Osun Tight Race: Aregbesola Leads

C M Y K

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Osun guber poll: Aregbesola leads Continued from page 1 Senator Iyiola Omisore as early results from yesterday ’s gubernatorial election in Osun State trickled in.

Early returns showed Aregbesola to be leading in many areas of Osogbo, Ede and Ilesha with Omisore showing good lead in Ile- Ife and some towns across the state.

The election, characterised by strong presence of security personnel, was itself differently portrayed by the APC and the PDP. While the APC described the conduct of the election as a rape on democracy, the PDP, speaking through its National Secretary, Prof.

Wale Oladipo, said it was free and fair. The many observer groups were, last night, yet to speak on the conduct of the election which saw massive turnout of voters in all 30 local government areas of the state.

The off season election followed the judicial enthronement of Aregbesola as governor in November 2010 after three and a half years of the four-year term earlier stamped in favour of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola on the platform of the PDP. As results of the election poured in showing Aregbesola in good lead in his Ijesha and Ede strong holds, early cause of celebration was tempered by the strong showing of Omisore in his Ife heartland and some parts of Ijesha.

Omisore also pulled strongly in some unexpected quarters including Okuku, the hometown of the immediate former governor of the state, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. Oyinlola, who defected from the PDP to the APC four days to the election, was unable to win his polling booth for his new party, as the APC trailed by 61 votes to the 125 polled by the

PDP in his Ward One Unit 3.

Heavy presence of security men characterized pre-election and postelection activities throughout the state.

Hours before the election commenced late on Friday night, the APC claimed that its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, alongside a media aide to the party ’s national leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Mr. Afolabi Afolabi Salisu, Deputy Chief of Staff to Gov. Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, were arrested.

Arrest

Recounting his experience in a statement following his release, yesterday morning, the APC spokesman said: “We were being driven to the Government House when we were stopped at a military check point by men in military and DSS uniforms, all hooded and armed to the teeth with AK-47 assault rifles, pistols and other weapons.

Since there was no curfew in Osun and people were moving around freely, we felt it was a routine check. ‘’Suddenly, the men, some of them apparently drunk, ordered us out of the car, took our phones, pointed their assault rifles at our heads and said ‘ you are under arrest’.

They herded us into their bus like animals and drove away. There is no doubt that they knew who we are because I introduced myself! ‘’From our encounter with our tormentors, there is also no doubt that these were not just soldiers and DSS officials, there were also ex-militants and thugs, all clad in military and DSS uniforms but apparently lacking in any training! We also witnessed how men in military and DSS uniform fired their guns at the gate leading to the residence of Senator Isiaka Adeleke to force it open! ‘’We asked them why we

were being arrested, but they ignored our question as they drove for close to one hour before veering into a compound that turned out to be the offices of the DSS. There, we met people who had been previously arrested and stripped of their clothing, many of them bloodied from the beatings to which they must have been subjected. ‘’We were herded to one side as our tormentors marched around triumphantly, in what could well have been a scene from the Ukraine! We were waiting for our turn to be stripped of our apparels and taken along with those who were arrested earlier to the DSS cells when a man who is apparently a senior DSS official intervened and ordered our release. The men who arrested us, apparently unhappy at the order to set us free, rejected the order, until the man asserted his authority and even accompanied us to where we were arrested from.

“Our party, the APC, has, no doubt, whatsoever that the depravity being exhibited under President Jonathan’s watch, in the name of politics, has his imprimatur. We have no doubt that elections, which should be a celebration of democracy, have now been turned to war because of the desperation of President Jonathan to win re-election at all costs. We have no doubt that the anarchic Minister of State for Defence and Minister of Police Affairs, who are leading the ‘’troops’’ in Osun as they did in Ekiti, are taking their cue from President Jonathan. ‘’If those Ministers can move around freely in Osun and elsewhere, why can’t other Nigerians, irrespective of the party they belong to? If a PDP “hireling” like Chris Uba can be put in the command of 50 soldiers of the Nigerian Army, why should anyone still be under any illusion that the Nigerian Army is still serving the nation?

Where else in the world is a thug commanding disciplined forces? ‘’We, Lai Mohammed, Sunday Dare and Afolabi Salisu, are just fortunate to be alive. The guns pointed at our heads by drunken armed men could have gone off!

Since our arrest took place in the dark, we could have been driven to an unknown destination and shot dead! This is a dangerous time for Nigeria and her democracy. Irrespective of the outcome of the Osun election, democracy has been dealt a near-mortal blow. 73,000 ‘security agents’, including the military, police, DSS,

R-L: Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Mrs Juliana Majekodunmi and her husband, Mr. Akin Majekodunmi at Mr. Majekodunmi's 70th birthday celebration in Abeokuta yesterday.

Civil Defence, ex-militants, thugs and murderers, deployed to police election in just one state?

There is no better indication that we are in a militarized democracy.”

‘Civil Conduct’

Mohammed’s depiction of the conduct was countered by the PDP’s National Secretary, Prof. Oladipo, who is from Osun State.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after voting, yesterday morning, in Ile-Ife, Oladipo praised the conduct of the security men, describing them as civil in their dealings with the electorate. According to him, no single individual was harassed at his polling unit.

The PDP candidate, Omisore, who voted at St Gabriel Primary School, Ile-Ife, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise just as he commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the smooth conduct of the exercise.

The APC candidate, Aregbesola, however, differed, saying that President Goodluck Jonathan would be blamed if democracy is derailed.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after his accreditation at his Ifofin Ward 8 Unit One in Ilesa, the incumbent said: “They will have themselves to blame if they scuttle the democracy. You can see people’s patriotism and commitment to democracy.

“If they can be 20 percent committed like the ordinary people, the nation would have been the best for it. What they are doing by picking our chieftains and members is barbaric.

“They have been arresting, harassing and molesting our people for no just reason. The democracy is about making your choice freely without being hounded”.

‘Assassination attempt’

APC chieftain, Senator Bayo Salami, also, yesterday, alleged that assassination attempt was made on him by those he claimed to be security men.

Speaking to newsmen at his polling booth in OluOde in Osogbo, he said: “At about10:05 pm on Friday, about 15 men stormed my house with masked gun men in a bus and SUV. They beat up my security guard at the gate and carried him away. As they did all that, me and my family moved into one room.?”

Salami, who was in the Senate between 1999 and 2003 on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, said: ”?They shouted, ‘open the door or will we will shoot it down’. They shot at the door thinking it was a wooden door. They shot at the door several times but they could not gain entry. When you go to my house now you will see the pellets littered around.”

On whether he reported the matter to the police, he said: “I don’t have cause to go to police. I sent text to people who could help me out.”

He noted that he had a tip off of an intended attack on him and he then instructed his wife, who is related to the minister of police affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, challenging him on what had transpired.

According to him, the minister replied, saying he did not deserve the kind of text message and allegation against him.

Aregbesola made a sweep of most of the polling booths in Osogbo, the state capital according to the results compiled by Sunday Vanguard.

The results showed

that in Fagbewesa Street (Unit 013) in Osogbo, APC won with 253 votes to PDP’s 75.

Fagbewesa/Ataoja ‘D’/ Osogbo (Unit 014): APC 217, PDP 70.

Polling Unit 16, Ward 4 in Fagbewesa: APC 133, PDP 42 Unit 12 Fagbewesa: APC 210, PDP 78 Unit 21 Fagbewesa: APC 139, PDP 46 Olorunda Local Government, Ward 12 (Unit 3): APC 271, PDP 94 Ward 2 Units 5: APC 216, PDP 94 Ward 2 Unit 9: APC 228, APC 127 Ward 4, Unit 10, Alajue area, Ede South Local Government: APC 188, PDP 92.

The PDP’s gubernatorial running mate, Adejare Bello, was reported to have lost his polling unit in Ede as PDP scored 30 votes while APC scored 130 votes there.

The State Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Ganiyu Olaoluwa, lost in his Olorunda Ward 1 GRA as PDP scored 95 votes while APC scored 142.

In Osogbo Ward 8 Unit 4, APC scored 300 votes to PDP’s 58; Ward 7 Unit 14, APC scored 133 votes and PDP scored 20 votes; Ward 4 Unit 12, APC scored 210 votes, PDP scored 78; Ward 4 Unit 21, APC scored 139 votes, while PDP scored 46.

Other results

Obaloye Grammar School, Alajue 1, Ede South, Polling Unit 005: APC 105, PDP 75.

Anu Olu junction, Alajue 1, Ede South: APC 197, PDP 65.

Osogbo LGA, Polling Unit 003, Ogo OluwaKitan 2: APC 166, PDP 68.

Osogbo LGA, Polling Unit 001, Opp 7up, Gbogan Road: APC 156, PDP 79.

Osogbo LGA, Ward 4, Woleola Unit 19: APC 319, PDP 105.

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OSUN VOTES

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President Goodluck Jonathan are clear examples of our government’s determination to deploy the right mix of both military and developmental strategies in winning this war against the enemies of our collective humanity.

You became Minister of State for Defence in March 2014. Within the short time you have spent in office, do you have reasons to believe Nigeria is winning the war against Boko Haram?

I am very optimistic about our war against Boko Haram. Yes, there are challenges here and there but I am a fervent believer in the principle of evil being conquered by good.

For us, the challenge of fighting terrorism as we have seen it is new; it has never been part of our national life. It will take some time to overcome. It is on record that I have always said that overcoming terrorism is not a 100m dash. It is a marathon. Our troops may never have all the money they need as is the case with most Military systems in the world but Nigerians must have faith in the capacity that we have built in these men and women as they are among the best trained in the world.

We must also recognise and appreciate the effort of President Goodluck Jonathan since he assumed office. Motivation for our troops continues to increase and I can tell you that some of the military hardware acquisitions we are making today have not been done in the last 25 years.

•Obanikoro.... In my entire public service experience from being a local government chairman, a commissioner, a senator, an ambassador and now minister, I have never seen where Government succeeds alone by itself

OSUN POLL You are hypocrites!

•Obanik or o blasts APC o yment •Obanikor oro ovver soldier soldierss deplo deployment •‘Our tw o-pr onged w ar against Bok o Haram’ two-pr o-pronged war Boko

M

INISTER of State for De fence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, in this interview, says there is a nexus between the delay at rescuing the abducted Chibok girls and the need to avoid losing the girls in the rescue process. He also dismisses the criticism against the deployment of soldiers for the Osun State gubernatorial election, held, yesterday, as a standard practice.

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

How do you respond to the claim by the APC that the Federal Government is militarizing elections by deploying soldiers for the Osun election (held yesterday) and the one held in June in Ekiti?

Deploying soldiers to elections is standard practice. This is not the first time it will be done. In 2012, about 3,500 soldiers were deployed to Edo State for the gubernatorial election. Governor Adams Oshiomhole even hailed President Jonathan for it. APC won the election and they didn’t cry about militarization. So you can see the hypocrisy that drives the politics of the APC. Is it not on record that even the US government commended INEC and our security forces for a job well done in Ekiti? Only troublemakers who want to rig should be afraid of soldiers and other security forces being deployed to

Nigeria is not alone in the war against insurgency and that is why we have adopted a wide range of sub-regional and international collaborative approaches towards addressing the scourge of Boko Haram

beef up security during elections. Law abiding citizens have nothing to fear.

Despite the efforts of the military, attacks by Boko Haram have continued while the Chibok girls are yet to be rescued. What do you make of that?

I think it is important we approach this issue of war against insurgency within the context of a global security concern. Nigeria is not alone in the war against insurgency and that is why we have adopted a wide range of sub-regional and international collaborative approaches towards addressing the scourge of Boko Haram.

How we got to where we are today is unfortunate. What began as a northern Nigerian problem has metamorphosed into a Nigerian problem. Everyone is now affected. The consequence of years of mass illiteracy and the politics of underdevelopment in the North contributed to birthing the scourge called Boko Haram. But this is not a time to trade blames and all hope is not lost. As we continue to explore the strategies of a military operation in putting an end to the Boko Haram insurgency, we are also committed to the developmental components of the war, which serve a preventive and restorative purpose. The Safe Schools Initiative and the Terror Victims Support Fund championed by

You have been at the forefront of calling on citizens to support the Nigerian troops.

What exactly does this entail?

In my entire public service experience from being a local government chairman, a commissioner, a senator, an ambassador and now minister, I have never seen where Government succeeds alone by itself without the support of its citizens. Not to even talk about fighting a war against insurgents within our territorial borders. So I maintain that the war against insurgency cannot be won by our Military alone. And this is why I have always appealed to Nigerians to support our troops morally and with whatever information they have at their disposal that can help our Military in fighting this war. Security is largely an issue of intelligence gathering. And it is not just about our citizens; different levels of our national life must take this personal. Until we all take the war against Boko Haram personal, victory against terror is likely to take longer than necessary. Take for instance the local government level of governance. I am particular about that unit of our national life, which is currently being eroded. For real development to cascade from the top to the grassroots, we must bring back the local governments and allow them the autonomy and financial independence that they need to thrive.

With a functional local government in place, it becomes easier for our security agencies to work with our local communities in dealing with insurgency and other security challenges. Our religious leaders, community leaders and our family systems have a key role to play. We must continue to demonise and condemn all criminal acts in our society, especially terrorism. As parents and religious leaders, we must return to our roots and begin to instill the right values in our children.

We are not terrorists. Terrorism is alien to the true Nigerian spirit. We must teach this in our homes, preach this in our churches and in our mosques. Our traditional and community leaders, especially those in the North must take a cue from how Nigeria to a large extent solved the problem of the Niger Delta insurgency. It would not have been possible without the support of the traditional and com-

Continues on page 8

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014 — PAGE 7

OSUN DECIDES

Gov Rauf Aregbesola casting his vote at Ward 8 Unit 1 Ilesha Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, being received by supporters as he arrived at his polling unit at Yemo Ward in Ile-Ife.

Voters on queue for accreditation at Moro

Voters looking for their names in the register

Jubilation by APC supporters in front of PDP campaign office in Osogbo

Security checkpoint at Moro as accreditation of voters went on

Empty Gbongan Road Jubilation of APC supporters in Osogbo

Election observers from the US Embassy: Brandon Lampley (right), Israel Edereka (middle), discussing with a presiding officer at Iremo, Ile-Ife.

A cross section of the voters wating to vote at Olorunda Local Government Ward 10

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OSUN VOTES

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without endangering the lives of these girls.

We have seen several examples across the world where the use of force in a hostage rescue turned out very nasty. We cannot afford any one life of those girls to be lost. Not one. I must once again appeal to Nigerians to stand behind the military at this critical time. It is not a time to blame the Military or criticize them. Some of our brave military men and women have paid the supreme sacrifice in our efforts to combat terror and rescue our girls. We must show them some love and support.

The leadership of the APC has strongly criticized you for focusing too much on politics at the expense of your work at the Defence Ministry. They say you should be in Borno, not anywhere near Ondo, Ekiti or Osun.

When did it become the responsibility of the APC to dictate or doctor my movements?

Do I dictate their movements? I am an employee of the Federal Government of Nigeria; the Minister of State for Defence. Several factors determine where I visit and why I visit. I don’t need the permission of the APC to go anywhere in the discharge of my official assignment. Two weeks ago I was in Warri, Yenagoa, Calabar and Uyo. Next week I will be in Lagos. It is sad that the APC choses to play politics with everything. If I have a campaign in Ekiti, Ondo, Osun or Sokoto I will go there.

If I have not been to Borno today, it doesn’t mean I don’t have plans to go to Borno tomorrow. And how does Obanikoro going to Borno put an end to insurgency? It is laughable how they say I should go to Sambisa forest. As the Minister of State for Defence, I am largely a policy driver and administrator, •Obanikoro... we are considering a wide range of options in ensuring that the girls are rescued as soon as possible. not a war general. What is important is that I am briefed on results of our tactical deployments and the situation on ground and the world is a global village where Obama’s decisions in Washighton DC shames the outcomes of events in the far Middle East. The APC should worry less about my location and worry more about their elections. That has been their trademark. For them, politics is everything and winning elections at all cost even if you have to demonise and smear the other man with propaganda.

‘Our options to rescue Chibok girls’ Continued from page 6 munity leaders and other stakeholders in the Niger Delta. For you in the media, you know your role is to be the watchdog and conscience of society. What the media projects, the society consumes. While I agree that the media must remain objective and professional in its responsibility to society, the media must be careful and conscious not to become an agenda setting platform for terrorists.

Every time you devote front-page headlines to the activities of terrorists, you provide them the psychological impetus to continue in their acts of terror. We at the level of the Federal Government and the military are not left out. We must constantly remember that counter-insurgency is the art of winning public support. So, we must be ready to work with civil society organisations once we ascertain that they are not political groups hiding under the veil civil society, and support them. We should also engage in community diplomacy and peace building. We must protect and defend the rights of our citizens to peaceful and lawful protests, and we must continue to ensure that we never harm civilians and show respect for our citizens in all our military operations.

You recently called for military reform.

Has the reform process begun? Are there things on ground to show for it?

You need to understand that reform must be gradual for it to be effective. Yes, as a progressive leader, I am never satisfied with one level of development. I believe in con-

The APC should worry less about my location and worry more about their elections

tinuous development. Under the Transformation Agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan, so much is being done to retool the capacity of our Military to meet with the contemporary challenges of national security. I must also commend the leadership of my immediate boss and partner in the defence sector, General Aliyu Gusau (rtd) for providing the steadfast leadership at the Ministry of Defence, which has brought us this far. A lot of the efforts we are making now I cannot disclose on the pages of newspapers, but I am sure you are aware of some of the steps we have taken. We are recruiting more hands to beef up our capacity, we are training our Military, and like I mentioned earlier, we are making hardware acquisitions that will see our Military thoroughly equipped for their duties. Just to buttress the point, I recently returned from a nationwide tour of naval formations and I can say without fear of contradiction that Nigerians can count on the fact that they have a new age military motivated, willing, able and ready to uphold our national security and defend our territorial integrity at any time.

When will the Chibok girls be rescued?

I cannot tell you when they will be rescued. But what I can tell you is that we are considering a wide range of options in ensuring that the girls are rescued as soon as possible. The grief in the heart of their parents and loved ones is unimaginable. President Goodluck Jonathan, as a father also is deeply concerned. The leadership of this country is concerned about bringing these girls back home. But more important now is how we do that

As a prominent Lagosian, what is your assessment of the Babatunde Fashola administration and what his performance so far portends for the future of Lagos?

My brother Fashola has tried. I commend him for his efforts and commitment to Lagos State. But there is still a lot of work to be done in post-Fashola Lagos. Whoever becomes the next governor of Lagos will have a lot in their hands trying to create a more inclusive and people-centered Lagos where development is felt across board whether you are rich or poor.

It has been widely rumored that Jimi Agbaje was encouraged to join the PDP partly to checkmate your influence in Lagos PDP should you decide to run for governor of Lagos under the PDP. Are you threatened?

Threatened? Not at all! There cannot be two Musiliu Obanikoros anywhere in the world.

So I find the issue of checkmating Obanikoro’s influence in Lagos PDP with a Jimi Agbaje very funny. Only God confers power and influence on men. What belongs to a man belongs to him. And don’t forget PDP is a very democratic party and it is the only party that every Nigerian can comfortably call their own. It is not a one-man contraption like you find elsewhere around here. Recently at the mega rally in Osogbo, you should have heard the President when he declared that the PDP does not impose candidates on any of its constituencies. That is the spirit that drives our party. If I decide to run for governor of Lagos in the PDP and Jimi also decides to run, just like other aspirants in the party, we will test our popularity at the primaries. That is what democracy is all about. My brother Jimi is a fine gentleman. I am happy he has now found the light. He is welcome to our party and I wish him well.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 9

Delta monarch, governor’s aide perish in auto crash

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

A

traditional ruler in Delta State, the Obi of Issele-Uku, HRM Henry Ezeagwuna I, and the Senior Special Adviser to Delta State Governor on Information and Communication Technology, (ICT), Mr. Sunny Ofili were, yesterday, allegedly burnt to death following a motor accident on AsabaBenin highway.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that the accident occurred between Issele-Uku and IsseleAzagba at about 4pm.

The victims were said to be travelling to Asaba in connection with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chairmanship primaries held in Aniocha yesterday when the incident happened. The Obi was said to be driving the car at the time of the accident.

An eyewitness said the Mercedes Benz car conveying the victims rammed into an articulated vehicle and caught fire immediately.

It was wailing galore when the news of the accident got to Asaba as some staff of Ofili could not control themselves, describing him as a

humble and unassuming personality. Ofili was said to be one of the aspirants for the Aniocha North House of Assembly seat in 2015.

At Issele-Uku, gloom was on the faces of residents who discussed the incident in hushed tone because, according to tradition, the death of an Obi cannot be announced without following procedure.

Reacting to the accident, the member representing Aniocha/ Oshimili federal constituency in the House of Representatives, Mr. Ndudi Elumelu, said, “very very sad, we have lost a great royal father in the late Obi Henry Osemene who until his death was in the forefront of lasting peace in Aniocha North and Anioma.

“He had hoped that during his life time he would witness the swearing-in of an Anioma son as the governor of Delta. I share in the grief of all Oligbo sons and daughters. On my junior brother Sunny Ofili, it is the worst news I have every received in my entire life because we spoke this morning and we had cause to discuss Aniocha North plus his dreams and his jokes

about how he had wished that he took the local government to the next level at the state assembly level if he had the opportunity. He pleaded that I allowed him to pay me a consultation visit and here he is no more. What a huge loss to us the Aniocha

north people, Anioma people and Delta as a whole bearing in mind the roles he was playing in this current government. Again I on behalf of the good people of Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency commiserate with his family and my governor

who graciously made his relocation from America to Nigeria an easy one. He will be remembered for his contributions towards transforming the ICT centres in Delta. May their gentle souls rest in peace”, he stated.

A senior official of the

Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) in Asaba confirmed the incident but said,“We are yet to get the full details. So I cannot just tell you whether those you are mentioning are dead or not”.

Ijaw youths seek rebirth of Isaac Boro, Ken Saro-Wiwa

Y

OUTHS of Ijaw have expressed desire for rebirth of fallen heroes of the Niger Delta struggle, particularly Isaac Boro and Ken Saro-Wiwa as panacea for achieving the liberation of the region’s people from perceived “slavery” in the larger Nigerian nation.

In a statement in Warri, the youths, under auspices of Burutu Youth Congress (BYC), said since the “unjust killing” of Isaac Boro and SaroWiwa, the Ijaw’s struggle to arrest mass poverty and underdevelopment in the midst of huge wealth flowing from their land has only made meaning in swelling the ego and personal wealth of the self serv-

ing successors of the struggle leaving the majority is pity and deprivation.

Comrade Livingstone Mokuna, BYC Secretary, who signed the statement, said, “I was born into one of the richest local government area, state and region in Nigeria. Paradoxically, despite having an Ijaw heading Aso Rock Villa, living conditions for majority Ijaws remain piteous. ‘’As Ijaw youths we pray to God to provide us new Isaac Boro and Ken Saro-Wiwa to liberate us first from our own self-centered and inconsiderate leaders who claim to be our representatives. If we can stood against federal might

and achieved some recognition, then who are these individuals we cannot confront?”

Describing Ijaws as victims of ethnic segregation and deprivation, Mokuna called on all Ijaws across Delta state

to “make change by supporting our own for the governorship in Delta State come 2015. I commend the Delta Ijaw Congress for standing by this Ijaw course towards the next elections in Delta.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY THE GOOD SUCCESS – 1 Success simply put,means the attainment of a goal, objective or dream. Depending on what your goal or dream is, it could be termed good or bad.

For example, if your objective is to kill someone and if at the end you succeed in killing that person, will you say you have achieved good success?

Yes, you have succeeded, but do you cherish being called a successful murderer?

For you to attain good success the process and the product must be noble. The outcome too must not offend God and men of conscience. But how do you offend God and men of conscience?

PAGE 10 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014

PDP gives soft-landing to Ebonyi impeached Speaker

BY PETER OKUTU

T

HE over three weeks crisis rocking Ebonyi State House of Assembly may have been resolved as there are indications that the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has given soft- landing to the impeached Speaker, Chukwuma Nwazunku.

A source close to the party in the state noted that the decision was reached in order to ensure that the former Speaker was not humiliated out of office.

Addressing newsmen, the state party Chairman, Chief Ugorji Ama-Oti, stated that the crisis has been resolved as aggrieved members were now operating as a oneunited family.

However, feelers from the party secretariat revealed that the party told Nwazunku to tender his letter of resignation with immediate effect to allow the House during plenary to reverse his impeachment.

The party also moved that the incumbent Speaker, Hon. Helen Nwobashi, be dropped to give room for a fresh election to elect another House member from the North senatorial zone as the impeached Speaker.

However, what is not acceptable to the Helen Nwobashi-led group is the

BY SUZAN EDEH

F

•US Sec. of State John Kerry, Asst. Sec. for African Affairs, Linda Thomas-Green.

Panelists: Tanzania President, Jakaya Kikwete, Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama and President, Campaign for Democracy & Women Arise, Dr. Joe OkeiOdumakin, during African Leaders Summit Civil Society Forum-Global Townhall, at Washington DC, USA. method put in place by the party for the selection of a supposed leadership of the Ebonyi House of Assembly.

It was gathered also that during the PDP meeting with all the members of the House of Assembly, Governor Martin Elechi stressed on the timely resolution of the crisis.

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the governor, after listening to the arguments from both camps of the House of Assembly, appealed for peace and stability of the state.

A

HEAD of the 2015 general elections, a political group in Abia state, Abia Forward Movement has adopted President Goodluck Jonathan and Gov. Theodore Orji as its candidates for the presidency and the Abia Central senatorial seat, respectively.

The group, which has its membership spread across the 17 council areas of Abia state also adopted Barr. Friday Nwosu as its candidate for the state governorship position.

The movement, in a motion sponsored by the representatives of the three senatorial zones of the state; Iro Awa (Abia North), Obinna Otuonye (Abia Central) and John Ogidi (Abia South), at its meeting held at Umuachab community school in Isiala Ngwa South council area, said Jonathan and Orji, respectively, have, through visionary leadership, brought hope to Nigeria and Abia state.

They added that Nwosu possesses the strength of character and charisma to take Abia to the next level if elected governor in 2015.

According to them, “President Goodluck Jonathan has through his transformation agenda given focused leadership to Nigeria. This has led to improvement in the Po w e r, Tr a n s p o r t , Av i a t i o n , A g r i c u l t u r a l sectors. Our roads and

railways are receiving attention never seen before in this country.

What endeared President Jonathan to Nigerians is his humility and service.

He is a patriot to the core. He is addressing the needs of all parts of Nigeria with a fatherly disposition. No Nigerian leader has achieved so much within the time he has been in office. This

BY ABDULSALAM MUHAMMAD

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L-r: US Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, President, Campaign for Democracy, at the summit.

is why we resolved to support the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.”

On the adoption of Orji for the Abia Central senatorial seat in 2015, the group commended the governor for his numerous achievements in the area of security, infrastructure, youth empowerment as well as his insistence that power

would shift to Abia South in 2015.

While adopting Nwosu for the Abia governorship position, the group disclosed that it has assessed the profile of those seeking the governorship position in 2015 and discovered that he possesses the right credentials to succeed Gov. Orji.

Senate challenges Waku over moneyfor-bill claim

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU, Abuja

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HAIRMAN, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang, has denied the allegation that the Senate collects bribe before bills and motions are listed on the Order Paper.

The denial came on the heels of the allegation by a former Senator, Joseph Waku, who reportedly claimed that a serving senator whose name he did not mention had claimed that for a senator ’s motion or bill to be listed on the Order Paper for debate, the sponsor has to bribe his way through.

Enang said neither him nor the Senate President would tolerate any such act of corrupt practice, adding that the Senate leadership was made up of people with integrity even as he advised Waku to retract what he described as an

OLLOWING the claim that Ebola virus has spread to Bauchi State, residents are living in fear.

Sunday Vanguard gathered that several people have been avoiding the shaking of hands as well as visiting relatives and friends on admission in hospital.

Residents have been receiving telephone calls from loved ones in other parts of the country to alert them of the Ebola scourge, urging them to have hot salt water bath and also drink same.

Several hundreds of people in Bauchi metropolis were noticed hurrying to markets and shops to purchase enough quantity of salt for the purpose.

It was gathered that for three days now those living

in the local governments areas close to the state capital like Toro, Dass and Ningi, were rushing to the towns and cities to get medical attention and checkup to ascertain their health status on account of Ebola virus spreading to the state.

A cross section of residents who spoke to Sunday Vanguard about Ebola alert said they received SMS and telephone calls from friends and relatives as well as the social media that hot salt solution was a sure protection against Ebola.

Mrs Doshima Terfa and residing in the G.R.A in the state said that she received a call from her mother in Benue State around 2 am, telling her to use salt and water to take her bath as well as drinking it to protect herself from contacting the virus.

FG restates order on corpse movt

2015 polls: Group adopts Jonathan, Gov Orji, Nwosu

BY ERIC UGBOR

Ebola Panic in Bauchi

unfounded allegation.

Enang, in a statement, yesterday, said,”The attention of The Senate Rules and Business Committee has been drawn to a statement in a newspaper interview of Sunday credited to Sen Waku who served between 1999 - 2003 wherein he did cast aspersion and insinuations on the Rules and Business Committee of the senate. ”He claimed he was informed by a serving senator that he could not sponsor any bill because to sponsor a Bill, a Senator may have to compromise the Rules and Business Committee to get it listed. ”For the avoidance of doubt, we are hereby calling on Senator Waku to please name such a serving senator and be prepared to particularlise the grievous ,unfounded and unguarded statement unbecoming of a distinguished senator, even one that served out his

term. ”Sen Waku left the Senate 12 years ago (2003) and is not in a position to make any statement about the institution without being appropriately informed. ”We therefore demand that sen Waku do retract the Statement and should name the Senator. We can boldly state that no serving senator would hold such opinion or say same to any person concerning the rules and Business Committee. ”We state that the committee under my leadership as chairman, and the Senate Leadership under Distinguished Sen David Mark as Senate President has and will always maintain the highest standard of decency and fairness to all Senators and believes in the equality of all senators and non will breach the privilege of the other as has been demonstrated in the Mark’s leadership thus far.”

HE Federal Government has restated its ban on the transportation of corpses within and around the country to avoid the spread of Ebola .

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Khairu AlHassan, told a stakeholders meeting, held at African House, Government House, Kano, that henceforth no corpse will be transferred from any part of the country to another.

The minister appealed to Nigerians to cooperate with government on the issue.

“Ebola is not a political disease. It does not care who you are or which political party you belong and this is

the more reason we should join forces to control the spread,”Al-Hassan said.

He disclosed that “so far 139 suspected cases are under strict quarantine in Isolation centre in Lagos”, adding that 90 percent of such cases are health workers”.

The minister stated that arrangements had been completed to establish isolation centres in each of the 36 states of the federation to contain Ebola, pointing out that the situation was under control.

“Nigerians do not need to be apprehensive about Ebola. A patient does not constitute danger to public health, as 90 percent of identified cases are health workers”, he said.

TAN calls for intensified preventive campaigns

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HE Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria(TAN) has called for all hands to be on deck for the intensification of education and preventive campaigns on the deadly Ebola virus and other such contemporary influenza.

The Director of Strategy/ Communication for TAN, Dr Udenta Udenta, made the call in an interview at the corporate headquarters of the group in Abuja.

He noted there is urgent need for the federal and state governments to intensify the campaigns, reaching the citizens at all levels, on the symptoms and ways one can contract the virus, as well as the preventive ways. Dr Udenta said the virus which has been causing havoc in

some neighboring West African countries should be given a multi-sectorial approach. He called on those that are charged with the responsibilities of screening people coming into the country to step up action, do a good job of it and remain very dedicated so that the virus would be effectively checkmated at the nation’s boarders in order not to get out of hand.

Udenta while commending the Federal Ministry of health for their prompt response to the incidence or the virus in some parts of the country stressed the need for more proactive interventions so that the deadly virus would not decimate the populace.

Kogi sets up rapid emergency team

BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

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OVERNOR Idris Wada has urged people of Kogi State to be watchful and maintain high hygienic standards to prevent the spread of Ebola virus disease.

Wada gave the charge at a capacity building workshop for midwives and community health extension workers, in some local government areas of the state.

The workshop was one of the components of the Subsidy Re-investment and Empowerment Programme.

The governor, represented by his deputy, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi, said measures had been adopted to contain the spread of the disease.

He also appealed to the people to imbibe the culture of washing their hands and abstaining from bush meat known to be carriers of the dreaded virus.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014 — PAGE 11

BORNO: Boko Haram hoists flags in Gwoza

BY NDAHI MARAMA, MAIDUGURI

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USPECTED Boko Haram gunmen may have consolidated their capture of Gwoza town in Borno State, after last Wednesday’s attacks on houses, a police station, the local government secretariat complex and the emir ’s palace in the town.

This came as Borno State Police Command, yesterday, banned public demonstration anchored on the security situation in the state under emergency rule.

The ban, according to a press statement from the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jubrin, followed the attempted demonstration of Gwoza people to the Government House, Maiduguri over the Gwoza attacks.

Hodo Vurho, a resident who fled to Maiduguri, yesterday, said that following the missing of the emir of Gwoza, Alhaji Mohammed Idrissa Timta, during the attack, the Boko Haram black flags had been hoisted at the torched palace and three other locations in the town, including three villages on Bama-Gwoza road.

“When the insurgents struck last Wednesday, some of us fled, while others were shot dead, but I was able to flee by climbing the hill, and then descend to take a footpath that leads to Maiduguri to tell you

what is happening in Gwoza,” Vurho said.

“After torching our emir’s palace and several houses, including the council secretariat complex, the insurgents separated women and children, from the male adults by shooting and slaughtering them at sight. In that dangerous

situation, we had to flee for safety. Later, one of my neighbours called me to say Gwoza had been taken over by Boko Haram gunmen.”

On whether there were soldiers in Gwoza, Vurho said: “On Wednesday when we were attacked along with the emir, some soldiers

E

NTERTAINMENT icons across Africa have applauded the award of “Entertainment Pillar of the Decade” given to Globacom Chairman, Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr, describing the honour as well deserved and long overdue.

They opined that the honour, which was the highest of the awards conferred on individuals and corporate bodies during the third anniversary of leading entertainment publication, Entertainment Express and Sunday Express, would serve as a morale booster to Adenuga and encourage other well-meaning Africans to do more for the entertainment sector.

The A-list stars congratulated Adenuga whom they fondly called “our most revered pillar ” on the honour and urged media organisations to recognise these supporting entertainment in sundry ways

Dons expose corruption in LGAs

BY ABIODUN ALADE

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NIVERSITY scholars and activists have called for accountability, prudence and transparency in the management of the resources of local governments. Making the call, the Director of Research, Institute of Advance Legal Studies, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, said the administration of the third tier of government was ill-managed, lamenting that most chairmen spent the resources accruing to their councils without proper budgeting.

Owasanoye, who is also Executive Director, Human Development Initiative, argued that his nongovernmental organisation discovered in Lagos, Kwara, Edo, among others states, that there were cases of corruption in almost all. He listed the vices noticed as but not limited to payment for job not executed, spurious expenditure, overpayment of security allowances to executive chairmen and irregular auto loan facility.

“The implication of the findings show a high level of impunity and unfettered corruption resulting in the negative consequences of poor local government fiscal management.

Dr. Dayo Ayoade, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, urged citizens to be interested in the affairs of the local government, stressing that this was the nearest government to the people.

Adedeji for burial L-R: Joseph Dawha, Group Managing Director, NNPC; Bernard Obarekpe, Chairman, SPE Nigeria Council and Campbell Airlie, Chief Technical Officer, Seven Energy during the NAICE 2014 event in Lagos.

INEC deletes 946,000 names over multiple •Begins distribution of PVC in Cross registration Rivers, Delta and FCT this week

BY CHRIS OCHAYI

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HE Independent Na tional Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, revealed that it deleted

names of over 946, 000 people involved in multiple-registration from its register since 2011.

The Deputy Director, Voters Education at the

Adenuga’s entertainment pillar award eminently deserved — Showbiz stars

BY OLAYINKA AJAYI

fled to take cover along the main road to Mubi and Bama. But the following morning, Thursday, we heard that the gunmen were freely moving with their rifles, along with some women and children, as human shields, in case the soldiers may come to repel the insurgents from Gwoza town.”

BRIEFS

whilst they are still alive.

To Africa’s most popular singing duo, PSquare, “Dr Mike Adenuga surely deserves the award as he has contributed immensely to the entertainment industry more than any other person on the African continent. He is a great blessing to anyone who associates with him personally or businesswise. Globacom’s pillar of support to PSquare is a living proof. He is indeed a great pillar to many of us in the industry.”

Jude Abaga popularly called Mr Incredible (M.I), described the honour in these words: “Every great structure is sustained by pillars most times bearing the weight and keeping the structure in place. You (Adenuga) have been that and more and that is why this award has not come to us as a surprise. Congratulations Sir! You are more than deserving of it.”

Omawumi Mgbele, the ‘Na who I go ask’ crooner, congratulated Dr.

Adenuga, enthusing “it is only ideal that honour should be given to whom it is due. For such a great business man and philanthropist who has contributed so much to promoting the entertainment sector in particular and the Nigerian economy in general, it is only right to applaud the honour.”

Popular musician, Sani Musa Danja, in his congratulatory message to the Chairman of Globacom, said: “Footprints on the sands of time are not made by sitting down; and there is no one magic move or secret that creates victory, but lots of little items that when added together can make one successful. A lot of things do seem impossible in life but with the right will and strive as you have demonstrated in all your endeavour, one can make all things possible.

It is a great honor and privilege to be associated with an incredible achiever like you.

Commission, Mr. Oluwale Ozaze, who disclosed this at the sensitization on voters’ registration and collection of Permanent Voters Card, PVC, organised by the SouthSouth Community in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja, vowed that INEC will continue the process of weeding multiple names from the register.

He, however, warned the INEC will henceforth prosecute anyone indulging in multiple registration.

Ozaze also disclosed that the Commission will start distribution of Permanent Voters’ Card, PVC, to registered residents in Cross Rivers, Delta States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, beginning from this week Friday to Sunday.

“If you register and your name appears in the register, do not go and register again. If your name is captured on the INEC’ Electronic Voting Register, EVR, and you are relocating to another or any part of the country, you have to apply to the electoral office to seek transfer of your registration.

“Multiple registration is a crime and should be avoided because the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is ready to prosecute anyone indulge in it,” he said.

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HE body of Chief Samuel Adebisi Adedeji, who died on Friday, July 17, 2014, will be buried on August 15 in Igbara-Oke, Ondo State.

He would have been 89 on that day.

According to a statement issued on behalf of his family by his son, Dr. Dokun Adedeji, the obsequies would begin with a service of songs at his residence next Thursday evening and the there would be a funeral service at the Anglican Church, Igbara-Oke, the following morning before the interment.

Chief Adedeji is survived by his widow, Chief

•The late Pa Adedeji (Mrs.) Grace Olubanwo Adedeji, children and grandchildren.

UACC executive council meeting

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HE United Apostolic Church of Christ (UACC) holds its third Annual Supreme Executive Council meeting from next Friday at the UACC General Headquarters, 5, Tesi Street, Off Olowojeunjeje Street, Ajegunle, Apapa, Lagos.

The event is an avenue for Ministers of UACC to come together to brainstorm on the way forward and deliberate on the achievements of the Mission in the past 49 years. According to the General Overseer of UACC, Archbishop Moses Fayehun, the meeting will enable ministers of the Mission to deliberate on the progress of the church in the past years and we shall discuss on the way forward.

The Minister-In-Charge of UACC Headquarters, Rev. (Dr) Mrs Victoria Olorunyomi, JP, said, all things have been put in place for a successful conference.

Obafemi Prize for Leadership

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BAFEMI Awolowo Foundation has announced the call for nominations for candidates for the second award of the ?baf?mi Awol?w? Prize for Leadership. The prize was instituted by the Foundation to celebrate excellence in leadership and good governance. The maiden prize was awarded in 2013 to Nobel Laureate Professor W?le Soyinka in recognition of his pursuit of and contributions to excellence in leadership and good governance in Nigeria.

A press statement said that members of the public who wish to submit nominations for the 2014 edition, after careful deliberation, the Selection Committee extended the eligibility for the prize to nonNigerians who meet the other eligibility criteria.

PAGE 12—«SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

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

Insecurity: Sustained military action the way forward Dear Sir,

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HIS nation would be embracing a bleak future if government under pressure decides to adopt a selfserving ad-hoc solution in tackling the problem of Boko Haram rather than resolve to find a lasting solution with the international body on ground in the country.

In fact, it will be too careless and irresponsible if government proffers a kind of solution that will leave the insurgence situation in an amber state to be rekindled in future for Nigerians to relive this ugly experience again. Government should resolve to the kind of solution that has the capacity of rooting out and ridding this nation of the scourge of Boko Haram.

Citing the opinion of an Abuja-based lawyer, Sani Shehu on the Arab TV Global Network, Ajazeera programme “Inside Story” over the recent Abuja Bombing which focused on the increasing insurgence activities and bombing vis-à-vis government reluctance to negotiate with the insurgents.

In his contribution, he was supporting the idea that government should engage with the insurgence in a swap deal that will set free both captive insurgents in various detention centres in the country with the Chibok school girls still in the hands of their captors.

I respect his opinion which he is entitled to under the free speech act, but his position on the issue is worrying and it is unfortunate.

His views could lead to further loss of lives as it would encourage than discourage the insurgence to firmly hold their stand believing that by increasing pressure on terror public opinions would pressurize government into giving in to their demand. But holding such views in public is not going to help matters.

The truth is that the swap deal remedy is not the likely solution to the problem

rather it has the capacity to exacerbate the situation than to treat it. It means that the nation should be ready for more terror and more deal swap pings down the road As a matter of fact, this kind of deal seems to be a one-dose prescription for progressive break up of Nigeria into integral or regional parts. Suspicion and lack of trust would be heightened within the armed forces, religious and ethnic divide waking up fear, hatred and the need for collective self defense along these lines.

It could tip the existing dangerous balance in the country and set a new stage ready for further chaos. This nation would have come face to face with the American prediction that Nigeria may stop to exist by the year 2015.

The insurgents seem to have given the

government a choice of too evils to choose from, that is to give in to their demand or witness more terror in this their ruthless campaign against the people and government. But the issue is if government decides to behave the way the insurgents want, will it heal the situation and enthrone a lasting peace or create further chaos in the end?

The kind of peace that this country needs now and would prefer is the kind that would be won in a battle over the insurgents. Nigeria has a strong army, thank God. A familiar slogan says that if you want peace you should prepare for War. Nigeria maintains a large Army and its capacity as a fighting force is not in doubt.

Though that, Boko Haram has indeed dented the image of the Nigerian army internationally as the world is question-

ing the capacity of the Nigerian army to contain them but Nigerian Army still retains an excellent fighting force.

Government should be decisive in its action. If negotiation fails with the insurgents the army should go in and do their job that is why the Army is there. It is true that military solution is expensive but something has to be done in the right direction. Mali has done it. Nigeria should do same to ensure a lasting peace in this country. What we are witnessing is a vicious cycle and it is only an effective military action that will break this vicious cycle of this Islamic insurgence before sustainable peace can be embraced in this country.

Stephen Ikechi Chairman, Centre for National Progress

Delta guber: No need of smear campaign Dear Sir,

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s the 2015 governorship race draws near in Delta State, there is need for all aspirants to the position to play by the rule if actually they want to use the position to better the lives of Deltans. There is no need of plotting image assassination or smear campaign against fellow aspirants.

For instance, recently, a faceless group published in two national dailies through cartoon illustrations portraying Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, a politician of repute, as a user of foul language and incendiary remarks against perceived or known political opponents.

On the following day, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa responded through the Vanguard by saying that he has two things against the publication; one being that he does not believe in smear campaigns , and he has nothing in common with the group

that has embarked on the smear campaign and disharmony which obviously is aimed at causing crisis and conflict among aspirants from Delta North Senatorial District.

Another smeared campaign was launced on a serving Commissioner in Delta State as their victim in a cartoon which suggests that this serving commissioner rumoured to have a governorship ambition, is a puppet and has criminal records.

These two events and perhaps more that are yet to come as we get closer to the governorship primaries and the general elections proper, show how desperate some of our politicians can get in their quest to acquire power. However, their view, apart from being strictly incorrect, is disingenuous and unhelpful.

Senator Okowa on his part has brought to bear on offices held in the past, one do not need to be told that he has remained a consistent and committed democrat. He

is not known with foul language. Little wonder that when he clocked 55th years, a variety of opinions, views, reflections on him was given by respected public figures and credible politicians. It is therefore, quite disturbing that even after 16 years of democracy, some persons still believe that the only way to capture power is through the inglorious ‘’ Pull-him-down Syndrome’’ as being demonstrated by those behind the falsehood of these publications.

In every colouration, such steps have never yielded good result.

Therefore, instead of embarking on mental fixation of destroying others, one would suggest that they should come out from their cocoons and present themselves to the party and the public for thorough leadership evaluation.

Amaechi Udemba, a public analyst writes in from Asaba

SUNDAY VANGUARD,AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 13

BY OLAYINKA AJAYI Contenders for the 2015 governorship election in Abia State refer to the Abia Charter of Equity as their guiding document. What is so important about the charter that it is becoming central to the contest? Abia State pioneer Attorney-General, Theo Nkire, x-rays the charter and its support for the Ukwa-Ngwa cause…

What does Ukwa-Ngwa Professionals which you lead represent?

HE organisation is an as sociation of professionals of Ukwa-Ngwa origin who are committed to the development of Abia State, and who share in the conviction that Aba, the famous industrial and commercial hub, holds great potentials to support the development of Abia State What are the major objectives of Ukwa-Ngwa Professionals?

The association seeks to achieve the development of the full potentials of Abia State with Aba as a pivot. It also seeks the election of an Abia State Governor of Ukwa-Ukwa extraction who will bring about rapid economic and social development of Abia State with Aba as the economic hub. To achieve our goals we seek a partnership with the Government of Abia State and leaders of Abia across our State.

Why is Ukwa-Ngwa Professionals at the forefront of the agitation for an Ukwa-Ngwa governor?

Since Independence, no person of Ukwa-Ngwa descent has had the opportunity to be Premier of a Region or Governor of our State in Nigeria, not Eastern Region, Imo State or since creation of Abia State. Abia was created from two Senatorial Zones of old Imo State, Aba Senatorial Zone and Umuahia Zone which included Afikpo and Ohaozara (now in Ebonyi State).The UkwaNgwa area is currently made up of nine of the 17 Local Governments in the State. It is home to more than 60 per cent of the State population, and it is yet to produce a Governor. It is only fair, just and equitable that this happens. Our founding fathers agreed and laid a foundation for fairness and equity in the rotation principle they enshrined in the Abia Charter of Equity. This was the basis for the formation of the State. Those who work to destroy this foundation are against the peace in Abia State and this is why we commend His Excellency Dr. Theodore Orji for his consistency in affirming this principle of equity and fairness.

Is it constitutional to zone political office to a particular area?

I have said before and I will say it again that intrinsic in the federal character provision of the Constitution is the principle of zoning and rotation. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria established the quota system, and even went further to establish a Federal Character Commission to work to ensure equity in the employment and enhancement of public officers, it lays a foundation for each people to co-ordinate their affairs and manage their government in a way to ensure equitable and fair representation. Inherent in this principle is that areas in a State can and have often agreed and zoned offices using the mechanism of political parties because we are in a multi-party democracy What is the Abia Charter of Equity that people keep men-

ABIA 2015

Charter of equity makes UkwaNgwa’s case – Nkire

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Theo Nkire.... The Charter is our reference point tioning in this case?

The Abia Charter of Equity is a child of circumstance. After the two Senatorial Districts of Aba and Umuahia of old Imo State decided to seek a State of their own, some disagreement arose between the two brothers that led to the breakaway of a large majority of the Aba people to form a Movement of their own – the Aba State Movement then led by Dr. George Wigwe. The Abia Charter of Equity was a fence mending measure adopted by the Movement to reassure what remained of the Aba group within its fold that the events that led to the breakup would never arise again. Indeed, the Abia Charter was extracted from the Umuahia (Bende) group led by Dr. M. I. Okpara by what remained of the Aba (Ukwa-Ngwa) group.

After the breakup, Chief B. A. Wachuku was made Vice Chairman to Dr. Okpara and Dr. Moses Agbara became Secretary. These were measures to re-assure Ukwa-Ngwa of their place in the proposed State.

The Charter enshrined the principle of equity in distribution of political office and leadership and clearly stated that the position of Governor will rotate between the Aba and Bende zones of the State. Unfortunately this agreement was more honoured in breach than the observance until Governor Theodore Ahamefule Orji decided that what is fair is fair and that the peace and development of Abia State required that equity and fairness be respected. He is a man who saw it fit to honour the agreement others chose to break with impunity.

Does the charter support the agitation of Ukwa-Ngwa for a governor?

Of course, it does. The bedrock of the Charter is equity, justice and fairness. Some argue that the Charter pre-dates Ukwa-Ngwa agitation and therefore cannot support its case What an idea! The Ukwa-Ngwa agitation for fairness and recog-

nition started in colonial times.

It came to the fore at the Willink’s Commission 1943 when aggrieved by the injustices of the time our people for the first time in our history were compelled to call for the creation of an Aba State. So how could the Abia Charter, which came into being almost 40 years later, in 1980,

It is important because it is just.

It is important because it is equitable. It will give the UkwaNgwa a true sense of belonging.

That will be justice. That will be equity; it would be in line with the Abia Charter of Equity.

It would fulfill the dreams of the founding fathers of Abia State, who authored the Charter, to clear any confusion that could arise from managing political offices in the State. They were wise; we cannot throw out their wisdom. We should learn from it.

What is your reaction to the fears of some that an UkwaNgwa governor would marginalise other parts of the State?

That fear is laughable. UkwaNgwa people are traditionally a peace loving and hospitable people. We extend our goodwill to all; with malice towards none.

What powers do we have to marginalise anyone? He who wants equity must do equity. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands. Ukwa-Ngwa people want equity and they have come with clean hands; with malice towards none.

We are in a democratic dispensation. The Government has three arms an Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. We have freedom of the press and courts, which settle disputes in Nigeria and Abia State. This is not a military regime with its hierarchical and command structure. A Governor who does not do well can be impeached as we are beginning to see all over.

We seek a Governor who will see to the rapid development of Abia State as a whole and who will recognise and support the comparative advantages of the different parts of the State in a way that supports overall development, peace and good neighbourliness

predate our agitation? Does the Abia Charter support our case?

Of course, it does. Indeed, in the context of Abia State, the Charter does not only support our case; it is the foundation of our cause. The Charter is our reference point. Whenever the leaders neglect to do what is just and equitable, we remind them of the Charter.

The Charter is about equity, it is about fairness. Our case rests on the fairness of rotating power, which the Charter advocates, now (as the PDP has directed) among our three Senatorial Zones of Abia North (19992007), Abia Central (2007-2015) and Abia South from 2015. In Abia State, nobody who supports equity, fairness and justice would support that the governor should come from any zone other than Abia South.

Why is it important that the Abia State governor in 2015 is from Ukwa-Ngwa?

It is important because it is fair.

These fears are not founded. They are weak justification for people who want to maintain a domination that is unfair, unjust and that has hampered peace and development of Abia State. As a group, we will not support a Governor from anywhere in Abia State who incites divisions among our people. We seek a Governor who will see to the rapid development of Abia State as a whole and who will recognise and support the comparative advantages of the different parts of the State in a way that supports overall development, peace and good neighbourliness How have Ukwa-Ngwa addressed these fears?

The Ukwa-Ngwa Professionals, as a group, has continued to consult with leaders of other communities in Abia, and to discuss, evaluate and allay these fears. This is why we have proposed to work with different groups and of course with the political leadership in the State,

which is well disposed to ensure that no mistakes are made in this regard. I think that what needs to be done is that everyone in the state should get involved. It is our desire that we elect a Governor in 2015 who will serve Abia State well and improve upon the foundation for peace and unity that Ochendo has laid. Indeed, those fears are unfounded and it is our collective responsibility to work together to instill confidence in our people that government can be trusted to do what is right.

There are fears that UkwaNgwa is divided over who will become the next governor and this could scuttle the agitation.

It is not true. Ukwa-Ngwa is united in the quest for a Governor of Ukwa-Ngwa descent in 2015. Who among us would be the Governor is a different matter. Political office is occupied through political contest. A multi-party democracy is intended to create competition. Though it has been zoned to Abia South, the office of Governor by our Constitution will be competitively sought. The huge interest is natural, it is expected, and it is not strange, but as the days go by, you will see that the selection process will continue to reduce the contestants until we all select one through the polls to be our Governor. That is what it ought to be and that is what it will be in this case.

Elections are run on party lines; along party platforms. The party determines its candidate.

Until the party so determines, every member within the constituency is eligible to vie for the party ticket. I have no doubt whatsoever that when the party, for example, the PDP picks its candidate from Abia South, the other aspirants will queue behind him.

What deal did Ukwa-Ngwa reach with Governor Theodore Orji that makes him support the agitation?

None that I know of; if you know any, please tell me.

Some say you offered him the Abia Central senatorial seat to support the Ukwa-Ngwa cause.

The Abia Central seat is not ours to give. We are a State made up of different peoples. Politics is not a zero sum game; it is a give and take game. We preach equity and fairness, which means that you do not only consider your interest but you consider that of other groups. Abia Central Senatorial Zone is made up of six local governments - three from UkwaNgwa and three from Umuahia.

The local governments from Umuahia are entitled to produce a Senator for the zone, under an arrangement that enables the senatorial seat to rotate between Ukwa-Ngwa and Umuahia. This fair arrangement has been in place since 1999. We are a fair people; we come to equity with clean hands. We need to be commended rather than vilified.

To answer you directly, the Abia Central seat is not ours to give.

You cannot give what you do not have. Ochendo is a great son of Abia State. If he expresses interest when the time comes, you

Continues on page 14

PAGE 14—SUNDAY VANGUARD,AUGUST 10, 2014

Charter of equity makes Ukwa-Ngwa’s case – Nkire Continued from page 13 can be in no doubt the support he will get will be overwhelming.

The Ukwa-Ngwa local governments will all support him and the entire Abia Central Senatorial Zone will support him.

What is the Ukwa-Ngwa Professionals’ position on politicians outside Ukwa-Ngwa contesting the governorship?

It is undemocratic to shut anyone out in a political contest.

In Jos in 1998, people like Abubakar Rimi from Kano State contested the presidential primaries of the PDP though the position was zoned to the South. The important thing is for the party to do the needful. You leave the rest to the individuals concerned.

In our case, the party has done the right thing by zoning the position of Governor to Abia South.

It is fair, it is just; it is equitable.

As a group and as a people, Ukwa-Ngwa is pleading with our brothers and sisters from Abia North and Abia Central to please, toe the party line. As loyal party members, they should obey the party and work together with us to achieve success.

Without them, we cannot defeat the opposition. We must all work together in the PDP family to win. When next it is their turn, we promise to do the same; support them to win.

Would you like to share your biggest fear about 2015 as it relates to Ukwa-Ngwa?

My greatest fear is for myself. I

As a group and as a people, Ukwa-Ngwa is pleading with our brothers and sisters from Abia North and Abia Central to please, toe the party line wonder if I would be able to control my joy; my happiness. As for my people, the Ukwa-Ngwa people, I have no fear at all.

Having spent their entire lives without a Governor of UkwaNgwa extraction, they cannot but be grateful to God. How would an Ukwa-Ngwa Governor be different from others the State had?

Every human being is different, in name, in outlook and in character. Will an Ukwa-Ngwa Governor be different from Ogbonnaya Onu? Certainly. Will he

be different from Orji Uzor? No doubt. Will he be different from Ochendo? Sure, he will be; but he is sure to have this one great advantage over them all. He will have the great Ochendo platform to build on; the Ochendo legacy of peace and security in Abia State. Ochendo is not going away with the legacy projects. The next Governor does not need to re-invent the wheel. The template is already there.

A Governor of Ukwa-Ngwa origin would be different. He would be a beneficiary of a solid foundation. These and his character would make him different.

What is in this struggle for you as an individual?

There is so much in it for me as an individual. First, there is the joy, that ‘joy that passeth understanding’; the joy that in my lifetime, one of our own will be piloting the ship of state in Abia.

Then my name will be AHUKANNA; for I would have seen more than Dr. Jaja Wachuku, I would see more than De George (Dr. George Wigwe). I would have seen more than Hon. H. M. J. Wachukwu. I would have seen more than my great friends and compatriots Engr. Frank Uzoma Azuogu, Diwa (Chief Enyinnaya Ihediwa) Dr. Nwanganga UbaniUkoma and the many others who were in the struggle with us but are no more with us today. My new name will be AHUKANNA; but I will still be in good company: Emma Adaelu will still be around, God willing. So will

Dr. Asobie, Oji Alala and the numerous other people who have been with us from the beginning and those who have joined us over the years. I salute them all.

For me, the joy will be that in my lifetime Aba can assume its rightful place as the Japan of Africa. I weep whenever I hear people born in Aba, but of Nnewi parentage, refer to Nnewi as the Japan of Africa – a name specifically coined for Aba by our leader, Dr. George Azubuine Wigwe, in view of the then emerging indigenous technology for which Aba had become so very wellknown across Africa and the world. What do they know about the name? Aba shall return! The Japan of Africa will rise again!

My joy shall know no bounds when I find myself part of a new Abia State wherein the new Governor, building on the solid foundations laid by his predecessors will embark on an all rounded development of our State with Aba as the focal point, the fulcrum of that development project.

How would you react to the thinking that you are priming yourself to be the godfather of the Ukwa-Ngwa governor?

You have to be a god before you become a godfather. Luckily, for me, I am not a god. I cannot become a godfather. This generation of Ukwa-Ngwa people is not looking for a leader. This generation of Ukwa-Ngwa people is blessed with great leaders. In April 2006, we, the leaders, chose

one of our own, Elder Emmanuel Onyemaobi Adaelu, MFR as leader of the Ukwa-Ngwa people. He is a great leader. I adore him. I respect him. He has led us ever since. I am confident, it will be his greatest joy (just as it will be mine, too) to live to see that day – 29 May 2015 - when an Ukwa-Ngwa son or daughter will be sworn in as Governor of Abia State.

Godfather? Never. I do not even think of it. God is the one I worship; in whom I live and have my being. Father? Sure, of great men and women who love me and I love them too.

What would be Ukwa-Ngwa reaction in 2015 if it does not produce the governor?

Ukwa-Ngwa shall produce the Governor of Abia State in 2015, God willing. See how it works.

The PDP has zoned the position to Abia South. We are working hard to see that the other two important parties in the State namely the APC and APGA do the same. We are already in consultation with the leadership of those parties. If we succeed in those negotiations, then it means the candidates of the three major parties in the State will be UkwaNgwa people and whoever wins then will be Ukwa Ngwa.

This is as far as human reasoning and human ability go; but God is the ultimate giver of power. He gives it to whoever He desires. Our simple prayer today is that He may give it to UkwaNgwa in 2015.

THE BATTLE FOR ADAMAWA

Between Marwa and PDP delegates

BY YEENA SANGA

T

HE recent impeachment of Admiral Murtala Nyako (rtd) as governor of Adamawa State obviously settles the crisis that has bedeviled the NorthEast state for some time now to a large extent. But as an indigene of the state, I am convinced by the facts on ground that we are yet to get over the challenges that led to the crisis that consumed Nyako. What am I saying? My state and, indeed, our state needs urgently a pragmatic leader who can mobilize human and material resources within and outside Adamawa to develop the state.

As a stakeholder in Adamawa, I am therefore particularly happy when I read of the caliber of stakeholders that have shown interest in governing the state.

Leading the pack with an edge is former military governor of Borno and Lagos states, General Mohammed Buba Marwa (rtd), who, until recently, was also the Nigerian High Commissioner in South Africa.

Marwa is a man I have long admired from afar especially from his days as governor of Borno and Lagos. His exploits and developmental initiatives have remained visible landmarks in those states till today.

How that got me to make attempts to join the military then is a story for another day. It is to

the credit of this brilliant Nigerian as governor of Lagos that the most popular means of transportation by the Nigerian masses in Lagos and other parts of the country today, the tricycle popularly called Keke Marwa, was brought into the country. Till date, the General Hospitals he built in Borno state remain signposts of meaningful development. The security intervention squad that ended the reign of armed robbers in Lagos called ‘Operation Sweep’ remains in charge of the state security today under its new name ‘Rapid Response Squad’.

Just as I was talking with friends within and outside Adamawa on the need for us to get involved in the process of electing our next governor so that we will not pray for the impeachment of the next one, reports show that elected delegates of the PDP have started endorsing Marwa for the state governorship in the election scheduled to hold in the next few weeks. All the 335 delegates of the party from all the 77 wards in Adamawa Central, about two weeks ago, gave their votes to Marwa in a pre-election endorsement.

Chairman of the PDP in the district, Alhaji Danjuma Iliyasu, who spoke at a meeting where Marwa was assured of the party’s ticket, said their decision was based on the

Chairman of the PDP in the

•Marwa

former envoy’s records of service in Borno and Lagos states where he served as military governor. The party’s chieftain said it is the desire of everybody in Adamawa state to see such enviable performance replicated in Adamawa.

Days after the Adamawa Central event, PDP delegates in Adamawa North followed suit by throwing their weight behind Marwa. Secretary of the PDP in the Northern Senatorial Zone, Dr. Ayuba Tari, disclosed that about 90 per cent of the delegates who raised their hands in support of Marwa’s gubernatorial candidacy would do everything possible to ensure that he gets the ticket of the party to enable him emerge as the governor of the state because he is a tested and trusted administrator.

district, Alhaji Danjuma Iliyasu, who spoke at a meeting where Marwa was assured of the party’s ticket, said their decision was based on the former envoy’s records of service in Borno and Lagos states where he served as military governor To cap it all, PDP delegates in Adamawa South Senatorial zone led by Hajiya Fatima Ornah raised their hands at an endorsement meeting with Marwa signifying their total support for the seasoned administrator. The gale of Marwa’s endorsements became more interesting when the retired general paid a courtesy call on the paramount ruler of Bachama Kingdom, Homun Honest Irmiya Stephen. The royal father declared his absolute support for Marwa describing him as a man of impeccable character and the type of leader needed by Adamawa. The royal father reportedly said but for his

present position, he would have been in the forefront of campaigns for Marwa.

In Numan to confer with the delegates from the southern senatorial district and visited his palace to seek his blessing as he seeks the governorship ticket of his party.

Where as the former Lagos governor has met the delegates in 226 poling units of the state and other stakeholders to secure their support for his gubernatorial ambition, my take on this gale of endorsements for Marwa is that he should not lose focus or get carried away by the mass of support coming his way. It is a challenge to him that as our people have made commitments to thrust him with their mandate, they need him to replicate those wonders or miracles of modern day governance he performed in Borno and Lagos states.

This is also a note of warning to other stakeholders, the PDP and the people of Adamawa, it is only when the choice of the people is allowed that there can be development. That is practical democracy. We have seen what imposition can cause in Nyako. Adamawa must never take imposition again because the state needs to move forward and only an upwardly mobile and dynamic man of the people like Marwa can bring about the much needed change at this crucial juncture.

•Sanga, a lawyer, is based in Jimeta, Adamawa State

SUNDAY VANGUARD,AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 15

DELTA 2015: Day-dreaming, deceit and Urhobo governorship project

BY CYRIL OGODO

T

HE debate as to how the Urhobo nation can produce the governor of Delta State in 2015 has been raging for quite some time. Only recently, an interesting but intriguing aspect has been thrown up! This aspect relates to the party platform that can deliver an Urhobo governor in 2015. At a gathering of the UPU with a select group of Urhobo politicians at Uvwiamuge, an alleged position of the UPU was declared, now known as the “Uvwiamuge Declaration”, to the effect that the UPU and, indeed, the whole of Urhobo nation will be rallied to support and deliver as governor ONLY an Urhobo candidate that emerged from either the PDP or the APC! The reasoning allegedly posited for this declaration is that these are the two competing national parties that are strong enough to protect the long term interest of the Urhobo nation. That Urhobo is done with supporting mushroom, one man parties as, indeed, she did with the DPP to disastrous consequences in the 2010 and 2011 elections. The declaration was apparently meant to send a clear message to all Urhobo sons and daughters that all should now seek their ambitions in either of these two big platforms!

If indeed such declaration was made, it was not far-fetched to identify who was its major casualty! Of course, the DPP and its perennial governorship candidate, the one and only Chief Great Ogboru! Right there at the Uvwiamuge meeting where the alleged declaration was made, it was reported that one Chief Lance Orhierhor, a DPP party official, rose to immediately challenge the declaration, but was shouted down by the overwhelming support of other attendees! Events after this meeting have shown clearly that the DPP/ Chief Ogboru would not be taken in or deterred by such “whimsical” position

by UPU in its mission to produce the governor in 2015! The DPP has now allegedly coalesced into the Labour Party and is currently on the move putting its election structure in place, UPU declaration notwithstanding!

Just recently, one Onajite Ese, writing in the Urhobo Voice of July 21, 2014 edition, dared to take on the DPP/Labour challenge of the UPU declaration, accusing the party and Ogboru of disobedience and ingratitude and setting out to play a spoiler role in the Urhobo 2015 quest to produce a governor! The duo of Messrs Efe Duku and Zik Zulu Okafor, known attack guns of the DPP, took on Onajite Eze for his audacity.

Now, in the quest for Urhobo governor in 2015, who is out there to deceive, who is out there day-dreaming and who is on a serious course? There can be no debate that of all the political parties, the easiest and most assured route to the governorship seat is the PDP! But would the PDP give their guber ticket to an Urhobo? The PDP has an unwritten zoning formula in place that has been implemented twice to favor Delta Central ( Urhobo) and Delta South, and now set to favor Delta North. Two, Delta North appears more well positioned and better equipped to clinch the ticket all things considered; financial resources, closeness to the Presidency as measured by appointees in government, support

* Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, APC Leader from the larger idi-gbo in government, preparation, etc. Truly and seriously, is there any factor out there that makes a reasonable right thinking Urhobo man hopeful that he will clinch the PDP ticket? Are we not witnesses to how the Urhobo was ignored and treated disdainly and had to crawl and after so much cry and hue was she settled with a ministerial position at the very twilight of the administration? Does the PDP really count the population advantage of Urhobo for anything? Having “won”

Urhobo governorship will not come on a platter. It will require hard work and a fight. It will require choosing the right platform and the unity of purpose to work through such platform two guber elections in Delta (2010 & 2011) inspite of near zero Urhobo vote, would they care enough to “grant” Urhobo the favor of its guber ticket? I believe not! I dare to say that quite soon Urhobo candidates running for the PDP ticket will wake up from their day-dreaming slumber and face the truth. Even now those serious among them are only sleeping with one eye closed. They confess to those close to them that for Urhobo to get the governorship, they may be required to do the abominable and support an Urhobo outside PDP at the right time!

What is the source of hope of the DPP/ Labour Party? What is their argument?

Here it goes:”Labour Party is an affiliate of PDP, very friendly to President Jonathan, working for Jonathan. He has reached a deal with Ogboru to ensure Labour has advantage over PDP in

* Olorogun Great Ogboru, Labour Party Leader

* Barrister Ovie Omo-Agege, PDP Guber aspirant

Delta. He wants to reward Urhobo for its population but can’t do it through the PDP and hence he wants to do it through Ogboru/Labour!” Is anybody out there listening to this? Has anyone out there ever heard more garbage talk than this?

Who in his right senses will cook up this garbage and for what purpose? That Jonathan will dump Delta PDP for the sake of rewarding Urhobo with governor through Ogboru? Also listen to this!

Since 2010 and 2011, Ogboru has been on this path, saying Jonathan has promised to make him governor through the courts! Is he governor today? Mr Onajite Ese made a great point by stating that Ogboru is perhaps the only living person that has been the greatest beneficiary of Urhobo goodwill and sacrificial support without commensurate gratitude, and the pair of Efe Duku and Okafor tried hard to skin him alive! Urhobos have stood, not once, not twice suicidally behind him at the risk of their blood and future, yet inspite of squandering those opportunities, what now is he concocting? Let it be clear to all and sundry that Labour Party is here for one and only one purpose; to be used by the PDP as decoy. To be used to split the Urhobo vote as would be the case when PDP eventually gives the guber ticket to the North! To give PDP the perfect narratives; after all, Urhobo had two candidates, one from Labour, the other from APC, what do you expect? If any agreement is in place, it is the agreement between PDP, Labour and Ogboru to thwart the governorship quest of the Urhobo nation through muddling up the Urhobo waters while a Delta North candidate sails through! Labour cannot and would not under any arrangement produce an Urhobo governor while PDP stands idly by, mark my words!

expected from an amalgam entity! Yet APC, with all its troubles, presents the only hope and route to Urhobo governorship in Delta. Although, unfortunately, the APC will present the hardest route, it is the only one. Here we go: The route to the guber ticket for an Urhobo candidate in the APC is sure.

The APC is truly an opposition party, it is not pretending to be an opposition. It is standing head to head to fight the PDP for the grand price! It is not Labour Party sent on a mission that the Presidency can ask to stand down any time to the disappointment of the Urhobo nation! The party, inspite of its current challenges, has long reach! The party in the state will receive massive support to win the ground war! Delta State is well sensitised for the change that is coming which is well represented by APC. The question, however, is whether the Urhobo and UPU truly want this guber price enough to do the needful?

Urhobo governorship will not come on a platter. It will require hard work and a fight. It will require choosing the right platform and the unity of purpose to work through such platform. It will require being practical and putting the collective interest of Urhobo above personal or that of the South-South or any other person! It will require courage, determination and doggedness! It will require the blurring of the party lines and party platforms and elevation of Urhobo land to a one party land! While fighting against Jonathan will not be the target, Urhobo must be practical enough to go against him if his interest conflicts with Urhobo interest!

Urhobo will go no where with a brand of friendly opposition that is docile and ready to submit to the powers that be! It is either we want to fight for it or nothing, sentiments must be put aside.

The times for wishful thinking and daydreaming are over! Can Urhobo sons and daughters do this? Do they want the governorship this much? This is the crux of the matter! I believe the UPU has started well! Their leadership in this wise is crucial! They must shine their eyes and bring to bear their enormous good standing! May God open our eyes to the day-dreamers, save us from the deceivers and direct us to the serious!

Credible alternative The APC came to be, out of the generally frustrations and desire of Nigerians for a credible alternative to the rampaging rudderless PDP. The party was well received by Nigerians and soon became a truly national alternative party! The truth also is that the party today is facing a lot of challenges both from the ruling PDP which is on a mission to kill it and from internal crisis that should be

* Ogodo is resident in Sapele, Delta State.

PAGE 16 — SUNDAY Vanguard,

AUGUST 10, 2014

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 17

SUNDAY TRIBUTE

For Tony Anenih, it was confetti of honour at 81 Jonathan: You remain one of Nigeria’s most highly respected political icons

I

T was intended to be lowkey: no ceremony, no fan fare. After all, what was to be quietly marked was 81st birthday. It was not particularly unique, so he thought.

It was not a landmark age like 80, which he celebrated last year with pomp. And, again, the euphoria of last year’s cel-

ebration was yet to wane.

Thus, it seemed unnecessary to roll out the drums in festivity. Nevertheless, he knew friends, associates and loyalists would visit to wish him well on his birthday, which exactly was what happened on Monday, August 4, 2014.

The celebrant, Chief Anthony Akhakon Anenih, Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR), Iyasele of Esanland and grand master of Nigerian politics, had briefly remarked, about two weeks to his 81st birthday that he was actually looking towards another big celebration comparable to his 80th birthday when, by the grace of God, he turns 85 and 90. With his mindset made known to his family members and aides, there was relaxation in the air: no pressure, no apprehension. .

It was settled that the Iyasele of Esanland and Chair of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) would just allow the day to dictate the pace of unstructured activities and not him dictating it (pace). But right from the eve of his birthday, goodwill messages had begun to trickle in. By Monday, August 4, which was the D-day, the expansive sitting room had been taken over by birthday cards of different forms and dimensions, just as the messages in them were diverse. It was clear that the messages were motivated by different muses about and relationships with the High Chief.

T

o some, Anenih is an inimi table “Leader ’

and compassionate giver. To others, he is a consummate politician, master tactician and strategist. Significantly, he is many things to many people depending on the side from which he is being viewed by them. There were messages that dwelled on his business acumen; some on his staying power: humility, generosity, loyalty and patriotism; and others on his steadfastness to noble political causes while some more others focused on his fatherly love.

Like the real political boss, that he is, the ‘Leader’ as he is fondly called, donned a cream colour caftan with a cap to match and sat quietly in his usual sofa in the expansive sitting room (partitioned into two by a beautifully designed wooden and glass furniture) where he received well-wishers from as early as 9:00 am till 7:00 pm when he moved to the outer part of the sitting room and sat in another sofa close to the large Television set surrounded by an avalanche of beautifully designed birthday cards to exchange banters with his guests.

The number and calibre of people that strolled into his expansive sitting room in his architectural-

*From left, Senator Lee Ledogo Meaba; Senator (Lady) Eme Ufot Ekaette; Minister of Works, Arch Mike Onolemenme; former Chairman of Akoko-Edo LGA, Chief Johnson Emaseamu; the celebrant, Chief Tony Anenih; PDP National Woman Leader, Dr (Mrs) Kema Chikwe; Hon. Friday Itula (House of Reps); and Senator Ifeanyi Ararume ly-simple Asokoro residence to felicitate with him was incredibly staggering despite that the day was intended to be quietly observed.

Touched by this show of affection, the “Leader” had quietly, earlier in the day, requested as many of his well wishers who would be able to make it back to his house at 7:00 pm to do so for some eating.

Some of those who visited the Leader during the day were the Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Alhaji Abdullahi Inde Dikko, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Professor Viola Onwuliri, PDP National Woman Leader, Dr Kema Chikwe, National Youth Leader of the PDP, Abdullahi Maibasira, former members of the House of Representatives, Johnson Abolagba and Anthony Aiziegbemi, former PDP National Woman Leader, Herbertta Okonofua and governorship aspirant in Edo State, Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon in company with his wife, Kate.

A

mong those who came for the 7:00 pm get-to gether which lasted till about 10:30 pm were: Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Brigadier General Jones Oladehinde Arogbofa (retd), former Lagos State Military Administrator, Brigadier General Buba Marwa (retd), National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, Minister of Works, Architect Mike Onolenmenme, member of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Mr Elias Mba, former National Chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Ali, former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Engineer Mohammed Abba-Gana, Wife of former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator (Lady) Eme Uffot-Ekaette, member of the PDP BoT, Senator Stella Omu, former members of Senate,

Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, Senator Lee Ledogo Maeba, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, Senator Odion Ugbesia, member of the House of Representatives, Friday Itulah, former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Zakawanu Garuba, PDP governorship candidate in Anambra, Mr Tony Nwoye and the Executive Secretary of the Christian Pilgrims Welfare Board, Mr Kennedy Opara.

The Leader, assisted by some guests, including Dr Kema Chikwe, cut the birthday cake at the night get-together.

The highpoint of the night was when Opara led General Arogbofa, Senator Ugbesia and two others in prayer for

progress, and prosperity of our dear nation have seen you remain one of Nigeria’s most highly respected political icons over the years. You have constantly given of yourself unstintingly in support of our Administration and in patriotic service to the Fatherland. For this, we remain eternally thankful. As we pray that Almighty God continues to bless you with many more years of fulfillment, please accept my very warm congratulations and best wishes for your continued good health and enduring well-being” For the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, who greeted Chief Anenih on behalf of her non-governmental organisation, Women for Change

The number and calibre of people that strolled into his expansive sitting room in his architecturallysimple Asokoro residence to felicitate with him was incredibly staggering despite that the day was intended to be quietly observed Anenih. That was after many of the guests had left. August 4 had come and gone, the goodwill messages, which spiced Anenih’s quiet 81st birthday, have continued to pour in for the Iyasele of Esanland.

The one that must have touched his sensibilities the most was by President Goodluck Jonathan who said in his birthday felicitations thus: “On behalf of my family, the Government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and on my own behalf, I extend very warm felicitations to you as you turn 81 on Monday, the 4th of August, 2014. Your uncommon leadership qualities, courage, forthrightness, and evident faith in the peace, unity,

Initiative, she described him as a great leader and mobiliser who has done a lot to improve the lots of Nigerians.

Vice President, Architect Namadi Sambo said in his message to him on behalf of his family: “…As an elder statesman, distinguished politician and a patriot, I wish to acknowledge your great contributions to the development of our country which will remain indelible. On this special day, we salute you for your selfless service in entrenching the ideal of democracy in Nigeria and express our immense prayers for more years. We also wish you good health and the Almighty God’s blessings.”

Former National Chairman of the PDP and Ambassador-at-Large, Dr

Bamanga Tukur said: “…As you celebrate 81 years of qualitative service to God and Humanity including the down-trodden, the fetchers of water and hewers of wood, Nigerians born and yet unborn will certainly place premium on the good name and monumental achievements you have recorded and bequeathed to posterity for the good of our dear Nation.

You have through hard work, dedicated and selfless service to the Nation portrayed yourself as a patriotic Nigerian, elder statesman and nationalist, whose vision is to make Nigeria one united and indivisible entity. We give thanks to God Almighty and wish you many more years of fruitful service to our great country and the PDP where you are the Chairman of our Party’s Board of Trustees of the largest political movement in black world.”

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice S.M.A. Belgore in his message to Anenih said: “Please accept my sincere best wishes to you on your eighty first birthday. May Almighty God reward you with many more years in life with good health and happiness.” A member of the PDP BoT, Ambassador (Dr) Hassan Adamu also prayed for Anenih and assured him of his loyalty, support and highest regards, among others.

Goodwill messages also went to him through newspaper advertisements from the Senate President, Senator David Mark, Speaker, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, Governors Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), David Jang (Plateau), Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Sullivan Chime (Enugu), Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa), Garba Umar (Taraba), Mukhtar Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Steve Oru, Transport Minister, Idris Umar, Labour and Productivity Minister, Emeka Worgu, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba (SAN) and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, among others.

As of Thursday, last week, the flow of goodwill messages and visits by well wishers to him had continued unabated.

PAGE 18—SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

How we ar dwindling

by Dickson

Gov. Seriake Dickson

B

ayelsa State G o v e r n o r, Hon. Henry Seriake Dickson, speaks on the gains of his state’s recent investment and economic forum, the state airport project, dwindling financial returns from FAAC, SME development and many more.

the economic forum was to bring the world to Bayelsa and take the Bayelsa story to the world. We have put in place a lot of initiatives, opening offices outside Bayelsa and in very strategic economic capitals of the world to sell the Bayelsa story and it is sinking.

I receive letters, calls, text messages, e-mails and invitations to top investment conferences. Judging by what we all saw and the feedback that my team and I have been receiving till date, I would say the forum was very successful.

Bayelsa State recently hosted its first Investment and Economic Forum which was adjudged to be a huge success in terms of participation.

What positive feedbacks have you received so far from it?

The feedback we have received has been inundating to say the least, positively I must say. It has been one of commendation, appreciation and greater understanding in terms of what we are doing as a government, the potentials of our state and what people can do here, which was the main focus of the forum.

The reason for the hosting of

Still on the economic forum, you announced 50% tax waiver for ICT related investments in the state. Has the government had talks with any of the communications companies in this regard?

I made that announcement because of the role ICT plays in terms of the future and the industrialization plans that we have drawn up for our state.

As a matter of fact, we signed an agreement that day with the Federal Ministry of Communication Technology and telecommunication network providers.

The situation is that Bayelsa has been more or less treated before now as a backward

Excerpts:

place, where people don’t need to bother themselves to go, as a place that is known for underdevelopment.

Although, we have oil, nobody took Bayelsa seriously.

The stories they were hearing about Bayelsa are negative stories, bordering on violence

come, so they can lay their fibre optic cables, make the necessary investments and build the infrastructure that will enable us to be a “smart state”.

Good access to the Internet in the state will encourage companies to go far and set up

It will be a direct impact on the lives of our people; it will enable us to activate our policy of creating a fund that Bayelsan business people will be able to access to set up small-scale businesses and political instability.

Adding all these up and with the fact that, you can’t drive to many communities in the state, many people still think, we are living in a forest. These are the things that are firing members of my team and I, that make us appear to be in a hurry to see development.

Therefore, knowing the role ICT plays, we had to announce that waiver to enable them

in places, which will also assist our drive to popularize computer literacy, because in the nearest future, we want a situation, where every Bayelsan child from primary to junior secondary school should acquire basic computer knowledge, which also means that we will send even the teachers to the training academy to have basic computer knowledge.

Bayelsans are excited that jobs will be created for the teeming youths in the state as a result of the investment forum. How soon will they begin to see the real benefits of these efforts?

I just talked about the agreement that was signed with the Federal Ministry of Communications Technology and the telecommunications providers and we are waiting for them to meet with our team, undertake the surveys around the state to enable them lay the pipes and cables that will provide internet connectivity in the state and that is one, because there are several others.

To me, the most important ones have to do with establishing the right institutions that will enable us create wealth; it is the major focus of the government now.

We also signed an MoU on the provision of 20 to 25 billion naira SME development fund; some banks were there; the Bank of Agriculture pledged N1.5 billion, the Bank of Industry (BOI) pledged N1billion, Mainstreet Bank signed on and I will be having a meeting with the First Bank where we will fine tune their own contribution to that fund. Once we conclude the SME fund, it will be a direct impact on the lives of our people; it will enable us to activate our policy of creating a fund that Bayelsan business people will be able to access to set up small-scale businesses. I will meet with the NUJ, professional bodies, churches and community leaders to ensure that we talk to our people to see how they can take advantage of our liberalized title verification system and, within 60 days, they can get their C of Os. With that fund being set up, we hope to be able to get our people trained on basic areas where they want to do businesses to enable them access that fund.

We are aware that Nigeria is going through a phase where finance is becoming very difficult; some people in the state are yet to come to terms with the situation. So we begin to wonder: with the very much you are doing, when enough money is not coming from FAAC, how much can the ‘restoration government’ keep up with the momentum of infrastructural development, the scholarship programmes, the

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 19

re coping with allocations to states, n, Bayelsa gov investment initiatives and so many others? Do you intend to cut down on some of these areas?

We are also very concerned. There is no state government in Nigeria that is not concerned: Very sharp decline in state revenues. We are actually receiving about 40% less. As I speak, there are so many state governments that have not been able to pay the salary of their civil servants. And, this is a lesson to us here in Bayelsa. I want Bayelsans, particularly people in the public service, to borrow a leaf that I have also told them that, they are the main stakeholders in government. Politicians come and go, they may leave their marks for good or bad, but the main stakeholders are the civil servants, so when people have to make decisions like it has happened in some of those states, civil servants understand and they are making sacrifice. In Bayelsa, we are not yet there. And, it is our expectation that we will not get to that point because we place priority on the welfare and well-being of our civil servants. Unfortunately, because we said they should pay their fair share of tax liabilities as prescribed by the federal law, which all other workers subscribe to, sometimes the good things we are doing for our public service are not appreciated, or we are misunderstood. So, in Bayelsa, the salaries and allowances and entitlements of our civil servants are a priority to us. We have even started paying the 18% arrears of minimum wage which accrued long before I came. We continue to pay the pension liabilities that accrued several years before we came. We meet our obligations to civil servants, which is over N4 billion every month, and we also take care of the salaries of the political appointees, and civil servants also have their running and overhead costs, since I took over, there is no month that, I have not paid running cost. All that we have done is to meet all the legitimate obligations that we owe them. There are areas we need to do more, like housing, like transportation and the health insurance policy that will kick off very soon.

You secured the legislative support of the House of Assembly to obtain N40 billion naira loan for the state airport project which is good to some of us as it will speed up the

work. But some persons are disturbed knowing it is a partnership project with the Federal Government. I don’t know how you look at that?

There is nothing unusual about doing a project with the Federal Government. Where the Federal Government is undertaking a major project in Bayelsa, we will be very happy to encourage them and even invite them to do so. For instance, the Nembe-Brass road is not a project that a state government can do, because it is almost ninety something to a hundred billion naira.

The same for the EkeremorAgge road; the road from Sagbama to Ekeremor is

offensive, I find that to be wrong and unacceptable; we must take steps to fast-track that contract to open up Bayelsa urgently.

So, the Federal Government is building the terminal building and all the most important components in the airport, acquisition of land, clearing of land and compensation and finally the most important thing that makes an airport, the runway, I decided should be driven by the state.

You have keen interest in wealth creation and employment. You kickstarted rice farms at Sagbama

I’m happy that young men of Bayelsa have that mindset. So, I am eager to set them up for their own businesses. I asked one of them, ‘what can you do if I were to give you three million?’ He said he will set up a poultry and that is what he learnt how to do thirty-one billion. These roads are costly, because of our terrain and the number of bridges in-between. To do one small road from one community to another, you will pass two, three, four canals and each of them requires a bridge. So, it makes construction ver y, very expensive.

Now, our partnership with the Federal Government is that the Federal Government is building the terminal building. Of course, when my predecessor was there, they went to put one signboard and they called it Musa Yar’ Adua Airport.

This state urgently needs an airport. This state needs a gateway to the world. Right now the Ijaw nation has no access to the world. No airport, no seaport; I find that so

and Ogbia. Can you tell us something about the progress so far?

There are so many farms going on; rice production is one area we have comparative advantage. We are talking to a lot of people to come and invest in Peremabiri, Isampou, Ogbia and Obama. Right now, we are actually doing some.

The Ministry of Agriculture is doing some of these rice projects and they are doing very well.

We are now selling some of our rice, called “Bayelsa Orosi”.That is a pilot scheme that has proved to be very successful but the type of investments we are looking for have actually been concluded with some of the investors, who will be coming very soon.

We want them to come, so that we can put like 1,000 young

people and do big time plantation. That is the direction we are going, not these small ones; it’s got to be massive, whatever we do in agriculture, we need the airport, because we want to be in a position to evacuate our farm produce and the arrangement, when we are set, is that a lot of Bayelsans should do farming, whether in your backyard, you should do farming or fishery. We don’t want you to worry about the selling. That is why I have told them to set up Bayelsa Agriculture Development Company. In the SME Summit, I was asking those financial institutions; can you give loans for this, so our plan for our state owned company is to buy up these products? I don’t care if everybody in Bayelsa is producing fish; tilapia or catfish. That’s exactly what we want. Even if it is one million naira loan, I’m going to give to you, give you the skills and it is not the money you will live on, but the profit.

Have the Songhai trainees been dumped or why are they not employed or given money to pursue their acquired professions?

They have not been abandoned. We have a plan we are following, we thought the plan would have worked out by now. However, the plan has not worked out according to our desires. Now, we thought by the time the Songhai trainees were returning, our SMEs policies would have been firmed up, so that we could assist them to start their own businesses.

These are young men and women we are proud of they went through that training and, most of them I have interacted with told me, ‘governor, just give us money, we want to start our businesses’. I’m happy that young men of Bayelsa have that mindset. So, I am eager to set them up for their own businesses. I asked one of them, ‘what can you do if I were to give you three million?’ He said he will set up a poultry and that is what he learnt how to do. We paid for his training, sent him to Songhai and that is how others are still being trained now. But, I want our SME development policies to be firmed up first, because you need to understand that, when we say we would give them money to start up, we are not talking about giving them our derivation allocation to go and start up. It is a policy we are putting together with banks, we can put our counterpart

funding, because it has to be treated as a commercially viable project. I brought the Bank of Industry to make a commitment of one billion naira and they made it N1.5 billion and I’m putting one billion. So, from the Bank of Industry alone, we have 2.5 billion. So, from that money, we will select Bayelsans, men and women. We will start the ones for the young people, then men and boys. This is the fund we want to concretize, so in the next one of two months, we will be through with them.

When are you going to pay the bursaries for Bayelsa students in higher institutions of learning?

I have released N200 million already.

I will add more to ensure that bursaries are paid up and I count on our students to be good students too.

When will you lift the embargo on employment, because there are so many unemployed graduates in the state?

We are concerned about the high rate of unemployment of our youths; graduates and non-graduates. But this is not just a Bayelsa problem but national problem. Government cannot create employment for everybody.

If you were the governor, you will not be able to open the gate of employment, especially in the face of the over- bloated wage bills and dwindling resources, to become a youthfriendly government. That is not what you elected me to be.

But, let me assure you that we are concerned about them.

There is the employment we have authorized and, let me assure you that we have employed more youths than a lot of governments have done.

We have employed over 200 young people to be forest guards already on the basis of equality of local governments?

Do you also know we have also authorized the employment of science teachers? Do you know also that 100 graduates have been included in the state volunteer scheme? Do you know that the number of young people, youths at your level, who have been appointed into one office or the other to reduce unemployment issues; my youth development committees already have 200 young people and we want to re-organize it now that we have the state volunteer scheme. Besides that, we want to involve youths massively in fighting poverty and creating wealth. That is what we are discussing, using agriculture and other schemes that we want to develop.

PAGE 20 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014,

My problem with Obasanjo, Osoba, Amosun, by Otunba Gbenga Daniel · Tells the ‘missing’ $3 million story · 2015: ‘Why I am supporting Jonathan’s re-election on new platform’

By Dapo Akinrefon

O

tunba Gbenga Daniel governed Ogun State between 2003 and 2011. In this interview in Lagos, OGD, as he’s fondly called, bared his mind on his new political platform, Labour Party, his relationships with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and erstwhile Governor Segun Osoba, and why he is throwing his weight behind the alleged re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015: Excerpts:

A

fter your tenure as the gover nor of Ogun State, allegations border ing on corruption were levelled against you. How far have you gone with the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) case?

You will appreciate that the EFCC charges are criminal and, according to the laws of the land, when a matter is in court, you can hardly comment. They call it subjudice, which indeed is an offence on its own.

But one can pass a few comments in such a way that one is a bit cautious. If you remember, all the charges by the EFCC emanated from a man called Tunde Oladunjoye. He became the chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area under my governorship, and there was a crisis in ijebu Ife. On that occasion, a police commissioner was murdered in cold blood.

I rushed there and found out that he was not just murdered, but was actually burnt. I was in Omu at a church service on that day. In fact, I was sitting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and I had to excuse myself to go and see what was happening.

Before I left the church, I asked the council chairman whether he was already there.

He said yes and that there was no cause

for alarm. But by the time I got to the town, he was not there. Not only that; there were already issues. We found out that it was mayhem.

As a matter of fact, the monarch of the town told me that once they killed the police commissioner, the whole town was in trouble because he was expecting that the police will react before daybreak and wipe out the place.

So, I moved in and pleaded with the police.

I went round and inspected the houses that were burnt and I told the police guard there that I will come back the next day, and if I found any other house burnt; it is not by the people but the police. That was how I saved Ife. It was that bad that we had to set up an inquiry, which indicted Tunde Oladunjoye.

I had no choice but to remove him as chairman. That was why he felt that he could also do something. He wrote a petition. If you remember what was going on in Ogun State at that time; the arrows were coming from all angles. Some media houses were firing their own arrows; I don’t know why. Obasanjo was firing; Dimeji Bankole was firing and somebody called Kashamu came in and started firing his own; all against one person; I don’t know why. ent You wer ed fr om differ from different weree attack attacked

On that occasion, a police commissioner was murdered in cold blood. I rushed there and found out that he was not just murdered, but was actually burnt. I was in Omu at a church service on that day angles, what was the bone of contention?

The issue is very simple. Once upon a time, there was a state called Ogun and nobody went there. We all stayed in Lagos, if we didn’t come to Lagos, we went to Abuja or Port Harcourt. Abeokuta was in nobody’s mind. But God gave us the grace and we were able to open up the place, and the battle started. That is the summary of the issue. It is indeed an irony.

However, Oladunjoye’s petition stated that I stole $3 million and another N9 billion of

local government funds. It was news to me because I had been detained for 10 days and I was wondering what had gone wrong.

While I was in detention, I boycotted newspapers. I did not read because I was annoyed, but by the time I came out of detention, I saw that it was even N57 billion that was reported that I stole. I asked myself; ‘when, how, why’. When they were not releasing me, I said that I would go on hunger strike; that they should take me to court.

And as the EFCC confessed later; there was nothing against me at the point of arrest. It was after my arrest that they now started investigating me. And the law says that after 24 hours, you must grant an accused bail, but they kept me for 10 days. And when I was now brought to court; everybody celebrated another governor caught.

However, I called my finance commissioner and said: ‘Where is the $3 million dollars?’

He said they are crazy; that there is no $3 million anywhere. In fact, he said it was $18 million, which was part of the debt recovered; that the money is in the bank and that when we were broke, that I authorized that he should change $1 million to pay salaries and later another $2 million to pay salaries and that the balance was still in the account.

Both the domiciliary and naira accounts were with First City Monument Bank. He said what he did was to ask the bank to credit the state’s naira account from the dollars it had.

I asked for the proof and he provided it. Not only was it was true, I also checked the rate of exchange and it was exactly what obtained at that time.

The tragedy that we had was that Daniel must be nailed at all costs. That was the story of the dollars. In all my eight years as governor of Ogun State, I didn’t touch

Continues on page 21

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 21

’They wanted to nail me at all costs’ Continued from page 20 the allocations to local governments. I did not touch one dime.

If somebody is a sworn enemy and he writes a petition; is there no weight that people should put on that petition?

To cut a long story short, they had to quash all the charges at that point in time. So, all of that went, but, at that time Governor Ibikunle Amosun had set up his land inquiry, and stories started that I had stolen lands in Ogun State. In the course of stumbling on documents, they ran into one of my lawyers, who had been registering companies for me in the past 20 years.

They stumbled on some companies and said: ‘These companies were registered and he didn’t declare it.’ I said: ‘Which company; some companies that I have not even done any business with?’

What of the issue of assets declaration?

While I was with the EFCC, they brought a form and said I should declare my assets. I said ‘I am not a man of one two houses, so how do you expect me to do that in this dungeon?’

When they pressured me, I said that, statutorily, I am to declare my assets with the Code of Conduct Bureau. Not only that, I was probably the only governor who publicly declared his assets and it was not small.

At a time, I wrote the ones I could recollect and I signed. Then came another allegation; failure to declare assets, but I asked whether they didn’t have interagency relationship. I told them to go to the Code of Conduct Bureau if they wanted to find out if I declared my assets or not. It was not a page declaration, about 10 pages, so how do they want me to remember all the contents in the dungeon where I was kept? Then all of a sudden they said some billions were paid to some companies, but they later found out that I had nothing to do with that.

They later said that some monies were paid to my company – Krystal Laurel; about N211 million, in tranches. But this company does business with Ogun State government; we sell generators, elevators and others.

They never bothered to investigate what the money was meant for. I don’t even need to who is buying from Krystal Laurel. The company has about 2,000-customer base and I don’t know all of them. After they investigated me to my pants, they now said those around me were the ones keeping the money for me.

Though in criminal prosecution, you are presumed innocent until you are found guilty, in all of these, I am just praying because if a judge wants to be nasty, he can always find something to say.

What is your next political move now that 2015 is fast appr oaching? Ar approaching?

Aree you inter inter-ested in running for an elective position?

What happened to me in 2011 was an irony because a new government came with pomp and pageantry; started doing his own bit, and I had told my people that ‘the election has been fought and won; that the state is our state,

*Daniel ...Everybody celebrated another governor caught! and for the sake of our state, please let everyone cooperate with the new governor.’

That was my consistent public declaration. But what happened?

I guess the governor decided that the only issue for him is OGD. Every single step that he has taken, every project that he has done, is just OGD (Otunba Gbenga Daniel); either to erase OGD or to surpass him. How can that be the philosophy of a government? However, the fact of the case is that a large number of our people continue to blame me, and I ask: ‘What have I done? Our structure lost an election; you have a new governor. They are now blaming us for what is perceived as the non-performance of this governor.

He is building bridges and roads, so how does that become my problem.’ But our people said: ‘We can do with a better governor.’ And because they are blaming me, I found myself in a position where I have no choice but to contribute to the process of giving our people a better governor.

If that means that I have to work with Labour Party, the Peoples Democratic Party and President Goodluck Jonathan, it doesn’t matter. It is just to find a formula for change, which the people are blaming me for.

That is my next political move, God willing. And I think that it shouldn’t come as a surprise if I am supporting Jonathan because I led his South-West campaign in 2011, and he won the election even though I got the wrong side of the stick because of the forces I had to contend with. I am not working for him because I am expecting the EFCC to withdraw the charges against me.

No. I am working for him because I think that, for now, he is better supported to run for a second term for the sake of this country.

If there is anybody who has a better reason why I should not support him, let the person table it, so that we can debate it.

You are not unaware of the challenges that we had when there was disruption in oil exploration in the South-South; income plummeted; kidnapping of expatriates was going on and Nigeria was fast becoming a pariah nation. Somehow, that has come down, production has gone up and that led to our rebasing. Recently, it was

said that Nigeria’s economy is ahead in Africa.

When we play politics, we all have to be pragmatic. So, I think that we have to maintain that equilibrium and then go back to the trenches again to begin to look for who will succeed him; that is my position.

Recently ecently,, you sent out a message eulogizing your predecessor ecessor,, Chief Segun Osoba, on his birthday birthday.. Have you reconciled with him?

Quite naturally, Osoba must be bitter. It was like the lord of the Manor; a sitting governor; a Goliath and, all of sudden, a David came and removed him. There was

I called my finance commissioner and said: ‘Where is the $3 million dollars?’ He said they are crazy; that there is no $3 million anywhere nothing I did beyond the election, and the fact remains that he is my predecessor, and, at 75, there is no way I should not wish him well. I have done my beat. He ruled Ogun State to the best of his ability; I didn’t say he didn’t do well.

But when we came; we did things slightly differently from the way he did. We were a bit faster, but it doesn’t matter because, at the end of the day, what does Nigeria want? Sometimes, it is the slow lane because all those who did things a bit faster, what happened to them? This country will not make progress until we appreciate our responsibility in government. May be as corporate person, I understand that the only way you can provide stability for your creditors and customers is

to ensure that there is consistency.

The only way that people can come and invest is when they see consistency. The projects that turn around the fortune of the people are not these short term projects, but long term projects. Government comes and government goes; that was what we demonstrated. Regrettably, they say it doesn’t happen all the time, and regrettably it is the direct opposite of what has happened in Ogun State today.

Because there is policy summersault and inconsistency, people who want to bring big money will not come to Ogun State. It is not a question of window dressing, there is no consistency. When a governor or president signs a project, it is sacrosanct. When as governor of Ogun State, OGD signed a Certificate of Occupancy, it is no longer an OGD matter; it is the governor of Ogun State. Our governor has started a precedent; he is so excited that his predecessor is arraigned in EFCC box.

But whether we like it or not, subsequent governors of Ogun State will go inside that box. I also have friends, people that I have helped over the years; they are compiling their own papers.

Somebody has to explain the cost of those roads sooner than later because it is a precedent that has been set. The income of Ogun State cannot sustain the state, likewise that of Nigeria.

What sustains every country is venture capital. That is what is sustaining Dubai. What did they do? They created the right environment for investment and they went to sit down and enjoy our money. I had thought that with our level in Ogun State; with our level of education that we should be sophisticated enough to appreciate some of these things.

Is it true that Amosun made you governor in 2003?

There is this story that he introduced you to Obasanjo as an indigene of Sagamu, when you are actually not.

I attended Baptist Boys High School just like Obasanjo. While he was prosecuting the war, I was already in school. He was one of our heroes; he came home to our school in Abeokuta to greet us.

Seun Obasanjo, who is running Obasanjo Farms today, and my first son, Rotimi, grew up together in the house of Mrs. Obasanjo. Who is this man who said he introduced me to who?

What is he talking about? Amosun did not take me to Obasanjo. I know that Amosun came to Chief Adegbenro and they took him to Owu village. That was how he got introduced to Ogun State.

Then the following election, he left Ewekoro and contested from Abeokuta North, and the next one, I am told that he has moved from Abeokuta North, he has gone to Ajura Ward and he wants to contest under Abeokuta North.

Those of you who are not politicians may not know the implication of this, but politicians like us appreciate what that means.

Some people claim that you ran a government of vendetta. That you neglected some areas in road projects because they voted for Amosun in 2007. How true

is that?

Ididn’t run a government of vendetta. You talked about roads, and I was shocked when you said I neglected some areas because somebody voted for Amosun. In which election was that?

In 2003, we won all the elections except one House of Assembly seat in Water Side. We had 25 state Assembly seats; nine House of Representatives and three senators. But, in 2007, we did better; we now won all the House of Assembly seats; all three Senate and nine House of Representatives seats.

They took us to court and the court threw out their petitions. I am not aware of any area in Ogun State that did not vote for me while I was contesting. And I am not aware that there is any location that I lost election to Amosun. The issue of roads is a question of available funds.

What is in a road that you will not fix? Is it not a question of awarding contract? But when the money is not there, you prioritise.

When Amosun started the bridges, people from other zones started complaining and it became a question of you want bridges, you will get one; no economic impact assessment; is that governance?

Something is definitely wrong in the psyche of the people running our state today. But no matter what the case may be, they say the people deserve the kind of government they get.

When I was leaving, I told them that the liability we left was about N49 billion, but they said it was N100 billion. However, today, three and a half years later, members of the House of Assembly are telling me that Ogun State has borrowed N300 billion. So, all the roads and bridges are borrowed funds. How do you rate that as performance?

What is your relationship with Obasanjo?

Chief Obasanjo is our father. We can have fundamental difference based on principles, but he remains an elder statesman. There is no issue, we disagreed on principle. I once asked him why someone will whisper something to him and he won’t bother to check and he believes that and only to find out that it was balderdash.

I think all of you have learnt from what has happened because when somebody wrote that he spent N3 billion to destabilise my administration; not N3 billion to build but to subvert my administration.

What did I do? Those are the issues, and when Baba hears and he doesn’t check, it usually leads to disaster. And it is a thing of regret that the person who combined with Baba to destroy my administration has now faced him.

How is life after office? Do you feel betrayed by some of your aides?

Betrayal is another name for politics. If you are not betrayed in politics, something is wrong with you.

PAGE 22 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

BOKO HARAM

Why do women turn into suicide bombers?

BY JANE HARMAN

R

ecently, a young Nigerian girl—just 15 years old— approached a group of police officers and blew herself up. The attack failed; she claimed no lives but her own.

Boko Haram may have launched bloodier attacks, but I struggle to imagine a more heinous terror plot. That girl was just one of four Nigerian women to weaponize themselves this July in the populous northern city of

young girls don’t strap on suicide vests, and yet they sometimes do. Women and girls have scant rights Kano. The second under the medieval attempt, targeting a control of the Islamic shopping mall, likewise State of Iraq and al-Sham, killed just the bomber. The or ISIS. Our instincts say third slaughtered three they would never join in women lined up to buy oil its abusive rule over other for their cook-stoves. The women, and yet they fourth cut short the lives of have. We’re used to six young people at Kano thinking that men have a monopoly on violent Polytechnic.

These attacks cast in extremism — except they sharp relief a trend that don’t. We need a better needs greater attention: understanding of what the real and growing drives women to take part participation of women in in, and even give their lives for, violent extremist movements. movements that insist on We take for granted that their inferiority. We can’t

counter radical narratives if we don’t understand the motives of the radicalized.

The Atlantic’s Kathy Gilsinan recently highlighted the surprising efforts of the alKhansaa Brigade of ISIS. Wandering the streets of Raqqa, they wave firearms and enforce the jihadist code of conduct — and they do it all while fully veiled, because the brigade is entirely female. That grim vision of women’s participation challenges our less-thannuanced understanding of radical movements.

Why do women contribute to groups like Boko Haram and ISIS that demand their submission? Sometimes, no doubt, they are coerced into compliance; sometimes, women participate in these extreme ideolo-

gies with enthusiasm. I wonder if some don’t strap on a bomb as a merciful escape from miserable circumstances. But the important point is that we don’t really know why women join terror groups that would deny them equality and opportunity.

We also don’t understand the full extent of women’s involvement. We don’t know if Boko Haram’s female bombers were a fluke or the first of many.

We don’t know if the alKhansaa Brigade is a one-off experiment or a model for future ISIS governance. We have seen, though, that jihadists use women to exploit incomplete understandings of terrorism. Women pass unsuspected where men don’t; that makes them valuable fighters. We can’t thwart every attack while watching just half the pieces on the board.

Though women’s involvement in terror seems to be on the rise, the tactic is old. Gillo Pontecorvo’s 1966 film “The Battle of Algiers” lingered on the image of female militants applying French cosmetics equal parts war paint and camouflage while preparing to bomb French milk bars in support of Algeria’s independence struggle.

Sri Lanka’s Tamil insurgency made extensive use of female suicide bombers; between 1987 and 2008, women were better represented among their Black Tiger suicide commandos than they now are in either house of the United States Congress.

Today, social media is rife with female supporters of ISIS — some of them Western citizens who have traveled to Syria to wed and support jihadists.

It’s time to wake up to the growing role of women.

Terror groups clearly believe that jihad is a women’s issue. The recruitment of women and girls is an important element of the modern threat landscape.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 23

08112662589

CHEATING: Would you want to know your man's status?

O

NE good thing I have going for me is that I have a few set of friends.

In other words, apart from Ini, Lilian and co, I have other friends that don’t even know what my real friends look like.

Benny, a very successful stock broker, has been a good friend ever since I left paid employment.

She opted to be my stock broker then and invested a chunk of my money.

Some shares did well whilst the couple of the indigenous oil companies did so appallingly badly that I ordered her to sell them off and re-invest the proceeds in promising stocks. Better to cut my losses then before the shares become less valuable than the certificates they were written on!

After a couple of months, she seemed to disappear from circulation until I heard from her recently.

Benny had arrived by the look of things! She’d just purchased a cute flat in one of these impressive estates on Victoria Island and was having a house warming party.

Her cute little I.V. Said 1.00p.m prompt, but I was about the first to arrive at her place when I

made it well after 2 pm.

The advantage of this was that I took my pick of where to sit and by the time I finished my first drink, guests were arriving in droves. Friends I knew with Benny sat with me. The party was well on its way when Osa, Ini’s husband, arrived with a cutie in tow!

He had eyes only for her, or, better put, it looked as if he was speaking directly to her bouncy bosom whenever he talked to her. He didn’t see me at first and I had plenty of time to notice how he was all over a girl obviously in her 20s. He even kissed her a couple of times! My instinct told me to just ignore him and pray he’d not notice me. I mean, Ini isn’t exactly Mother Theresa and this girl with the more bounce-tothe-once boobs might be a one-off.

But, the guy caught my eyes, actually smiled and whispered to her ‘date’ who gave me a casual glance. He certainly had a nerve! I paused by their table on my way to the dance floor. He didn’t hat an eye lid as he introduced his ‘date’ as his current

stock broker. Yeah, right, I thought, wanting to sneer. Ini was conveniently out of town. So, it was pointless my asking who she was. Before I even left the table, he’d gone back to ogling the stocks she had on offer!

When next we all met for our gossip session, Ini hadn’t come back. Casually, I let it drop that I saw Osa at a party with an obvious girlfriend.

Lilian was outraged. ‘I can’t wait for Ini to come back so we could tell her ’, she fumed. “She has a right to know and if possible castrate him!

Who did he think he

was? If you’re going to play away from home, one would have expected some discretion not parade your shame in front of everybody”.

Isn’t it amazing, that what you do becomes fun but an indiscretion when someone else does the same? I reminded her that Osa felt neither guilt not shame, on the contrary, he looked proud that he’d actually pulled a cracker like his ‘date’.

“You girls are not serious about telling Ini, are you?”, Stella asked as if we were out of our minds. “Talk about hypocrisy, there’s no one

here who could swear hand on chest, that she’s never eaten the proverbial forbidden apple, over and over again. Tell Ini indeed!

“And what purpose would that serve? I personally don’t think it’s any of our business”, Lilian wasn’t buying her argument. “Oh, come on”, she snapped. “If it were you in that situation, you’d want to know ”, “Why?”, Stella wanted to know. “If it were me in that situation, I wouldn’t want any of you to tell me, so be warned. Ini is away on holidays and only God

knows what mischief she would be up to. Why spoil things for her? Is there a real problem to Ini’s marriage now that you have suddenly `caught’ her husband necking with a younger girl?

Assuming we agree to tell Ini, what then? Should she rush to sue for divorce or hunt down her rival and throttle her? Aren’t we being a bit melodramatic here? What is the point in rocking the boat?”

Stella, in case you’d forgotten, is the happy-golucky friend who recently had a champagne breakfast party that was almost ruined by her cynical husband. She’d her share of scandal, no thanks to the numerous mistresses her husband parades on the pages of the soft sell magazines from time to time. In the end,we all agreed that keeping mum would be the best thing to do. I didn’t really plan to tell Ini anything. I just wanted to show my friends how easy it is to be outraged when you’ve not been caught committing the same crime.

08052201867(Text Only)

A

lady I know once said to me, ''I want to do yoga, but how soon do I start to see results?'' I simply looked her in the eyes and shot back, “about half the time that it has taken you to acquire your excess baggage.”

Tr o u b l e w i t h m o s t people when they take up some fitness regime to correct what they have allowed to go wrong with their bodies, is the expectation of a miracle - instant results. But, fat bodies like fast food will bring problems in their wake.

Apart from the seriousness that accompany crash exercises, there is also the problem of anxiety to be dealt with. I think the best attitude with which to get into a fitness routine is resolving to make it’ a way of life.’

Dr. George Sheehan advises, “become a life long athlete.” What is meant is constancy and diligence in practice.

This done, every-

Yoga Leg Pull thing will come your way, namely, shamefulness, fitness, strength of body and mind, in short, all the good things that a healthy body has to offer.

A certain amount of curiosity and a selfhelp mentality are also very necessary qualities to inculcate into the personality makeup.

Read up on good eating and other healthy living habits and seek to make them a part of your life. It is not good to do all the wrong things, then one day look at yourself in the mirror and say: I don’t like what I see, I want a bit off here, a bit off there, oh, my God, a bit off everywhere, really?

The fact that you are

reading this means you want a change for yourself. A change for a healthier, more responsive body.

Having made the decision, resolve to have the tenacity of purpose. It will be your greatest asset in your bid to improve on your b o d y. Wi t h i t , y o u r

The Leg Pull

‘dream’ body will become your ‘ real’ body.

The following are some yoga exercises to help you reduce weight, firm thighs and the buttocks. A must for ladies with the problem of cellulite.

The Leg Pull, jausirasana in

sanskait, is done this w a y. ‘ S i t w i t h l e g s stretched out before.

Now place the sole of the left foot against the upper inside of the right thigh. Raise both arms overhead. Lean backward as far as possible and coming forward grab hold of whatever part of the right leg you can with both hands. Be careful not to over strain.

'Bend your elbows and pull the trunk slowly downward and at the same time turn the right shoulder downward and the left shoulder upward.

Breath slowly and deeply.

'After a comfortable while, release hold and gently straighten up.

Perform similar movements with the left leg.

Go over from right to left legs three times in all.'

Apart, from the ‘selfmassaging’ effect of

this posture to deal with cellulite and tension, fatigue are also relieved throughout the legs.

The Locust, the next exercise effectively deals with excess weight, firms, streamlines and develops the buttocks, hips, thighs and legs.

To perform the Lo cus, lie face down with the chin on the floor and place the fists on the floor beside the thighs. Breathe in deeply, regaining the breadth, push legs as high as you can. Remain a while like this, then bring down both legs and exhale.

Take a short rest and repeat. If it is too difficult raising both legs in one go, take the described position, but raise one leg for a while, lower it, and then repeat with the other leg.

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

P AGE 24—SUND AY Vanguard , A UGUST 10 , 2014 SUNDA AUGUST

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

Health alert! Most women don’t realise they’re wine intolerant

A

S I lay in bed af ter having din ner and sharing a bottle of wine at a restaurant with my husband,” said Nana, a physiotherapist, “I suddenly felt my chest tighten and my heart began racing widely. For the next ten frightening minutes, I lay in pain, waiting for the palpitations to calm down. But when they didn’t, I staggered across to open the window to get some air, all the while hearing my pulse thumping loudly in my ears. I was terrified that I was about to have a heart attack.

“This was becoming a regular occurrence most Saturday nights, so first thing that Monday morning, I went to see one of the doctors in the specialist hospital I worked with. I didn’t have a clue what was causing it but I was scared it was serious. I even stopped exercising, fearful that I might have an undetected heart problem. It turned out I didn’t. In fact, the pain and palpitations had a different explanation. — I was experiencing an adverse reaction to the wine I so much enjoyed.

The consultant explained that while thousands of women are thought to be affected, few realise the cause of their distress is their favourite tipple because the problem is not widely written or talked about. Yet it’s so common that doctors have even given it a nickname: ‘holiday heart syndrome.’ Why? Because people who rarely drink at home will reach for a glass of wine on holiday and suddenly suffer an unexpected reaction.”

According to Nana: “A lack of research means we do not know why

him a kiss, “and I’ll make you a nice cup of coffee”.

After he’d drank it, she whispered seductively, “shall we go to bed now?”

“Might as well”, he replied. “I’ll be in trouble anyway when I get home”.

wine can have the effect and there’s no cure, except to give it up. The problem is quite distant from the well-known issues surrounding excessive consumption of alcohol, such as liver damage, reduced fertility, high blood pressure and increased risk of various cancers and heart attack.

For, in this case, rather than many years of heavy drinking leading to problems, even relatively small amounts can lead to immediate — and terrifying — consequences.

Many complain they suffer from palpitations after less than a single glass of wine.”

N

ana, who is in her 40s, hasn’t touched a drop of wine since she was diagnosed with holiday heart syndrome a couple of years ago and hasn’t had another attack since. “I had my first attack about a decade ago after a friend’s elaborate 40 th birthday party,” she continued. “I assumed I’d just drunk too much white wine. But over the next few years it reached a point where it didn’t matter whether I had several glasses on a Saturday night or a couple of mouthfuls at the end of a stressed day — the physical reaction was always the same. I was surprised but relieved when the consultant said it was a common reaction to wine since the irony is that, like millions of women, I often used to have a glass to unwind or to relax before bed. I haven’t touched a drop of wine since as I never want to feel to poorly again.”

D

r. Zaheer Yousef, a consultant cardiologist from the Univer-

What a helping hand! (Humour)

I

sity Hospital of Wales says the condition is becoming increasingly prevalent among those over 30s because nowadays we drink wine to relieve stress, as well as when we’re out socially.

“Alcohol can trigger heart palpitations, arrhythmias – where the heart beats too slowly or too quickly.

If sustained for long periods of time, a racing heart can cause heart failure. Meanwhile, the arrhythmias can lead to development of blood clots which can cause a stroke. It’s not known why alcohol – particularly wine – is to blame, but it’s quite common to suddenly develop an intolerance.”

“As we get older”, says Dr. Yousef, “Our body becomes more intolerant of alcohol, our heart changes and our blood pressure and hormones alter. This is a complicated cocktail that can increase a person’s susceptibility to palpitations and arrhythmias. You could experience this reaction to alcohol for a couple of years and then it might

pass. Again, it’s not known exactly why. Heart palpitations aren’t the only problem that wine can cause. Even the smallest amounts have been linked to causing extreme nausea and exacerbation of chronic skin disorders such as eczema and rosacea – a reddening of the facial skin.

According to Consultant Dermatologist Dr. Bav Shergill: “You’d think spirits and other alcohol would have the same effect but there seems to be something about wine, and red wine in particular, that many rosacea sufferers report as causing a big flareup. This could be down to some of the additives in the wine or the fermentation process, such as the tannius, sulphites or colourants used. We don;t currently understand why, but we do know that alcohol dilates the capillaries in the face and therefore the circulation. This could be responsible for exacerbating flare-ups in rosacea sufferers as well as those with psoriasis and ec-

let it go, but the thought of those we love and cherish don't seem to let go; even though we might be hated by our attitudes towards getting that which we desire and admire. Despite all odds my dear, I will always make my mind known to you. You are SPECIAL. I love you... Cheers...

James N. Okonkwo (Freesoul) OUR column to express your loving thoughts in ngesinaj@gmail.com words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it +2348066043380 flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel.

Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: Atmosphere of your love sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES" With your ever fresh and unfading love,you have made happiness blaze like fire inside my heart.Your You are special love tickles me like the cool evening breeze and I Memories never depart, though atimes we wish to

Y

zema who find their skin condition becomes almost instantly inflamed and itchy. Again, we don’t know know exactly why, but it could be linked to alcohol dehydrating the body and skin”.

In for a Penny …

(Humour)

Every night of the week, Jack would stagger home after the clubs closed and every night of the week his wife would be waiting on the doorstep, ranting and raving. “Oh Doris”, she confided in her friend and the next day. “I’m so fed up with this, it doesn’t seem to matter what I say, he just goes on getting drunk”.

“Well, maybe you’re reacting in the wrong way ”, replied Doris.

“Why don’t you try being nice to him and see what happens?” So the following evening, Jack arrived back, drunk as usual, but this time his wife remained calm.

“Come and sit yourself down,” she said giving

t was 2 o’clock in the morning and very cold when a couple were woken up by a loud knocking at the door. “Go on John”, nudged his wife, “ you’d better find out who it is because it might be important”.

Poor John had to get out of his nice warm bed and go downstairs. When he opened the door, he was confronted by a very drunk man who said, “Can you give me a push?”. “What!” exclaimed John, “how dare yo disturb me at this time of the morning, now bugger off ”.

“Who was that?”, asked his wife when he got back into bed. “Some drunk idiot wanting me to give hm a push”, he replied.

“I soon saw him off!”.

“Oh John, how could you?”, admonished his wife. “Don’t you remember how we once broke down in the middle of nowhere and if it hadn’t been for that kind man that stopped to help us, we’d still be there?” “Alright, alright”, grumbled John as he got out of bed a second time and went downstairs. He put on his coat, opened the front door and called out: “Hello, do you still want a push?” “Yes, please” came the reply. “Where are you?, John asked.

“I’m over here”, John looked around but couldn’t see anyone.

“Where are you exactly?, he called. “Over here!”, shouted the drunk. “On the swing”.

never want to depart from the atmosphere of your immaculate love for the rest of my life for your love is sweeter than honey.

Akachukwu Ferdinand, 08063819314

Dear Blessing I thought you wouldn't hurt me. I thought you were tired of seeing me cry. Well now, you won't be able to because I'm gaining strength back. And I'm finally going to say goodbye.

Emma Mine 07051037749 Delta State.

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 25

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70YR -OLD 70-YR YR-OLD GRANDMA ON THE TRAIL OF ASSASSINS ‘I won’t rest until police ffind ind m myy son’s killer s!’ killers!’

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN-CITY

T

here is tension in EmeOra, in Owan West Local Government Council of Edo State, following the killing of 37year-old Daniel Aifegha, Coordinator of the Kukuruku Youth Renaissance Network, a youth organization, by unknown gunmen on Tuesday, July 29. Daniel was a staff of the local government and a supporter of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Sunday Vanguard learnt that the deceased was threatened few days before he was shot dead. Though members of the public are still waiting for the report of the police investigation into the matter, it was learnt that the killing may not be unconnected with the victim’s alleged refusal to support a particular aspirant in the race for the House of Assembly seat ahead of the 2015 general elections. Daniel’s 70-year-old mother, Margaret, and 14-year-old daughter, led a protest in Benin-City, on Wednesday, appealing to Governor Adams Oshiomhole; the state Commissioner of Police, Foluso Adebanjo, and the state Director of the SSS to help fish out the killers.

The protest followed a petition by the Kukuruku Youth Network, addressed to the state Police Commissioner, alleging that the deceased was threatened by some politicians in the area before his death. The petition, signed by its National President, Comrade Theophilus Ibodeme, attributed the killing to political disagreement between the deceased and some politicians in the area and warned that his corpse will not be buried until proper investigation into his murder was carried out by the police.

The group, in the petition, said, “That autopsy should

be carried out on the late Comrade Daniel’s body. That our politicians who seek office at all costs, for their personal aggrandizement, should not see election as a do-or-die affair and should not take us back to the days of the military. That we demand justice from security agencies because no man, no matter how highly placed in the society, has monopoly of violence. That we implore all well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the late Comrade Daniel Aifegha’s daughter (Miss Agnes) and his aged mother to give them help in every area possible because the late comrade was their benefactor. That as we approach 2015 general elections, we call on the youth to shun violence and not allow themselves to be used as negative tools for promoting and protecting any politicians/party interest that is anti-people and anti-good governance. The youth should see themselves as partners in progress and the greedy and self centered politicians as their common enemy. We implore the Nigeria Police and other security agencies in the state to make use of available facts as evidence like Daniel’s phone call logs, messages and his interaction on his facebook account, his conversation with those who were with him before he gave up the ghost, to simplify investigation processes” The mother of the deceased, narrating the tragedy that befell her, as a result of the killing of her son, said, “I travelled to Port Harcourt on the 26th of July. On the 29th, I spoke with my son but, at about 9pm that day, I was about having my bath when my phone rang. The caller told me to return home quickly, that they shot my son and he was being rushed to hospital. I told him I will not be able to leave Port Harcourt that night but that I will come

*Daniel Aifegba...Cut down in his prime the next day. On getting to the village the next day, I met my son’s body at the mortuary. That is why I am here to appeal to Adams Oshiomhole, our godly governor, to help me persuade security agents to find the killers of my son. He told the person that rushed him to the hospital something. They went to his room at night and shot him”.

Daniel’s friend who rushed him to hospital before he gave up the ghost, Mr Oluwa Iduigome, stated that after the death of Daniel, he (Oluwa) was being threatened due the revelation from the deceased about the suspected killers.

He said, “On the 29th of July, he called me because he was my very close friend. He told me that they shot him that I should come. I rushed down and saw him lying in a pool of blood. So I ran out to call other people to help me put him on my motorcycle and rush him to hospital. But by the time we got to hospital, he had died. But before he died, he told me that one Anslem told him he will kill him, so he was just saying that the Anslem had finally killed him. Daniel was a politician and also a civil servant in the local government, so most of our politicians always came to him for support because he was a youth mobilizer. But I think what happened was that he told one of the politician that he will not work for him, rather that he will work for his opponent. In fact he was threatened through a text message on his phone. I was also threatened after I rushed him to hospital. They told me that I am the next target, my life is

not even safe right now”.

The Edo Police Commissioner, Adebanjo told Sunday Vanguard that his Command was investigating the matter. “We are appealing to anybody that has information on the murder to come up and tell us so as to help our investigation. That is why I always stress that the police cannot protect you alone, the issue of security has to do with all of us and we must all be vigilant. I have always said that nobody has the right to kill and whoever is involved must face the music.

the alarm over alleged threat to his life following his comments on the crisis in the state House of Assembly, said, “The assassination of Comrade Daniel is condemnable. I am very worried that if we do not use this as basis to continue to demand and put pressure on government, you know investigations into killings like this normally end in chaos. Even those who will be there to provide important information are turned around to become accused

But before he died, he told me that one Anslem told him he will kill him, so he was just saying that the Anslem had finally killed him

We will get to the root of this matter”, he said.

Reacting also, the Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) and human rights activist, Rev David Ugolor, who was also part of the protest on Wednesday, regretted that the family of the deceased was poor and therefore tasked the new Inspector General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, to keep to his words when he assured that the police will work for the poor.

Ugolor, who recently raised

persons. That is the reason we are appealing to the Nigeria Police to see this as a challenge. Although the family of Daniel is weak, poor, justice is very important for it and our democracy especially against the back ground of the appointment of a new IG who told Nigerians that his regime will be for the poor. That statement is on trial, because how he deals with this kind of assassination will tell Nigerians who he will be seen as”.

PAGE 26 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

20 YEARS AFTER ALLEGATION OF BETRAYAL!

Kokori clears Osoba C

hief Frank Koko ri, a former Sec retary-General of National Union of Petroleum and Gas Workers (NUPENG), who was incarcerated by the Abacha regime, relates, in his autobiography, “The struggle for June 12, the facts about how he was nabbed by the military.

Extracts from the book, entitled, Frank Kokori: The Struggle for June 12.

O

N August 17, 1994, the crisis reached a cre scendo after General Sani Abacha, by fiat, dissolved the executives of NUPENG, PENGASSAN and NLC, because of the crippling oil strike. He personally went on air to justify the action.

NLC, NUPENG, and PE|NGASSAN had their National Executive Councils dissolved by Decree 9 and 10 of 1994, with union leaders denied access to union premises and bank accounts. Check-off facilities were also withdrawn from these Labour organisations. General Abacha immediately appointed administrators for the hammered Labour unions, which saw Dr. Usman Jalingo taking over as sole administrator for NUPENG. Abacha's move caught me gasping with surprise, as it were. He was writing a strange chapter in Labour history, slamming three Labour organisations in one fell swoop. And where did that place me on the side of history? Our agitations had precipitated the dissolution of NUPENG's leadership. In an environment that extols might as right and where the rich and the mighty rewrite history to favour themselves, would history record me as being in the right or in the wrong? Agamene and I (both of whom had returned into hiding long before that pronouncement) sat down to review the situation. I told my President, “What is your reaction?”

And replied: “Do you want us to call it off? What do you have to show for all these days; all the inconvenience; all the risk; all the sacrifice?

No, we must fight on.”

His determination surprised me. Despite being a well-paid worker in the oil industry, the man showed an unexpected

• Kokori readiness to die for the cause.

His commitment encouraged me a lot. I don't know what I would have done if I had been all alone at that crucial moment of the struggle. The ban had been so unexpected that it would have drowned my determination in despair. As they say, two heads are better than one, and Agamene, at that crucial moment, provided a worthy anchor for me.

Pa Enahoro had always inspired me with his courageous spirit and words of timely wisdom. Enahoro immediately phoned me and encouraged me, “The Commander-inChief's address was based on you, so it shows that you are something to this country”.

My zonal chairmen quickly began ringing me to say, “No way! We are ready to fight to the end”.

But we had one fact to con-

While I was in prison, Osoba went out of his way to assist my family. He visited and donated. However, on my release from prison, I heard this strong rumour that his betrayal led to my arrest

tend with, Lagos was getting too hot for us (for me in particular), especially in the light of the Head of State's announcement of NUPENG's ban. Agamene and I held a long strategy session. The only way to sustain the struggle was to escape the gropping arms of Abacha's hunters and remain in touch with out men on the ground, that way, we could keep the lines of communications open to our men and issue instructions to them as well as get situation reports. We concluded that we should move out of Lagos to Port Harcourt. The first leg of our exit from Lagos would entail us moving to Warri in different vehicles, not our normal cars. Thereafter, we would go to Port Harcourt, the centre of Nigeria's oil industry. Once there, underground, we would show

ourselves to our people, like the NUPENG zonal council leaders, in order to reassure them and keep up the fight.

Unfortunately, it did not work out that way. That night, a Judas betrayed me and Abacha's men captured me.

NADECO and most concerned Nigerians phoned my mobile number to encourage me over Abacha's hammering of NUPENG. Callers included people like Chief Anthony Enahoro, Chief Segun Osoba and other SDP ex-governors.

On my cellular, I granted interviews to BBC, VOA and other international, as well as local media. The callers insinuated I was the last man standing, and my arrest would virtually inflict incalculable damage to the struggle.

At about 9.30 p.m. somebody rang me (I think it was Segun Osoba or Doyin Okupe, as both of them rang me that night) to drop this piece of unsettling information.

“Frank, you have to take your security very seriously now. Don't let anybody know where you are. They have picked up Chief Cornelius Adebayo, Prince Ademola Adeniji-Adele and Pa Enahoro. Adebayo just went to see Pa Enahoro at Sheraton Hotel when he was picked up as well. You are now the soul of the struggle, please don't joke with your security”.

They themselves did not know my whereabouts. I had moved from the guest house that had hosted me for long in Lagos to another one. I had my wife with me. Throughout the struggle, I had drunk from Pa Enahoro's courage and wisdom. His arrest meant I had lost a significant pillar of support. At that stage, it was very difficult for my wife and me to find sleep. We were helpless. What should we do?

Before SDP, I really did not know Segun Osoba one-onone. Like Kingibe, he had good human relations. If he happened to be absent when you phoned him, even as the Governor of Ogun State, he returned your call as soon as he got your message. You could not but like such a fellow.

While I was in prison, Osoba went out of his way to assist my family. He visited and donated. However, on my release from prison, I heard this strong rumour that his betrayal led to my arrest. As far as I know, Osoba did not betray me. I don't know the brains •Continues on page 27

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 27

Kokori clears Osoba •Continued from page 26 that planned the betrayal, but I know the person who lured me out from my hideout – and it was not Chief Segun Osoba.

I had concealed my hideout from everyone, save my wife and children. The SSS hovered around Genesis Hotel and my house those days. My family members had cause to suspect they were being tailed, thus, they took extra precautions not to give away my hiding place. My wife went to great lengths to conceal her tracks while coming to my hideaway. She usually had someone drive her to one of the popular markets in Lagos – Idioro, Mushin or Tejuosho. Esther would enter the market, return to the parked car to take something and enter the market once more. Going through this motion a couple of time, she would finally sneak out of the market passing through a much different exit and casually take a taxi.

She alighted from the hired cab some distance from my chosen hotel and stroll into my hideout. She could spend days in my company.

When I emerged from my hideout on the night of my capture , it was on humanitarian grounds. What happened was this: On the night of 19th to 20th August, 1994, around 11 pm, a voice started calling me, saying, “Please, tell me where you are staying”. It was Fred Eno. His request sounded strange. None of my callers ever asked me to disclose my whereabouts. Although in his 30s, and by far younger than the key elements in the struggle, Fred Eno was an Abiola confidante and Personal Assistant. He played an important role, coordinating media contact for the struggle.

“But you know I can't come out. How do I tell you where I stay?”

He said, “Please. The issue now is that Pa Enahoro has been arrested and he had handed some important documents to me. But my own life is in danger too. I can be arrested anytime now. Pa Enahoro says I must personally give you those documents.”

Eno had struck a significant chord,f or the rule and strategy of struggles and revolutions stipulate that if a team member falls, another must take over his role immediately. If Pa Enahoro had fallen, someone must quickly stand in for him.

I remember too that my cell phone, a Motorola Workhorse, had all that day been malfunctioning. Unknown to me, the phone was being scrambled.

•Osoba...Didn’t lure Kokori out of hideout The audio was poor. I had earlier laid this complaint to Fred Eno and he promised to source a good replacement for me. It was up his alley, being MKO's public relations person.

Meanwhile, I suggested Fred Eno take the materials to my daughter at Genesis, but Eno declined. According to hi, in the light of the NADECO chieftains' arrest, the whole of the Ojuelegba area, bordering my hotel buzzed with SSS operatives. Once they saw him, they would pick him up too.

“My wife is in danger”, he said.

Along the line, strangely, my cellular phone became clear; crystal clear. I could hear Eno very brightly. I could feel the desperation in his voice, almost as if we stood face to face.

I could feel the tearful emotions in his voice. He sounded close to tears. I succumbed.

I directed him to my hideout, which was Domino Guest House, owned by Ben Bruce's Family. A small decent place with no more than eight chalets, Domino Guest House was very neat and exclusive. My President had separated from me and stayed at a different guest house to prevent the possibility of our being arrested simultaneously.

“Okay, meet me in front of Niger Palace Hotel, Yaba.

When you get there, ring me up”.

“I will be there before 11 pm”, he said.

He was not there by 11 pm.

I kept calling him, “Where are you now? You said you will be there before 11 pm”.

“I am on the way”, Eno assured me. But now the hysteria appeared to have evaporated from his voice. He

the Niger Palace Hotel, and the boy followed from a distance.

Shortly, in the midnight shad-

The back passenger door opened as I touched the flank of the vehicle. The other side opened too. Then I found hands grabbing at me.

I quickly back-pedaled. Too late! The hands found me and eagerly pounded me with a rain of heavy blows sounded more stable, more confident.

Some minutes before 1am, his final call came. He said he was some 50 yards from the Niger Palace Hotel, waiting for me in a white Mercedes Benz. But it was so late – usually I never ventured out of my hideouts at such a time.

My wife was sleeping soundly, laced with medication the family doctor said would help calm her stress-fired blood pressure. I left the room.

At the reception, I woke up the boy on duty to escort me to the Niger Palace Hotel where I needed to bring some people who would be lodging in the guest house with me (actually, I had planned to help Eno get accommodation in the guest house. It was a safe haven to which no one would think of searching for him). I led the way towards

ows, I saw a White Mercedes Benz parked close to the hotel. Sure that it contained Fred Eno, I keenly approached the vehicle. The back passenger door opened as I touched the flank of the vehicle. The other side opened too. Then I found hands grabbing at me. I quickly back-pedaled. Too late! The hands found me and eagerly pounded me with a rain of heavy blows. They tried pushing me into the Benz, but I held on to one assailant's shirt.

The boy following me quickly retreated, standing away in the shadows. From there, he saw everything. That saved him and helped my case. He must have heard me shout.

“I am Kokori!”

“I am Kokori! I am not a criminal! They are trying to kidnap me!”

We struggled. Something

told me that my assailants were security agents. They were big muscular creatures and I so diminutive, but they could not overpower me. Like a frenzied demon, I fought viciously against all attempts to push me into the car. I held on to the open car door. One of them left the fray and moved to the back of their car.

He opened the car boot and returned with a spray gas that he sprayed into my face. The pungent chemical stunned me and momentarily knocked me off balance. They immediately bundled my slack form into the car. The struggle took not less than two minutes.

Engines revved into life.

Tires screeched. Two cars flew out of the shadows into the night, one contained me, in the company of people I by now guessed formed a squad.

A special squad. In my own vehicle were four men. The other car followed with two or three more men. They threw me on the floor of the vehicle and sat on me. Two of them sat on my tummy, with their combined weights, pinning me down to the car floor. I was still conscious but could hardly breathe. I gasped for breath. Were these the throes of death? For a brief moment, some life came into me and I spoke hoarsely.

“My death will set this country ablaze!”

Somehow, I had managed to say the right thing. Since the strike was on, I had strong confidence in NUPENG. Despite the government's hammer, NUPENG and PENGASSAN had maintained the strike, and effectively; even though NLC had been all along reluctant to join the latest fray, I was confident my death would spark that fire of Labour solidarity nationwide.

Injury to one usually amounted to injury to all.

“My death will set this country ablaze!”

My statement stung my assailants into wakefulness. It frightened them, so I could see. They immediately raised themselves off me, giving me space to push myself on to the car seat. I sat up. Then they began to sweet-talk me.

One of them had the temerity to speak my native Urhobo language to me, telling me there was no cause for alarm.

The impostor! Would an Urhobo man join hands with others to mete such a harsh treatment out to his own kinsman?

Impossible! His voice really grated my frayed nerves. I ignored the impostor. I kept mute.

“Frank Ovie Kokori”, another one said. “What beautiful names!”

PAGE 28—SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

The day the Sultan is restless!

BY BASHIR ADEFAKA

E

very community has its eventful time. There is the time for the new yam festival and another to celebrate love. The time for the Nigerian Muslim community,

headed by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammadu Sa ad Abubakar III, is mainly that which sets the eyes of Muslims in the country on a particular side of the sky in search of the new moon heralding the beginning of Ramadan fast. That did take place at the tail end of June.

Every month of Islamic calendar is 29. It is counted up to 30 when the new moon of an incoming month is not sighted on the night ending the 29th of the outgoing month. There are some of the months particularly four in the Lunar Calendar which are attached with certain worships some of which are obligatory while others sunnah, for example: Ramadan and Dhul Hijjah, obligatory.

The significance of Ramadan based on the strong command of Allah as stated in Qur an Suraat Baqarah chapter two from verse 183 has continued to require that leadership of Muslims in any given country takes the sighting of the moon heralding it as a serious responsibility. Realizing the moral, spiritual and political implications of the handling of this task, the Sultan becomes restless until it is properly done; not only to satisfy the requirements of Allah as laid down in the rules of Islam but also to do it in such a way that fosters unity and love among the over 70 million members of the Nigerian Muslim community.

It therefore cannot be surprising why the Sariki Mumunin of Nigeria could not take his dinner that Friday, June 27, due to the tasking activities of the moonsighting.

Arriving palace at Jumat time I had arrived Sokoto via the Sultan Siddique Abubakar III International Airport at the time of Jumat Service. I was taken into the Sultan s entourage as we walked out of the palatial but moderately constructed palace to the Central Mosque, which is just a stone throw away on the very long Sultan Abubakar Road. Clad in white regalia with a pair of white half-shoes to match, the retired general, who held on to his usual tesbiyy (rosary), walked majestically under the royal umbrella escorted and flanked on all sides by palace chiefs and staff

amidst traditional encomiums laden with royal fluting, prayed and returned to the palace at about 2pm.

Shortly after the return to the palace, he sent for me to join him for lunch. There were about 44 others including ‘the high and the low’ ostensibly from his immediate environment, who partook in the lunch of assorted meals. Out of the people sitting with him in that meal time, I was programmed to sit six to him on the right side. I had never been so honoured as, unlike years back, His Eminence the Sultan caused them to serve me and only four others sitting to his right from the

*Ike Kebordiho..Assailants after me

*Alhaji Abubakar III Sa ad Abubakar III. For four years, the Sultan had brought his wealth of experience as a prince, retired General, Islamic scholar and now a monarch to bear in the alignments and re-

moonsighting, about three times, and they were wrong. They then said later that people should fast one day to pay back.

I think the issue of yesterday (Fri-

Asked about some hitches as few Muslims in the country claimed non-sighting of the new moon by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirate and North America, Sultan Abubakar III said Islam had united Muslims *The Sultan welcoming a guest to the Sultanate two-coloured juice drink he was having, where was contained in two jugs. But one of the officials, noticing my disbelief at such exceptional royal treatment, fitted me into it, saying, Do not be surprised. His Eminence is not what you think. He is more down to earth than you think; so humble and hardly does he eat alone and I doubt that it ever happened. You just sit down but do not fold you legs the way he does (and he described how to sit before the Sultan to which I complied).

After eating there was a humorous elderly Mallam, who gave a participatory talk, a little of sermon, a little of entertainment.

This talk, which made the moment of lunch with the Sultan so lively, appeared to be traditional because after each meal, it seems there is a system in place which keeps reminding the person of the Sultan that world itself is but for a short time and that the outcome in the sight of Allah would depend on how one spends the many opportunities he has while living in it.

This is how His Eminence

spends his days especially when he is in town. He performs ablution five times daily and follows that up with the obligatory prayers, Subhi, Zuhr, Asri, Magrib and Ishai. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, 1If somebody has a stream behind his house and he goes there to bath five times a day with the last bath taking place at the time he is about to retire to bed, will he have any stain on him for that day? The Sultan has been able to live a simple but frank lifestyle because he is guided by the deen (religion) every moment of his day, Hali Maccido, Assistant Private Secretary to the Sultan had said, adding that, that was how the Sariki achieved his humility.

The challenges of moonsighting announcement The month of Ramadan is a period which places much task on the shoulders of the leader, who concurrently runs the offices of the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, NSCIA, Alhaji Muhammad

alignments process that have taken place, which now put the Nigerian Muslim Community together as truly one brotherhood under one leadership that he epitomizes. That quality-based leadership that he represents came, more, to the fore in his matured way of handling the new moonsighting announcement heralding the last 1435 Ramadan fasting.

Asked about some hitches as few Muslims in the country claimed non-sighting of the new moon by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirate and North America, Sultan Abubakar III said Islam had united Muslims in the matter of Ramadan fast but that Saudi Arabia would have been his choice as guide.

If you ask me, I would say we should follow Saudi Arabia in the matter of moon-sighting being that it is the home of Islam in the world and it determines the month and day of Hajj and Arafat. But this is Islam and the religion has laid down rules that guide how Muslims should practise it. Even Saudi Arabia had declared new

day June 27, 2014) bordered on miscommunication and by the time the information came, which was already later than we had expected, we had to start the process afresh which led the committee that had earlier closed process to re-sitting, screening and, thereafter, I asked the Chairman of the National Moon Sighting Committee, Professor Sambo Wali, to brief the press. That was how a man considered internationally to be the fourth most influential monarch on the African continent handled and saved Nigeria from what could have punctured the four years achievement of unity and cross-regional peace and love among the Muslims that he leads.

Night time in Sokoto during Ramadan Sokoto streets remained lively till Sahoor (time of midnight meal) as people especially youths walked round in their respective environments.

Some played football, others secluded in corners doing no more or less than reciting the Continued from page 29

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 29

RECORD BROKEN IN IBADAN

How we support Oba Akiolu to rule Lagos — Oloto of Oto-Awori

BY ALADE AROMASHODU

O

BA Josiah Olanrewaju Ilemobade Aina, JPs (Jerusalem Pilgrim/Justice of Peace), is the Oloto of OtoAwori and the Kuyamiku 1.

In this interview, he speaks on the position of Lagos State obas as fathers of politicians, life as a politician, and as ‘son’ of the paramount ruler of Lagos State, Oba Rilwan Akiolu.

As the Oloto of OtoAwori, can you tell your challenges as the traditional ruler?

As a traditional ruler, you must face challenges, but I give God the glory. He’s always with me. There is no challenge that He cannot resolve for me. Challenges abound: community challenges, personal challenges, family challenges, and so on. This position attracts challenges particularly from the lineage.

They believe that once your brother or relation becomes oba, they don’t need to do any work again, rather, they would face the kabiyesi, as if there is a special money on the throne. They hope that without working they would get money, which is wrong.

Even your own kids, you face their challenges too, you need to force them to get education. They will say, ‘my father is the king, what else do I need?, I don’t need to work, as a prince or princess, everything is available’, which is wrong. And for you, as king, to have rest of mind in future, you need to force your children to have education, which will sustain them. In the community, everybody wants to associate with the kabiyesi. Their association with kabiyesi could be positive or negative. Furthermore, in the royal stool, challenges also come from your chiefs who see themselves as part of the family. As Aworians, our people specialise on

HRM, Oba Josiah Ilemobade Aina, Oloto of Oto-Awori. land issues. A land they had sold before you became the oba, after they have pocketed the money, they would resell and ask you as the oba to settle the confusion generated therefrom.

How are you coping with

the challenges?

It is my God that resolves the challenges for me. The Almighty just tells me, ‘go and do this’, or ‘go and do that!’ In this democratic dispensation, everybody speaks his or her mind. It is the government of the

people, for the people, by the people, and we are the people. I have to thank God for the government we are running in Lagos State today because we have benefitted a lot from the state and local governments, so, I don’t have much problems with the regime.

As a royal father in a multi-religious community, do you have problems of forging peace among Christians, Muslims and traditionalists?

Before Christianity or Islam came to Nigeria, we believed in our forefathers religion and, in this traditional community, there is no family that has no pagans. We still have those who believe in the beliefs of our forefathers. So, generally Aworians are bound together, no clash. If you have problems with Christians, you’re clashing with your brother; the same with Muslims or pagans.

So, why should we clash?

There is no compound in Awori that does not have the three religions and we all work together.

We understand that some traditional rulers are involved in politics. Is it right?

We are the fathers of all politicians; any political party, we are their fathers. I was a councilor, so, I’m still a politician, I’m a full member of APC, but, no matter what, there is no party that will come to my palace without my giving them audience; I’m a father, we’re to advise. Whoever we feel can do it, that can lead our people better, is the one

that would be supported.

That is the reason we have to give full support, we can’t just let somebody come and mislead our people.

Can we know your relationship with the Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu?

Oba Akiolu is my father, very close father. He’s my father to the core without any doubt. Akiolu is the paramount ruler of all Lagos State obas. There are five divisions in this state. In the Badagry Division, Oba Akran of Badagry is the vice chairman; Oba Ayangbure of Ikorodu is the vice chairman of the Ikorodu Division, etc.

We, Aworians, during the time of oro, don’t allow women to come out, even men that do not belong, cannot come out. If you don’t want to fall victim, you leave town during the period and return after the event.

You seem to operate an open door policy here. Are your people satisfied with it?

We are up to it. There was nothing like central palace in Oto-Awori before I became the Oba. It was during my time that this community established a central palace.

Even the issue of community hall, we used government power to rebuild the hall.

But I must mention that without the cooperation of my people, we would have achieved nothing. Again, we are getting support from companies operating within our domain. Anytime that I have something to do, they come to our aid; if we need their assistance, we write them, and their response has always been positive.

The day the Sultan is restless!

Continued from page 28 Qur an in the melodious tones thereby making whoever walked past and was of clean mind feel safe.

They remain awake that way until Sahoor when they now go to eat, go from there to mosque and then go to bed. That is why during this Ramadan period, the streets of Sokoto looks scanty in the early hours of the day, said Alhaji Attahiru Hussein, Secretary to the Sultanate, who took me round in his car at about 1.30am.

Message to the nation Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III had

three major messages to pass across and they were, one, to the Muslims, two to the government and three to the generality of the people of Nigeria. In the almost an hour talk, which he gave exclusively to Sunday Vanguard, he wanted the Nigerian Muslims to know that this year moonsighting announcement, which heralded the commencement of Ramadan fast, though was not without hitches as it came at midnight but that, it was a little unusual development that should not cause disaffection among the adherents of Islam in the coun-

try.

Abubakar III regretted that the late announcement, which resulted from miscommunication by people that sighted the moon, had dragged the Ummah back to square one because, according to him, Muslims in the North and South of Nigeria had moonsighting announcement not later than NTA network news period in the last four years. However, he said, all that had happened pointed to the fact that Muslim leaders in Nigeria would need to sit down and decide which means to use in determining the be-

ginning of fast.

To the government, His Eminence wants the leadership of the country to continue to take the issue of justice as paramount, noting that justice has a way of easily resolving many problems in any given society. The Sariki, who apparently avoided to speak on political issues, said the insecurity ravaging the lives of Nigerian people would come to an end but that Nigerians should move closer to God restricting acting based on the dictates of their respective books of faith.

PAGE 30— SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 31

PAGE 32 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014

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bb pin: 20C37A25

ma Dinara Emmanuella Iyasara is an extraordinary, emerging talent, with a unique combination of good looks, enterprise, a good command of English with sophisticated diction. In 2011, she enrolled in the prestigious Royal Arts Academy owned by Emem Isong and she excelled as one of the favourite students in her time, with a certificate of excellence.

A graduate of Mass Communication from Imo State University, Oma has featured in a number of blockbusters like ‘Damage’ by Uche Jombo, ‘Secret Weapon’ alongside Eucharia Anunobi, Emeka Ike and Chika Ike among many others.

Beautiful, buxom and bold Oma told Potpourri she would not take lies, disrespect, violence, arrogance and stinginess from her man.

“Well some guys can be disrespectful in the sense that they can speak to you anyhow, even in front of friends and family.

When it comes to arrogance, maybe I should substitute that with ego. I can’t stand being in a relationship with one who is proud and sees himself as superior, and never admitting when wrong” she explained. “ And I can’t stand a stingy boyfriend” she continued. “ I am a girl, I have needs like hair, cosmetics etc, at least once in a while, without asking, my man should notice I need a new hair, or I need to get gifts, no matter how little. Then, violence just doesn’t work for me”.

I will never condone laziness in my man — Colette Orji C

olette Orji, who celebrates her birthday today is known in some circles in Nollywood as the queen of epic movies because she seems to have the knack for bringing out the best in herself when it comes to epic movies. She once described herself as the typical African woman on account of her curvy, mannequin-like figure eight shape, but the Cameroonian groomed, fair-skinned Igbo woman needs to be seen to appreciate the kind of influence she could have on the menfolk.

Definitely not a woman who believes in the cliche that a woman should be seen and not heard, Colette is known for airing her opinions freely and oftentimes doesn’t care if they hurt anyone.

Currently holidaying somewhere in London, Colette poured out her heart through the social media when she was asked by Potpourri to state five qualities she cannot condone in her man.

Hear her : “I will never condone laziness. Some men are so lazy, this brings about all the many ill-health most relationships suffer.

They want to watch movies, comedies , create daily jokes as well as keep watching the many jokes everywhere. Reading gossips online everyday and looking for who to chat . They don’t even understand why a woman needs to work. These are the men who have refused to be educated in life by life. They live by traditions and don’t believe anything is true because of their own set minds.

Then there’s the men who don’t know how to say ‘no’ to any pretty face in a skirt. We can’t even elaborate on these types because they are so disgusting. They are full of lies, deceits and they have no respect for their own body, they treat it with open ridicule and disdain.

And there’s the ungodly men. So ungodly and uncivilised that anything goes. Just anything, anyhow, any way. No laid down principles, no purpose, no vision, no sense. These types, hit their wives, kids, parents, women on the streets, fight to die/kill at any moment.

Then guys who don’t make any attempt to look clean enough. That’s not a good thing” she stated.

Potpourri wishes the actress happy birthday

Colette Orji

I can’t stand a stingy boyfriend – Oma Iyasara

I hate men who stand in the way of your success — Ella Martins

E

Ella Martins

lla Martins is a top Beninoise musician and actress who became popular in Nigeria after news about her and Genevieve Nnaji went viral that they are lesbians. Ella, who vehemently denied the allegation in a riveting interview with Potpourri said she has not known peace since that piece of news hit her country as many of her fans believed the story.

Proving her own side of the story that she is straight, Ella mentioned she had dated Congolese mega star, Fally Ipupa and even stated she is in a secret relationship with a president of a country, while discounting the rumour that she also once dated former President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria.

No doubts Ella is hot, and seems wellheeled both in the front and the rear, with an endearing nature that could get as sneaky as it could get disarming. If all allegations hanging over her neck are untrue, what is worth taking to the bank

Oma Iyasara

regarding the ‘Chocolat Baby’ crooner is her wealth of experience when it comes to relationships. She shared her thoughts with Potpourri when she was asked the five things she cannot stand in her man. “ I can’t stand men that lie because they can never be trusted. You never know what they are doing behind your back. I also hate cheats. I want my man to love me and only me. I don’t want to share my man with anyone” she said.

“Other things I can’t stand are men who don’t take care of their physical looks.

They are a major turn-off for me. Then, there is a set of men who can’t stand your success. These are encumbrances to your life’s visions and goals. I simply hate men who stand in the way of my success because I am a very ambitious woman” she added.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 33

I once thought of reducing my boobs – Ebinabo Potts-Johnson

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aybe her chest isn’t as heavy as Cossy Orjiakor, or as monstrous as Foluke Daramola’s but upcoming actress and model, Ebinabo Potts-Johnson has a pair of mammary that stand out, far out from her chest to get you thinking you are seeing a trick of nature or something.

She got her claim to fame after bagging the first runner-up prize at the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria (MBGN) 2007 and represented Nigeria at Miss Universe 2007 pageant in Mexico.

The Voluptuous Bayelsa State-born beauty queen isn’t like most girls who are crazy about flaunting their God-given gifts. She is particularly vexed by her big boobs, which according to her, prevent men from seeing other side of her.

“Although God put it there and really, at some point in my life I was actually thinking that I need to reduce this thing (her boobs) because most times when people see me, it’s just the boobs they’re seeing, they’re not seeing the other parts of me. It can be embarrassing that people can only see you as a sex object” she complained.

“Sometimes you just don’t know why a guy is coming after you. You don’t know whether it is because of your personality or your body. Though I don’t like to think a guy is coming for me because of my body but I get compliments a lot over my boobs. Sometimes. A guy just passes and says, ““Wow, your boobs are big” and I just give them a smile and walk off.

Ebinabo Potts-Johnson

No amount of sex toys can give me satisfaction — Ine Aju

My selling point is my breast

M

– Chelsea Edogun

ulti-talented singer, songwriter, model and actress who hails from Cross Rivers State, Ine Aju, certainly has a thing going for her in the entertainment industry. She made her debut two years back with the hit single titled “Sexy and Naughty.” And only recently dropped the video of her new hit single titled “No Forming”. She is a singer who is in the world of her own and enjoying good measure of success. In a recent encounter with Potpourri, Ine lets off on her secret world of love and sex, saying sex is the most beautiful thing God gave to man. “Sex to me is the sweetest and most beautiful thing that could ever happen to anyone especially, if you have it with the right person, not just anyone” she said On her celebrity crush, Ine would not stay home as she said she doesn’t have any Nigerian male she has a crush on. “The male celebrity I would love to have a one night stand with, unfortunately, isn’t a Nigerian. Usher Raymond is that man I’ve been crushing on practically all my life. I wouldn’t want just a one night stand with him but more. Am I greedy? Yes! When it comes to Usher. I am also crushing on Chris Brown, Jason Derulo. As you can see, all my crush are not Nigerians. Before you will call me Oliver Twist, Usher is my main crush” she stated.

And for women who now prefer sex toys to having the real thing, Ine has a piece of advice for them: “Those that use sex toys are really missing out a lot.

It is very weird to believe that females still use sex toys in this generation with all these cute and sexy dudes around.

As for me, no amount of sex toys can give me the satisfaction I need until I get that touch of a real strong man”.

N

Chelsea

Ine Aju

ollywood starlet Chelsea Edogun is beginning to have a place all picked out for her as a rising star as more and more producers now seek the services of the Edo State-born actress. But Chelsea, easy on the eyes and rather loud in other places, didn’t have her path all carved out for her. “My growing up wasn’t so easy because I grew up with my mum alone until I was 14. My dad travelled abroad when I was five years old and came back to Nigeria after Edogun nine years” she told Potpourri in a chat.

But since starting out in the makebelieve world in 2012, Chelsea has been able to hold her head high, having featured in more than 20 movies. She said no sexual harassment has ever come her way even though she enjoys it when men make passes at her. “No, I haven’t been harassed sexually but that doesn’t mean no man in Nollywood has approached me. I feel it’s a normal thing. In fact, I like it when men approach me. It makes me feel that I’m still a woman” she brazenly revealed.

On what she considers as her selling point, Chelsea stated that her whole body would come handy but says her boobs are more pricy. “I love every part of my body because I believe and I know my beauty can sell a movie, but my selling point is my boobs” she said.

PAGE 34 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014

What are Anita Joseph, Afrocandy up to?

S Between Bisi IbidapoObe and Flavour

P

opular Yoruba actress, Bisi Ibidapo-Obe of the famed Bisi Omo Logbalogba Yoruba flick is one actress who knows what the murky water of controversy tastes and feels like, because most of her acting career has been dotted by scandals of all sorts. The actress who recently opened a sex shop in Magado area of Lagos

ince Nollywood actress and singer, Anita Joseph and acclaimed porn star, Judith Mazagwu known as Afrocandy got together recently, tongues have been wagging that Afrocandy is all set to offer Anita Joseph a role in a supposed soft-porn movie.

But the curvy diva who now calls herself ‘Her Sexyllency’ has told Potpourri that she and Afrocandy are friends and not planning anything near doing a porn movie. “She just did an audition where I went to help out in the casting and I am part of the movie too.

It’s an African epic movie, it’s not a porn movie. Anita can never do a porn movie.

Afrocandy does not always do porn films, she does a lot of other films too” she said.

had a raunchy, rather suggestive picture of highlife singer, Flavour as the display picture on her Whatsapp to wish the singer ‘Happy Birthday’, with a caption “my blood brother’.

The puzzle that comes to mind is how Bisi and Flavour could possibly be related, being Yoruba and Igbo respectively. But then Bisi has had many other brothers in the past that have even gone way beyond being mere ‘blood brothers’

When socialite, Debasco, showered thousands with Eid-El-Fitri gif ts gifts I

t was excitement galore few weeks back as one of Ogun State APC Chieftains and Socialite Otunba Babatunde Onakoya popularly known as Debasco played host to thousands of Ogun East people who thronged his palatial Debasco Farm in Ijebu Ode to celebrate the end of Ramadan, EidEl-Fitri and received gifts, courtesy of Debasco Group , a Socio-Political group for the re-election of Governor Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State.

The presentation which was witnessed by some top government officials including State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Odogbolu Council Boss, Hon Olawale Shittu, S.A to the Governor on Politics Olawale Ojuri and Kunle Bakare, S.A to the Governor on Environment was devoid of religious coloration as items including bags of rice, semo vita, groundnut oil and lots of other materials were distributed to over 4,000 people across Ogun East

Joe Phils, Mandy Eze get cozy on set U

pcoming actors, Ghanaian Joe Phils and Nigerian Mandy Eze have never met each other before, until fate pitched them together as lovers on set of a movie, still in the making. No doubt, the duo cut an image of a perfect couple, because of their beauty and they are making the most of the act, also by displaying good chemistry on set.

The lovers are from different backgrounds; while Joe is from a poor background, Mandy is a silverspoon, but both met in the university and fell in love with each other .

But Joe is a bad boy who later turned into a life of crime and constantly under pressure from his bank manager sugar-mummy who wanted him to dump Mandy for her. It was the script of the movie but this duo did justice to bringing it to life.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 35

Why I want to be next governor of Rivers

By FLORENCE AMAGIYA

T

he success story of comedy in Nigeria cannot be complete without the mention of great comedians like Julius Agwu. The Chobaborn comedian, actor and musician has joined pantheon of intending gubernatorial aspirants warming up to take the reins of power from Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. In this chat with Potpourri, the diminutive entertainer talks about his political intent, his career and other things. Excerpts:

– Julius Agwu work.

It is been quite a while; what’s been happening?

I am working on a lot of projects at the moment; I am still organising comedy shows. l am currently working on something for my music. I have a band called ‘Reel Laif Band’ and we are performing at the Encomium black and white ball holding this Sunday.

•Julius Agwu

I have what it takes to go for it. It just dawned on me that I indeed have what it takes The news is going round that you are working at becoming the governor of your state.

What is your take on this?

Yes, I am working on that project too at the moment.

Would you call yourself a politician?

I cannot really call myself a politician, but l am someone who prays and wish for things to get better than it is in this country. I believe I can help to achieve what my brother started in Rivers State. It is a known truth that Port Harcourt was the Garden City of this great country, but we lost that glory because of poverty and neglect, coupled with incessant militancy and kidnapping.

Governor Amaechi has done well for the State, but we still need good hands after he leaves to continue the good

If you are not a politician then why do you want to be the governor of Rivers State?

Becoming the governor of Rivers State was not something that came up overnight. It was not on my radar back then. The people of Rivers State in the Diaspora and those in the State have been clamouring for me to come out as an aspirant. They believe I have what it takes to go for it. It just dawned on me that I indeed have what it takes. I have given it a serious thought and have given in to their pressure.

These people who have been bothering you, would they sponsor your election, if yes, who are they?

Yes, they will. But I do not want to disclose their names

for security reasons.

Will you use a political party at the end of the day?

Yes, we shall, eventually, but I do not want to unveil that now.

In your future party, do you think an aspirant from your party will be going for the presidency?

Yes, when the time comes it will be revealed.

How is the comedy business these days?

Comedy business is going well. You know it’s one of the biggest businesses in Nigeria now as it helps to relax our tensed nerves.

People who laugh a lot tend to live longer. Comedy is so important that even people outside the shores of Nigeria know about it before us. Obasanjo was someone who practiced it while he was in power.

What else do you have up your sleeve?

I have a studio and I also own a construction company.

Oil magnate, Fabian Obi, builds multi-billion naira hotel in Lagos he hospitality industry in Nigeria got a boost recently with the formal opening T of an exquisite first class hotel, Almond View Hotel and Suites in Lagos. The hotel which is situated in Ijegun, Satellite Town boasts of no fewer than 37 standard rooms, large state-of-the-art event hall, bar and restaurant.

Chief Executive Officer of the hotel and oil magnate, Chief Fabian Obi said he invested in the business in order to contribute his humble and modest resources towards the ever-growing hospitality industry. According to him, what influenced the choice of Ijegun was the high presence of oil depots around the area and the attendant presence of foreigners. “ I feel such an outfit will not only provide succour to them and our people but will also project our image higher.

Almond is unique and different in that we provide assorted African dishes with 24 hour electricity assured. The only challenge we are having here is the deplorable condition of the road which I hope government will do something about soon to save the future of multi-billion naira projects like Almond” he said

•Chief Fabian Obi

PAGE 36 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Igbos battle over their origin! * The biblical connection place is too far for us and the closest one to us is the tributary river of Niger and Benue known as Ezu and Omambala. They have two rivers there, now it is at that river where the covenant must be taken. That covenant is what we know as ‘Udu-Eze’.

Any person telling you that Eze-Nri must go to Aguleri for any other thing is lying.

Apart from the distance, one could also go to converging place between Niger and Benue to performance the rite instead of going to Aguleri. So, all manner of propaganda you now hear are all tissues of lies.

Nri has no similar culture with Aguleri. Since the beginning of Aguleri, it has no traditional institution.

If Nri and Aguleri have much in common, Aguleri would be producing their own traditional ruler just as Nri does. For the past 110 years, it has been only Idigo dynasty that occupies the kingship .

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

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HERE is a debate over the origin of Igbo. Two Anambra communities - Nri in Anaocha local government area and Aguleri in Anambra East local government area claim the Igbo originated from their areas. It was Eze Obidiegwu Onyesoh, the traditional ruler of Nri, who started the argument when he said his community is the origin of Igbo. Shortly after, Aguleri debunked it, saying Onyeso ought to know the truth because he had to visit Aguleri before his coronation in 1988 to receive blessing as Igbo custom demanded of him. According to Aguleri people, Aguleri is the first son of Eri who migrated from Egypt.

But Onyesoh would not accept that as he insisted that his community is the first home of the Igbo before they migrated to other areas and even beyond the shores of eastern Nigeria.

His words: The origin of Nri is Egypt about two centuries ago and the father of Nri was called Gad. Gad was the son of Jacob while Jacob was the son of Isaac and Isaac was the son of Abraham. The family tree of Nri was traced from the origin of Abraham who was the favourite child of God.

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man called Eri, the progenitor of Ndigbo, lived in Egypt and was the special adviser on religious matters to the 5th dynasty of Pharaohs of Egypt.

It was in those days in Egypt that Eri determined who was going to be the next Pharaoh. And by their law, there was a deity called Emem and anything to happen during the time, the man called Eri, in his capacity as the religion adviser to the Pharaoh of Egypt, was responsible.

Now Eri needed people to help him and he recruited devotees. These devotees were all appointed by him but he had to do something to really found their own loyalty. In their movement towards southern side, they arrived another confluence. This confluence was the tributary of River Niger and Benue known as Ezu na Omambala.

The last son of Eri, Agulu remained by the sea side because he was a fisherman.

‘Historical distortion’

B The first child Eri remained in his father’s house until he had a vision and was called to serve God in their own way. Nri was an incarnate to his grandfather, Eri. So Nri was the reincarnate of Eri, and the functions which their grandfather performed came back to him. While his siblings all left to their respective farming positions, he remained in his father’s compound. The Ofo Ndigbo resides at Nri because the process is from one Eze-Nri to another.

There is a handover known as Ofo and Alo and to become Eze-Nri without original Ofo and Alo, you are not Eze Nri. The Ofo and Alo have been existing for the past 1,009 years.

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hen I finish and gone as the Eze Nri, the 1Ofo and Alo will be handed to the next Eze-Nri. Today, about 180 communities could trace their origin from Nri and the civilization of Nri spread

around. He founded the Ozo title just like his father did; he spoke about anything that has to do with fairness and justice.

Everywhere he founded was on behalf of his grandfather and they called themselves, Igbo .

We find it difficult to believe that a prominent member of the family of Eri, the progenitor of the Igbo, and of all personages, His Royal Majesty Obidiegwu Onyeso of Nri, is credited with such a grievous falsification of facts on the history of the Igbo

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e added: Aguleri, the last born of Eri, remained at the very close of the water front. Aguleri cannot claim that Nri came from Aguleri. Nri came from a place called Eriaka and, for now, Eriaka has gone defunct because the main man left Eriaka.

Eze Nri, Onyesoh said, doesn t go to Aguleri to be crowned or be purified, adding that Eze Nri, as part of the tradition, after crowning him and other things perfected, must go to where there is water divided into two. He continued: We don t have any other water divided into two as found in Lokoja, the confluence between River Niger and River Benue. The

ut Aguleri people described Igwe Onyesoh s story as a historical distortion and a travesty of Igbo history.

They appointed nine persons from the area who chronicled their community s version of Igbo origin. Those who carried the assignment are Ralph Igwah, Eddy Okoye, Osita Chinwuba, Jerome Nnechi, Paul Nnamah, Raph Chikwenze, Emma Ikem, George Ejimofor and Charles Chieze.

In their report, they said: We find it difficult to believe that a prominent member of the family of Eri, the progenitor of the Igbo, and of all personages, His Royal Majesty Obidiegwu Onyeso of Nri, is credited with such a grievous falsification of facts on the history of the Igbo.

Igwe Onyeso’s present stance, as reflected in the story, is a shocking contradiction to what he knows and believes to be the correct situation, as he practically and faithfully demonstrated during his visit to Aguleri in 1988, as part of the necessary tradiContinues on page 37

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014 — PAGE 37

Continued from page 36

tional rites for the traditional ruler of Agukwu-Nri.

Where did Igbo originate from?

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or him to be singing a different tune now, even to the point of contesting the headship of Eri clan, and by extension of Ndi Igbo, with Aguleri is, indeed, unfortunate. The erroneous assertions by Igwe Onyeso have made it necessary to correct that impression and set the records of Igbo history straight, particularly their settlement in Nigeria .

The continued: Eri from Israel was the fifth son of Gad, the seventh son of Jacob (Genesis 46:15-18 and Numbers 26:16:18).

He migrated from Egypt with a group of companions just before the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt many centuries ago. They travelled by water and finally arrived at the confluence of Ezu and Omambala (Anambra) Rivers, located in presentday Aguleri, where, according to oral tradition, it was spiritually or divinely revealed to Eri that the point was to be their final destination and settlement.

They moved into the hinterland and settled in the present-day Aguleri. Eri lived and died at Aguleri.

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Gov. Sullivan Chime, Enugu State

Gov. Rochas Okorocha, Imo State

marked at Okpu, in Ivite Aguleri, till this day. There is no other grave site of Menri, the founder of Nri, anywhere else in Igbo land, even in Nri itself, except in Aguleri.

It is also a known fact that, by tradition, no Nri man would break the kolanut where an Aguleri man is present, except with his permission. This is in deference to the fact that Agulu (Aguleri) was the elder brother of Menri (Nri).

Furthermore, in recognition of the fact that Aguleri is the first son of Eri and the

accompanied by a delegation from Nri, which included the late prominent lawyer, Chief Ezebilo Umeadi (SAN). Igwe-elect Onyeso and his delegation spent seven days in Aguleri, from 9th February to 15th February, 1988, visiting sacred places, paying homage and making sacrifices to certain deities/ shrines.

I

t is, indeed, unbelievable that after going through these entire coronation rites, Igwe Onyeso could refer to

that he was being very economical with the truth.

His visit to Aguleri to collect the Ududu-Eze or clay from Agbanabo is not a casual affair. It goes with a lot of ceremonies and tradition.

Besides, Agbanabo, in the oral tradition of Eri clan, including Nri, is not just any place ‘where two rivers meet’. It has great spiritual significance, because it was at this point that Eri had a divine revelation that they had reached their ordained

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gulu was the eldest son of Eri, and not Menri, as claimed by Igwe Onyeso.

This is supported by oral tradition in Aguleri and in other communities of Eri clan. It is also confirmed by historical accounts by many writers of Igbo history.

As the population at the settlement of Eri at Aguleri increased, and in combination with other factors, the children of Eri and/or their descendants left the settlement and founded various other settlements outside Aguleri, while Agulu, the first son, remained in their father’s home at Aguleri with his descendants. Agulu, fondly called Agulu-Nwa-Eri, appended the name of their father, Eri, to his name and founded Agulu-Eri (Aguleri). Menri left Aguleri and settled at a big forest, where he engaged in hunting and farming, while also performing his spiritual work. He called the settlement Agu-Ukwu (Nri).

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hen he was getting very old, he told his children to take him back to his ancestral home, as he would not want to die outside his father’s home.

Menri was brought back to Aguleri, where he died and was buried. His grave is still

important and mandatory feature in the coronation rites of the people of Nri. That was why Igwe Onyeso had to go to Agbanabo, at Aguleri, as a matter of traditional obligation, and not merely as any place ‘where two rivers meet’. he visit of Igwe Obidiegwu Onyeso, as Igwe-elect, with his people to Aguleri in 1988, including the places he went to, making sacrifices and paying homage to certain deities/shrines, was well captured in a video coverage. The video is available in Aguleri archives for anyone who cares to see and is interested in knowing the truth.

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rom historical facts, Aguleri, and not Nri, is the first son of Eri and the ancestral home of Ndi-Igbo.

We do not know what propelled our brother, Igwe Obidiegwu Onyeso, to engage in virtual apostasy by repudiating the traditional rites he went through at Aguleri, as well as the unwarranted denigration of Aguleri and the sacred and spiritual facts about Eri and his descendants, even to the extent of saying that ‘Aguleri and Nri do not have much in common’. This was after he had stated that Aguleri and Nri were among the direct children of Eri.

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e are, indeed, at a loss to understand our

Gov Willie Obiano, Anambra State

ancestral home of Ndi-Igbo, as well as the custodian of all the spiritual sites and places of Eri kingdom, traditional rulers of Agukwu-Nri, from time past, till date, including the famous late Igwe Tabansi Udene, visited Aguleri for certain traditional rites, without which they would not have become traditional rulers of Nri. These facts amply confirm that Aguleri was the first settlement and the ancestral home of the Igbos, and not Nri, as erroneously claimed by Igwe Onyeso.

In fulfillment of the agelong traditional rites for kingship in Nri, Igwe Obidiegwu Onyeso, as Igwe-elect, visited Aguleri in 1988,

Gov Theodore Orji, Abia State

Gov Martin Elechi, Ebonyi State

his visit to Aguleri in 1988 in a very casual and less-thanhonest manner. Also, by saying that Aguleri and Nri do not have much in common, Igwe Onyeso knows, from the bottom of his heart,

place of settlement.

Members of Eri clan, including Nri, therefore, have a strong spiritual attachment to Agbanabo.

And this has made it an

It is also a known fact that, by tradition, no Nri man would break the kolanut where an Aguleri man is present, except with his permission brother any more. We hope it is not a case of ‘he who the gods want to destroy, they first make mad’. The spiritual and traditional bond between Aguleri and Nri cannot easily be wished away, just as we are reminded of the fate of some Igwes of Nri in the past, who failed to visit Aguleri to consummate the traditional rites for kingship in Nri. Perhaps, what happened to them is instructive and should be a guide to all it may concern!

PAGE 38 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Why are we insulting President Jonathan?

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from legitimate criticism to unrelenting deliberate insult aimed at the President.

On that day, I sat down with copies of eleven leading Nigerian newspapers and read twelve foreign commentaries about Nigeria – marking each F; for Jonathan and A; against Jonathan. The result was staggering. Close to eighty five per cent of them were not only critical but despiteful as well. Jonathan probably has become the subject of the largest number of defamatory texts published about any human being alive today – most of it emanating from Nigeria. Was this the man we elected in 2011? How have we suddenly arrived at this situation where we love to defame the man who is the symbol of our sovereignty?

I don’t fully share the argument of Mrs Jonathan that God put her husband there. But, it is partly true.

God, I believe gave Jonathan a choice to make in

2011; just as the Almighty gave Ghandi, the choice in India in 1948 and Mandela, after finishing his first and last term as President of South Africa. The man who could have been the first Indian Prime Minister, just for the asking, turned

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“A leader is best/ When people barely know hw exists/ Not so good when people obey and acclaim him/ Worst when they despise him..Lao-tsy, 16th Century, Chinese. (BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 124).

N Wednesday May 28, 2014, I went to visit an elder statesman, from the Niger Delta, in Nigeria. On the same day, several newspapers carried the story about Mrs Patience Jonathan asking (begging? ordering?) people to stop insulting her husband – the President. My senior friend/ Oga took out his iPad and showed me an audio/visual recording titled Na You One Waka Come. That spoof mercilessly and viciously lampooned Jonathan and his wife. At first, I found the stuff amusing; then it became annoying and finally alarming. Suddenly, I came away with the impression that Nigerians are, once again, over-doing what needs to be done.

We have crossed the line

We made him our leader and we should share the blame for the predicament in which we find ourselves

down the offer. Mandela could also have gone for the second, or even third, term in South Africa. He stopped at one. God provided the choice, Jonathan and Nigerian voters, including many of those now casting aspersions on the man, made him President in 2011 – despite

My daughter won’t watch the news

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world.

We can ill afford to breed more of the same hatred and intolerance and war mongering generation.

This is how this nightmare continues. The children did not ask to be dragged into a thousand war grudges and they definitely were not born with hating people they did not know.

Recently the UK and the rest of Europe marked the 100 year of the beginning of the First World War that resulted in millions killed for a war that they weren't responsible for. They were pushed into the war on the orders of their countries who were convinced they were doing this for king, country and freedom. Historians remain unconvinced the First World War was a just war in terms of wiping millions out. So the Israeli onslaught is another that in years to come, the young people will be wondering what they are fighting for and why real peace was not pursued at all cost.

What we have witnessed in the last couple of weeks has been excessive and wanton slaughter of children, women, the young and old. Let us get one

thing straight, I am not antiSemitic and I do believe the state of Israel and Palestine have the right to exist.

The present Israeli gov-

,

"If one has to refer to any of the parties as a terrorist state, one might refer to the Israeli government, because they are the people who are slaughtering defenceless and innocent Arabs in the occupied [Palestinian] territories, and we don't regard that as acceptable." (Nelson Mandela, 1990) y 11 year old daughter is a budding diplomat. Like all children they see everything in clear terms, it is either one thing or the other. She said some years back, about the Israel and Palestine situation: that "mum, it's simple; can't they just divide the area and stop the fighting" I wish I had her diplomatic dexterity and the conviction that it is that simple.

But then, adults (I mean, politicians) make everything complicated. At present, she (my daughter) has refused to watch the news as in her words it is "depressing and there is too much killing." I assure you, I am not deliberately exposing her to the news but these children are aware of what's going on around them and it does impact the way they make sense of the

the slimmest C.V for the most important job in Nigeria. We made him our leader and we should share the blame for the predicament in which we find ourselves.

Once more I find myself, at the beginning of an article, of reminding my readers that I campaigned on this page in 2010 and 2011 against President Goodluck Jonathan. In fact in 2009, when Yar ’Adua went to Saudi for his last trip on earth, I urged Mrs Turai Yar ’Adua to get her husband to resign so that Vice President Jonathan could take over as President. This was followed by another article in which I wrote that “two names would not be on the ballot in 2011 – Yar ’Adua and Jonathan.

But, if the latter [Jonathan]

used the power of incumbency to contest the 2011 elections, disaster will follow.” Here we are in 2014 and Yar’Adua has gone to join his ancestors; Jonathan used all the advantages of incumbency, plus the “I went to school shoeless” pitch, to garner the votes to cerns are quickly berated or threatened with all sorts by the hard liners. This heinous activities is a grand crime against humanity as it seems that Israel does not want Palestine and they use their favoured position with the world powers to justify the mass and discriminating obliteration of the Palestinian people.

About time governments and its people stand up for humanity and justice that, so that they might get all parties to work towards real peace.

"What we know is that Israel has weapons of mass destruction. Nobody talks about that. Why should there be one standard for one country, especially because it is black, and anoth-

The African patients in these stricken countries where sick people, suspected of having Ebola are now left on the street, without treatment

ernment is thirsty for war as it instructs its young reservists to go all out and squeeze the strip full of people into a much tighter corner; bombing indiscriminately; promoting racial discrimination and ethnic cleansing. In the meantime, the rest of the world looks languorously or make inane protestations that obviously Israel chooses to ignore.

There is no way the bombing of hospitals and schools under the UN an oversight and no way can it be justified and, of course they do not stop other than say that they will investigate. Those Israeli that choose to voice their con-

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er one for another country, Israel, that is white." (Nelson Mandela, 2002)

Ebola: We must value lives

"You can't prevent what you can't predict." -- K.M. Mac Aulay In the UK, Britain increases aid from £2m to £5m as the cabinet's Cobra emergency committee met to put in place protocol to manage potential Ebola causalities. In fact they have often practised such scenarios as a matter of routine; the specialist medics and personnel have practised this should such epidemic visit these shores. UK, like most

win the 2011 elections. Disaster has followed and is still with us. Why, then, am I disturbed by the insults Nigerians and foreigners heap on the President. My reasons are simple — respect for the President’s office.

One thing is becoming increasingly clear – the President’s defenders losing the battle to opponents and detractors. Their puerile attempts, at mounting propaganda, in support of Jonathan, are failing woefully. Hitler ’s Propaganda Chief was partly right when he said that a lie repeated often enough will eventually become accepted as truth. Goebbels, 18971945, failed to realize that propaganda which is based mostly on falsehood can only succeed if government has total control of communications as the Nazis did during the Third Reich.

With today’s ICT capacities, few governments in the world today have that sort of control; and there might never be any again. The Jonathan administration controls very little of the communications today and will control even less in the future. So, instead of trying to subdue the President’s opponents with half-truths and falsehood, they would be better off sticking to the truth as much as possible.

And they should work on widening their circle of supporters.

No government can fail to achieve some results.

Those should constitute the core of the campaign in support of the President.

“If you want to live forever, write a book” [or have one written about you].

I am about to finish the biographies of two eminent Nigerians and it is interesting how sometimes a position someone takes, while still a relatively obscure individual, shapes the course of national events later on.

One of those personalities first proposed the break up of Rivers State into two.

Abacha, while running the five government-sponsored political parties, was so eager to have the man’s support, he immediately asked Mazi S.G. Ikoku to pen it down as something to be done at the appropriate time. BAYELSA was born one year after. Yet, the man is not from Bayelsa.

Bankers, business magnates, Ministers, Chiefs of Staff, SSGs, Deputy Governors, Senators, Speakers of Houses etc should tell their stories for the lessons they teach others. That is one of the ways to grow our democracy.

V i s i t : www.delesobowale.com or Visit: www.facebook.com/biolasobowale

advanced countries, are always on the alert for such disasters. This could be misinterpreted by outsiders as "wishing bad thing …"but it is a fact of life in these times and as they say;" you fail to prepare then, you must prepare to fail". This we see in some of the countries, it is usually took them unaware and it made them vulnerable. They are that ill equipped and ill prepared for such potentially dangerous epidemic. This is a valuable lesson to be learnt once the disease has been contained or under control.

We need to value the lives and health of our people; we cannot demand other countries to help us when we ignore the welfare of our people. Health is a priority not a luxury but alas, it seems this is the case in most African countries.

In Spain, a military repatriated its citizen, Miguel Parajels, 75, a priest who have been in one of the hotspots in Liberia, where he has been taking care of Ebola stricken patient. They have brought him under heavy presence back to Spain to receive treatment. The stricken Spanish priest became the first person brought to Europe for treatment.

In contrast, the African patients in these stricken countries where sick people, suspected of having Ebola are now left on the street, without treatment .It is very distressing to see it reported in the news that we treat our people in such appalling way. There is so much distrust in treatment as we were told that many patients were removed by their relatives from quarantined sites and in turn infected others and this is the way the disease spreads. So on top of poor infrastructure, under-resource, igno-

rance and fear seem to fuel the disease.

Presently, Liberia and Sierra Leone have declared a state of emergency; with hundreds of soldiers setting up roadblocks to stop rural residents reaching the cities as health experts discuss using untested drugs to stem the 900-strong death toll.

So things seems to move in Abuja where in a dedicated conference, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, explained that the first known Nigerian had died from Ebola, adding however that the first death in the country was the index case which is the imported case from Liberia. And with that a further five cases are being treated on an isolation ward in Lagos.

With the plan he stated that an incident manager would lead a six-man interagency team drawn from the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), the US CDC, WHO, UNICEF and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to Lagos to complete the setting up of the centre.

The minister also announced the appointment of a Director of Communication and Community Mobilisation from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Professor. O. Onajole. He would be based in Lagos. He added: "We are embarking on recruiting additional health personnel to strengthen the team that is currently managing the situation in Lagos. And that they are "making arrangements to procure isolation tents to quicken the pace of providing isolation wards in all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Terrority (FCT)".

Furthermore, they seem to be overlooking the nonpartisan opinion leaders who need solid facts in order to defend the President.

Faceless individuals writing under pseudonyms cannot persuade thinking people. Only people with track records can turn the tide. One example would illustrate the point.

BIOGRAPHIES/MEMOIRS OF EMINENT NIGERIANS –2

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 39

believe in Iwu the scientist or his acclaimed expertise.

For instance, I have friends in the media who had for long been working on the theory that the Professor ’s academic record was suspect. A more disturbing trend however is the posture of Iwu’s fellow scientists who used derogatory diction to distance themselves

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HE removal of Pro fessor Maurice Iwu as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2010 was no doubt influenced by negative public opinion against him for the poor conduct of the 2007 general elections in Nigeria. If his tenure ended badly, Iwu seems to have bounced back to the public scene last week when government included him in the team set up to lead the fight against the dreaded Ebola virus. It was as if government had found cause to separate Iwu the election manager from Iwu, the scientist. May be the story that he was respected in his United States base as a doctor with a combination of folk-remedy proficiency and a doctorate in Western pharmacology was instrumental As a matter, Professor Iwu, had alongside some American researchers conducted a research in 1999 which reportedly showed that bitter kola could neutralize the effects of Ebola virus. Of course not everyone would

tion to take with a grain of salt, what he described as delusive assertions by selfacclaimed medical professors, adding that there was no proven scientific connection between kola nuts and the repression or cure of the Ebola virus. On his part, the Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu stated categorically that there is no scientific evidence yet to suggest that to just eat bitter kola will prevent the disease or that it would cure whoever already has it. To

If Iwu’s bitter kola story was inconclusive, why did our governments and research institutes not ensure that such studies were scientifically concluded in the interest of the masses?

from the bitter kola thesis.

Leading the group is Professor Innocent Ujah, Director General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR).

Ujah dismissed Iwu’s claim as scientifically unfounded and urged the na-

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put the subject in perspective, Minister Chukwu recalled the work done in 1999 by Prof. Maurice Iwu’s group (where in a test tube and not humans, bitter kola extracts appeared to have reduced the potency of the virus and elimi-

PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

Truth, reason and nation building (1) O

RDINARILY and in our daily transactions, truth is not a difficult concept to understand, because most people operate implicitly and explicitly with the correspondence theory of truth, according to which truth is the correspondence of beliefs and propositions with reality.

However, in the arcane world of philosophy, things are not so simple, given that there are other theories of truth with differing degrees of plausibility and the fact that the correspondence theory itself is not easy to define precisely. For example, Aristotle's classical definition, which defines truth as the saying "of what is that it is not, or of what is not that it is, is false, while to say of what is that it is, and of what is not that it is not, is true," is perfectly correct from the layman's point of view.

The main problem now is that, outside the domain of empirical matters of fact, it is difficult to articulate satisfactorily how logical and mathematical truths can be conceived as correspondence with facts. Alfred Tarski, a mathematical logician, posited a technical version of the correspondence theory called the se-

mantic theory of truth. But there is consensus among logicians that the semantic theory is suitable for the formal languages of logic and mathematics, because unlike them each natural language has its own metalanguage for making assertions about the truth values of propositions formulated in it. Inspite of the issues raised by philosophers with respect to the idea of truth as correspondence with facts or reality, we shall assume its correctness in this discourse, because it seems to be the most plausible notion of truth available at the moment.

Reason involves the ability to draw conclusion from given premises, the capacity to weigh evidence dispassionately and arrive at a satisfactory judgement concerning any issue.

Therefore, to be reasonable is to act in a fair and sensible manner, to take into account available evidence before reaching appropriate conclusion. A person who is ignorant, excessively emotional and myopic in outlook would hardly be reasonable, since reasonableness requires knowledge, objectivity and an expansive philosophy of life or worldview.

Nation building is a com-

plex activity which requires that a group of people united by geopolitical, sociocultural, linguistic and historical ties work together to construct an independent nation-state alongside other countries. The factors that lead to the rise and decline of nations are incredibly complex. At any rate, nations evolve or are created to provide security, well-being and conducive environment for the citizens to actualise their potentialities. Sometimes nations are created by powerful countries for the purpose of economic exploitation.

Yet, notwithstanding the manner in which particular nations came into being, in every nation the leaders have a responsibility to harness the human and natural resources there for the benefit of all. On the other hand, the followers are duty-bound to complement the efforts of leaders through hard work, loyalty and patriotism. The prospects of progressive nation building are enhanced considerably if the leaders and rest of the citizenry work harmoniously. Conversely, if the leadership is corrupt, incompetent, nepotic, unpatriotic and insensitive to the yearnings and

of condemnation? If Iwu’s bitter kola story was inconclusive, why did our governments and research institutes not ensure that such studies were scientifically concluded in the interest of the masses?

Rather, the authorities are always contented with a report that a claim is yet to follow a particular procedure, while the disease concerned continues killing our people Some 15 years ago, Dr. Jeremiah Abalaka, Chief Medical Director of Medicrest Specialist Hospital in Gwagwalada, Abuja claimed he could cure the dreaded HIV Aids. The authorities denounced him because his drugs did not pass through some required stages but no one successfully refuted his claim that Nigerian soldiers who had just returned from ECOMOG mission in Liberia were cured by Abalaka. Last year, the Dean of the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Benin Professor Isaiah Ibeh reportedly announced that he had discovered an oral drug made from plant extraction which could cure HIV/ Aids. Within a moment, the Provost of the College of Medical Sciences of the same university dismissed the claim on the grounds that Ibeh did not carry the university along! No one responded to inquiries from this column on whether Nigerians were interested in who was carried along instead of the cure for HIV!!

In any case, why would a strong professional like

Ibeh who holds the high office of Dean breach his own professional ethics and procedures? Could it be that in these days of materialism, our scientists are playing politics with such delicate matters? Or, are some professionals hustling for research grants while others are obstructing the grants by pulling down their colleagues? We can only hope that our medical experts in their bid to protect us are not behaving like robots who, as slaves to rules, turn the means to an end. They need to note that procedures are good but results are better.

Again, it is also possible that the exogenous nature of our people which makes us respect only foreign claims is playing some roles. Is there nothing good about Africa? Do people realize that western constructs are not favourable to African issues; otherwise why is it that it is only African names that the computer sees as faulty? Why can’t we research into the herbs which kept our forefathers healthy and strong without western endorsement? Of course it is time for us to rise up to the trend where it is only African diseases that have no cure. We can’t make it if while others are positively using their brains to keep their people alive, we tune ours to convoluted impeachments and electioneering during the period for governance. Let those who have a mandate to take charge of our health overcome the current Ebola disaster NOW.

aspirations of the people, the country declines. Nation building which entails construction of a strong, viable, united and egalitarian society is a work-inprogress that has no natural end, because the possibilities are virtually infinite and each generation must decide, on the basis of present circumstance and future aspirations, the kind of society they want to be build.

Nigeria as a geopolitical entity is a British creation for the interest of her imperial designs in Africa. Before her emergence in 1914, the various ethnic nationalities and culture-areas that make up the country has existed as independent states with different politi-

cies of Britain in Nigeria after amalgamation.

Like every colonial power obsessed with exploitation of the colonised, British colonial administrators formulated and implemented policies that favoured its exploitative agenda without any concern for the exploited.

Hence, in Nigeria, for example, Lord Lugard and his successors bent over backwards to appease Northern Nigeria and turned a blind eye to actions which sowed the seeds of ethnic discord and imbalance that have continued to jeopardise national unity in Nigeria up to now.

A few examples would suffice to substantiate our claim. When the British ad-

As Frederick Forsyth remarked, "schooling was segregated, and two radically different societies coexisted without any attempt by the British to urge gradual integration." In 194445, when the Richards Constitution was about to be introduced, the North accepted to go along with amalgamation on condition that (1) the principle of separate regional development should be enshrined in the new constitution, and (2) the North should have about fifty percent of the seats in the legislature.

Indeed, before independence, Northern leaders were overwhelmingly opposed to the unification of Northern and Southern Protectorates. During the various regional conferences put together by Sir John Macpherson in 1949, delegates from the region demanded about fifty per cent of the representation in the central government. In addition, at the General Conference in Ibadan, January 1950, the Emirs of Zaria and Katsina insisted that unless Northern region is allotted half of the seat in the federal legislature, it will seek secession from Nigeria, based on the structure that existed before 1914. The North demanded the loosest possible form of federation for Nigeria in line with its political philosophy of separateness from other parts of the country, and did not hide its conviction that the amalgamation was an error. It must observed that the region got all its demands mentioned above; its leaders had learned that Northern Nigeria could get its way politically by threatening to pull out of Nigeria.

TO BE CONTINUED.

,

Ebola: Should we discard the bitter kola story?

nated it - not in humans but in a test tube) and asserted that because that research was not concluded it cannot serve as a cure or preventive measure against Ebola Virus Disease.

Other African countries currently affected by the disease have taken the same stand. Reports from Sierra Leone reveal that the bitter kola story is not believed as the government insists that the effective way of preventing the virus is by washing hands with soap under running water, using chlorine or bleach. Liberia appears more drastic about the bitter kola story following the announcement last week by the country’s Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services, Tolbert Nyenswah that anyone caught administering fake vaccine or tablets and even spreading wrong information on the Ebola disease would face prosecution.

It is quite difficult to disagree with the stand of medical experts that no drug should be put in the public domain until it is scientifically tested. But while commending the experts for saving us from quacks, we seem to have reached a situation now when we, laymen, must begin to call on them to become proactive. That all we hear from our experts is that discoveries need to be properly tested has become boring. When shall we hear of those that have been professionally tested? Also, when shall we hear of scientifically disproved claims instead of off-hand statements

Nigeria as a geopolitical entity is a British creation for the interest of her imperial designs in Africa

cal structures for thousands of years. The colonial masters forged a modern geopolitical entity out of the numerous indigenous peoples on the foundation of existing geographical, cultural, historical and commercial unities among them. Thus, in a sense, the creation of Nigeria could be interpreted as the exploitation by British imperialists of existing connections between local communities to bolster the economic interests of Britain and simultaneously reduce administrative costs. It is in this context that one should understand the colonial poli-

,

ministration made its intention about amalgamation of the North and South public, prominent Northern leaders were unequivocal in their opposition to it. To placate them, Lugard implemented the famous (or, more accurately, infamous) Indirect Rule programme so that, in his own words, "to cause the minimum of administrative disturbance." Lugard and his cohorts allowed local rulers in the North to implement what in reality amounted to an apartheid system. All Southerners were herded into sabon garis, or "strangers quarters," a sort of ghetto outside the walled towns.

PAGE 40 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014

The US, Africa Heads of State and government jamboree F

IFTY of Africa’s Heads of states and governments arrived Washington DC, the US capital last week for a conference with the American president, Mr. Barack Obama.

But the universe was indifferent – well not quite – it had a rather morbid sense of humor: Ebola was in the air.

The news of the spread of the Ebola fever in West Africa, and the return of two infected Americans evacuated from Africa to be treated in a special facility in Atlanta dominated the air.

Not many Americans paid heed to this diplomatic festival festooned albeit with the garlands of American goodwill and charity. In the US media, there were talks, but it felt oddly perfunctory. In some parts of the right-wing media, there was some talk of screening those African heads from Ebola before they’d be allowed into the US. A rather interesting talking head, quite famous on the lunatic fringe, by the name Ann Coulter managed to even describe Africa in that week as a “disease-ridden cesspool.” But besides these and snide references to Ebola, the visit of the African Heads of state was not worth much waste of ticker tapes, prints and ink, in the US media.

In other words, the converge of the entire group of African Heads of state to the US was not worth in media weight, the visit of Russia’s Vladimir Putin, or even Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, not to talk about worthier friendlies like the Queen or British Prime Minister or Germany ’s Angela Merkel, or competitors like China’s Xi Jinping. It is not difficult to imagine why: Africa retains that strange sense of the margins in the American imagination. Indeed, the US media has made a great tradition of creating an Africa that never is; a strange

streets of say, Lagos, and write in the time-worn ways of the colonial anthropologist. So, in fact, this visit to the US last week underscored that fact that the great boundary to business between the United States and Africa is in the ignorance of Americans about Africa and Africans in general. This ignorance has long pervaded the texture and thrust of American foreign policy on Africa and the US media forms of representation of Africa has thoroughly shaped and continues to perpetuate Africa to the American mind, as some kind of the uncanny, where nothing but death happens. But Africa is people, as the Nigerian novelist, Chinua Achebe never failed to tell his international audience. People are dynamic: they desire all things that make people; they build; they create; they constitute a great economic and social whole. Those who see people come to do business with them as equals. They enter and negotiate terms for mutual interests. In the last fifteen years, this is what the Chinese have been doing in Africa. Since the emergence of China on the international economic sphere, they have engaged Africans on the basis of mutual interests as equal partners – not on the false paternalism that have shaped EuroAmerican relationship with the continent since the early years of decolonization.

Today, China has the fastest growing trade relationship with Africans, and African economies are beginning to show growth. The presence of the Chinese in Africa is bound to change things. The Chinese are investing in direct infrastructure; Chinese workers are living and settling in Africa, not just in the elite reserves, closed-off from the real people, but in the same neighborhoods as ordinary Africans, with whom they

Africans are at peace with each other. No African nation is engaged in war with another. If such wars happen, Africans have developed a continental mechanism to deal with it

,

place of wars, hunger, and poverty. A “cesspool of disease.”

This image of Africa that has been retailed for so long has conditioned the American mind to close itself from the truth and reality of Africa as perhaps one of the most vibrant places on earth. No one who has visited West Africa for instance can ignore the colour; the vibrancy of life; the sense of a daily festival.

But to Americans, everybody in Africa is dying; living on $1 dollar daily, according to their great staticians in the Washington DC based World Bank, who come to Africa, stay in luxury hotel suites, and pontificate about life on the

,

are doing business. Africa to these Chinese is not “a disease-ridden cesspool.”

In part, this misreading of Africa by Americans was underscored by Susan Rice, the US Ambassador to the UN, herself an “African Specialist” on the NPR, when she noted the kind of profound ignorance that governs Americans view of Africa, which limits productive mutual economic relationship.

The US government continues to founder on its African policies, and has for years, relied mostly on key false premises to shape its economic policies on Africa. In 2008, I wrote that Africans had great hopes with the election of Presi-

dent Barack Obama, a son of a Kenyan Economist, as President of the US. But President Obama has done very little in the direction of closing either the gap of harsh memory, or reshaping the paradigms of USAfrica relationship for a more realistic, more productive economic relationship. This gesture, in the twilight of his presidency, many Africans see, as too little; too late in the day.

Summoning African Heads to Washington is one thing, but the first mistake in that process is to ignore some of the fundamental realities: to ignore Robert Mugabe, a man many Africans still consider an African hero, on the basis of some adversarial diplomacy, is myopic in the long term, or to ignore Sudan’s Bashir, President of one of Africa’s important nations, is self-indulgent. The US ought to understand by now that its carrot-and stick diplomacy does not work in Africa.

Africans are at peace with each other. No African nation is engaged in war with another. If such wars happen, Africans have developed a continental mechanism to deal with it. Africa is a great frontier for investment and economic partnership, and the Chinese know this, and Africans know what the Chinese want. What they do not know yet is what the Americas want. Africans know exactly what they want: they want partnership, not charity. The US continues to play its paternalistic “donor ” games with Africa, while the Chinese do real business. That has got to change.

Africans are not looking for a neo-colonial mentor; they are looking for serious business partners. President Obama is quite right in saying that there is no better nation on earth with which Africans ought to engage but America. The historical relationship between Africa and the US makes the United States important to Africa because of the millions of descendants of Africans who are Americans.

That ought to be the primary frame of America’s foreign policy engagement with Africa. The work done by four Nigerians – Nnamdi Azikiwe, Nwafor Orizu, Mbonu Ojike and K.O. Mbadiwe – and their friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt led to President Roosevelt and America’s support of the Atlantic charter and decolonization in 1945. Azikiwe opened up modern Sub-Saharan Africa under European colonization to America on his return to Africa from the US in 1935. These are facts to celebrate. But in the frame of decolonization and cold war politics that shaped America’s foreign policy on Africa, the US dropped the ball. Africans have always been very suspicious of US charity and activities in Africa truth be told. These must change for a new, sustainable economic partnership.

BlackBerry Q10 deepens penetration with keyboard advantage

BY EMEKA AGINAM

LTHOUGH there are A other device models in the BlackBerry 10 series, as

a result its keyboard advantage combined with the best physical keyboard and a touch screen, BlackBerry Q10 has continued to attract high patronage in the mobile phone ecosystem.

The keyboard designed for ultimate performance and crafted with precision to deliver speed and connectivity customers demand to help them keep moving, the BlackBerry Q10, according to market findings has continued to deepen competition in the mobile phone market.

As a result of its classic QWERTY Keyboard combined with the best physical keyboard and a touch screen, BlackBerry Q10, according to further market findings is still in the high demand.

Clearly, the smart device is the first BlackBerry QWERTY device from the manufacturer formerly known as Research in Motion (RIM) to use both the new version of its software, BB10, first seen on the BlackBerry Z10, and also to feature a physical keyboard.

Two key advantages of the phone are glaring. Its small screen drains the battery a little less, making it possible to last longer and the keyboard makes typing a lot easier. These advantages, based on user experience make the product acceptable in the target markets globally.

Leveraging from all the advantages of a modern operating system, easy web

browsing, library of apps and the famed BlackBerry email system including the BlackBerry Hub, where all your emails, calls, and messages live in one place, and BlackBerry Balance, which easily s e p a r a t e s Work and Personal life, even changing t h e screen colour to differentiate the two, the Q10 is everything a smartphone can offer.

While helping users communicate and collaborate faster and more efficiently, the physical keyboard embedded in the Q10 still boasts one of the best examples in the smartphone series.

Given the fact that the keyboards are designed and shaped in a way that users can simply press the keys with the tip of their fingers, the product built with precision and offering performance in timeless design, according to findings has remained the toast of many users.

Interestingly, the classic BlackBerry Keyboard and instant action make it easy for commands to be taken quickly and directly from the home screen.

For most users, the classic BlackBerry Keyboard re-engineered and elegantly designed with a

straight and wider keyboard, larger sculpted keys and larger frets between rows appear to be major attraction as it them to find the right keys more quickly, thereby eliminating errors while typing on the go.

A close monitoring of market activities in the largest Africa ICT market, the computer village Ikeja at the weekend, showed that the product is still in the high demand because of its unique features especially the QWERTY Keyboard.

“I am aware that there are other devices in the BlackBerry 10 range. The keyboard in the Q10 is what makes me feel at home. It is flexible using fingers to type unlike the touchscreen.

Using the keyboard, you are assured of speed and efficiency,” Kennedy Chike, a Lagos based civil servant said, while narrating his experience with the BlackBerry Q10. He sees using the keyboard to send text messages or emails as faster and more convenient than touch series.

Similarly Sunday Okeke, a Lagos based business man who narrated his user experience with Q10 told Vanguard that the keyboard advantage is the major selling point in the smart device. He noted that for him, using the keyboard in typing is a lot easier and convenient than using soft touch screen that most conventional smart phones today have. Other major features of the BlackBerry Q10 smartphone include an intelligent calendar, superfast browsing, trusted security, camera with time shift mode, documents to go and adobe reader, built-in NFC technology, active frames, voice control, BlackBerry Maps, amongst others.

Leveraging on Palmchat for location based services

W

ITH information communication technology (ICT), changing the sociology-economic lives of people globally, more Nigerians are leveraging on Palmchat as a mobile messenger application used in sending, receiving voice messages, pictures and text messages via data.

Palmchat, available on multiple platforms including Android, JAVA, Symbian, Blackberry and WAP now also supports group chat and location based services as well as offering users totally different experiences.

Narrating his user experience with Palmchat, Abiodun Daiyo, a Civil Engineer with China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC, who lost his way to Okene, Kogi State for a construction work was rescued through palmchat social platform.

His journey to Okene

became easier having leveraged on Palmchat as a social platform that is fast revolutionizing the way people make and connect with friends in Nigeria.

According to him, “I lost my way in a village close to Okene, Kogi state, central Nigeria. . I am a civil engineer and often times I have to go to places to oversee civil construction works and this time Kogi State popped up at the meeting.

“My company had won a 50km road construction project and I had to be on site. I hadn’t been to Kogi before but I had always wanted to see the splendor of Nigeria’s river confluence, a splendor of such impression that it landed a comfy place at the Nigerian coat-of-arms.

“My destination was Okene to meet with a team that will take me to

the construction site but after a labored journey, our bus packed up and there I was stranded in the mist of goodly people but my only challenge was that they didn’t quite understand my language.

“To make matters worse, my contact person at Lagos seems did not pick my call having called him severally without response.

But resorting to Palmchat social platform, according to him really made his journey simple.

“I activated my shakeshake feature and used the device to locate my destination” , he said.

He explained that meeting the anxious workers waiting for him at the construction site in okene town was possible through the help of Palmchat as social platform, adding that it is a social platform truly what joining.

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 41

Turn the heat on

By Yetunde Arebi

E

VER wondered why the guy next door has all the girls swooning and even fighting to give him a piece of the action while you are getting none? Well, perhaps there are a few things you are not doing right. Getting snug with your girl may not be all that difficult if you follow the few tips below.

long day, spare time to shower as nothing attracts a woman more than good smell.

Choose a masculine, yet not too loud fragrance that meshes with your natural scent.

Never put your cologne on too heavy, apply it on the sensitive parts of your body such as behind the neck and the ears.

It makes the smell more nice and even.

A sense of humour will earn you points

humorous men are popular with the ladies. There are few things sexier than a guy with razor sharp wit that knows how to use it. Women love men who are secure enough to make a fool of themselves sometimes, just to make them laugh. After all, you are not in a public place and no one is likely to hold it against you.

However, stay clear off rude or crude jokes that will put her off or on her guard. Humor is appreciated, crassness is not,

Cultivate a good personal hygiene If any relationship is going to take place, the first probable contact is eye contact. The general perception that only men get turned on by what they see is not totally true.

Women too are attracted to what they see. If a man wants to win the attention of a woman, there in need for him to focus on his appearance. Personal hygiene and mode of dressing are very important in turning a woman on and getting her under the sheets with you. Pay attention to yourself. Women love men with good physique same way men love women with great curves. Though you don't need to cultivate a six pack, but a good exercise regimen will keep you in good shape. Remember that a perfect body shape or height is not what is important here, but how healthy and well kept you appear. Wear clean, smart clothes. This does not mean that you must wear a suit at all times. Wear clothes that fit and you are comfortable in. Well groomed hair is a must. To up your game, you may create your own signature hair style at the Barber's. If you've had a

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A woman will never turn down a man who treats her right. We all love to have a knight in shining armour in our lives. Be that man and treat your woman like a princess While the importance of communication cannot be over emphasised as a recipe for a good relationship, a man must learn to use the right words at the appropriate times if he wants to get the desired effect.

Learn to make good, intelligent conversations. Women love a man who knows about the world and its affairs, and is sharp. So, you need to read wide and be abreast with current issues. To be a good lover, you need to also be a good listener. Pay attention to what she says. Learn to make your woman laugh. A great sense of humour may sometimes ranks way above a six-figure income or abs of steel. It is not for no reason that funny and

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The more relaxed a woman is when in your company, the more sexier she will feel, which is a good sign you are horning home.

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Sexting to the rescue If the intension is to touch base, negotiation does not start at the venue. Make use of the vast opportunities offered by the internet and social media platforms. Almost everyone is on at least one of them. Once you get a hang of it, you'll be amazed at what you can do with them. Send messages that tell her exactly what you intend to do to her when you finally get to-

gether. Give her a call and talk sexy, talk dirty, if you have the chance and are bold enough.

Not everyone is such gifted, so limit it to what you are comfortable with. You can up your game in this area again by adding a personal touch to your message once a while. Though it might cost you a few thousand Nairas but it will place you on the right track to coasting home. Send a very sexy message in your own hand writing and get courier service or delivery boy to hand it over personally to her. By the time you finally meet up, she'll probably be swooning all over you.

Be a knight in shining armour A woman will never turn down a man who treats her right. We all love to have a knight in shining armour in our lives. Be that man and treat your woman like a princess. Chivalry can never be overrated, it means you are a complete gentleman. Women love men who treat them with respect and dignity. Shower your woman with romance by buying flowers, compliment her by telling her how beautiful and sex she looks. Plan dinners and getaway weekends for two. Hold the door open for her, help her into and out of her chair, be polite but confident. If you have read Fifty Shades of Gray, you'll have an idea of what the perfect gentleman is like. Be careful not to go overboard, or lose your own opinions and ideas and become a pushover. Remember that women also love manly men. Learning the art of chivalry alone can take you deep into a girl’s heart.

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DISCLAIMER!

between partners and if you don't hit it off at the first instant, you might miss the opportunity to explore the relationship any further. A man that can make a woman melt with a kiss is a huge turn-on and, quite frankly, women just love a good kisser. A recent study found that something in men’s saliva temporarily elevates testosterone levels in women. So kick it seven-minutes-in-heaven style and do nothing but make out until she’s begging you for more.

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PAGE 42 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Why Nigerian content is in your face

BY TOYESE IBITOLA VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

DStv should be commended for encouraging African content

O

NE of the fallouts of the MultiChoice Africa’s “Only the Best” content showcase, held in June, is the suspicion that Nigerian content and its providers have been handed an undue advantage

by MultiChoice Africa through its DStv platform. Media reports filed by non-Nigerian journalists present at the event in Mauritius were thick with allegations that DStv considers the rest of Africa as less important.

The fodder for this was provided on the second day of the event, during the Africa Magic showcase hosted by Big Brother Africa’s IK. The panel for the segment was made up of actress Rita Dominic, actor Chinedu Ikedieze, director Mildred

VIEWPOINT

Okwo, Ghanaian actor Majid Michael, former Big Brother housemate, Uti Nwachukwu, and MultiChoice West Africa regional director, Wangi MbaUzoukwu. The composition of the panel immediately set the alarm bells chiming. Journalists, with some justification, asked why the seven-member panel was made up of only

,

VIEWPOINT

Nigeria’s cultural diversity and its immense population, I believe, provide an adequate riposte to the charge containing “Africa Magic Yoruba, Naija Sings, Big Brother Nigeria, Nigeria Idol”

,

Nigerians (four) and Ghanaians (three).

“Generally, Africa Magic is

a West African affair,” a Zimbabwean journalist was quoted to have said. It was a statement that uncorked similar sentiments, with others wondering if it is only in Nigeria and Ghana that movies are made.

The discontent swivelled to music, with many sneering at the strong Nigerian presence in the group of musical artistes that made the song for Africa Rising project, the umbrella for the event in Mauritius. Of the six artistes involved, three are Nigerians. “How important is the rest of Africa to Dstv?”, a Bostwanan journalist was reported to have asked. Also questioned was Nigeria’s preeminence on music channel MTV Base.

A similar charge was raised over the advantage of syndication that Nigeria enjoys over other countries. “They took Africa Magic, but that wasn’t enough. They created Africa Magic Yoruba, Nigerian Idol, Big Brother Nigeria, Naija Sings. What’s in for the rest of

P

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Case against deregistration of parties

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HIS is another essay on the on-going concerns being expressed by wellmeaning Nigerians over the surprising twist that the Electoral Act 2010 has taken after a High Court had ruled it unconstitutional, null and void.

Let me say from the outset that the judiciary enjoys the special privilege of being the only organ of government that has survived different dispensations and systems of government in Nigeria; be it colonial rule, military dictatorships or our peculiar cast of epileptic civilian administrations. The power of the judiciary derives from its time-tested role as the custodian of the rule of law.

But it is the civil society groups that have, over the years, tak-

•Mrs Roli Bode-George forts by the NDLEA to move to the next level in its desire to prevent Nigeria from being made a hub of racketeering on drugs and other related matters..

The last port of call for Roli

in service to her fatherland was the National Population Commission where she served as a Commissioner. All through her service period, she went all out to develop concepts, which became handy for NPC in its drive for enhanced performance.

As the Chairman Committee on Cartography in NPC, Roli was part of the team that came up with data capturing with fingerprint model now being deployed for making identity cards, and conduct of population census, while the use of satellite imagery idea, which the NPC is now deploying, is considered very useful for voters registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). She

gave in her best and earned recognition as a hard working public servant in the process.

Born in 1964, Roli is currently pursuing a post-graduate degree in the prestigious University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom, hoping to bag a doctorate degree in business administration. She has a master ’s degree in business administration (MBA) from the same university in 2008.

The new Director General of NDLEA is also a graduate of the University of Benin, holding a B.Sc. in geography and regional planning. She graduated from the University in 1987 with 2nd Class Upper.

*Ogbu is resident in Port Harcourt

Federal lawmakers’ disdain for the judiciary en on the battle for social justice and the deepening of democracy.

Every single attempt to circumvent the rule of law led to the collapse of our previous three republics, and the coups that toppled the military dictatorships in-between.

Unless reason prevails, our ruling elites are condemned to repeat it, and the tell tale signs are there already, that the principal players of the 4th republic are following the doomed road of their predecessors. Top functionaries of the present administration are competing with each other to ridicule judicial decisions and trample on the people’s rights.

It is a well known fact that Jonathan administration officials routinely reject invitations to appear before investigative panels of the National Assembly. They sometimes

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BY REV. CHRIS OKOTIE

Ibitola, a Nigerian entrepreneur, lives in Freetown.

Roli Bode-George, the new anti-drug czar

BY ALEX OGBU VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The new chief helmsman at is Mrs Roli Bode-George, being the first woman to soldier the NDLEA the responsibility of supervisRESIDENT Goodluck ing the agency to fight illicit Jonathan on June 20 ap- drugs in Nigeria. This is to pointed Mrs Roli Bode- infer that in giving her the job, George as Director General of the President would have takNational Drug Law Enforce- en into consideration her administrative acumen, mental ment Agency (NDLEA).

The choice of Mrs Bode- alertness, disposition to hard George for the administrative work, forthrightness and eaposition in NDLEA, from in- gerness to make strong imdications, reflected his resolve pacts wherever she served.

Her selling point, as conto make Nigeria align with the rest of the world in the fight tained in the resume she filed against illicit drugs trafficking when undergoing screening, through a proper control is her consummate disposition measure, which the Agency to handling very challenging has over the years struggled tasks.

By her credentials, it is nevto put in place and strengther in doubt that Roli has the ened.

Some may be pondering who capacity to add value to the ef-

VIEWPOINT

Africa?”, asked another nonNigerian journalist.

What’s in it for the rest of Africa? So much, I must say. The complaining journalists have what resembles a prima facie case, but Nigeria can come up with enough alibis or justifications for the position it currently enjoys.

Nigeria, as everybody knows, is the most populous and most diverse country on the continent.

Now, this is not attempt to say the country, as of right, should have the lion’s share of airtime devoted to it by Dstv, but one to explain why the country seems to be right in your face.

Nigeria’s cultural diversity and its immense population, I believe, provide an adequate riposte to the charge containing “Africa Magic Yoruba, Naija Sings, Big Brother Nigeria, Nigeria Idol”.

There is no debate about the popularity of Nigerian movies on the continent and in the immigrant enclaves of Europe

and the Americas. Considerable credit must go to DStv for taking those movies into living rooms across the continent.

Some of the praise should also go to Nigerian business people, who defied every infrastructural odd to take the films around Africa, including places where there were wars.

The widespread appeal of Nigerian creative content makes the generous devotion of airtime to it imperative. Africans follow the Barclays Premier League in England, not because their various countries don’t have domestic leagues but because they find the league more appealing-for whatever reasons. Nigerian music and movies, with their appeal, have broken boundaries.

DStv, in my view, should be commended rather than slated for encouraging original African content. Even then, it should strive to present more content from other African countries.

People of conscience in this country must not allow the reign of impunity as demonstrated by INEC in this FRESH case, to go on unchallenged because it could set a very dangerous precedent

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seek injunctive reliefs that are antithetical to democratic ethos and due process, when they are on the wrong side of the law. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, which in December 2012, deregistered 28 po-

litical parties based on its invocation of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended), has ignored a court ruling secured by one of the deregistered parties, our beloved party, Fresh Democratic Party, FRESH, which on July 29, 2013, voided the purported deregistration.

Efforts by our party to get INEC to comply included a protest letter written by one of our lawyers, Dr. Fred Agbaje, and sent to the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the National Human Rights Commission, INEC and the media. The only response we got was a terse reply by the Senate President, Hon. David Mark, that our case has been referred to the Committee on Constitutional Review. I commend Dr. Mark for his kind

reply.

Few days after, the Senate passed into law a bill to reamend the Electoral Law 2010, by giving INEC additional powers to deregister parties that fail to win at least one seat in any of the elective offices.

This is in spite the subsisting court order given by Justice Kolawole, of High Court 5, Abuja Division on July 29, 2014.

People of conscience in this country must not allow the reign of impunity as demonstrated by INEC in this FRESH case, to go on unchallenged because it could set a very dangerous precedent. To say one is highly disappointed with the lawmakers’ connivance or abetting of an act of illegality is to put it mildly.

• Okotie, pastor of the Household of God, is the leader of the FRESH Party

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014,

What Wada is doing to Kogi roads

HE occupation of the majority of the people of Kogi State is farming hence the need for improved road networks for farmers to transport their produce.

Governor Idris Wada’s agricultural programme has empowered youths across the state on agro-allied businesses who require good network of road to market their produce. This explains why early in his administration, Wada launched a road development programme. It was an initiative he took after a careful assessment of the deplorable state of roads across the three senatorial districts of Kogi.

This is in line with his transformation agenda. He incor-

VIEWPOINT

BY EMMA FEJOKWU VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF He who the cap fits in Delta HEAD of the 2015 polls, the question on the lips of the electorate in Delta State is, who will succeed Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan among those jostling for the top job?.

Looking at the antecedents of the governorship aspirants, there is no doubt that some of them qualify to occupy the seat at the Government House, Asaba. However, the bone of contention is who amongst them has acquired enough experience in human management, resource control, administration and enough contacts as to attract investors toward investing in

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VIEWPOINT

BY BRIAN AJAYI JATTO VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The search for the ‘best man for the job’

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HE people of Edo State are a very politicallyconscious and critical entity.

They desire the services of the best hand available for the exalted position of governor of Edo State – someone imbued with positive intelligence, humility, dedication, foresight, accountability and a track record of untainted and quality service that has added value to the life of the greater mass of Edo people.

Edo State is blessed with a battery of educated and highly-skilled manpower, abundant agricultural, forestry and mineral resources that need a visionary leader with missionary zeal to galvanise and

This has reflected in the equitable distribution of 1,500 road projects across the three senatorial districts of the state

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He completed the road within one year at the cost of N622 million.

The road was commissioned

by Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema during a visit to Kogi State. Another important township road project complet-

munities. The project is expected to address the ecological challenges facing the residents of the town.

"It was also a moment of joy for the people of OchinobiOjoku-Okaba-Odagbo in Ankpa Local Government Area when Wada flagged-off the construction of their N723 million road project. The project has since been completed.

Other road projects in Kogi East include Icheke road, the N2.6 million Ogugu-AdumIkem road, the AjagwumuOgboyaga Road and the 2.5kilometre Iyale school of the disabled road.

The roads under construction in the Central Senatorial District include the N992 million Ogaminana-ObangedeOkaito-Omavi road, the fivekilometre OzioKutuObangede Secretariat road, linking Adavi and the asphalt overlay of the 2.7kilometre

road with surface dressing in Okehi Local Government Area.

In Kogi West, the following road projects were awarded for construction: 10kilometre Iyara township road was awarded for N660 million, KotonKarfe township and the 7kilometre Kabba township roads.

Lokoja, the capital city, also in the Western Zone, is witnessing facelift with the rehabilitation of some major roads.

This has reflected in the equitable distribution of 1,500 road projects across the three senatorial districts of the state.

The governor also allocated N20.4 billion representing 29.16% of the 2014 budget to the transport sector.

Many Kogi residents believe Wada means well for them and he has the rare attributes to put the state on a high pedestal in the comity of states in Nigeria.

•Usman is of Kogi State Ministry of Information, Lokoja

2015: Between Okocha and the Delta electorate the state.

A cursory view of the governorship contenders with emphasis on age, experience, educational background, contributions both financially or otherwise to political development, human capital development, among others, shows that Chief Peter Eloka Okocha has all it takes to be the next governor of the state.

Okocha, a founding member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and financier, is indeed a contender to beat as he is the only aspirant in the race who, in spite of being an orphan at an early age, surmounted the odds to acquire a good education and grew up to establish businesses that create jobs for

Now that the governor is bent on finishing strong, his agenda of Delta beyond oil, leaders of the ruling PDP and the electorate, irrespective of religion or ethnicity, should look inward

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thousands of people across the country. It is also worth mentioning that Okocha has never been employed by any individual or organization.

The aspirant if given the opportunity, to be governor of Delta, will use his vast experience as a reputable industrialist to attract infrastructural development to all the nooks and crannies of the state.

Born 62 years ago and a native of Ibusa, in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, Okocha’s life has been built around enhancing the welfare of those he finds at the cross roads of life thus replicating the assistance he got from people during his challenging days early in life.

His aspiration to be governor is borne out of his desire to serve humanity and uplift the

quality of life of the good people of the state. Kudos must be given to the monumental development of Uduaghan and the evenly distribution of projects to the communities in the state.

Now that the governor is bent on finishing strong, his agenda of Delta beyond oil, leaders of the ruling PDP and the electorate, irrespective of religion or ethnicity, should look inward and ensure that the right man, Okocha, is voted in as the next governor of Delta State.

•Fejokwu, a media consultant, lives in Asaba, Delta State.

Edo 2016, Ogiemwonyi and the praxis of good leadership turn things round, albeit positively, post 2016.

Emerging good and positive leadership oasis like Engineer Christopher Aigbovbiosa Ogiemwonyi does not fall in the cadre of those who are tainted by negative osmotic associations or deeds; or is he a direct or indirect purveyor of any misdeed in his working career in the public sector that spanned 34 years. For one who rose from the basic position of a Petroleum Engineer II in 1975 to the enviable height of Group Executive Director, Exploration and Production of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2009, and later as Minister of State in the Federal Ministry of Works from April 2010 to May 2011, Ogiemwonyi stands tall among those jostling for the governorship of Edo in 2016.

When he made a cameo appearance on the Edo political stage prior to the intense political hustlings that culminated in the PDP primary of February 20, 2012, he had built a solid resume as the brain box behind the numerous innovations in the oil and gas sector such as the Local Content Initiative; Joint Utilisation of Assets; Joint Ventures and Production Sharing Companies; key projects like EA Field, Erha Field, Bonga Field, Agbami Field etc.

In his national assignment as the Minister of State, Works, he brought to bear his renown as a consummate technocrat who craved excellence and abhorred profligacy in carrying out set assignments.

The good news that Ogiemwonyi is being pressured by concerned Edolites to throw

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ed by Wada’s administration is the 702kilometre Ayegba Oma Idoko-Federal Polytechnic, Idah road dualization project. The road project has given the ancient city a facelift.

Similarly, the Idah-Onyedega road, part of which was washed away by the 2012 flood that ravaged the riverine communities of Kogi State, is being rehabilitated. The damaged portion of the road has been repaired thereby easing free flow of traffic to and fro the riverine crude oil producing community which is also rich in food production. The road development programme of Capt. Wada addresses age long infrastructural collapse of some towns which have been made to suffer as a result of the diversion of highways that previously passed through them. Okura town in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State is one of such com-

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BY RAJI USMAN

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF A governor ’s efforts to open up his state

porated the completion of inherited road projects into his administration’s road development scheme. The Ankpa township road dualization project is one of such projects.

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VIEWPOINT

Page 43

This is especially so as Ogienwonyi’s aspiration to be the Chief Helmsman of Edo State from November 12, 2016 is not premised on any primordial interests or sentiments, ethnic coloration, group or individual considerations or cant

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his hat into the Edo 2016 governorship race represents a quantum leap in the people’s quest for a visionary, focused and accountable leadership platform that will provide

transformatory governance.

This is especially so as Ogienwonyi’s aspiration to be the Chief Helmsman of Edo State from November 12, 2016 is not premised on any primordial interests or sentiments, ethnic coloration, group or individual considerations or cant.

Rather, he is credited with being adaptable, tolerant with dissenting but viable and workable opinions and a demonstrable willingness to take conscionable decisions and actions that will better the lot of the generality of the masses of the people.

•JATTO is former Senior Special Assistant (Media, Documentation & Publications to ex-Governor Osunbor of Edo State

PAGE 44— SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Email: vanguardwoman@gmail.com

Our goal is a better life for every abandoned child —Ugonna Mary

By ANOZIE EGOLE

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ruh Ugonna Mary is the African Coordinator of The Life Changers Group, a nongovernmental organization that gives succor to the less privileged, particularly abandoned children. In this interview, the Abiaborn graduate of Economic and Statistics from the University of Benin talks about the organization and her challenges so far as the regional head of the international organization floated in Nigeria in November 2012.

How far would you say you've gone in achieving your set goals?

We have achieved so much. Where you are now is our orphanage. That is a clear demonstration of how far the organization has gone in achieving set goals. We go to different schools and hospitals to give hope to people by providing them with some basic needs. We also give to widows and so many others. Our activities are not just restricted here in Lagos. We go to almost all the states in Nigeria except the northern states which we have not been opportune to go. Our mission is to give succor to the less privilege and our vision is to see that every abandoned child gets a better life tomorrow.

We are also planning to set up a refugee camp in Lagos You studied Economic and Statistics; why did you choose to work in an orphanage?

I have always loved calculations and being a graduate of Economics and Statistics does not mean I must end up as an Economist. I have flare for helping the poor and I've always wished to have my own orphanage.

Why the love for having an orphanage?

I see myself as a very compassionate person. If I see someone in need, I

always love to help the person; it is just my nature. I have also discovered there is high rate of poverty in the country.

Some weeks ago, you sent food items to some Muslims; what’s the brain behind that and were you accepted?

Yes, we were fully accepted because this organization has no religious undertone. It is all about giving to the needy. We actually thought some Muslims were fasting without having any food. So, we decided to take some food items and fruits to a Mosque.

Being the African coordinator of an international organization like this, what have the challenges been?

The major challenge has been fund. It has not been easy sourcing for fund to run this class of organization and also, trying to carry people along has been a very big challenge. As an African coordinator though, the challenges are not new.

So, how do you fund your projects?

Our basic source is through membership. A certain amount of money is expected of all new members. That's why we encourage good-spirited Nigerians to come join us so as to save more lives. We are also soliciting for sponsors from corporate bodies. As we all know, running an orphanage is not an easy task. The kids here have no parents and they do not do anything for a living. So, their feeding, schooling and everything are strictly done by the organization. We encourage a payment of at least N8,500 from members.

Has there been anytime in your life as the coordinator of this group that you feel like quitting?

Yes. There was a time we had a baby that was HIV positive here in this home. This baby was

consistently falling ill and it was tough. The baby was later referred to Ikeja General Hospital where he finally gave up. What kept me moving at that period was my passion for a better tomorrow.

What do you think would be the reason why people abandon their baby?

Some times, it bothers me a lot. I have seen hardship. I was not born with a silver spoon; I grew up in the worst condition. So, I can understand poverty. Some people can hardly feed.

So, when they consider all those things, they conclude it is better to drop their innocent child where someone can find him or her and give him or her a better life.

•Oruh Ugonna Mary

Groups demand security for North-East women

BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA 18 days after the abduction of the over 200 school girls from Chibok in Bornu State, the Federal Government has been advised to ensure security for women and girls in the North-Eastern part of the country.

This is coming after a solidarity visit to Chibok by two groups, Echoes of Women in Africa and Vision Spring Initiative, revealed, among others, that the abduction and forceful marriage of girls

by Boko Haram insurgents had been ongoing before the Chibok abduction which dragged global attention.

According to Mrs.Louisa OnoEikhomun, Executive Director, Echoes of Women Initiative, who spoke during a dialogue with journalists in Lagos, “government has a responsibility to protect its citizenry but this is not so in Chibok. Far

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before this mass kidnap, girls had been consistently kidnapped and forced to marry members of Boko Haram. We came across a girl who was forced into such marriage. But what has government done till date? Even as we speak, this is still ongoing in Chibok.

“Government alone has the capacity to stem this violence and that why human rights activists will continue to demand protection for women and girls because Nigeria is a signatory to international conventions that seek to protect them in conflict situations”.

Louisa who reiterated the need for government to address the root cause of Boko Haram also called for psycho-socio support for Chibok residents as many were in despair, adding, “Poverty is a major cause of the escalating violence in the state.

The culture of almajeri also provides a fertile ground for enlistment into terrorism. From our finding also, both the military and Boko Haram sect are equally guilty of violence against women and girls, and also engage in arbitrary killings in the state.”

Also speaking on the visit sponsored by the Urgent Action

Fund- Africa, Ngozi Nwosu-Juba, Project Director, Vision Spring Initiative- VSI, chided government for playing politics with the lives of the abducted girls.

“Government was seen giving compensation on television to victims of the insurgents but our visit revealed that the real parents and families of the abducted girls have never been called by government. The people are suffering and living in fear, schools are closed and worst of all is the setback on girlchild education as majority of Chibok mothers are aged peasant farmers and petty traders who sent their daughters to school because of the campaign on girl child education”, Ngozi said.

“The ways women are perceived in the north is also a key challenge. That is why it is important for governmen to implement, throughout North Eastern Nigeria, laws and policies that protect women and girls”, Amy Oyekunle, Executive Director, Kudirat Initiative for Democracy- KIND, added.

Among groups present at the event were the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding-Nigeria and the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014 , PAGE 45

Women are better nation builders — Eefy Ike

•Says every man has the feminine side •You can change that philandering husband’ …blames the ills of society on women

BY EBELE ORAKPO

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EEFY Ify Ike is so many things rolled into one actress, model, motivational speaker, author, film producer and designer.

She has modelled Gilette, Burger King, Keglevich Vodka, Sauza, Diablo Tequila, Comcast High Definition, Diesel Jeans, Nokia and many others. La Femme, one of her visual projects, is a Hollywood documentary about women healing the world.. In this interview, Eeefy ,who believes that women hold the ace in nation-building, says that things will continue to go wrong in the society until women understand womanhood and take their rightful place. Excerpts: Role of women: Everything we see out there that is wrong with this nation is partly because women have not taken their rightful place. They have failed in their duty as women because they don’t understand womanhood. The woman is the one that takes care of the children and the men. The woman is the one that creates in the house; whatever you create in the house is what society is going to experience because you are the one breeding those human beings in the society. The woman is the state of the universe; she is mother nature; she holds a position of authority.

Women say ‘oh, but what about my husband, what is his job?’ I say well, if you marry a bad husband, it’s still your fault. Some may argue that we are in a society where husbands are imposed on women. Yes, you can argue that but if you find yourself in such situation where a husband has been imposed on you, you must try to find a way to survive. The solution is in your spirit. For instance, if they impose a husband on you, try to know him, you are already there. If you think that it is a bondage that you cannot emancipate yourself from, you can change something. How? Learn to live with him; if he is abusive or a chauvinist, you can learn to change that.

Feminine side of man: How? A woman’s love, tolerance, patience and understanding can inspire compassion in a man and that compassion is the femininity. Most black men are taught not to cry, that is how you show you are masculine, you must establish your authority by

being cold, that is nonsense! You need to be compassionate and that compassionate side of you is your feminine side. When we say a man needs to have a feminine side, we are not saying he should behave like a woman or start talking like a woman, we are only saying, ‘tap into your compassionate side.’ Let compassion be the basis for your interaction. Most men cannot tap into that compassionate side unless they were raised by a

Women need to help each other because when we are in unity, we can create more.

You can’t do everything on your own woman who understands her role and instills that quality in them. Such men need a wife or girlfriend that understands her role; that can cultivate the patience, understanding, tolerance and unconditional love to inspire that compassion in a man. So if you have a man that is a philanderer, you can change him by your attitude towards him. It’s not by nagging, fighting or violence, it’s by pure love. When you do that, unless he is a monster, if he is a normal human being that God created, you will break through. I have done it. I talk only from experience.

Women meant to create: You must understand that whatever you create in your house is what society will suffer. Community is created through family and the state is created through communities.

So it starts from family to community, to state, nation and the world. So it starts from a woman and that’s why I say she holds the position of authority; she is the womb that carries the child. The subsistence of the world depends on the potency of her spirit and the height of her strength. That potency is what you experience in her compassion, understanding and patience. The height of her strength is her tolerance and that’s why I continuously say

that women need to understand their role. When you understand womanhood, you understand your role, then you understand that you are responsible for nation-building. Whatever the men do is your fault, whatever the children do is your fault because they started from your house so it’s very important that Nigerian women understand that.

More political posts for women: The reason I keep saying women should be given more political positions is not for them to go and amass wealth or to suppress their fellow women, or to show off; no, it’s because the nation needs your compassion, your ability to create and build.

Women have the patience and tolerance that men don’t have.

Those attributes that we possess as women can be explored to build the nation.

Helping one another: Women must learn to help each other. For womanhood to be very functional and effective, we need sisterhood. There is a correlation: Women need to help each other because when we are in unity, we can create more.

You can’t do everything on your own. If you have another woman who is compassionate and tolerant like you supporting you, with that collective effort, you can move mountains for the nation. Women desperately need to begin to support each other for the goodness of humanity because it’s going to translate into good things for our nation. It’s all about our nation.

Yes, they said our foundation was wrong, yeah, it was wrong but now we have to learn to fix it. We have amalgamated already; we have to learn to coexist. If we fight and divide, we become refugees in other countries, we don’t want that, we should come together. We need synergy; only when we come together that we can fix the problems of Nigeria.

Unfair comparison: I hate people comparing Nigeria with places like Ghana.

Let’s leave the US for a second, I will come to that. Ghana is only 23 million people; Nigeria is over 170 million people. Even in a house where you have three children, you need wisdom to control them all; you need wisdom to cultivate and promote peace among them, let alone 170 million people, it’s not easy. We whine too much, let’s move away from the complaints and try to seek and implement solutions. It’s ridiculous trying to compare Nigeria with the US.

Eeefy Ify Ike... We should not leave everything for government to do

If you want to compare, why don’t you compare human beings because human beings built America and you are a human being so why don’t you take up that challenge? Compare the US and Nigeria from that dimension. Human beings built America, are we not human beings? Have you built Nigeria? Since you want to compare, let’s take it from that angle. We must all contribute, it’s not just government. Every human being in Nigeria is responsible for the healing and building of this nation. I created a programme called Synergy that we are about to launch on July 29. It’s about promoting peace, unity and patriotism.

If we are talking about building the nation, you cannot build the nation without peace, unity and patriotism, nation must come before self and Nigerian children are asking me how they can be patriotic having been disappointed and repressed and I say to them: Build from a place of imagination. If you say you are already hopeless, how are you going to continue living?

You need hope. So in order to build Nigeria, you need a certain level of patriotism and if you say the nation has disappointed you to the level where you cannot be patriotic, then be ready for Nigeria to just stay dead but if you want Nigeria to change, then you yourself will have to imagine what you want Nigeria to be and through your imagination, cultivate patriotism.

We must all get involved: We should not leave everything for government to do. If I clean my house and my front yard and everyone on the street does the same, the whole street will be clean. You don’t need government to do that, we need people with discipline to do that as they clean their homes. So instead of pointing fingers continuously at the leaders, how about we all come together to fix the problems that we are complaining about? Complaints are not going to do it. What makes a great leader is not that he is the most intelligent or the one with the most extensive vision but that he has the willingness and ability to harness talents around him but you must have the talents to harness so I am sure there are members of the

president’s cabinet that do not implement his vision because the president can have the greatest of vision but if you are surrounded by the wrong people, they would not implement your vision. The president cannot physically go to every state to do the work; the government of that state has to do that work, that is why they are there. What are the state and local governments doing? The president is not going to come to your state to tell you what to do. Why are you a leader? You should have your own vision to build your state, that will take care of the problems of the state. If I was the president, governors won’t even get allocations,. The allocation is what inspires the thievery. You are a leader and you are supposed to be a visionary – think, harness, discover the wealth in your state, harness it, build industries, provide employment and make the money that you want from your state, not from government allocation.

Let government come to your rescue when you have a real problem and not that government should continuously fund you and yet, no industries, the unemployment and crime rates are rising. I have heard that when the president minutes on a project and sends it across, those people change it. Instead of employing the same company that sent that proposal and is capable of doing the job, they give it to their own connections that don’t even know how to do the job and that is why most things are done in such lackadaisical manner. That is why we have cheap projects all over the place; the roads are always bad, how come? Or they will take a project and is not implemented but the money is gone.

That was how I did it. I was a victim of the ignorance of this tradition, I am not supposed to waste my time in Nigeria but I said to myself: ‘’If everyone keeps condemning the country, who is then going to heal and build the nation? If you keep whining and complaining that they treated you badly and called you a mermaid and set you on fire, who is going to do it? That story is not peculiar to me. So many people had disappointments, so many are vicContinues on page 46

PAGE 46 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Time management - Eat that frog!

BY OSADEBAMWAM OSAWE

I Women are better nation builders — Eefy Ike Continued on page 45

tims but we must learn to strip the garment of victimhood and adorn the garment of victor. I say that to every victim, I did it and I am speaking from experience, you can do it. If Eeefy can do it, anybody can do it because I emanated from the world-spring of fire. I came from nothing; from pain, struggle and trying to commit suicide at the age of eight, to being a role model today because I have to fight so I can fulfill my purpose; the will of God for my life and I think that every victim out there need to rise. Every youth, every woman out there need to rise and through your healing, heal other people. It’s our responsibility. If you look at yourself and begin to say that you are your responsibility, that is enough to start to change your life because you change your attitude and all of those destructive activities that you indulge.

We are talking about the structure in the US, human beings structured the system so we can do the same. If you drink, put the bottle in the garbage can, don’t throw it in the street, that is unpatriotic and injustice. That bottle could cause accident and death. It can make the place look dirty and that same bottle could cause flooding as it will contribute in blocking your drainage.

Attaining success: Success can be attained through appreciation. The western world has that virtue while it is lacking here. If we can learn to appreciate each other, our environment and the nation, then we will be able to take care of, nurture and be more creative instead of being so destructive. When you don’t appreciate, you destroy. Once you start to appreciate, you are open to all the resources around you. All the resources around you will come to the forefront and you will begin to perceive life differently. Things that were obscure just begin to flourish before you because that is how you are going to flourish. We must purge all the poison from our system so we can flourish. Every day I wake up, I think of something new to do; how to develop myself, how I can impact others. If I can’t impact their lives and they can’t impact my life, I am a nuisance to them and they are a nuisance to me. It’s either you add or you detract.

When I come around you, I want to make you happy not sad by insulting or criticizing you which is what we are eager to do in Nigeria. We pull each other down; we criticize so harshly and maliciously.

There is no love or compassion in our interaction. We are very competitive in such negative ways, we want to pull down, we don’t want the next person to succeed. Instead of pulling each other up and helping and supporting each other, we

Eeefy Ify

want to pull down, trample over and crush with our tongue. But when you do that, you reveal your weakness. An outstanding personality does not destroy, it builds. If you even offer any criticism, it has to be constructive. When you open your mouth, your utterances will be to heal, to create, to help and support and not to destroy and hamper somebody’s happiness. You are not an outstanding personality if that is what you do.

So I say to people, if this person does not appeal to you and you know you cannot help them, shut up. Unless you can offer help, shut up. Do not cast aspersions or pass strictures, it’s not in your position, you are not God, you can never be their God and you can never dictate their destiny. Help them to grow if you have to do something, not to fragment healing that may even be in process. You meet people and you don’t know what is going on in their lives, may be they are already floored and need help, may be they were so down and someone had tried to help them and they are in the process of healing and your big mouth fragments that healing. That is not human.

People do that in this environment and it hurts me because I suffered that same thing as a child. Everybody criticized me, they did not see anything good so now that I have developed myself and made something good out of myself, everybody is coming and embracing me. May be I would have been much better than what I am now if they had complimented and appreciated little things or acknowledged little things and helped and supported me and not pull me down. So many kids are down because their parents, siblings and friends are pulling them down. If only we can offer little love, if we can treat each other with just a little compassion, it is amazing what you can unravel, what you can inspire and motivate.

Appeal to youths: Nigerian youths, Nigeria beckons your energy; Nigeria beckons your creativity; Nigeria beckons your soul, Nigeria beckons your patriotism, Nigeria beckons.

N today’s rapidly changing environment and expanding global competition there is a continuing and evergrowing recognition on creativity, innovation and the management oftime. Time represents a commodity that needs to be efficiently managed, not to mention that, more often than not, effective time management is a key indicator of organizational competitive edge.

Time management allows tasks to be accomplished more effectively. In the long term it enables employees to feel some sense of control in an often turbulent environment and thus helps to avoid stress. The management of time is an issue which is fundamental to job performance, and how a worker manages his/her time will depend literarily on his/her favourable or unfavourable attitude towards time which will invariably influence his/her perceived job performance in an organization.

An individual who develops the habit of setting clear priorities and completing important tasks promptly is more likely to perform better. Brian Tracy in her book (Eat that Frog) refers to our biggest, most important task as “our frog”. If you find the image of eating a live frog disgusting then the phase is going to be memorable and effective. She even adds “if you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. What this actually means is if you have two major tasks ahead of you, begin with the largest, toughest and most crucial task first. Discipline plays a vital role in ensuring that you start immediately and persist until the task is complete before going on to something else.

Tracy explains that your ability to select your most important task at each moment, and then to start on that task and get it done both quickly and well, will probably have more of an impact on your success than any other quality or skill you can develop.

One major mistake we often make is waiting for inspiration to start a task. Waiting to be in the right mood or for inspiration rarely, if ever, gets a task done.

Usually, ideas start to kick after a while, but we must first begin regardless of how inspired we are.

Some people say they work best under pressure and so deliberately do not do something at the earliest opportunity but wait till they feel the need to do it. Some researchers have referred to this as “active procrastination” which is entirely different from the “passive procrastination”. These active procrastinators enjoy the thrills gotten from working to tight deadlines and the sense of achievement in meeting submission dates. On the other hand the passive procrastinators do not manage their time effectively, perform poorly and often do not hit submission dates. Knowing what to procrastinate on is very important to a high performer.

The passive procrastinator procrastinates without thinking, they delay the big, tough important tasks which can have significant longterm consequences in their lives and careers.

In guarding ourselves from the worst effects of procrastination some of these guidelines would come in handy: • Free yourself from interesting distractions • Restrict your use of e-breaks •

Think of ways to make tedious tasks more enjoyable • Repeatedly ask yourself ‘Is what I am doing really important or should I be doing something else?

• Adopt an ‘approaching success’ strategy in yourself and others by encouraging and rewarding the undertaking of personal challenges, regarding mistakes as an inevitable part of l e a r n i n g , celebrating subsequent learning and success.

• Reduce avoidance strategies in yourself and others by not personalising mistakes, feeling humiliated if you make mistakes.

If you tend to worry that you cannot cope with a new task, ask for guidance. If you manage people like this, give them more guidance and encouragement.

Culled from: Developing skills for Business Leadership chapter 5 (2010) Goal setting is also very important to time management. The basic motivational assumption of goal setting is that goals increase attention and effort by providing clear targets toward which individuals can direct their energies. In indirect way, goals motivate people to discover and use task strategies that will facilitate goal achievement. Generally, time management refers to the development of these processes and tools that increase efficiency and productivity.

Time is a major resource in learning and development, the way in which people perceive andinvest time reflects on learning result. Time management is an ability that can be developed at any age, if the person desires to improve the results of his actions.

Catholics celebrate one of their own, Osigweh, @ 75

BY CHRIS ONUOHA

I

T was a memorable sunny day on Saturday 19th July, 2013, at the serene town of Alaja Ifo, Ogun State, when the very Reverend Monsignor Sylvester Osigweh celebrated his 75 th birthday at the premises of St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

The event which started with a church service at 8.00am witnessed a mammoth crowd of Catholic faithful and wellwishers who came to attest the goodness of God in his life. On ground to officiate was the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, Bishop Peter Kayode Odetoyinbo, Msgr. Sylvester Adegoke of Ijebu-Ode diocese, many dignitaries and other Catholic priests from their various dioceses in Nigeria whose lives have been impacted on by the septuagenarian.

The ceremony also coincided with the launch of his book titled Healing Ministry and Evangelism in Nigeria – an incisive exposition of the general character and influence of healing in the evangelical procedures applied at different ages.

Monsignor Sylvester Osigweh is the Spiritual Director of the famous Jesus Is Love and Power Catholic Healing Ministry (J.L&P.C.H.M) based in Alaja, Ifo, Ogun State, a ministry built to cater for the

spiritual need of many who believe in the efficacy of Jesus’ healing power.

Osigweh is a great man that means different things to different people. To some, he is a benefactor, the peoples’ doctor and life inspiration; while to others, he is the spiritual director, healer of a sort, priest of the people, and a man always with people. He quit the circular life very early to enroll in SS Peter & Paul Major Seminary, Ibadan to study Philosophy and Theology and was ordained priest at the Archdiocese of Lagos in 1977.

After serving as Parish Priest in various parishes in Lagos, he proceeded to Rome to further his studies at Pontifical University of Lateran, Rome for Pastoral Theology specialization in Pastoral Theology in Healthcare.

Msgr. Osigweh is an embodiment of spiritual might whose mission in life is traceable even to his life in his mothers’ womb. It seems his mandate was to come, see and conquer in a world filled with turbulence and overwhelming man-made problems. Having seen the complexities of life at an early age and noting that truth and honesty is the driving force for life fulfillment, he chose the way of truth and a life of sanctified celibacy.

Not a few believers expressed their gratitude to God for the privilege of having “The Priest of the people” in

Rev Sylvester Osigweh their lifetime. According to the Chairman of the birthday event committee, Mr. Sunday Ezeobi, “My contact with Msgr. Osigweh is a divine encounter. I was having all sorts of challenges as a young man, both in my business and in my village. But when I met him, there was a turnaround.

One interesting thing is that he gives spiritual treatment and counseling to people free.

People come from all over the world to receive free treatment from him.”

Msgr. Sylvester Adegoke of Ijebu-Ode diocese, in his own comment, extolled the virtues of Osigweh as a man who devotes his life in service to the people with all his strength and mind and prayed that God will reward him with a crown of glory.

SUNDAY, Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 47

I

When ex-NNPC GMD buried wife

t was a celebration of life that brought together prominent Nigerians when Mrs Olubukola Olatokunbo Kupolokun, wife of former Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Engr. Funsho Kupolokun, was buried. Funeral service for the late mother, aunt and wife took place at Bishop Adelakun Howells Memorial Church. Photos by Biodun Ogunleye .

L-R: Mrs Morenike Adewunmi, Dr Joyce Barber, Mrs Dupe Akindele and Sen Sena Anthony.

L-R: Former Attorney-General of Lagos State, Prof. Yomi Osibajo with children of the deceased.

R-L: Mr & Mrs Basil Omiyi, with Dr & Mrs Emmanuel Egbogah.

L-R: Mr Albert Zakhem, Mr Odein Ojumogobia , SAN , and Mr Ernest Nwapa

L-R: Dr Wale Babalakin, Otunba Ayobade Obajimi and Mr Ohii Alegbe, GGM, Corporate Public Affairs, NNPC.

General Theophilus Danjuma and wife, Daisy

Lagos monarch, 35 Ondo Commissioner’s wedding sister’s year earss af aftter YOUNGER sister to Ondo State Commissioner for

C M Y K

Commendation ser vice service for the late Ohimain A commendation and funeral service was held at the Shepherdhill Baptist Church, Obanikoro, Lagos for the late Pioneer Senior Prefect Barrister Samuel Ohimain (1952 – 1958), of Okotie – Eboh Grammar School, Sapele, Delta State. The funeral service attracted many distinguished Old Boys of the 62 years Old College, friends, relations from all over the nation.

ONIGANDO of Igando land, His Royal Majesty Oba th Lasisi Gbadamosi marked his 36 coronation anniversary with fanfare with his people. Many sons and daughters of the land attended to show their respect and support for the monarch

Information, Mr Kayode Akinmade, former Miss Yemisi Akinmade, recently, wedded her heartthrob,Yomi Balogun. The wedding ceremony which took place at the Baptist Church, Idanre Ondo State witnessed the presence of the Governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko among other dignitaries.

L-R: Iyalode of Igando, Chief (Mrs) Awulat Akeju, Yeye Alasela, Chief (Mrs) Afusat Dopemu and Alasela of Igando, Chief Dopemu.

The couple, former Miss Yemisi Akinmade and Yomi Balogun.

From left: Mr. Simeon Ohimain, the eldest son, Mrs. Patience Ohimain (wife); Barrister (Mrs) Rachel Keke Olenla. (eldest daughter) and other children.

L-R: Yeye Oge, Chief Olusola Ogunrongbe, Chief Oladipo Joseph Omojolowo, Folakemi, and Baale Ahmed Olalekan Adewunmi, Onimobido of Imobido-Iperu

From left: Mr Donald Akinmade, Governor Mimiko flanked on both sides by parents of the bride, Mrs and Chief Akinmade and Mr Kayode Akinmade

From left: Chief N.E Dortie, Barrister Duncan Ogunniyi (Rtd DCP), Chief Gabby Okorare, and Mr. Ajijala Rone – Orugboh, all of the Lagos branch of the Old Boys Association (OGSOBA)

PAGE 48 —SUNDAY, Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

RCCG 62nd Convention Pictures by Lamidi Bamidele

Hon. Tim Owhefere’s wedding Hon(Barr.) Tim Owhefere, member representing Isoko North in the Delta State House of Assembly, married his heartthrob Eniwoareke Ilaye in a grand ceremony at Ofagbe, Isoko North LGA. Eminent personalities who graced the ceremony include Delta State Deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuama (SAN), members of the National Assembly and top politicians across Delta State.

The couple, Hon(Barr) and Owhefere.......during the ceremony.

Mrs.

From right: Pastor Chinedu the Oby Ezekwesili and other worshippers during the 5th day of 62nd Annual Convention of Redeemed Christian Church of God holding at Km 46, Lagos-Ibadan, Expressway.

Tim

The mass Choir of the Redeemed Christian Church of God singing during the Praise and Worship service at the convention.

L-R: Dr. Paul Oweh, National Assembly Commission, Hon(Barr) Richard Mofe Damijo, Delta State Culture and Tourism Commissioner, Sir Patrick Ferife, Lands Commissioner, Delta State, the couple, and Mrs. Tim Owhefere; Hon. Ben Igbakpa, Transport Commissioner, Delta State; Barr. Newworld Sefugha, Commissioner in charge of Local Govts, Delta State and Olorogun Fred Majemite, Political Adviser to the Governor of Delta State, during the cutting of the cake.

Members of the state exco and others at the ceremony

C M Y K

From right: Marvel Akpoyibo, former Lagos State Commissioner of Police; Ambassador Olu OlusanmOkun and other worshippers dancing during the convention.

THANKSGIVING: Mothers jubilating with their children in front of the altar for prayer answered from the Church’s previous convention.

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PPA AGE 49

Inside Ebola control centre STORIES BY SOLA OGUNDIPE

O

ne short sleep past, we wake eternally, and death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die”. A window sticker bearing these last two verses of John Donne’s holy sonnet, “Death be not proud”, caught this reporter’s attention.

It is pasted on the rear window of a dark blue Volvo 740 Estate ambulance that slows down briefly, but does not come to a complete stop before driving through the open gates of the Lagos Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos – the designated

centre for the management of Ebola Virus Disease.

Watching the vehicle as it moved away bearing its essential cargo with as much lack of grace and ambiance that only a rickety contrivance could muster, time seems to lose relevance.

After what seems an eternity (actually just a few seconds), the ambulance slowly approached the hospital building some 100 metres from the main gates, turned left and disappeared from sight.

One could not but reminisce about the phenomenon called death. Was it a surprise that another person just died? No, it wasn’t.

People die everyday. The

pertinent question is “when shall death die”, as predicted by Donne in his sonnet?

The Scripture has long stated that it is appointed unto everyone to die. Death is the final frontier. Although people abhor death, it is not essentially because of the “ why”, but more as a result of the “how”. People tend to be more worried by the question of “how will I die” much more than that of “ when will I die” – though the when is also important.

This worry plays out right from the main gates of the institution.

For obvious reasons anyone would be forgiven for branding the premises of 1, Mainland Hospital Road,

a no-go area. Ordinarily the average Lagosian and other persons do their utmost to keep away from places like hospitals infamously associated with life and death over the years.

But that is not to say people do not go to hospitals. As a matter of fact, people do go to the Mainland Hospital because it was built by people for people.

To be exact, if there is one place one expects to find people with something or anything to do with notifiable infectious diseases, such as Tuberculosis, HIV/ AIDS, cholera, meningitis, rotavirus, hepatitis, etc., either as a patient or healthcare personnel, it is at this hospital.

Lately, the hospital has taken on a brand new responsibility as quarantine centre for victims of Ebola Virus Disease, EVD. These persons are permanently under round the clock observation and treatment.

Anyone who has ever visited the renowned health institution, would agree that

Continues on page 50

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Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Are you dressed to fight Ebola?

Y

ou do not go to a gun duel armed with a knife, neither do you wear boxing gloves to a wrestling match. Common sense dictates that one goes to battle with the right equipment.

Ebola Virus Disease connotes war.

When dealing with an adversary that is a contagious virus with a potentially lethal, high danger index and almost total fatality rate as the Ebola virus, it is sensible not just to be appropriately armed, but advisable to go with your entire arsenal.

Taking measures to be protected from contracting the deadly virus especially if it’s your job to come into contact with patients who have it - is no mean task either.

This is where the Personal Protection Equipment, PPE, worn by doctors and other healthcare personnel who are dealing with the worst Ebola virus outbreak in history, come in. The doctors and others wearing the gear, which involves a layer of scrubs, rubber boots, rubber gowns, an impermeable Tyvek suit and hood, a respirator and goggles is

now a common sight. Each element of the PPE is crucial and has a specific function.

The Ebola virus can only be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, hence the suits are meant to protect the wearer from directly touching any contaminated fluids and/surfaces. Infection control, through sterilisation of equipment and surfaces, is also extremely important.

• Wearing gloves

• Head in the helmet

• In the overall

Inside Ebola control centre Continued from page 49

its location isn’t one you just happen to “stumble on” or accidentally “pass by”. While not exactly hidden, the facility, formerly known as the Infectious Diseases Hospital, IDH, is conveniently tucked away from the curious public.

On the long drive down to what has, in the last couple of weeks become the frontline health facility in the fight against the dreaded Ebola virus, there is no anxiety or dread, only curiosity and expectation.

Much further away along the trail to the destination, are military health formations and places of worship. A row of shops sited roughly a kilometre to the entrance gates gives no impression to the unwary about what is ahead.

On the approach, attempts to engage the shop owners in conversation is futile. Everyone knows what is going on at the facility down the road, but no one is bothered about the reporter ’s mission or interested enough to complain.

Perhaps there are no complaints, one is compelled to conclude. “No comment” is the universal language.

Just before getting to the place itself where the fight against the disease is being fought, the educational institution to the right and military barracks to the left hold no attention for the casual observer.

The general mood around is normal. Commercial motorcycles and motorised tricycles (keke), convey visitors right up to the gates.

The four security personnel manning the gates are pleasant but alert. They are male and female.

Their dark green uniform is set off by the white gloves and face/nose masks. A quick look round confirms that every security personnel in sight is wearing the gloves and mask. Nothing surprising, after all, it’s an infectious diseases health institution.

Inside, the premises is neat and inviting. There is an aura of calm.

As you walk down, a Police pick-up van drives past. On the load bay is a body wrapped in a cloth. Its the second to be brought-in in just a matter of minutes. The body is flanked by a man and a woman.

They look downcast. Walking down further, one takes in the layout of the area. More security personnel ahead. Entry into the open hospital building is carefully checked and monitored. Understandably, access into the main quarantine unit area and ward is forbidden. Can one see any of the doctors, nurses and other personnel? They are likely busy .

They must be inside, applying their special training in infectious diseases. How about the outpatients? One gathers the isolation ward is sealed tight and strictly out of bounds.

The protocol is very strict, one gathers. Medical staff must comply with every safety regulation when attending to a patient. Several instruments and medicaments are dedicated to patients individually and destroyed afterwards.

In line with WHO recommendation, a lot of heat-sealed plastic bags is employed for containment and

• In the complete outfit

disposal.

Protection from highly contagious infections such as Ebola is highly considered and effected. No compromise is permitted when dealing with an infectious disease like Ebola, a specialist explained previously. There is also a decontamination unit or chamber.

The laboratory section is indistinct.

How are samples handled? Are all the essential pieces of equipment in one place? What about the hospital waste. How is it disposed?

So far two persons have died of Ebola in Nigeria. Nine tested positive and 139 are under surveillance. All positive cases are monitored and treated at this facility.

The dead are the same two known earlier, the index case and the health worker who we unfortunately lost some days ago. Eight of those positive are Nigerians and one was

an American Liberian. Seven are alive and receiving treatment in Lagos. Nigeria’s case fertility rate

for Ebola is currently 28.6 percent.

In the ECOWAS region, the case fertility rate stands at 55 percent which means 45 percent of people who have suffered Ebola are alive.

There are more suspected cases being monitored. Scientists have proved that having Ebola does not mean being confined to death because there are survivors although no cure. To date, the response to the Ebola virus threat has been coordinated, from the first responders to the operational non-hospital staff, down to the on-ground medical staff. But there are still many unanswered questions.

Is Ebola epidemic truly out of control as experts fear possible Ebola pandemic?

Are these fears founded?

What would be the implication of an Ebola pandemic?

In the absence of a vaccine, what magic bullet do exists against Ebola virus?

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PPA AGE 51

EBOLA THE DEADLY

Risky myths and rumours Busting the myths about Ebola is crucial to stop the transmission of the disease.

Will eating raw onions and garlic or ginger once a day for three days protect you from Ebola? Is it okay to eat bitter kola? Or will bathing with salty water prevent infection with Ebola? These are just some of the questions posed to the health workers responding round the clock to calls received through the Ebola hotline. With Ebola threatening to spread, the spate of rumours and misinformation also grows.

The Ebola Hotline 080 EBOLA HELP that responds to people’s concerns has received several panic calls and concerns on false rumours, it becomes necessary to put the records straight.

Myths and rumours can be very harmful. The fight against Ebola will only be won if the fight against myths and misconceptions is won first.

Such myths and rumours are hindering health workers from doing their jobs abroad and causing unnecessary panic and paranoia in the the populace. Here’s the truth about some of the most common misconceptions about Ebola virus: Myth: Bathing with warm salty water will prevent or cure Ebola?

Truth: Salty water had not been proven to have any beneficial effect in preventing the Ebola virus from spreading. Experts even warn that it may harm the skin or increase the risk of infection as well as increase the risk of hypertension.

Myth: Eating bitter kola hinders or kills the Ebola virus in the body.

Truth: While there are health benefits in eating bitter kola, there is no scientific evidence linking it with cure or prevention abilities from Ebola infection in humans – the only known test was the one carried out in a test-tube and not in animals or humans.

Myth: Ebola virus is airborne, waterborne or spreads through casual contact.

Truth: Ebola virus spreads when the bodily fluids of an infected person comes into contact with the mucous membranes of a non-infected person. That means Ebola virus in fluids like blood, sweat or urine has to come in contact with your eyes, mouth, nostrils, ears, genital area or an open wound in order to infect you.

It takes more than just casual contact to become infected with the virus, which is why many of the victims of the disease are health care workers or family members caring for a sick relative. In hospitals, transmission is easily prevented with precautionary measures like face masks, gloves, protective gowns and isolation units.

Health workers are teaching community members about the importance of washing hands with soap and water, bringing sick family members to clinics and burying the bodies of people who have died from Ebola to minimise infection risk.

Myth: International medical teams brought the virus to West Africa.

Truth: This myth may actually be prolonging the Ebola outbreak. The World Health Organisation, WHO, notes that a team of Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) were accused of bringing the virus into where they were working, and temporarily had to stop working because of it. The Centers for Disease and Control and other partners are coordinating efforts to reach out to community leaders like healers and elders to combat the myth with education about Ebola symptoms and proper treatment in a clinic.

Myth: Taking Ebola patients to other countries puts everyone at risk.

Truth: It is necessary to understand what

makes the Ebola outbreak so fatal. The spread of Ebola is possible not because it’s a uniquely potent virus strain, but because of the healthcare disparity in the affected countries where there are outbreaks. Gloves, gowns, masks, proper hygiene standards and isolation units are enough to protect healthcare workers from contracting Ebola from their patients. But the countries where Ebola has spread don’t have the adequate resources or facilities to properly treat and quarantine patients.

Myth: Even if you beat Ebola, you can still pass on the virus to others.

Truth: Usually, only people who are exhibiting Ebola symptoms can pass the virus on to others. Only people exhibiting Ebola symptoms, like fever, headache, vomiting and diarrhea, can pass the virus on to others. However, the World Health Organisation notes that a man who has had Ebola can transmit the virus via his semen for up to seven weeks after they’ve recovered from the disease, so educating men about condom use is critically important.

Myth: This is the first major outbreak of Ebola.

Truth: This is the largest outbreak of Ebola in history, but it isn’t the first. The virus was first diagnosed in humans in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It infected 318 people and had an 88 percent fatality rate. Since then, various strains of the disease have popped up around the African continent, infecting as many as 425 people in 2000 and, most recently, 57 people in 2012, according to WHO. As of Aug. 8, 2014, the most recent count available, Ebola virus has infected 1,711 people and killed 932 people in Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria since the virus emerged again this year.

Do not touch sick people who show symptoms of Ebola including for example fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches and sometimes heavy bleeding Myth: Ebola can be treated with antibiotics (or vitamin C, or anything else…)

Truth: Antibiotics cure bacterial infections, not viral infections. Currently, there is neither a cure nor a vaccine for the Ebola virus. Instead, there is an experimental serum called ZMapp, which contains antibodies designed to help block the virus. Before the 2014 Ebola outbreak, it had only ever been tested on monkeys and has not been approved for human use. American Ebola patients Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol decided to risk it and take the experimental drug, and early reports are cautiously optimistic about their improving conditions.

However, it’s unclear whether the drug will be made available for broader use in Africa.

Basic Prevention facts Do not touch sick people who show symptoms of Ebola including for example fever, diarrhoea, vomiting, headaches and sometimes heavy bleeding.

Do not touch the dead bodies of suspected or confirmed Ebola patients.

Wash your hands with water and soap regularly

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Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

BY JIDE AJANI In this interview, Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu, bares his mind on the deadly ebola virus. He also speaks on the strike by doctors, passionately appealed to them to call it off.

His words: “If doctors are not at their posts, we would have a challenge. And some people have even written that part of the reason the index case was successfully handled was because doctors were on strike and, if not, the index case may have been taken to a public health facility. How true that is I don’t know; but as the Minister of Health, I would want the doctors to call off their strike. In the event that we, God forbid, have more cases, we would need the doctors”.

But the focus of this interview is the Ebola problem in the country, what government is doing and the challenges ahead. Excerpts: What is the status of Nigeria regarding Ebola and its possible spread?

You will recall that I informed the nation that altogether we had placed 70 primary contacts of the index case – that is the imported case – under active surveillance.

What we do is that once you begin to show any symptom, no matter how mild, we quarantine you.

We now have eight persons under quarantine in Lagos. So, what happened is that based on our report, last week, two of the health workers who came in contact (with the Liberian) were tested for Ebola virus disease and they came out negative. But in the case of the nurse, it has turned out positive and that’s why we say we’ve been able to confirm a first Nigerian with the disease based on contact.

Also, some other health workers who are suspected of having symptoms, their results have not been made available because they are not ready yet.

We are maintaining that surveillance and, in terms of what we are doing, focus is on the secondary contacts and then the third degree contacts.

•Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu

BITTER KOLA AND EBOLA

There was a meeting of health ministers in the West African sub-region in Ghana once the outbreak was noticed in Guinea. What was the outcome of that meeting regarding possible prevention?

Nigeria participated and one of the outcomes of that meeting was the establishment of a coordinating mechanism in West African countries and some Central African countries on how to share common strategies and common best practices and the sharing of information as we move on.

Let me say that what has happened is unfortunate because this man, who was the index case, was warned by his own country not to travel but how he managed to travel and not disclosing full information to those who asked him remains a mystery.

Even while on the hospital bed, he was still denying. It is just unfortunate that he brought the disease into Nigeria and this tells you that every country of the world is at risk. As the problem goes

What Nigerians must know,

by Health Minister Onyebuchi Chukwu

*Explains how Sawyer beat security to enter Nigeria *‘Our problem with monkey, bat eaters’ on we would constantly review out strategies and even the World Health Organisation, WHO, is holding a summit in Geneva, Switzerland, to review all the strategies in place and to see if there is need for a review.

In-country here in Nigeria, we are working as a team, all hands are on deck – the Federal Government, Lagos State government and other state governments, WHO, the American CDC – we’re working as a team and we’ll continue to review the strategy in place. But what is important is that whatever we do, it should enhance the prevention of the disease and it shouldn’t be counterproductive!

What is the focus of the

strategy because there seems to be too much focus on air travel, whereas our land borders are there and they are porous?

The first one is communication beyond just providing information. We need to communicate effectively.

The federal and state governments are doing that.

The president has inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee for communication strategy. Eight ministers that are relevant are serving on that committee and they have a mandate to co-opt any other minister that they feel is needed. Based on that, we are working with the Minister of Information and the Minister of Communication Technology, we are working with the Foreign Affairs Minister,

Minister of Interior, Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Aviation, Minister of Science and Technology. Since March, we’ve had our jingles and adverts on television and even the private broadcast stations are now on board and are ready to sponsor these free of charge. The website is www.ebolaalert.org and information is there; you can make suggestions and make complaints – it is interactive. There are also telephone numbers you can reach the centres on. Our toll-free helpline is 0800eboolahelp. We have a facebook page; we’ve opened accounts on Twitter and we have dedicated emails; but the Information Ministry is helping with grassroots communication since the

ministry has the structure on ground. The faith-based establishments too will be useful in this regard. We want to be as open as necessary and possible.

On diagnosis We have expanded the facilities for diagnosis in the country. I am in touch with our development partners and they seem to be impressed with what we have in the country but I think we can still improve the scale.

Regarding the borders, at Seme, for instance, people are being screened and we are using infrared to detect any rise in temperature; we have reviewed our forms that travelers must fill before they land at our airports and we

Continues on page 53

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ask the Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, because even the Senate and the House of Reps have intervened, and after appearing to have dealt with all the issues, they refused. Elders in the profession have intervened, the governor of Delta State (a medical doctor) intervened; even Mr. President had a one-on-one on two occasions with the leadership of NMA; so I don’t know who else to help us appeal to them. I think the strike should be called off; we are appealing to them because we need them to be there, but if they don’t, we will take the second best thing.

*Doctors attending to an Ebola victim

Continued from page 52 have temperature screening at the international airports too.

Just two days ago, through the appropriate ministry, we directed the Customs Service to ensure that corpses are not just brought in indiscriminately. What do we mean by this? We are saying that before any corpse is brought into the country, the necessary death certificate must be provided and certified as genuine and true before any such can happened and we would be very stringent with this. You have to prove the case but we want to maintain a tight control over movement of corpses. In Anambra for instance, we are working with the state government and once the result comes out we will alert members of the public. In Imo State, the corpse issue there has already been decided because they had a proper certificate of death and we are saying the body can be buried because it is not Ebola.

On Monday, we sent a team to Akwa Ibom to investigate a case that was brought in from one of these countries that was reported to us. We are working round the clock to tackle the challenge.

What about the infrastructure to manage this problem?

That is one area I must say we are a bit slower than what we anticipated. In Lagos, the state government has done well by providing a place for us to quarantine and treat patients and we are asking for more. Given the way the state government has acted pro-actively, I want to commend the authorities and I believe the state government can do more. On our own part, we want to move ahead and provide isolation tents within our hospitals, so that we can have add-ons. We have trained the workers.

Personal protective equipment is being provided

through the Federal Government and our development partners, especially WHO. Other states appear slow but with the emergency on our hands, we cannot wait; so the Federal Government is moving ahead, though quite a number of governors are beginning to cooperate and we need to move a lot faster.

But how fast can you move?

It is immediate – very immediate. Once I’m through with you now, I’m off to another meeting. Since this thing started, I’ve not slept earlier than 4am everyday. But we are all working together.

How much of cooperation are you getting from the local authorities?

We have some challenge there. Once a council chairman, when he heard that we got space for isolation, they began to incite the youth to say ‘we don’t want Ebola in our community’ – this was also a problem in other countries. The people need to understand that all of us are at risk because there is no person on whose passport is written EBOLA CARRIER. People need to understand what we are doing.

The family of the infected nurse, now dead, are they part of those under surveillance?

Yes, they are under surveillance. None of them has been symptomatic yet, but whenever we notice that, we would quarantine such a person. But we are counseling them at this stage and everybody really needs counseling. About delicacies like bats and monkeys. About peoples eating habits, even when you bar people from eating certain things, they go underground and it is even worse because you are not monitoring them. And I know people who have accosted me at the airport or at functions to say since I spoke about bats and monkeys they’ve stopped. What that tells us is that information is key.

But let me make this point.

It is more dangerous for those who are processing the meat and who may have cuts because when it is raw those in contact with it are more in danger. The best thing to do is since we have other forms of protein, we can do without bats and monkeys for God’s sake. We have goat meat; we have chicken. Must it be bats? What is needed is enlightenment and appeal.

We are at risk and we don’t need to mince words about it.

How soon do we expect the striking doctors to come back?

We’ve tried to do our best by addressing almost all they demanded. But that is a question you should

What level of collaboration exists with the private hospitals as a secondary option for people since the doctors are on strike?

Let me tell you, the index case was discovered at the airport and, because government doctors were on strike, he was taken to a private hospital. I guess if doctors were not on strike, he may have been taken to LASUTH or LUTH. We are engaging them and our people are holding meetings with different groups of private practitioners. We identified that the students need to be

with the Americans. They also have the opportunity of looking at their own options and we should not underestimate the intelligence of Nigerians, that’s why that committee was inaugurated.

There is no time frame because it is a standing committee on Ebola and possibly other diseases.

This is just the beginning.

Part of our measures also is to screen in-bound and outbound passengers just as the passengers too would be screened in their countries of disembarkation. For local flights, internal restriction of movements is counterproductive. What is important is to follow up on contact tracing because there is not enough resources anywhere in the world to do that. But for airports that we know could serve as connection points we are taking care of that.

Now, what about Professor Maurice Iwu’s thesis regarding bitter kola and Ebola?

One of the things we decided to focus on by setting up that committee is to streamline claims of possible scientific cure, not a situation where pastors and imams claim they can cure Ebola.

We might even go to the

The people need to understand that all of us are at risk because there is no person on whose passport is written EBOLA CARRIER. People need to understand what we are doing enlightened more because of the school environment.

How do we man the illegal entry points?

That is one of the reasons it has been difficult to just close the borders because what it then means is that when you close the designated borders, you leave room for people to use the illegal entry points which are totally off our radar. Mind you, we don’t have gates round the country; so it may even be more inimical to close the borders because of those illegal points, so we should encourage people to come in through the 22 designated entry points but once there is a consensus on that, we may then move.

Are we in touch with the American government regarding that serum that was administered on their doctors who got infected with the virus?

Yesterday, I inaugurated the treatment research group and one of its terms is to collaborate with similar such groups all around the world and they are getting in touch

extent of making laws to arrest people with such bogus claims. We would take every suggestion seriously.

About Professor Iwu, we know that quite a number of Nigerians accessed his article through the internet.

What Professor Iwu and his research team proved in America is that in the laboratory test-tube – not in an animal or a human being – bitter kola extract was able to hinder the growth of Ebola virus, that it was able to slow it down or kill it.

That research was not concluded according to Professor Iwu himself and he says he is disappointed that the research was not taken to its logical conclusion. We need now to work with him and that is why we need him. He is a distinguished world renowned professor of pharmacognosy; and he is someone we value in this country because of his professionalism and working with others; we would be able to put all ideas to the test and see how far we go.

This is a serious business.

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Cure for Ebola at last?

BY EMMANUEL EDUKUGHO

F

or Ebola, an illness of exceptional contagion which first outbreak of the virus was in 1976, its origin traced to Congo and Sudan, cure for the dreaded disease seems to have been found in the United States (US).

Two American citizens in Liberia struck by the ailment while on medical missionary work, Nancy Writebol and Dr. Ken Brantly flown to the US to get treatment have improved tremendously, after being given the experimental drug.

The two Ebola victims, who had travelled 6,000 miles from West Africa in special aircraft, were admitted at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, are now getting much better. They were unable to walk on arrival, but are now doing so.

The report named the serum as ZMapp – an experimental drug, even not yet approved for clinical trials, although already used on small number of monkeys. It was grown in green house with genetically modified tobacco. So far, the drug is working well on the Ebola

patients. Manufactured by a US pharmaceutical company, ZMapp was supposed to hit the market in 2015, but is being tried because of the current deadly epidemic caused by the virus now ravaging Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea with nearly 900 people killed by the disease which has made inroad into Nigeria. With one person dead and eight people confirmed positive to Ebola, Africa’s most populous country could be fatally threatened.

The two Americans have reportedly got up on their own after the drug was administered on them, seen as a big surprise. They are already recovering.

Patients afflicted by Ebola are usually quarantined, going into isolation in the four West African countries where the disease is ravaging, well protected and temperatures taken twice a day.

The (US) plans to send 50 health experts to West Africa and help the health authorities in combating the scourge. Ebola is virtually out of control in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea as dozens of doctors and nurses have died in efforts to give medicare to victims.

Unlike Africa with poor ineffective

and obsolete medical facilities, the US has top class infrastructure and medical personnel to take quick care of Ebola victims. Among these are the Centre for Disease Control, CDC, the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases, IAID, and several others who are up to the challenge. The experimental serum has brought some ray of hope to the global community including Nigeria.

The World Health Organisation has contributed $100 million to fighting Ebola and so too the World Bank, concerned about the spread and devastating effect of the scourge.

In a radio interview, Professor Oluyemi Akinloye, head of Clinical Chemistry, Medical Laboratory, University of Lagos, said only little has been done in Nigeria towards research for Ebola cure. No magic in scientific Ebola cure. It’s a big challenge for Africa. No magic in scientific research, as there are protocols to be followed.

Asked about the Ebola experimental drug, he seemed not aware of this development, but agreed that some vaccines have been produced in Nigeria and currently tested on mice which is quite good.

“The Ebola epidemic can be opportunity to test these vaccines and speed up trials in Africa. We are dealing with humans. Emphasis should be on precaution to control the spread. All scientists in Nigeria are coming together,” he stated.

Akinloye assured that physicians are talking, not doing so bad in fighting the epidemic.

On Professor Maurice Iwu’s claim that bitter kola could be a remedy, he noted that this was still in experimental stage.

“Traditional medicine has its protocol and a lot still has to be done.”

Other contributors to the radio programme lamented that it was shameful that since 1976, there has been no vaccine for Ebola.

One of them asked what the Federal Government has been doing since the outbreak in Liberia, Sierra Leone, etc. Chief Research Director, Research Institute of Traditional Medicine, Dr. Idowu, disclosed that research had been conducted on the virus. “We’ve gone to roots. In Yoruba, Ebola is called AjakaleArun, which is medicinal plant,” he stated. On whether bitter kola can cure Ebola, he said it had not been tried yet.

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Nine questions about new Ebola drug Two American missionary workers infected with the deadly Ebola virus were given an experimental drug that seems to have saved their lives.

Dr. Kent Brantly was given the medication, ZMapp, shortly after telling his doctors he thought he would die, according to a source familiar with his case. Within an hour, doctors say his symptoms — labored breathing and a widespread rash — dramatically improved.

Nancy Writebol, another missionary working with Samaritan’s Purse, received two doses of the medication and has also shown significant improvement, sources say.

As there is no proven treatment and no vaccine for Ebola, this experimental drug is raising lots of questions.

1. Who makes the drug?

The drug was developed by the biotech firm Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc., which is based in San Diego. The company was founded in 2003 “to develop novel pharmaceuticals for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases, focusing on unmet needs in global health and biodefense,” according to its website.

Mapp Biopharmaceutical has been working with the National Institutes of Health and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, an arm of the military responsible for countering weapons of mass destruction, to develop an Ebola treatment for several years.

2. Are there other experimental Ebola drugs out there?

Yes. In March, the NIH awarded a five-year, $28 million grant to establish a collaboration between researchers from 15 institutions who were working to fight Ebola.

“A whole menu of antibodies have been identified as potentially therapeutic, and researchers are eager to figure out which combinations are most effective and why,” a news release about the grant said.

Tekmira, a Vancouver-based company that has a $140 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop an Ebola drug, began Phase 1 trials with its drug in January. But the FDA recently halted the trial, asking for more information.

At least one potential Ebola

vaccine has been tested in healthy human volunteers, according to Thomas Geisbert, a leading researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch. And last week, the NIH announced a safety trial of another Ebola vaccine will start as early as September.

3. How does ZMapp work?

Antibodies are proteins used by the immune system to mark and destroy foreign, or harmful, cells. A monoclonal antibody is similar, except it’s engineered in a lab so it will attach to specific parts of a dangerous cell, according to the Mayo Clinic, mimicking your immune system’s natural response. Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat many different types of conditions.

The medicine given to Brantly and Writebol abroad was a three-mouse monoclonal antibody, meaning that mice were exposed to fragments of the Ebola virus and then the antibodies generated within the mice’s blood were harvested to create the medicine.

However, the drug can also be produced with proteins made from tobacco plants.

ZMapp manufacturer Kentucky BioProcessing in Owensboro has been working with Samaritan’s Purse and Emory University Hospital to provide limited quantities of the drug to Emory, according to company spokesman David Howard.

4. Why did American missionary workers get the drug?

Many have asked why these two workers received the experimental drug when so many — around 1,600 — others in West Africa also have the virus.

The World Health Organization says it was not involved in the decision to treat Brantly and Writebol. Both patients had to give consent to receive the drug, knowing it had never been tested in humans before.

The process by which the medication was made available

The drug had shown promise in primates, but even in those experiments, just eight monkeys received the treatment

to the American patients may have fallen under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s “compassionate use” regulation, which allows access to investigational drugs outside clinical trials.

5. Did doctors know it would work?

No. The drug had shown promise in primates, but even in those experiments, just eight monkeys received the treatment. In any case, the human immune system can react differently than primates’, which is why drugs are

required to undergo human clinical trials before being approved by government agencies for widespread use.

The two Americans’ cases will be studied further to determine how the drug worked with their immune systems.

6. Will the drug be made available to other Ebola patients?

It’s unclear. Rolling out an untested drug during a massive outbreak would be very difficult, Doctors Without Borders said in a statement. Experimental drugs typically not mass-produced, and tracking the success of such a drug if used would require extra medical staff where resources are already scarce.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, says scientists have to be careful about assuming this drug will work in other patients as it appears to have worked in Brantly.

“Having worked with administering antibodies for people for a really long time, that would be distinctly unusual,” he told CNN. “As we all know in medicine ... you have to withhold judgment.”

7. Does the company have more vials of the drug?

The company has very few doses ready for patient use, Fauci told CNN. “(Kentucky BioProcessing) is working closely with Mapp, various government agencies, and other parties to increase production of ZMapp, but this process will take several

months,” Howard said.

8. Who paid for the drug and how much did it cost?

We don’t know. Samaritan’s Purse covered the cost of Brantly and Writebol’s evacuations but did not pay for the drug, according to a spokesman.

When a patient gets an experimental drug, the drug company can donate the product under compassionate use.

Mapp Biopharmaceutical Inc. might have done that in this case.

Health insurance companies typically do not pick up the tab for treatments that have not been approved by the FDA. But they usually would cover the cost of any doctor fees associated with giving the drug and any costs associated with monitoring how the drug is working.

9. Would this drug stop the Ebola epidemic?

If it were widely available, it certainly couldn’t hurt. An effective Ebola drug could help doctors treat the deadly virus, which is killing about 60% of the people infected in West Africa.

But a vaccine would be a much more effective tool in stopping this, and future, epidemics.

Vaccines are given to healthy people to prevent them from ever becoming infected. One challenge with Ebola, experts say, is that companies don’t believe they could make much money from developing a vaccine, so few companies show interest. *Source: CNN

PAGE 56—SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Our plan to create massive jobs in aviation industry – Onyeama

By WALE AKINOLA

Allen Onyema, a lawyer, is the founder/Chairman of Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria (FEHN), a non-governmental organization in the vanguard of promoting non-violence. A product of University of Ibadan, Onyeama has level-three certification in non-violence education from the University of Rhode Island Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, Rhode Island, USA. In this interview, he speaks on his airline project geared at creating jobs on a massive scale as well as engendering national unity. Excerpts: OU recently invested in aviation. Can you shed light on this new business outfit?

First and foremost, I am fulfilling the promise I made to God in 2003 that I would not only give him one percent of my gross earnings for evangelism but would also create massive jobs for if onl y he would come to my aid in my businesses. I knelt down and cried to him while I made the vow. I challenged God and he answered me.

That money (one percent) is never my money, it is God’s. I have an account in one of the banks referred to as God’s account. It is used for evangelism only. I have built and helped churches all over the country from this fund.

It is never used for my sake. I have helped other religious bodies from there too. So floating Air Peace is a promise I made to God towards creating massive employment for nation.

I have been a peaceful person from birth. For several years now, I have been spending so much of what God Almighty put at my disposal pursuing peace ideals from different angles. Floating Air Peace airline is part of the greater desire in me to help foster unity and peace in my nation.

All my companies have everything to do with peace because I am into peace building. Everything about me is peace, that is why I named it Air Peace because I want to use this airline to open up my country. Again, the peace of the flying public is our goal.

Their peace of mind over there in the sky is our goal. Our mission statement is to be one of the best and to provide unparalleled commercial scheduled flights and even chartered flights for Nigerians and the flying world.

When is the airline taking off and what arrangement has been made for effective take-off?

You know that aviation is highly regulated. You have to follow the rules, you have to prove to the authorities that you are ready. I mean you have to prove to the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) that you are ready.

They have to audit you and they have to make sure that you are fit to fly. We are getting there, we are getting very close. We are at the last stage. We have five phases but we are on the fourth phase now. The fifth phase is the certification itself and we are on the fourth phase now, which is flight demonstration. We have al-

Y

ready started flight demonstration. You have to demonstrate to the NCAA for 50 hours, you are not carrying passengers but only their personnel, showing them what you are capable of doing when you start operations. We have come a long way, it is over a year now.

Do you have aircraft on ground already?

We have Boeing 737-500 and Dornier 328 jets.

What is the take-off of the airline going to look like?

You know normally we have to start with local flights. Everybody is scrambling for Abuja and PortHarcourt, but we want to use this airline to open up this country.

Kebbi must be able to go to Kano.

Kano must be able to go to Enugu direct. Yola must link up with Sokoto and Kano directly. Abuja must link up with Makurdi and so does Lagos. Asaba should be able to reach PH directly and PH, Asaba. Benin should also go to PH and Abuja directly. Smaller airports shall be accessed with our Dornier jets. Warri to PH and PH to Warri must be done. PH should be able to fly to Calabar and vice versa. This design will not only open up the country for more economic activities, but would create massive employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed population of Nigeria both directly and indirectly. This is my desire, this is my conviction. We want to bring peace and unity to Nigeria because all I know in my life is

Allen Onyeama So, you have people from all over Nigeria and people, who are working in Air Peace will tell you that our recruitment policy is so transparent. And I make sure I am around, nobody asks you where you are coming from. All we want to know is your fitness for the job. We take people from all over the country to give that sense of belonging. I don’t have to populate my airline with Ibo

We want to bring peace and unity to Nigeria because all I know in my life is about peace building. So I want to use this airline to promote peace the more in this country in several other ways about peace building. So I want to use this airline to promote peace the more in this country in several other ways. One, my recruitment policy does not understand ethnicity, neither does it understand religion. I am an Ibo man but a Yoruba man is my director of flight operations, a Yoruba man is my director of safety, a Yoruba man is my IT manager, an Ibo man is quality manager, an Ibo man is my director for maintenance and engineering, a Niger Delta man is the chief pilot and a northerner is my chief accountant. I have contacted the President of Arewa Transformation and Empowerment Initiative(ATEI), Alhaji Mohammed Danjuma, to send me a shortlist of prospective employees of northern origin for all northern operations and even for the southern end too. This has been compiled already by ATEI and sent.

people just because I am an Ibo man. I want to give others a sense of belonging because I did not make my money from the Ibos alone. In a multi-cultural setting like Nigeria, we must celebrate those things that bind us together and relegate those differences of ours to the background. We don’t allow it to control our lives. So this airline’s recruitment policy is very broad, it promotes rare broad nationalism as against ethnic nationalism. So, Air Peace promotes broad nationalism.

Again, as I said earlier, we want to open up the country. There are plans to go to Makurdi, there are plans to use our Dornier jet to fly to Kebbi, there are plans for us to do Kano/Sokoto, there are plans for us to do Kano/Makurdi, there are plans for us to do Asaba/ PortHarcourt, Benin/ PortHarcourt, Warri/PortHarcourt; Taraba might have a small runway, we want to go to

there. If they have any small runway, our Dornier jet is very powerful, it has short runway capability. We want to go to Gombe, not just Abuja/Gombe alone, there are people from Gombe, who may want to go to Sokoto.

We want to open up places, we want to go to places that other operators are not venturing to go to. This pioneering initiative will boost the economy of this country. The moment you start opening up the entire nation, it will help business, it will breed unity.

Is that the way you want to be different from other operators?

No. Another area where we want to be different from other operators is safety. We have zero tolerance for unsafe practices in Air Peace and that is why we make sure that our aircraft are well maintained. We bought our Donier jets from Europe, we bought our Boeing jets from America and we make sure in conducting the tests and maintenance of our aircraft, everything was employed to make sure we had the best. You can imagine, our aircraft flew for 18 hours from United States to Nigeria, no snag, no defect and that is unusual. Besides that, Nigeria should start to ask questions from the airlines, who maintains your fleet? It is all about maintenance. In America, they use 60-year old planes, no issues, it is all about maintenance.

For us, we brought in BCT Aviation Maintanance Company from United Kingdom. They are a major maintenance organization in the UK and provide these services to several major airlines of the world. Just as one of our competitors is using Germans, we are using the British and they are here 24/7, maintaining these planes. If they do not sign any aircraft for operation every morning, that aircraft does not go into the sky. So, they must certify every aircraft before it goes into the sky every morning. Those are the things we want to do and again, we want motivated staff.

One thing we have noticed in Nigeria is that most of the airlines’ staff are always grumbling be-

cause of non-payment of salary.

We want to motivate our staff. I will run this airline the way I run my other businesses. My staff in all my businesses take my business as their own. AIR PEACE SHALL BE SHARING PROFIT WITH STAFF ! I am going to run the South West Airline of America model. AirPeace will be declaring periodic bonuses as long as we are making it to trickle down. Every staff will see the airline as his own and protect it. This ensures safety more than anything.

What motivated you to invest in aviation?

I think I am one of those people, who are public spirit-driven.

What that means is that I think of how to help. How do I help the unemployed and how do I help my country? I am not being boastful but my track record speaks about that disposition for me. If you look at the things I have done in the past and I am still doing, you will discover that I am an example of one of those who asked themselves, what can I do for my country? I remember in 2003, I asked myself this question, how do I arrest the incidence of ethnicity, incidence of violence in my country, especially in the Niger Delta and the North?

To this end, I decided to do it myself. I ran round the 36 states of Nigeria and did this thing solely on my own, I was not thinking of getting money. There was a time I discovered that I was spending a lot of my resources on seeking peace and doing peace building and most of my businesses were suffering. At a time also, I asked myself, how do I help in restoring peace in the Niger Delta?

And that led me to go to University of Rhode Island in United States, I contacted the King’s Centre in Atlanta, I contacted Dr. Bernard Lafayette (Jnr.) and I asked him to come down to train my staff. We expended several millions in doing this, I funded them solely. In 2004, after the training, I went into the trenches, bringing people out and training them, transforming them. That is a good example of what can I do for my country? It was later Shell noticed that there was this man, who has a foundation, Foundation for Ethnic Harmony in Nigeria, that I was doing a lot all over the country and they contacted me to help in training and transforming youths from their host communities.

And from then, there was no stopping me, Chevron saw what we were doing and keyed into my programme; in fact, the international community noticed me before the Federal Government of Nigeria noticed me and, before you know it, there was nonviolence education everywhere. I introduced non-violence education into Nigeria for the first time. We also transformed the Niger Delta militants. I have paid my dues. I answered what motivated me earlier here.

How do you assess the transformation agenda of Jonathan’s administration in the aviation industry?

This administration has performed excellently in the aviation industry. The government of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has done what no other government has done in this country in promoting the wellbeing of the aviation industry.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 57

sameyoboka@yahoo.com

08023145567 (sms only)

Frills, thrills of RCCG's 62nd Convention

BY SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA

M

adam Nnenna left her fam ily home in Sagamu, Ogun State about 1.00 p.m. last Monday for the Redemption Camp with two hefty bags containing N40,000 worth of ground nuts and pop corn. Though the population in the camp on that first day of the 62nd annual convention of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG was still minimal, the fair complexioned Abia State-born woman had already sold out her first batch of epa ati guguru and was preparing to return to Sagamu by Tuesday afternoon for another consignment.

When asked how such strenuous petty trade could sustain her family, she replied: “I dey manage feed my children from this business. My daughter just finished school and has been posted to Kwara for youth service. Una, na God dey help poor widow like me. Before the end of the convention on Sunday, by God’s grace, I go get small thing.”

Sunday Vanguard’s checks revealed that Mama Nnenna is not alone in this. Several men, women, boys and girls come all the way from Ibadan, Abeokuta, Ijebu Ode and other adjoining towns to trade in various wares.

Our correspondents also discovered that landlords in neighboring communities including Gbegira, Mowe, Ogijo, and several settlements just surrounding the sprawling Redemption Camp have also devised new methods of making brisk business during major spiritual programmes at the camp. They let out parts of their homes to participants for the duration of the national events for a token fee.

Church conventions, like the annual general meeting of blue chip companies, are an opportunity to take stock of the fading year and prepare for the challenges of the coming year.

RCCG has grown by leaps and bounds with more than 32,036 parishes in Nigeria alone and branches in over 180 countries of the world.

General Overseer of the church and former mathematics lecturer at both the University of Lagos and that of Ilorin, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye, described as an inveterate soul winner announced that 507,472 souls were won in the year ending August 2014 as against 332,800 souls the previous year and as a result of phenomenal growth, the church had created six new regions in Nigeria taking the total regions to 24. Similarly, 28 new provinces were created.

He also announced changes in the foreign outposts of the church culminating in the restructuring of some of them: Europe has been divided into three regions with headquarters in Holland, Spain and Sweden respectively. North America has also been divided into: Canada—one region and USA now has five regions. UK has been divided into four regions, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England.

The church has also made appreciable impact in Asia/Middle East which is now further divided into Malaysia and United Arab Emirates.

To cope with the astronomical growth, the church has also increased its man power by ordaining a total of

Pastor Enoch Adeboye 12,182 officers including 8,622 deacons/deaconesses, 2,435 assistant pastors and will today ordain 1,125 full pastors at the closing ceremony. In addition to this figures, a total of 6,374 persons graduated from the Redeemers Christian Bible College, the church’s prime manpower development centre.

Adeboye also announced some changes in the membership of the church’s 8-member governing council, saying that two members who retired at the age of 70, were replaced

by Pastor Johnson Funso Odesola and Pastor Remi Akintunde. Similarly, the number of special assistants to the General Overseer has been increased from 12 to 19 just as the church had established a new World advisory council expected to meet once a year in December to give proposals for the consideration of the governing council. Members include all former members of the governing council and all

The number of babies delivered during this year’s convention has also surpassed the figure of last year. Whereas 72 babies were born between Monday and Friday of the previous convention, Pastor Adeboye announced on Friday night that 87 babies had been born during the ongoing convention special assistants.

If he had his way, the General Overseer would have loved to have a minimum of 12 biological children be-

cause children are dear to his heart, and hence he delight in praying for women in search of fruits of the womb and he turned 70 he asked God for a special birthday gift: 70,000 babies in the church. The number of babies delivered during this year’s convention has also surpassed the figure of last year. Whereas 72 babies were born between Monday and Friday of the previous convention, Pastor Adeboye announced on Friday night that 87 babies had been born during the ongoing convention.

Reeling the reports, the General Overseer also gave reason why this year’s convention could not hold at the proposed three kilometre auditorium as promised last year, “it is because of several facts which I would not mention here now because it could cause some people some embarrassment. But we will hold next year convention in our new auditorium.”

According to him, less than 10 per cent of the people made pledges towards the construction had redeemed their pledges, rejoicing however, that there were no rains Friday. “We thank God that there was no rain today.

Where would we haven put the thousands of people on the roads to night.

This is in spite of the fact that we told our brothers and sisters from the West African coast to stay away. Otherwise, we would have had a serious problem of accommodation,” he stated, appealing to those who are yet to redeem their pledges and those who are yet to make any pledge to do so.

As expected in such programmes, there were very stunning testimonies by members. Mrs Christy Aigbogun of Delta Province, Warri was married in 1994 and had been believing God for a fruit of the womb since then. According to her, when she came to last year ’s convention, she had Daddy G.O. making a prophetic utterance, saying there is a woman here, people have pronounced you barren, but Daddy say I should tell you that those who are mocking you now will come and rejoice with you. To God be the glory, in April this year, God decided to wipe my tears with a baby boy.”

Adeboye launches new network platform

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he Redeemed Christian Church of God Thursday night joined the elite club when it launched a new network platform to be known as bredeemed.com. With the new platform, the General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, said people with genuine desires can now reach him with their prayer requests.

Pastor Adeboye who expressed delight at the launch of the platform, said it is open to all those who are interested in following him, listen to his past and present messages, send prayer requests among others. According to him, apart from being an effective evangelism tool, the platform will put an end to those who specialize in cloning him and his wife to defraud unsuspecting members of the society.

“Through bredeemed.com one can follow me, read messages, have access to past events of the church, send prayer points, preach the word worldwide. Also I know those who have

been cloning me and my wife for donations which I know nothing about, will cease to do that,” he said after a

brief demonstration of the platform on the large television screens in the auditorium.

TREM ends annual conference

BY OLAYINKA LATONA

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ITH a sense of fulfillment, members of the The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), Lagos zone 11 zonal headquarters recently ended its annual Rehoboth conference theme: “From glory to glory”.

Addressing journalists after the programme, the host and Senior Pastor of TREMVIC, Rev. Tony Samson, described the programme as awesome and a time of spiritual rejuvenation, adding that the annual conference which coincided with the one year anniversary of the church, was conceived through the inspiration of Holy Spirit.

Rev Samson said: “We are always like a project in God’s hand. But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.

The four-day conference has really

touched vital areas that will move the participants from glory to glory”.

Delivering a prophetic message themed: “Behold another level of glory”, Bishop of TREM, Abeokuta, and the church’s South-West coordinator, Reuben Oke, admonished the congregation to be expectant of God’s glory, keep working and serving God notwithstanding the challenges they maybe facing.

Chairman, planning committee of Rehoboth 2014, Brother Chidi Anosike thanked members of the committee for the success of the programme, adding: “Though it was a daunting task and challenging but it was something the team did with joy.

The Youth Praise Jam featured Minster Vivien, Just For Christ, Obus Zalee, Efe Nathan, Henri Soul, NOSA and Pastor Kunle Ajayi. The climax of the fiesta was the presentation of cash to a widow in the church.

PAGE 58 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 57

Therefore, Jesus warns us to count the cost before deciding to follow him: “No one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings- and then renounces them all for me.” (Luke 14:33).

M

Of course, the preferred gospel is the one Paul preached.

It is the commercial gospel, tailor-made for lovers of life.

It is enamoured by those who desire salvation but are not inclined to meet its costs. But don’t buy the lie. Paul’s gospel cannot save. Jesus is our Lord and Saviour.

Gospel imperatives At the centre of Jesus’ gospel is the need for sinners to repent. Jesus says: “‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:13). But Paul disagrees. He says: “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” (Romans 11:29). Furthermore, he bases his gospel on sacrifice.

Hear him: “Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

The gospel of the kingdom requires that we yearn for the righteousness of God. Jesus says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6). However, righteousness is not a prerequisite in Paul’s gospel.

Instead, he reassures sinners nonsensically that God justifies the ungodly: “To the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5).

In Jesus’ gospel, the righteous are rewarded with eternal life. (Matthew 25:46).

Jesus says: “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”

(Matthew 13:43). However, in Paul’s gospel: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Ro-

A TALE OF TWO CONTRADICTORY GOSPELS mans 3:10). Therefore, Paul says: “(Righteousness) shall be imputed to us who believe in him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead.” (Romans 4:24).

The gospel of a kingdom not of this world is bad news to the rich of this world. Jesus says: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24). But Paul’s gospel of grace is about our becoming rich in this world: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Faith with works Jesus’ gospel requires us to become God’s children by doing God’s works. Jesus says: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45). “Those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (John 5:29).

However, Paul’s gospel is about faith without works. He says: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faithand this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

In Jesus’ gospel, we determine our salvation. His cardinal kingdom principle makes salvation entirely our responsibility. Jesus warns:

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OST Christians are unaware that the gospel Jesus preached is contradicted by Paul. The gospel of Jesus is bittersweet; presenting great challenges to believers. Paul’s gospel is “sugar and spice and all things nice;” offering few challenges.

Cost of salvation

The true gospel empties the churches; while the false gospel fills them

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“Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25). He says elsewhere: “With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Mark 4:24).

With Jesus, forgiveness comes as we readily forgive all our offenders. Jesus says: “If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

(Matthew 6:14-15). But with Paul, forgiveness comes without preconditions; it is the grace of God: “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ.

He forgave all our sins.” (Colossians 2:13).

But in Paul’s gospel, salvation is God’s responsibility; we are predestined to salvation. Paul’s says: “Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son… And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified.” (Romans 8:2930). This clearly contradicts Jesus position that: “Many are called but few are chosen.”

(Matthew 22:14).

With Jesus, freedom from sin comes as we follow his word. Jesus says: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:3132). But with Paul, Christians are automatically free from sin because we died with Christ: “Our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin- because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7).

With Jesus, we carry our crosses ourselves. Jesus says: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mark 8:34). However, with Paul, Jesus allegedly carried our crosses for us in that we were crucified with him. Paul says: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20).

Paul says: “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23).

But according to Jesus, eternal life is not God’s gift at all; it comes at great cost. Jesus says: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29).

House on the Rock dedicates The Citadel & TTowers owers

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OUSE on the Rock, The Refuge Abuja will cele brate 15 years of existence in the Capital City with a three-day event from September 5-7, 2014. Several activities have been lined up to mark the occasion. The ministry, which started September 5, 1999, with a handful of people, is today a vibrant and growing congregation of about 3,000 members.

Highlight of the event will be the Opening & Inauguration of the Citadel & Towers as a Center for National Transformation, an avenue through which the church will discharge her social responsibility obligations to the Capital City and nation in fulfillment of her national transformation mandate on September 6 at 10 a.m.

A press statement signed by the Director of Administration, Pastor Edbert Abebe, said the opening of the centre will be followed by the dedication of the Worship Centre of the Citadel on Sunday, September 7 by the Senior Pastor & Metropolitan of House on the Rock Churches, Pastor Paul Adefarasin, alongside other great men of God. In addition, the music group of the church, the renowned Te-

hillah Company will on Sunday evening after the dedication, host a live concert to commemorate the launch of her third album. Featuring in the live con-

cert would be other anointed psalmists such as Micah Stampley (USA), Angella Christie (USA), Kingsley Ike, Frank Edwards and others.

Catholics protest Boko Haram activities

By Akpokona Omafuaire

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HE Knights and Ladies of St. Mulumba Ugboriko ko Sub-Council of the Catholic Church embarked on a walk of life in Warri, Delta State to protest activities of the Boko Haram, corruption and other social vices.

The protesters marched through Edjeba brandishing various placards with inscriptions saying, “No to ritual killings and Boko Haram activities”, “Say no to political and religious intolerance”, “Say no to abortion”, “Say no to hard drugs.”

Dr. Nicholas Aduba who led several members in the walk

said, “We are worried about the level evils have reached in our nation. We call on Boko Haram to release the Chibok girls. Abortion is murder, we condemn it.”

Relatedly, the group has also taken its effort to sanitize and restore moral values to schools with a view to attaining a corrupt free society.

This was revealed during a oneday 2014 profile campaign lecture tagged; “The Health Challenges of the Adolescent” held at the St. Anthony Group of Schools, Ugborikoko.

Dr. Nicholas Aduba while speaking said that the psychological changes in the male child at adolescent are becoming more adventurous with attraction towards the opposite sex.

By Olayinka Latona

I

N fulfilment of a mandate to preach the salvation message to every soul, Assemblies of God Church, Ajegunle branch recently embarked on a mission ministry programme.

Outlining the importance of mission week to the Assemblies of God Church, the officiating minister, Rev Onyedirim Dickson explained that it was time to encourage members to intensify soul winning.

In his words: “It is a time to remind members about the assignment Jesus Christ gave to the church to go out and preach the gospel starting from Jerusalem to the outmost part of the earth. We also encourage missionaries financially.”

In a sermon titled: “Grace to use the gifts”, Rev Dickson implored the church to teach the sound doctrine of the Kingdom of God, even as he called for peaceful co-existence among different ethnic and cultural groups, saying, “Jesus is the prince of peace and Christians

Everlasting gospel Some maintain Paul’s gospel of grace is a post-resurrection dispensational replacement for Jesus’ gospel of the kingdom. However, Jesus confirms no such replacement. Instead he says: “This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14). Jesus does not introduce Paul’s doctrine of bloodatonement on his resurrection.

His directive remains that “ repentance and forgiveness of sins” should be preached in his name.” (Luke 24:47).

In Acts, Peter does not associate Jesus’ death with the atonement of sins. (Acts 2:3743). He says the righteousness of God comes by works.

(Acts 10:34-35). But Paul says Christians automatically become new creatures: “old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

In effect, Paul’s gospel is false. It merely tests those who would embrace Jesus’ gospel.

Jesus’ gospel offers a narrow gate and a difficult way that leads to life; while Paul’s gospel offers a wide gate and a broad way that leads to destruction. (Matthew 7:13-14).

Accordingly, the true gospel empties the churches; while the false gospel fills them.

Christians must reject Paul’s enticing gospel. John warns: “Whoever does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him.”

(2 John 1:9-10).

Assemblies of God Church holds mission’s week are called to pursue peace”.

He also called for intense prayers to save the nation and leaders in authority, warning that since the church is the agent of “change, Godliness and transformation”, any nation without God is only waiting for destruction.

CHRIST BAPTIST CHURCH HOLDS 2014 OPERATION PUSH Christ Baptist Church, Alimosho will today commence her annual operation PUSH programme with the theme; ‘POWER AS OF OLD’’ and will end on August 23.

The Senior Pastor of the church, Rev Sunday Adeyemo said the programme starts at 10.00 p.m. till 3.00 a.m. daily with Prophet Adetuberu of CAC, Akute, Rev Sunday Oduola of Overcomers Baptist Church, ,Ejigbo and Brother Wilson Balogun of Foursquare Gospel Church, Ejigbo are expected at the programme.

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014 — PAGE 59 japhdave@yahoo.com 08066625505

Ex-PMAN boss sets up clinic for ailing ar tis s artis tisttes, other others

By IKENNA ASOMBA MUSIC

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n what appears to be like giving back the society and coupled by the countless number of health-related ailments leading to the untimely death of several artistes in the country, former President, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and Founder of Gaurapad Charities (GC), Bolaji Rosiji, last Thursday, disclosed that the foundation has now put in place a charitable hospital, at Magodo area of Lagos State, where artistes could be diagnosed and treated without spending more than 15 per cent of prevailing health costs.

Speaking at Gaurapad Loyalty Award, where prizes worth over N100 million, including a new Ford Edge Jeep, and a trip to New York, Paris and Dubai were given to outstanding and efficient volunteers and partners, Rosiji said:

facilities wouldn’t have been provided. “We have indeed grown in size and resources. Currently, we have over 30, 000 people working on the Guarapad platform, who are helping us to distribute our very powerful transdermal herbal products. So, it is providing funds to support our charity programmes and also the products are highly effective, that they help address people’s desperate health issues. So, we are happy we are getting that results.

Look, a lot of members here are not just here for the money, but the joy they get when somebody comes back to say, look, I am free of fibroid, I am free of malaria after using your products. Those are the things that inspire them to do more,” he said. dding that “We are given 110 per cent of the proceeds from our charity, because we strongly believe that when you give a 100 per cent, that means you are given all that you have, but if you give a 110 per cent, that means you are given all that you are. Look God is too much, so if you want to serve him, you have to be too much. Nigerians out there should take advantage of this Guarapad platform to holistically build their lives, their family lives, financial security, health and psychological security. These are the things that we stand for.”

On his part, Dr. Daniel Famutimi, a member of the foundation said: “Our products are not oral, but placed on the skin. We are transdermal specialists and we employ multilevel marketing to distribute them. To date, we have registered over 30, 000 members in Nigeria and have empowered many unemployed youths, widows and the less privileged.

A

•Bolaji Rosiji, ex PMAN boss on a rescue mission turnout.

“This cause has helped us to do a lot that Nigerians will enjoy. We have constructed the Guarapad Research

We are starting with our immediate constituency , the Nigerian artistes; we are pained on how so many of our artistes , actors and actresses are dying of diseases that are avoidable

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Centre at Magodo, Lagos. Due to the hard work of all our members and partners out there, we have been able to finance and purchase equipments for this charitable hospital. This hospital is a large facility built a couple of years ago. To kick-off now that facilities have been put in place, we are starting with our immediate

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“Today, we are celebrating all the members of Guarapad Foundation who have been doing wonderfully contributing to the cause of this charity.

They have come from far and near, including neighbouring countries like Ghana. We were expecting 300 people, but looking at the crowd, there are over 750 present. So, we are happy for the

constituency, the Nigerian artistes.

We are pained on how so many of our artistes, actors and actresses are dying of diseases that are avoidable.

Just recently we lost Keffi, before that, we lost so many others, and even currently, we have so many others that are not doing so well health-wise. So, we definitely have to reach to these others before it’s too late. If this is happening to the artiste community, what about the common man on the street. So, we are going to start with the artiste, then later open up to the larger community of Nigerians out there.” peaking further he pointed that without the efforts of its volunteers and partners that are being celebrated, the clinical

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Intrigues, suspense pervade as Taste of love hit Nigeria TV

By CHRIS ONUOHA DRAMA

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VER noticeable is the trend of soap watching habit of people especially when the brand is new. This is what Soap movie lover’s will be treated to as the latest entrant in the soap movie industry, “Telemundo”, a popular wide viewed soap series from Latin America and Eastern Europe that has dominated interest of viewers for some time is set to hit the waves with intrigues, suspense and eccentric romantic exploits.

Recall the period when Asian movies dominated our interest and view centers with Chinese Kunfu, Indian culture imbued movies, down to our own indigenous soaps that gave birth to Nollywood.

Cultural film The trend transcends but one noticeable attitude is the ever seemingly crave for foreign soaps which though, was facilitated by international cultural film exchange, gained ground and become the rave of the moment.

“Telemundo” drama series is unique with simplified English language that has wide global acceptance, but the set, characters and storyline depicts a peculiar culture of the source of origin “Latin America”. Despite the huge interest, the missing endearing factor is the absent of an African cultural touch to it. Similar Drama Series existed here and still on run but the approach and cast pattern seems stereotyped.

These are the reasons why a Nigerian leading production, content acquisition

and distribution company “Micromedia fast rising Nollywood stars. The Marketing Limited” is making history by production crew consists of the embarking on a re-engineering project Micromedia seasoned profesto bring back home, that which we can sional with Aron as the Superidentify and call our own hence, the first vising Producer. The equipever Nigerian Telenovela Drama Series ments are up to date digital gadtitled “Taste of Love”, billed to hit the Nigets. Also the locations are well geria terrestrial TV waves from October chosen for its ambience, hospi2014. tality velopment.

Telenovela is made with the adaptation In her words, “The and format from Latin American Romance Organisation’s main objective Novel produced and adapted locally for is to replicate the Global Prothe Nigerian Television Audience. The duction Accustom and Success love series which has 150 episodes in its of the Latin American Genre of 1st Season tales between three major Drama within the Nigerian Profamilies and two love birds: ‘Hadiza and duction, Entertainment and Kelechi’, children of two rival sugarcane Media Landscape. Thus, pio‘growing’ families who are separated by neering an Emerging Productheir families past and will have to overtion Model that is set to Revocome unforeseen obstacles to truly be tolutionise the delivery of Qualgether. ity, Compelling and Suspense“Taste of Love”, sets within the historical filled Drama with a Begin/End Military Era of the 90s in the history of Story Template to the Nigerian Nigeria and portrays the wealth of our TV Audience. Some of the casts culture, supremacy and domination. Not expressed their optimism on •Hadiza and Kelechi in a passinate mood in a scene the success of the project. Kunle only it goes beyond love, intrigue and from the new drama series, Taste of Love suspense, it depicts the Friendship, BeCoker who is playing the role Dada, Blossom of Jonathan Pepple said that, it is an Taste of love sets within the historical C h u k - exciting experience to be part of the cast. u j e k w u , According to him, “In Taste of Love”, military era of the 90s and portrays w Makida Moka you are allowed to bring out your crethe wealth of our culture, supremacy G a b r i e l ativity, express yourself in an indigenous Afolayan and original form and speak in a non phoand domination hosts of other netized tone without stereotyped forand Kelechi who seems not to bulge in mat. trayal and Hatred amongst the Rival quest to actualize their dreams of living “Taste of Love” is shot on locations set families; Ibrahim Musa-Phillips and in Ilorin, Ibadan and Lagos with an estogether.

Jonathan Pepple. In the story, Musa-Philtimated 250 episode in all. The first seaFeaturing in this series are notable Nollips is convinced that Jonathan Pepple lywood icons; Ayo Lijadu, Kunle Coker, son has 150 episodes and will start airhas betrayed him and caused the death Paul Adams, Wale Macaulay, Femi ing on Terrestrial, Cable, Satellite, Digiof his wife Maria. The ensuing feud is Brainard, Mofe Duncan Omowunmi tal and Mobile TV in October 2014. fueled by the love affair between Hadiza

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PAGE 60 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2014

BY VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

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HE appointment of General Secretary is a major highlight of the National Administrative Council (NAC) and Central Working Committee, CWC, meeting of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, scheduled to hold on Wednesday and Thursday respectively at Enugu, Enugu State.

Article 9 of NLC Constitution says the NAC is made up of 18 elected officers led by the President of the Congress, all heads of departments, the General Secretary and the deputy General Secretaries. The CWC is inclusive of all NAC members and the Presidents and General Secretaries of the 42 industrial unions affiliated to the NLC and it is often presided over by the NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar.

Since the retirement of the third substantive General Secretary, John Odah, the Congress Secretariat had been run by acting General Secretaries, namely Owei Lakemfa (who had since become the Secretary General of Organisation of African Trade Union Unity OATUU) and Chris Uyot, the current acting General Secretary.

Despite the controversy over the attempt to reduce the powers of the General Secretary of the Congress through controversial constitutional amendments, the secretariat remains the “engine room” and the “brain box” of any industrial union and any labour centre in the world like the NLC. In its 36 years of existence, NLC has paraded notable elected five Presidents (Hassan Sunmonu, Ali Chiroma, Paschal Bafyau, Adams Oshimhole and the current Abdulwaheed Omar).

Conversely, NLC had had three substantive appointed full time General Secretaries (pioneer Aliyu Dangiwa, the late Lasisi Osunde and John Odah).

Unions are generally driven by elected Presidents who are entitled to two terms popularly referred to as part time officers, PTOs, and appointed General Secretaries popularly referred to as full time officers, FTOs. Well known General Secretaries of the industrial unions include retired comrade SOZ Ejiofor of the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporation, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees, AUPCTRE, and Chief Frank Ovie Kokori of June 12 fame and who was the high profile General Secretary of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas N U P E N G .

Some unions and labour centres elect their secretaries while some labour centres such as NLC appoint them with tenure based on civil service rules of age and length of service. The appointed General Secretary is the head of the national secretariat.

He or she confers with the President in discharging his or her responsibilities and prepares for the critical organ meetings of the Congress, namely NAC, CWC and National Executive Council, NEC, through documentations and policy papers. GSs are also the faces of the unions.

Since the exit of Odah, as GS, the brain box (Secretariat) of the NLC has practically gone from bad to worse.

In fact, currently, the secretariat is without direction, focus, commitment and determination to fight for or defend workers’ rights.

The Nigerian workers no longer feel the positive impact of NLC because the secretariat lacks leadership despite possessing very competent staff. To the average Nigerian worker, the NLC is no longer relevant to him or her. He or she is practically alone in the face of

Before NLC appoints Secretary General

•NLC President, Abdulwaheed Omar

There is no doubt that NLC needs a fresh blood, a gogetter, who knows his or her onion and what it takes to lead a central labour organization that stands up for the Nigerian workers and masses casualisation, outsourcing, retrenchment, privatization among other anti-labour policies and practices of government and employers.

There is no doubt that NLC needs a fresh blood, a go-getter, who knows his or her onion and what it takes to lead a central labour organization that stands up for the Nigerian workers and masses, and not one who has allowed the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, to be the driving force.

Leaders of NLC must have realized the dire need for a change that, in April, the Congress put up an internal advertisement for the position of the General Secretary.

The internal advertisement, Sunday Vanguard gathered, was proposed by the Establishment Committee of the NLC as a vote of no confidence in the current headship of the secretariat.

The internal advertisement has attracted two new applicants namely: Dr Peter Oso Eson, Chief Economist of the Congress, and Comrade Issa Aremu, one of the Vice Presidents and the current General Secretary of a vibrant private sector union, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUTGTWN).

According to the advertisement, those “who wish to apply for this post (of General Secretary) are expected to either be a “... suitable and qualified Deputy General Secretary of Congress who has shown manifest vocation for the post and inspirational collective/leadership attributes and team work; or A suitable officer of the rank of General Secretary of an affiliate

•Owei Lakemfa

union with proven vocation, skill and knowledge with cognate experience of not less than five years on the post, provided s(he) has the requisite qualification that includes .....commitment to appropriate social and political orientation consistent with the Labour Movement”.

In addition, applicants must have minimum academic qualification of first degree/HND in any discipline (with additional academic qualifications as advantage) and have minimum age of 45 years.

At the close of the time frame for application, Uyot, Eson, and Aremu were the contenders.

Uyot His major selling point is that he is the acting General Secretary of NLC, a position he assumed in 2012 after the exit of Lakemfa.

A graduate of Mass Communication, Uyot is said to have joined the Congress in 1988 and had headed the information department, among others, before his appointment as Acting General Secretary.

Ordinarily, he should have been confirmed. But that the position was advertised speaks volumes.

Under his headship of the NLC secretariat, the secretariat has not only lost its appeal, but NLC also went to sleep. Lately and increasingly, social partners and allies alike are accusing NLC of lacking focus and even lacking loud voice to represent the working people in the world of work and in the lager society.

Even many affiliate unions believe the secretariat no longer identifies with their struggles and pains. Some people argued that probably because he never worked with any industrial union, he finds it difficult to understand appreciate their pains and struggles. Most successive General Secretaries come from the ranks of the unions having participated in the struggles of the workers for better working conditions and relating with social partners like employers and governments alike.

Eson His greatest asset is educational qualification and his vast experience as a university lecturer before retirement. He equally worked briefly (on a one year sabbatical) with NUTGTWN as an Education and Training Officer and later a Research officer under Comrade Adams Oshiomhole who was the then General Secretary of NUTGTWN.

However, going be advertised criteria, it is surprising that Eson was an applicant who also attended the interview date held on Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

He is neither a line union staff nor a General Secretary of any industrial union besides his brief stint with NUTGTWN. His candidature is a departure from the global labour norm because he is neither a Deputy General Secretary of the NLC nor a serving General Secretary of any affiliate union of the Congress.

Indeed he is the Chief Economist of the NLC who is a consulting staff on consolidated pay that is higher than that of the General Secretary.

Another area of concern is that Eson is a retired university lecturer whose age is well above the average in the labour movement that demands energy, commitment, mobility and drive in the wake of worsening working/labour market conditions with attendant strikes and work stoppages.

Concerned labour leaders have complained that since Eson’s appointment, there has not been any significant value addition in terms of alternative voice of the Congress on the economy. With wholesale privatization, de-industrialization and mass job losses, the Chief Economist is accused of not initiating policy ideas that would assist the industrial unions to protect industry and jobs.

The most challenging is the oil and gas sector, where casualization has become the preferred policy of the International Oil Companies, IOCs. No serious economic ideas have been generated by the Congress to assist the struggles of the affiliate union, NUPENG, for example. Even the annual labour’s critical assessment of the annual budgets is lacking.

Recently too, Federal Government pensioners under the auspices of the Association of Retired Senior Public Officers of Nigeria, ARFESPON, protested a cut in their pensions arising from the report of the Presidential Technical Committee on the Review of the Federal Public Service Pensions. The association in particular criticized the NLC represented on the Committee by Eson for not living up to expectations and allowing impunity and total disregard of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution with regard to pension administration in Nigeria.

Aremu His selling points include his educational qualifications,

experience, among others.

Aremu is a member of the National Institute as NLC candidate participant for Senior Executive Course, SEC, 27 in 2005.

He has master’s degree in labour studies at the prestigious Institute for Social Studies (ISS), The Hague, Netherlands, also attended by successful General Secretaries like Ejiofor and Frank Kokori.

Apart from his labour related academic qualifications, Aremu exhibits decades of experience in industrial and national negotiations, conflict resolutions, organizing the unorganized, defense of workers’ rights and policy advocacy that has led to revival of some closed textile mills. Some of his previously held trade union positions include, Head, Economics/Research Department, NLC, Organising Secretary/ Research Officer, NUTGTWN, Assistant General Secretary (Research), NUTGTWN, Senior Assistant General Secretary, Education/Research Department, NUTGTWN, Deputy General Secretary, NUTGTWN and the General Secretary of the same union since March 31 2008 till date.

Some of his international labour work include Africa Industrialization Day (AID), November 20th every year, Global Action against precarious work, Monday, October 7, 2013, which resulted to unionization of some factories in Lagos notably Dura Pack and Majestic PP Woven Sack Ltd and revival of Nigeria’s participation in the ILO Conference.

Aremu has been elected to the Executive Board of IndustriALL Global Union with Headquarters in Brussels as well as election as Chairman Sub-Saharan Africa Region, IndustriALL Global Union that has 50 million workers members world wide. He is also a Member, National Labour Advisory Committee (NLAC) and Chairman, International Committee, NLC. He was member of Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage, 2000 and 2009-2010.

Aremu undoubtedly has the requisite commitment, skills, experience, competence, energy and capability to effectively and efficiently serve as the substantive General Secretary of Congress.

Having worked with many Presidents of his union as well as all Presidents of the NLC since inception, he is also expected to cement the necessary relationship between the full-time officers (FTOs) and elected part time officers (PTOs).

The concerned among some secretariat staff that the discipline and the drive Aremu might bring to the secretariat will not be business as usual for some of them who many workers and unionists have observed add little value to the Congress’ efforts and the struggle of affiliate unions to defend the conditions of the working people.

But whether this unfounded and unjustifiable fear has anything to do with his suitability for the job, is the challenge for the NLC leadership to determine.

Though the ultimate decision of appointing the substantive General Secretary of NLC lies in with the leaders of Congress who will definitely decide whether they want NLC to continue be in limbo, lacking the respect of workers, the masses, government and private sector employers, or an NLC that is well respected by all stakeholders, the choice is that of NLC.

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014, PAGE 61

Aluko can be Hull’s saviour, says coach H

ULL City coach Steve Bruce is wishing that top striker Sone Aluko stay fit and alive in the 2015 season as he was crucial to the club’s domestic and continental campaigns.

Aluko came off the bench to grabbed a late winner with a volley from six yards to send Hull to the next round of the Europa League at the expense of Slovakia’s AS Trencin on Thursday night.

“Sone has looked the best I’ve seen him in seven years, physically.

“He pulled up in training a couple of days ago and was a little bit stiff with all the work he’s done so I’m delighted that he’s been able to score a goal.

“We all know - the people of Hull who’ve seen him - that’s he got terrific ability so let’s hope he stays injury-free because he’s going to be a big player for us if he does.”

Aluko’s two years with the Tigers have been plagued by a sequence of Achilles problems, limiting him to 32 league starts

Looking for Goals... Sone Aluko regaining confidence at Hull City. since his arrival in 2012.

Promising signs came in the final months of last term when the 25-year-old returned to action and those foundations have been built upon with a bright start to pre-season.

“He’s worked extremely hard

all summer. He’s not had much time off.

He worked in a training camp that we set up for him (in Portugal) and it was vitally important both for him. “There’s no kid gloves anymore. Touch wood, he looks as good as I’ve

seen him. I’ve known him a long time and he looks great at the moment.

“We just have to hope it stays that way because we all know what he’s capable of.”

Ramsey wants Arsenal captain band A

ARON Ramsey wants to become Arsenal’s next captain as Thomas Vermaelen looks good to end his ‘frustrating’ time at the club.

Manager Arsene Wenger has admitted it would be difficult to keep Vermaelen at the Emirates this is just as Barcelona agreed a $30m fee for the Belgian defender. Manchester United had wanted the wanted Vermaelen.

Vermaelen lost his place in the first team last season as Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker formed a strong partnership at the heart of the Arsenal defence.

Mikel Arteta is in the frame to be made permanent skipper as the Spaniard is currently the club’s vice-captain.

Ramsey, though, says if

...As Barcelona move for Vermaelen

Feeling Free... Arron Ramsey wants to shoulder Gunners responsibility.

Wenger asked him to wear the armband for the FA Cup

winners he would have no hesitation in accepting.

Sturridge can make the difference for Liverpool out there and prove to everyone all the players that have gone in the — Fowler what we already know: that he’s a past – great players – and they’ve

R

OBBIE Fowler is backing Daniel Sturridge to shine as Liverpool’s main striker this season following the exit of Luis Suárez. The 24-year-old scored 21 goals and made seven assists in 29 Premier League games for the Reds last season as he impressed alongside Suárez for the Merseyside club.

And Liverpool legend Fowler believes that the England international will relish his chance in the limelight following the Uruguayan’s sale to Barcelona.

“He’s got that chance now, to go

great player,” Fowler told Liverpoolfc.com.

“We know he’s been a shining light since he’s been here, but now he’s got even more of a chance.”

Fowler also backed the Reds to cope without Suárez, who scored 31 goals in 33 Premier League games last term.

“He’s a great player, but no-one’s bigger than the club and we all know and accept that,” Fowler said. “We all know he’s a phenomenal player, but Liverpool as a club, they just go on. Think of

always adapted and gone on to do well.”

•Daniel Sturridge...Stepping up

“To captain a club like Arsenal would be an amazing achievement,” said Ramsey, who was captain of his nation Wales between March 2011 and October 2012.

“I’m probably like the rest of the players as I wouldn’t turn down the chance of being that.”

Ramsey added that Vermaelen would be a “big loss” for Arsenal if he exits the club this summer.

“He’s a fantastic player and he’s a good friend of mine also.

Obviously if it does happen it would be a big loss to us.

“He’s a top, top player, but also he’s been a bit frustrated over the last year especially where he hasn’t had the minutes he would have wanted. You can probably understand his frustrations.

But if that was to happen it would be a big loss to us.”

Wenger was said to be unlikely to let Vermaelen go to Old Trafford unless a United defender came the other way and Chris Smalling was thought to be his first choice.

United rejected the deal.

Vermaelen joined Arsenal from Ajax for £10m in 2009 and has made 150 appearances in all competitions, though only played in seven Premier League games last season after falling behind Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker in Wenger’s firstteam plans.

CAS to decide on Suarez biting case T

HE Court of Arbitration for Sport has begun its hearing into Uruguay forward Luis Suarez’s appeal against his ban for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini in a World Cup match.

The 27-year-old has been banned from all football activity for four months and suspended for nine competitive internationals by FIFA following the incident which shocked audiences worldwide.

Suarez, who has left Liverpool and joined Barcelona since the incident, has already lost an appeal before FIFA’s own disciplinary committee.

Banned twice before for biting, he initially denied sinking his teeth into Chiellini but then apologised for the incident one week later.

The hearing on Friday, lasted all day and it held behind closed doors and CAS said in a statement that “the final decision is likely to be rendered some days after the conclusion of the hearing.”

The ban means that Suarez will not be able to make his Barcelona debut until the end of October and will miss the whole of next year ’s Copa America in Chile, when Uruguay play their next competitive matches.

Following the hearing, CAS issued a statement which read: “The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has today heard the appeal of Luis Suarez, FC Barcelona and the Uruguayan FA against Fifa. The hearing took place at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“The player was present and gave a statement to the Panel of CAS arbitrators: Mr Bernhard Welten, Switzerland (President), Professor Luigi Fumagalli, Italy, and Dr Marco Balmelli, Switzerland.

“At the end of the hearing, the panel informed the parties that it will issue its decision as soon as possible, probably before the end of next week."

•Suarez... Something about me C M Y K

PAGE 62 – SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, 2013

After the Drog... Nigeria’s Kenneth Omeruo chasing Didier Drogba at the African Cup of Nations. The Ivorian captain has had it and now its time to quit.

D

IDIER Drogba announced his retire-ment from international football on Friday – after 12 years of playing for Cote’d Ivoire Drogba, recently returned to Chelsea and it is believed that he quit international football to concentrate on his club career. The 36-year-old is Ivorian all-time record goalscorer with 65 goals in 104 appearances. Cote’d Ivo-

Drogba drops Elephants responsibility for Chelsea ire recently appointed Harve Renard as coach and are eying the African Nations Cup, which eluded Drogba through his time with

the Elephants. ‘It is with much sadness that I have decided to retire from international football,’ the statement on Drogba’s official

Twitter account read.

‘These past 12 years in the national team have been full of emotions. From my first call up to

Okagbare: World championships the real test O

NE of the most poignant memories of the Commonwealth Games came at the end of the women’s 200 metres. Nigerian star Blessing Okagbare had just dismantled the field in 22.25 seconds. In her post-race celebrations, she padded around barefoot to the first row of spectator stands, found a fan who hugged her, gave her a giant Nigerian flag and a high five.

That was no ordinary fan. It was the woman who preceded Blessing as the best sprinter in the history of Nigerian athletics, Mary Onyali. Twenty years earlier in Victoria, Canada, Onyali almost did the sprint double at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. She won the 100m and only lost the 200m to a rampaging finish by Australian Cathy Freeman.

Dubbed the Queen of Sprints

by Nigerians, Onyali raced during a golden age of women’s sprinting. She started making big finals in 1987 at age 19 when she placed sixth in the World Championships 200. Altogether, she raced in nine individual World/Olympic sprint finals, peaking with a bronze medal in the 200m at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

If not for Gail Devers, Gwen Torrence, Irina Privalova and our own terrific trio of Merlene Ottey, Juliet Cuthbert and Grace Jackson, she’d have won so much more.

When the 25 year-old Okagbare crossed the line first in the Commonwealth Games 200m, she moved past the retired Onyali by doing the double. Their joint celebration was like the passing of the baton from one generation to another. As was the case with her predecessor, Okagbare’s rivals are formidable. Her improved start will be put to the test in Beijing next year when she will likely face a fit Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce, experienced Veronica Campbell-Brown (VCB), Murielle Ahoure of the Ivory Coast, new US find Tori Bowie and Michelle-Lee Ahye of Trinidad and Tobago and Carmelita Jeter at the World Championships.

Bowie and Ahye are worthy new challengers who have run fast times this year. Blessing has the edge on them both since she has run in Olympic and World sprint finals in 2012 and 2013 and has a bronze from the 200 last year in Moscow.

Add reigning Olympic champion Allyson Felix to the mix

Fast Forward... (From right) Gloria Asumnu, Juliet Curbert of Jamaica, Blessing Okagbare and veteran Veronica Campbell-Brown. Okagbare has the Commonwealth at her feet can she take the world in Beijing next year? at 200 metres, and sprint fans will lick their lips in anticipation.

Only two questions remain.

During Onyali’s era, Torrence, Ottey, Jackson, Cuthbert and Privalova all ran the 200m in times faster than 22 seconds. That’s rare these days. Since 2004, only Felix, VCB and Kerron Stewart have broken 22 seconds, with the first two the only ones to cross the threshold more than once. The slim American, Felix, holds a slight edge with five sub-22second clocking to queen V’s four.

It’s a challenge for today’s generation in an age where sprinters seem to have lost interest in the event once called ‘the deuce’.

The bigger question is whether Okagbare can crack the Jamaican-American dominance of women’s sprints. VCB, ShellyAnn, Felix and Jeter have won everything recently. In the big championship seasons of 2015 and 2016, Okagbare will have to be at her best if she wants to be World Queen of Sprints.

my last match I have always tried to give my best for my country.’

He added: ‘I am very proud to have been captain of this team for 8 years and to have contributed to placing my country on the world stage of football taking part in 3 World Cups and 2 African Cup of Nations finals.’

Drogba also thanked the fans, who he dedicated his international goals to, and expressed his gratitude to his teammates and the side’s new manager, Herve Renard, in the statement.

Drogba recently signed a oneyear contract with Premier League side Chelsea – two years after he left the club – following his departure from Turkish giants Galatasaray at the end of last season.

Chelsea captain John Terry said Drogba is still a “nightmare” to play against.

Terry approves of Drogba’s return to Stamford Bridge on a one-year deal and insists he continues to show the combative spirit that marked his first eight-year spell at the club.

“Didier’s still the same. He’s been a nightmare to play against in training. He’s still physically strong, sharp and hungry as well,” Terry told Chelsea TV. “It’s important Didier is here because he brings that mentality of wanting to win every day and that rubs off on people like Kurt Zouma and the other young players he’s playing against.”

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 10, PAGE 63

NFF Crisis: Let’s stop this lawlessness now — Green

BY BEN EFE

N

IGERIA Football Federation technical committee chairman, Chris Green has called on his colleagues on the NFF board to abide by the rules governing the sport to avoid the rancorous situations often created as members jostle to take advantageous positions in the power tussle witnessed at the NFF. Green was suspended by the executive committee of the NFF last week for ‘anti board activities’. But that suspension was quashed by the NFF appeals committee that had no kind words for the ‘six executive’ members who met and took the decision to ban Green and Yussuf ‘Fresh’ Ahmed.

But in a release on Friday NFF spokesman, Ademola Olajire stated that the appeals committee ruling will not standard and the duo remain suspend.

“A decision purporting to have been handed down by the Chairman of the Appeals’ Committee (Eddy Mark) was received Friday morning in the NFF. The socalled decision did not state how many of the Committee members were present, or whether the Secretary was also there.

“Whenever the Committee will meet, its meeting will be at the NFF Secretariat as it has always been, and all parties to the appeal, including the NFF Executive Committee and the appellants, will be available to present their case. The date of the meeting and time will also be made public.

“It is a known fact that the Chairman of the Appeals Committee is a personal friend of one of the appellants. But Nigeria football is not the private business of any individual.

“The decision still stands and

United In Cup... Nigeria Football Federation acting president Mike Umeh in suit poses with Cross River governor Liyel Imoke and members of the Super Eagles. Now the romance is over it seems within the Nigerian football family will be conveyed to the next General Assembly for ratification,” said Olajire.

But Green scoffed at this submission stating that if the aggrieved party in the case were adverse to the ruling by the appeals committee they were free to go to the Court of Sports Arbitration.

“Ademola is only struggling to satisfy his pay masters and making himself a laughingstock to the public. He tried to be smart by half but the facts are there facing him.

“I don’t blame him neither do I have bear any ill feelings regarding his statement. He should have explained properly if I breached the procedure to get redress.

“We filed a joint appeal to the appeals committee, the letter was acknowledged by the office of the General Secretary who subsequently passed it on to the appeals committee. We further requested that our appeal be given accelerated hearing because NFF General elections is days away and time is of the essence to dispense with the case as justice delayed is justice denied.

The Chairman invited us to appear before the Panel in Abuja to hear our appeal. We appeared and stated our case. Later we confirmed that the decision was taken to the Gen Sec who acknowledged receipt of it. The appeals committee is a judicial body and is independent. What I a advice them to do is to take legal

steps in setting aside the appeal and that should be in CAS. “The chairman and members of the appeals committee are friends of every one and members of the football family. When we were sanctioned we didn’t make trouble or turned to the media, we took legitimate steps to overturn the illegality. Has Demola averted his mind to Article 66(2) of our statute. What should concern him is the admonition of the chairman on our Executive Committees lawlessness and making Nigeria a laughingstock in the comity of nations,” Ademola in his reaction said that Green was entitled to his opinion, adding that decision to suspended the duo still remains.

FIFA Women World Cup: Players kick against Artificial pitch S

OME of the world’s top women soccer players say FIFA’s proposal to play the 2015 Women’s World Cup finals in

Canada on artificial turf instead of grass is discriminatory and violates human rights.

Girls Aloud...

Onome Ebi Super Falcons defender and Brazil striker Cristiane battle for ball possession.

They want to play on artificial pitch in Canada.

The World Cup finals for men and women, contested every four years, have always been played on natural grass. Players and coaches believe there is a higher risk of injury on artificial turf and that it causes more wear and tear on athletes’ bodies.

In a three-page letter dated July 28 to the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and the Canadian Soccer Association, lawyers representing players from Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Spain, the United States, New Zealand and Costa Rica, among other countries, said: “The proposal is discriminatory and violates Canadian law.”

“If your organizations will not engage in a meaningful dialogue on how to correct the discriminatory treatment of women players, we are prepared to pursue legal action which we are confident should succeed,” the letter said.

A FIFA spokesman confirmed

the letter had been received, but declined to comment. The Canadian Soccer Association also declined to comment and referred enquiries to FIFA. In the letter, the players, who include Abby Wambach of the United States and Germany’s Nadine Angerer - FIFA players of the year for 2012 and 2013 respectively - said they can suggest “several affordable ways” to host the tournament on grass.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup for men in Brazil was played on grass and there are no plans to shift future men’s tournaments to artificial turf. Some professional soccer leagues and some FIFA World Cup age-group matches are played on artificial turf.

Canada will host the Women’s World Cup in June and July 2015 in six cities - Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal and Moncton, where stadiums with artificial turf predominate.

Your time is up, Adebiyi tells Maigari, others

BY EDDIE AKALONU

F

ORMER Nigerian Football Association Technical committee chairman Brigadier General Greg Adebiyi has deplored the attitude of chieftains of the Nigerian Football Federation, NFF to cling on to power, saying it’s the root of the crisis rocking the federation.

He also accused them of not being transparent in the administration of the game. He however, rated them high on performance. Speaking in an interview in Lagos, Adebiyi, who also served as vice chairman of the body said, “ I can’t understand what they are fighting to achieve.

It’s the same people who put Maigari in office that have asked them to go. So Why are they still fighting? I believe they should quietly go because the constant reference to FIFA statutes is a deceit when the same federation members who voted them into office, supported by stake-holders say they should go. “ But the lack of rules and by laws on how to get into the FA itself is a problem. If these were put in place the constant recourse to FIFA Statutes would not arise.”

On account of performance, Adebiyi, lauded the Mauigari led board for achievements made in the past four years, referencing world Cup wins by the Golden Eaglets, African Nations Cup victories by the Super Eagles and World Cup qualifications by the levels of national teams he noted however that these are achievements already attained by previous FA boards.

Onazi’s wage demand worries Lazio boss

S

UPER Eagles midfielder Ogenyi Onazi is pushing his club Lazio for an increment in wages just as he is eying a move to the Premier league in England.

Lazio has slammed a • 10m (about N1.2b) on the player and this seem to be a hindrance. Now Lazio president Cladiuo Lotito is face with the dileman of lowering the price or increasing his wages.

Despite being with the capital club since 2011 the 21-yearold is thought to like the prospect of a move to England, however, with Lotito keen to retain his services his agent is pushing for a significant rise in pay.

Onazi is looking to more than double his current • 300,000-ayear salary to something close to • 1m, and the Biancocelesti chief is almost resigned to the increase should he wish him to remain in Rome setting an asking price to detract potential suitors.

If the decision is made that the midfielder leaves the club rather than be handed a wage increase it is believed that Lotito will have to accept something closer to • 7m for Onazi.

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 10, 2014

Okagbare: World championships the real test —p.62

Your time is up go, Adebiyi tells Maigari, others —p.63

Rubbish, no contract talks with NFF yet, Keshi explodes

BY BEN EFE

N

IGERIA Football Federa tion’s claims that it has reached a contract agreement with coach Stephen Keshi may be an ‘executive lie’ as the former Super Eagles captain denied ever holding any contract talks with the country’s football ruling house.

Media reports quoting executive committee member, Emeka Inyama had stated that Keshi will resume this week to kick start preparations for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers starting on September 7 against Rwanda. South Africa and Sudan are next in line matches that will be prosecuted.

But Keshi who led the Eagles to a second round finish at the Brazil 2014 World Cup told sports radio Brilafm that it was not true that he was resuming within the week as been speculated.

“I got an e-mail asking me if i’d like to continue and indicate if i want. My response was affirmative, but events have overtaken that.” Keshi revealed. ” However we did not negotiate, there was no terms reached so how can anyone come to say they want to announce me as Nigeria’s Coach? We did not discuss anything,” Keshi said in an angry tone.

The 2013 African Cup of Nations winner had a frosty relationship with the NFF as he voiced out his frustrations recently. They include late payment of his salary, sacking of his assistant Sylvanus Okpala and paying one of his assistant from his own pocket.

During the world cup Keshi had said that the NFF must have to respect the terms of his contract agreement. Keshi had also demanded for a rise in pay otherwise he would take a walk.

He was linked to the Bafana Bafana of South Africa job, but as it turned out he wasn’t even considered by the South African Football Federation, which shorted listed Carlos Queiroz and Ephriam ‘ Shakes’ Maseheba.

Speaking on the development, former Super Eagles fast winger, Tijani Babangida said it was out of place for the NFF to come out and annouce a deal when there was no contract talks.

Contract Cracker... Stephen Keshi working and desiring better wages.

En or ano ther sw ee Enyyeama ready ffor another swee eett run with Lille S

UPER Eagles and Lille keep er, Vincent Eneyama said he is set for another inspiring performance in the French league in the new season. Enyeama, who was voted one of the best goal-

keepers at the Brazil 2014 World Cup, where the Eagles reached the second round, stated that he was set to do his best even as he was not well rested after the tasking world cup campaign. He listed that one of his ambition was to do well in the Euro Champions League this season. Lille will be

taking on former champions Porto. “It was a tiring season and I only had three weeks rest and is not enough. But I have to do my job. I have to play football, I have to help my team. That’s what I do,” Enyeama said.

He added that he was hopeful that Lille will make it to the group

stages. “ No matter what we have do our best to qualify. I played in the Champions League once and I want to go back “Anything is possible, I do not believe in the impossible. I always stay positive. I’m like that. I see the goals that can be achieved and that is important.”

CROSS WORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1.Nobel-winning Archbishop (7-4) 5.Sailor (3) 7.Consumed (5) 8.Domesticates (5) 9.Ovum (3) 10.Electricity counting gadgets (6) 13.Highlander (4) 15.Poem (3) 17.One that contests (9) 20.Nigerian tribe (5) 22.Cereal (5) 24.Demoted (9) 27.Pig’s pen (3) 29.No one (4) 30.Sulks (6) 33.Away (3) 35.Presses (5) 36.Till (5) 37. Swine (3) 38. “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow” (11)

•Enyeama

DOWN 1.Sleeping vision (5) 2.Possessor (5) 3.Tax (4) 4.Depressing (9) 5.Argentinian dance (5) 6.Wash lightly (5) 11.Greek letter (3) 12.Distress call (1-1-1) 14.English boy’s name (5) 16.Obstacle (3) 17.Bovine animal (3) 18.Mindfulness (9) 19.Alarm (5) 21.Help (3) 23.Village house (3) 25.Gnome (3) 26.Vast age (3) 27.Condescend (5) 28.Youthful (5) 31.Circular (5) 32.Trades (5) 34.Old Russian King (4)

See solution on page 5

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