority of Nigerians. What are the indices that this economy is really growing?

The government is providing jobs, the government is creating jobs. The power sector has improved tremendously and this has a knock on effect on the economy because small and medium scale enterprises are able to function and provide opportunities for people. The executive of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria came to President Jonathan to express their appreciation for the improvement in the power generation. Of course we need more. Once you transform the power sector, you create opportunities for job creation. What is being done in the agricultural sector which has not been done before is also providing opportunities for people. What is being done in aviation provides opportunities. What is being done in the Information Communication Technology sector is providing opportunities. Teledensity has improved. More Internet facilities are available.

And beyond this, the president is mopping up the riotous population of idle children through the Almajiri programme. Schools are being built; more children are being put into school to secure the future of Nigeria.

One thing people must note is that all of these is a process. Transformation does not happen overnight. President Jonathan inherited a riotous, chaotic

JANU ARY 6, 2013, JANUARY

as it not this same presidency that denied that there was ever any meeting where the leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, agreed on zoning, eight years a-piece for North and South, on December 22, 2002?

Was it not this same presidency that denied the participation of incumbent President Jonathan (then deputy governor of Bayelsa State, representing his boss, Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha) at that meeting? A meeting where he voted yes for zoning? Was it not his presidency that sold a dummy to Northern leaders that it only wanted to concentrate on heal-

going to include a communication centre where the press can stay, monitoring the president from the residence. When we host diplomats in the residence, there is no space. When the president has a presidential media chat, we use the tea-room adjacent the Council Chambers. There is no space.

When the president receives people who are coming to pay homage, people sit on top of each other.

The purpose of the multi-purpose hall is to accommodate all of these and to create better convenience. When the president completes his tour of duty, he will not carry the building to his village. This is why I said disinformation is the major challenge that we face.

People are also talking about the residence of the vice president. Effectively, the vice president of the does not have a residence. Where he stays is supposed to be a guest house for visiting heads of state. Previous governments, not this government, started building an effective residence for the vice president and Nigerians are saying so much money. That project is on-going; if Nigerians want it abandoned, it can be abandoned. The residence of the vice president is not just one house. It is a whole environment. There would be guest houses.

The building would be used for other purposes of state. It is about Nigeria, it is about the institution of the Presidency.

What does the president mean when he said 2013 would be better? What should we expect?

The president has made it clear that we will make more progress and Nigerians should resist the temptation to listen to those who are disinforming the public, those who are spewing black propaganda and all hunters of fortunes and rent collectors who are trying to discredit this administration.

Nigerians should see through them and focus on the good things that this administration is doing.

ing the nation before the 2011 general elections, only to turn round and contest?

The presidency is the BULLY PULPIT. It even operates more like that in a developing, poverty stricken land like Nigeria where cash-and-carry politics is the order of the day. Therefore, President Jonathan should begin to think of how to present his case for re-election (which is guaranteed by the constitution any way), having serially refused to be bold in coming clean.

The strategy of the fool, being a fool, is to assume that the other person has been sold a dummy. That, it is hoped, is not the way President Jonathan wants to go. He should be bold enough to outline the issues regarding re-election as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the works of his hands and spare Nigerians the heat of a bonfire for which he is today stockpiling wood.

PAGE 50 --- SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013

sameyoboka@yahoo.com

08023145567 (sms only)

Adegboye warns church leaders against empire building

BY SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA ORMER Dean of Faculty of Sci ence, Ahmadu Bello University, Prof.

Duro Adegboye has urged church leaders to be more sensitive to the needs of their congregation instead of dissipating energy and resources on things that are immaterial.

He made the call at the 5th anniversary celebration of Church Times Nigeria which held in Lagos recently.

Adegboye who spoke on the topic, "Church in times like this," said it is appalling that despite the number of churches and Christians in Nigeria, the country has not fared better.

According to him, the progress of Nigeria is in the hands of Christians.

"If Nigeria will be better, it must start from us. We are the ones who have the key to the success of this nation."

Adegboye who is a missionary evangelist at Offa, Kwara State, observed that many church leaders are busy building empires rather than building the kingdom of God; a situation, he said, had informed the unhealthy competition

F

among church leaders.

Commenting on the growing number of church universities, Adegboye said; "we build universities that church members cannot afford.

This is unfortunate. If we build universities are we going to build our own roads? The solution to our problem is not in building our own universities but in influencing the education sector such that government decision will favour us and favour the generality of people living in the

country.

"Many institutions owned by churches have been taken over by government in time past.

Many of the big universities in the world started as seminaries but today they don't even run bible-based courses."

The former university don who has been doing evangelical work for the past 50 years, said Christians should not dissipate energy castigating Sharia but rather should also make a case for a Christian-centred

legal system. "If the Muslims say they want Sharia, Christians should also insist that they want a legal system that is pro-Christian.

The implication is that government will have no option but to throw out the two requests if they would cause confusion."

Earlier in his speech, the publisher of Church Times Nigeria, Mr. Gbenga Osinaike had called on churches to embrace the media option in their evangelical drive. He stressed the

*CAKE CUTTING: Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor (3rd l), Pastor (Mrs.) Helen Oritsejafor cutting the anniversary cake at he 7th anniversary/poverty alleviation programme of Eagle Flight Micro Finance Bank assisted by eminent citizens at the event.

need for churches to support church-based media, noting that the attack on church leaders is growing by the day.

"If the church continues to sleep the media power will erode its influence. The only power communism had while it lasted was the media.

We can no longer pretend, we need a platform where we can freely air our views and where we can be effectively represented. The world cannot tell our story better than us," he noted.

A number of people including Dr. Christopher Kolade, Dr. Francis Akin Bola-John of Church Growth Ministries, Mr. Femi Adesina, deputy managing director of The Sun, Dr and Mrs. Gary Maxey and Mrs. Felicia Martins of Society for Insane and Destitute were presented with the Christian service awards at the event.

Also awarded were Grace So Amazing Foundation, Zenith Bank Plc, Ayoola Foods and Laughter Foundation. A posthumous award was given to Professor Akintunde Cole Onitiri for his commitment to God's work during his lifetime.

TAC ends 30-day revival

By WILLIAM JIMOH

T

HE Apostolic Church, EbuteMeta, Lagos Assembly recently completed a 30-day revival programmme as part of its efforts to deliver participants and the nation from spiritual and physical captivity.

According to the Lagos Area Superintendent of the church, Pastor Emmanuel Awojide, the programme was aimed at giving participants the opportunity to experience the miraculous power of God. The man of God said the programme tagged; “The season of Exodus,” was timely because our country is currently facing a lot of challenges which have negatively affected the lives of its citizens.

According to him, at times such as these, there is need to seek God with a pure and humble spirit.

He therefore admonished all Christian leaders to live lives worthy of emulation through which the name of Christ would be lifted.

Also speaking, the assembly pastor, Pastor Emmanuel Adebiyi urged Nigerians to make Christ the center of their lives, adding that he is the answer to all the problems of the world today.

Olukoya, Suleman contradict Kumuyi’s predictions for 2013

BY SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA

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HERE was sharp disagreement be tween the prediction of General Superintendent, Deep-er Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi for the nation in 2013 and those of the General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries, Dr. Daniel Olukoya and the president of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman.

Whereas Kumuyi foresees a year of great miracles and wonders anchored on Christ-like living, the MFM helmsman, Pastor Olukoya, in his 40-point prediction for 2013 at the Prayer City foresees that the nation will experience “uncommon lawlessness,” with “mysterious happenings we never heard before,” and Apostle Johnson Suleman seeing the nation’s flag hoisted at half mast.

The clerics who spoke at their respective cross over services at their different churches attended by thousands of faithful said there is a glorious hope for Nigeria in the New Year.

According to Kumuyi: “It will be a year of great miracles and wonders,” stressing the need for a strong foundation anchored in Christ so that the nation could enjoy the best from God, adding that if the foundation of the nation was destroy-ed, the people would be affected.

The man of God said Christians should expect better things from God in 2013 as God had promised to give hope to His child-ren, but stressed the need for Nigerians to turn to God through repentance in order to make their foundation stronger.

According to Kumuyi, God’s people would live in plenty and abundance this year, adding that

there was no need to be anxious as the year promised better things for the people than last year.

Olukoya said the nation will experience “uncommon lawlessness,” with “mysterious happenings we never heard before.”

Reeling out his 40-point predictions for 2013 at the Prayer City, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Pastor Olukoya, who described the year as one of a “rage of political confusion,” said “all organised wicked destroyers shall split and destroy themselves.”

According to the cleric, who traced the first appearance of figure 13 in the Bible to Genesis 14:4, which has to do with rebellion, the “ year will generate widespread sparks of rebellion” and it will be “volatile with hot temper,” as the accused will become the judge in some situations.

Warning that “this is a year we should approach with great caution, particularly the men,” the MFM G.O. reiterated that the year is “ volatile, very fragile and very dangerous to toy with. If you do, the result will be dangerous.”

He noted that year 2013 will, as a result of the love for money by many people, witness a resurgence of occultism, while on the other hand, many sorrows will be turned to joy.

Broadcasters, both television and radio, were also warned to be careful, because malpractices in the sector may split the nation, as he called for prayers for drama and music industry practitioners, to avoid death due to their ignorant and conscious involvement in the occult practice.

Dr. Olukoya disclosed that serious prayers are needed to avert natural disasters, adding that

2013 will also witness shaking for nations that support godlessness, as well as hissing and shame for God’s enemies.

According to him, the New Year will also experience unbelievable betrayal and disloyalty, while he urged for prayers to avoid bloody coups in some nations of the world.

However, not all the predictions are fearsome, as the man-of-God gave the 40th prediction as “harvest breakthrough to those who set at prayers early.”

In another development, the president/ founder of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman also released his prophecies for the year 2013, saying that Nigerians should pray for the mercy of God upon our leaders at the National level because he saw our national flag being flown at half mast.

He described the New

Year as one to be large and be in-charge, adding that God says this year will be better than last year.

Apostle Suleman said: "Things will get better.

The God that kept us till now will still keep us further; it can't always be like this. God has planted and strategically positioned people who are coming up with ideas that will revolutionalise Nigeria. Some of them might presently be abroad, being trained and groomed.

“Nigeria is going to have a crop of leaders without greed. They will come without corruption and will be selfless. The worst has happened to Nigeria. If they had told us people will die like this last year, we won't believe.

“If they had told us bombs will be thrown into a church, we won't believe. When the worst happens, get ready for the best," he added.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013 --- PAGE 51

GKS Women pledge support for God's work...donate hostel building

By LAJA THOMAS

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UNRIGHTEOUS MONEY MOST Christians do not bother with the words of Jesus. If they did, they would not be Christians. Churches carefully avoid Jesus’ words. They are not words on which a large congregational empire can be built. When the people heard the words of Jesus, they left in droves. When Peter understood the message of Jesus, he prevailed on him to change it. Jesus’ words provide the small gate and narrow road that lead to life that only a few will find. (Matthew 7:14).

Deceitful money

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o let us look at one of those weighty words of Jesus that Christians prefer to ignore. Jesus refers to money tautologically as “unrighteous mammon.” (Luke 16:9) This means money is fundamentally ungodly.

There is no “righteous mammon.” According to Jesus, riches are deceitful. (Matthew 13:22) They promise what they cannot deliver. T h e y promise prosperity but impoverish the soul.

(Matthew 16:26). They promise peace but bring anxiety. (Ecclesiastes 5:12).

Money is man-made: it is not of God. Indeed, it is an idol; the very antithesis of God. Money rules over men, ensuring that it competes with God for human allegiance. Therefore, our faith in Christ compels a choice. Jesus insists: “No one can serve two masters. For either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24).

J

esus never has any commendation for the rich or for earthly riches. Instead, he warns: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thie-ves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21) Jesus’ position is that man’s heart is of limited

Money is not a currency of the kingdom of God capacity. If our heart is set on worldly riches, we cannot at the same time have God; “the Desire of All Nations” (Haggai 2:7), as our heart’s treasure.

Money is not a currency of the kingdom of God. The currency of the kingdom is righteousness. Jesus insists money does not even belong to the believer; who is redeemed without money. (Isaiah 52:3). I f it belongs to us, we would take it with us when we die. We don’t because it belongs to someone else. Therefore Jesus asks: “If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?”

(Luke 16:11-12).

False riches Money constitutes false riches. The riches of this world belong to the wicked. The psalmist declares: “Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.”

(Psalm 73:12). The wicked prefer the temporal to the eternal. Therefore, God is content to make this vainglorious world their inheritance. Thus, David talks of “men of the world who have their portion in this life.”

(Psalm 17:14).

What then belongs to the believer? “The LORD is (our) portion.”

(Lamentations 3:24).

When a man sought Jesus’ help to secure his inheritance, he replied: “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

(Luke 12:15). But how could the man have been guilty of covetousness when all he wanted was his portion of his inheritance? The man failed to understand that Jesus’ doctrine makes us heirs of God and not of men.

He was guilty of insisting on what belongs to another man, while neglecting what is rightfully his portion in God.

God is interested in who we are and not what we have. He says “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3: 14). He does not say “I am what I have.” This life is not about ownership; it is about stewardship. Worldly possessions are the believer’s stewardship. We are managers of our finances, without the burden of ownership. In the Day of Judgment, God will require us to account for how we spent all the money that came into our hands. Did we use it to secure our temporal “future” here on earth, or to safeguard our eternal future in heaven? Jesus says sardonically: “Make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.” (Luke 16:9).

It is not surprising then that God’s judgment is often proclaimed on those who handle money. (Zephaniah 1: 11). Rich men who are not prepared to give away their wealth to the poor cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven and become heirs of God. Instead of amassing earthly riches, Jesus counsels that we should endeavour to be rich towards God. (Luke 12: 16-21).

Blessing of God

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en bless with money. But Jesus says: “Not as the world gives do I give to you.” (John 14:27).

Therefore, money cannot be a blessing of God. God blesses with his Holy Spirit. (Luke 11:13) What money buys is not of God, and that which is of God cannot be bought with money.

(Acts 8:20). The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22). But money adds sorrow for the simple reason that it fails. Money failed in Egypt and in Canaan.

(Genesis 47:15). Sooner than later, money grows wings and flies away like an eagle towards

heaven. (Proverbs 23: 5).

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an we give money to God? Jesus says no Unrighteous money belongs to Caesar; his image and inscription is on it. “Render ther-efore to Caesar the things that are Caes-ar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21). What exactly belongs to God? God’s image is on man, so man be-longs to God. We should give and dedi-cate ourselves to the Lord; while money should be given and dedicated to “Caesar” Solomon says money answers everything.

(Ecclesiastes 10:19) That may be true technically; but money is not the answer to most things. Solomon himself discovered that all that money gave him was vanity upon vanity. He says: “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase.”

(Ecclesiastes 5:10).

Wisdom of God

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his is what I have learnt at the feet of the Lord. Money is not valuable; we are always giving it away in one transaction or the other. The most valuable things in this world are free. The most important jobs in Christ are the ones for which we receive no wages whatsoever.

The poor are far more generous than the rich.

(Mark 12:41-44).

Martins Hile urgently needed to get somewhere, so he asked the Lord for money for transportation. But the Lord said to him: “Stop asking me for money.” The Lord told Martins to go and stand by the side of the road. As soon as he did so, a car pulled up in front of him. “Martins, where are you going?” asked the driver, who happened to be someone well-known to him He then took Martins exactly where he was going.

The Lord said to Martins: “You don’t need any money. All you need is me!”

HE National Women Fellowship of the God's Kingdom Society, GKS, has pledged to support God's work and leadership of the church. The pledge was made after a glorious procession of GKS Women Fellowship from Salem City, headquarters of the church, through some major streets in Warri, Delta State and back to the Salem City where the women presented an address and gifts to the Lord's Ministry.

Presenting their address, the Christian Women Assembly during the 2012 Feast for Tabernacles of the church, National Chairperson, Sister (Dr.) Gladys Etemowo, National Secretary, Sister Comfort Ikekwem and immediate past national secretary, Sister Sarah Okotie, respectively, said, “ we, the entire National Women Fellowship of GKS willingly and solemnly express our implicit faith in Jehovah Almighty God; that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God; that we state unequivocally and convincingly that the GKS is the planting of the Lord, through St. Urhobo. We hereby pledge our total support for the leadership of the church through the spiritual direction of Bro. Godwin Ifeacho.”

Speaking on the significance of the women's procession, the sisters said; “like the name 'Korowa Procession', Korowa in Urhobo language is a gift for a king. When we arrange all these gifts in bags, we proudly take them round the streets of Warri to make people see the goodness of God on us, the church and the women's fellowship.

"Then, we would come to Salem City to do the presentation as you witnessed us doing today. We do this in appreciation of God Almighty and support to His holy organisation because our ministers don't do secular jobs,”adding that “ we believe in the instruction of God Almighty in the Bible that those devoted to serving Him should not do any other job. We know that they have to live fine. So, we help to support them so that they will live well, feed their families and also take good care of themselves.”

The highlight of the event was the formal opening of the sisters' hostel which was started in 1998 but completed this year by the GKS Women's Fellowship. It is a multi-million naira structure that has the capacity to lodge hundreds of delegates.

The chairman of the Executive Board, Bro. Godwin Ifeacho cut the tape to declare the hostel open. The women also presented cash gift of N55,000 and 19 pick-up loads of food items to the Lord's Ministry.

Speaking on the hostel proj-ect, Sister Comfort Ikekwem said, “the project has been completed but it is not the end of the activities of the Women's Fellowship in this church. We still look forward to more projects that we can execute as women of this great organisation. We financed the project through willing donations from Sisters across the country and abroad.”

Also speaking to newsmen, the Secretary of theWomen Fellowship of the London Branch of the church, Mrs. Connie Agbanoma said, “the feast of tabernacles is very important for every Christian because it is ordained by Jehovah, the Almighty God and even Jesus Christ himself, when he came on earth, celebrated the feast.”

BASTARDIZATION OF CHRISTMAS OR those of us who like to wish their friends, fami lies, colleagues Merry Xmas, let me say that I wish F you all Merry Christmas, the remembrance of the birth

of Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross at Calvary to reconcile us back to God. I wish you a prosperous New Year. It is, however, interesting to note that so many Christians fall victims of celebrating Xmas, which is different from Christmas.

Xmas is the mass for an unknown quantity, an unknown persona or entity. This was a coinage in the early Christian's struggle with opponents of the gospel of Jesus Christ, particularly, the Arians, who claimed that man was a matter and had no soul. They were the first group to rise against the Christian faith and persecuted them severely.

The concept of X in Mathematics, represents the unknown. This is the unknown factor that must be arrived at.

We had Malcolm Little who changed his name to Malcolm X because he did not know his father. If your name is Christopher, that means Christ bearer, but to abbreviate this to Xtopher means entirely a different thing.

It means an unknown bearer. The same goes for Christian and Xtian.

We have the X factor to express that grey area of an argument etc. So are we celebrating Christmas or X-mas?

Let's get this clear.

----Hugo Odiogor

PAGE 52—SUNDAY VANGUARD,JANUARY 6, 2013

C M Y K

Ogwashi-Uku: A cry for help VIEWPOINT

BY OKOFU UBAKA VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The plight of the people of a Delta community

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RDINARILY, one does not make an is sue out of some abnormality identifiable in his birth place. But the problems with Ogwashi-Uku, the headquarters of Aniocha South LGA, Delta State, can no longer be glossed over. I can’t understand why a town so blessed with intellectuals of international reckoning, and after so long a time of having been in national recognition is yet to hit the ground running in infrastructural development. I hardly could fathom why my ancestral home came to find itself in such a cesspool of infrastructural decadence. More often than not, I ask myself if the situation today in Ogwashi-Uku could be

as a result of some people hijacking governance at the grassroots. One cannot emphatically state that the people of Ogwashi-Uku live on the margin. But as a civil service and farming society, such summation may not be too bogus even though it is not modest.

Yes, the story of infrastructural decadence is the same from the southern part of the country to the northern part. It is also the same sad news in the eastern part as well as the whole of the west. But the case of Ogwashi-Uku is disturbing.

Water has not flowed from public taps for almost two decades in the town.

The symbolic dust enveloping the streets of OgwashiUku is even more at the council’s secretariat. The looks on the faces of the staff is a telltale sign that something serious is wrong with everything there. The roads connecting streets are impassable. Apart from the road through Agidiase down to Ogbe- Ofu, other roads are in complete disrepair. For instance, Ogbe-Ubu

and Azugun have literally been cut off as these roads could no longer be accessed.

It is the some scenario in other towns in the council area.

,

The politician at Ogwashi must be petty and pernicious to have raped the people of Ogwashi-Uku repeatedly of these promises

,

For villages such as Olloh Ogwashi, Otulu, Azagba Ogwashi, Aboh, Isah Ogwashi, Edo and Olodu, the situation is one of sordid neglect that one is tempted to shout aloud if government had ever been

in place in the entire council area.

We hear too often of politicians who make promises on how they could better the lot of the electorate if voted to power. The politician at Ogwashi must be petty and pernicious to have raped the people of Ogwashi-Uku repeatedly of these promises. I ask, ‘ what have successive past LGA chairmen done with the council’s allocations from the federation account? Also, what have those representing Aniocha South LGA in the state House of Assembly done on the floor of the House each time constituency projects were being discussed or don’t they discuss infrastructural development as part of legislative businesses of the House?

I have taken time to drive round the entire council area, and what I saw was provoking. Poverty everywhere. No school rehabilitated as part of the state government selected schools rehabilitating project.

No equipment and men de-

ployed to mend failed portions of the almost impassable roads.

Business activities are paralyzed as a result of epileptic supply of electricity. How possible for a people to make meaningful progress when the essentials of life are conspicuously unattainable?

All is not well with OgwashiUku in particular and Aniocha South LGA in general, solely because the people are inured to the hardship. Being silent in the face of suffering because one is handicapped does not imply all is well. That the people of Warri North are fairly better in infrastructural facilities than those in Aniocha South LGA is not enough to dismiss the fear that the present state of infrastructural facilities in Warri North are adequate for the administrators of the latterLGA to go to sleep. I think the problem with the leaders of this country is that they are without vision. *Ubaka, a social critic, lives in Koko in Warri North LGA

ence. Sellers in our markets are usually in deep prayers, Christians amongst them clap in groups, while the Muslims squat religiously on the mat but this does not stop them from slipping a fake item into the hand of the unsuspecting customer while collecting money for the original. It does stop them from selling at double the normal price or selling grains with measures with false bottom, because doing so is considered as smartness.

Compared to dishonesty, godliness has taken the back seat in our country. Family values have broken down to the extent that the poor in the family is made to look miserable while the truth is confined to the rare for the sake of money. The slogan, “money speaks”, is usually at the tips of the lips of the well-to-do in the family. In our country, “Olowolagba”, meaning, “The rich is the eldest in the family, irrespective of age.” These factors push individuals to look for money at all cost.

It is in this regard that we would be unnecessarily dogmatic to blame our woes on those who are labeling our country as one of the most corrupt in the world. Last year, the same global index placed Nigeria in 143rd position out of 183 countries, but this should not be taken as an indication that things are better today than they were last year. The fact that a thief who had been stealing cow now steals goat does not make him less evil because a thief is a thief.

This article is not intended

to do any in-depth analysis of the corruption indices but to let us know that there is no way a saint could be selected from a community of devils.

Our government is what it is because of the rot in the larger society and no amount of anti-graft institutions erected in our country would make us pass the examination of the Transparency International. A check on the result of survey conducted on Nigeria by the Transparency International shows that the police was found to be the most corrupt institution in Nigeria, followed by the political parties, then the parliament, judiciary and the educational institutions in that order. It is instructive to observe that though, the religious body is found to be the least corrupt but it is still found to be corrupt. If the religious body of a country could score mere average mark in transparency, then its Sunday services and Jumat prayers are questionable.

The truth is that if the teachers, the judges, the law makers, the law enforcer, the civil servants and religious organ-

Nigeria: Transparently crooked VIEWPOINT

BY RASHEED OJIKUTU VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Celebrations galore at the Household of God to mark the birth of Jesus Christ

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HE data released by Transparency Interna tional notwithstanding, we, as Nigerians, are fully mindful of our temperament to

acts of dishonesty. The world may not understand us but we know that most of us lie about virtually everything and disregard the truth even in most simple situations where the facts are obvious. Pretending as if we are unacquainted with the precarious situation of our daily existence is like hiding behind one finger. It is this most adverse characteristic that our leaders have imbibed and taken from the confines of their home to public offices.

Hence, the institutionalization of corruption in our polity.

Yes, poverty breeds contempt for honesty. After all, “eni ebi npa kii gbo waasu”, meaning, “a hungry man does not assimilate the sermon,” but after our leaders, most of whom are from pauperized pedigree, have been fed to the tip of their lips, the desperate injury inflicted on their psyche by penury continues to haunt them like a nightmare and this results in desperation to maintain their present fiscal position.

We have glorified corruption

to ‘a saintly position’ and it is only a surgical approach that can expel the cancerous organ from our body polity. From our shops and markets where items of low qualities are passed as original to unsuspecting customers, to using the wrong scale and measures with false bottom for selling items to consumers and vandalizing an infrastructure installed by the government for the common good of the peo-

,

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013, PAGE 53

Our government is what it is because of the rot in the larger society and no amount of anti-graft institutions erected in our country would make us pass the examination of the Transparency International

,

ple, it is most certain that dishonesty has an institutional framework in our nation. Irrespective of the parameters used by Transparency International, our 35th position is too generous and requires a second review. If a country in the 139th position out of 176 countries is so transparently corrupt then, the bottom thirty-four must be a ‘hell’ filled with brigands and ravaging

bandicoots. In this regard, my sympathy goes to the people of Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan, for living in the most corrupt human enclaves in the world where life must indeed be a nightmare for the common man.

Foreign embassies keep us at an arm’s-length, refusing to distinguish between the high and mighty and the lowly in Nigeria because there seems to be no clear-cut difference in our attitude to dishonesty. It is not as if the nations which these embassies represent are inhabited by angels, but in our own situation, there seems to be no clear cut level below which we cannot descend in dishonest conduct. These bad habits stem from modern homes where the old African culture has been replaced with one that rarely frowns at dishonesty and desperation to get undeserved results. Gone are the days in Nigeria when homes had no doors and visitors may walk round the homes up to the bedroom before discovering that the occupants are not around. Yet, no single item in the house would be stolen.

Today, parents aid dishonesty. A child that finds money on the road and fails to pick it dare not narrate his experience at home without being visited with serious corporal punishment for being a ‘Mumu’. Parents abet examination misconduct at various levels while the stake of certificate racketeering is already raised above controllable level through parental indiffer-

isations are corrupt, then we must appreciate the conclusion of the Transparency International that “…..Corruption destroys lives and communities, and undermines countries and institutions” as our nation has failed in all ramifications.

* Ojikutu, a professor, is of University of Lagos, Faculty of Business Administration

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

PAGE 54—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013 chimeena@yahoo.com 08026350360

Grandma’s Cloth Series VI by El- Anatsui went at the hammer price of 11.4 million at Arthouse auctions in November, 2012

Events that shaped the visual art in 2012 ALAKAM

REVIEW

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he year 2012 was a busy year for the visual art sector, one of the sectors in the Tourism, Culture and National Orientation ministry as it witnessed a flurry of activities from both established and emerging artists, raising hope of a thriving sector if well harnessed.

After the initial shock that heralded the year as a result of president Goodluck Jonathan’s bitter new year gift of fuel price hike, an action that affected the sector negatively though it created another window for performance artists and photo artist to express themselves on how Nigerians reacted during the period but after that many practitioners in the sector forged ahead with a lot of activities.

And as usual, the Nigerian artists as a way of expressing their creative talents, came up with series of exhibitions held across the country and even beyond. The galleries include; The Omenka gallery, Nike art gallery, Lekki, Quintessence gallery, Falamo, TerraKulture, National Museum, Thought Pyramid gallery Abuja, Didi Museum etc. Some of the exhibitions include: Portrait of the Nigerian Nation, an exhibition of works by renowned painter, curator, art critic and teacher of art, Michael Omoighe, which opened in four different venues in Lagos on April 28, and ended on May 13. The exhibition was described as phenomenal because of the quantity and quality of works displayed and for the fact that it was the

first time a solo exhibition was held in four different venues Terra Kulture, Tiamiyu Savage VI, Quintessence, Famolo, Gothe Institute, Yusuf Grillo, Yaba College of Technology simultaneously .

Others are: African on the floor, an exhibition of special artistic rugs by Swedish based artist and founder of Modernafricanart, Lande Anjous-Zygumt at Quintessence Falomo, Square Pegs Round Holes, a solo exhibition

by Mr. Fidelis Odogwu, held at Omenka gallery, Memoirs of a Generation 2, a solo exhibition by acclaimed painter and journalist, Mr. Chuka Nnabuife, among others.

Apart from the regular exhibitions, there were other issues that shaped the sector, they include: the 4th annual Yusuf Grillo Pavilion where Prof. Uche Okeke, one of the great Zarianist and founder of the modern Uli exponent was celebrated. In the lecture delivered by art historian, Prof.

Ola Oloidi titled Uche Okeke: An Endearing Embodiment of Art Revolution in Nigeria, Oloidi recalled how Okeke imbibed the art philosophy of Akinola Lasekan and Aina Onabolu, but later came up with a sudden and “new ideologically instrumental direction.”

Another area that added stronger value to the Nigerian art was the art market or auctions, though it was not much, but one of the major art promoters who has been consistent in the business ArtHouse Contemporary Ltd held its biannual auctions in May and November and as expected it was a harvest of Naira for the artists. In the May edition, a painting by renowned artistcum-architect, Demas Nwoko titled Praise Singer (1961) was

sold at N7 million while El Anatsui’s oil on wood panels Grandma’s Cloth Series VI was the auction’s bestselling work at the hammer price of N11.4 million at the November edition. And abroad, some members the Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria (GFA) got a special section in the April 2012 auction of Africa Now, organised by Bonhams in London.

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BY JAPHET

and art critic, Jess Castellote and published by Bookcraft, with sponsorship from art patron Sammy Olagbaju, was presented to the public.

The year also recorded some level of success in festivals, there was the LagosPhoto( an international photography exhibition organised by African Artist Foundation. In Enugu, Life in City festival was also held and in Lagos, the 2012 edition of Lagos Black Heritage Festival (LBHF) was held, and as part of it a U.S-based Nigerian art scholar, Prof.

Awam Amkpa and his colleague at New York University, Madala Hilaire, brought Africa: See You, See Me, a photography tour exhibition for a stop-over at Nike Art Gallery, Lekki, Lagos. During the festival, the Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola opened Kongi’s Harvest Art Gallery, in honour of the 1986 Nobel Laureate Prof.

Wole Soyinka, at the Freedom Park, Broad Street, Lagos.

Another major event was Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya’s 80th birthday celebration which took about half of the year from August to December. As a result of his contributions to the art sector, exhibitions were held in Lagos, Ibadan and New York. To crown it, he was also the guest lecturer at the 2012 edition of the Ben Enwonwu Distinguished Lecture series.

Also as part of plans to reposition the art, the Society of Nigerian Artists’ (SNA)

Another issue that shaped the sector was the ugly news of the monumental loss of the works of some masters during the renovation of the arrival hall of Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos

Another important issue was the touring exhibition of Ife artefacts berthed in Lagos as Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria. His Royal Highness, Alayeluwa, Oba Okunade Sijuade, Olubuse II, Ooni of Ife, Ile-Ife, who was in attendance at the Lagos opening, argued that “the kingdom was created by God Almighty before 10000 BC and 8000 years before Abraham, the Jewish and Arab patriarch”. He stressed that scientific evidences “point to Ife as the mother home of mankind”.

Bent on need to provide a document that will act as a guide to art collectors in Nigeria, a new book on contemporary art titled Contemporary Nigerian Art in Lagos Private Collections and edited by a Lagos-based Spanish architect

As a result of the renovation at the airport, some art works, which have been identified with the edifice for over33 years were destroyed, a fact that once more revealed the neglect of art and its products by the government and its agencies.

Such works included Flight, 5-piece frieze (on each side of the arrival lounge) produced by the master Yusuf Grillo, 78, and a glass mosaic mural, Spirit of Man in Flight, by late art academician Prof. Agbo Folarin (erected at the entrance.) While Grillo’s 10 works have been reduced to one, Folarin’s mosaic was defaced by the new, though opaque panel, which concealed the colourful 1981 mosaic from public view.

Reluctantly, the National Gallery of Art (NGA) towards the end of the year, organised some events to register their presence in the year, the events include ‘Eleventh Distinguished Lecture and Fifth National Symposium on Nigerian Art’ held recently at the Mini Theatre, Cultural Centre, Calabar, Cross River State.

And again, against all odds, the body in collaboration with Art Galleries Association of Nigeria-organised International Lagos Art Expo, which closed the year. The event did not live up to its bidding as it was once more stunted by inadequate funding and leadership problems.

Entries for 15th Harmattan Workshop open

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elected new executives to run the body with Oliver Enwonwu as president during the their convention held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

The sector also witnessed the death of two prominent art and culture promoters, Angela Onyeador and Ambassador Segun Olusola . Their death thrown the entire sector into mourning as both contributed to the promotion of art and culture. Onyeador, was the founder of African Foundation for the Arts (AFA) while Olusola was the founder of African Refugees Foundation.

Another issue that shaped the sector was the ugly news of the monumental loss of the works of some masters during the renovation of the arrival hall of Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.

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he Bruce Onabrakpeya Foundation(BOF has called for entries to the 15th edition of its annual Harmattan workshop which holds in February to March 2013 at the Niger Delta cultural centre, Agbarha Otor, Delta State with the theme: Art and Communication.

The statement released by the foundation said that the workshop which is to have two sessions from February 17 to March 1 and March 3 to 15, will feature painting, printmaking, metal construction, wood sculpture, stone carving, mixed media, textiles and photography, among other genre of art.

Certificates will be issued to participants upon completion of the workshop.

Interested participants can get more details concerning fees and other arrangements at the BOF website or its office in Mushin, Lagos State.

Meanwhile, those who intend to present papers on the workshop theme are to apply to the workshop registrar.

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 6, 2013 -- PAGE 55

Keshi, NFF and semi final target

BY EDDIE AKALONU

T

HE 18th National in Lagos ended on December 9, 2012 with the Sports Minister stating that the next edition which will be hosted by Cross River State in 2014 will be open to all athletes even though it has not be approved by the National Council of Sports.

However, retired Brigadier-General Gregory Adebiyi, an ex national table tennis champion has argued against throwing opening the festival, saying that doing this is “an invitation to anarchy in sports.”

He pointed out that “Over the years we have seen that cheating has become the order, not development of human resource with the huge financial resources allocated to the sector.

States no longer devote time to athletes’ development and training of coaches. They said international athletes are ineligible or that those who have participated in two festivals are also ineligible. But we have come to realise that States simply change names and ages of athletes and field them, hence the festival is no more a platform for discovering new athletes.”

Even though he said there is progress only in the area of facility development, he added that “under the present dispensation, there was

I

have never seen a group of pessimistic people like the average Nigerian football fan. Days to the much talked about friendly match between the Super Eagles and the Catalonian selected, they had written off the Eagles and predicted disgusting scorelines against the side Stephen Keshi is preparing for the Africa Cup of Nations which begins in South Africa in about two weeks time.

Their reasons ranged from the scoreline against the same side some years ago to the profile of the Catalans who were mainly stars of the fearsome Barcelona FC that have at various times conquered Spain, Europe and the world.

The Nigerian side paraded mostly home-based players spiced with a handful of Europe-based professionals Keshi is trying to mould into a team for the Nations Cup and the 2014 World Cup. The game had hardly started at the Estadi Cornella, home turf of Espanyol than the Eagles conceded a penalty from Fegor Ogude who was only trying to save his head from the shot from a Catalan attacker. That early goal caused the pessimists to start counting on their finger tips the number of goals the Eagles would finally concede.

Mostly in the first half of that game, the home side strung passes reminiscent of the typical Barca side tutored by the soft-spoken and unassuming Pep Guardiola with our Eagles almost running aimlessly from one end of the pitch to the other.

The stage was like the battle field between the biblical David and the Goliath with the Goliath beckoning to David to come forward to be slaughtered. The crowd at the stadium yelled each time Carles Puyol, Gerrard Pique or Xavi Hernandez were with the ball.

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HELLOOO... Blessing Okagbare waving to her admirers before a major race. The Sports Minister wants the National Sports Festival to be open to athletes like her but Brigadier-General Adebiyi has criticised the move.

Gen Adebiyi slams calls for Open National Sports Festival unprecedented violations of the rules concerning residency in a state prior to the festival time,

buying of athletes by rich states rather than grooming theirs as well as age cheating.”

Dosu thumbs up Agbim F

ORMER Super Eagles goalkeeper, Joseph Dosu, is impressed with the performance of Nigeria’s matchday captain, Chigozie Agbim, in Wednesday ’s friendly against Catalonia.

Agbim earned his fifth cap in style as he led the Eagles to a 1-1 draw against a star-studded Catalonian side, which paraded several stars from La Liga sides, Barcelona and Espanyol amongst others.

“I’ll pick Agbim as the Man-Of-The-Match on Wednesday. He came out at the right time and calculated all his moves.

“It’s good for the country as Vincent Enyeama and Austin Ejide know they have to work harder with Agbim’s performance on matchday,” the Atlanta ’96 Olympic gold medalist told supersport.com.

Agbim earned his first cap under Keshi in a preAfcon friendly against Angola in 2012 and has continued his lessons in matches against Liberia, Egypt and Niger Republic.

Solomon Kwambe, Benjamin Francis, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Godfrey Oboabona, Sunday Mba and Ejike Uzoenyi also started the match on Wednesday.

Kalu drops out of Eagles

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IZESPOR forward, Uche Kalu has ruled himself out of the Nigerian squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, supersport.com can report.

Kalu has struggled to recuperate from a groin injury and has opted to leave Nigeria’s pre-Afcon camp in Faro, Portugal.

The former Enyimba forward could not train with the rest of the squad this week owing to the injury and had been placed under close supervision by the Nigerian team doctor.

He also missed out of Wednesday ’s friendly against Catalonia.

On Friday, Nigeria head coach, Stephen Keshi had requested from the medical team to know the health status of the player before next week’s deadline to submit his final squad of 23 players to Caf for the Afcon in South Africa.

However, the player’s lawyer, Chike Onyeacho, has shed more light on Kalu’s decision to rule out himself from the Super Eagles’ trip to South Africa.

he Eagles were however, gaining confidence as the game progressed and just eight minutes into the second half, the Eagles struck through USbased Bright Dike to the delight of the handful flag-waving Nigerian fans at the stadium and joy of the coaching crew.

The homers and their fans must have felt that there was still enough time to dislodge the Eagles and score more goals but their optimism faded as the game wore on until the final minute and the rookies, that the Eagles were, triumphed even though the scoreline was 1-1.

The same Nigerian fans who had predicted a massacre of the Eagles by the Catalan side began singing eureka, praising Keshi for his rebuilding process which they now claim was beginning to yield good result..

Some others however, dismissed the feat as nothing because, according to them, it was a mere friendly match and nothing was at stake. These set of fans were the ones who reminded all that their earlier meeting was a disastrous 5-0.

Then they didn’t remember it was also a friendly match then.

Apart from the fans, most of the NFF Board members never gave Keshi and the team any chance against these football greats from Spain, forget about the freedom seeking Catalans, because majority of the players play for the reigning European and world champions, Spain.

My worry here is the Nations Cup semi final target the NFF gave to Keshi to achieve or get fired before he even started the business of rebuilding the team.

This action is the attitude of one trying to win at all cost, not caring how the target is achieved.

If they remember that Nigeria’s football was at its lowest ebb when Keshi came on board and that it needed a revival, they should also know that the task was not one that could be achieved with one competition or under one year.

If Keshi is allowed enough time to rebuild the team from the scratch with home-based players spiced with some foreign ones, the dream of returning the Eagles to the Clemens Westerhof era could be achieved. A fire brigade approach or threatening target like was done under Shaibu Amodu, Austin Eguavoen and Samson Siasia will fall flat on our faces and make us return to that stage were the Eagles will struggle to qualify for the Nations Cup.

At last the truth is out or many months, our football officials, especially those on the side of erstwhile boss of the Nigeria Premier League, NPL, Rumson Baribote have been talking tongue in cheek as per the sponsorship deal won by Total Promotions on behalf of MTN. They rubbished the deal and caused the league to run without a sponsor till date and in the process, clubs laboured week in week out, playing matches in far flung places, most times at the risk of their lives without any prize to fght for.

Our elders say that it takes time for a stammerer to mention his father’s name but he will surely mention it. That is the case with the real organisation which won the sponsorship of the Nigerian league. After Total Promotions won the bid for MTN, those who hated Davidson Owumi brought in legal jargons to say that MTN got the sponsorship by proxy and didn’t deserve to get it.

Because they wanted Owumi out, they allowed the league and Nigerian players to suffer unduly.

Now because the same Baribote they were protecting has accused the Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdullahi of conspiring with club owners to remove him ‘illegally’, the minister has come out to say that Total Promotions actually won the bid to sponsor the league but out of Baribote’s selfishness, the deal was truncated. What a way to run sports in a country that wants to be among the 20 most developed countries in the year 2020.

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SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 6, 2013

Celtic wish Ambrose Efe goodluck •Pray for Eagles early exit

D

IFFERENT strokes, they say, for different folks.

That is the story of Super Eagles duo, Shola Ameobi of English Premiership side, Newcastle and Ambrose Efe of

Scottish Club, Celtics as it concerns the Africa Cup of Nations holding in South Africa later this month.

While Newcastle is holding on to Ameobi to help them

•READY … Efe Ambrose in action for the Super Eagles. His Celtic coach has bid him bye to the Africa Nations Cup but prays the Eagles crash out early so he can rejoin his club for league actions

FA Cup results Brighton Aston Villa Bolton Crawley Crystal Palace Fulham Man City QPR Southampton Tottenham Wigan Peterborough

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swim out of relegation waters especially with the exit of their hitman, Demba Ba to fellow Premiership side, Chelsea, Ambrose’s club are biding farewell and wishing him well with the Super Eagles in South Africa.

Ambrose joined his teammates at the Faro, Portugal camp of the Eagles on Friday, though his coach at Celtic, Gary Parker hated to see him go, he wished the player good luck.

The former Nigerian youth international who arrived the Scottish Club last summer has already established himself in the heart of the Celtic defence.

He will be missing crucial games while away to the Nations Cup, this is even as Celtic’s other centre back, Kelvin Wilson is facing a twomatch ban. “Good luck to Efe Ambrose. Hopefully, they get knocked out early so that he comes back.”

“He will be a miss because he is a decent player who is good at the back for us and is calm on the ball,” said Parker.

While Ambrose had said he will choose country over club as far as the Nations Cup was concerned, stressing that even if he would be sidelined when he returns from South Africa, he would fight back to get his shirt, Ameobi was ready to forfeit his place in the Nations Cup to help Newcastle survive in the Premiership.

The Eagles kick off their group games on January 21 with a game against Burkino Faso.If they go all the way to the final on February 10, Ambrose would not be available again to wear the Hoops until two days before they are due to face Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie.

Keshi in ‘trouble’ over final team selection A

S the CAF deadline for the submission of team’s final 23-man list approaches, Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi is “growing grey hairs” over picking his squad for the Africa Nations Cup, officials have said.

Eagles spokesman Ben Alaiya disclosed that the performance of the players in a training camp in Faro, Portugal, has made Keshi’s job of selecting the best players for the Nations Cup difficult. ”The competition here is very tough. Coach Keshi is growing grey hairs over who to drop because all the players are on top of their game as they all want to be at the Nations Cup,” Alaiya said on a Brila FM sports programme monitored in Lagos yesterday.

“In fact Keshi at the training on Thursday did not know when he voiced out that he is in trouble as he doesn’t know who to drop.”

Eagles goalkeeper trainer

Ike Shorunmu is also satisfied with the showing of the goalkeepers from the Nigeria Premier League, Daniel Akpeyi and Chigozie Agbim. ”Ike Shorunmu is happy with the form of Akpeyi and Agbim, who we all saw what he could do against Catalonia.

Ike said any of these goalkeepers could be in goal and he won’t panic if Enyeama and Ejide decided to stay away,” Alaiya said.

Meanwhile, Valenrenga of Norway midfielder Fegor Ogude has admitted that the fight for places in the Eagles midfield will be fierce.

With the emergence of Ogenyi Onazi, Rabiu Ibrahim, Nosa Igiebor, Gabriel Reuben, Henry Uche, Raheem Lawal, Obiora Nwankwo and Mikel Obi, Fegor told MTNFootball.com: “The battle for a shirt in the midfield would be tensed. We have great players who are skilful and can handle the ball very

well.

“But I am not afraid because this is my job, it’s what I do every day and as such I am battle ready for the challenge.”

Keshi has said he will make public his final squad on 1

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Tuesday, a day before the CAF deadline. The Eagles who are due to fly out to South Africa on January 16 will take on giant killers Cape Verde in another AFCON warm-up game on Wednesday in Faro.

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ACROSS 1.Nigerian state (4) 3. Niger-Delta tribe (8) 6. W. African country (5) 8. Wind instrument (4) 9. Vast (8) 11. Meadow (3) 12. Smallest part (4) 13. Unemployed (4) 14. Have ambition (6) 16. Attachment (5) 18. Spy (5) 20. Hangs around (7) 22. Irritate jokingly (5) 24. Nigerian state (5) 26. U.S. currency unit (4) 29. Insects (4) 30. Orb (4) 31. Sailor (3) 32. Hoped for (8) 33. Smooth (4) 34. Tox (5) 35. Sun-measuring equipments (8) 36. Consolidates (4)

•Keshi

DOWN 1. Nigerian state (7) 2. Middle Belt tribe (5) 3. Nigerian tribe (6) 4. Distending (7) 5. Examine (7) 7. Stockpile (5) 10. Seize with teeth (4) 14. Engine part (4) 15. Cereal (3) 17. No (Scottish) (3) 18. Enquires (4) 19. Pen tip (3) 21. Maiden name (3) 22. Businessmen (7) 23. Hang (7) 25. Isles (7) 26. U.S. currency unit (4) 27. Sportswear firm (6) 28. Go in (5) 30. Makes beer (5)

SEE SOLUTION ON PAGE

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