I won't tolerate waste, impunity by Vanguard Media Limited

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Buhari to Ministers-Designate:

I won’t tolerate waste, impunity By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Abuja

IVEN the lean and dwindling economic fortunes of the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has read the riot act to would-be Ministers, who will be inaugurated on Wednesday, saying his government would not tolerate ostentatious and flamboyant lifestyles from any one of them. He thus dashed the hope of some of his ministers-designate who may be wishing for a royal treat by way of lofty paraphernalia of office upon their swearing in as substantive ministers. This was the fallout of the three days presidential retreat for the 36 ministers-designate held at the Banquet Hall within the precinct of the presidential villa, Abuja. Saturday Vanguard gathered that the retreat, which started at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Wednesday and was later moved to the Villa on Thursday was essentially to educate the Ministers-designate on a wide range of issues that would bring them to terms with the current economic realities. Given President Buhari’s body language and what he made clear to them it was learned that the general consensus forged at the retreat by the ministers-designate was that in the light of the economic downturn and the position of the President they would drastically reduce their retinue of aides, protocol staff and number of convoys.

We ‘re prepared for the task ahead

– Onu, Ngige, Kachichukwu, Ocholi Senator Chris Ngige, a minister-designate told State House Correspondents that the Buhari-led government was that of ‘change’, which would not tolerate waste of resources and impunity. He said that all financial loopholes would be plugged to save money for the development of critical sectors of the economy, saying it is not going to be business as usual. According to him, the retreat has equipped them for the task ahead. He said: “I don’t think that I have not benefited in a way that will equip me to face the challenges of being a minister now. It is a lean economy in the sense that we are going to block areas of leakages; there are a lot of leakages. Yes, lean economy because we are going to block areas of

*Says no large, protocol staff, convoys and aides * To inaugurate Ministers Wednesday * We’re ready for the task ahead – Onu, Ngige, Kachikwu, Ocholi

•Pro-Biafra protesters in Onitsha yesterday. leakages, retinue of aides, protocol staff, large convoys of cars are things that will not fly in this administration. It is a ‘change’ administration.” Ngige said that he was not worried if all the ministers-designate were not assigned portfolios. “No, I am not. If you have portfolio, if you don’t have portfolio, it is one single executive council. It is one single cabinet. You bring whatever it is in your minis-

try where you have the portfolio and place on the table for everybody to see. So that shouldn’t worry us at all. “We have even a right to interlope, not interlope actually but you have a right to discuss things happening in another ministry because it is one single Federal Executive Council, one single cabinet, one single Federal Government of Nigeria. The purpose being that we want to move our people from

where they are now. “They are in abject poverty and this poverty concerns about 75 percent of the populace. So, we need to actually restructure the political and social firmament of the country and that is what we are going to do and that is what it means. Poverty will be reduced, more people will smile and that is the essence of what we are talking about,” he said. Another Minister-designate and former gov-

ernor of old Abia State, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said that President Buhari harped on running a cost effective government. He said: “The president has asked for a lean working government. You can see what has happened to the economy. We have had a drastic drop in the price of crude oil, more than 50 percent drop over the past one year or around that time. So, revenue coming into the country definitely has reduced considerably. So, government must really run in a way that we will be able to lead the aspirations of our people to make sure that Nigerians are happy.” Also speaking, the Group Managing Director, GMD of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu said that the retreat has equipped them for the challenges ahead. “It is a wonderful session. It equips us, gets us ready, charges us to action” Kachikwu, who is a minister-designate, told Saturday Vanguard. On his part, another

minister-designate, Mr. James Ocholi said the retreat has afforded the appointees the opportunity to know themselves. “Government has to ensure that before we even get inaugurated we know enough to hit the ground running and many of us, virtually all of us are highly enlightened. We are grateful that getting into government at this time with the change mantra, we will not be taken by surprise. Some of the things we have learned within the last two days even former governors who have completed eight years term never knew them when they were sworn in. So, they were learning on the job and trying to find their way of sorting out things. “There is a lot of demand on us as Mr. President told us at the opening session and he is preparing us to meet the challenges that we will face. I think it will be better for us ministers and the nation that most of us will hit the ground running from day one”, he said. Ministers to be sworn in next Weds Meanwhile, Saturday Vanguard gathered President Buhari would swear-in the Ministersdesignate on Wednesday. It is also expected that the first Federal Executive Council, FEC, meeting would hold on the same day to earnestly kick start the long awaited government business.

Pro-Biafra protests ground activities in Onitsha *One feared dead, March in PH, Asaba By Chimaobi Nwaiwu (Nnewi), Jimitota Onoyume (Port Harcourt) & Festus Ahon (Asaba) CTIVITIES were yesterday grounded in A Onitsha, the commercial

city of Anambra State and its environs by youth sympathetic to Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) who were protesting the continued detention of their leader, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. One of the protesters was feared dead. Vehicular movements were also disrupted along the Onitsha/Enugu Expressway, Onitsha/Owerri Road, Uga, Atani, Ogaru Local Government Roads, Onitsha/Aguleri, Nsugbe, Nkwelle/Ezunaka Roads, Old and New Market Roads, Nkpor, Ogidi, Obosi Roads, thereby causing traffic gridlock on all the roads within and outside Onitsha. Markets in Onitsha and its environs were all shot between 7am to about 2.30pm when some traders were seen loitering around their markets to see if they would be allowed to open, while some decided to go home for the day as they were also afraid that they

could be attacked. Though the Anambra State Government had announced, through the market leaders who also exchanged text messages to ensure that their markets were open, the traders seemed to be unwilling to go to their markets as most of them who normally leave in the morning for their markets were sighted on their streets discussing the protest which IPOB, declared earlier in the week. Markets shut down included Onitsha Main Market, Ochanja Central Market, Onitsha; New Tyre Market, Nkpor; New Auto Spare Parts Market, Nkpor; Building Materials Market, Ogidi; Ugwuagba Market, Obosi; Electronics Market, Onitsha; Bridge Head Market, Onitsha that has over 21 markets attached to it and other small markets in and outside Onitsha. Even shops along the streets of Onitsha, and its environs, including Awka Road, New Market Road, Old Market Road, Oguta Road, Limca Road, Iweka Road and Modebe Road, Sokoto Road and Haruna Street lock-up shops were also seen under lock and

keys. The IPOB supporters numbering over 30,000 were earlier seen gathered at Chief Odumegwu Ojukwu Statue by Niger Bridge Head, also known as Odumegwu Ojukwu Gateway, Niger Bridge Head Onitsha, chanting and dancing pro-Ojukwu and Biafran songs, from where they marched peacefully down to Upper Iweka Flyover. They were seen marching from Upper Iweka Flyover to Onitsha/Owerri Road, to Nkpor Junction, Ochanja Central Market, Onitsha Main Market, Old and New Market Roads, Onitsha chanting anti-Federal Government, Police, Army and Navy songs, demanding the release of Mr. Kanu, whom they said is being incarcerated for over three weeks now, and the continued arrest and detention of their members as well as the actualization of the Biafran cause. There was unusual presence of the police on the major roads and streets of Onitsha, but their presence did not deter the protesting IPOB supporters, who were also cautious of the behaviour of their members to road users and petty traders who wanted to cash in on the closure of markets

and big stores and shops to do brisk business. IPOB supporters who wanted to be unruly on road users were promptly shouted on and cautioned by their leaders to behave well, that molestation and dispossessing people of their property and goods, looting of people’s shops and property were not part of their agenda. Meanwhile, in Port Harcourt, hundreds of pro-Biafra supporters made real their threat to protest in Rivers State yesterday as they marched on Okobe Community, Ahoada West Local Government Area of the East West Road. An eyewitness who spoke to Saturday Vanguard said they were chanting solidarity songs as they marched on the road. According to Mr Johnbull Tamunoemi, the protesters were tactical to avoid any clash with security operatives. “I saw some of them jump into the bush when they sighted a patrol vehicle belonging to the Nigerian army. The protesters were over two hundred. They were singing pro-Biafra songs as they marched on the street”, he said. Eye witness accounts said the activities of the protesters did not disrupt free flow

of traffic. At press time, Saturday Vanguard gathered that police vehicles were seen leaving Port Harcourt to the area apparently to stop the protest. There was heavy security presence on all parts of Port Harcourt yesterday to ensure the protest did not hold. Probably to beat the heavy security presence, the pro-Biafra supporters had to relocate their protest to the East West Road part of Ahoada West Local Government area which is less than two hours drive from the state capital. And in Asaba, at least one thousand youths, yesterday stormed the ever busy Onitsha/Asaba/Benin Expressway to protest against the continued detention of the Director of Radio Biafra, Mr. Nnamdi Kanu. The protesters who came out at 2:30pm, caused stampede and gridlock as road users made u-turn facing the direction they were coming from. While those living on the expressway down to the Onitsha Head Bridge in the Asaba metropolis fled their homes and shops for fear of being attacked by the protesters who chanted war songs as they demand for the unconditional release of Mr. Kanu.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Dasuki’s medical trip, a blow on Judiciary LASU: Ambode appoints Acting VC Wants judge investigated — TMG •Calls on FG to file stay of execution

By Monsuru Olowoopejo

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BY CALEB AYANSINA

HE Chairman, Tr a n s i t i o n Monitoring Group (TMG), Com. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, has frowned at the recent verdict of the Federal High Court in Abuja which granted request by the exNational Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, to travel abroad on health ground, describing it as a big blow on the judiciary. Dasuki is facing trial on allegations of money laundering involving about N84.6m and illegal possession of arms. The group further viewed the decision of the court as a of providing soft-landing for Dasuki and shield him from facing trial. Zikirullahi, who stated this at a press conference on the state of the nation, in Abuja, noted that the verdict reflected the two sides of a coin of justice system in Nigeria; “one for the masses and the other for the rich”. “TMG frowns at the entrenched culture of dispensation of justice in which, the justice system heavily acts on the side of the rich and powerful, no matter their crimes, while being in a hurry to punish the poor. “In recent judgment of a section of the judiciary, TMG notes with revulsion the clear

existence of one kind of justice for the rich, and another kind of poor. “We have seen this playing out with the case of the former National security adviser (NSA), Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd), who is standing trial over allegations of money laundering and illegal possession of arms. In spite of these

grave charges against him, the Judiciary went ahead to grant him bail on self-recognition. That would clearly not have been the case, if the person involved was an ordinary citizen. “TMG has an axe to grind with a recent judicial ruling in which the authorities were ordered to return the

travelling documents of the ex-NSA, Sambo Dasuki to enable him travel abroad for medical attention. “It is ironic and reprehensible that those whose activities denied the nation of the opportunity of building and maintaining a world class health system are getting judicial reprieve to go get treatment outside the shores of our country.’’

Rebranding: PDP inaugurates 53-member Committee • Says gains of democracy under threat •As Party holds conference on sustenance of democratic ideals in Nigeria Thursday BY HENRY UMORU

S part of moves to rebrand itself ahead of 2019 Presidential Election, national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday constituted a 53-member committee to organise a stakeholders conference. TheOrganising Committee which has Chief Raymond Dokpesi as Chairman, is saddled with among others, the responsibility of organising a conference where party leaders, stakeholders, elders and members would brainstorm on to refocus the PDP into a more vibrant platform. The Conference is slated to hold on Thursday next week in Abuja, just as the party explained that conference was earlier put on hold to enable it receive the report of post-election review panel headedbytheDeputySenate President, Senator Ike

Ekwerenmadu. Speaking yesterday during the inauguration of the committee at the national Secretariat of PDP, the Acting National Chairman, Chief Uche Secondus stressed that the move became imperative because of events of the last six months of the All Progressives Congress, APC led government indicate a

palpable fear that the gains of democracy achieved by the PDP were seriously under threat. Secondus said: “This national conference is meant to fashion out strategy that would help PDP sustain democratic ideals while in opposition, hence the choice of the conference theme, “PDP and the sustenance of democraticidealsinNigeria”.

Vinot Integrated Services gets ISO certificate globally recognised

INOT Integrated Services Limited has been awarded the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 certification by Interconformity Assessment & Certification Company, an international certification body. As a process-based quality management system, ISO 9001 is expected to enable Vinot to streamline its process in order to meet

standards and improve all facets of its operations. Speaking during the award presentation, the Business Development Manager of Vinot, Ebi Kakayere said the achievement was one the company would be proud of as it would demonstrate the company’s commitment to providing the highest quality products and services to its clients.

OVERNOR Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has appointed Professor Fidelis Njokanma as the Acting Vice Chancellor of the Lagos State University, LASU, pending the appointment of Substantive VC. Njokanma, a Pediatrician, was until his appointment the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration) of the institution. The appointment came less than a week after the expiration of the former Vice Chancellor, Prof John Obafunwa’s tenure on October 31st, 2015. Obafunwa was appointed the 7th VC of institution by the immediate past governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola on November 1, 2011. The governor’s approval was contained in a letter referenced SAE/HED/S.145/Vol II/201 addressed to the institution’s registrar, Mr. Lewis Oladapo, demanding that the acting assume office immediately.

Chile 2015: Saraki hails Golden Eaglets’ spirit, charges Nigerian side to bring cup home By Henry Umoru & Joseph Erunke

ENATE President, Bukola Saraki, yesterday, lauded the indomitable spirit displayed so far by the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria at the on-going FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile, after they defeated their Mexican counterparts 4-2 , to qualify for the finals of the tournament. Saraki in a statement by his Media Office in Abuja, specifically charged the Eaglets to improve on their present tempo, beat the Malian team and bring the coveted trophy home. An elated Saraki who praised the scintillating performance put up by the Nigerian team, said despite facing another skillful side, the Mexicans, in the semi-finals, the Golden Eaglets remained dogged and focussed on the objective. According to him: “Nigerians are proud of the performances of the Golden Eaglets so far in this competition. We must tell you that the entire Nigerian Senate is solidly behind you. We remain confident in your ability to lift the trophy and we will not relent in our support and prayers for you to emerge victorious at the finals.” He further told the Golden Eaglets that: “All we need from you as a team at this time is for you to maintain absolute focus, considering the crucial nature of the next match which is the final encounter in the competition. Your predecessors have made us proud by bringing the Cup home since the maiden edition in 1985.” The Senate President also charged the technical crew to overhaul their tactical approach where necessary, while urging the players to maintain their present high level of discipline, can-do-spirit and resoluteness in their final quest to lift the fifth FIFA U-17 World Cup title during the all-African final against Mali on Sunday.

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Skills acquisition: Lagos govt trains 150 youths

We won’t renege on our promise to pay unemployed Nigerians — APC T

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has assured Nigerians that it will not renege on its campaign promise to pay 5,000 Naira each monthly to 25 million most vulnerable Nigerians, while calling on the citizens to ignore the mischievous attempt by the PDP to confuse and mislead them on this issue. In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said even though the PDP-led Federal Government plundered the common wealth in its time, it (APC) has devised creative means not only to pay the money but also to fulfill its other campaign promises to Nigerians. It said the nonimplementation of the payment policy so far is due to the fact that it was not included in the 2015 budget, which was prepared by the PDP-led Jonathan Administration, and also because of the need to first block all financial leakages. ‘’Now, the Buhari administration has been busy putting into place measures that will make it possible to start the implementation of this project. Such measures include the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) ‘’We are happy to inform Nigerians that as at the end of September 2015, over 1.4 trillion Naira - which hitherto was lying unproductively in various commercial banks - has been recovered and paid into the TSA,’’ APC said. The party said that in its usual jumpy and superficial approach to issues, the irresponsible opposition has already rushed to judgement on the issue without bothering to hear from the APC, which made the promise in the first instance. ‘’Had the PDP not sacrificed the truth on the altar of political expediency, it would have realized that the APC never at any time indicated it has reneged on its promise to pay 5,000

Naira monthly to 25 million most vulnerable Nigerians. In our press statement of Aug. 30th 2015, we still reiterated our plan to redeem our campaign promises, including the social security payment policy, despite the primitive looting of the treasury under the watch of the PDP. ‘’It is therefore astonishing that the same PDP, which is becoming more and more infamous for

its penchant for peddling half truths and sensationalizing every issue, will rush to the press to celebrate the figment of its imagination that the APC will not fulfill its campaign promise regarding the payment,’’ it said. The APC said the Buhari administration is also embarking on a massive infrastructure renewal programme in the areas of roads, rail and power, for

which a 2.5-billion-dollar Infrastructure Fund is being put in place. ‘’Contrary to the disinformation being peddled by the PDP, the Buhari administration is poised to lift millions of Nigerians out of extreme poverty by providing social protection and safety nets with another N2.5trillion Special Intervention Fund,’’ the party said.

N line with its unemployment reduction policy, the Lagos State Ministry of Youth and Social Development has trained no fewer than 150 youths under its skills acquisition programme. The participants were trained on bead making, barbing, hairdressing and cosmetology at the Akinwunmi Youth Centre, Alagomeji, Yaba, Lagos. The event was witnessed by the Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Princess Uzamat Akinbile –Yusuf, who urgedbeneficiaries to utilize the opportunityof knowledge acquired at the programme to better their lives. Princess Akinbile-Yusuf said the programme was initiated to alleviate poverty and empower youths with entrepreneurial skills. She added that the training programme would be replicated in various parts of the state before too long. “No nation grows without meaningful contribution of youths to economy development. This programme was conceived in line with the objectives of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode’s vision for youth development and reduction of unemployment especially among youths.’’

Naval chief exposes island where arms smuggling flourishes BY KINGSLEY OMONOBI, Abuja

President Muhammadu Buhari (right) discussing with former Vice-President , Atiku Abubakar (left) after Jumat prayer in Aso Villa yesterday.

Saraki’s Trial: NBA to investigate in the media and would walk out action need the correct details to

HE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) says it will investigate the action of the senior counsel who represented the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, at the Code of Conduct Tribunal on Thursday. NBA General Secretary,

Mr Afam Osigwe, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja that the association would undertake the investigation to ascertain facts of what transpired at the tribunal before taking a position. “We got different accounts

Biafra: IGP warns against planned violent protest Solomon Arase has

OLLOWING intelligence reports available to security agencies showing that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have concluded modalities to embark on a violent protest in parts of the country to drive home their agitation, Inspector General of Police,

advised organizers of the planned violent match to desist from such. The IGP warned that failure of the group to heed his advice will be met with all lawful action by the police to ensure peace and security in any part of the country insisting that the law ban on unlawful possession of illegal fire-arms was still in place. Making the disclosure through the Force Public Relations Officer, Acting ACP Olabisi Kolawole, Arase said, “Information available to the Nigeria Police indicates plans by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to embark on ill-advised protest using dangerous weapon-across some South Eastern States.

allow the NBA to react from an informed position. From the accounts we got through the media some said the lawyers walked out while others said they withdrew. So, due to the inconsistent choice of words, we cannot speak on the matter until we get the full and accurate details,” he said. The lawyers, Messrs Mahmud Magaji (SAN) and Ahmed Raji (SAN), had withdrawn their services as lawyers representing Saraki at his trial on allegation of false asset declaration before the tribunal. They had also staged a walk out with the junior lawyers who appeared with them before the tribunal concluded the case. The lawyers openly announced their withdrawal following their perceived dissatisfaction with the ruling of the tribunal on their application for stay of proceedings. They said that they were displeased with the decision of the tribunal refusing the application to stay proceeding in the trial pending the determination of an appeal they filed before the Supreme Court.

HE Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas has raised an alarm that one of the sources of small and dangerous arms smuggling into the country, which exacerbates criminality and even insurgency, was an island located close to Badagry in Lagos state, which the Nigerian Customs Service has the right to police and contain. The CNS made the disclosure just as the Comptroller General of Customs revealed that now that the nation was facing economic and financial difficulty, it should realize that any time a public holiday was declared in Nigeria (and they are so many), the Customs loses N1,5billion revenue. Admiral Ibas made the stunning revelation to Colonel Hameed Ali (rtd) who obviously from his reaction seemed unaware and surprised of such a development. Admiral Ibas who was speaking when the Customs CG paid a working visit to the Naval headquarters, said, “I want to call your attention to an Island somewhere off the coast of Badagry which is just by the Nigeria and Republic of Benin border at the Tongue Island.

Police arrest 55 cult, robbery suspects in Benue BY PETER DURU, Makurdi

HE Benue state Police Commissioner, Mr. Paul Yakadi , yesterday paraded 55 cult and armed robbery suspects recently arrested in various parts of the state by the command. Paraded with the suspects were 34 assorted firearms, 97 different live ammunitions and two cars that were recovered from the the suspects. Among those paraded by Mr. Yakadi were a four-man notorious robbery gang who specialised in laying siege on the popular Otukpo-Ogbadibo road, at Ugbokolo, where unsuspecting motorists were robbed almost every night. He said his men also nabbed one Babiri Laruri at Anyii in Logo local government area with one G-3 rifle with number 69097266 and with ten rounds of live ammunition. According to Yakadi, “the Police received information few days ago that one John Orjime, who specialized in stealing motorcycles under the guise that he was a police officer was ripping off innocent victims using the premises of the Command headquarters

Obasa urges NUJ to checkmate social media users BY EBUN SESSOU

PEAKER, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, has called on the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, to come up with measures that will checkmate activities of those who exploit the social media to perpetuate evil. He disclosed this during the opening of a four day workshop organised for members of the Lagos State House of Assembly Correspondents Association, with the theme, “Dynamics Of Digital Tools For Journalism Practice” in Lagos. According to him, “adequate legislation that will regulate social media should be set in motion,’’ adding that the advent of social media has caused more danger to society as people use the social media platform to exploit and blackmail others.

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Obiano commissions Model Hospital in Ajalli

HE governor of Anambra State, Chief Willie Obiano has demonstrated his commitment to turn the state into a centre for medical excellence in Nigeria with the commissioning of the newly transformed and fully equipped Orumba General Hospital in Ajalli. The hospital project is one of the four model hospitals singled out by Rise Health Corporation USA for extensive modernization and upgrade in partnership with the government of Anambra State. The other three selected hospitals are Rise Clinic AdaziEnu, Rise Clinic Onitsha and Rise Clinic, Ossomala in Ogbaru, Local Council. Commissioning the hospital, Governor Obiano restated that Health is an important enabler in his administration’s agenda and that he is committed to making the health sector in the state a reference point in Nigeria. According to him, his administration’s approach to health is broken down into Infrastructure, comfort of patients, and Welfare of healthcare givers. Governor Obiano recounted that prior to his assumption of office, the state’s School of Nursing was not accredited, but after robust efforts and fulfilling the requirements, it was accredited with the state now producing midwives and nurses.

THANKSGIVING REMEMBRANCE: From right; Mrs. Ibili Veronica, Mrs. Ekene Andrew Uwandi and a family member during a remembrance thanksgiving service held to mark 10 years remembrance of Late Andrew Uwandi who died in the ill-fated Bellview Air crash on October 22, 2005 held at the St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Ubulu-Uku recently . Photo: Henry Unini

NCC warns telecom subscribers against loaning out phones By Vincent Ujumadu, Awka

IBTC vs FRC: Court awards cost against T bank’s minority shareholders By Abdulwahab Abdulah & Onozure Dania

USTICE Ibrahim Buba of a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos yesterday awarded the sum of N50,000 against minority shareholders of Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc as punitive cost. The cost granted by the court against the minority shareholders who sought to be joined in the ongoing suit filed by the bank against the Financial Regulating Council of Nigeria (FRCN) was as a result of the adjournment requested by their counsel, Elder Paul Ananaba (SAN). Stanbic is in court to challenge the FRCN over its alleged investigations concerning liabilities said to have accrued in the plaintiff ’s 2014 ac-

counts in respect of franchise fees owed to Standard Bank of South Africa, the registration of which it said has been pending before, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, NOTAP since 2011. At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, a shareholder, Alhaji Muktar Muktar, on behalf of himself and the Tr usted Shareholders Association of Stanbic Holdings Plc, are seeking to join as a party to a suit filed by Stanbic IBTC Holdings against the FRCN and NOTAP. The application which was supposed to be heard yesterday, could not go on as the counsel to the shareholders, Elder Paul Ananaba (SAN), sought for an adjournment stating that he was not ready to move the application as he needed more time to respond

to the reply by the bank before moving his application. He added that Stanbic IBTC’s counsel, Prof Fidelis Oditah (SAN, QC), only served him with his reply to the application on Thursday. In his response, Oditah said Ananaba should have informed him that he was not ready to argue his application, he therefore asked for punitive cost of N100,000. In his short ruling, Justice Ibrahim Buba said he would adjourn to enable Ananaba “put in every arsenal he has,” but awarded a cost N50,000 in favour of Oditah. The shareholders in the motion on notice, are seeking for an order of court to join as a defendant in the suit. The representative, said the prayer is on behalf of the minority shareholders of Stanbic IBTC Holdings. Muktar said he and the others are necessary parties to the suit and have interests to protect. Last Wednesday, the court had restrained the FRCN from obstructing the operations of Stanbic IBTC Holdings. Justice Buba had

granted an order of interlocutory injunction restraining it or its officers “from interfering with, or otherwise impeding, obstructing, molesting or hindering” the plaintiffs’s operations. Stanbic IBTC had said that FRC, had been investigating its audited accounts for the year ended December 2014, since August 3. The investigations concern liabilities accrued in the plaintiff ’s 2014 accounts in respect of franchise fees owed to Standard Bank of South Africa, the registration of which it said has been pending before NOTAP since 2011. The plaintiff said FRC labelled the franchise agreement as illegal, and invited IBTC Holdings’ Chief Executive Officers to appear before it. Following a meeting on October 16, the council informed the plaintiff that it committed criminal offences and that it would be reported to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Securites and Exchange Commission (SEC).

HE Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has warned mobile telephone users against loaning out their phones to avoid falling into the hands of persons of questionable character. The Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Professor Umar Garba gave the warning at a town hall meeting organized by the commission for telecommunications providers and subscribers at the headquarters of Nnewi-North local government area of Anambra State. Garba, who spoke through the Deputy Director incharge of Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, Dr. Femi Atoyebi, said the essence of the current SIM-card registration with bio-data of the subscribers was to ensure that any crime committed using any particular phone was easily detected. According to him, the purpose of the town hall meeting was to create a veritable platform for interaction between the commission, telecom providers and subscribers, especially the rural dwellers to ensure that the interest of all stakeholders in the sector was properly protected.

Rights group writes CJN, PCA over continued detention of Radio By Nwabueze Okonkwo Biafra boss

HE International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, Intersociety, a human rights group have petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Hon Justice Mahmud Mohammed and the President of Court of Appeal, PCA Hon Justice Zainab Adamu Bulkachuwa over what they termed as illegal detention of citizen Nnamdi Kanu of the Indigenous People Of Biafra, IPOB, by the Department of Security Services, DSS, from October 22 when he was granted bail by an Abuja Municipal Magistrate Court in Wuse, Zone 2, till date, without any reason to justify the action. Intersociety said it was ironical and amounted to a mockery of Nigerian judicial system that the extra-judicial detention of Kanu had continued in defiance of three more orders (production order, transfer order and release order) made by the same Abuja Municipal Magistrate Court between October 23 and 28, 2015 and duly served on the DSS, yet they flouted the orders with reckless abandon.

Bailout funds: PDP warns CBN against partisanship By Henry Umoru

OVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP under the aegis, PDP Governors Forum yesterday warned the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN against becoming a tool in the hands of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. in the release of bailout funds to states

that deserve them. The PDP governors also warned the CBN against being partisan in ensuring that deserving and qualified states get the funds irrespective of political party affiliations. The governors also accused the CBN of allowing itself to be dictated to by the ruling APC states that should get the bailout fund despite Kogi having fulfilled all

the requirements. Osaro urged the CBN to insulate itself from politics and the control of the ruling party if it does not want to create political and financial crises in the country. He said, “how come almost all APC states that applied for bailout have gotten theirs but states like Kogi that have fulfilled all the requirements have been denied theirs with no explana-

tion from the CBN? “The CBN Governor, Mr. Emefiele, has to insulate the apex bank from the shenanigans of politicians to avoid serious political and economic dislocation in the country. “It is important and urgent that the CBN releases the N50 billion bailout due Kogi to ease the suffering of the common people in the state.”

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 9

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10 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Lalong to re-validate inland container depot project

STOLEN OIL FUNDS: EFCC swoops on 8 firms G

By Soni Daniel, Northern Region Editor

N a move to recover Nigeria’s stolen oil wealth from some crafty oil firms, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has begun moves to pin down eight firms said to have taken active part in illicit oil money transfers. Documents obtained by Saturday Vanguard indicate that the eight firms, which are based in Nigeria and abroad were actively used to siphon Nigeria’s oil wealth under the Dr Goodluck Jonathan administration. An analysis of the document with Reference No: SR/3000/EFCC/DOP/ SVOLA/11 and dated April 16, 2015, shows that two major companies based in Lagos and six obscure firms were actively used by their promoters to perpetrate illegal transfer of oil revenue out of Nigeria into their private bank accounts. Sources said the drive to recover the huge amount said to be running into hundreds of billions of Naira from the affected oil firms, stems from President Muhammadu Buhari’s vow to recover the stolen wealth no matter who is involved and punish those who committed economic crimes against Nigeria. Consequently, the EFCC has officially written to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to furnish it with details of the eight companies and their financial records with the ministry and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. In one of the letters written by the EFCC Director of Operations, Mr. Olaolu Adegbite, to the Minister of Petroleum, the commission sought to know how and why major oil deals in the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, were awarded to two of the firms, who used six other smaller firms to siphon oil revenue out of the country. The document said: “The EFCC is investigating a case of fraud and money laundering involving the above-named companies said to be strategic partners to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC Limited, a fully-owned subsidiary of the NNPC. “The promoters of the two companies were also reported to have used six other smaller firms operating in the Nigerian petroleum sector to launder substantial illicit funds out of Nigeria. “We, accordingly, seek your kind cooperation to provide available information on the companies, including details of all the transactions they have with NNPC and related financial records.” Saturday Vanguard C M Y K

•The much talked about Ikem hanging bridge across Ebenyi River, Enugu State collapsed yesterday under the weight of a Dangote truck carrying about 900 bags of cement. learned that the investigation into the scam was not progressing steadily and it might take some time for the agency to make headway into the matter because of the changes that had taken place in the NNPC, giving room to the disappearance or outright tampering with vital financial transaction records by interested parties in the bogus oil deals that cost Nigeria a fortune. It was also gathered that the oil barons who benefited immensely from the illicit deals were very active in the Nigerian finan-

cial and economic spheres, forcing officials with in-depth knowledge of what transpired to shy away from cooperating with law enforcement agents investigating the matter. But a source in the EFCC told Saturday Vanguard that the Ministry of Petroleum had summoned courage to send in some scanty details of the deals involving the oil barons. Saturday Vanguard could not lay hands on the response by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources as of press time, last night.

President Buhari has vowed at local and international fora to take whatever actions necessary to track Nigeria’s stolen oil wealth and bring the culprits to book no matter their status in the society. The decision of the Presidency has not gone down well with its opponents, who accuse the administration of being selective in the fight against corruption. The Presidency has however responded by asking those who are not corrupt not to panic but to cooperate with the administration in retrieving the stolen wealth.

Saraki loses fundamental rights suit By Abdulwahab Abdulah & Onozure Dania

HE Senate President, Bukola Saraki, lost another legal battle yesterday as a Federal High Court in Lagos struck out a suit filed by him to seek the enforcement of his fundamental human rights. The presiding Judge, Justice Ibrahim Buba, in a short ruling, declined jurisdiction to entertain the suit. Saraki had in the suit asked for the protection of the court to guarantee his fundamental rights against “political victimization”. Joined as respondents are: the Attorney General of the Federation, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC. Other respondents are: Inspector General of Police, Code of Conduct Bureau, Code of Conduct Tribunal and Justice Danladi Umar. Also joined are: Mr Ataedze Adza, Mr Sam Saba, Mr Mohammed Diri and Mr M.S Hassan. Before now, Oluyede had brought an ex-parte application before the court, but Justice Buba ordered that the respondents be put on notice. The Judge also raised the

issue of jurisdiction and ordered counsel to address him on whether it had jurisdiction to hear the suit or not. When the matter came up yesterday, Counsel to Saraki, Ajibola Oluyede, informed the court that all parties to the suit had been respectively served with the court processes. In his submission, Oluyede argued that his client’s right to fair hearing was being threatened by the respondents, which he said arose out of a political situation in which they want him to vacate his office as Senate President. Responding, Mr Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) who appeared for the respondents, urged the court to dismiss the applicant’s suit for lack of merit. According to him, the applicant’s suit was an attempt to obtain a “black market order” adding that it amounted to judicial rascality. He argued: “the applicant’s suit is simply asking my lord to stop the order of the Code of Conduct Tribunal which is ongoing in Abuja. “The applicant’s Originating processes filed in September, does not concern any action taken in Lagos. It is clear that the charge against the

applicant is before the code of conduct tribunal sitting in Abuja,” he said According to Jacobs, the applicant had prayed the Federal High Court in Abuja to stop the tribunal, but the prayer was refused, adding that an appeal was also filed at the Court of Appeal seeking similar reliefs, and was also refused. He, therefore, submitted that the applicant’s suit before the Lagos Federal High court, was an attempt to subvert the cause of justice.He urged the court to refuse same. In his ruling Justice Buba held that the issue of Jurisdiction was paramount and held that: “if there is no evidence that the infringement or likely infringement cut across more than one state, then the court will not have the vires or jurisdiction to entertain same. “The filing of further affidavit after the court raised the issue of jurisdiction suo moto, is not only an after thought, but amounts to fishing.‘’ “Accordingly, this court has no hesitation in coming to the inevitable conclusion that from the material placed before this court, the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain this suit. Same is hereby struck out.” Buba held.

By Henry Umoru

OVERNOR Simon Lalong of Plateau State said yesterday that if Nigeria must be one of the top nations of the world, it must look inward and make economy the main focus. Speaking yesterday in Abuja when he paid a visit to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, the governor said that his government would as a matter of urgency address the issue of re-validating and executing the Inland Container Depot (ICD) project at Heipang to enhance economic growth in the state. According to Lalong, Plateau State government would resuscitate the state ICD implementation committee to help the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the state government in the successful implementation and execution of the project. Lalong noted that when put in place it will boost the agricultural and tourist potentials of the state. According to him, he inherited huge debts when he took over from former Governor Jonah Jang because of what he termed, the bad shape of the economy, adding that the ICD project if re-validated and completed would create more job opportunities and grow the economy. The governor who disclosed that the state was safe for investors contrary to insinuations that it is insecure, said that his government was ready to drive the economy and welcome investors, as the state is 80 percent peaceful. Lalong said, “I want to assure you that immediately I get back home, I will take adequate steps to revalidate and execute the project. I also appeal to other governors to do same because we are talking about developing the economy.”

Gratuity: Kwankwaso denied me pension — Shekarau By Abdulsalam Muhammad

ORMER Governor of Kano State, and immediate past minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau has said that his successor at the Kano Government House, Engineer Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso denied him his pension and gratuity as enshrined in state pension law of 2007. Shekarau who ruled the most populous state in two straight terms between 2003 through 2011 signed into law pension and gratuity to former Governors that guaranteed certain leverages to past chief executives. Malam Shekarau who clocked 60 last Thursday in a responce to a question shook his head and declared “Kwankwaso never paid me a dime as enshrined in the pension act of 2007”. Ironically, Malam Shekarau had 2007 approved and paid Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and his Deputy, the incumbent Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje their full entitlements as enshrined in Kano pension act. Malam Shekarau who holds the Sardaunan Kano tittle admitted political antagonism between the two Kano biggest political gladiators further revealed how Kwankwaso tried vainly to implicate his regime on assumption of duties in 2011. According to Sardaunan Kano “he spent the best of his time in office to look for incriminating evidence to nail and rubbish my administration all to no avail.“ Malam Shekarau stressed: “I have zero tolerance for corruption, and we ran an open and transparent government which perhaps explained the frustration of Kwankwaso in investigating our records”.

Buhari, Atiku, others pray together at Villa By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ORMER Vice President, Atiku Abubakar yesterday joined President Muhammadu Buhari to observe his Juma’at prayer at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. This is the first time the former Vice President would be praying at the villa since the assumption of office of president Buhari on May 29. Atiku quickly exited the premises at the end of the prayers, didn’t speak to journalists.

DELSUTH appoints new CMAC/DCMAC By Simon Adewale

HE Delta State Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa has approved the appointment of Dr. Abedi Harrison Okoro as the new Chairman Medical Advisory Committee of the Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH), Oghara and Dr. Nekwu Okolugbo, who before now was a senior consultant in the Department of Surgery and an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist, as the new Deputy Chairman Medical Advisory Committee of the fast growing health institution. In a statement signed by the Director of Administration of the hospital, Mr Dafe Alexander, the appointments took effect from 14th October, 2015.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—11

The Igbo Our Position on Biafra •We can no longer continue to pretend that all is well when some groups capitalize on our sad experience of the past to try to railroad us into fighting another avoidable civil war •The number of protesters should be a warning signal to the Federal Government not to dismiss the Biafra issue with a wave of the hand, •The youths started agitations for Biafra because of the feeling by Ndigbo that they would never get justice in Nigeria and that their leaders had been compromised •All these agitations are because of the refusal of the owners of Nigeria to restructure the country into true federalism.”

By Agaju Madugba, Oghene Omonisa, Emeka Mamah, Francis Igata (Enugu), Nwabueze Okonkwo (Onitsha), Anayo Okoli (Umuahia), Peter Okutu (Abakaliki), Jimitota Onoyume (Port Hacourt), Vincent Ujumadu (Awka) & Ugochuchukwu Alaribe (Aba) C M Y K

ntil recently when his agitation for the revival of the defunct Republic of Biafra somehow attracted a certain level of global attention, Nnamdi Kanu, was just another Nigerian, among several thousands of others, living in the United Kingdom.

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, describes him as a political activist and promoter of a separatist organization, the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). Reports indicate that Kanu’s Radio Biafra which initially began transmission from London in 2014 launched him into limelight as it apparently enjoys popular listenership

especially in the South-East and South-South where the campaign for Biafra is expected to have effect. Apparently basking in the euphoria of the clamour, Kanu may have exploited the radio initiative to drum further support for the separation of the area from the rest of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“At this point in the country’s history, we believe that it is appropriate to bring home Radio Biafra. The last time the radio broadcast in the east was about 43 years ago, during the war. We have been broadcasting from London, on short wave frequency. By coming home

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The Igbo: Our position on Biafra Continues from page 11 now, we want more people to tune to the station. Now, we are on the FM frequency and covering a segment of Eastern Nigeria,” Kanu says. While on a visit to Nigeria, men from the Department of State Services arrested Kanu in Lagos and he was charged to court. Kanu is still being detained by the security agencies, a development which has tended to engender varied reactions culminating in further discussions on the vexed issue of Republic of Biafra. Before now, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), founded about 16 years ago by Chief Ralf Uwazuruike, had dominated the scene in the campaign for the revival of Biafra, more than three decades after the name plunged the entire country into a civil war that lasted almost three years. The promotion of IPOB may not be unconnected with alleged disagreements within the leadership of MASSOB apparently leading to its fractionalization. Accusing the Uwazurike-led MASSOB of undue allegiance to certain political elements who do not have the interest and aspirations of the group at heart, Kanu admitted in a recent interview that Radio Biafra was actually floated in collaboration with MASSOB. However, according to Kanu, “actualization” as in MASSOB is a misnomer since Biafra once existed, a notion which the late Chinua Achebe alluded to in his book, “There was a Country.” So, for Kanu and his supporters in the struggle, what is left is “realization” and manifestation of the Biafra concept.

Biafra, there was a war Advancing various reasons including what he described then as the marginalization, oppression and genocide against the Igbo within the Nigerian Federation, the Military Governor of the defunct Eastern Region, the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, proclaimed an independent Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967, a development which led the then Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, to launch a war on the area, beginning from July 6, 1967, as a move to reclaim the secessionist territory. And, Biafra went to war with reported 30,000 soldiers against Nigeria’s 120,000 troupes. After several months of military bombardment of C M Y K

•A cross section of protesters in UK the secessionist territory with attendant loss of lives, the Biafran Army gave up the struggle on January 13, 1970. Unconfirmed casualty figures indicate that between 10,000 and 25,000 Biafran soldiers were killed in the course of prosecution of the war while the Nigerian side recorded a death toll of between 10,000 and 25,000 soldiers. These figures were very conservative as the war was said to have claimed more lives. Two days later on January 15, Gowon officially announced an end to the hostilities with his famous proclamation of “no victor, no vanquished” even as he noted further that, “the tragic chapter of violence has just ended. We are at the dawn of national reconciliation. Once again we have an opportunity to build a new nation. My dear compatriots, we must pay homage to the fallen, to the heroes who have made the supreme sacrifice that we may be able to build a nation, great in justice, fair trade, and industry.” But while the war lasted, reports said that more than two million people from the South-East died from the prevalent famine and disease alone as the International Committee of the Red Cross in September 1968 estimated that there were between 8,000–10,000 deaths from starvation daily. Reacting recently to the activities of the current promoters of Biafra, Gowon re-affirmed his earlier pronouncement that Biafra died in 1970 and in a gesture that was equally believed to have sealed the fate of Biafra, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on May 29, 2000, commuted to retirement, the

We can no longer continue to pretend that all is well when some groups capitalize on our sad experience of the past to try to railroad us into fighting another avoidable civil war

dismissal of all military persons who fought on the side of the breakaway state of Biafra during the civil war.

Igbo divided over fresh Biafra agitation But, in spite of the colossal loss of human lives and

• Nnamdi Kanu property due to that war, the Biafra question appears to stick out again like a sore thumb, 45 years after a near annihilation of the people of the South-East, dominated by the Igbo ethnic group. Although a number of people from the area appear opposed to the idea of Biafra, against a backdrop that it may engender another round of civil war, a number of others condemn the treatment meted out to canvassers of the notion of a separation of the South-East from Nigeria. Security agencies and members of the MASSOB have over these years been engaged in various confrontations as they are often arrested even though they insist that they have a policy of non-violence attached to their struggle. And, the recent arrest of Kanu equally led to protests in PortHarcourt, in the South-South.

In Umuahia, the Abia State capital, a cross section of MASSOB members trouped to the streets condemning Kalu’s arrest as they described themselves as “die hard” listeners of Radio Biafra even as the police deployed tear gas to disperse the protesters. According to Comrade Uchenna Madu, factional spokesman of MASSOB in the area who described the arrest and detention of Kanu as cowardly, “we see the arrest as part of the price to pay for our non-violence struggle. No agitation is complete without arrest, detention and prosecution. they shape the minds of activists, drawing sympathy from internal and external observers. It also shows that Nnamdi Kanu and Radio Biafra have become a factor to

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Continues from page 12 be reckoned with in Nigeria. The arrest and detention of Nnamdi Kanu by DSS will assist immensely in reviving the consciousness and sympathy for Biafra actualization in a higher dimension. This singular arrest will cause more diplomatic harm to Nigeria.” But another pro-Igbo group, the Igbo Information Network says neither MASSOB nor IPOB has the mandate to speak for the Igbo, arguing that the agitations may not be unconnected with hidden selfish interests. As the group’s leader, Chuks Ibegbu, puts it, “we can no longer continue to pretend that all is well when some groups capitalize on our sad experience of the past to try to railroad us into fighting another avoidable civil war. Uwazuruike is today enjoying his stupendous wealth in his palace in Owerri and he occasionally makes noise about his Utopian Biafra on the pages of newspapers. The promoter of Radio Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, was a MASSOB member. He fell out with Uwazuruike some years ago and he ran away from Nigeria and formed the Indigenous People of Biafra whose communication arm is Radio Biafra. It is because the power of communication and information is great that Nnamdi Kanu has been able to win the hearts of some Igbo to the envy of Uwazuruike. “The truth about all these pro-Biafra groups is that they have never made any efforts to feel the real pulse of their people. Before we went to a war in the past, the opinion of Igbo and Eastern Leaders of Thought were gauged by Gen. Ojukwu. The Nigerian state is responsible for the structural imbalance in the country which makes Ndigbo to have only five states and 95 local governments whereas Kano state alone has 44 local governments. The Nigerian state excised some economically viable parts of Igbo land

•Late General Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu

The Igbo: Our position on Biafra and gave them to the neighboring states of Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Bayesla, Edo, Benue and Kogi states. The Nigerian state has refused to conduct a credible census to ascertain the true population of all parts of the country. These are areas the proBiafran groups should concentrate on and not by abusing everybody as Radio Biafra does. The truth is that Ndigbo need peace. They have suffered enough in the hands of the Nigerian state and their own leaders. There should be only one condition for any secession in the future and that is, if Ndigbo or the South-East for any reason is visited with any threat of

•Biafra protesters in Delhi, India C M Y K

annihilation or pogrom as was done in the past.” However, for a number of the Igbo, the reality of Biafra cannot be wished away as it remains an idea that will come to fruition someday, according to some residents of Port-Harcourt where the pro-Biafra protest also took place under the aegis of the IPOB. A resident of Port Harcourt, Mr. Ameofiori Charles, said he had never seen such crowd of protesters on the street of the city, as according to him, “no politician has ever mobilized such a large number of protesters on the street, at any given time.” But unlike similar protests

in other parts of the SouthEast and South-South, the police provided cover for the protesters as they marched peacefully along major streets in the Garden City. “The number of protesters should be a warning signal to the Federal Government not to dismiss the Biafra issue with a wave of the hand,”

The number of protesters should be a warning signal to the Federal Government not to dismiss the Biafra issue with a wave of the hand

Ameofiori said. For some Igbo, the reality of Biafra can never be wished away. It is an idea that will certainly come to be. This conviction may have spurred several of them who participated in the Rivers state protest. However, while the core Igbo are cold about secession or the Kanu’s Biafra, those who actually fought against Biafra during the civil war were the ones who turned out on the streets of Port-Harcourt in what they call agitation for Biafra. Rivers State indigenes who have Igbo links are said to be in majority in Rivers. Reports also indicate that the proBiafra and IPOB rally in PortHarcourt had a certain level of political undertone as a number of those seeking political offices in the forthcoming elections in Rivers state have been accused of posturing for Biafra and may have influenced the protest. A number of other protesters who spoke with Saturday Vanguard described the Igbo as a force in the area, noting that they drive the economy of the state. “Politicians struggle to win our support ahead of any general elections,” said Tochi who sells Toyota parts at Ikoku, adding that, “they (politicians) are always in constant touch with our union leaders here and they make all kinds of promises to us. We are not a voice to be toyed with.”

Biafra: A cart before the horse Even though he recommends the promoters of Biafra be tried for treason, an Igbo leader, the Ogirishi of Igbo land, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, told reporters at his country home in Oba, Anambra State, that the campaigners should first of all work towards placing what he calls the economy of the South-East in the right direction, nurture it and then begin to canvass for a possible sovereign state of Biafra. According to Ezeonwuka, rather than the struggle to get a Republic of Biafra, Ndigbo should first of of all repatriate their investments scattered all over Nigeria and beyond back home and nurture them to growth before looking for Biafra. As he put it, “mind you, we are not opposed to Biafra at all because by birth, we are all Biafrans but what we are saying is that Igbo people who invested outside Igbo land should first of all bring back their investments home to transform Igbo land into Japan, Korea or Dubai before doing so in a comfortable terrain since to me, we are foolishly and stupidly developing other areas and denying ourselves the

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The Igbo: Our position on Biafra Continues from page 13

opportunities to industrialize our own land. For now, we should concern ourselves with how to develop Igbo land and not how to become a Biafra Republic because that name Biafra is treasonable and you cannot have a sovereign state in an existing one. How can we destroy what we have as Nigerians in search of Biafra Republic?” Another Igbo man, Dr. Ugoji Egbujo, holds the same opinion even as he describes the IPOB approach as mediocre, warning though that the Biafra agitation appears to spread like fire, fueled by what he calls “mischief, political disgruntlement, perceived marginalization, joblessness and hopelessness.” Also for him, unlike the situation before the outbreak of the civil war in 1967, the Igbo do not currently face any serious threat of immediate selective violence supported by acts of commission or omission of the national government and that there is no lopsided distribution of social evils in Nigeria such that the southeast and Igbo are especially imperiled. However, according to Egbujo, the people who live in the territory said to constitute Biafra ought to first begin by creating a certain level of political autonomy and test their popularity within the South-East region. As he puts it, “if those who seek Biafra can win democratic control of South-East states and demonstrate through innovative people-oriented governance, the distinction that Biafra represents, then their Biafra agitation will acquire purposive legitimacy and this must precede a formal referendum because consent secured by mere propaganda is not informed consent. The Igbo are too deeply entrenched in the Nigerian matrix that they cannot forcefully separate from Nigeria. This new agitation cannot be in the interest of Igbo who own over 50 per cent of commerce in

•Protesters C M Y K

Lagos and 70 per cent of real estate in Abuja.”

The roundtable option Although the current agitation for a separatist Republic of Biafra appears to command widespread opposition from a cross section of the Igbo, a number of others describe the campaign as legitimate when pursued within the limits of the Nigerian Constitution. According to the President of a pan-Igbo group, Enugu Unity Forum, Chief Tahil Ochil, any efforts at trying to secede from Nigeria without employing constitutional means, should be treated as treason. As he puts it, “the Biafra struggle should not be confrontational. They should follow the dictates of the law. They should look at how Sudan broke up. As an Igbo man, I will be part of the struggle if it is done constitutionally but if it is done by force, I cannot be part of it. The Nigerian government should look at why agitations are rife from the North, to the South-West and South-South and South-East. They should go back to the National Conference report which addressed these issues that trigger ethnic unrest. Apart from Biafra, the Yoruba, through the Oodua People’s Congress, are calling for their own state. There is the BokoHaram issue in the North and there are calls for secession from there. The Federal Government should implement the conference report which addressed the injustices plaguing the nation.” But, for a former Secretary General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nduka Eya, the younger generation of the Igbo may not understand the extent of devastation and destruction of lives of the people as a result of the earlier agitation for the same Biafra. According to him, “the young people who were born after and during the civil war do not know the history of Nigeria. The civil war between Nigeria and Biafra ended in 1970 and we

are now part of the sovereign state of Nigeria. But there is nothing wrong if a group agitates for a state but you cannot do so by confrontation in a sovereign state of Nigeria. It is treason. Biafra ended with the civil war in 1970.”

Factors fueling Biafra agitation However, beyond discussions on the legitimacy of the Biafra agitation, a prominent Igbo leader from Ebonyi State, Chief Abia Onyike, blames the resurgence of Biafra agitation on socioeconomic factors, manifesting in what he describes as the marginalization of the of the people of the South-East, by successive administrations in the country. For him, “I think that the resurgence of the Biafra self-determination struggle may have to do with the several unresolved issues regarding the national question in Nigeria. The issues include, lack of equity and fairness in the polity, concentration of power at the centre in a diverse country which ought to have been run on the basis of genuine federalism and dwindling economic fortunes with a corresponding high level of unemployment among the youths. Government should re-visit the resolutions of the 2014 National Conference and take remedial measures to douse the tension in the land, before it gets out of hand.

The youths started agitations for Biafra because of the feeling by Ndigbo that they would never get justice in Nigeria and that their leaders had been compromised.

•Ralph Uwazurike Nigeria should undergo radical reforms in its governance structure if it is to survive the current sociopolitical crises occasioned by political agitations. So, the Nigerian union should be run in such a way that the rights of the federating ethnic nationalities must be respected. Nigeria is a diverse country and the Igbo and others are too large and too sophisticated that you cannot just trample on their sense of equity, otherwise you may be pushing them to invoke their rights to self-determination. The right to self-determination is enshrined in the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights and the United Nation’s Charter on Human and People’s Rights. So, the pro-Biafra are merely agitating for their rights as a people. Aggrieved parties should adopt legal means to seek redress and avoid the resort to violence and the Federal Government should design and adopt political and diplomatic strategies in dealing with the Biafra and other agitations from various parts of the country.” Another factional MASSOB leader from Ebonyi State, Chidi Egwu, sees the renewed Biafra agitation as veritable opportunity to liberate the Igbo from what he considers as various forms of slavery. “MASSOB, IPOB and other genuine pro-Biafra groups

have vowed that our children will never suffer the subjugation to slavery meted to their parents by Nigeria state,” Egwu said, noting further that, “the clampdown, incessant arrests, detention and persecution of armless and non-violent Biafra agitators are all signs of jittery and fear exhibited by Nigeria security agents. The future and survival of Ndigbo in Nigeria is very slim because of the Nigeria government’s harsh economic and political policies targeted against the Igbo. Nigeria is a state where some people are first class citizens while others are second class; a state where some are said to be born to rule while others are perpetual outcasts; a state where state policies deliberately deny the Igbo region critical developmental infrastructure.” With the renewed vigour among agitators of the Biafra Republic, an Awka-based legal practitioner, Chief George Enekwechi, has identified an alleged marginalization of the Igbo as the reason for the seeming rise in the agitation for realization of the Biafra project. Speaking with Saturday Vanguard, Enekwechi, who was former local government Chairman for Awka said the Federal Government does not appear to help matters as it ought to strive to correct the alleged imbalances that had

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swords as Ndigbo can find greater accommodation within a united Nigeria. The businesses of Ndigbo are located across all geopolitical zones of the country and we cannot afford to mortgage these investments valued at over N47 trillion, on the basis of sentiments.”

Kanu’s Biafra territory

•Others protesters in Onitsha

The Igbo: Our position on Biafra Continues from page 15 reduced “the one leg of the country’s tripod to a minority because of their involvement in the 1967 -1970 civil war. These people agitating for Biafra are not armed and I believe that what the Federal Government should do is to try and convince them that it is prepared to correct the imbalances they are suffering in Nigeria. But if security operatives continue to harass and arrest the agitators, they might resort to acquiring arms to pursue the struggle which will not be good for anybody in view of the lessons Boko Haram has taught us.” Also speaking on the issue, Mr. Amos Okeke, who said he fought on the side of Biafra during the war, dismissed the Biafra issue arguing that the agitators did not experience the war. “Nobody who experienced that war would want to do anything to remind people of secession. The best thing the Federal Government should do is to ignore them because they do not have the capacity to threaten the peaceful co-existence of Nigeria, Okeke said.”

Why agitation may persist Another cross section of Igbo leaders believe that there may not be an end to the agitation for the Biafra struggle unless there is what they refer to as true federalism in Nigeria. According to some of them who spoke to SaturdayVanguard, those in support of MASSOB are youths who were either born during or after the civil war noting that their campaigns do not have the backing of

either the Ohanaeze Nigbo or its affiliate unions. President of Igbo Youth Movement, IYM, Evangelist Elliot Ukoh, who spoke on the issue said that his interactions with youths in the last 20 years show that Nigeria has been unfair to the Igbo, adding that the youths started agitations for Biafra because of the feeling by Ndigbo that they would never get justice in Nigeria and that their leaders had been compromised. According to him, “the feeling among our youths is that Nigeria has been unfair to the Igbo. Ndigbo believe that they would never get justice in Nigeria. The youths also believe that their leaders have been compromised. This is what I have learnt after over 20 years of my interactions with them through lectures and seminars. They believe that the way things are going, they have no future where everything is skewed against them. They believe for example that the JAMB cut-off marks are skewed against them because they get higher marks and get dropped for northerners who score lower grades in the name of national character. The general feeling is that the highest political position an Igbo can get is the Vice President and that is when those who claim to be the owners of Nigeria allow an Igbo man or woman to be Vice President. “All these agitations are because of the refusal of the owners of Nigeria that the country should be restructured for true federalism.” For the National President of

All these agitations are because of the refusal of the owners of Nigeria that the country should be restructured for true federalism

the youth wing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, President Muhammadu Buhari has to dialogue with the people of the South-East to reassure the zone that he is committed to a nation in which all component units will be accommodated. In an interview with Saturday Vanguard in Aba, Isiguzoro who also linked the renewed Biafra agitation to the perceived marginalization of the Igbo said that, “I urge President Buhari to dialogue with Ndigbo and allay the fears of the zone and reassure them that he means well for everybody. And, Ndigbo should seek ways to partner Buhari and his administration towards addressing the problems of the zone. We need to fight for our rights. The agitation springing up

daily across Igbo land is the result of years of accumulated neglect of the zone. The state of federal roads and other infrastructure remains the worst in the federation. For over 12 years now, EnuguPort-Harcourt expressway, Enugu-Onitsha expressway, Aba- Ikot Ekpene highway, Aba-Owerri highway, Umuahia-Arochukwu highway, Okigwe-ArondizioguUga highway, Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene highway, have become death traps with deep gullies requiring urgent attention. Yet, nothing has been done to alleviate the sufferings of the people. When you look at the situation, there appears to be a grand conspiracy by some people not to develop critical infrastructure in Igbo land. Dialogue has proven to be a veritable tool for dousing tensions. Ndigbo must employ this strategy. The proponents of MASSOB and IPOB must desist from activities which cast the Igbo nation in bad light. Any group, which truly seeks the good of Ndigbo should table their demands to the Federal Government where their grievances can be heard and the MASSOB and IPOB must sheathe their

According to Kanu, apart from the people from the South-East geo-political zone “the ideology of Biafra is the freedom, the emancipation of all the Biafran people, which means all the people bound genetically, culturally and by the same value system. In other words, I am talking about those who understand the history of the Biafra people. I am talking about the Idoma people, the Igbo people, the Efik, Ibibio, Anang, Ijaw, Itsekiri, the Urhobo and the Anioma people. All these are Biafra families. If you go to a village or town, for instance, Oturpko, they have four market days – Eke, Orie, Afor and Nkwo. And when people say that these people are not Igbo people or that they are not related to Igbo people, it becomes a thing of wonder. How is it possible that people that have Eke, Orie, Afor and Nkwo as their market days are not related to Igbo people? When you go to Akwa Ibom or Cross River State, what they call God is Obasi. That is what we call God, where we come from. The highest fraternity in Igbo land, where I come from in Abia State is Okonko. Okonko was derived from Ibibio and the Efik cultures. The same thing with Ekpe. When we want to dance Ekpe in my place, we go to Ibibio land to buy the kits for the Ekpe which is a masquerade dance. So, we are all related. We are the same people genetically, in terms of our complexion, in terms of our attitude. I want you to go to any market in Warri, for instance. Stand back and take a picture of that market, then, go to any Igbo town or village, take a picture of the market and tell me if you can tell the difference. There is no difference.”

•Protesters in Israel C M Y K

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

a r f ia B g in t c u r t s n o c De BY JULIUS OWEH

t is highly unfortunate that some misguided Igbo youths are gullible enough to fall for the crap that is the Biafra dream. For some years, the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) is in running battle with the federal government of Nigeria and challenging the sovereignty of the nation. As if goaded by the activities of MASSOB, a certain Nnamdi Kanu and his group, the Independent People of Biafra are running a pirate radio state, Radio Biafra. I have listened to the broadcast of the station and it is a gallery of sedition and seditious materials. The laws of the country are very clear on how to deal with sedition and seditious elements. But beyond that, the attraction of Biafra to some people of Igbo extraction should make the government to put on its strategic thinking cap and how to deconstruct the myth surrounding the Biafra misadventure. What MASSOB and Radio Biafra are doing is nothing short of challenging the authority of the federal republic of Nigeria and no responsible government in any part of the globe would tolerate that. The Nigerian civil war ended forty-five years ago and that some people are still incubating the satanic idea of balkanizing the country is very unfortunate and another clear indication that the Nigerian federation is not just working. There are too many dissemblers proffering solutions on how to develop and build a virile nation. Furthermore, most members of the political class

are more enamoured of what they could get from the Nigerian project without thinking of the survival and sustenance of the nation. This is a trying period for the Buhari administration. My advice is that the Department of State Services should not make a hero of Nnamdi Kanu. The man should be tried for sedition and the law should take its course. Furthermore, the operation of a pirate radio station is an illegal activity and the relevant sanctions should be applied. Let those misguided youths protesting about Radio Biafra and Kanu know that ours is a country governed by law and that anybody that runs afoul of the law should be prepared to face the music. But the annoying thing about this Biafra issue is the con-

By Clifford Ndujihe

ounder of the Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) and Deputy Secretary of the Igbo Leaders of Thought (ILT), Evangelist Elliot Uko, in this interview, speaks on why re-living Biafra Republic is attractive to Igbo youths and the need to urgently restructure the country into true fiscal federalism among others. What is your take on the state of the nation? We have always been in support of President Muhammadu Buhari. We are of the view that he has come to correct the ills of past governments. We support his government’s determined efforts to crush the Boko Haram madness, and we ask him to keep up the momentum and tempo. We are in total support of his war against corruption. Those who stole this country blind must be made to pay, and they must return the looted funds. We have made our position clear and we are sure that President Buhari knows that if his war on corruption is not holistic, it will lose it’s essence, and he knows that if it is selective, it will become a useless effort. So we ask him to remain committed to ridding Nigeria of corruption. We also appreciate the fact that his presence as the leader of Nigeria sends a strong message to people in government that the leader will not condone corruption. We plead that he continues to maintain that stance, and maybe Nigeria would recover from the damage which corruption has C M Y K

spiracy of silence on the part of the Ohaneze Ndigbo and the political leaders. These people should not give the faintest impression that they support what their children are doing. By keeping silence, they are encouraging the youths on the path of destruction and should that happens, all of us shall be the casualties. The Igbos are very intelligent and hardworking and could be found in every part of the world. But the unfortunate thing about Igbos is that in the realm of political calculations, they hardly put their acts together and they should not blame that on anybody. It is still on record that one Igbo politician said without reservation that it was better to play a second fiddle than not playing anyone. If some

Igbos perceive their not too visible presence in the political arena as marginalization, the onus is on them to work and correct that mishap. Taking the re-enactment of another Biafra episode would not help matters. The so called Independent People of Biafra are trying to include other people in their fanciful Biafra and it is a clear case of desperation. And recently the Itsekiri people told the protagonists of Biafra to keep away from Delta State. The Itsekiri Leaders of Thought led by Pa Johnson Ayomike as chairman and Edward Ekpoko as secretary frowned at the inclusion of Delta state in the proposed Biafra. Listen to them: `We recall with pains the day the defunct Biafran army invaded Warri and Benin in the then Mid-west region on August 9 1967. Never again will the Itsekiri tolerate such invasion. The Itsekiri nation is committed to the unity of Nigeria and will do all it can to promote and protect it as one indivisible country. As Major General Philip Effiong said on January 14, 1970, the Republic of Biafra ceased to exist. We, the Itsekiri, wish it to be eternally so for the peace and development of our great nation`. And this was also the theme worked on earlier by the Arewa Consultative Forum and it asked Igbo leaders to warn their youths for agitating for secessions. The ACF chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie counselled thus: `The agitators of this unholy division are in their safe abode outside Nigeria and the most painful aspect of this agitation by the young Ndigbo elements is the silence from the

Nigeria Nigeria mus mustt ttakee agit agitation for Biafraa seriously seriously – Elliot Uko done to our psyche. Corruption really is one of the major problems killing Nigeria. These are part of the stand of the IYM on the state of the nation but we disagree with President Buhari on the agenda of his team that once you fight corruption and Boko Haram, Nigeria will become an El Dorado. The fundamental problem holding Nigeria, which most governments have been dodging is how to restructure Nigeria along the lines of true federalism and see it grow into a viable and great nation. If we don’t revert to true federalism we are in trouble. Now, the impact of the unresolved question on the nation is self-evident. Nothing is working. 10 to 15 years ago, two or three states could not pay salaries, 33 states could. Today, 22 to 26 states can’t pay salaries, and about 10 or 12 states can. In the next 10 to 15 years, it means that none of the states will be able to pay salaries. As time goes on,

more people will be born, the economy is stagnant, the price of oil is falling, and the population is growing. The unemployment market is swelling, graduates are being churned out, no jobs for them. The structure does not allow the economy to grow in order to create jobs. Some states are so indebted that governors who will come in the next 20 years will still be paying loans that were collected years ago. If we restructure into a true federalism, half of our problems will disappear. Corruption, Boko Haram and other problems flow from the inequity and inequality in the system. Boko Haram and corruption are fall-outs of

elders who experienced the bitter pill of the secession attempt, the 30 month civil war and who knew the consequences of such futile agitation. As you will recall the issue of Biafra was settled in 1970 after the war. It is therefore sad and unfortunate that 45 years after, when Nigerians are now united in a democratic system of governance, that some elements are now busy drumming up support for another war and secession through Radio Biafra and MASSOB activities.` Not minding the sentiments of these two ethnic nationalities, the solution lies more with Igbo leaders. Those who experienced the war should drum it into the ears of the youths the consequences of war. Furthermore, if the Igbo have some grievances, they should channel them through their representatives in the National Assembly. Nigeria is operating a constitutional government and if they are so pained in staying in the nation, they should ventilate their views and if possible, a referendum organised. As it stands today, the vast majority of Igbos are against Nnamdi Kanu and his group that want to continue to bask in the limelight. The Federal Government should deny them that opportunity. As for those operating the pirate radio state and issuing seditious statements, they should be sanctioned according to the laws of the land. In deconstructing the Biafra attraction, legal and constitutional means should be used and that the operation of the Nigerian federation should be in transparent and just manner that everybody believes that he is an important stakeholder. That is the way to put Nnamdi Kanu et al out of circulation and relevance.

•Julius Oweh, a journalist, Asaba, Delta State. 08037768392

the unresolved Nigerian question. The reason it is still unresolved is because there is a cabal holding Nigeria hostage. These people, we call them the privileged spoilt folks of Nigeria, in their 20s there was a civil war, so they were captains and majors in the war-front. In their 30s, General Yakubu Gowon made them ministers. At 40, they became heads of state. At 70, they see Nigeria as their property. This cabal are the people opposing restructuring, not because they have anything to lose, but out of pride. They want Nigeria to remain the way they created it. They refuse to face reality that change is inevitable. They created states, and they want Nigeria to remain the way they created it, even when it’s not working. The cabal, deviously and mischievously, find ways to deceive Nigerians, to distract them from the real issue. The earlier we do that, the better. We have no option than to restructure Nigeria. In fact, the issue has gone beyond whether we want or like to. The issue now is, when and how? Do we do it violently or peacefully? But Nigeria must be restructured in order to move forward.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—17

NKW A: •Celebration of Igbo’s strongest man beckons

BY AGU OZOENE

omorrow, the Nsude community of Enugu will observe Igba Nkwa, the traditional festival in celebration of the town’s legendary exploits in warfare centuries ago. The ceremony performed in remembrance of Uto Nsude, one of the greatest war generals in Igbo history, is observed once every two years, drawing people from brother communities that make up the Oshie clan and beyond. This celebration and remembrance of Uto’s glorious past has become a tradition that has survived modernity and defied Christianity and has become one of the greatest celebrations of valour in lgboland. But for government’s lack of interest in developing its potentials in tourism, it would have rivaled the popular Zulu war festival in South Africa. Tomorrow, young men and women will file out with dane guns and machetes, dressed in battle gears — the symbolic essence of Nkwa. For a male son of Nsude, celebrating Nkwa without a gun is like not taking part at all; and as one grows older, one graduates from wooden to dane guns. The older still, the longer the barrel of the gun. And those who cannot afford to acquire one are hilariously advised to sell their mothers in order to buy one, or otherwise hide under their beds to avoid the shame of facing their peers, emptyhanded on that day that valour is celebrated. Uto’s Death And The origin Of Nkwa Uto C M Y K

•Igwe (Prof) Ken Onyia, the Agunecheibe II of Nsude. Nsude, in his lifetime was reputed to be the greatest warrior in the entire Oshie clan of the present Enugu State in particular and Igboland in general. His exploits in battles and his near superhuman powers were legendary. He was reputed to have obtained a human head at the age of five, and on his death shortly after in his prime, he had obtained the greatest number of human heads from inter-communal battles. At a period when there were no wars to engage Uto’s attention, he resorted to being a mercenary

warrior, travelling far and near to help prosecute one war or the other. In one of those expeditions in the present day Benin City, Uto was said to have fallen into a trench dug by a strange medicine man. He had contracted a strange disease which manifested fully on his return to Nsude, and it was later found out to be ‘omelumma’ (chicken pox) which could not be cured by the local medicine men. To suffer from such a disease was a curse and to be afflicted with it was abominable at that period. Despite Uto’s standing as

the district’s major inspiration, he was still subject to the tradition and custom which demanded that those suffering from such cursed diseases are excommunicated in an isolated place. He was consequently carried to the wilderness (iwhe egu) in the outskirts of Nsude, the highest point of the Udi hills and around the ‘Agu Ajali’ where the community has common boundaries with Owa. There, at Akpata Uto he died of chicken pox and as custom demanded, he was not given a ceremonious burial befitting his stature.

Consequently upon his death, many mysterious things happened in Nsude and other nearby towns in Oshie clan that were founded by his siblings, and for the first time, they suffered defeats in intercommunal battles. Native doctors had revealed that Uto was angry at the ignominious way he was buried. His son, Ugwu also expressed anger that his father who accomplished so much for Nsude and his Oshie kinsmen, was not accorded a ceremonious burial and was in fact being forgotten so soon. Thereupon, the Oshie clan consulted with each other and agreed to accord Uto a befitting funeral ceremony and to repeat it every other year in his honour and in remembrance of his exploits and valour. Nkwa therefore originated following the death of Uto the warrior and it is celebrated to sustain the memory of his famous conquests. Like all celebrations in Igboland, Nkwa has also assumed a social dimension. On its day, thousands of people troop to Nsude, the cradle of Oshie clan, from all parts of the country to witness the one-day carnival. Getting ready involves kitting oneself in those traditional costumes and fearful war attires, testing the dane guns and disguising oneself with painting. Hours later, the jingling noise of the hundreds of iron bells (called ikpo) worn around the waists, dane guns in the right hands and the gun powder bottle on the left, the celebrants will file out in thousands, chanting war songs and gyrating to the Eke-Uto Square where the famous Ikpa music will be reminding everyone who comes to dance, to ensure he brings along a human head. In centuries gone by, it was abominable to dance to the Ikpa except you are an accomplished warrior who had obtained a human head from one of the several inter-communal battles. Surprisingly, (in fact, it remains one of the mysteries), despite the dangerous weapons employed during the celebrations, rarely are serious accidents recorded. Another notable thing about Nkwa is that it has also defied the tendencies of foreign religions, especially Christianity. Even though pockets of critics have tried to label it a pagan tradition, it has continued to attract people from all religious persuasions. Little wonder that of all days in the calendar, Nkwa is celebrated only on (Afor) Sundays, preponderantly in the month of November of every leap year.

18—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

IBADAN:

A MELTING PO I

HON (BARR) FEMI KEHINDE

badan from its early history, had always been circumstantial and cosmopolitan. It is undisputable, that Lagelu, the Yoruba Warlord and Generalissimo was its founder around 1829. It became a British Protectorate in 1893, after a treaty, signed by Baale Fijabi, the then Baale of Ibadan, with the British Acting Governor of Lagos, George C. Denton on 15th August 1892.Ever since, Ibadan has grown to become then, the third most populated city in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, it was hitherto, the most cosmopolitan city in Africa. The British developed the Ibadan colony to facilitate it’s commercial activities and it shortly grew into a major trading centre and political centre point of the Yoruba nation. Consequent upon these, the first railroad in Nigeria started from Iddo in 1898 and got to Ibadan in 1901, when the Dugbe Train Station was formally opened. The early economic growth of Ibadan was

It is interesting to note, perhaps as a deliberate strategy of its growth, that out of the entire 3505 kms of narrow rail track in Nigeria, Ibadan alone has 42 kms of rail track roads from Omi Adio to Lalupon

thus intrinsically linked to the railway. It is interesting to note, perhaps as a deliberate strategy of its growth, that out of the entire 3505 kms of narrow rail track in Nigeria, Ibadan alone has 42 kms of rail track roads from Omi Adio to Lalupon. Professor John Pepper Clark, an Ijaw man, married to a Yoruba woman, Prof. (Mrs.) Ebun Clark, saw Ibadan better in its splendor, elegance, grandeur, magnificence and contradictions, when he celebrated Ibadan as; Running splash of rust: and gold flung and scattered: Among seven hills like broken: china in the sun. THE IBADAN PILLARS Chief Salami Agbaje Ibadan early entrepreneurs, elites and statesmen, contributed immensely to Ibadan’s early growth. It is a strange coincidence, that Chief Salami Agbaje, one of Ibadan’s early successful indigenous entrepreneurs and richest citizens in his time, supplied all the timbers, needed for the construction of the IbadanLagos Railways between 1898 and 1901. Salami’s success in this timber business, encouraged him to go into produce buying venture

and he also diversified into transportation, import and export. Through the IbadanLagos railway line, he imported cotton, building materials, umbrellas and sewing machines. He owned the first private motor garage in Ibadan and the first truly indigenous diversified company and was also the first to establish cinemas. He was the first Ibadan man to ride a car in 1915 and built a two-storey building, with cement. He was known to have spent a great deal of his wealth in giving his children the best education. He produced the first Ibadan Medical Doctor, Dr. Saka Anthony Agbaje, first Ibadan Lawyer, Mojeed Agbaje and a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Ganiyu Agbaje and also Yekeen Agbaje , a Lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Even though he was known to be stingy and tight-fisted, he advanced the course of modern commerce in Ibadan land and the Western Region entirely. Salami Agbaje, originally from Iseyin, started his early life as a tailor. In his days, he had a lot of dealings with European Companies, engaged in exportation of agricultural

products. He was an illiterate, but without attending school, he learned to read, write and speak impeccable English and was until his death in 1953, the Balogun of Ibadan Land. Sanusi Adebisi Giwa IdiIkan, was another Ibadan early wealthy man, who used the opportunity of Ibadan’s emerging prominence as an important trading centre, to become a buying agent for Miller-Brothers and U.A.C. He subsequently became a produce buyer and began to amass wealth for himself. He was widely acknowledged by the Ibadan people, because of his conspicuous benefaction to the Ibadan community. Adebisi’s ancestry was traced to the Ijeshas, his cognomen being- “Omo Ogbododo Ijesa” and his mother, “Ogboja Omo Atiba”, was a daughter of Alaafin Atiba. Adebisi’s mansion in IdiIkan, Ibadan, still stands today as an architectural masterpiece. He was the first Ibadan man to ride a horse and later bought a car. Till he died in 1938, he was revered as one of the wealthiest men in Ibadan. Few that could match Salami and Adebisi Idi-Ikan, were,

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SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—19

The Ijebus were predominant in Amunigun, Agbeni, Oke-Ado, and OkeBola, whilst the Egbas settled predominantly in Odo-Ona and Ago Taylor, with a little admixture of the Igbiras

INT •Bower’s Towers Continues from page 18 Babarinde Akinloye ‘molewa, (Chief Adisa Akinloye’s father) and also a Nigerian Diarist and business man, Akinpelu Obisesan, who after a brief spell with the Nigerian Railways returned to Ibadan in 1913, worked with PZ and later became a produce buyer. For 30 years, he was President of Ibadan Cooperative Produce

Marketing Societies (ICPMS) and pioneer Chairman of Cooperative Bank, to serve the needs of Cooperative Societies. Ibadan, as a result of its rising growth, economic development, and its accommodating nature, became a colony for large migrants population. The Western Igbos settled in Mokola, Ekotedo and

Inalende, in the early 1920’s whilst Sabon- gari was planned in 1917 and completed in 1920. The overcrowding of Sabongari, originally meant for the Hausas, led to the development of Mokola, to also house, Nupe and Igbira migrants from the Northern Nigeria. Late Waziri Nupe, Alhaji Bello Muhammed Bagudu, grew up and settled in Mokola, Ibadan, until his later life, when he relocated back to Bida. He was a member of Ibadan Municipal Council in the 1950s. His son, Senator Isa Mohammed, who also grew up in Ibadan, attended Igbo Elerin Grammar school, Ibadan, founded by the current Ibadan Monarch – Oba Odugade Odulana. He was a Senator, representing Niger Central Constituency of Niger State, in the National Assembly, between 1999-2007. Ekotedo and Inalende were also developed, as planned settlement for Yorubas coming from outside Ibadan. The Ijebus were predominant in Amunigun, Agbeni, OkeAdo, and Oke-Bola, whilst the Egbas settled predominantly in Odo-Ona and Ago Taylor, with a little admixture of the Igbiras. The Ijeshas, mainly traders, settled in Mokola, Oremeji, whilst the Igbajos are in Sango. The Alli-Iwo’s naturally were settlers from Iwo, and the Dele family in Oje, migrated from Ogbomosho. Ibadan, as part of its uniqueness, has an uncommon way of succession to the throne. It is purely hierarchical- i.e. by promotion from Mogaji line. In other words, there are no Ruling Houses in Ibadan. It is only Otun Olubadan, from Otun Olubadan line and Balogun from Balogun line, that can succeed the throne interchangeably. Oba Isaac Akinyele, a clergy of the Christ Apostolic Church faith and his brother, Alexander, were also part of Ibadan’s early path finders. Isaac, became a Custom Inspector for the Ibadan City Council in 1903. In 1914, the Akinyele brothers formed

•Adelabu and Awolowo share a car

•Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Premier of Western Region of Nigeria, just landing from his helicopter to start campaigning for his party, the Action group the Egbe Agba o tan- a small tribal Association. Oba Akinyele became the Olubadan of Ibadan land in 1952 and died in May 1965. Alexander Akinyele was also a clergy man and later a Bishop. Alexander Akinyele, on the 31st of March 1913, founded the Ibadan Grammar School. He championed the course of education in Ibadan, founded the school singlehandedly. He was its first principal until 1933, following his elevation to the position of Assistant Bishop of Lagos Diocese. In 1911, he wrote the book “Iwe Itan Ibadan”. His daughter, Kemi Morgan, wife of Late Justice Morgan, complemented her father’s efforts, when she also wrote a book, “Legends from Yorubaland”, in the early 1960’s. Alexander, was succeeded by Reverend Latunde, later Reverend E.A Odusanwo and later his son-inlaw, the legendary Arch Deacon (then Reverend) E.O Alayande in 1948, who was originally from Feesu in Iwo. He was a man, whose prowess transcended the educational sector and the church, as he was also interested in and participated in politics. He was a loyal Party member of the Action Group, since its inception in 1951 and later, he served the government of Chief Bola Ige, one of his students in Ibadan Grammar School, in 1979, as his Special Adviser on Education. Until his translation to higher glory, in 2006, at the age of 96, he played a leading role in many humanitarian organizations in Ibadan, to which he contributed

immensely. BOWER’S TOWERS Bower’s Towers, a natural attraction in Ibadan, was erected by the Ibadan Native Authority in the 1930s, but was unveiled by Captain Robert Lister Bower, who was then, the Resident of Ibadan, on the 15th of December, 1936. Whoever comes to Ibadan and has not visited Bower’s Towers (La yi po), to have a panoramic view of the city does not know Ibadan-(Ibadan lomo o mo layi po) CHIEF OBAFEMI AWOLOWO COMES TO IBADAN Mr. Jeremiah Oyeniyi Obafemi Awolowo, later (Chief) came to Ibadan in January 1927, as a student of the Wesley College, Elekuro, Ibadan, which was established in 1905, as a teacher training and pastoral college. Mr. Obafemi Awolowo, within the one year of his stay in Wesley College Elekuro, did not particularly like the idea of a regimented teacher training course, and the later life of a school teacher. At the end of the session in December 1927, he opted out of the college. He however, came back to the college again in August 1934, as a college clerk. He had since his life in Wesley College, fancied Ibadan as a place to live his adult life. Obafemi later became secretary of the Nigerian Youth Movement Ibadan branch and the General Secretary of the Nigerian Transport Union, the

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20—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Continues from page 19 Secretary of the Ibadan branch of the NigerianProduce Traders Association and Literary Secretary of the Wesley guild. He left Ibadan for the United Kingdom (UK), in 1944, to study Law and after his call to the Bar on 18th November 1946, he came back to Ibadan, to practice Law. He had a lucrative practice between 1947 and 1951. Chief Abiodun Akerele, later Balogun of Oyo, joined his practice as a Partner. Abiodun Akerele was the father of Lagos SocilaiteHilario Babs Akerele. FORMING OF ACTION GROUP IN IBADAN On the 3rd of March 1951, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, with seven others, in his Oke-Bola residence in Ibadan, later formed an association- the Action Group, some of whom were; - Mr. S.T Oredein, Mr. Olatunji Dosunmu, Mr. J. OlaAdigun, Mr. Adeyiga Adesanya, Mr. S.O Shonibare, Mr. Ayo Akinsanya and Mr. Abiodun Akerele. He became leader of Government Business, Western Region in 1952, and later Premier of the Western Region in 1954. Ibadan was a center point of activities. Chief Obafemi Awolowo fully set himself up in Ibadan as a trader and later a Lawyer. It was in Ibadan that his political life began to unfold. He got married to his heartthrob; Mama Hannah Idowu-dideolu Adelana on 26th December 1937. Mama was papa’s jewel of inestimable value. They had all their five children in Ibadan; Olusegun (1939-1963), Omotola, Oluwole, Ayodele, and Tokunbo. Oluwole attended Ibadan Grammar School whilst the last two daughters- Ayodele and Tokunbo, attended St. Annes Girls School in Ibadan. ADEGOKE ADELABU Adegoke Adelabu was another storming petrel of Ibadan politics and was formerly known as Joseph Adegoke Sanusi. He was an extraordinarily brilliant scholar, who had double promotion in both primary school and secondary school- Government College in Ibadan. As a meteor, he did not live too long. He was born in 1915 and died in 1958. Within a short spell, he changed the face of Ibadan politics. He was the architect of grass root politics in Ibadan and with him, went a certain glamour from Ibadan Politics. He was popularly known as “Penkelemesi” that is “Peculiar mess”. Mr. D.T Akinbiyi, later Oba D.T. Akinbiyi (Olubadan), in an article in the Nigerian Tribune, of December 22 1951, whilst tolerating Adelabu’s “garrulity and insolence”, admonished that an “old Horse knows more than a young Cot”, which however, according to him, did not diminish the fact, that Adegoke was “highly intelligent and dynamic”. At his demise in 1958, though then an opposition leader, in the Western Region Parliament,Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Premier of Western Region, described him as “a

Ibadan In the 60’s and 70’s

University of Ibadan...The first University in Nigeria

The University of Ibadan started from the rehabilitated Military Barracks at Eleyele, Ibadan with its architecture of woods, frame bungalows, before it moved to its permanent site, at the Old Oyo Road, Ibadan in 1952

fearless, forthright, indomitable and extremely resourceful leader”. J.M JOHNSON As an interesting corollary, a non-native, J.M Johnson (1912-1987), born in Lagos of Lafiaji/Brazilian extraction, returned to civil life in Ibadan after the Second World War and became a Bank Clerk and later a business man and eventually joined Politics where he got elected into the Ibadan District Council and later became the first and only ever nonindigene to serve as Chairman of the council. From his Political life in Ibadan, he became a Federal Minister in 1956 and served in Internal affairs, Labour, Social welfare and Sports, also acting

twice as the Prime Minister in the N.C.N.C and N.P.C. Coalition Government. He was instrumental to the first World Boxing Title fight in Africa, which took place in Ibadan, Western Nigeria, between Tiger and Fulman in 1963 at the Liberty Stadium. In the same year (1963), he retired from Politics by declining to contest in the General Elections. NIGERIA’S FIRST UNIVERSITY The first University, to be set up in Nigeria, was the University of Ibadanestablished as a college of the University of London, when it was founded in 1948 and later converted into an autonomous University in 1962. The University of Ibadan started from the rehabilitated Military Barracks at Eleyele, Ibadan with its architecture of woods, frame bungalows, before it moved to its permanent site, at the Old Oyo Road, Ibadan in 1952. Ibadan as part of its cosmopolitan nature and early growth, had a city Airport in Samonda, Ibadan, close to the University of Ibadan. It now

•Ibadan town In The 60s

has a new Airport in Alakia Ibadan, officially commissioned in 1982, by the Second Republic PresidentAlhaji Shehu Shagari. IBADAN INTHE 60’s and 70’s Ibadan in the 60’s and 70’s had well paved and macadamised roads. There were organized Transport Services of Black Taxi Cabs, designated Bus-stops and stations, effective Bus Services of Ibadan City Council, Inaolaji Trading & Transport Services (IT&TS), Alebiosu Brothers, amongst several others. The median of Total Garden/ Yemetu/ Beere, dualised road for instance, had ornamental trees. The road houses the popular Yemetu Police Barracks and Station, the Oritamefa Baptist Church, (Church Oyinbo), the Adeoyo Hospital, that was established in 1926 and from where the University Teaching Hospital (UCH) took off, before it moved to it’s present site in 1956, the palace of Olubadan-Baale Aminu and of course, the Tribune House, Agbadagudu Yemetu, Ibadan, from where the Nigerian Tribune started in 1948.

•Wole Soyinka, lived in Oke-Ado, Ibadan Yemetu Ibadan was also the home of middle class elites, artists, journalists, business men and politicians and civil servants- Adeoye Adisa, Ipoola Morakinyo of Ipetumodu, Gbadegeshin Ajeigbe, Busari Obisesan, Adebayo Faleti, Kola Ogunmola, Pa Sanda & Olagoke, Moses Olaiya (Alawada), the Ogunbodes and several others. The Yemetu road also leads to the Hill-top Catholic Seminary at Oke-Are, known as Shepherd Hill, also corrupted as “Oke Sapati”. WOLE SOYINKA Interestingly, Daniel Olorunfemi Fagunwa, popularly known as- D.O Fagunwa, born in 1903, the celebrated author of Yoruba Novels and native of Oke-igbo, lived in Ibadan on Ajanla Street, Oke –Ado, where he lived until his death at the bank of River-Niger,- Bida in December 1963. From his Ajanla Residence, Oke-Ado Ibadan, he wrote his Ogboju Ode ninu igbo irunmole, translated into English in 1968, as the Forest of a thousand Deamons by Wole Soyinka, who also lived in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, around this period with his friend and soul mate- Mr Bola Ige, later Chief. Fagunwa later works include:- Igbo Olodumare 1949, Ireke Onibudo 1949, Ireke rin do ni Igbo Elegbeje 1954 and Aditu Eledumare •To be Continued next week

SATURDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—21

secondary school principal put it quaintly but succinctly when she said: ‘People want a well behaved and disciplined child, but are reluctant to go through the self- discipline and self-sacrifice that will produce such a child’. Some people even carry their parental irresponsibility further when they take their wards to boarding houses with their home grown do’s and don’ts that are at variance with school regulations. Their wards cannot bathe with cold water; their wards cannot wash clothes, not even undies; their wards cannot eat certain kinds of food; and of course, their wards cannot be punished. Yet, they expect somehow, that their wards will turn out right. And when the miracle they expect does not happen and their wards become indolent and irresponsible, or worse, a cultist, the buck passing starts. The parents blame the schools for allowing cultism to thrive and for not doing enough to rein their children in. The schools in turn blame the parents for breeding and passing on out of control children to them. The father blames the mother for not being there for the child while the mother blames the father for being a drunkard and a bad role model. The child blames everybody else, the parents, the school and the larger society.

his seems to be how we run our homes, our communities and our country. Everybody is intent on blaming everybody else for the woes in the polity. Or even for the ways their lives have panned out. Nobody questions his own contribution, his own culpability. Yet we all need to ask this simple question: just where does the buck stop? A newspaper published a report from IITA (International Institute of Tropical Agriculture) a couple of weeks

Just where does the buck stop? The nation’s news channels were ago that said Ghana had moved ahead of Nigeria in a particular crop because filled with pictures of what erosion has of improved seedling. A senior done in many Eastern States during government official retorted when the week. Yet those giant gullies must asked, ‘let IITA go and sit down. What have started as little pot holes which did it do to help us?’ Excuse me? What in turn could have started because have you done to help yourself? Why somebody or a group of people, decided should the onus be on IITA? But that is to dam the natural flow of water, often for selfish reasons. A responsible Nigeria for you. After almost a century of nationhood, community should not have let that with half of it as an independent happen. A responsible State country, we still blame our colonial Government should have stemmed the masters for the economic and political gullies before they became a disaster. problems we have. Some even go as A responsible Federal Government far as to demand for reparation. should have done something before they became national embarrassments Assuming but not and death traps. It is all conceding that we were about responsibility and handed lemons instead of repercussions. oranges or apples, why I lived in Festac Town for haven’t we made lemonade almost 30 years and out of it like many countries For us to witnessed first hand, the have done? Why in fact, are gradual degradation of the make we worse off than we were model town. It was progress as a once 50 years ago? Criminals, largely a result of impunity, pirates and out-of-favour lawlessness and nation, this workers from Europe were irresponsibility. There was buck passing a buffer zone that allowed the early settlers in has to stop Australia along with the for easy drainage. The aborigines. See what they Authority and the residents have made out of that country today. looked away as people started building Early settlers in America were not much on the zone. Yet water must find a way. better. They were a potpourri of races, The result would be flooding and religions and tribes. See what they gullies. When this happens, the same made of what we all now call God’s own people would turn around and plead country? Yet, I believe Nigeria is as that ‘government should please come endowed as America. If only we can to our aid’. A man once built his fence begin to stand up and take on an underground electric cable in contravention of the rules. The cable responsibility for our actions.

ast weekend, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, reminded the nation of a ticking time bomb, which we are not giving enough attention. Gowon said: “If we do not rise to bring our youths into the path of rectitude, then their future will appear gloomy…” Two weeks ago, my mother-in-law told me that parents were relocating their daughters from a particular village in Delta State. Cultists (youths of between 12 and 20 years) have taken over the village and are impregnating helpless young girls, who are surrendering to the cultists’ advances for fear of attack on them and their families. In Ughelli, my birthplace, hand. Elections are over and it is time also Delta State, cult groups (youths) for serious business. Instead of have taken over. The story is the same destabilizing local government councils in some other towns in Delta State, and removing the chairmen or Rivers State, parts of the South East councilors for political gains, as is and some areas in Lagos. Every day, currently the case all over Nigeria and newspapers carry reports of cult- especially in the South-South, state related violence or killings. governments should partner with the Nigeria seems to grapple with one local councils, which are closest to the youths-related problem after the people. Councils should build capacity other. Many of the Boko Haram and become hubs of youth development fighters bombing, raping, killing and and see to it that federal and state maiming in the North East are youths. governments’ programmes for youths Not long ago, Niger Delta youths in their areas are well implemented. waged a battle for resource control Some local government areas across that soon degenerated into robbery, Nigeria are not functioning. Reports kidnapping and other forms of say all the officials do is to gather when criminality. The amnesty programme the monthly allocation comes, share the has stemmed the tide, but the region money and disappear until the next has not come out of it. Kidnapping allocation. Each local government for ransom is still rampart in Delta needs to come up with programmes to State, Bayelsa State and Rivers State. address the peculiar challenges of Other South-South States also have youths in its area. While such pockets of the problem. The South programmes need to capture the mass, East youths soon borrowed they should also be structured in a way kidnapping for ransom, but the that the youths have a say in what they frequency has reduced. Now some want to do. You do not teach somebody, Igbo youths want a sovereign State who has a flair for making clothes, of Biafra. In all these, I see frustration, farming all in a bid to engage all the ignorance, greed or/and idle minds youths. He will probably never hit his that have been converted to the full potentials; he will also not be as devil’s workshop. fulfilled as if he were doing what he Governments at all levels need to really loved. come up with programmes to tame Youths have seemingly unlimited this monster before it gets out of

Nigeria’s ticking time bomb

C M Y K

energy to burn and we must find a way to channel this boundless energy to good use. The number of unemployed youths is probably more than the official figures. I narrated my experience during the electioneering campaigns in an earlier article, Elections side attractions. In every town and village we went to for campaigns, there was an army of idle and unemployed youths. A major source of concern is the orientation of the youths. Many of them want to be rich, which is normal. But they see wealth as a skyscraper that sprung up overnight, not a building where you lay one block at a time. There are too many people around them who became rich overnight through politics, bunkering, kidnapping, 419 and other illegal means. There is an urgent need for a reorientation to change this paradigm. I also add my voice to that of those who suggest that the youths, who are involved in theft and illegal refining of crude oil, should be encouraged to come forth, just as government did during the amnesty programme, trained properly, organized into groups and helped to set up modular refineries. They might just hold the key to self sufficiency in petroleum products refining. I am sure government

got damaged and the whole neighbourhood was plunged into darkness. Yet he refused to bring down his fence insisting that NEPA should by pass the cable. And when problems start with uneven balance of electricity which results in load shedding, he would be the first to cry out against NEPA. Many of us blame NEPA and many such public institutions without acknowledging our individual roles in the sorry state of these institutions. For us to make progress as a nation, this buck passing has to stop. A grown up adult still expects his parents to continue to provide for his needs. The parent in turn expects the company he works for to take up his needs. The company expects the State to force feed it. The State looks up to Europe to send aids and grants. And this indulgent and irresponsible story goes on.

e have ceded education and medicare to different parts of the world. Our cultural heritage is being warehoused in Europe. Some were even blaming America for not sending vaccines quickly to help cure Ebola. When are we going to take responsibility for our country and its people? Six months into the new administration, and we are still buck passing. What we want is a pronouncement of policies that will get us out of the woods. What we want is some ownership of strategies for change for good or ill. There is a saying that goes, ‘if not me then who? If not now then when?’ if we want a change in the country, then we have to be prepared to become change agents ourselves. And we cannot become change agents if we do not first effect a change inside of us. A change that means we are prepared to own up and accept responsibilities for the repercussions of our actions. It is time, individually and collectively to look within us for the change we want. can work out a solution which ultimately will provide self-fulfilling employment to many of these youths, curb crime and reduce environmental degradation. The educational system needs a makeover. When the 6-3-3-4 system of education was introduced, we were told that it would enable those who exit after JS3 and SS3 to be equipped with relevant skills to fend for themselves. This has not been the case. Many university graduates today are also illequipped to carry out any economic activity on their own, contrary to the expectation that Nigerian universities will produce graduates who can be self starters, be self-employed and employ other youths. Many of these graduates are so badly baked that they are not even employable. Some are also so poor in character that you wonder who found them “ worthy in character and learning.” The Nigerian educational system is simply in shambles and needs retuning. It all starts from the cradle, so parents need to take more responsibility. People should give birth to the number of children they can adequately cater for within their limited time and resources. We should also inculcate good morals in our children even when we fall short. Unfortunately, people can scarcely inculcate values which they do not have. Even when some parents make efforts, children are more likely to copy what they see than what they hear. Finally, religious organizations and other bodies, involved in the molding of children and youths, need to come up with new and better strategies. Our ultimate goal should be to save the repentant Matthew, the tax collector. As for Judas Iscariot, who has chosen the path of destruction, well… God bless Nigeria.

22—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

This Nnamdi Kanu, that Radio Biafra and the tragedy of charlatanism (2) F

rom the great heights of Ikemba Ojukwu to the wretchedness and mediocrity of an Nnamdi Kanu. What a tragedy! “As long as your mother ties a two piece wrapper you are a Biafran, you are a descendant of light. …..Why would anyone go to church to worship the Son of God when we have many Nwachukwus( sons of God) in our midst?” At some point Nnamdi Kanu will jump off the bus ,plead insanity , and walk away. “There was a blood moon in 1967, astronomers say there will be a blood moon this year, if we don’t get Biafra everybody will perish”. His insanity defense is clearly made out. But what should sane Igbos who are passionate about Biafra or sick of Nigeria rather do? They should not succumb to the seductions of the tales of the seeming peripatetic luxury bus medicine dealer, so they should not embrace Nnamdi Kanu , his Radio Biafra and their desperate and devious schemes. They cannot afford lunacy. Lucidity must be deployed to defuse the confused euphoria of some of our youths. Perhaps the nobility in ignoring the charlatans and waiting out their folly has lapsed. The fire that has been lit is spreading on the fuel of mischief, political disgruntlement, perceived marginalization, joblessness and hopelessness. And men of goodwill must speak up and douse the inferno with the water of reason. And the government must think jobs and devolution of powers. Some Igbo professionals in diaspora for reasons that are more fantastical than pragmatic find Kanu and his Radio Biafra fascinating. They are at a protective remove and thus have a luxury the Igbo trader in Alaba or Zungeru does not have. They can fantasize from afar about secession because for them, from their safe distance, Biafra is also excitement. Any calamitous consequences of that divorce will not trouble directly their everyday lives. They may promise participation but even that will retain the optionality which will elude the Igbo woman in Kano. But like the Abakiliki chief who called me to discuss the first part of this article asked - what should those who are genuinely interested and passionate about realizing Biafra do under the present circumstance? They can subject their obsession to the redemptive therapy of sober clear- eyed rational analysis which would inform circumspection. Yes, but passion is often , unfortunately, refractory to such cold rationality . Should they hold onto it, explore it, in exercise of their right to self determination? Whether buoyed by passion or reason, they would need to overcome some immediate questions. Because millions of lives are involved, morality will leave no room for sentimentality and indulgence of whims and superstitions. Is secession the answer to the plight of Igbos? Is it the minimum needed to cure the mischiefs that agonize them? South Sudan is a cautionary tale. My answer to that question will be the conclusion of this article. They must answer other subsidiary questions. Why are secessions, generally, not common despite the ubiquity of sectarian political strife and social injustices? Why are the Hutus and Tutsis still of one country? It is because secession is a problematic slippery slope. It is because, though an expression of freedom, it negates and circumvents democracy. The idea that a dissatisfied minority in any political equation can ride on a certain right to self determination and pull out and become a country is a recipe for unmitigated disaster. Nuclear families will become nations and we’ll be back to the pre political era. These moral burdens do not foreclose secession but make the conditions that could morally warrant unilateral secession more stringent.

C M Y K

What are the boundaries of this new Biafra? All kinds of maps have been bandied but nothing suggests that any ethnic minority is comfortable with any scenario that makes it a minority where Igbos will be overwhelmingly dominant. Haven’t lessons of history been learnt? Eziokwubundu. Because the welcome given Biafran flags in PortHarcout some days ago is a Greek gift. It smacks of shameless opportunism in the face of the prospects of a repeat governorship elections there. No one should be carried away. Personalities from Ikwerre land and other groups who had torn their dresses in the past to prove their distinctness are now vocal about their Igbo identities. Change of hearts, any such repentance, must begin with some restitution . So wouldn’these gimmicks be tested for altruism by asking the Rivers government questions about ‘abandoned property’? They know the stolen assets. So, verify victims , assess the properties and commensurately compensate them with fresh land allocations in Port Harcourt. When pretentions are shed, states outside the southeast will resist inclusion in Biafra. These proponents of Biafra are particularly expansive. They want the Niger Delta, accusations of naked greed and covetousness notwithstanding. Assuming they limit themselves to the Southeast only , they must consider if they have the moral legitimacy to railroad other Igbos into a secession. It is not enough to dismiss dissenters as efulefus or slaves, their dissent must be countered by superior arguments and they must have the support of a convincing majority of Igbos. They will have to show that secession is either an immediate necessity or that it has such an appeal that it makes the status quo , the ‘zoo’, utterly detestable. Pathetic propaganda aimed at seeding fear in clear disregard for facts is immoraland unhelpful. Lies wont sell. Unlike 1967, Igbos do not currently face any serious threat of immediate selective violence supported by acts of commission or omission of the national government. There is no lopsided distribution of social evils in Nigeria such that the southeast and Igbos are especially imperiled. Boko Haram has damaged Igbo lives and livelihoods but it has left the north east utterly desolate. The continued existence of Igbos and Igbo culture is not in any present or foreseeable danger. Igbos despite structured, systemic , disadvantages have flourished, on the

This new agitation cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be in the interest of Igbos who own over 50% of commerce in Lagos and 70% of real estate in Abuja

aggregate, more than other groups. If the appeal or promise of Biafra rather than its necessity is the argument, then that appeal must be demonstrated. It is possible that a land locked Biafra, without the Niger Delta and its oil, may yet do much better than an unwieldy and fractious Nigeria economically. But nothing factual supports the proposition that such a Biafra will do better politically. A theoretical argument founded on appeal would only have force if it articulates the social position of Igbos today , enunciates the impacts of secession before prognosticating about a landlocked Biafra. Even then a practical demonstration of the appeal must be provided even if in just one local government area. Prophesies and superstitions won’t do. Igbos are willing and able to compete fairly, they seek only a stable platform where equity and fairness reign. Igbos feel marginalized by successive federal governments. But any feelings of such deprivations must be tempered by the universality of poverty and under development in Nigeria. Igbos, in their own states, haven’t distinguished themselves politically either. Embezzlement of public funds and general misgovernment have done damage to states and local councils in the south east run by Igbos as it has done at the federal level where Igbos insist they have been left out. But they haven’t quite been totally left out in the looting of the federal treasury. But passion, the sort furnished by obsession, wouldn’t let the agitators for secession appreciate the enormous inherent draw backs of secession. That secession may beget further uncontrolled secessions and ultimately political instability. Because inter and intra ethnic feuds and squabbles and rights of smaller groups to self determination will not die with the birth of Biafra. That since Aguleri and Umuleri nearly exterminated themselves, unprompted by the Hausa Fulani, Igbo cohesion needs effort and is not guaranteed even by Biafra. That the Osu’s plight is not linked to Hausa Fulani hegemony but to the bigotry of Dialas and Biafra doesn’t guarantee equality. Assuming the appeal of a Biafran paradise is so overwhelming that the proponents of secession consider the effects of secession on the lives and properties and livelihoods of Igbos in far flung parts of Nigeria as dispensable, assuming they make a consequential argument that many more would be happier in Biafra, the instigators of secession must meet further moral requirements. The great philosopher Immaneul Kant would insist that humans be not used merely as a means to an end. And to that extent the consent of Igbos must constitute a factor in the moral legitimacy of any secessionist engagement. The 1967 Biafra sought and obtained Igbo consent even though it could have dispensed with it in the face of the massacres. To stay somewhere in diaspora and claim the existence and leadership of a certain independent peoples of Biafra and begin to solicit for arms to fight the Hausa Fulanis is delusion. Jeopardizing the peace the Igbo trader in Potiskum needs to fend for his family is callous nonsense at the best and perhaps mindless cruelty. The lives of these Igbos begin and end in their small shops which are neither insured nor indemnified against fickle mobs. True freedom fighters bother about the intrinsic rightness of their actions Ojukwu would have advised them to join APGA. And Ojukwu was not stupid. Create a party or join one. Make Biafra a significant zonal autonomy, in the first instance , a priority and test its popularity within the southeast. If your party wins then you can claim popular consent. But to assume consent without a test beyond mobs running through Port Harcourt’s streets is not only presumptuous , it is also contemptuous of the dignity of the Igbos. It presupposes a herd mentality for a people renowned for independent mindedness. Ojukwu didn’t promote APGA because of cowardice. If those who seek Biafra can win democratic control of Southeast states and demonstrate through innovative people oriented governance the distinction that Biafra represents then their Biafra agitation will acquire ‘purposive legitimacy’- moral legitimacy acquired by being true to purpose. And all of these must precede a formal referendum because consent secured by mere propaganda is not informed consent. And I guess Ojukwu opted for APGA to further this objective. But they wont contest elections yet they claim popularity Self determination needs informed consent of the Igbo.Will they,who preach Eldorado , allow Igbos to have a glimpse or perhaps a taste of their political ‘Nkwobi’ or ‘Nmanyankwu’ before a bargain is forced on them? Other groups are largely sequestered in their homelands but not Igbos. Igbos are too deeply entrenched in the Nigerian matrix that they can only be teased out, not forcefully separated from Nigeria. This new agitation cannot, by any stretch of imagination, be in the interest of Igbos who own over 50% of commerce in Lagos and 70% of real estate in Abuja. Is this agitation for Biafra in 2015 in the interest of the average poor Igbo man? I don’t think so. Some degree of regional autonomy first.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—23

Why I won't do romantic roles for now – Ify Adibeli

*Talks about her virginity * Why they call her hottest virgin“

hey call her the hottest virgin in Nollywood but Adibeli Ify, a budding actress and a student of Open University, isn't carried away with such appellation as she believes there may not be virgins in Nollywood anymore. She started her acting career at age 16 when she did a few scenes to earn N5000. Now, at 20, Ify looks to have her world cut out for her as she has featured in close to 20 films, with five of those as a leading character. Meet the Nollywood's hottest virgin, the ever-smiling girl many have described as a dead ringer to Tonto Dikeh. She cut her teeth in movies like Blood Enemies, Online Babes, Sound of War and others.

The Beginning Ify Adebeli has a cheery air about her that would get you thinking this is a girl that would find it hard to settle down at anything. But beneath that giggly, carefree, happy-go-lucky girl mien is a character as strong as a granite. She's finding her feet in the industry but that hasn't come about without her having to pay the price most of her colleagues paid. “I joined the industry four years ago when I was 16years old. I played the role of a daughter to Oge Okoye in a movie titled Sound of War. The experience was awesome because I had featured in one production, ‘Hustlers’ where I did only dancing scenes. In this particular production, I did a lot of talking and gesticulation. I was apprehensive working with stars but I got along later with the help of the professionals around me. I was reading my script like I had an exam” she aid “It isn't so rare to see someone as young as her pursue a career in acting but rather amazing that at such age she could have played lead roles in over five movies. What is the motivation behind this early move? ““It all started when I accompanied a friend to a movie location. At the location, the director needed people for a dance scene. I did the dance scene and was given N5,000. I was so happy and felt I would do more to get a bigger fees. I just concluded my C M Y K

secondary education at that time. Subsequently, the production manager called me and I got a lead role. I was paid N15, 000 and this really motivated me.

Parents’ reaction Her love for acting couldn’t be hidden for too long from her parents. Her dad didn’t buy into it initially till he saw her on TV: “At first, my dad was against it but later gave in when he saw my first production. My mother was my back-up, she supported me all the way. My dad felt I was too young to go through the stress and exposure because sometimes I left home and wouldn't be back for a week. You know I am the first child. His comments were always: “You are too young for this”. On my own part, I enjoy what I am doing. I meet and work with many celebrities.

The dark side Being a budding star who works with the best of Nollywood hasn’t been without its own dark sides. Her face wears a distressing expression as she reveals the challenges of being an upcoming actress.““Being an upcoming actress poses many challenges, like people wanting you to act for free. This means fending for yourself at locations. Some directors believe doing free jobs is like paying your own dues in the industry. Although, I have done many free jobs which gave me recommendations where I got payed. These days, I insist on getting paid for every job I do no matter how small.

Nollywood is like a market As a result of her experience in the industry, she sees Nollywood as a market place that comprises of the good , the bad and thy ugly. Nollywood is like a market place where you meet different types of people, the good, the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. But I pray to meet and work with only the good ones. When you meet the ugly ones you wish you hadn't picked acting as a career. One of such instances is going to a particular location and after shooting, you are not given a

place to sleep. That situation is an ugly one created by the ugly people in Nollywood. This means sharing a room with a female celebrity. And at such, you have to be nice so you don't get thrown out in the middle of the night. My ''landlords'' so far have been accommodating based on my size and age” she explained.“She reveals that this is one of the plights of many upcoming actresses. “This happens because some of us go to locations through friends. Our friends beg the producers to create scenes for us to feature in and such scenes are edited out most times.

Affiliation to a caucus In today’s Nollywood, actors pitch their tents with caucuses in the industry in order to get the necessary training and exposure. Ify doesn’t believe she needs to be part of any caucus to make it in Nollywood““Joining a

particular production house will mean restricting me to that caucus. It doesn't make one a professional.

By KEHINDE AJOSE and ADERONKE ADEYERI“

Hottest “virgin” in town?

I joined the industry four years ago when I was 16years old. I played the role of a daughter to Oge Okoye in a movie titled Sound of War.

Interested in entrenching her name in the minds of her fans, the rising actress was part of a movie called the Hottest Virgins. She took out time to explain the reason for being part of that movie.““The film is about three young girls from poor background that came to Lagos to find greener pastures. Things weren’t rosy for us as expected. We had to work in a bar. Along the line, we met a woman who was into prostitution. She lured us and we became hottest virgins. My character in the movie was quite challenging, I had to become three different persons at a time, play the role of a poor girl at the village, also the role of the older poor girl struggling in Lagos, and then the role of a prostitute. The poor girl character I played portrays my kind of person, I looked pitiful.” But would she call herself a virgin? “I don’t know if there are still virgins in Nollywood. That's

a private affair but I am not one” she replied.

Embracing romantic roles Despite her beauty with the right figure that will get the attention of any man, Ify says she isn’t ready to embrace romantic roles. “I will not take such roles for now. I don't want to be stereotyped to that. I started with school girl roles and that is what I have been doing so far. My dad will be angry and might send me packing. Maybe the whole neighborhood will have to beg on my behalf. I am yet to play a romantic role. I only had a scene showing I had sex and was dressed to go home. The scene ended with a dry kiss. I know I can’t escape it, but I am not ready yet.

Bright Future While Ify is yet to become a household name, she still foresees a bright future.”I believe being good at what I do is the way to create a bright future for myself. I am not ready to produce any movie yet, I want to be grounded and popular before doing that”.

VEMBER 7, 2015 24 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NO NOVEMBER

By KEHINDE AJOSE 08054680266

My dress ripped at the back - Tiwa Savage

Mavin First lady, Tiwa Savage felt awkward the day the dress she wore during a performance ripped. It was the day 2face had his album launch Concert at Eko Hotel. “My dress for the performance came literally 5 minutes before I was supposed to go on stage. I didn’t have time to try it on before my performance. The emcee announced: “Next on stage

•Tiwa Savage

is rising star, Tiwa Savage.” So I quickly put it on. As soon as I was walking on stage, the zip ripped at the back and I didn’t even know. Banky W saw it and was like “Oh my God! Your whole back is open”. I was really embarrassed. They tried to pin me up but all these time the band and everybody were on stage. I had to

My performance CD messed me up

— Patoranking

atrick Nnaemeka Okorie popularly known as Patoranking will never forget in a hurry the day his CD messed up his performance at an event. The Alubarika star recounts this in an interview. “My most embarrassing moment as an artiste was in 2008 when I went for a show in Ghana. I did not know the CD I was meant to use to perform, was of low quality. The CD wasn’t properly mixed and mastered. I was so anxious to be on stage and when I got on it, I was so messed up I couldn’t do anything because the sound was not coming out properly. I couldn’t relate with the crowd and at a point I had to tell the DJ to stop the song so I could do freestyles. I felt so ashamed”

Top artistes reveal their great embarrassing moments By KEHINDE AJOSE

ust because they are rich, famous and respected doesn’t mean they don’t experience embarrassing moments like most of u do. Once in a while your favorite musicians are faced with

Omawunmi

Ella Martins

Upcoming singer, Rita Edmond has had her own fair share of controversy. The Lovy Lovy star was once linked with Phyno. In an interview with Showtime, the beautiful singer reveals her own embarrassing moment, when she had a wardrobe malfunction. “I remember having a wardrobe malfunction once at an event. I wore a lovely tiny-straps-halter-neck. As the show got hotter and exciting; I was dancing so bad I didn’t realize one of the straps of my dress had given way, showing off my bra and boobs. It took courage for a guy sitting next to me to point out the mishap. I was in shock with a dropped jaw holding my boobs and rushing at the same time to fix the strap. Please don’t remind me of this; it’s one crazy day I won’t forget in a hurry.”

TOP TRENDING MUSIC 15 AND VIDEO

•Rita Edmond

. Yemi Alade featuring Selebobo – Na Gode Yemi Alade is finally back with the music video for her hit song Na Gode featuring Selebobo. The song is produced by Selebobo and serves as the lead single for Yemi Alade’s sophomore album called Mama Africa. The video is directed by Paul Gambit

. Meaku featuring Niniola - Identical to heaven Nigerian singer, Meaku unveils his new song titled Identical to heaven. He collaborates with Niniola on this song. The slow tempo multilayered love song highlights their unique vocal abilities. The song is produced by Drew Keyes

C M Y K

When you meet Ella Martins the first thing you notice about her is her curvaceous hips. The Beninese musician and actress isn’t shy about the fact that she is well heeled in the rear and sees it as the weapon God bestowed on her. In an interview with Showtime, she recounts the experience she had when fans tried to have a feel of her bum. “There are two accounts of my most embarrassing moment as an artiste. First, was when I was performing with DJ Arafat and during the performance he stopped to kiss me. I was also performing with Orezi when the crowd carried me and tried to have a feel of my bum. I was really embarrassed. A lot of people think I did a surgery on my hips but I didn’t.”

I had a wardrobe malfunction -Rita Edmond

Patoranking

The crowd wanted to have a feel of my bum -Ella Martins

My breasts popped on stage — Omawunmi

Nigerian Singer, Omawunmi is known to be daring when it comes to her fashion sense. The vocal power house shares her tale of an embarrassing moment she is yet to forget. According to her: “The dress I wore to the event has feathers in the front of it. Before I left my hotel room, I asked someone if the dress was okay and she said yes. I wore the dress to the show and when I was performing at the show, paparazzi took my pictures and released them. I realized that my breasts were practically pouring out of my dress, there was no way I could have put my breasts back.”

awkward moments they wished never occurred. From boobs popping out on stage to wearing the wrong outfits, these celebrities aren’t exempted from awful mishaps. In no particular order, we capture the top embarrassing moments of your favorite music stars.

. TeeBlaq featuring Oritsefemi – Shope TeeBlaq releases the video for his groovy song titled Shope. He collaborates with Oritsefemi on the song and also in the music video. The video is directed by Aje films

. Masterkraft featuring Flavour and Sarkodie - Final Music producer, Masterkraft teams up with Flavour and Sarkodie for the song Finally. The fusion of Flavour’s melody and Sarkodie’s punch- lines makes the song irresistible.

. Dimplez -Kowole Dimplez is popular for her No Bra day sexy photo shoot. The upcoming artiste returns with a dance track titled Kowole. The song is produced by KueBounce

. Sound Sultan -Oba Lola Sound Sultan returns with the video of his song titled Oba Lola. The song is off his upcoming album titled Out of the box. The video is directed by

. Steven Tones – No Lele Steven Tones unveils his new single titled No lele. The Afropop tune is produced

VEMBER 7, 2015 — 25 SATURDAY Vanguard, NO NOVEMBER

By TOFARATI IGE 08068792241

Top artistes reveal their great embarrassing moments

My car broke down on the road — Gt Da Guitarman Gt Da Guitarman is not a rookie when it comes to the game of music. The Ember Entertainment boss who also produces his own songs is one of the prized talents who was signed on the defunct Storm records. The guitarist popular for his hit song Dreamer, recalls his own embarrassing moment . “I have had quite a number of embarrassing situations. I really can’t start mentioning. There was a time my car broke down somewhere around Orile and some students were singing, ‘When am I gonna be what I want to be.’ I was embarrassed.” A part in his song was used to humiliate him

I forgot my own name

— Yemi Alade Johnny sensation, Yemi Alade who recently had 30million YouTube views for her Johnny video some months back, shared the story of an awkward moment she had when her name was mentioned as the winner of the Best Female artiste category at the MTV Africa Music Awards. She forgot her own name. No one knew if it was as a result of fear or pure excitement. “When I won the award, my manager told me to stand up like three times. It was like I had forgotten my own name. My mentors, Peter and Paul of Psquare had to also remind me that I needed to go pick the award.”

Gt Da Guitarman

I was accused of always frowning — Adewale Ayuba

•Yemi Alade

Fuji Maestro, Adewale Ayuba was popular for his hit song released in the early 90’s called Mr Johnson. His distinct delivery, use of hi-tech instruments and exposure made Fuji appealing to the younger generation. His music journey hasn’t been devoid of mishaps and embarrassing moments .In a recent interview, he shares an embarrassing moment that gets him ruffled “I met a lady one day while I was playing. She stood in front of me romantically and accused me that I was always frowning. She said I should relax and be cheerful and free with her. She was looking for something that she couldn’t get.”

My female fans held me hostage -Kiss Daniel

Kiss Daniel

No doubt, Kiss Daniel has the trimmings of a handsome dude. Aside from the fact that he is talented, he is also one of the few male artistes groupies won’t mind having a fling with. He reveals an embarrassing incident he had with his female fans. “I went for a show a while ago and when I was about driving out of the venue, some of my female fans, numbering about 11 or 12 stormed the venue and surrounded my car insisting that I was going nowhere except I took them to my house. The bouncers tried to make a way for me to leave but all was to no avail so I had to take a couple of them to my house. I didn’t do anything with them. I did it so they could let me leave the venue.”

. Dr Sid -Kabiyesi Mavin Records star, Dr Sid finally releases the video of his highlife tune titled Kabiyesi. The video is directed by Adasa Cookey

. Mandydollz - Jokajo Beautiful upcoming singer, Mandydollz releases the visuals of her song Jokajo. The video is directed by Mex films .Orezi and Joel made a cameo appearance in the flick

Jodie -Butterflies (Nwoke Oma) Jodie’s Butterflies is a tune that depicts the indescribable feelings that romance brings. The song is produced by Phat-E, while the video is directed by Coby Films House of worship - Everlasting T alented gospel band, House of worship shows their gratitude in their brand new song titled, Everlasting. The song talks about the everlasting faithfulness C M Y K

igeria’s king of urban rap, Olamide is no doubt one of the most industrious rappers of his generation. The YBNL boss, whose street savvy punch-lines makes him unique will be dropping his fifth album this month. Without mincing words, the Shakiti Bobo sensations talks about an embarrassing moment he cannot forget. “I will pick an incident that happened in the studio a few years back. I was in the studio when this senior act came in to record a song and he said he was hungry. Who else will he send to buy food if not me who was the youngest in the studio? The money he gave me was not enough for his meal, so I decided to add my own money. I even used my own money to pay for transportation. When I got back to the studio with the food, guess what this guy said to me “Cabasa, tell this your boy to give me my change, if he wants money, he should tell me and I will give him. He should not use trick to steal my money. I almost got angry, but one look from ID Cabasa calmed me down. Today, the guy is one of my biggest fans and he is planning to do a song with me.”

Olamide

Adewale Ayuba

by Andre Vibez.

I was wrongly accused -Olamide

of God. It is produced by Masterkraft.

Runtown -Banana Rising star has continued to proof that he is born to do music. The talented act shows of his talent in the video of his song titled Banana.The video is directed by Sesan

Victoria Kimani -Booty Bounce

Chocolate City’s sexy diva, Victoria Kimani releases her new tune titled Booty Bounce. The song is released as one of the singles off Victoria Kimani’s highly anticipated debut album which is in the works. The song is produced by Reinhard.

Bracket featuring Timaya-Celebrate The Yoriyori duo returns with a new single titled Celebrate. They team up with Timaya in this song. The video is directed by Patrick Ellis.

Julius Agwu -Second Chance Ace comedian, Julius Agwu unveils his new video titled Second Chance. The video was recorded as a thanksgiving song by Julius Agwu to thank God for his amazing recovery from a brain damage.

26 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Aftermath of 2015 AMAA:

Organizers to stop sponsoring non-nominees —Peace Anyim-Osigwe I

T may not be business as usual, as organizers of the prestigious Africa Movie Academy Award, AMAA, have declared that henceforth, anyone wishing to attend their future events apart from the nominees should be prepared to foot his or her travelling expenses. This new development was revealed last week by AMAA President, Peace AnyimOsigwe during a post-awards meeting in Lagos, with some selected journalists. While reacting to some of the issues that came up after the awards ceremony which held last month, in South Africa,Peace said, the decision became necessary on the ground that the attendees are taking the organizers for granted. Sounding disappointed and pained in the face of the controversy that has continued to trail this year’s AMAA, Peace exonerated the Academy from the controversy, insisting that it has nothing to do with the organizers. She narrated an incident that happened in South Africa, where the Nigerian guests organized an afterparty in the hotel, without the consent of the management, thereby disturbing other guests who were

*Nollywood stars arriving South Africa for AMAA, last month. sponsorship, we still carried everyone along. AMAA has been pampering celebrities that attend the award ceremony, and they are beginning to take us lodging in the same hotel. A situation that forced the management of the hotel to call in the Police the following morning. Explaining further, she said,” In the 11 years of AMAA, we have travelled across the world for different festivals and nomination parties with over 15,000 people. Even this year, without

for granted. My disappointment is that any time it comes to AMAA, everybody tends to talk anything they like. But I have passed the stage of listening to those distractions. I know where we are going, and we have tried. We are not claiming to be perfect because we live in an imperfect society.”

'Why we moved award ceremony to South Africa'

*Peace Anyim-Osigwe

peaking further, Peace said, "Äbout three years ago, we decided that we would stop paying visa fees for attendees. We wanted the attendees to pay for their visa fees while we bear the cost of transportion and accommodation. But when you have responsible adults tweeting that they were stranded in South Africa, I laugh! C M Y K

As a matter of fact, organizers have resolved that from next year, nonnominees would be responsible for their travelling expenses. “This is because when you are trying to accommodate everybody, they will see it as a matter of right,” Peace maintained. On why they moved this year’s AMAA to South Africa, Peace said the organization needed to loose itself from government agendas. She added that apart from the fact that AMAA has outgrown the infrastructure in Bayelsa State. South Africa, according to her, is sentimental to her late brother who wanted this year’s edition to be hosted in the rainbow country. “ The infrastructures in South Africa are easily and readily available. More so, the country offers you a conducive atmosphere to host a nice event,” AMAA bossed added. “AMAA needs to loosen itself from the government agenda. We will always respect Bayelsa State and cooperate with it. But that the state will remain the home of AMAA forever is impossible. It cannot always be theirs because it does own the brand. If

you are the host state and you don’t pay your due for years, then the other party has to move on.” The AMA boss, however, denied online reports that some of the people who were in South Africa for the last edition of the awards, got stranded in that country.”Nobody got stranded in the course of the journey. When you have adults writing on Facebook that they are stranded, I simply laugh. When they left Port Elizabeth, they had a layover. The fact is that there is no special privilege when you are waiting for a flight,” she said. She disclosed that while the next edition of the awards will still hold in South Africa, on the 30th of April, 2016, three countries including Senegal, Morocco and *Cast of Abu Dhabi are currently Lies and being considered to host Secrets the nomination party.

Dabby Chimere returns with Lies And Secrets

FTER producing flicks including ‘The Pre-Nup,’ ‘Apartment 24,’ ‘The Sassy One,’ ‘Friends or Foes, ‘2nd Honeymoon,’ among others, Dabby Chimere is stepping out again with a new TV series, “ “Lies and Secrets” to add to her repertoire of works. The TV series, which is due to hit the screen soon, according to Dabby, intends to champion local content that would engage, stimulate and satisfy viewers. Talking about the TV series, dabby said, “There should be quality and reward for viewership, even as we want to maximize the audiences’ interest. It’s not as if we’ve not been into this very business of production, but for the first time, my company is doing something different in the same field. “We will not say because it’s new then we should compromise quality, no. We will bring our ideas to the table where people can see it, and as well score us for it. We just completed the first shoot, and plans are on for airing negotiations. Very soon, viewers will get to see the series, as we are currently speaking with partners.” The series stars the likes of Jenifa’s Diary, Tinsel among others.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 27

Accolades as James Bond’s film, Spectre hits Nigerian cinema

he British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Arkwright felt elated during the week as he was among the dignitaries that thronged the Silverbird Cinema, Victoria Island, Lagos, to see the new James Bond’s film, “Spectre” which premiered in the country amid pomp. The film, produced by Eon Productions and distributed in Nigeria by Sliverbird Film th Distribution Limited, is the 24 James Bond adventure, featuring Daniel Craig in his fourth performance as James

Bond, and Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, with the film making the character’s reintroduction into the series. Mr. Arkwright described “Spectre” as “one important film that is out to showcase the level of technological advancement in the United Kingdom. The film started showing in the cinemas across the country yesterday. It shattered box office records in nearly every market in which it has been released, led by a historic performance in the United Kingdom. In total in the six

Legends of Nollywood Awards berth in Benin T

HE organizer of the annual Legends of Nollywood Awards,LNA, has announced that this year’s edition of the award will hold between 11th of December and 12th, in Benin, the Edo State capital. It will be the first time the three-year old award will be held outside Lagos. Founder of Legends of Nollywood Awards and Managing Director of Royal Pictures Limited, main organizer of the award,Paul Obazele disclosed that this year’s edition which is planned to be a three-day event is supported by Zenith Bank Plc, Etisalat, Network Oil & Gas, Best Western Homeville Hotel and the coalition of Nollywood Guilds and association, among others. According to him, apart from rewarding practitioners for their contributions to the growth and development of the vibrant Nollywood industry, the award has from the 2014 edition been refocused to reach out and celebrate the less privileged and physically challenged “Some of whom do not have the opportunity to relax and watch these television and movie stars we are celebrating as much as they would like to”. Obazele, a former President of the Association of Movie Producers,AMP, and the current President of the Edo Film Makers Association,EFMA, also stated that the award body will be extending a hand of fellowship to the International Christian Center,ICC, Home for the Needy Uhogua, Edo State that is currently housing the Internally Displaced Persons,IDP’s, in Nigeria as part of the reachout objectives of the award. On this year’s awardees, Director of Operations of Legends of Nollywood Awards, Zack Orji, disclosed that twenty eight (28) legends will receive the LNA crest this year. The veteran actor gave the names of the awardees including Hajiya Latana Ahmed, Bimbo Manuel, Yinka Ogundaisi, Wale Fanu, Tunde Oloyede, Laolu Ogunniyi, John Nwaobi, Loius Adejumo, Aso Douglas, Sola Fosudo, Zulu Adigwe, Ralph Nwadike, Ramsey Nouah, Opa Williams, Sunday Omobolanle, Ayo Mogaji, Yinka Davies, Sani Muazu, Ngozi Nwosu, Bourdillon Bodio, Chris Obi Rapu among others.

C M Y K

released territories, the film raked in $80.4 million, including $67.7 million from SPRI territories and $12.7 million from territories in which MGM is distributing. The premiere attended by eminent Nigerians had in attendance Mr. Cosmos Jr. Maduka, Executive Director, Cosharis Land Rover/Jaguar, Mr. Chris Maskell, Director, United Kingdom Trade Investment, Mrs. Ufoma Umukoro, GM, Cosharis Land Rover/Jaguar, Mrs. Clementine Vervelde, wife of Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, and Mr. Guy MurrayBruce, Vice President, Silverbird Group. Others were Mr. Paschal Dozie, Chairman, MTN/ Founder, Diamond Bank, Mrs Bolanle Austin-Peters, MD/ CEO, Terrakulture, Mr. Franco Maria Maggi, marketing Director,

NB Plc, Mr. Kufre’s Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser, NB Plc, Mr. Edem Vindah, Corporate Media/ Brand PR Manager, NB Plc, Mr. Kelvin Orifa, Experienced Market Segment Manager, MTN, star actress, Omotola JaladeEkeinde, Ms Mo Abudu, MD/ CEO, EbonyLife, Ms Rosana George-Hart, GM, Silverbird Film Distribution, and actor Joseph Benjamin.

•James bond

I’m pr oud ttoo be a beauty proud queen —Mimi Orjiekwe By Chris Onuoha

•Mimi Orjiekwe

ollywood actress and Face of Nigeria Angelz, Mimi Orjiekwe is a beauty to behold any day. The actress was in high spirit when she relinquished her crown to her successor at this year’s edition of Face of Nigeria Angelz Beauty pageant which held recently in Lagos. Speaking at the glamorous event, Mimi expressed excitement, noting that “being a beauty queen is something she is always

proud of.” Expressing what it feels good to be a beauty queen, she said, “It is not easy to win a beauty pageant. Many girls want to be part of it but the very best always emerge a winner. I am proud to be the first winner of the pageant and it has given me energy to move into places I have not been before. It has also created opportunities and open doors for me to engage in many things like setting up my pet project which is geared towards giving back to society.” “The pageant is an annual event. I am relinquishing my crown to the next queen who will continue from where I stopped. "

Omoni Oboli and hubby on 3rd honeymoon?

T looks as if actress Omoni Oboli and her husband are renewing their matrimonial vows by jetting off to Canada on a possible third honeymoon, 15 years after they tied the knots. The couple since last week has been celebrating their 15 years of steadfastness, love and commitment to each other. Renewing their vows was the first step in a complete new start for Omoni and Nnamdi and now, they want to cement their union by spending some time away from home on a romantic third honeymoon. The last time the couple jetted out of the country was in 2010, when they celebrated their tenth year anniversary. And this time

around, the couple are in the beautiful city of Nova Scotia, Elmsdale, Canada, professing love to each other. Omoni posted a photo of her and Nnamdi on her Instagram account with the caption,” The leading man, 15 years later, he’s still smitten.” Nnamdi took to his Facebook page to announce the release of a book titled ‘Marriage For Better For Us’ and it dwells on marriage. They are blessed with three handsome boys. Their marriage is like one that was made in heaven.

28 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

What actin characters my life — Chi

•Explains why he grabbed Anita

BY TOFARATI IGE

opular Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu, often acts the role of a wicked man in movies. And his depictions are so real that many fans believe that is his real character. In this chat with Showtime Celebrity, he explains that the negative reaction of fans towards his wicked roles is what actually led him into acting comic roles. Excerpts…

ou seem to have an affinity for comedies; why is that? I wouldn’t call it affinity. Years ago, I found out that most of the scripts that were brought to me didn’t have comic relief; I was always given roles of a wicked man and I got to understand that most of my fans were not pleased with it. Some of them felt it was something real, and the consequence was that whenever I stepped out in public, I was caught in embarrassing situations. I then decided to be infusing comic relief even when I’m playing wicked characters because I’m a veteran screen writer. In the early 80s, we were operating in NTA Enugu, which was formerly Anambra Television Channel 50, so the talent is there, and I combined it with the wicked roles they were giving me. The result is that when you are watching me play a wicked role, you will still have cause to laugh, and ease your tension. In fact, I have achieved a lot by doing that.

•Chiwetalu Agu C M Y K

Can you share instances when fans reacted to you with the belief that you’re a wicked man? They have done daring things. Some of their actions look like attacks, but with my experience as an entertainer, I will say I saw all that coming, so I was able to manage all of them very well. But one day, while I was on Onitsha ‘Head Bridge’ on my way to Asaba, there was this traffic snarl that made us come out of the

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 29

ng wicked s did to

iwetalu Agu

a Joseph’s boobs in a film car. One fan came to hail me and slap me on the shoulder in the course of appraising my unique style of acting. Some other persons cautioned him, and he fired back by saying, ‘Don’t you know this man is my all-in-all? He makes me happy; whenever I’m not happy, I just slot in his movie, and I become happy.’ That was an embarrassing incident, but I saw it coming because that was the period I was playing evil diabolical roles. However, I also touch lives, because sometimes when we shoot movies, it’s like we’re telling some people’s life story. You know, talking about what happens in various families where wicked uncles deal with their nephews and things like that. But like I said

By the grace of God, when we take off, I’m going to be playing roles such as a true man of God, a romantic figure, and other characters that people haven’t really seen me portray

earlier, I thank God that I have found a way of getting people to laugh at the same time they watch me play wicked roles. Is there any role you would love to play that you’ve not had the opportunity to? I am planning my own production outfit, and the name of my company is Chukwuwetalu Films. By the grace of God, when we take off, I’m going to be playing roles such as a true man of God, a romantic figure, and other characters that people haven’t really seen me portray. My fan clubs all over the world will then have the opportunity to see me doing well in those areas. Some people say that Nigerian actors are not properly trained; what do you have to say about that? We can’t do without film schools. There should be regular workshops where actors will be trained and retrained because all we have been doing mostly came from no background. But I will still commend our people because without a solid background, they have been able to prove their mettle, and I know that everything is going to improve in terms of acting when these schools start working and people go there on regular basis to get trained. It will help the industry grow better. Recently, a picture of you grabbing the boobs of an actress, Anita Joseph, on a movie set went viral; what really happened? They are my daughters. It was a story, and we were playing our roles. Maybe you didn’t have time to watch that movie to understand what was going on. The main character in that movie was Ini Edo who was rascally, and more of a tom-boy. If she fought with my daughters, she would defeat them, so I did everything to prepare strong grounds for them to overpower her, but it wasn’t possible. So I said since that failed, let’s look for another way to prepare them to live their lives, so that any suitor who sees them will fall in love and marry them. That way, they will be useful since they failed in fighting a common enemy. The scene that went viral was where I was dressing them up for a burial ceremony that was coming up where I expected men to see them, and to find them attractive enough to take as wives. You know women’s bust plays a very big role in attracting any man who comes as a suitor, but people who wanted sensation made the picture go viral to sell their media. If I tell you now that I help some children in the motherless baby’s home, it may not be as sensational as when they say that I raped a minor.

But how does your wife react to scenes like that? If I have up to one million fans, my wife will be number one. The greatest joy she derives is watching me act; no matter how negative the role is, because she is the only person that knows me better than anyone else since we live together. She knows how gentle and wonderful I am. She also knows how philanthropic I am because I always love to help humanity. So when she sees me in those kinds of scenes, she knows I’m just acting. Each time I churn out a catch-phrase, byline or slogan, she laughs so hard that even the person who is one mile away will hear the sound. She doesn’t find anything I do in films embarrassing at all; the reverse is the case. You mean she even tells you to do it better if she feels it’s not good enough? Yes, she chips in her own advice on how to make my acting more comical. She knows I’m a very strong comic character; comedy is in my nature, and that is the first thing that makes her happy that I’m her husband. There are some husbands that always have hard countenances, and their wives fear them, but I’m not like that. As far as I’m concerned, she is my biggest fan. Is any of your children taking after you? My second son is comical in nature. At times, he goes out of his way to wear women’s dress to make caricature out of some ideas. Then my first son; each time I return from anywhere, he greets me with the slogan of my last movie he watched. One of my daughters is a fashion designer, and whenever she dresses herself up, she looks more attractive and fashionable than any other girl of her age. The creative nature runs in the family and I’m sure that when they all come out of school, they are going to fit into my company because it’s going to be a conglomerate by God’s grace, producing many titles, including comedy, tragedy, and many others. I’m also going to be involved in distributing directly to houses and offices. So you encourage them to take it serious? Why not? Their school fees come from what I’m doing, their feeding, and everything about their welfare comes from this. They have shown the flair already; all I have to do is encourage them. How do you intend to surmount piracy with your company? I believe that the biggest problem in the industry is piracy. About five years ago, I went to NIPOST in course of carrying out a survey on how to make marketing work and beat piracy. I bought a book called post codes from NIPOST, and it contains all the street codes and numbers in Nigeria. After that, I went to the National Population Commission (NPC), Abuja, to get two of their books which contained records ending 2006. When I start my company, my subscribers, who will be up to 50million, will be paying into a designated account. Whenever anybody pays, the official vehicles of my company, will deliver the consignment either to the person’s house or office wherever they are in the country. The movies will not be sold on the open market, so if you see it in the open market, everybody will know it’s a pirated copy. C M Y K

30—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 By BENJAMIN NJOKU njokujamin@yahoo.com

I’d like plastic surgery to make my boobs smaller” — Waje S

oul Diva, Waje, is open to the idea of having plastic surgery on her breasts, but not the one you have in mind. The singer recently revealed that rather than breast enhancement surgery, she would like to have breast reduction surgery. She made the revelation on this week’s episode of MTV Base Word On The Street with VJ Stephanie while responding to a question from Twitter user @kazzang, “Would you ever consider plastic surgery?” Clarifying why she would like to have breast reduction instead of enlargement, she jokingly remarked to an amused Stephanie,”As me and you are sitting down here, don’t you like that they are seeing your face? Do you

•Waje

want me to cover the screen?” In the course of the show, Waje also answered questions about her relationship status and whether she was actually naked in the video of her song “I Wish”. Responding to a question from Twitter user

@thirsttrapping, “Are you currently dating anyone?” she responded “The answer is I’m not sure it is their business.” After some pressure from Stephanie including the question, “What would the lie be?” she eventually conceded, “The lie would be no.”

Tekno, other otherss light up Dream Alive Concer Concertt

Shun cultism, I Go Dye tells Ayingba students at Glo Laf Lafffta Fes Festt By AYO ONIKOYI Residents of Ayingba community in Kogi State have expressed gratitude to Globacom for bringing its popular comedy show, Glo Laffta Fest, to the town.The show which was held on Thursday at the Kogi State University attracted an unprecedented crowd as the normally quiet community is not used to hosting events of that magnitude. I go Dye, Acapella, Klint D Drunk, Reekado Banks, Burna Boy and a host of other local acts like OC Green, Jeezzy and Mareez wowed the audience with scintillating performances and lots of gift items from Globacom. Just as the comedic and music acts were strumming the hearts of the students,Basketmouth who anchored the show would not let go with his rib-cracking jokes and recounted his days in university. I Go Dye in one of his jokes, admonished students to eschew•DJ cultism and violence as Cuppy it will only lead to destruction. He joked about so-called cultists who claim to be brave C M Y K

but scamper to safety when crises arise because they don’t wish to lose their lives. Some of the guests who were at the show praised Globacom for deeming it fit to stage such a classy show in their school in spite of its distant location. A 300 level student of Banking and Finance, Faith Egbunu, couldn’t hide her joy and pleasure. She expressed gratitude to Globacom in an emotion laden voice. “I can’t believe this is real. We’ve never had such a show in this school since I got

admission and seeing these stars in Ayingba is like a dream to me. Kudos to Globacom”, she said. A non-academic staff

of Kogi State University, Jane Adikpa, said “when we heard that the show would be held in this school, we initially thought it was a big joke because such things never happen here. Globacom is the first to organize a show here”. The Glory Laffta Fest train will move to Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State on Sunday, November 8.

By Kehinde Ajose

enin came alive on Saturday 24th of October 2015 when the 3rd edition of Dream Alive Concert with Pikolo held .The concert was the grand finale of the annual talent hunt show. The event was held at Hexagon, GRA Benin. Music stars like Tekno, RNA and a host of others thrilled the crowd with their exciting performances and engaging dance steps. The climax of the event was when the winners of the competition were announced. Having held rigorous auditions, winners were picked from music, comedy and dance categories. According to the organizer of the event, Honorable

Daniel Eromosele: “I am persuaded that Dream Alive with Pikolo is way bigger than any one individual, including the convener. The vision is gigantic and the work is huge. This project is a product of teamwork .I will not fail to express my profound gratitude to the Governor of the State, Comrade Adams Aliu Oshiomhole for his fatherly support and encouragement. The Governor made a platform available when he appointed me Senior Special Assistant on Arts and Culture. I am also deeply grateful to all the commissioners, past and serving, who thought it wise to throw in their support simply because they are convinced this noble initiative, holds a tremendous promise. “

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 31

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32—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

08 1 1 6759 759 081 6759759

Biker feared he was 'going A t o die' af aftt er being impaled ods thr ough nec on rrods through neckk bbyy ir iron

motorcyclist says he's "lucky to be alive" after he was speared through the neck by two iron rods in a freak accident. Hamar Singh Rajput was riding through Rajasthan, India, when he lost control of his bike which rammed into the back of a truck carrying building materials. The 26-year-old crashed into the iron rods dangling off the back of the truck. In a horrifying moment, two 3ftlong metal poles impaled Hamar through his neck, piercing his skin and emerging out of the middle section of his back. And he's relived his terrifying ordeal, telling how he thought he was going to die. Hamar said: "Two rods pierced into my neck as I

Hell hath no fury like a hammer-wielding wife scorned

ideo of a woman smashing a BMW worth hundreds of thousands of pounds while shocked bystanders watched on has recently emerged in China. The woman, who remains unidentified, claimed that her husband had been inside the car with his mistress and therefore made it 'dirty', reported People's Daily Online. She spent 20 minutes smashing up the car in Shenzhen, southern China, with a hammer while a witness filmed the carnage. According to reports, the incident took place around 6pm local time on October 19. A woman started taking a hammer to a black BMW 740, which is estimated to be worth about 2 million Yuan (£200,000). It is thought the car was in a parking facility outside the husband's work place. Witnesses claim that when a security guard tried to stop the woman from destroying the car, she was heard saying: 'This is my car, it's none of your business.' She continued her tirade: 'This car is too dirty, a car that's used by a whore is too dirty.' At one point, she was even reported saying: 'Who's going to open the bonnet for me? I want to smash the inside.' In the video footage taken by a witness, the woman was seen methodically smash-

ing the car from the windscreen to the side of the car with a hammer. Dents appeared all over the bodywork and several windows and lights were smashed. Several people stood by and watched as the alarm on the car sounded. The woman even cut her hand on the glass but continued her assault. The destruction went on for some 20 minutes before she eventually left the scene. Her husband, described as a businessman, reportedly said: 'Let her smash it. I can just get it repaired.' It is thought he recently started living with his mistress, which led to his wife's behaviour. Footage of the incident later appeared online where it became a trending topic on Weibo, China's equivalent of Twitter. Many Chinese web users commented that if the woman didn't want the car, she could give it to them. Police was notified of the incident but it's not clear whether the woman will be charged.

rammed into the truck. "I could feel that something had badly injured me. "But then I felt the rods in my neck and the the feeling of death overtook me." "It happened in a fraction of a second and I could not understand how I could not control the bike," he continued. "I thought I was going to die any moment." Witnesses said Rajput was found lying in a pool of blood, screaming for help. He was rushed to the nearby hospital by locals, where doctors were astonished to still see him conscious. Dr Manish Chhaparwal said: "The impact of the crash was so severe that the iron rods had rammed through his neck and came out from his back. "We thought there was

sobbing robber was left beg ging for his 'Daddy' after at tempting to attack a woman unaware she was a martial arts champion. Would-be mugger Wesley Sousa de Araujo was the one pleading for the police after Monique Bastos took him down with a jiu-jitsu move. She then trapped his head in between her legs, locking his neck in a 'lion killer choke' until the cops finally turned up. Araujo and another man had earlier approached Ms Bastos and another woman on a street in Acailandia, western Brazil. Ms Bastos, who has six professional MMA fights on her record, pounced after the men cornered the women on a motorbike and demanded they hand over their mobile phones. The fighter, 23, later told how she took Araujo to ground in a 'rear-naked choke' before locking him in a 'triangle choke' for 20 minutes until police arrived. The 'lion killer' is a choke hold in Brazilian jiu-jitsu where the attacker wraps his arm around his opponent's neck, placing the crook of his elbow on his trachea. In the video filmed on an onlooker's mobile phone, Arauju is heard screaming out for

little hope of saving him. "We were amazed that he was still in his senses and managed to sit up. He was talking all the while." Rajput was immediately taken in for surgery and after a three-hour operation, the iron rods were successfully removed from his neck. Dr Chhaparwal said: "Sometimes in such accidents, more damage can be caused once the foreign object is removed from the body." "It was a miracle that the rods had not cut through any major blood vessels," he continued. "All the vital parts remained untouched despite such a huge crash impact." Rajput, who works as a construction worker, is now recuperating at home. He said: " The doctors showed me my pictures while the rods were in my neck. "I think I am lucky to be alive."

Humiliated robber is trapped in a leg lock ...

help as Ms Bastos holds him in the lock and applies pressure on his neck. He shouts: 'Daddy, daddy, call the police, daddy. Help Jesus. I swear, it was the first time I've ever done this. Help, Lord, somebody help me. 'Where's my mum?' Araujo was taken to the local police station, where he denied trying to rob the women, according to reports.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 33

History beckons Enyimba •Ikhana

Stories by JOHN EGBOKHAN

ould this be the year that Enyimba will win the Nigerian League title for a record seventh time? Or better still, is tomorrow going to be the day that the only Nigerian side to have won the prestigious CAF Champions League twice will ink their name in Nigerian football history by winning an unprecedented seventh domestic title? The answer to these posers will be known tomorrow evening after the conclusion of week 37 games of the Nigeria Professional Football League, with the likelihood of a new team other than Kano Pillars, who have dominated the landscape in the last three years, being crowned champions of the 2014-2015 season. Fittingly and rather tellingly, Enyimba will be crowned champions if they beat Warri Wolves tomorrow at the Enyimba International Stadium in Aba. It has been a season of unending twists and turns, upsets, low points, high points, suspense and riveting football drama, with the probability of more twists and turns happening with just two round of matches to play for all the teams. But nothing is guaranteed for any side yet, with the possibility of Enyimba, with 68 points, conceding the title to Warri Wolves, who have 62 C M Y K

points and need to win their last two matches and hope Enyimba lose their final two games. But it would amount to football suicide for Enyimba to lose two games in a roll right at the death This is surely not the right time for a side bidding to emerge Nigeria’s all-time best to give away initiative to their closest rivals on title haul, Rangers International of Enugu. Of course, Rangers are seen as Enyimba’s eternal rivals and the sight of the latter pulling away from their eastern brothers, with a title tomorrow, will surely make their rivals go green with envy. But Enyimba have been knocking on the door of a seventh title for a long time, losing by just a point to Kano Pillars last year and catching up with the pacesetters this season, Sunshine Stars at the turn of the second stanza and never releasing

their stranglehold till accomplishing their ultimate ambition. For a side who first tasted league success in 2001 and further conquests in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2010, winning the title tomorrow will mark a watershed in their history and put them up there as the undisputed kings of Nigerian football, only trailed by Rangers, whose six titles were won in 1974, 1975, 1977, 1981, 1982 and 1984 Remarkably, while Enyimba are on the cusp of history with their seventh title in sight, Rangers, who started enjoying the fruits of league dividends in the early ’70s, are battling to break into the top ten, as their current 46 points can only take them as far as the 12th position on •Udorji the table. Interestingly, the third team with the most league titles under their belt, Shooting Stars, winners in 1976, 1980, 1983, 1995 and 1998 are also nowhere near Enyimba as they presently have 52 points to stay ninth on the log. The statistics stack up in Enyimba’s favour even more when compared with Heartland, with five titles won in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990 and 1993 and Kano Pillars, with four titles, gotten in 2008, 2012, 2013 and 2014. Both sides are lagging behind the Aba Elephants, in the seventh and eight positions respectively and may miss out on a ticket to play in the CAF Confederation Cup next season. Indeed, this has been season to remember for Enyimba, with Coach Kadiri Ikhana insisting that seventh title win this weekend will mark a

•Udoh

watershed in the club’s history. “Our only ad just reward for such a consistent performance this season is the title and I hope and pray that our aim to enter the record books in Nigeria will become a reality tomorrow. It will mark a watershed for the club and I am proud of accomplishments”, said Ikhana, who guided Enyimba to their first Champions League trophy in 2013.

Sharks fans to ge gett free jer se ys fr om jerse seys from Eunisell O

fficial shirt sponsors of Sharks, Eunisell Limited is set to give out jerseys to supporters of the club who come out to cheer the blue angels in tomorrow’s home game against Kwara United. Communications Manager of Eunisell, Mr Kunmi Balogun said the company had concluded plans to give out free jerseys to all supporters of the team who show up at the stadium. He said “we hope this will encourage fans of Sharks to come out in their thousands to cheer the team to victory in their penultimate game against Kwara United. The season is almost ending and there is no better way to wrap it up than having a stadium filled with supporters, singing in angelic voices to encourage the Blue Angels. That is the sort of participation we want for our league” Sharks and Kwara United both battling to escape relegation will face each other in what is a must-win for Sharks should they remain in the NPFL following the deduction of three points from their accrued points this season by the LMC over their action during the game against Nasarawa United last week”

34 — SATURDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Rona up on death

“

e was screaming at me: ‘Cristiano! Make the right decisions! Cristiano decision making!’”

ristiano Ronaldo flashes his pearly whites as he recalls the bellowed words of Sir Alex Ferguson, the man who he calls his “father in football” and his great teacher. Sport has asked the Portuguese superstar which lessons still resonate inside his head. “Oh, many things,” he replies in near perfect English. “When you’re a young player, you don’t understand decision making properly: when to take a touch, when to dribble. He taught me the basics that took me to where I am today. I remember that in the beginning – they always say I didn’t do the decision making great. So he taught me how to do this. “I feel proud that he pushed me so hard. One of his best qualities is that he pushed players when they needed it – and in that period of time, I needed it. I needed him – and Roy Keane too, our captain – always screaming to me: ‘Cristiano! Pass the ball!’ But it was good! At the end of the day, I feel happy, because I learned a lot from them.” It was 12 years ago this year that Cristiano Ronaldo, a Sporting Lisbon teenager with spaghetti in his hair, ran amok against Manchester United in a pre-season friendly. Keane himself recalls it in his autobiography: “He was up against John O’Shea. Sheasy ended up seeing the doctor at half-time because he was actually having dizzy spells.” Since that day, the dizzying rise to the top has continued. The move to Manchester United; seasons of improvement into becoming one of the club’s best ever players; an £80m transfer to Real Madrid; becoming this famous club’s record goalscorer in just over six seasons. Yet that doesn’t mean everything in Ronaldo’s life is perfect. Arrogance and vanity We’re in Madrid talking to the 30year-old around the release of a documentary, Ronaldo, put together by a team of acclaimed filmmakers who were given behind-the-scenes access for a year. Early on, we hear Ronaldo say that he’s aware that some people view him as “arrogant” and “vain”. Does he feel misunderstood? “It is what it is. I cannot complain. If you worry a lot about what everyone is thinking, you’re not going to live your life. Of course I try to do the right things, to be an example… but after that, you have to live your life. Nobody is in my shoes. They don’t know me. They don’t live the way I live, they don’t train when I’m training, they don’t go play and [have] people boo. The easy way is to criticise. But I’ve played sports as a professional for 13 years. I’m used to it like that.” Laid bare, his words hint at bitterness, but his delivery in person is breezily matter-of-fact. Many footballers are wary and monosyllabic

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•Ronaldo

Ronaldo lost his father José to an alcohol related liver condition when Cristiano was just 20

in interview settings – perhaps fearing how their words will be twisted or cowering under the glare of a cabal of PR people. Yet Ronaldo is animated and engaging, shifting around on a hotel sofa with child-like energy. It’s almost disappointing. Sport was semi-hoping for the scowling prima donna who smacks the turf after he fails to score (even if a team-mate just has). The film covers the start of 2014 to the beginning of this year, bookended by Ronaldo winning his second, and then third, Ballon d’Or awards. It’s obvious how much both successes mean to him, yet this is fuel for critics who claim that, if there’s a flaw in this superlative footballer, it’s that he’s too much of an individualist. The question is why – for a player who’s won the Champions League with two different clubs, plus every major domestic trophy in both England and Spain – does a voted-for award matter so much? “To be recognised as the best player in the world is fantastic – but it’s not the most important thing,” he replies. “For me, the most important thing is to be at a level, year by year. This is the challenge for me. This is the most difficult thing. And people who understand football, they recognise that. “Of course if you win [team] trophies, it’s better. But I feel good, I win things both individual and collective – but of course I want more. I expect to play another five, six years – and I want more and more. This is something that I love.” World Cup woes The film is not, however, a slavish account of Ronaldo’s triumphs. It also includes Portugal’s World Cup campaign, in which their number seven, labouring with a knee injury, is unable to lift his country out of the group stage – scoring just once, against Ghana. The agony of disappointment is writ large on his face, but it’s someone else’s pain that makes for the documentary’s most emotive scene. Ronaldo is extremely close to his mother, Dolores. At one point, while watching her son play against the USA in a World Cup game on TV in Madeira, she gets up mid-match and leaves her sitting room in distress to

SATURDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 35

aldo opens n father’s h, Messi

•Messi

If you worry a lot about what everyone is thinking, you’re not gonna live your life

•Ronaldo Mother

•Ronaldo Father

wander alone down a deserted suburban street. The anxiety of seeing it is simply too much. “It’s very, very complicated,” Ronaldo says of how it makes him feel. “When you feel your family and your friends are more emotional, more nervous than you, it makes me feel a bit nervous too. They should be more relaxed than me, but sometimes it’s the opposite. “But they live so intense the sport and my life, that it’s part of it. Especially my mum. My daddy died ten years ago, and I don’t want my mum to die in the next five or ten years. I want that she can live. So I try to make her calm: ‘Relax, it’s football – it’s not life.’ But it’s hard, because she lives so intense. So intense, all the time. She saw the game, she’s nervous… [sighs] and it’s hard.” Ronaldo lost his father José to an alcohol related liver condition when

Cristiano was just 20. “He drank every day,” says the player openly. Not having his father around to see and share in his achievements – and not to know him as a man now – is a regret that Ronaldo shares in the film. Yet, in other ways, he remains an opaque figure; wandering around his glass mansion like some improbably chiselled aftershave advert come to life. Some of his confessions – “I consider myself an isolated person” – chime with the view of him as an ultracompetitive individualist. Someone singular and obsessive in his pursuit of perfection. What he has quite clearly is a genuinely close and loving bond with his scene-stealing son, Cristiano Junior (naturally). The little tyke enjoys funtime activities with Pops, including ‘work out which car has gone missing from our gigantic garage’ (turns out it’s not the Porsche, it’s not the Roller – it’s the Lambo). A game we can all recall playing with our own fathers. Then there’s the fun of press-ups with Dad, trips to the Ballon d’Or ceremony and – yes – bumping into one Lionel Messi. Well, we got this far without mentioning him. Yet Ronaldo is at pains to point out that, despite what you may have heard, he has a perfectly cordial relationship with Barcelona’s own resident genius. No Messi situation “It’s normal,” he says of the press speculation that the rivalry between them is of a deeply personal nature.

“It’s to sell papers – and for the media it’s great to say that. But on the one side, while it’s very normal, on the other side… I don’t know why they do it. Because my relationship with him is good. “In the past eight years, we are on the stage together all the time – and I never, ever, had a problem with him. He’s a fantastic professional, a fantastic player. It’s just the press making that story. But it’s normal.” It might be “normal” for the world’s two best footballers, playing in equivalent positions for Spain’s best teams and fiercest rivals, to be constantly compared. But it seems odd how divisive an issues it is; that you have to choose between the two – that somehow a compliment given to one is seen as a slight on the other. Especially when – it seems obvious to point out – they’re both superb. In terms of sheer consistency alone – of never seeming to have a season ‘off’ – they’re two of the greatest players club football has ever seen. Both are worth enjoying while they’re here, because we’ll be boring our grandchildren with tales of their exploits. Not that Ronaldo is finished yet. “Why not?” he says when we ask him if we’ll see him back in the Premier League again. “In football, you never know what will happen tomorrow. I feel great here – it’s a fantastic club – but tomorrow, I don’t know. People know I love Manchester United. It’s great there – they support me a lot… I’m very good here at

Madrid, but in the future: nobody knows. Let’s see what’s going to happen.” With that, we have time for just one more question. Because he’s been part of his own documentary, Sport wonders, which current sporting figure would he himself like to sit down and watch a feature-length film about? It’s a question that briefly stumps him. Not because he can’t think of any, but because there are too many names to consider. “Football players, basketball, athletes – I follow a lot of them. All the guys I like are at the top level. For example, I watched the [2015 World Championships] athletics – the qualification. I saw Usain Bolt win, then Justin Gatlin did – and I loved it! I couldn’t wait to see the final. I like sport, I like other sports – so it’s a hard question for me to answer.” So Sport departs, struggling slightly to reconcile the petulant player with the bright, cheery chap we’ve encountered. Usain Bolt’s name has just come up, but it’s another great runner’s words that resonate in our head. Michael Johnson once told us that the reason he looked so surly on the track before a race was because he tried smiling once – and he finished second. “Laser focus” was required for him to be at his optimum. “I needed to be in a nasty attitude, really – a little bit pissed off,” he explained. “That’s where I needed to be, but that may not work for everyone.” Perhaps Ronaldo is the same. That intensity might be what he needs to carry on to the pitch to squeeze the absolute maximum out of his astonishing talent. Whatever he’s doing, it works. It might have taken him a while to master decision making – but most of the choices Cristiano Ronaldo makes seem to work out pretty well for him now.

..This interview appears in the current edition of Sport magazine. C M Y K

36—SA TURD AY 36—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, NO VEMBER 7, 2015 NOVEMBER

(Text Only)

•

The Deep Knee Bend Technique: et on your knees with the feet quite wide behind you. Firstly, lower your body down till your buttocks rest on the floor. Then bending slightly to the left, place down your left elbow then right elbow and gently ease your back flat down on the floor. Spread out your hands by your sides. Breathe deeply and slowly as you retain the posture for 5 to 15 seconds.

eep The D

Knee

Bend

Tone up at home The Plough Technique: ie flat on your back, take a deep breath and swing both legs backwards such that the toes touch the floor with the chin pressing against the chest. If you can't manage that it will do to let the legs hang some distance to the floor. In fact, you may even

use a chair, resting the feet on it. Once you assume the plough posture, your breathing should be normal. You may retain the pose for 10 seconds. Then bend the knees and gently roll down flat onto the floor. Benefits: his posture relieves and removes various diseases and complications off the back, spine and shoulders as well as pains in the stomach and elbows The spinal nerves are stimulated and

Benefits: he Deep Knee Bend tones the quadriceps (the front thigh muscles) and burns fat in the thighs. It lubricates the ankle and knee joints.

better blood circulation is effected to the abdominal orgains, the spinal column, the back and the back of the neck. It relieves tension from the cervical (upper back) and shoulder regions. Excess fat from the abdomen, thighs and nips are also reduced. On the mental front, it relieves insomnia and restless sleep. It enchances physical and mental relaxation.

•Th

lo eP

ugh

Yoga Classes @ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, Victoria Island Lagos. 9.00am — 10.00am on Saturdays

Raised Body Pose

•Raised Body Pose C M Y K

Technique: Lie face down with the hands straight ahead of you. Keep the legs also straight behind you. Inhale deeply and raise the hands, chest, and legs off the floor. Breathe normally in this position for 5 to 7 seconds. Rest and repeat. Benefits: The Raised Body Pose strengthens the entire musculature. Practiced regularly, it enhances vitality.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—37

Shock in England as pair signs out property empire to prostitute, loses in court ‘Imposter’: ‘Saudi princess’ Sara Al Amoudi (pictured left) has won the right to keep a £14million property empire – despite claims she is really a prostitute who invented her royal identity

Outside court: Miss Al Amoudi, who claims to be a strict Muslim, is pictured wearing her veil C M Y K

‘Saudi princess’ has won the right to keep a £14million property empire – despite claims she is really a prostitute who invented her royal identity. Sara Al Amoudi, who claims she is the 33year-old daughter of a Saudi billionaire, is being pursued by Ian Paton and Amanda Clutterbuck, who say she duped them into signing over six flats in London’s West End and should be forced to hand them back. But the Court of Appeal has rejected the couple’s plea, saying the continuing mystery about her identity – including claims she is an African illegal immigrant – is irrelevant to their case. A judge said there was no evidence Miss Al Amoudi used her ‘ royal’ identity to persuade Mr Paton – who she says was her secret lover – and Miss Clutterbuck to sign over the flats, and refused to give them leave to appeal against a ruling made last year that said she could keep the properties. Miss Al Amoudi, allegedly an illegal immigrant from Ethiopia, is now free to sell or rent the multimillion-pound flats. The Home Office has refused to comment on her case, but there has been no sign of her being deported, despite the question marks over her origins. Miss Al Amoudi – who in court denied being a prostitute or a bogus princess – said Mr Paton used the flats to repay millions she had lent him out of suitcases stuffed with cash she was sent from Saudi Arabia. Regarding her identity, she had previously said she fled a threatened stoning to death in her homeland after finding love in Britain in 2001. She also said she had once been a childbride of the Saudi king, and in court hearings asked to be allowed to shield her face with a veil, saying she was a strict Muslim. But last week’s hearing was told her story

was actually a pack of lies. It was claimed her Saudi birth certificate was a fake, and that she is really a 45year-old Ethiopian called Lina Abdullahi Idris. The Saudi billionaire she claims is her father has already publicly denied being any relation. The court was told that before beginning her princess ‘act’, Miss Al Amoudi was a cocaine-using prostitute who was once caught in the bedroom of a wealthy client by his enraged wife. After seeing a photograph of her wearing a revealing dress in the Daily Mail, Fatima Raidi gave evidence that the ‘Muslim princess’ was really a vice girl.

Miss Clutterbuck and Mr Paton’s barrister, Stephen Auld QC, told the court: ‘Almost the entirety of the defendant’s story was not true. ‘Miss Raidi says she found the defendant in a hotel room with her husband in circumstances not consistent with her being a devout Muslim and member of the Saudi royal family.’ And the court heard that former hire car driver Kevin Beard had given a statement in which he told of driving Miss Al Amoudi and two friends around when they were escorts for up to five years. Mr Auld said: ‘He told of drunkenness, cocaine, and what the three women appeared to be involved in ... The evidence is that the “princess” was quite literally an imposter.’ However Miss Al Amoudi’s lawyers largely ignored the claims, arguing they were irrelevant to the case. Rejecting the appeal application, Lord Justice Andrew Longmore noted the original judge’s finding that ‘the exact identity of Miss Al Amoudi remains unknown’, but agreed with the defence. Miss Clutterbuck and Mr Paton now face court costs approaching £1.5million.

Culled from DailyMail

A judge said there was no evidence Miss Al Amoudi used her ‘royal’ identity to persuade the couple to sign over the flats. Miss Al Amoudi’s property portfolio includes one in Hans Crescent, Knight

38—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Diet Doctor

dded sugar is the single worst ingredient in the modern diet. It can have harmful effects on metabolism and contribute to all sorts of diseases. The evidence is mounting that sugar, not fat, may be one of the leading drivers of heart disease via the harmful effects of fructose on metabolism. Studies show that large amounts of fructose can raise triglycerides, raise blood glucose and insulin levels and increase abdominal obesity, in as little as 10 weeks. Here are some more reasons why added sugar is a bad idea.

Reasons why sugar destroys your health sugar are at a much higher risk of getting cancer. Insulin is one of the key hormones in regulating this sort of growth. For this reason, many scientists believe that having constantly elevated insulin levels can contribute to cancer. The metabolic problems associated with sugar consumption are a known driver of inflammation, another potential cause of cancer. . Highly addictive Sugar can be addictive for a lot of people. Like abusive drugs, sugar causes a release of dopamine in the reward centre of the brain. The problem with sugar and many junk foods is that they can cause massive dopamine release, much more than from foods found in nature. For this reason, people who have a susceptibility to addiction can become strongly addicted to sugar and other junk foods.

Empty calories Added sugars (like sucrose and high fructose corn syrup) contain calories with no essential nutrients. They are called “empty” calories. There are no proteins, essential vitamins or minerals in sugar, just pure energy. When people eat up to 10-20 percent of calories as sugar, this can become a major problem and contribute to nutrient deficiencies. Sugar is also very bad for the teeth, because it provides easily digestible energy for the bad bacteria in the mouth. It also causes tooth decay by feeding the harmful bacteria in the mouth. Overloads the liver Before sugar enters the bloodstream from the digestive tract; it is broken down into glucose and fructose. Glucose is found in every living cell. If not obtained from the diet, the body produces it. But the body does not produce fructose in any significant amount and there is no physiological need for it. It can only be broken down by the liver in any significant amount. This is not a problem if a little is ingested (such as from fruit) or after an exercise session. In this case, the fructose will be turned into glycogen and stored in the liver. Eating a lot of fructose overloads the liver, forcing it to turn the fructose into fat. When repeatedly eating large amounts of sugar, this

•Sugar can cause abdominal obesity, in as little as 10 weeks... process can lead to fatty liver and all sorts of serious problems. Liver disease When fructose gets turned into fat in the liver, it is converted into cholesterol, and some of the fat gets lodged in the liver. This can lead to NonAlcoholic Fatty Liver Disease— a growing problem in Western countries that is strongly associated with metabolic diseases. Insulin resistance Many studies show that sugar consumption is associated with insulin resistance, especially when it is consumed in large amounts. Insulin is an important hormone in the body that allows glucose to enter cells from the bloodstream and tells the cells to start burning glucose instead of fat. Having too much glucose in the blood is highly toxic and one of the reasons for complications of diabetes, like blindness. One feature of the metabolic dysfunction that is caused by the Western diet, is that insulin stops working as it

should. The cells become “resistant” to it. This is a leading driver of many diseases… including metabolic syndrome, obesity, cardiovascular disease and especially type 2 diabetes. When people eat a lot of sugar, it can cause resistance to the hormone insulin, which can contribute to many diseases. Type 2 diabetes Given that sugar can cause insulin resistance, it is not surprising to see that people who drink sugar—sweetened beverages have up to an 83 percent higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. Because of the harmful effects of sugar on the function of insulin, it is a leading driver of type II diabetes. Cancer There is considerable evidence that sugar, due to its harmful effects on metabolism, can contribute to cancer. Multiple studies show that people who eat a lot of

Obesity

Having too much glucose in the blood is highly toxic and one of the reasons for complications of diabetes, like blindness

One of the most important things to do if you need to lose weight is to significantly cut back on sugar consumption. The way sugar affects hormones and the brain is a recipe for fat gain disaster. It leads to decreased satiety, and can get people addicted so that they lose control over their consumption. Not surprisingly, people who consume the most sugar are by far the most likely to become overweight or obese. This applies to all age groups.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—39

Vanguard, SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2015 —41

Typically male

Common health mistakes men make

EN are more prone to health mistakes than women, yet are more likely than women to ignore a medical problem. Men have higher levels of heart-harming LDL cholesterol. They’re also more likely to have high blood pressure before age 45, and they have a higher risk of heart disease before age 60. Men always find reasons not to see the doctor and consistently misperceive their level of risk. Such misperception can allow serious ailments to go undetected. Even when something’s clearly wrong, men sometimes endure the pain. Here are : Avoiding medical checks A man is twice as likely as a woman are to say he has not seen a doctor in the past year. Men also lag behind women in visits to their dentists. For women, the annual gynaecological examination becomes routine and just part of being a woman, but there is no corollary for men. See your doctor at least once yearly. Mental health Of people with major depression, women are nearly

lthough uncommon, men can get a yeast infection by having unprotected sex with a woman with candida vaginitis. Men can get yeast infections, too, which can lead to a condition known as balanitis — inflammation of the head of the penis. It usually appears as small white spots, redness, or a dry, peeling rash on the penis accompanied by itching, irritation, or burning. Men who have not been circumcised are at an increased risk. Hello Viewden, I got Xzen 1200 from you sometimes last year alongside Sexvoltz which worked perfectly well for me in giving very hard erection. Do you still have them and can I use them alongside the Gingko tea since they are good and safe for diabetic patient of which im one? Chief Agbi Yes Chief, Sexvoltz and Xzen 1200 when taken alongside Gingko tea is very effective in giving very hard erection for men who are either diabetic or hypertensive and the Gingko tea also helps lower the blood sugar and stabilize blood pressure. Thanks for the eye massager i got from you last week. The cessant headaches I get when I close from work has virtually stopped and im even recommending it to some of my friends. Read in one of your article where you mentioned about the foot massager Therapy and the Blood circulatory massager, please could you

30s. No matter the age, a man should take care of his heart. Regular heart checks are non-negotiable.

much harder to spot— and treat.

Going with the flow How many times have you gone to the gents Ignoring the snore today? If you go more About half the men who than eight times a day snore have obstructive •Unlike men, or more than twice at sleep apnea, a disorder that women are more night, it could be more can make you stop likely to talk than a nuisance. It breathing for a few about their could be a sign of a seconds. It’s also linked to emotional medical problem like heart disease and high problems an enlarged prostate, blood pressure. overactive bladder or even some forms of Refusing help for cancer. Talk to the impotence doctor. Men need to know that bedroom problems have Not being diet nothing to do with conscious masculinity. The main Men are not in the cause of impotence is usually a lack of blood flow habit of eating enough fruits and vegetables to the male external sex during the day. Women organ. This can also be a are more likely than sign of heart trouble. Put men to eat two or more pride aside and see the three times as likely as men to seek notice a mole changing colour, fruits a day and three doctor. professional help. Unlike men, size, or texture. or more vegetables a Drinking away the blues women are more likely to talk about day. Doctors suggest More women than men their emotional problems, while men Thinking you can’t have a four to five servings of get depressed, but it’s far are socialized to be stoic and avoid heart attack each for a heart-healthy from being a “female showing weakness. Men also may be A heart attack is something diet. Eating fruits and problem”, yet millions of less likely to recognize behaviours most men worry about for their vegetables also lowers men who have don’t seek like anger and irritability as signs of father or grandfather. But the the odds of a stroke, help. As a result, more men underlying depression. threat is often there for much turn to drugs and alcohol to cancer, or digestive younger men. If heart disease problems. And it keeps help them feel better. This Ignoring skin health runs in the family, it could just makes depression that blood sugar in check. find the man as early as his

SEXUAL ISSUES AND SOLUTIONS

Skin cancer is one of men’s most common cancers yet men take most risks and show less care for their skin. See a doctor if you

INFECTIONS AND SEX: YEAST INFECTION IN MEN (I) explain what their functions are and if I can also get these from you? Joan The eye massager is good in enhancing blood circulation around the eyes ad revitalizing the optic nerves to restore seeing capability, giving you a clear and sharp vision. The Blood Circulatory massager increases blood circulation and boost the immune system. It helps patients recover from sickness and accidents by strengthening the bones. They are also used to fight muscle pains, stroke, kidney disease etc. and helps dispels tension and stress and to improve mental health. I’m presently using Vigrx plus and plump cream to increase the size of my penis, but I must say that the increase I’m noticing is very small compared to what I’d anticipated. Can I change to another penis enlarger? Or what do you advice? Kayode I don’t know how long you have been on Vigrx plus with Plump cream, but I’m glad that you noticed an increase, just that it’s not as much as you’d wanted. For any penis enlarger supplement or product, you have to say on the product for at least 4 to 6months, making sure you are using it religiously not missing or taking a short break within the duration of usage and I’m sure you’ll get a very good result if you follow the instructions accordingly. Im a diabetic man with very poor erection, but since I have been using Prosolution with Gingko tea, my erection has improved and I also notice that

the level of my blood sugar has relatively gone down and I’m so happy about this. I heard you have gotten the Liver Comfort tea, please what does it do? Can I also take it alongside Gingko tea? Barr Omeiri Prosolution with gingko tea is very effective in handling erectile dysfunction especially in men with diabetes or hypertension. The liver comfort tea help reduce cholesterol and blood sugar by softening the blood vessels. It regulates vital energy, clears heat and toxins and thereby protecting the liver. The Liver comfort tea can be taken alongside gingko tea as they are complimentary. Im starting to notice increase and firmness in my butt. I want to know if the product Isosensual Curve Butt cream is still available as at the last time I called, it wasn’t available and I’m about finishing the first bottle – Sade Yes, the Isosensual curve butt cream is very effective in increase both the hips and butt and yes is now available and you can place your order anytime. These are all we can take for today. Adults who needs any of these aphrodisiacs can call us on 08034666358, 07059294782 or place your orders at www.viewden.com . For further enquiries, send us an email at vieweden@yahoo.com, viewden@ymail.com Kemi Fawole (MD)

40—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

y’s humanitarian Cadbury’s Yaba Lions Club installs Ejiof or as president Cadbur Ejiofor drive

L-R: Dr Tunji Abayomi , chairman of occasion , Lion Ladi Awotinde immediate past president of the club, Lion B Olaitan, past district Gov , Prof Charles O Uwadie and Mr Sam Omatseye, guest speaker.

he International Association of Lions Clubs District 404 A1 Nigeria Yaba Lions Club officially presented Lion Joe Ejiofor as its president for 2015/ 2016 Lionistic year. Also presented were other club officials for the Lionistic year. Lion Ejiofor took over from Lion Ladi Awotinde. Photos by Sola Oyelese

IN continuation of their Global Employee Volunteering Month of Service, Mr. Roy Naaman, Managing Director,Cadbury Nigeria,led other employees on Friday 30th of October,2015 to the Vocational Training Centre of the Nigeria Society for the Blind (VTCNSB) Oshodi Lagos, a voluntary non-governmental and non-profit organization. During the visit, the company interacted with management and students of the Centre, carried out cleaning of classrooms, in addition to donating food and household items.

L-R: Mrs. Fola Akande, Mr. Chris Imaralu ,Mrs. Christiana Kehinde Akinrinmade, a visually impaired student, Mr. Roy Naaman, MD, Cadbury Nigeria, Asiwaju Fola Osibo, Mr. Bala Yesufu, and Engr. Omoniyi Okin.

Lion and Mrs Ladi Awotinde, presenting the new president, Joe Ejiofor

L-R: Lion Joe Ejiofor, new president of the club, Lion Ladi Awotinde, immediate past president of the Club, Dr Tunji Abayomi, chairman of the occasion and Lion Olaitan, past District Gov

Memorial thanksgiving for Uwandi L-R; Mr. Ogunsiji, Principal, VTSNSB, Mr. Bala L-R:Lion Bolaji Risiji, Mr Tunji Awogbade and Lion Joe Ejiofo, new president, and wife.

emembrance thanksgiving service held recently to mark 10th year remembrance of Late Andrew Uwandi who died in the ill-fated Bellview air crash on October 22nd2005 at the St. Mark’s Anglican Church, Ubulu-Uku .

Sun edit or celebrat es editor celebrates daughter @ 1

Yesufu, Mr. Roy Naaman,, Mr. Chris Imaralu, Asiwaju Fola Osibo and Mr. Segun Dosunmu,

Apostle Oluyemi mar ks bir thda marks birthda thdayy APOSTLE J.S. Oluyemi, founder of Good Success and Peace Ministry, upper Gaa Akanbi,Ilorin celebrated his birthday recently with members of his ministry as well as the family.

EDITOR, Daily SUN, Onuoha Ukeh, and wife, Sandra, celebrated with their daughter, Precious Angel, during her one year birthday anniversary in Lagos, October 31, 2015

from right; Mrs. Ibili Veronica, Mrs. Ekene Andrew Uwandi and a family member

Editor, Daily SUN, Onuoha Ukeh, wife and From left; Mrs. Ibili Veronica, Mrs. Ekene Andrew Uwandi, Chuks Uwandi and Fidelix Uwandi daughte, Precious Angel , on her firt birthday

The Picture of Apostle J.S. Oluyemi,founder of Good Success and Peace Ministry with his wife,Pastor Mrs Grace Oluyemi.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—41

juliecoker100@yahoo.com

Should I leave or stick around? Aunty Julie, My boyfriend and I have been together for a year and almost 2 months. We have had many problems in the past. But now he talks to another girl who was always flirting with him and he usually flirts back. The thing is that both of us are big flirts by nature. She used to be my friend but she goes around from guy to guy a lot and she has always had her eye on my guy. She pisses me off. But they are like best friends. I’m not sure if I should be jealous and make a big deal about it. That’s just one of the problems. Also recently we have been fooling around (we don’t have sex) but I let him go down on me and we have been naked on his bed and I also let him finger me but he has never really pushed me into sex with him or anything. But it scares me because what if when we do have sex, he leaves me? This is the first guy I have ever been so serious with. I don’t want to have sex but I’m still scared. And because she is in the picture, I’m not sure if I should ignore my thoughts and just go with my feelings or just drop it and leave him. The third is our age difference. This hasn’t been a problem yet but I’m 17 and he’s 32. It makes me wonder, can our age change things between us? Alice, Bayelsa Dear Alice, You’re indeed wondering about lots of things. The bottom line is that

no one can tell you what to do because only you know the full picture and any decision has to be yours. Flirting as you say can just be playing around that isn’t serious. We can flirt just for fun but as you describe, sometimes it doesn’t feel like fun for girls (or boyfriends) who are watching and wondering. Only you can decide whether to be bothered about it or to talk to them about it. You do need to decide about being sexual or not though. It’s good you are feeling you don’t want sex yet because you are still young and probably under the legal age of consent . It sounds like you are also worried about having sex and then finding the relationship might not survive. But it’s good your boyfriend isn’t pushing you to go

The age difference is a funny thing. It means different things to different people at different ages and varies between guys and girls further. The age difference is a funny thing. It means different things to different people at different ages and varies between guys and girls . You have been together for quite a while and so, it sounds like the age difference hasn’t been a problem so far. So what do you want to do? Maybe write out some of your thoughts and worries to get them out of your head. Sometimes when we’re bothered by something, that feeling is telling us something we need to face or do. But our imaginations or worries can sometimes just play games with us. Only you can decide.

My ex-boyfriend sexually harassed me Dear Julie, My ex boyfriend sexually harassed me and I’m scared to go back to school because my ex boyfriend who sexually harassed me will be there. I’ve told my parents and a few close friends. I’m so confused and scared. Delia, Edo Dear Delia, It’s indeed bad to hear what you have been through and the impact it is having on you going back to school. You have a right to feel safe at school and it is understandable that having to see someone who has already abused your rights

when you were in a relationship would make you uncomfortable. Well done for speaking up about this issue, it can be a difficult thing to talk about. I hope that working together with the support of your friends and parents, you will be able to develop some ways of feeling better at school and managing the times where you do happen to see your ex-boyfriend. You have taken an important step by speaking to others about this and, with their support and your own strength, I feel confident that you can get through this challenge too.

I’m afraid of leaving my girlfriend after sleeping with her Dear Aunty Julie, I’m a good guy and I have conscience. I’m also aware that every sexual relationship must not end in marriage. But I hate to hurt a girl I’ve been to bed with. I’m afraid of leaving my girlfriend based on the fact that we slept together. I was her first, she wasn’t my first and she seems to be incredibly emotionally attached to me. Considering that she is religious, although our sex was fully consensual, I am still afraid of what her stance could be if I broke up with her. I don’t want her to hate me and I don’t want her to be too upset although that is very likely to happen considering. How do I approach this situation? I’m 26 and she’s 21. Pedro, Lagos Dear Pedro, It does get tricky when sex enters the picture, such as a partner getting too attached and thinking you’re together for life. But in the end, you can’t stay in a relationship

because of your fears of hurting her feelings or of her telling people. Have you made a decision that it is over from your point of view? Or are you worrying about how to tell her when it’s time? If you are enjoying the relationship and protecting her from pregnancy, just

let things run their course. You are both young and not likely to be ready to settle down yet. We do have an obligation to be honest and gentle to a partner. As you say, you don’t want to hurt her. There is no easy way to say a relationship is over.

C O C K - T A L E S Would you marry again ? A husband and wife were golfing when suddenly the woman asked, “Honey, if I died would you get married again?” The man said, “No dear.” The woman said, “I’m sure you would.” So the man said, “Okay, I would” Then the woman asked, “Would you let her sleep in our bed?” And the man replied, “Ya, I guess so.” Then the woman asked, “Would you let her use my golf clubs?” And the man replied, “No, she’s left handed. Still pretty When the husband was lying the wife removed his glasses. “You know, honey,” she said sweetly, “Without your glasses you look like the same handsome young man I married.” “Honey,” he replied with a grin, “Without my glasses, you still look pretty good too!”

We keep breaking up and patching up Aunty Julie, My boyfriend and I have been together for about four years now. Since we’ve been together, he has cheated on me about five times now and every time I always take him back. It’s definitely hard to trust him but I know for a fact that I want to be married to him. He’s telling me that he is trying to change but I’m scared of making a mistake by giving him all my trust and then getting my heart broken, like recently. I need your advice and I need clarification on if I made a mistake by getting back with him multiple times. And should I put my trust in him again?

AY, Ibadan Dear AY, You really need to end things with this guy. He has cheated on you FIVE TIMES! He clearly doesn’t love or respect you and his behaviour has shown you that he can’t be trusted. I wonder why you want to be married to someone who can treat you this way. Do you feel like you don’t deserve any better? Or maybe you think that he is the only one who would want to be with you? Normally when women want to be with partners who treat them badly, it’s because they feel so bad about themselves that they will take any “love” that they can get, even if it comes with emotional abuse and a lack of respect, like your boyfriend has shown you. If you are still young, you do not need to make decisions yet about who you want to marry. You still have so much to learn about yourself and what you want in life. You deserve to be with someone who loves and accepts you for who you are, and who you can trust completely. Your boyfriend does none of these things and is not worth your love. You can do a lot better than this guy.

He thinks I’m cheating on him Aunty Julie, My boyfriend complains and sometimes gets upset that my vagina is looser than other times. He thinks I’m cheating, but I’m not. I lost my virginity to him when I was 19 and we are planning to get married when I graduate from the University. Now, I’m 22 and we are still an item and this problem is surfacing. What’s going on? Ibukun, Ibadan Dear Ibukun, A woman’s vagina is less elastic when it is not sexually aroused. It becomes more elastic or “looser” when the woman is sexually excited. The more excited, the looser. A woman may feel “tighter” to a man when she is less aroused, less comfortable, and having less pleasure than her partner. Hormonal shifts during a woman’s menstrual cycle affect vaginal secretions and may affect vaginal elasticity. She may feel “looser” on certain days of her cycle than on others. Certain drugs, such as antihistamines or marijuana, may make the walls of the vagina feel dry so they seem “tighter.” A woman’s vagina may feel tighter or looser in different positions for intercourse. Some men tend to be anxious about their sexual performance. Some have an exaggerated sense of jealousy. It’s always best to discuss such problems with a partner or with a professional. But some men may put the blame on their partners because they are unable to recognize their own insecurities.

42—SA TURD AY 42—SATURD TURDA

Vanguard, NO VEMBER 7 NOVEMBER 7,, 2015

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

Some of us men could be crude - Reader “I am 46 years old”, writes Jubril, “happily married with a family and an avid reader of your column. I wish to disagree with the fact that infidelity is bad for marriage. For 20 years, I have strayed from the straight and narrow quite a few times, and had some wonderful experience. I worship the ground my

wife walks on and she’s given me smashing children, but her sexual appetite doesn’t match mine. The point of my letter is not to relate my extra-marital affairs, but to put forward my opinions of life. I’m not a super-stud, but I’ve discovered that most women like their

men to start by just being considerate and gentle, perhaps a compliment, a kiss or a loving cuddle, a stroke of the hand on the back of her neck or very light stroking of her boobs through the clothes will evoke a better response than jumping on her in the ‘whambam’ manner.

“From what a lot of my associates tell me, some of us men could be crude,’ never complementing a girl on the way she looks and dresses. They sometimes don’t even bother to kiss their women with restrained passion or murmuring endearment in their ears. Instead they grab at their prey’s tits like a thief

with his band through the Cashier’s till! “Please, let your readers be aware that whether you’re a hunk or a whimp all you need to be a winner with your woman is to let her know that, for the period she’s with you, she is the centre of your life”. - Gbolade.

The clothes you wear could be dangerous to your health

o you suffer from a cricked neck, aching back or noisy knees? If you do, don’t immediately blame your office chair or an overenthusiastic gym session— it could be down to the clothes you wear. Tight trousers and pencil skirts can damage muscles and joints as much as high heels and heavy bags, leaving you in pain. Below, a renowned chiropractor, Tim Hutchful, highlights the worst wardrobe offenders: Pencil skirt: The problem with straight-sided, slimfitted skirts is that they clamp your knees together, making it difficult to balance and bend. Squatting to pick something up from a lower drawer or shelf becomes too difficult too. The best way to crouch safely is to bend the knees. But in a pencil skirt, your movement is limited. Over time, the damage and strain can become cumulative—you might not feel anything straight away, but if you wear tight skirts regularly, you could be setting yourself up for a pulled muscles or even disc problems. Heavy necklace: The muscles, tendons and joints of the neck struggle to cope with the strain of balancing the l01b to 121b weight of the average head (equivalent to five bags of sugar) all day, so adding a heavy necklace can tip the balance. Any thing that pulls the neck forwards of backwards tips the head away from its point of neutral balance. This can create neck tension, pain and damage, and long-term could encourage a slouched posture with damaging consequences for the back. Girdle: If it’s not too tight,

If you wear tight skirts regularly, you could be setting yourself up for a pulled muscles or even disc problems

and contains plenty of Lycra, support underwear can have a surprisingly beneficial effects because it can act like the compression clothing that top athletes wear to improve performance by increasing blood and lymphatic flow. However, wedge yourself into something too constricting and you could be in trouble. Not only will shape-wear

restrict breathing but, if it is tight enough to limit movement in the middle of your body, it will put abnormal loads on parts of the spine. If you restrict movement in one part of the spine, something has to compensate. This can trigger pain and ultimately damage the upper or lower back. High heeIs: Wearing high

Ill-fitted bra: A large bust needs more support than can usually be offered by a pretty, lacy bra. The thin straps of a fashion bra can put too much pressure on the shoulders. Try to find bras with thick straps for everyday use and wear racer-back sports bra whenever possible to spread the strain across your shoulders.

Oversized bags: We’ve all known the danger of lugging a huge bag on one shoulder; but the VictoriaBeckham-inspired trend of ‘displaying’ your designer purchase in the crook of your forearm could not be worse. This one-sided weight-lifting can increase the risk of muscle strain and pain in the neck, shoulders and upper back heels too often can be bad for —and can even trigger your feet and bad for your tension headaches. back. As well as triggering Carrying a large bag over hammer toes and bunions, your shoulder is no better, heels can cause the calf particularly if you always muscles to shorten, which can use the same shoulder. lead to circulation problems, Don’t overfill your bag (do knee damage and back pain. you need a litre of water?), To minimise damage, keep hold it by the handle, or high-heel time short - wear over one shoulder? trainers when walking to and switching sides regularly. from work and stick to a small Skinny jeans: Jeans that heel when possible. Also, grip tightly around the alternate your shoe wardrobe, waist, hips, thighs and wearing different shoes (and calves can make a normal heel heights) every day. walking action impossible. Halter-neck top: A halterIf you are not able to take neck bra, bikini, or tightly bouncing stride, you lose fitted top can pull the neck the shock-absorbing forward particularly if the qualities of a natural walk. strap around your neck has to This can create undue support a large or heavy bust. pressure in the joints. The strain on your neck will Wearing a tight belt could create muscle tension and exacerbate the problem, can pull you in to a highly triggering leg pain. And damaging form of posture don’t sit for long periods called ‘anterior carriage’ with your phone in your where the neck sticks back pockets, the forwards on the body, with imbalance caused by the shoulders rounded and having one buttock higher slumped. This is a common than the other could cause cause of neck, upper back back and hip pain. and shoulder pain.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—43

YETUNDE AREBI Yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk tweeterhandle@yetundearebi 08054700825

Women who tend to carcass

hough an uncle, I’d never liked his knowledgeable and skilled in the art of seduction and lifestyle. So, for many years, I’ve watched sexual manipulations and/or juju, plus, she already him from afar, not really interested in had a child to fend for with Uncle Rufus’s available having a close relationship with him. money. Here is a man whom God had blessed So, she stuck to him like glue and soon took over with almost everything needed to live a moderately control of his home. Uncle Rufus was already living in good and happy life but who with his own hands had his own house by this time, so, they had something ruined things for himself. Uncle Rufus had left the worthwhile to fight themselves over. Nigerian Army when I grew up to know him. When two elephants fight, the grass suffers, the According to the story, his mother never liked the idea saying goes. Uncle Rufus soon became their target. of him serving in any of the forces, typical of most They fought for his attention and love with all within Yoruba mothers way back in the ’60s and ’70s. So, on their reach and the effect of this battle would later take his return, he’d had a brief stint as a pools (soccer its toll on Uncle’s health and life. Wife number two betting) agent, then luck shone on him and, along finally suffered defeat and left. By then, the whole with a friend, he formed a clearing and forwarding family knew that the duo will either sink or sail company. He was a hardworking young man and the together, for Mama Kofo had come to stay. She business was good. He soon began to have more reigned supreme, along with her three children, which money than he needed to tend to his young family. included her first from her previous relationship. He His group of friends began to expand and so did his was sent to study in London right after his secondary desire for partying, drinking and others categorised school education and he never returned to Nigeria as I ‘good things of life’. People naturally flocked around write. His younger brother followed suit after his him and he was known to be very generous. Then education too, leaving only Kofo and their mother typical of fame and fortune, came behind. The two have also women. They beckoned to him become regular visitors to from all angles; those who simply Every woman desires London, never once wanted a piece of the cake and the invitation to where they can build a extending move on to other conquests, as poor Uncle Rufus who was well as the greedy, covetous ones nest of their own, and many would the architect of the London on the quest for permanent stakes of their family. not mind scattering, damaging or branch in the budding social cake. Our prayer is that good It was therefore no surprise that even destroying existing nests times should last for all of the allure of the women began to just to build theirs, if they can. us, but God did not grant take him away from his family. Rufus this prayer. As The onus rests on a responsible Uncle Eventually, one of the women the years rolled by, so did married man to protect his wife proved smarter than others. She his fortunes roll down. Soon, strategised herself for conception and children from the his company, which he now and subsequently became wife owned alone began to do claws of the eagles number two. Shortly after, poorly. His friends began to tragedy struck; the first wife diminish in number and so became so ill that she was eventually evacuated by did his women, partying and good life. He started her family who insisted that the other woman was staying home more often and one could see that old responsible for the strange illness. They announced age had began creeping in on him quicker than that every spiritualist they visited had advised them ordained. to take her away from her matrimonial home, if they Then, one day, news broke that Mama Kofo had needed her alive. Initially, Uncle Rufus who did not packed out of the house! Why? She had told some believe any of the nonsense spiritual revelations members of the family that she was tired of Uncle’s insisted that they could not take his three children excesses and needed some peace. But who was with her, but he later relented and thus, his first wife disturbing her? Uncle was done with women now, left the scene. Unfortunately, the reign of the strange especially as he did not even have the means to pursue woman did not last too long. After two children, she them any longer. Was this not the time for her to sit was booted out by a more sophisticated and back and enjoy him exclusively to herself? But she desperate wife number three. Being her second had some terrible revelations about their years marriage, she was perhaps, more experienced, more together. She informed those who cared to listen how C M Y K

she’d covered up for him financially for several years! How he never appreciated her love but would bring his women home to disturb her! How he often beat her up when she complained about his lifestyle! Interesting! Like me, many found this very hilarious. Who is she to complain about his lifestyle when it was the main attraction that got her hooked to him in the first instance? The truth was obvious, Mama Kofo was done with Uncle. He had served his purpose in her life. She’d built her own house and her children were all adults, able to fend for themselves. So, there was no need for her to continue to spend her precious time and energy on a spent man. She was still young and attractive and could still enjoy her life with a measure of male attention too. All the revelations were mere excuses to move on with her life. But then, who do we blame but my Uncle who set himself up to be scammed by the woman. After all, who will refuse a beautiful gift offered free on a platter of gold? Every woman desires a life of pleasure and leisure if available. Every woman desires where they can build a nest of their own, and many would not mind scattering, damaging or even destroying existing nests just to build theirs, if they can. The onus rests on a responsible married man to protect his wife and children from the claws of the eagles. Uncle Rufus soon became a ‘yesterday man’ with no money, no cars, and only memories of a once pleasurable life. After a brief illness which left him depressed, he was advised to look for a means of generating income from home as he could no longer afford to go out in search of a livelihood. A public tap was installed outside his compound, and he began selling water to his neighbours. One can only imagine what his life would be, with no one to cook or care for him. He now lived at the mercy of the neighbours whose children ran errands for him, and the young local belles who sometimes helped quench his sexual needs according to his financial capacity. My Uncle was finally grounded by his unmanaged lustful desires, deserted by the frivolities of life that he invested in and devoted his youthful and productive years to. When the news broke over Christmas last year at a family function that Mummy Deola, Uncle Rufus estranged first wife had returned to him, I was one of the many who refused to believe it. Why would she want to return after 20 plus years to a man who had wreaked such havoc on her life? A man who had allowed himself to get carried away by the pleasures of the flesh; a man who exposed her to the bitter, harsh world of emotional competition and rivalry, a man who rather than protect her and her children, exposed them to a cold world full of betrayal and treachery; a man who abandoned her at her moment of need. Why come back now that he is down and out with nothing to offer her but the carcass of his old self? Why should she be the one to clean up the mess that has been left behind by those who used and dumped him? These and many more questions have continued to bug my mind every time I remember Uncle Rufus and Mummy Deola’s case. He took ill again a few weeks back and I was forced to pay him a visit after he left the hospital. He’d had a massive stroke and lost use of half of his body, almost incapable of doing anything by himself. I watched as the poor old lady tended to him, caring

for him diligently and I was awed. Mummy Deola had informed my mother that she still loved Uncle Rufus despite all his shortcomings and their many years of separation. To her, that the women all deserted him when his fortune changed is a confirmation that they all never loved him but wanted to get a cut from the social welfare that he had turned himself into at the time. She described her husband as a good and peace loving man who only wanted to be nice to all who crossed his path but simply missed his way through the influence of evil company. Really? I have since summed up that Mummy Deola must be a very kind and magnanimous woman. Not many women would readily sacrifice their freedom and peace of mind to tend to the carcass of men who maltreated and betrayed them in their youth. Of what use is this husband to her now that he can’t care for himself or even raise the ‘bloody thing’ up? She might have forgiven him, but surely, there will be moments when she would remember the hurt, pain and humiliation she went through all those years back; more so, in a society where women are accorded little or no respect when they suffer failed marriages. How does she feel at those moments, what does she do at those moments? Hmm! I doubt if I can be Mummy Deola. Can you? Please let’s share views and experiences on this issue. Do have a wonderful weekend!

44—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Chummy-Chummy lawmakers The Senate and the House of Representatives have multiplied their committees reportedly for the purpose of political exigency. But how it benefits the country is another thing. BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, Political Editor

day after the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki constituted the Senate’s committees, making all but one senator, chairman or vicechairman of the bloated 65 committees, the senators again closed down the Senate to show solidarity with Saraki in his case at the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The only senator that turned down a committee position was the immediate past Senate President, Senator David Mark, whose stance was understandable, and was in line with the tradition of former Senate Presidents not taking committee positions. Up to 80 senators, normally more than the average number of attendees at Senate proceedings allegedly showed solidarity with the Senate President when he appeared at the tribunal last Thursday. The solidarity with the Senate President was reflective of the conviviality that had been buried by the recent political bickering that characterised the screening of Rotimi Amaechi as a minister. Senator Isa Misau from Bauchi State who was appointed chairman of the Committee on Navy was effusive in his praises of the Senate President a day after

the announcement saying: "He has shown that he is a detribalised Nigerian. He has shown us also that his leadership in the Senate is for everybody irrespective of political, ethnic and religious affiliations and I think we should commend him for that."

part of the executive especially given the claim that the substantive committees suffocated subcommittees of the House. However, tangible defence for the multiplication of the committees was hard to come by and especially not from the crowd of critical stakeholders of the legislature. In the Senate, the superfluity of positions was manifest in the fact that some committee chairmen were also appointed vice-chairmen and some who

Remarkably, Senator Saraki also almost fully compensated his staunch loyalists with Dino Melaye getting the Committee on FCT, Danjuma Goje, Appropriation and Peter Nwaoboshi getting the Committee on Niger Delta. However, the use of committees as a sop for political exigency is not anything new. Senator Anyim Pius Anyim as Senate President used it effectively, and at that time all senators were appointed chairmen and vice-chairmen with the committee chairmen and vice-chairmen. In the Anyim Senate, senators were supposedly funded through the committee system. In ensuring that 64 of his colleagues are chairmen, the Senate President has inevitably won to himself the loyalty of a sizeable number of committee chairmen to defend him in the event of an uprising. The situation in the Nigeria’s National Assembly is quite different from that in the United States where committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives are limited to 20 in each House.

In reconstituting the committee system of the Senate, the new Senate leadership increased the number of committees in the 109 Senate from 56 to 65 inevitably, making it that every senator The situation in the Nigeria’s with the National Assembly is quite different notable exception from that in the United States where of Senator

committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives are limited to 20 in each House

Mark is either a committee chairman or a vicechairman. A similar development also occurred in the House of Representatives where committees were increased to 95. Though given the number of members in the House, the system of patronage in the House was not enough to ensure that all members got the opportunity of being a chairman or deputy chairman. A senior official in the House in defending the increase of the committees to 95 explained that it was made to ensure a complete coverage of every

did not get from the abundance of committee chairmanship positions were appointed vicechairmen of two committees. Senator Saraki’s deft deployment of committee positions was seen in the seeming satisfaction of his antagonists with Senator Ahmad Lawan being appointed the chairman of the Committee on Defence, Senator George Akume the chairman of Committee on Army, and Barnabas Gemade, chairman of the Committee on Housing.

Both the US Senate and the House have, however, made their work easier by appointing sub-committees with the House having a maximum of five subcommittees while the Senate has an unlimited number of subcommittees it could create. Instead of creating the subcommittee system in Nigeria to allow for efficiency and coordination in their dealings with the executive arm of government, the National Assembly has opted to multiply standing committees a situation that creates confusion and duplicates the job of ministers and senior administration officials. In the Senate, for example, the minister of defence would have to defend the ministry’s budget separately before the committees on Defence, Army, Air Force, and Navy. The minister of petroleum on his part would be expected to appear before the committees on Gas, Upstream Petroleum and Downstream Petroleum for the defence of the budget of the ministry. Indeed, there were in-

stances in the when it was alleged that separate committees of the Senate took turns to repeatedly summoning a beautiful female minister and it did not take long before Senate correspondents started muttering that the female minister was being summoned because of her beauty.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—45

SENATE STANDING COMMITTEES:

Saraki displays arithmetic skills BY HENRY UMORU

ENATE President, Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday unveiled the list of chairmen and vice chairmen of 65 standing committees. In an apparent move to further consolidate his grip on the Senate, Saraki might have walked through the labyrinthine intrigues plaguing the upper chamber of the national Assembly to come up

with names which received a minority opposition from former Senate President, David Mark. Saraki had earlier set up a total of five special committees including, Rules and Business with Senator Babjjide Omoworare as Chairman, Senate Services with Senator Ibrahim Gobir as Chairman, and Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions with Senator Samuel Anyanwu as Chairman. The Public Accounts Committee has Senator Andy Uba as Chairman while Senator Shaaba Lafiagi heads the National Security and Intelligence Committee. Given what is considered the volatile nature of leadership of the committees, a cautious Saraki had before unveiling the list, embarked on a subtle campaign, pleading with his colleagues to work together even as he warned that that the strength of their oversight functions will contribute immensely to the success of the present administration in the course of the next four years. The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senators had earlier resolved to push for adherence to Rule 3(2.iv) of the Senate Standings Orders 2015 as amended which emphasizes the nation’s geopolitical spread in allocation of committees. According to the provision, “the appointment of Senators as Chairmen and members of committees shall be carried out in such a manner to reflect the six geo-political zones of the country and there shall be no predominance of Senators from a few geo-political zones” A breakdown of the list shows that the North-Central has 13 chairmen of committees including Saraki who also chairs the Committee on

Selection, the North-East has 11 chairmen of committees, North-West and South-West have 11 each while SouthEast and South-South has 10 chairmen each. There are 41 committees being chaired by Senators from the majority All Progressives Congress (APC) while the PDP has 24 Senators chairing various committees. Some of the PDP Senators also chair some of the socalled juicy which include the Public Accounts Committee with Andy Uba as Chairman, Duro Samuel Faseyi (Public Accounts), Uche Ekwunife (Air Force), John Owan Enoh (Finance), George Sekibo (Interior), Ben Murray Bruce (Privatization), and Olaka Johnson Nwogu (Environment), among others. Some of the new and nonranking Senators also got chairmanship and vice chairmanship positions of committees while others will serve in some other committees in line with section 95 (1) which stipulates that membership of all committees shall not be less than nine and not more than 13

It is believed that Saraki increased the number of committees from 57 to 65 to accommodate his loyalists and those who fought him

Senators with a Senator not serving in more than three committees and no committee chairman shall serve in more than two other committees. On the whole, the list reflects 68 per cent for the APC and 49 percent for the PDP while members of the Unity Group believed to be antiSaraki head some of the committees with Senator Ahmed Lawan in Defence, Senator George Akume (Army), Adamu Abdullahi (Agriculture), Barnabas Gemade ( Housing), Oluremi Tinubu (Women Affairs), Olugbenga Ashafa (Land Transport), Bayero Nafada (Inter- Parliamentary Affairs), Abu Ibrahim (Police Affairs), Kabir Marafa, (National Identity and National Population), Rabiu Kwankaso (National Planning and Economic Affairs), among others. It is believed that Saraki increased the number of committees from 57 to 65 to accommodate his loyalists and those who fought him. Some of them were compensated with chairmanship positions like the former governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje, who got the

chairmanship position of the Appropriation Committee, Dino Melaye (FCT), Shaaba Lafiagi (National Security and intelligence), Andy Uba (Public Accounts) and Rafiu Adebayo (Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions), among others. Prior to the emergence of Saraki as President of the Senate on June 9, two groups had emerged, one was Senators of Like Minds which was proSaraki and the other group and the pro-Ahmed Lawan group, Senators Unity Forum (SUF). Lawan had showed interest in the position of Senate President and he was the candidate of the APC. In what appears to be a move to assuage his perceived opponents, the Ahmed Lawan group got 13 chairmanship positions including those of Defence, Police Affairs, National Planning, Housing and Women Affairs. Chairmen of the committees are, Matthew Uroghide (Culture and Tourism), Sam Egwu (Industry), David Umaru (Judiciary, Human Rights and

•Senate President,Bukola Saraki

Legal Matters), Salihu Hussein Egye (Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs), Lanre Tejousho (Health), Abubakar Kyari (INEC), Bayero Usman Nafada (InterParliamentary Affairs), Shehu Sani (Local and Foreign Debts), Isiaka Adeleke (Capital Market), Rose Oko ( Diaspora and Civil Societies), Buka Abba Ibrahim (Ecology and Climate Change), Munsurat Sunmonu (Foreign Affairs), Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Media and Public Affairs), Buhari Abdulfatai (ICT and Cybercrime), Abdulsalami Ohiare (Public Procurement), Mao Ohuabunwa (Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases), Joshua Dariye (Solid Minerals), Murtala Nyako (Special Duties), Abdullahi Gumel (States and Local Governments), Obinna Joseph Ogba (Health), Binta Masi Garba (Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND), Donald Omotayo Alaosaodura (Upstream Petroleum), Mohammed Ubali Shittu (Water Resources) and Ali Wakili (Poverty Alleviation and Social Welfare). Senators Hope Uzodinma, Gibert Nnaji and Robert Ajayi Boroffice retained the chairmanship positions of Aviation, Communications and Science and Technology respectively which they occupied during the 7th Senate.

Apparently due to the provision of Section 95 (4) which stipulates that no member of the Committee of Selection shall be a Committee Chairman, principal officers got vice chairmanship positions. They are, Bala Ibn Na’allah, Vice Chairman, Committee on Ethics and Privileges and Aviation, Francis Alimikhena is Vice Chairman, Housing, Godswill Akpbabio, Vice Chairman, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Emmanuel Bwacha is Vice Chairman, Committee on Water Resources, Philip Aduda, Vice Chairman, Land Transport and Olusola Adeyeye, Vice

Chairman, Primary Health Care and Communicable Diseases. Wirth Lawan, Kwakwanso, Oluremi Tinubu, Abu Ibrahim, Abdulahi Adamu, Gbenga Ashafa, Kabiru Marafa, Shehu Sani, heading various committees, and Senators Mustapha Bukar; Umaru ibrahim Kurfi, Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC, Kaduna North) , among others, as vice Chairmen of some of the committees, is it likely that the Unity Group will now bury the hatchet and settle down for real legislative business? The conduct and proceedings on the floor of the Senate during its subsequent sittings will tell.

46—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Afenifere: Why Fasoranti bowed to pressure BY ISHOLA BALOGUN

he apprehension that greeted the resignation of the National Leader of the Pan-Yoruba group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, and the relief that followed the backtracking three days after, would continue to generate reactions. To so many people the whole development leaves so much to be desired. While some close watchers, said it was a good development, indicative of a smart and intelligent way of mending fences, others opined that it suggested a house falling by installments, a signal that something was clearly amiss and if not urgently addressed, might decimate what remains of the socio-political group. Why did Pa Fasoranti resign in the first place and why did the disciplined and principled man change his mind three days after? Some of the reasons Pa Fasoranti put forward were that it was difficult for members to work in unity He said in his resignation letter, “As events have been unfolding in the past few years, the focus and goals of the founding fathers of our great organization ‘Afenifere’ were gradually

eroded.” He lamented that the erosion of the common focus and goals of the organisation equally made it difficult for members to work in unity. “Several efforts were made to ensure the actualization of the Afenifere goals, but it appeared that we have not succeeded in achieving this,” he lamented. A source hinted Saturday Vanguard that the recent outburst of the some of the Yoruba leaders over the Fulani herdsmen was one of the major reasons the octogenarian decided to step aside. Recall that shortly after the kidnapping of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae and invasion of his farmland, the Summit of Yoruba Elders in Ibadan, Oyo State, threatened to reconsider Yoruba’s membership of the Nigerian federation, harping on “National insecurity and the Menace of Fulani Herdsmen in Yorubaland.” Commenting on the development, a source who was visibly angry at the development said: “They were supposed to condemn kidnapping or any act of criminality by any individual in the country and in any part of

Nigeria and not to give a threat of secession because it was carried out by Fulani. Do you want to tell me that no Yoruba had committed any crime in the North? It was reckless and unguarded and the man I know would not want to associate himself with that reckless move. It appeared that some of them did not even consult with the leader before their outburst,” he said. Again, the rumble created by the division of ideological stance of supporting former President Goodluck Jonathan is yet to die down with a size-able number of pro-Jonathan men who were

•German officials are registering asylum seekers as they arrive at the borders

Our new online system will checkmate visa touts, says Indian HighCommission

rawn to the

concern shown by a number of Nigerian visa applicants, who alleged an increase in touting and defrauding at most embassies in the country, in addition to lack of measures by the embassies to ensuring these selfstyled visa agents are checkmated, Saturday Vanguard carried out an

investigation, which revealed that most of the embassies authorities have yet to come to terms with the misconception shown by visa applicants who, out of not getting themselves equipped with basic visa information, fall prey to the waiting hands of embassy touts who parade around embassies premises in the country. With a dozen new cases reported, Vanguard authoritatively gathered

that more than 80 per cent of visa applicants who are being preyed on, are those who refuse to follow the simply visa rule, and not understanding that there is no short cut to getting visa. The unlucky fellows ignorantly fall into the hands of many of these highly sophisticated embassies touts and using convincing techniques, they quickly capture and heavily defraud desperate

applicants, who could give anything to travel to desired countries of choice. Advising Nigerians visa applicant of the need to equip themselves with the basic information that will guide their steps to procuring various countries entry permit, as well as ways to avoid falling prey to some selfstyled visa consultants, First Secretary, Consular, Indian High Commission, Mr Sharad Srivastava, while detailing some of the measures the embassy has taken to streamline its visa process, at both the High Commission in Lagos and Abuja, said it has been an untiring battle to ensure a prompt and quick service to genuine visa applicants. According to him, grappling with embassy touts and or agents, who often find ways and means to undermine the system is in progress. “ A big step for us was to move to online appointment system, which too seems to have been compromised by touts/agents. Now, we are trying towards an online payment regime that, hopefully, would check touts/agents, and help genuine visa seekers”, Sharad said. OBSERVATIONS

Why did Pa Fasoranti resign in the first place and why did the disciplined and principled man change his mind three days after?

dictating the pace at which the Yoruba must toe. This, according to a source, gave Pa Fasoranti some headache. Although, in his resignation letter, he insisted that the decision of the group to back Mr. Jonathan was not a mistake but a fulfillment of the group’s promise to him if the confab report, the actualisation of the core values of Afenifere, was implemented, politicians in the region opined that the issue is still creating division among the core leaders of the group especially now that the new government is seen as being unfriendly to the Jonathan’s loyalists. Perhaps that was why Pa Fasoranti lamented that the core values and vision of Afenifere had been eroded over time and that the group had missed its crucial target of securing true federalism for Nigeria which would guarantee autonomy for the Yoruba people. In a swift move and in order not to create the scenario of a division, Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo alongside other Yoruba big shots, insisted that Pa Fasoranti rescinded his decision. After several hours of deliberation at Fasoranti’s country home in Akure, they prevailed on him to continue as the leader of the group. But whether this development will engender unity, purposeful leadership, loyalty and genuine reconciliation is another episode in the yet unfolding drama of the Afenifere drumbeat.

The High Commission of India (HCI) has taken a number of measures since early 2014 to streamline the visa processing, such as perfecting on the online appointment system, instituted in March 2014 to check proliferation of touts/agents, and assist genuine applicants. Prior to the online system, applicants approached the HCI in Abuja and its office at Lagos and had to go through middlemen. The online system worked well initially, however, instances of its manipulation by touts/ agents came to our notice. The modus operandi was to block dates in the system by fictitious entries, thereby denying genuine applicants early dates. Checking such manipulation, the High Commission yet introduced a new measure of accepting visa applications between the hours of 9 am and 11 am on all working days at the Mission premises in Abuja and Lagos. The applications are scrutinized and processed. This measure got widely publicized on the website and on big-boards positioned outside the Mission premises. In

addition, the embassy relocated the visa scrutiny process in Abuja closer to the entrance gate in January 2015 to assist the old and infirm. Medical visa Applicants requiring urgent travel, like for conferences and medical care, are being attended to on the same day. S u b s e q u e n t l y, substantial portion of the Mission’s visa is for medical purposes, and it maintains close contact with representatives of leading hospitals in India, and has sensitized them of the new arrangement clarifying that they could bring to our attention any urgent cases, which would be dealt with on priority. Hospitals in India, at our instance, are already sending us a copy of their invitations to applicants to reduce processing time. To make the visa process more transparent, the Mission has also displayed the e-mail of First Secretary (Consular) prominently outside the Mission premises and a suggestion/complaint box in the consular premises is also available to encourage applicants to come forth with their grievances/suggestions.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 47

Wike’s media aide resigns, cites poor funding for action

Knocks trail attacks on Gov Ugwuanyi By Francis Igata

ORE reactions have greeted the recent report that some political opponents of Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State were behind the recent smear campaign in the media against his administration over alleged allocation of Prado Jeeps to Enugu State House of Assembly members. Reacting to the development, a front line pressure group in Enugu, The Enugu Peace Mandate Forum, EPMF, through its Chairman, Mr. Obiajulu Jideofor, described the plot as nefarious and war against the overwhelming majority of the people of Enugu State, who have come to terms with the

people-oriented leadership of the governor. The group called on the state government to investigate a politician who was the mastermind of the allegation and take appropriate step to cause the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) to re-open investigation on his alleged involvement in fraudulent and illegal possession of Enugu State landed property located at Airport Road, Abuja. Some national dailies, yesterday, reported that at the centre of the plot is a politician from the same senatorial district with the governor, who contested the governorship primary election with him and lost. The dailies disclosed that the politician “ was also a former member of the National Assembly

and had worked in the media for decades before venturing into politics.” The reports added that “the politician enjoys enormous goodwill from chief Executives of some media houses in the country who were his colleagues during his days in the media, and has been leveraging on their relationship to sponsor and instigate negative and false reports against the governor in order to undermine his laudable vision for the state and ridicule him in the public for his selfish agenda”. A statement by the group further flayed the series of strange and misleading editorials published in a few national dailies against the governor, stressing that they were mischievously con-

ceived and stage-managed by the Enugu politician. It noted that since the detractor has taken the people of the state for granted by daring to undermine the integrity of their governor through falsehood and incessant blackmails, it is important that the world knows whom he really is and how fraudulent his stint at the National Assembly was, prompting allegation of false acquisition of his state’s landed property in Abuja. The group stated that the accused, abused his office while in the National Assembly, especially when he served as chairman of a powerful committee that is central to the provision of infrastructure in the country.

PDP moves to stop Sylva, files suit on qualification By Samuel Oyadongha new twist may have crept into the DecemA ber 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Seriake Dickson, have launched move to stop the All Progressives Congress

(APC ) candidate, Timipre Sylva, from contesting the election by instituting a legal action on the grounds that he had been elected twice and no longer eligible. Accordingly, Dickson and the PDP have approached the Federal High Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, seeking Sylva’s

disqualification. In the suit No CV/70/15 Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson & ANORVs Chief Timipre Sylva & ORS, the plaintiff are seeking the court to determine whether Sylva, the candidate of the APC for the December 5 governorship election in Bayelsa State is qualified to contest as a candi-

date in the light of the provisions of Section 182 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended. Section 182 (1) (b) states that no person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a state if “he has been elected to such office at any two previous elections”. Thus the PDP and its candidate, Seriake Dickson are seeking interpretation of this section of the constitution and the court to determine whether Sylva who, having already been elected and served for a cumulative period of about four years and seven months as the governor of the state is qualified to seek for re-election a third time for a fresh term of four years. To the plaintiff, allowing Sylva to contest in the December 5 governorship election would mean that he would be serving more than the maximum period of eight years allowed by the constitution, hence his ineligibility. Though the court is yet to fix a date for the hearing of the matter, the PDP Acting chairman in Bayelsa State, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff in a statement in Yenagoa said as a democratic and law abiding entity, the PDP and its leadership took the legal decision to check what it regarded as “recourse to impunity and disregard to law and order”.

By Jimitota Onoyume

PECIAL Adviser on Media and Publicity, to Gov ernor Nyesom Wike, Mr Opunabo Nko-Tariah has resigned his appointment, citing poor funding among reasons for his action. Opunabo in a statement yesterday also said his professional advice were allegedly ignored by the governor, adding that he had no choice but to bow out. Opunabo was among the first six batch of political appointees appointed by governor Wike when he assumed office. He is probably the first political appointee to resign from office since the creation of Rivers state and in the South south region. The development did not come to many as a surprise particularly after the governor lashed him recently for a statement he released describing the verdict of the tribunal that nullified his election as governor as a judicial gang up and terrorism against the state. The governor at a stakeholders meeting recently in Government House, Port Harcourt said the views of the media aide expressed in that statement was at variance with his, stressing that as a lawyer he had high regard for the judiciary, Meantime, the All Progressive Congress. APC in the state has hailed he action of the former media aide to the governor, saying it was a good decision to have hastily jumped out of the governor’ scamp they styled a sinking ship. State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Chris Finebone said the party expected more sons and daughters of the state in the governor’s employ to quit because he was allegedly piloting a sinking ship.

FCE Omoku screens post UTME candidates By Agaju Madugba

HE Federal College of Education (Technical), Omoku, Rivers State in affiliation with the University of Nigeria, Nsukka has announced November 27, 2015 as date for screening exercise for the supplementary 2015/2016 post UTME and Direct Entry admission into its degree programmes. Registrar of the College, Dr. Liverpool Eboh Onyije, in a statement signed by the school’s Public Relations Officer, Prince Charles Amadike-Otoboh, noted that closing date for registration and submission of all relevant documents for the exercise is November 26, 2015. According to the statement, courses available for the Degree Programme in the College in affiliation with the University of Nigeria Nsukka as approved by the National Universities Commission (NUC) are, Business Education, Agricultural Education, Home Economics Education, Industrial Technical Education, Computer Science Education, Fine & Applied Arts Education, Physics Education, Chemistry Education, Biology Education and Mathematics Education.

Ex-militants urge Bayelsans to support Dickson By Gab Ejuwa

N Ijaw group, the Meinbutus have described the emergence of Governor Seriake Dickson as the flagbearer of the People’s Democratic Party for the forth-coming governorship election scheduled to hold on 5th December in Bayelsa State. The group describe, Governor Seriake Dickson as a core Ijaw man that is pragmatic, steadfast and focused. Messer Bundle Funpu and Afore Theodore, Chairman and Publicity Secretary respectively, urged Bayelsans to support the second term ambition of Governor Seriake Dickson for his strict adherence in developing the state. They said, “since the creation of the State, no government has taken development seriously as this present government. He has taken the development to all the three senatorial districts such as constructing road network to every part of the state and also having the intention to link communities in Bayelsa state with bridges”. The group stated further that he remained the best candidate deserving of support in order to complete the ongoing projects.

48—SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

agos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday told commercial motorcycle operators popularly called Okada riders, commercial buses and street hawkers, saying that the state government would no longer tolerate their nefarious activities on the streets and highways. He said their actions have caused untold hardship to the people of the state in recent times. Addressing Government House Correspondents shortly after an emergency Security Council Meeting which he chaired, Governor Ambode said that it had become evident that traffic crimes and robbery are mostly as a result of the menace of Okada riders and street hawkers, while recalcitrant commercial buses have become lawless and reckless on the road. He reminded that Schedule II of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012 restricts Okada, tricycle (Keke Marwa), carts and wheel barrows on some routes including Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, OworonshokiOshodi Expressway, LagosIkorodu Expressway, LagosAbeokuta Expressway and Third Mainland Bridge. Others routes include Eti-Osa/ Lekki –Epe Expressway, Lagos – Badagry Expressway, Funsho Williams Avenue, Agege Motor Road and Eti-Osa/Lekki Coastal Road. The Governor therefore said, “Any person who fails to comply with any of the provisions of this Section commits an offence and shall be liable on conviction as stipulated in the law. “Henceforth, all commercial vehicles, except Bus Rapid Transport buses, must use only the service lanes in accordance with existing traffic laws. All conductors of Commercial buses must sit down in their buses and keep the doors closed at all times while in motion. It is against the Law for conductors to hang on the bus doors and leave the doors open. Any bus contravention will be met with severe punitive measures. “Commercial buses can only drop and pick passengers at officially designated bus stops henceforth. Any illegal and indiscriminate picking and dropping of passengers is against the law. “Other road users who break traffic laws will pay a compulsory traffic fine in accordance with the law. Mobile Traffic courts are being introduced to prosecute offenders promptly”. Governor Ambode also took time to speak on the traffic situation in Apapa axis of the state, attributed the gridlock to the situation of tank farms and daily activities of petrol tankers in the area. He expressed concerns that more tank farms are in the process of being approved, revealing that Lagos alone accounts for 80 percent of the cargo that comes into the country through the ports while about 90 percent of the fuel used across Nigeria is loaded in Lagos. He also frowned at the fact that three months after meeting with tank farm and petrol tanker owners, they have been unable to come up with a solution to the gridlock caused by the tankers queuing up on roads and bridges to load petroleum products.

He however said that the state

C M Y K

Ambode to shut tank M farms in Lagos if . . .

NAWOJ protests over rising rape cases

•F ada rider s, tr af s, sstree tree er •Frr owns at Ok Okada riders, traf afffic of offf ender enders, treett hawk hawker erss

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (3rd left), addressing Government House Correspondents on the Security and Traffic Situation in the State, at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Friday, November 06, 2015. With him are (L-R): Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, Attorney General & Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, Commander 435 Base Service Group, Ikeja, Air Commodore Danladi Santa Bausa, Commander, 9 Mechanized Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Mohammed Sabo, Director, State Security Service, Mr. Adekunle Ajanaku.

embers of the Lagos chapter of National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) have stormed Lagos Assembly to protest the incessant rape and violence cases against female folk in the state. Spokesperson of the group who also doubles as the chairperson, Dupe Olaoye Oshinkolu said, “We came here to protest over incessant rape cases and violence, because the rate at which rape is being committed in the state is alarming to us in NAWOJ”. Addressing the protesters, Hon. Funmilayo Tejuoso representing Mushin Constituency I, assured the protesters that the House would look into their complaint and address it accordingly.

Court frees widow charged with assaulting 10 - year-old boy

28-year-old who police docked for child abuse, Etoruwa Chikodi regained her freedom when an Ikeja Magistrate Court struck-out the matter. Etoruwa was brought to the court for allegedly beating a 10-year-old boy, Chibueze Chibiuzi with a cable that almost damaged his eyes.

LAGOS GRIDLOCK:

Volunteer group moves to ease traffic ..Distributes free 570 traffic jackets

Rapid Response Squad (RRS) on Special Traffic Enforcement at Mile 2, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, on Monday. of affairs that has accentuated traffic gridlock in Apapa area and its environs is no longer tolerable to the State Government saying that necessary arrangements have been made with the relevant Regulatory Institutions

to sanction defaulting port users - importers, tank farm owners, terminal operators and shipping companies. On the backdrop of this, Governor Ambode said the Security Council decided that all tank farms be given a 90-day grace period to build loading bays for their tank farms, with a caveat that any tank farm that fails to provide a loading bay after the grace period, would be shut down by the state government.

“In addition, tank farms owners must desist from allocating pick-up papers to

trucks beyond and above their daily capacity as is the case presently,” he said. Governor Ambode also admonished residents of the state to see the last two months of the year as a period that calls for vigilance and a changed attitude towards issues relating to crime and terrorism.

He urged residents to cooperate with the government at all times, just as he warned them against the dangers of

patronizing street hawkers. “The next hawker could be a robber or terrorist. You are now well-advised. If we all cooperate and decide not to buy, gradually and collectively, the hawkers will not come to the highways and streets anymore. Our roads

will definitely become safer”. “Our security agencies have been directed to increase their presence on the roads and highways to ensure greater safety. Once again, I am committed to a safer, cleaner and more prosperous Lagos; a Lagos that works for all”, he said. But while he was announcing this hoodlums were robbing com muters along Mile 2 to Kirikiri stretch of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway where the gridlock slowed traffic. On his part, Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni also assured that the Police will increase their presence across major areas of the state as well as ensure the total enforcement of the laws of the land.

ue to traffic congestion that has become regular occurrence in Lagos metropolis in recent times, a socio-political organisation under the auspices of National Image has launched an initiative tagged, “Lagos State Traffic Control Volunteers” to help check the menace of traffic gridlock in the metropolis. The initiative which was launched this week at the Lagos Secretariat, Alausa Ikeja, plans to recruit volunteers from all the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local council Development Areas across the state to help control traffic in their areas to engender free flow traffic. According to the coordinator of the group, Mr. Seyi Bamigbade, the initiative will pave the way for individuals who are willing to collaborate with the relevant government agencies to reduce traffic gridlock in the metropolis.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—49

•Late Dr. Paul Erie

•CP Edo, Chris Ezike

•Lucky Amiehi

Chilling confessions of high -profile Edo kidnap suspects BY EVELYN USMAN

he unprecedented visit of strange-looking men to the home of Dr. Paul Erie, an associate professor of agricultural economics at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Ambrose Alli University (AAU), Ekpoma, on June 16, 2015 signalled an omninous outcome. His house is located at Igbanke, Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo State. Time was 8pm. The armed invaders numbering eight, reportedly positioned themselves strategically within the premises. While some of them barged into the sitting room without knocking, others stayed outside to ward off intruders. They reportedly made straight for where Dr Erie was, with a stern warning to him to cooperate or have his life wasted by a bullet from their lethal weapon. Like a sheep being led to the slaughter, Dr Erie reportedly obeyed and was subsequently whisked away in their operational vehicle which left a haze of dust from its screeching tyres. The commando-like operation was that of kidnap! Investigations by Crime Guard revealed that Dr Erie’s case was not the first of its kind in Igbanke. In fact, some indigenes who came visiting during festive periods are frequently kidnapped, only to be released after payment of ransom. Crime Guard gathered that after contact was established by Erie’s devastated family, N900,000 was dropped next day at a designated point at the instruction of his abductors who promised to release him later that day. But the culprits never lived up to their promise as Erie’s apprehensive family members waited in vain for his return, without any explanation from his abductors on reasons for the delay. The worst fears of the anxious family were however confirmed four months after, following the

•How AAU lecturer died in their den arrest of the suspected kidnappers by men of the Anti-Kidnapping Team set up by the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Ezike, where it was discovered to the chagrin of all, that Dr Erie had been murdered! During interrogation, the suspects disclosed that the remains of Dr. Erie had been buried in a shallow grave in their hideout located inside a forest at Igbanke. Policemen of the AntiKidnapping Team, on the directive of the CP, reportedly accompanied the suspects to the shallow grave where an exhumation of the body carried out confirmed the corpse to be that of Dr Erie!

from his house, we drove straight to the bush where we kept him. We did not blindfold him, but only advised him to cooperate with us. Next day, I contacted his wife and demanded for N10 million ransom. But she pleaded that she could only raise N900,000 and I told her where to take the money to. “Immediately after the conversation, I went back to the bush only to discover that Prof.’s mouth was tied with his singlet. When I asked why, they told me that he attempted to raise the alarm when he heard footsteps. “But on close observation, I

That evening, I went to the meeting point to collect the N900,000 ransom from his wife. But to my surprise, I later discovered that he was my in-law

One of the suspect was in-law to deceased Surprisingly, one of the suspects was discovered to be an inlaw to the deceased. He is Lucky Amiehi, the suspected leader of the kidnap syndicate that had been terrorising Igbanke and the entire Edo State. In this interview with Crime Guard, Amiehi (33), a welder who admitted to have been behind several kidnaps in the state disclosed that information on their victims was often given to them by their relations. He was however quick to state that he never knew that late Erie was his in-law until the gang’s sinister motive was accomplished. Hear him: “Yes, I was among those that went to kidnap Prof. from his house. I never knew him by his name. But he was popularly called ‘Prof.’ We never planned to kill him. His death was an error on the part of my colleagues. After we succeeded in abducting him

discovered that he was motionless. Immediately, I untied his mouth. Yet, he did not move. I called the attention of the boys that tied him up, but they claimed he was only pretending. Since it was raining, I let him be, with the hope that he would be revived by the rain. That evening, I went to the meeting point to collect the N900,000 ransom from his wife. “But to my surprise, I later discovered that he was my in-law. My sister was married to Prof’s younger brother who died about five years ago. She had a son for him. Though I visited her while her late husband was alive, I never met Prof. It was when my relative told me that my sister’s

brother in-law had been kidnapped and described his house to me, that I realised I had shot myself in the leg. “I never gave anyone information on Prof. In fact, one of us wanted to kidnap him before now. But by the time they went, they discovered he had left for Ekpoma Campus of AAU, where he was a lecturer. On the day he was eventually kidnapped, I was informed he was around. In fact, two members of our gang had to keep watch on his apartment before our arrival.” “We treat our victims like VIPs” “We never beat our victims because someone who wants to give you money does not deserve to be beaten. Rather, we treated them like VIPs. We never meant to kill Prof. His death was an error. The singlet used to tie his mouth was mistakenly used to tie his nose as well. He could have suffocated.” Amiehi disclosed further that, before the abduction of late Dr Erie, an indigene of Igbanke who came visiting from Port Harcourt, River State, Mr Abel Ushagwu, was also abducted the same week. Ushagwu, Crime Guard gathered, was also taken to the bush, from where he was released after N5 million was paid as ransom. Amiehi revealed that he got N600,000 out of the amount, and added: “The man worked in an oil firm in Port Harcourt. He visited the village for burial. On his way back from the funeral ceremony, we laid ambush for him in front of his house. We also had the intention of selling the victim’s car. But it was tracked by the police to where we packed it. “I was also responsible for the abduction of two Chinese men along Esan Road. We drove them to the bush as usual but they later escaped. They were able to escape

because after each kidnap, we usually stayed distance away from where our victims were kept. That way, policemen will not be able to trace our exact location, should they be tracking our calls.” Asked how they were able to abduct the Chinese men, he said: “We laid ambush for them along the expressway and struck when they slowed down on approaching a bad spot.” Also asked how they were able to cover their tracks in the bush without being noticed by villagers who have farmlands around their den, he said victims were usually warned in their own interest to keep quiet since they were not going to be used for rituals. He further explained that most times, they monitored farmers before leaving or going to visit their den. “I also changed my clothes any time I was going out of the bush so as not to arouse farmers’ suspicion. Besides, the forest is very far from villagers farmlands, so no one could easily see our victims.” Business, according to him, sometimes went sour, particularly when they discovered that their victims were poor. “Most times, it was women that turned out to be poor victims. And these people were usually those kidnapped outside Igbanke. Any time such persons were kidnapped, we would allow them to go because our purpose of kidnapping in the first place was to make money.” Asked what he used the money realised from the illicit business for, he replied in a harsh tone: “Ah! Ah! Why are you asking me such question? Am I not a family man? It is expected that I should have expenses as a family man. I have a wife and two children who are students.” When asked if his wife was aware that he was into kidnapping, he replied: “No, she was not. I did not even give her any reasonable amount any time business boomed, or must I tell my wife everything? She does not have to know everything about me simply because she is my wife. Whenever I went out for an operation, whether at night or in the day time, I didn’t need her approval. And whenever I returned, she won’t ask me where I went to.” Beginning of kidnapping career, arrest “I started kidnapping since 2012 and we were more than eight initially. Some of our members are no longer in Nigeria. “But whenever business was low, I focused on my welding job”, he said without feeling remorseful. Arrested alongside Amiehi were Usiagwu Stephen (68), Jeremiah Amayo (40), Samson Idegbema (39), Eboigbe Monday, Ejimeh Oyairie (55), Benjamin Blessing (27) and Odion Otabo (40). Some of them confessed their culpability in several kidnaps in the state while others claimed to be victims of circumstance, appealing to the police to pardon them. But the Command boss, Mr Chris Ezike, stated that their case would be determined at the court where they would soon be charged to, adding that the Command had resolved to launch a strategic battle against kidnapping in the state. He therefore warned others still indulged in the criminal act to desist or have same fate befall them.

50—SA TURD AY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 50—SATURD TURDA

Why Buhari may lose anticorruption war – Shehu Sani BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

lunt, cerebral and sharp-witted, that is Senator Shehu Sani, the human rights activist turned politician. From the recent ministerial screening exercise at the Senate to some other contemporary issues, the Senator who represents Kaduna Central Senatorial zone in this interview speaks on why the Senate cleared former Rivers State governor, Chibuike Amaechi for Minister, describes Governor Nasir ElRufai of Kaduna state as an “Emperor.” Cautioning President Muhammadu Buhari not to abandon the masses who voted the All Progressives Congress (APC) into power, Sani also frowns at some of the views of a former Central Bank Governor, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi concerning the nation’s economy. APC overlooked morality issue over Amaechi The decision of the Senate is more of partisanship than morality. Senators from both the PDP and APC had taken positions based on the exigent interest of their own political parties. As for the PDP Senators, the issues they brought at hand were that Amaechi had corruptly enriched himself in office and so, must be slapped. But in the actual sense, they had grudges against him over the role he played in removing the PDP from power. As for the APC Senators, the moral question raised about Amaechi eligibility was suppressed and instead, the Senators took positions that are in line with the interest of the party. Posterity is the best judge of controversies. Actually, Senators have a duty to confirm ministerial nominees, present the best and ensure that those who are going to serve have the right moral, ethical and professional qualifications to be in that office. But we must say that it is possible that the future generation of Nigerians will challenge our position and will question our moral standing based on this very important issue. But politics is like a “war.” You can use any means by which you are going to win. The APC sees Amaechi as one of its own,

We must say that it is possible that the future generation of Nigerians will challenge our position and will question our moral standing based on this very important issue

irrespective of the stains, dirt, allegations and moral burden that he may carry. On the other hand, the PDP is not against Amaechi because he is allegedly corrupt but because he worked against their party and poses an existential danger to the survival of the party. Amaechi is a beneficiary of conflict of interest and a beneficiary of a political atmosphere that put forward partisan interest ahead of conscience and moral standing. El-Rufai, distributing poverty in Kaduna The problems between ElRufai and me began during the primary elections. I was not his favourite candidate for the primary election because he had his own candidate who I defeated. He has now taken the position of empowering his own candidate to come over and fight me while grooming others who are all set to fight me. The second aspect has to do with his style of governance. Many people say that as a politician, you are not permitted to speak against any of your own

•Senator Shehu Sani publicly. But I don’t believe in that. If you can speak out against your brother or sister, you can speak out against your neigbour and people with who you share the same religion, there is nothing wrong in speaking out against a person simply because he is from your political party. Kaduna is today being presided over by a man who perceives himself as an Emperor. He has emasculated the political party. If you go the party headquarters in the state, nothing is happening there because he has appointed the leading members of the executive into his government and now, you don’t see anybody in the secretariat. He has marginalized all those who struggled and fought to build the party in the state and made it possible for the party to win the general elections. He has also marginalized people who contested the elections with him. He has unleashed a style of governance that delivers no result other than hardship and pain on the ordinary people. He is out to experiment the Adam Smith’s School of Thought, on Kaduna. All the steps he has taken are steps meant to enrich consultants, commissioned agents, the rich, contractors and middle men. His policies are not aimed at lifting the people out of poverty or unfolding peopleoriented programmes. He has a conservative, capitalist and retrogressive world view. The world is moving east and he is insisting that we go west. So, I do not live on the same

frequency with El-Rufai. I am from the left wing of the political divide and he is from the right wing. My background is that of activism and his own background is that of an accidental civil servant and now the governor of the state. He has been out of Kaduna for over two decades and APC brought him back to Kaduna. He is so detached and disconnected from the people on the ground. While governors from other states are building mass housing estates, El-Rufai wants to build a five star hotel, amusement parks and shopping malls in Kaduna. He wants to remove the destitute from the streets, hide them somewhere and create an impression that he has achieved. He has brought in an Abuja real estate mentality into Kaduna. He wants to mortgage Kaduna to private property, private interest and private business consultants. I am disturbed about that. I do not support a man who will plunge our state into debt and erect monuments that will be credit to him and leave debt to our children and grand children to pay. I have issues with my own political relationship with him. I have issues with his relationship with those who fought and struggled for us to win the elections and I also have issues with how he governs Kaduna State. He has alienated the workers, the political class, the religious leaders, both Muslims and Christians and he has alienated the youth and women. He governs the state through Twitter

and Facebook accounts. He runs an impressionable government that gives people outside the state an impression that he is building a Dubai in Kaduna but facts on the ground depict the contrary. You need to go and see what is happening there. The activities of government now run around the Government House. The people are crying that he has imported experts to take over the affairs of the state. So, we are deeply concerned. We need to understand that in Kaduna, APC does not have total control of the state. APC has the northern and central Senatorial zones while the southern part of the state is still PDP. If we don’t take measures in winning the heart of the people, we will stand a serious danger in 2019 because the balance between the APC and the PDP in the state is still very fragile. No excuses for nonperformance I have always been involved in helping the poor even before becoming Senator. The poor masses are my constituents. I stand for them and they also stood for me by voting me into office. I will use the little I have to execute projects to help alleviate their sufferings and in trying to meet their expectations. We live in difficult times as a nation when our earnings from oil have depleted so much. The value of our currency is stagnant and government is facing serious cash crunch. There is also a mountain of expectations

Continues on page 51

SA TURD AY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—51 SATURD TURDA

Continues from page 50 on those in positions of authority to perform. There is also the need to prove that the change we promised Nigerians is possible. I am simply using the little I have to maximize impact in the lives of those I represent. Nigerians will not take any excuses. It is in the realm of difficulties and hardship that leaders are expected to perform. We have a duty to rescue our country from the economic doldrums, to give hope and meaning to the lives of our people. We have a duty to restore the glory of our father land. As Senator, I have all my life struggled and fought for the masses and so, I cannot waste this golden opportunity. It is not how long you have been in government but how you use the opportunity to maximize impact on the lives of the people. Our people are poor. The talakawa are our primary, political and ideological constituency. We have ideological, constitutional and institutional responsibility to liberate them from poverty as we liberated them from tyrannical and corrupt leaders. The talakawa are the most oppressed Nigerians. They have been exploited, dominated, plundered, neglected and abandoned for decades and the change government of President Muhammadu Buhari is a historic opportunity to lift them out of poverty, educate them, and enlighten them and empower them. This is part of my contribution to that vision. My Talakawa Grassroots Revolutionary Development Programme is aimed at the political and ideological enlightenment of the people to know their political status and also the political and economic indices that stand as pillars of their own oppression. Secondly, it is an intervention in education, to provide their education complimentary needs in the seven local government areas which I represent. It is also an intervention in the area of health by addressing some basic health issues that challenge their existence as a people. It is also an intervention in the area of faith. I think this is the time we should all get involved in the issue of religion itself. If the state withdraws from moderate religious courses, we will simply create a vacuum for extremists to take over, mobilize and incite the people against the state. My intervention is a revolutionary intervention to mobilize the people and take them out of the Egypt which we found them, into the Promise Land. Emir Sanusi, capitalism vendor, views inimical to nation’s economy The Emir of Kano is an intelligent economist and has proven to be a man of impeccable character and vision. He is also a man who has spent most part of his life speaking out his mind. But he is a vendor of capitalism. His views are inimical to the economy of Nigeria. He is an apprentice of IMF and the World Bank policies that have emasculated Africa and have not led us out of poverty. We are not exporting anything apart from oil and no investor is coming in to invest in anything in Nigeria other than oil. Devaluing Nigerian currency will simply make it easier for those who have been in public offices and

Why Buhari may lose anticorruption war – Shehu Sani have amassed wealth in foreign currency to live comfortably within and outside Nigeria and to oppress us the more. You don’t have to make our national currency worthless in other to revamp our economy. Many countries in Latin America and in Europe have taken this IMF prescription that has led them to nowhere. The economic experimentation that has grown the nations of China, Brazil and South Africa has to do with putting national economic issues first. If you go through the history of Sanusi’s political ideas, you can see how raw and exploitative capitalism has been as his ideas. In 2012, Sanusi supported the removal of subsidy and we were on the street protesting against it. While in office, he also had the opportunity to devalue the currency. We believe that devaluation of the currency and removals of subsidy constitute an invitation to chaos that will lead to a national upheaval against the Buhari administration. If you remove subsidy and devalue currency, you are simply going to spark off inflation and life will be most terrible and brutal to the common man and it will ignite a national uprising that will unsettle, if not subdue the Buhari administration. I think his advice is wrong and also coming at the wrong time and that is why we are opposed to it. With all due respect, he is a respectable person who has done a lot to save Nigeria and the Nigerian economy, but his views are out of touch with the realities of life outside his palace. People are find it difficult to eat, feed their children, pay their rents and hospital bills. The mass of our people are without employment, many of our industries have closed down. We have inherited a debt-ridden economy and the masses of our people must not continue to be guinea pigs for economic experimentations. The poor should not continuously be sacrifice for the wrong doing and mismanagement by government of the past.

By the time you are on the seat of power, you have to battle entrenched interests who were part of the forces that brought you to power

We must tackle corruption headlong Well, there are people who have their own interpretations for whatever happens. But we need to define corruption and who are corrupt. If we have a proper definition of corruption, then we must go against everybody who is corrupt and not a few people. If we are interested in eradicating corruption, we cannot choose those to support and those to preserve. There are three kinds of thieves. The ones we arrest and prosecute the ones we choose to arrest and prosecute and the ones we dust, repackage and present them as respectable people in the society. So, if we are going to fight corruption, then we must tie corruption to everybody that is corrupt. A nation that is desirous of cleaning its past, thread the path of ethics and morality must not be selective in its prosecution of anti-corruption war. The Buhari administration is reputed to be antagonistic to corruption and corrupt people and it will continuously be probed for its own perception and image. If we can see corruption and cover it up in the name of partisanship, the international community is free from partisanship and will be able to correct us. So, we must ensure that our views and position on corruption do not in any way ensure prosecuting some and preserving others. The corrupt man of today is influenced by how you treat the corrupt man of yesterday. If people are corrupt and because they have joined a moral train, he is forgiven, we are simply deceiving ourselves. We must call corruption by its name. In Israel today, the former Prime Minister Ehud Omar, who played a leading role in the founding of Israel is in jail for corruption. So, there is nothing like saying he has contributed or he has worked and should not be prosecuted. Rev. Allan Bulsaga was a leading anti- apartheid figure but he was tried for corruption. Helmot Khol, the German Chancellor who led the unification, was also tried for corruption. So, if we shield corruption simply because of political expediency, then we are not doing justice to the fight against corruption. We should not also forget that the future generations in Nigeria will be free from our political chase

of partisanship and judge us based on the fact which they have on the ground. We inherited a nation that has been plundered over the years, with a pile of debt which our children and grand children will continue to pay. If we are going to take the first step, we must ensure that those who led our country to ruin are brought to book. If we don’t do that, we are simply wasting our time. The Buhari challenge When you fight to defeat an enemy, you need all the support and solidarity as well as all the backing to achieve that. At that time, you are blind to realities and the character and content of those backing you. By the time you are on the seat of power, you have to battle entrenched interests who were part of the forces that brought you to power. One of the biggest undoing of people who came on a high moral high ground to power is having to detach themselves from entrenched interest and it is clear that what the entrenched interest do each time they study the possibility of a depth of government is that they jump ship and then become a liability. Why Obasanjo was not able to spark off his reform from the early time has to do with the fact that in his earlier years in power, he had to please and appease those very forces who aided him into power. When you embark on such policy of pleasing and appeasing, you will sacrifice a legacy and your opportunity to perform. So, a leader has a choice either to be on the side of the people and not entrenched interest or to appease entrenched interests and sacrifice performance and

delivery and this is the challenge before the Muhammadu Buhari administration. If you have found yourself in power, and faced with the problem of paucity of foreign exchange and then you have to deal with rice importers who were part of the contributors to the campaign, then, you will have your conscience to fight. In all sense of the word, entrenched interest has been the undoing of the government of the past and also a big challenge to President Muhammadu Buhari to break away from them and move Nigeria forward. Nigeria’s history of anti corruption trial is a media and political war that begins in the media and end up in politics. That is why in all the 140 prisons in the nation today, you don’t find people who have looted billions and millions of dollars in the cells. When you visit the prisons in Nigeria today, most of those you see there are pick pockets, motor park touts, small scale advanced fee fraud persons who have no resource to get out, petty drug peddlers, prostitutes and miscreants in the society. We have reached a point in Nigeria where we have to depend on the judicial system of other countries to be able to able to recover our country and recover our money from those who looted our money. If we don’t exorcise politics out of our anti corruption crusade, it is most likely going to be polluted. We treat corruption in Nigeria with kid’s gloves. We pamper and glorify corrupt people. If there is any difference that President Muhammadu Buhari will make is to prove that he can do what other people could not do. The World Bank is telling us now that over $7 billion of Abacha loot is still in the custody of banks across the world. This is a nation where there are people who still see Abacha as a hero. We need to ask ourselves whether if Abacha was alive today, would we have heard the billions which he had stolen or are we are still in a country whereby the billions which you have stolen is only heard of or known when you have been arrested by the security forces of other countries or you must have died or fallen out of favour with the party or government in power?

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52 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

SATURDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 7, 2015—53 momentum of economic growth. The Chinese economy is resilient and full of potential. China is going through the process of a new type of industrialization, IT application, urbanization and agricultural modernization, which all serve to generate strong domestic demand. China has a vast territory and diverse industries. That means, the Chinese economy is supported not by a single pillar but multiple pillars. It is highly resilient and shockresistant. Meanwhile, we are comprehensively deepening reform, accelerating structural reform and pursuing an innovation-driven development strategy to fully unleash the potential of economic growth. We want to make sure that the economy maintains mediumhigh speed of growth and moves to medium-high level of development.

r. Liu Kan is the Consul General of China. In this interview in Lagos said Nigeria has been intensifying economic exchange with China and strengthening economic cooperation with Beijing in trade and investment. He spoke on how global economic recovery is still weak, the role of China in the world economy and the economic downward pressure facing China. Excerpts: At present, how is the macro economic situation in China? At the moment, global economic recovery is still weak. Many international institutions have downgraded their global economic forecast. The more complex and intricate the situation, the more we need confidence and My message is the performance of the this: Despite thehope. moderation in speed, Chinese economy is stable and moving in a positive direction. Although difficulties remain, there are more opportunities than challenges. Chinese government is capable of meeting the main goals and tasks set for economic and social development this year, and this will lay a solid foundation for sustainable growth in the years to come. Given the slowdown in global growth, the 7 percent growth China achieved in the first half of the year is not at all easy. Because we are talking about a US$ 10 trillion economy, for which 7 percent growth actually generates more increase in volume than the doubledigit growth in the past. And the 7 percent growth is in fact among the highest of the world’s major economies. What is more encouraging is that China’s economic structure is rapidly improving. Today, the services sector already accounts for half of China’s GDP, and consumption contributes 60 percent to growth. Growth in high-tech industries is notably higher than the entire industrial sector. Consumer demands for information, cultural, health and tourism products are booming. Energy conservation, environmental protection and the green economy are thriving. New economic growth areas are rapidly taking shape. In the past, Chinese economy grew at a high speed and became the main driving force for world economy, but now is slowing down, what is your takes? China’s steady economic development has benefited the world. China contributed about 30 percent to global growth in the first half of the year. With commodity prices dropping markedly on the global market, the growth of China’s foreign trade volume is slowing down. But even so, the actual amount of commodities China imported has continued to go up. Until the end of August this year, the amount of trade between China and Nigeria reached 9 billion USD, the third largest in Africa. China’s outward investment has maintained rapid growth. The number of outbound tourists has notably increased. Last year alone, Chinese tourists made over 100 million trips overseas. In the first half of this year, the number rose by another 10 percent. All these serve to prove that China is not a source of risks for the world economy but a real source of strength for world economic growth. What are the main reasons for the slowdown? Despite the many difficulties and downward pressure, the Chinese economy is still within the reasonable range. The Chinese economy is deeply integrated into the global market. Given the weak growth of the global economy, China could not stand

Global economic recovery is still weak—Liu KKan an

PFIZER partners PSN for National Conference o further demonstrate its acknowledgement of T strategic partnership with relevant

Liu Kan unaffected. Meanwhile, the deep-seated problems that have built up over the years are thrown into sharper relief. The Chinese economy is in the state of a new normal. It is going through a transition with traditional drivers being replaced by new ones. The extensive model of growth in the manufacturing sector is giving way to more intensive production. And over-reliance on investment is abandoned for greater balance between consumption and investment. This is a painful and challenging process. Ups and downs in growth are hardly avoidable, as they are natural in a period of adjustment and transition. To borrow a concept from traditional Chinese medicine, they are the “pulse” that shows the health of the economy. Over the last two months, we have seen a slip

or fluctuation in certain indicators. Yet, the policies and measures adopted in the previous stage are starting to pay off, and positive factors are building up in the economy, hence the upward trend in certain indicators. The fundamentals underpinning a stable Chinese economy have not changed. The ups and downs in the economy may have formed the shape of a curving wave, but the underlying trend remains to be positive. We will not be swayed by short-term fluctuations in economic performance, nor will we take it lightly. If you think Chinese economy has a bright future, what supports your viewpoint? We believe that the Chinese economy is on the right track and its future will be even brighter. This is not unrealistic optimism. Our confidence is based on the sound foundation, condition and

stakeholders, leading healthcare company Pfizer Nigeria, has announced its support for the 88th Annual General Conference of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) in Abuja. The conference sponsorship is geared toward sustaining the mutual relationship that exists between Pfizer and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) and ensure a successful meeting of the pharmacists. Speaking on the partnership, Mr. Winston Ailemoh, Marketing Director, Pfizer Nigeria/Ghana/East Africa, said “we value our existing relationship with all our stakeholders which include the Pharmaceutical Association of Nigeria. This relationship is responsible for our support of the conference which has over the years evolved to become a significant event for pharmacists and healthcare professionals” he said.

Increase your income through Pig farming the rate of unemployment shown that these BUSINESS GUIDE in Nigeria, interested unemployed problems occur when Following and employed Nigerians have been advised to earn more income by venturing into animal farming such as grasscutter, pig farming etc. However, it may surprise you to know that pork is the most widely consumed meat in the world. Animal farming experts/ Chief Executive Officer, Jovana Farm, Prince Arinze Onebunne, said, the value of trade in pig products around the world runs into billions of dollars every year and Nigeria enjoys less than 2 percent of this action. China, fifth in world’s population, is the largest producer and net importer of pig products today. “As you will find out in this article, pig products have some of the most versatile uses on earth. Pigs probably have the highest profit potential of all farm animals because they eat almost everything, and produce more meat than cattle! Did you know that a piglet, which costs between N7, 000 and N15, 000, can reach a market value of up to N40, 000 in six to seven months? “Although pig farming hasn’t really picked up in Nigeria like other parts of the world, a few entrepreneurs are already enjoying the lucrative benefits of this enterprise. Despite cultural and religious influences in some parts of the country that limit pork consumption, demand for pig is rising! Onebunne said that at a time, pig rearing was not very popular in Nigeria because it was considered to be a dirty animal and a secondary host for tapeworm which may be transmitted to humans. However, he said, studies have

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the free-range system of rearing is adopted in pig production. Nowadays the intensive pig rearing is clean and attractive. Under the free-range system pigs are allowed to wander about and fend for themselves in dirty marshy areas eating any waste materials and rubbish they can find. They’re therefore exposed to and infested by endoparasites, which result in high mortality of the piglets. But, the modern intensive pig farming system on the other hand, the pigs are prevented from many disease and infestation because they are denied the freedom to go out and eat rubbish. Piggery is one of the most profitable livestock ventures one could venture, or how best could you explain an animal farming that gives you quadruplet of the initial investment within seven months? Yet no special skill is required! Everybody needs to eat meat; so it’s nearly impossible to run out of clients or customers. As one might expect, pig farming means work but it is not too difficult. It’s a livestock business that can give you satisfaction and double your money if you do it right. One of the major achievements in pig production in the past decade has been the considerable improvement in sow reproductive performance. Indeed, in several countries it is not uncommon to wean 30-35 piglets per sow per year. This has been achieved through genetic selection for hyper

prolificacy as well as a better understanding of the biology of the pig, including its nutrient requirements and development of appropriate feeding strategies. The gestation period in pig is 115days; so they reproduce regularly to provide income for the farmer. Feeding pigs takes a period of 7-months before they mature for selling. Those who don’t have good knowledge of the business can end up feeding their pigs for 11-months and get just 50kg. But if you really understand the nitty-gritty of piggery, at 7-months after weaning, you can get 100kg to 120kg. Attend Jovana Farms SEMINARS nearest to you and discover how to mass-produce pigs in large numbers! www.jovanafarms.com, Email:jovanafarms@gmail.com. Choose also the nearest venue from the advert on this page.

54 — SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

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SATURDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 7, 2015 — 55

Chelsea eye Stoke revenge W

FIFA U-17 World Cup Final: Tomorrow 11pm

Amuneke: We’ll find a way to crack Mali Golden Eaglets coach,

Emmanuel Amuneke has said that his team will find a way to crack Mali in tomorrow\’s final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the Estadio Sausalito Vina Del Mar. While admitting that Mali, who like the Eaglets, came from behind to beat Belgium 3-1 in the first semi final match on Thursday, would be a tough nut to crack, the former Barcelona forward said that the Nigerians would not give away the chance to take their trophy haul to five with a victory against the west Africans. Speaking after the Eaglets defeated Mexico 4-

2, Amuneke said “Mali are the African champions and we have to respect them. Aside that, they have also had a great tournament here in Chile. But we are a team that find a way to play and function no matter the difficulty posed by the opposition. I believe we will find a way to crack them”. The 1994 African Footballer of the Year added: “tomorrow, we are going to play Mali and I think it is going to be an interesting match but we want to enjoy this moment because this was a great match against a very strong

Mexican team. We thank God, we are going to play the final again and this gives us the opportunity to defend the trophy we won in 2013.” Meanwhile, Mali\s forward, Sidiki Maiga has said that Mali would not pay too much attention to Nigeria’s intimidating record at the U-17 stage. “We didn’t play against them in qualifying [the CAF African U-17 Championship, which Mali won, while Nigeria were knocked out in the semis], but I think they’ve got a good team.

•Mikel

We must stay humble against Leicester

•Watford coach tells Ighalo, others “It is true that lots of We have the opportunity ESPITE taking maximum six points compliments have been now to try to take a good D from their last two Premier coming in the last couple result in a very tough League games, Quique Sanchez Flores is adamant there’s no chance the Hornets will get carried away with their recent good form. Watford’s Head Coach says all eyes are firmly fixed on today’s tricky trip to in-form Leicester City, not on recent results against West Ham and Stoke City. “We are very happy to accept that we have won our last two games, but now we are focused on our next match,” Flores told the Watford Weekend Preview Show “To win after two previous wins is the most difficult thing in football, but we are working with the idea to repeat and to reach the international break with another three points.” He added: “The players are confident in training, because they have reasons to be confident.

•Amuneke

illian has fired a warning to Stoke that Chelsea are back in the groove and keen to win today’s Premier League clash at the Britannia Stadium. Stoke, last month knocked Chelsea out of the Capital One Cup on the same ground. Jose Mourinho is banned from the Britannia as he serves a one-match stadium suspension, and his side go there with six defeats in 11 league games already this season. But Willian told the club website: “Confidence is coming for us and the results are coming as well. “We have to keep going and keep fighting on the pitch. We lost some games and it’s been difficult for us but we are trying to play better. We know we have to improve more and keep going in the same way.”

of weeks, but I think it is very important to keep humble, with the idea to improve, because we have to correct a lot of things and we have things we need to improve. “We won, but this is in the past. We have to think about just the next match.” Leicester go into today’s tie in third place and with only one league defeat all season, and Flores expects a different type of game against Claudio Ranieri’s men. “It’s a different match, it’s a different plan, everything is different,” he said. “It’s very important that the players recognise what we did before is okay, but now this is a very tough challenge we have against Leicester. “They are playing very well, they have very good players in attack and they are responding very well.

stadium.”

•Odion

Dortmund, Schalke set for tempestuous derby passionately contested in world football and it means more to them than any other fixture on the football calendar. A Revierderby refers to the meeting of Dortmund and Schalke, who are based 32 kilometres away in Gelsenkirchen. A number of other professional teams hail from the wider Ruhr region, but they have to make do with the tag ‘minor Ruhr derby’ for their various headto-heads.

Nacho to replace Marcelo against Sevilla •Schalke

eal Madrid will be without Marcelo and Keylor Navas when they go to Sevilla tomorrow but both should be fit for the Clasico against Barcelona. Brazil international Marcelo was injured in Tuesday’s win over Paris SaintGermain and replaced by Nacho, who went on to score the only goal of the game. Nacho is expected by AS to deputise again at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Marcelo •Nacho recovers from a strain to the thigh muscle of his left leg. Marcelo should though return in time to be involved when Barca visit Santiago Bernabeu on •Pierre November 21, after the international break. C M Y K

s Borussia Dortmund

prepare

for

their

tempestuous Matchday 12 derby against Ruhr district neighbours FC Schalke 04, bundesliga.com turns its spotlight on the German game’s ultimate local power struggle. The fixture is one of the most

Other than their proximity, there was no particular trigger for a rivalry which, if anything, has only intensified over the years for two sets of fans who basically like nothing more than to put one over on their neighbours. While they might not necessarily like to admit it, Dortmund and Schalke actually have a lot in common: geography, obviously, but also roots in the coal and steel industries, as well as a striking similarity of their fan bases.

SATURDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 7, 2015

Ronaldo opens up on father’s death, Messi >>34-35

FIFA U-17 World Cup Final: Tomorrow 11pm

Amuneke: We’ll find a way to crack Mali

•Osimhen

•Ronaldo

•Maiga

>>55

History beckons Enyimba >>33

•Udoh •Ikhana SUPER SUNDAYF I X T U R E S Today’s Fixtures EPL Bournemouth v Newcastle Leicester v Watford Man Utd v West Brom Norwich v Swansea Sunderland v Southampton West Ham v Everton Stoke v Chelsea

1:45pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm 6:30pm

LA LIGA Celta Vigo v Valencia Levante v Deportivo Eibar v Getafe Vallecano v Granada Malaga v Real Betis

4pm 6:15pm 8:30pm 8:30pm 10:05pm

BUNDESLIGA Leverkusen v Cologne 3:30pm Bayern Munich v Stuttgart 3:30pm M’gladbach v FC Ingolstadt 04 3:30pm Hoffenheim v Frankfurt 3:30pm Mainz v Wolfsburg 3:30pm SV Darmstadt 98 SV Darmstadt 98 v Hamburg

3:30pm

SERIE A Verona v Bologna 6pm AC Milan v Atalanta 8:45pm FRENCH LIGUE I Paris St Germain v Toulouse 5pm Caen v Guingamp 8pm Lille v Bastia 8pm Lorient v Troyes 8pm Montpellier v Nantes 8pm Reims v Gazelec Ajaccio 8pm EREDIVISIE FC Twente v Heerenveen 6:30pm NEC Nijmegen v De Graafschap 7:45pm Willem II v Excelsior 7:45pm PEC Zwolle v Heracles Almelo 8:45pm

•Udorji

Kano Pillars El Kanemi Warriors Dolphins Giwa Ifeanyi Ubah Sharks Taraba Enyimba Bayelsa Utd Lobi Stars

v v v v v v v v v v

Akwa Utd 2pm Wikki Tourist 4pm Heartland 4pm Shooting Stars 4pm Nasarawa 4pm Kwara Utd 4pm Abia Warriors 4pm Warri Wolves 4pm Sunshine Stars

Rangers

4pm

CROSS WORD PUZZLE Across 1 Chairman, non-oil committee, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commiseration (RMAFC), Reverend Ajibola -(10) 7 Bangladesh Currency (4) 9 Director-General, National Bureau of Statistics, Dr. Yemi (4) 11 Singapore’s First President, Mr. Yusof - (5) 13 Organ of hearing (3) 14 Igbo word for “Tortoise” (3) 15 L.G.A. in Abia State (3) 16 National Security Adviser, Mr. Babagana - (7) 19 Period of Seven Days (4) 21 Number (6) 23 Director-General, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar - (6) 26 L.G.A. In Akwa-Ibom State (4) 28 Former Edo State Commissioner for higher Education, Hon. Sylvester - (7) 31 Frozen Water (3) 32 Lever 33 Rodent (3) 35 Ethnic Group in Nigeria (5) 37 Kiln (4) 38 Denmark National (4) 39 Former Italian President, Mr. Giorgio - (10) DOWN 2 Anambra State capital (4)

3 Traditional ruler of Ondo (7) 4 Super Eagles defender, Bright -(6) 5 Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo -(3) 6 Ukraine currency (10) 8 Chairman, Subsidy Utilization, Reinvestment & Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), Mr. Ishaya Dare - (4) 10 Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Solomon - (5) 12 Adult Female Fowl (4) 13 Deputy Senate President, Mr. Ike-(10) 17 Former Super Falcons Coach, Edwin ….. (4) 18 Merry (3) 20 Cameroun “Indomitable Lions” Defensive Midfielder, Eyong - (4) 22 Vehicle (3) 24 Kenyan Capital City (7) 25 Former Insurance FC Coach, Rowland - (5) 27 Managing Director, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Dr. Ima - (6) 29 Hebrew Alphabet (4) 30 State in Nigeria (3) 36 Japanese Currency unit (3)

Solution on page 47

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