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THE SOLEMNISATION OF HOLY MATRIMONY BETWEEN FORMER MISS OLADEPE FUNMI ADESHINA AND MR EYITUOYO AMUKA — Pictures by Joe Akintola, Lamidi Bamidele, Kehinde Gbadamosi and Bunmi Azeez
L-r: Alhaji Ismail Isah Funtua and Erelu Abiola Dosumu
Mr & Mrs Tuoyo Amuka L-r Chief Biodun Shobanjo; Professor Ralph Akinfeleye and Chief and Mrs Philip Asiodu
L-r: Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary-General, Commonwealth; Mrs Tobi Odunaiya and Mrs Cecilia Ibru
L-r: Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Secretary to the Federal Government representing the Federal Government; Mr Gbenga Adefaye, Editor in Chief, Vanguard Newspapers and Chief Yemi Ogunbiyi. L-r: Gov Raji Fashola of Lagos State (SAN); IGP Mohammed Abubakar and Mr Sam Amuka
R-l: Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi C M Y K
L-r: Ayora bola Kuforiji Olubi and Chief (Mrs) Nike Akande.
L-r: Olori Adedolapo Sijuwade and Princess Bimpe Sijuwade
From left: Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 — PAGE 5
BOKO HARAM AMNESTY COMMITTEE REPORT
Jonathan endorses Victims’ Support programme *Presidency clears air on compensation BY JIDE AJANI
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WING to his compassionate disposition and the need not to be misunderstood, President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has endorsed the proposition regarding a VICTIMS’ SUPPORT AGENCY, VSA, in the report submitted last week by the committee on Boko Haram, Sunday Vanguard can reveal authoritatively. This is coming on the heels of what sources described as the perceived misunderstanding of Mr. President’s position on the worth of human life. In fact, the President reportedly hinted at this
possibility while receiving the report from members of the committee. Aso Rock Presidential Villa sources confided in Sunday Vanguard at the weekend that “contrary to the misconception and misrepresentation that President Jonathan has declined any form of compensation for the victims of the Boko Haram insurgency, the true position is that Mr. President went beyond the ordinary and is not wont to play to the gallery ”. One of the sources went on: “The issue the President was relating to when he made the statement on compensation and victims’ support was that you do not cheapen human life by placing monetary or any
other form of ephemeral value on it. “The committee had suggested the creation of a
Victims’ Support Agency, which is expected to engage a creative means of catering to the needs of the
From left; Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, Senate President,David Mark, Osemawe of Ondo Kingdom, Oba (Dr) Victor Kiladejo, hiswife, Olori Olayinka, Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida and others,at the 7th Year Installation Annversary/60th Birthday Celebration of the Osemawe and Conferment of Chieftaincy title on theSenatePresident, in Ondo, on Saturday.
victims of terror in such a way that life would be more meaningful and more productive to them”. Sunday Vanguard was made to understand that following the controversy that trailed media reports that President Jonathan declared that there would be no compensation for terror victims, the President “could not believe the reports”. Indeed, Aso Rock insiders explained that “President Jonathan wanted to make a distinction between monetary compensation – which was the expectation of many – and the need for rehabilitation of victims. “The President believes that rehabilitating the
victims using the instrumentality of the VSA would serve a longer lasting purpose than just denominating human lives or body parts that have been lost in naira and kobo terms. “It was this differentiation that was misconstrued to mean that there would be no compensation. That is not President Jonathan’s p o s i t i o n . There would be an institutionalized victims’ support programme to aid to assist victims of terror in the country ”. The source also said “the report is being studied by Mr. President and a white paper would soon be made public”.
36 feared killed as Fulani herdsmen strike in Benue Continued from page 1 report, that heavy fighting was still going on between the warring parties who only recently engaged in b l o o d l e t t i n g . A native of one of the affected communities, who escaped the assault, narrated that “they (Fulani herdsmen) took us unawares this time; they invaded our villages from Loco in Nasarawa State and Omola Local Government Area of Kogi State. The victim told Sunday Vanguard in Makurdi, Benue State capital, yesterday, “But as I speak to you, well over 36 persons must have been killed on our own side while many are still missing; the situation on ground is horrible because fighting is still going on while women, children and the elderly are fleeing to s a f e t y . ” When contacted, the Benue State Commissioner for Works and Transport, John Ngbede, who is an indigene of the area,
confirmed the massacre. ‘Boiling’ Ngbede said, “Heavy fighting is still going on in Agatu. The attackers are burning down houses, farmlands, economic trees and many are also being killed but I cannot confirm the number of deaths. All I can say is that Agatu is b o i l i n g ” . Member representing Agatu Constituency at the Benue State House of Assembly, Sule Audu, also confirmed that seven villages had been attacked while many were killed and several persons missing. According to him, the villages under siege include Ello, Okpagabi, O g w u l e - A n k p a , Ogbangede, Ekwo, Enogaje and Okpanchenyi. While lamenting inadequate security presence on ground in the affected communities, the lawmaker said, “As I speak to you, only few soldiers are on ground who don’t even have mobility to match the strength of the invaders. The attackers are over 5,000 spread across all the communities and
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unleashing terror on my people without resistance. ”They are moving towards Oshugbudu now and I ask, what can less than 40 soldiers on ground do to stop armed invaders numbering up to 5,000?” ‘Count us out of attack’ In his reaction, however, the state Secretary of
Myetti-Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Alh. Garus Gololo, denied that the invaders were Fulani herdsmen . Gololo said, “I don’t know which people are attacking Agatu in recent times. We don’t have any Fulani person currently residing in the area and, as I have
said earlier, we need peace; so it couldn’t have been my people”. When contacted, the Benue State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Deputy Suprentendent, Daniel Ezeala, confirmed the escalating fighting in A g a t u . He said, “Five Agatu villages are currently
under heavy attack. We can’t confirm the exact number of causalities or deaths for now, but I can assure you that a combined team of the police and army personnel have already been drafted to the affected communities to arrest the situation, and the situation is under control.”
How Oyinlola, others plan to take over PDP BY HENRY UMORU
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OLLOWING the We d n e s d a y judgment by an Appeal Court sitting in Abuja which re-instated former governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, as National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, strong indications emerged yesterday that the Abubakar Kawu Baraje led rebel group in the party have concluded plans to aid Oyinlola in taking over the affairs at Wadata Plaza. Sunday Vanguard gathered that besides pushing to take over from the present National Secretary, Professor Wale Oladipo, Oyinlola will, barring any last-minute change of mind, tomorrow write the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to henceforth ignore any letter from the PDP National Secretariat not signed by him. Oyinlola had been removed from his position as the PDP National Secretary by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja early this year. He is currently the National Secretary of the Baraje-led group operating under the name ‘New PDP’ (nPDP). Meanwhile, Oyinlola vowed, yesterday, to take over the administrative structure of the party tomorrow, saying the
action will not be a threat to peace as he was only taking over the way Onwe Solomon Onwe took over from him on January 15 when Justice Abdul Karafati of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court, following a suit filed against him by some chieftains of the PDP in Ogun State, removed him on January 11. According to him, there must be no sentimentality, but respect for the rule of l a w .
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n a text message to Sunday Vanguard, he said, “Oyinlola is a law abiding personality who believes in the rule of law. That informed his decision to vacate office immediately Kafarati delivered his judgment last January 11. ”There can be no threat to peace and order since Oyinlola only needs to return to his position from which he was wrongly sacked and not to be inaugurated. But one believes very strongly that the PDP NWC consists of knowledgeable people who would not justifiably and morally refuse to implement the decision of a court of competent jurisdiction that, by implication, reinstates me to office as National Secretary, even if anybody is dissatisfied by the ruling of the court. So, let’s not pre-empt anybody but wait for events to unfold.
”It would seem appropriate to inquire if Justice Kafarati of Federal High Court who ignored the Court of Appeal’s Stay of Execution order as granted by the Lagos Judicial Division in June 2012 considered his court superior to the Court of Appeal in the judicial setting, going by provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) from which the courts derive their powers”. Oyinlola continued: “It is necessary to once again invite the attention of members of the general public to the fact that the major issue in contention was Oyinlola’s declaration that he was never sponsored by the South-west zone of the PDP for the position of national secretary, but emerged from the national convention of the party held in Abuja on Saturday March 24, 2012. ” The misinterpretation of the constitution of the PDP as it affects the election of its national officers was the major issue at stake. Oyinlola contested for the position of National Secretary and won the election fair and square. ”For the avoidance of doubt, it is necessary to reiterate that some of the grounds of Oyinlola’s appeal include the fact that the Judgment delivered by Justice Abdu Kafarati on January 11, 2013, was against the weight of evidence, and
that the learned trial judge erred in law when he overruled the preliminary objection to the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and assumed jurisdiction, and delivered judgment when the Oyinlola and the 2nd Defendant (PDP), against whom the principal reliefs are sought, are an individual, and a political party, who are neither Federal Government nor an agency of the Federal G o v e r n m e n t . ”Those now contesting the Abuja Court of Appeal judgment are obviously aware that there was a subsisting Lagos Court of Appeal order of June 2012 which was disrespected by Justice Kafarati of a Federal High Court in the process of removing Oyinlola. That appeal was withdrawn by the PDP only after the appeal court’s order had been violated. There must be no sentimentality but respect for the rule of law.” Oyinlola, Sunday Vanguard learnt, yesterday, will also write to the PDP leadership that the Alhaji Umaru Dikko, led disciplinary committee, inaugurated penultimate week, must not hold any meeting or function until it gets the approval of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party, just as the nPDP is insisting that there was no
Continues on page 6
PAGE 6 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
How Oyinlola, others plan to take over PDP Continued from page 5 time NEC approved Joel Madaki as the Chairman of Adamawa State PDP as against that of Mijinyawa Umaru Kugama, the state executive loyal to Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State. The National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and other members of the NWC, instead of Wednesday that they hold their weekly meeting, will tomorrow hold an emergency meeting at Wadata Plaza to discuss the Oyinlola issue and actions to be taken especially against the backdrop of ongoing peace moves with the party ’s rebel group. Section 36 of the PDP Constitution 2012(As Amended) gave administrative control of the party to the Secretary. According Section 36, “there shall be a National Secretary who shall be the Chief Administrative and Accounting officer of the party and whose functions shall be to supervise the day- to- day activities of the party; issue notices for NWC, NEC, Caucus and National convention meetings, in charge of all correspondence and staff issues and he is the custodian of the common seal of PDP and many other p o w e r s . ” The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja had, on Wednesday, re-instated Oyinlola as National Secretary of the party, just as he was removed from office by Justice Abdul Karafati of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court following a suit filed against him by chieftains
of the PDP in Ogun State. The Ogun chapter of the party, led by its chairman and secretary, Chief Adebayo Dayo and Semiu Sodipo, respectively, had, in their suit, alleged that he emerged through a kangaroo process perfected by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former National Vice Chairman, PDP South West, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo. Consequently, Justice
Kafarati, on September 27, 2013 directed the PDP and INEC, to delete Oyinlola’s name from their records as the National Secretary of the party. He further directed the party and the electoral body to rather recognize Professor Oladapo, who, he said, was duly nominated by the South-west PDP extraordinary zonal congress held in Ibadan, Oyo State, on July 13, 2013. The judge noted that the
High Court, on January 11, sacked Oyinlola from office and ordered a fresh PDP Zonal Congress in the South-west, stressing that the court order subsisted till July 13. Oyinlola went on appeal wherein he contended that Justice Kafarati not only over-reached his powers, but also sacked him from office “against the weight of evidence.” In their judgment, a threeman panel of judges of the
appellate court upheld Oyinlola’s argument, saying the High Court lacked jurisdiction on issues bordering on domestic affairs of a political party. While reacting to the judgment, last week, the PDP National Secretary, Prof Oladipo, who boasted that he will remain in office pending when the Supreme Court takes final decision on the Oyinlola issue, stressed that the appellants from Ogun State were already heading to the apex court and will only quit on its orders.
Nwariaku dies at 85
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renowned egineer, Mr. Macdonald Samuel Chikwendu Nwariaku is dead. He was aged 85. Mr. Nwariaku hailed from Umudinkwa in Umuahia South Local Government of Abia State. His remains will be buried on 30 th November, 2013, at Ubakala, Abia State, after a funeral service at Saint Thomas Anglican Church, Aronipupe, Ubakala, Umuahia, South Local Government, Abia State.
Ex-Delta PDP guber aspirant slams rebel govs BY EPHRAIM OSEJI
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Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in the 2007 general elections, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has condemned the seven PDP rebel governors for “creating confusion and insta,Akure bility in the polity”.
Onuesoke, who faulted the action of the governors in Ughelli, appealed to the governors to concentrate on the development of infrastructure and welfare of the people of their states instead of wasting resources moving from one state to another hosting meetings. He said their action is putting the country in disarray.
According to him, “Their action is so sad and bitter in the sense that governors that were elected for the development of infrastructures and provision of other social amenities to the people of their states are using the money in hosting frivolous meetings to cause disaffections in their states in particular and Nigeria in
general”. Onuesoke, who is presently Special Project Director in the office of Delta State Governor, also appealed to the media to focus on important issues that would fan the ember of unity in the country instead of delving into issues that would tear the country apart.
Ondo subsidises dialysis for kidney patients BY DAYO JOHNSON
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NDO State government has established a Kidney Care Centre to cater for people with kidney diseases across the country. 15 kidney dialysis machines have been installed in the centre located at the Medical Village in Ondo town. Speaking with Sunday Vanguard in Akure, the state Health Commissioner, Dr. Dayo Adeyanju, said a complete team of medical personnel is on ground in the Centre.
Adeyanju added that the facility will collaborate with the Kidney Center in Maryland to give first class treatment to patients at subsidized fees. The commissioner said the centre will not be free but the fees would be a f f o r d a b l e . According to him, because of the high cost of dialysis treatment, the state government has decided to subsidize the fee to make it “ ridiculously cheap for kidney patient to enable them live a fulfilled life”. Speaking on the trauma
center, Dr Adeyanju said that the world-class utramodern Emergency Medical Centre built by his administration is 95 percent completed. According to him, skeletal services have commenced with officer and paramedics already recruited. Meanwhile, Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) yesterday appealed to state governments across the country to make the screening of hepatitis free for the people. Speaking in Akure, the
Ondo State capital, the state chapter Chairman, Dr. Dokun Noel, said this became imperative because the sickness is as deadly as HIV/AIDS. Noel spoke during this physician week held under the sub theme, “Demystifying sudden death in Nigeria, developing legislation for regular health check up”. He said that it is high time that the health sector be given priority going by the reports of sudden death in the society.
Late Nwariaku
Asaba women honour NSITF chair
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HAIRMAN of Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Dr (Mrs) Ngozi Olejeme, will be presented a special award by Asaba Development Union women’s wing Lagos during the celebration of it’s 65th anniversary and award ceremony. The event holds Saturday, November 16, 2013 at The Darlington Hall, Lagos. She is the special guest of honour on the occasion while the royal father of the day is the Asagba of Asaba, Obi (Professor) Chike Edozien.
Dr. Ngozi Olejeme
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013— PAGE 7
Nigeria spent N1.05 trillion on imported cars last year — Automotive Council BY LUKA BINNIYAT
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IGERIA spent about N1.05 trillion last year on importation of vehicles and spare parts, while its local car assembly plants suffered monumental loss in patronage, according to the Director General of the National Automotive Council (NAC), Alhaji Aminu Jalal. Meanwhile, the Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN), which produced 90,000 cars in 1985, and had about 4,000 permanent employees, now produces about 3,000 vehicles annually with 250 staff, its Managing Director, Alh. Ibrahim Boyi, said. However, the Chairman, Board of NAC, Alh. Abdulkadir Saleh has promised that NAC would ensure implementation of the new automotive policy to ensure government’s patronage of locally assembled cars. These revelations were made, yesterday, when an eight-member Board of
NAC toured the 40-year old PAN in Kakuri, Kaduna. The tour showed PAN has made a lot of remodelling of its old facilities, building the state-of-theart workshop and importing sundry machines and equipment as its engineers and technicians simultanesuly assembled Peugeot 307 models and Changan Alsvin Sedans. Fielding questions from reporters after the tour, the DG of NAC, Jalal, said: “I want to tell you that last year alone, this country spent N550 billion on importation of cars, buses and trucks. That does not include tractors, and military vehicles. Again, we also spent around N500 billion on spare parts. In fact, on tyres alone, we spent N150 billion. And this year, the same trend is showing. “This is not good for our country. With the new policy, we are going to support our car plants to produce very standard cars at globally competitive pric-
es. This is going to greatly add to our local content. For example, to assemble a car here, you need about 2,500 parts. If many cars are produced and sold here, it would encourage the local manufacturing of these parts, creating more wealth here and driving down the cost of vehicles. By the time we start implementing this policy, you will see a very impressive positive change in just six months. On his part, MD of PAN said: “In the mid-‘80s and early ‘90s, we were doing very well. In 1985, we produced 90,000n cars. Government policy was very favourable then. But after that the environment became very bad as all kinds of vehicles started coming into the country. Today, we produce between 25 and 30 cars only during working days. Our workforce of 4000 in the ‘80s is just now 250. We are hoping that the situation will change, because we have put in every modern facility, and forged the right international technical partnership to succeed”.
Burnt Great Nigeria Insurance House: Lagos to carry out integrity test BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI
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OLLOWING the in ferno that gutted part of the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance Company Limited building on Martins Street, Lagos Island, Lagos State Government has conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the building to ascertain extent of damage and determine further steps to be taken toward ensuring safety of lives and properties in the area. Special Adviser to Governor Babatunde Fashola on Central Business Districts, CBD, Mrs. Derinola Disu, while speaking at the site, stressed that safety of lives and property was paramount to government and that all steps had been taken to ensure that no life was lost in the inferno. The Special Adviser,
who visited the site on the directive of the governor, said the prompt response of the state government apparatus like Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, LASEMA, CBD, state fire services and security personnel went a long way in ensuring that the situation was brought under control and the fire did not get beyond the 3rd floor where it initially started around 5am Disu, a former Chairman of Lagos Island Local Government, expressed satisfaction at the prompt response of government personnel on ground towards putting out the fire and further instructed that the area be cordoned-off by security personnel to prevent hoodlums from taking advantage of situation to loot. Speaking in the same
vein, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Ganiu Johnson, said structural engineers would be visiting the place to assess the situation concerning dilapidated and distressed part of the building to ascertain if the structure is habitable.
USTIN Avuru, Managing Director and Chief Executive officer of Seplat Petroleum Development Company, has won the highly prestigious and coveted Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Master Category for the Nigeria and West African subregion. With this feat, Avuru joins the league of
globally recognized entrepreneurs like Aliko Dangote who won in 2012. Avuru, a thoroughbred industry professional and vocal advocate of indigenous participation in the exploration and production sectors of the Nigerian oil industry, will be contesting, alongside other winners from the various regions, for the global Ernst & Young
Trade unionism is a call – Lakemfa,OATUU Secretary General BY OLASUNKANMI AROWOLO
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ELEBRATING the centenary of trade unionism in Nigeria, Comrade Owei Lakemfa, Secretary General, Organisation of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU),at the 17 th annual Kolagbodi memorial lecture, submitted that trade unionism is a call. He explained, “The unionist must choose who to serve for he cannot serve the worker and the employer equally. As a leader, he is expected to represent workers, liaise, dialogue and negotiate
with employers, and, at all times, defend workers interests. He must always be loyal to the worker.” Lakemfa pointed that “in the overall interest of the work place, the trade unionist must work with employers to promote industrial peace and harmony.”The OATUU scribe explained: “The unionist must never forget that workers and employers have fundamentally divergent interests. The primary interests of the worker is to sell his physical and mental labour as high a price as is possible, while the basic interest of the employer is to make as
much profit as possible even, if in some cases, he has to under cut labour.” Lakamfa, who was also Labour Editor, Vanguard Newspapers, added, “The world is ruled by ideas while vision propels institution; therefore, any trade unionist with no ideas or vision is a danger to the labour movement. Commenting on trade unionism in Africa, he said,“Africa cannot develop within the present global set up, unless it integrates at least its economy. So the trade unions need to play a major role in this campaign.”
Amosun, Akpabio, Ihedioha hail Golden Eaglets On U-17 World Cup Victory On his part, Ihedioha nationalistic zeal and
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OVERNOR Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun State, his Akwa Ibom State counterpart, Godswill Akpabio, and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, have congratulated the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria on their 3-0 win over Mexico, to lift the 2013 edition of the Under 17 World Cup, in the United
SEPLAT MD wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award
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From left: Mr Bashar Dankoro, Board member, Grange School; Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, president, Women Arise & guest speaker; Mr Dayo Lawuyi(MON),chairman Board of Directors, Grange School; Ms Helen Gordon, vice principal, Grange School Secondary; & Mr Gaham Stothard, Principal,Grange School, during the public lecture entitled, “Today's Children -Today's Leaders”, to mark the 55th Founder's Day’s aniversary, held at the Grange School auditorium, Ikeja.
World Entrepreneur of the Year which holds in Monaco in June 2014. Avuru studied geology at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree, second class upper division in 1980. He proceeded to the University of Ibadan for Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Engineering and left with a Distinction.
Arab Emirates. Amosun, who watched the final match in the company of some members of the State Executive Council, congratulated the Golden Eaglets for making the country proud. In a press release by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Mrs. Funmi Wakama, Amosun said he has always had absolute confidence that the Golden Eaglets would bring home the Cup. Akpabio said the teenage players’ success underlined the never-saydie spirit of Nigerians. Akpabio, who is also the chairman PDP Governors’ Forum, praised the fighting spirit of the players and the attitude of the coaching crew which he said paid off for the team, noting that the country had begun to regain its rightful place in international football reminiscent of the 1990s.
described the victory as exceptional and an act of p a t r i o t i s m . Noting that the Golden Eaglets victory was on account of the players’
tenacity, he urged Nigerians to emulate the Golden Eaglets in their various careers and professions to stimulate Nigerian greatness.
Yero calls for dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts BY LUKA BINNIYAT & MAYEN ETIM
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HE week long Fourth International Conference of Forum For Cities in Transition Kaduna 2013, held at the Shehu Musa Yar ’adua Indoor Sports Hall, Murtala Muhammed Square, Kaduna, came to a close yesterday. Kaduna State Governor Ramalan Yero commended delegates’ effort and commitment of the Local Organizing Committee and the FCT Secretariat, Boston, for the excellent conference. Yero said he was confident that the experiences delegates brought to the
conference will be of mutual benefit to participating cities at the event; saying the common goal is to entrench the culture of dialogue and peaceful resolution of conflicts. According to him, peace can best be achieved through sharing of individual experiences for the purpose of developing an all inclusive model of conflict resolution.”There is indeed no substitute to peace and the only means of ensuring genuine reconciliation is by getting all aggrieved people to deliberate on ways to resolving their differences,”he added.
PAGE 8 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
When 2014 Budget divided Reps
2013 Budget has not done Jonathan lacks moral justiwell—Zakari Mohammed, House fication to present 2014 Bud-
By LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU
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embers of the House of Rep resentatives are divided over President Goodluck Jonathan’s request to present the 2014 Budget proposals on Tuesday. A section of the lawmakers angry that the President has failed in the implementation of the 2013 Budget and therefore lacks the moral standing to appear before parliament to present the 2014 Budget estimates. Sunday Vanguard captures the many hassles on the issue. President Goodluck Jonathan must fulfill his constitutional obligation of drafting the yearly budgetary estimates and forward same to the National Assembly for passage. But whether the capital projects perform or not is not his concern. Like him, what every Nigerian knows is that the recurrent expenditures must record 100 percent performance. During their long vacation that
spanned across two months between July and September, 2013, the various Committees of the House of Representatives took time off to visit Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) belonging to the Federal Government. It was a visit to ascertain the level of performance with the money appropriated to the MDAs in the 2013 Budget. Though the reports of about 19 Committees are still being awaited, members in the know say the Federal Government did nothing on capital expenditure as far as the outing budget is concerned. While the lawmakers in the green chambers still lament the realities on the ground, the president, last week, wrote to them that Tuesday, November 12, has been slated by his office to present the 2014 Budget. Really? His letter is dated October 23 and was read at plenary by Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha. Division in House To many members of the House, that was a very unreasonable move in the light of the fact that 2013 Budget has not performed. In their view, 2013 Budget did not create jobs. It did not build and equip politics. So, Nigeria did not witness adequate growth. But to other lawmakers, it was the constitutional right of the president to lay his estimates for 2014 irrespective of anybody feelings towards the 2013 Budget. And so, the members, at the Thursday plenary, out of anger, hatched a plan to stop
Jonathan from making appearance at the National Assembly. The issue caused commotion in the House; tactical intervention of the Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, however, saved the day. Trouble erupted when Hon Ali Madaki (PDP, Dala Constituency, Kano ) moved a motion demanding a resolution by the House to bar the president from presenting the 2014 Budget on Tuesday. Madaki’s motion was hinged on the poor performance of the 2013 Budget. Putting the current performance of the 2013 Budget at 40 per cent, the lawmaker argued that it was unreasonable to allow the president to present the 2014 Budget proposal. In fact, suggested that Jonathan be called to give explanation on the abysmal record of the 2013 budget. The House immediately became divided with many members of All Progressive Congress (APC) pitching tent with Madaki. But Hon. Warman Ogoriba (Bayelsa PDP ) rose up in defense of the president. He raised objection to Madaki’s submission and said that it was the constitutional right of the Jonathan to present the budget to the National Assembly. Meanwhile, as arguments
sighting functions. Through our over sight, we will be able to ascertain the level of performance.
spokesperson
Aminu tambuwal and counter-arguments raged, Tambuwal stepped in saying it was a mistake debating the matter in the first place. He submitted that a point of order raised
by Madaki was personal information which was a product of his and should not have been a subject of debate. Tambuwal continued that it was against the rules to allow members to debate any point of order that was personal information, saying it was Madaki’s piece of information to the House which was a product of his observation on the 2013. But despite the appeal, some nerves were still frayed. When the issue was put to vote, shouts of “yea” and “nay” rented the air. But Tambuwal who would not want further argument on the matter hit the gavel in favour of the “yea” thereby paving way for the president to present the budget on Tuesday. When Sunday Vanguar d spoke to
some members on the issue, no one agreed the 2013 Budget has done well. Below are their submissions.
First and foremost, the House has taken a position to receive Mr. President. That does not say that we have agreed with all that he is doing with the budget but what is important is that we have agreed to receive him to deliver the budget. When he delivers the budget, the debate continues from there. Of course, don’t forget that by Tuesday, committees would have submitted their reports on the performance of the 2013 Budget. I am sure, going forward, we will able to form our opinion on the budget and, going by what some of us saw when we went on our committee over-sight, it is very obvious that the budget has not done too well. Of course, when the reports come, we are going to see those issues.
Capital projects suffered in 2013 —Hon. Innocent Z. Tirsel Shendam/Mikang/Qua’an-Pan Federal Constituency, Plateau State
We are all aware that the budget performance of 2013 has been very, very poor when it comes to capital projects. For the recurrent, I have less to say on that because the Minister of Finance has mentioned some figures which I am not in a position to ascertain the genuineness of, but one thing which we know is that budget is a continuous issue. We cannot for the fact that 2013 underperformed we will not attend to 2014. We have an appropriation for that year, definitely we have to attend to that. Meanwhile, we have to also tackle this issue of non-performance. As I am talking to you, we are engaged in our various over
get proposal
—Hon. Sekonte Davis, Degema/Bonny, Federal Constituency of Rivers State
Members have expressed their feelings about the 2013 Budget. You know, we have undertaken oversight activities and assessed performance of projects. The Executive’s calculation was wrong because when they say performance, you are talking about recurrent expenditure which is usually 100 percent. You are not elected because of recurrent. You are elected because of capital projects. This is November and some of the projects have not been awarded as I speak with you now. So, in my own opinion, I don’t know the moral justification for the president coming to present the budget for next year when you have done very little with the one
you are having.
Two things are involved
—Hon. Samson Okwu, Oju/Obi Federal Constituency, Benue State There are two things there. One is that it is the constitutional responsibility of Mr. President to lay the 2014 Appropriation Act before the National Assembly. Another one is the non-implementation of 2013 Budget. We are now going to look into the non-implementation of 2013 Budget vis-à-vis the laid down rules in the new Appropriation Act. Nobody can stop Mr. President from laying his 2014 Appropriation Act because he is fulfilling his constitutional responsibility but the issue of non-implementation of some of the project or compliance with the Appropriation Act of 2013, I know that the National Assembly will look into it seriously.
Nigeria in dire need of dialogue — Aginighan
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astor Power Ziakede Aginighan, former Ag Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission, in an interview on BEN Television in London, spoke on the need for National Conference. On the setting up of the Senator Femi Okurounmu Committee I join millions of Nigerians in commending President Goodluck Jonathan for the bold decision to kick-start the process that will lead to a National Dialogue. This is perhaps one of the most significant decisions taken by President Jonathan. Nigeria is in dire need of this dialogue. Right from the 1914 amalgamation, the nation has had a chequered history. We have had a political history of bitterness, bad governance, inter-ethnic conflicts, a full scale fratricidal civil war, religious fundamentalism and the recent Boko Haram insurgency. This is the history of a nation founded on a defective foundation at the amalgamation in 1914. The stand of the Ijaw ethnic nationality The Ijaw nation has, over the years, faulted the structure of the Nigerian federation. They have observed that a supposedly federal system has become a unitary system with over concentration of power and resources at the centre, leaving the forced federating units with little or nothing to run the business of governance. On the matter of representation at the Conference, the Ijaw National Congress, of which I am a member, has submitted a memorandum to the Senator Okurounmu Committee demanding that representation at the Conference
Aginighan should be on the basis of equality of ethnic nationalities. Their position is premised on the fact that no ethnic group is superior to the other no matter its population. Why must representation be based on equality of ethnic nationalities instead of population? If we want to re- invent Nigeria that will last for the next 100 years, we have no option than to go back to the people who are the constant in the Nigerian equation, not artificial and temporary creations like regions, states, zones, political parties and so on. These all pass away but the ethnic nationalities remain constant. On the agenda of the Conference On the agenda, it is my view that there should be no restriction on what should be discussed. Anyone who gags Nigerians by saying that any aspect of our national life should not be discussed is moving against the tide. If we must evolve a truly people’s Constitution, then we must discuss even the unity of the country. People who feel disenchanted with the Nigeria
project should be granted the opportunity to speak, including those who want to pull out of Nigeria. On the scope and time frame of the Conference The Conference should be sovereign with full constituent powers. This Conference is more important than any other thing we need to do. Instead of dissipating resources, time and energy on celebrating 100 years of the amalgamation, we should use the first six months of 2014 to ensure the success of this Conference. On incorporating the outcome of the Conference into the Constitution It should be the other way round. The outcome of the Conference should form the basis for the writing of a new Constitution that can correctly have a ‘we the people’ preamble. Any other law in existence that is inconsistent with peoples’ Constitution has to be repealed.. Message to Nigerians The most important legacy that the present generation of Nigerians can bequeath to future generations is for us to have a Nigeria restructured on the basis of ethno-linguistically homogenous, culturally compatible, geographically contiguous and economically viable federating units on the principles of fiscal federalism. We need a restructured Nigeria where there will be devolution of powers from the centre to the federating units in such a way that there will be no suffocating struggle for the control of power at the centre with the attendant waste of resources, corruption and impunity that has characterised successive administration.
SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 9
"Oga, we don do am before! this one na CORRECT or na another WAYO and WURU -WURU" 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
APC and its pouching methodology Dear Sir,
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IGERIANS depending on All Progressive Congress, APC, to rescue them from the stranglehold of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, are merely living in a dream world as experience has shown that in this country there is no political party but interest camps. In civilised climes, political divides are based on ideological leanings but here, you join and decide to decamp any other party when the national cake delays in coming your way. That is the beauty of our own brand of democracy. Since the family affairs umbrella of the PDP has been torn to shred, the drum beat of APC has assumed a deafening propensity, calling on Nigerians to boot PDP out of power as they believe PDP is corrupt. But from the desperate pouching methodology adopted by the APC leadership to woo those from the party they once termed corrupt to join their party shows that both PDP and APC are the same. The only difference being in their names and not in character. One would have expected APC to embark on rigorous campaign on the alternative they intend providing Nigerians. It is shameful watching on television the chieftains of APC go cap in hand
begging Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, a member of PDP to join APC. With the step taken by APC, Nigerians would have to wait a long while before getting people that will give them better option than what we have now. It also goes to show that APC lacks formidable structure strong
enough to wrest power from the PDP. The politics in this part of the world is stomach democracy, that is why most of the people in APGA, APC and others, who were staunch members of PDP have to decamp to any other 'papa and son peoples party' in other to feather their own nests. Once it didn’t work out for them, they look for an
avenue to retrace their steps back to their former party, which is political prostitution. Period. Nigerians should brace up for 2015 and vote for people of right-standing and not political party. God bless Nigeria. Lucky Oji, lives in Lagos
Letter to Minister of Information on Amukpe NTA Dear Sir,
W
E wish to use this medium to inform the Honourable Minister of information, and supervising Ministry of Defence, Labaran Maku, about the negligence and abandonment of NTA Amukpe along Benin-Amukpe - Warri Express way, Delta State. Reminiscently, the Nigeria Television Authority,NTA, station at Amukpe was built and handed over to the Federal Government by the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori during his tenure as the governor of the state. As at the time it was handed over to the Federal
Government, it was working and it relayed news features and other broadcast information to the people. It is pertinent to state that the Federal Government had and have been constructing broadcast stations to rural and remote communities not having socio-economic culture and political relevance like Sapele. Sapele ranks among the first three viable towns and cities at independence. It therefore becomes surprising that a station built and “dashed” to the NTA can be subjected to such wicked underdevelopment and abandonment while NTA is fallen over itself to update stations in less prominent communities because development projects in Nigeria have been
subjected to warped political gerrymandering. As we write, the NTA Sapele has been off air for months and the people do not have access to information that may emanate from the government and organisations. In the meantime, we are using this medium to call on the Minister of Information to intervene in the NTA AMUKPE neglect as everything in Nigeria cannot be subjected to propaganda or violence. The communities need not block the highways before NTA wakes up from its slumber as it affects NTA AMUKPE. Thanks you for your cooperation Oghenero Okpe Jesse Town.
PAGE 10 —SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
You deserve the insults of don’t give a damn government - 2
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programmes. Unfortunately, it sometimes takes one really bad choice to bring the entire edifice collapsing down on everyone. WATERGATE, which brought down President Nixon of the US, shortly after being elected by the widest margin in history occurred as a result of one officer’s stupid mistakes and Nixon’s tardiness in distancing himself from the crime. Instead, he collaborated in a coverup which blew up in their faces. Jonathan, has also got himself being accused of attempts at cover-up. Self-preservation remains the first rule of nature – especially in politics. Now we come to the Minister of Aviation, about whom I have written in the past questioning her competence and her integrity. As usual,
We are the village.... "You can't hold a man down without staying down with him." -- Booker T. Washington OT too long ago, we acted as a collective, where we acted as one and believed in the mutuality of the collective. After all, African coined the adage that;" it takes a village to raise a child". So, where is this village, the collective when some of our vulnerable are suffering in silence and we turn our face and ignore their sufferings? How can we pretend to be religious and pious and yet perpetuate this heinous crime? I was thinking of writing about domestic violence and mental health for some time now, but recent developments in Nigeria has propelled me to do so earlier rather than later. If I am preaching to the converted, I do apologize. Why is it newsworthy you may ask? It should not be, but we, as a people do not regard it as important but it should be. We have normalized physical and emotional abuse in all
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sphere of lives and we often wonder why our society is so aggressive and abusive. It all stems from somewhere and we should look no further than our respective households. Yes, let us be honest with ourselves, it does happen and it is happening as we speak. Domestic violence and abuse occur and still occurring for one purpose only; to gain and maintain total control over others.The abuser is acting out from a position of power and oppression. This heinous crime is committed in full view and in private. The young and the impressionable are constantly witnessing this and they are inadvertently affected emotionally and physically. This is laying a foundation for the young men in particular to think it is normal to physically abuse others and no fear of any consequences. In this circle of fear, the abuser uses fear, guilt, shame and intimidation and they often threaten to hurt the abused and those close to them. It is
Mr Joel Obi, her spokesman, had sent in a rejoinder, which failed to address the issues raised. Her “brothers” were quick to read tribalism
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“Every country has the government it deserves”, Joseph de Maistre, August 15, 1811. HAT we deserve Dr Ebele Jonath an and his Ministers is not in doubt. First, we voted for him in 2011, overwhelmingly, based on promises – mostly now unfulfilled. The “breath of fresh air” was one of those promises. If what we are watching, at the hearings in the National Assembly, turns our stomachs and is malodorous to our noses, blame not Jonathan; blame us. A man cannot act beyond his abilities. For any leader, the most important decisions concern human resource choices. The President’s fate, like those of Chief Executive Officers, CEOs, anywhere are determined by the people he invites to top office to assist in executing his
their outer offices looking for favours; as Reuben Abati had alleged. I had some reliable information before going to press about the Minister and the “inner caucus” she was creating in every agency. To me, it was clear that it was a matter of time before the schemes blew up in her face and those of her accomplices in the agencies. So, it was no surprise to me when the car scandal was uncovered.
As more evidence of crimes pile up, we are learning everyday that buying cars was probably the only task taken seriously by Ministry of Aviation agencies
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into the queries raised at the time. But, after nineteen years on this same page, and traveling around, in Nigeria, as much as I do, I have developed my own method of gathering information about public officials – without going to sit in
It was also not a surprise that President Jonathan had not done what most Presidents would have done – sack or ask the Minister to resign. The costs of renovating the airports, for instance, need to be visited – especially the GATT Avia-
in this warped sense of power that the abuser keeps the abused living in perpetual fear. It is uncomfortable to read but, I do believe we owe it to ourselves to cover these subject matters so that it illuminate
talk about domestic abuse in our social groups, in the house, mosques, churches ,schools and in our respective households. I do know some people may say that, it is a way of life. No, I beg to differ. It is not big to intimidate, berate and belittle others; only a small person acting big intimidates others to feel big. A real big person who is confident will always look for ways in which a dialogue can be reached, in a win -win solution. We as a people, should communicate not use our fists and might to subjugate and intimidate others to submission just because we can. A sustained abuse will knock one's confidence and self-esteem. Unfortunately, the abused will most likely suffer depression, self-neglect, social withdrawal, persistence negative thoughts. Worse, some of the abused will lose their lives in the hands of their abusers. My father, for as long as I can remember, said to me and my siblings; if a man raises his hand up to strike you, do not wait for the hand to go down. Leave, because if he can do it once, he will do it again and again and there is no stopping what may happen after. I value this advice most dearly and it is one that I share with my friends and children. For anyone in an abusive relationship, do not
us as people and help pave the way for a healthy society no matter how close to the bone it may hurt. Let us for the sake of our young, old and vulnerable, kick domestic violence out of our society and it does not have a place and it should not be condoned.
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It is shocking that every year almost 3000 Nigerians travel to India for medical concerns because they cannot get adequate health care at home
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I am tired of hearing people say it does not matter. Well, it does. The fact is, we all have mothers, sisters, nieces, aunties, partners and wives and whether it is a governor, senator, poor or rich man, a woman, a teenager, or an older adult committing the act, it is wrong. Let us
tion airport in Lagos which was renovated despite a court order stopping it. One wonders, “why the hurry”? Finally, the same American friend who told me that African nations are backward because corrupt public officials demonstrate no remorse, even when caught, also said, he had never read, anywhere in the world, so many people defending a corrupt or bad leader, even when it is obvious, as in Africa in general, and Nigeria in particular. Predictably, some people had been demonstrating against the persecution of “our sister” as if she is the first Minister or public official to be “disrobed” by inquisitive investigators. As more evidence of crimes pile up, we are learning everyday that buying cars was probably the only task taken seriously by Ministry of Aviation agencies. NCAA devised complex schemes to cover up the crimes; each time adding another layer of illegality. Waivers obtained for Lagos State were used to clear cars meant for the Federal Aviation Ministry ’s agency; duty waiver and
wait until it gets worse; no one has the right to physically abuse you. Do tell a trusted person, seek refuge and by all means, seek help. There are health implications from a prolonged and sustained abuse.
Where is the Money?
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another." -- Charles Dickens Nigeria is now number eight in the list of the world's largest oil exporters but its people have nothing to show for it. It seems that the benefit is only visible with a very select few and while we fight on religious and tribal lines, some people are laughing all the way to foreign offshore banks. Over 70% of Nigerians are living below poverty level and yet our leaders are telling Nigerians that they have never had it so good. Many Nigerians are living on less than $1.25 a day. This was not always the case. Twenty years ago 34%, of Nigerians were living under the poverty line according to the World Bank. It does not take a genius to know that we have not got better but got worse. We have to lay the blame squarely at the feet of our leaders. They are the very same leaders who are insisting that we vote them back in to do very much of the same they have always
security approval granted for one vehicle were used for yet another; and it is unclear if the National Assembly approved the budget for the cars. Even if NASS did, NCAA officials bought cars and took loans worth N654 million against a budget of N240 million and their defense was that only N130 million had been paid. Is the balance not a liability the Federal government must discharge? That means they were planning to present annual budgets, for cars, to help repay the loans. At least we now know how some Nigerians apply their intelligence in dubious ways. Of one thing I am sure; this scandal will soon be swept under the carpet and will again be replaced by another one. Another thing of which I am sure is that the scandal will also involve officials and leaders of the PDP in government. Those who “voted for Jonathan and not PDP” can perhaps tell us the difference. Perhaps! Nigerians, you deserve the insults. Pls visit: www.delesobowale.com
done: nothing for its people. Our health care systems are disintegrating and instead of our leaders making it a priority to build and sustain our institutions, they instead contribute to other countries for health care. According to the former minister of health, Professor Babatunde Oshotimehien, we are spending $200 million on medical tourism. That money can be best spent in Nigeria and it could maintain several hospitals if we had such high quality hospitals in the first place. It is shocking that every year almost 3000 Nigerians travel to India for medical concerns because they cannot get adequate health care at home. My local medical center in the UK has two Nigerian doctors, this is not unique and it is like this up and down the UK. Nigerian doctors and nurses are leaving Nigeria in droves. Our places of learning are not conducive to professional learning and progress. Our hospitals and universities urgently need investments and a swift change of attitude. We have to attract the best of our health professionals, retain and pay them well to work in an environment; with the best equipment possible, only
then can Nigerians go some way in addressing the dearth of highly skilled health professionals leaving the country.
SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 11
Enugu Govt House: A Mental Hospital?
What is not clear however is why Mrs Clara Chime has to be a patient within the precincts of the Government House - does the place also double as a mental
home? Before going into the details of what has been made public so far about the subject, it seems expedient to first dismiss the viewpoint that seeks to describe the matter as a purely matrimonial, private and domestic issue. Of course, the health challenges of an ordinary Nigerian and those of his family are private matters but not so as that of the governor of a
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HE week which end ed yesterday no doubt put Enugu State Governor, Sullivan Chime, prominently in the news and once again, it was for the wrong reason. His wife, Clara, made several damaging allegations against him which were publicised by the media. According to the story, the lady’s fundamental human right on basic issues such as freedom of association and of movement had been breached by her husband for longer than she could bear. She also claimed to have been a victim of forced imprisonment. In his response, Governor Chime insists that whatever actions he has taken have been in the interest of his wife. From the lady’s version of her state of depression and the governor’s diction at a press briefing on the subject, it is apparent that the lady has a peculiar medical challenge.
ter out to the public can thus not be classified as private. Again, ours is a nation where many first ladies with the active connivance of their spouses appropriate unto themselves, the power to run illegal offices with public funds. For a typical first lady, the rest of us are often shoved off the roads by security agents to let the privileged enjoy monopoly of our collective public
Does being a governor preclude a man or his family from being human? If not, what then is extraordinary about Clara Chime, the wife of the governor of Enugu State falling ill?
state. Governor Chime, his wife and their children are not ordinary people. They are the first family of Enugu State and although their supposed breadwinner has a handsome salary, they are in addition housed and fed by the state ‘free of charge’. Matters concerning them especially those which fil-
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space. If one of such special persons cries out against forced imprisonment, it is not just a matter of public interest but one which newsroom operatives in our days would call ‘Level 17 News’! Interestingly, many of our political leaders are not quite proficient at handling pieces of such VIP news. The
PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,
08116759758
Nigerian history and the morbid obsession with national unity (8) indigenes, mostly Ndigbo, are murdered, deadly confrontations between indigenes and settlers in different parts of the country, the federal character provision in the 1999 constitution, and other overt and covert discriminatory practices based on state or place of origin in different parts of the country, indicate that a truly united Nigerian nation is yet to emerge. Therefore, stern-faced proclamations by discredited former military dictators and their civilian clones that "Nigeria's unity is not negotiable" are pure fiction, because the habits of thought and psychological dispositions necessary for nationhood are yet to take root within Nigerians. Inasmuch as the 1999 constitution presumes one Nigeria as a single political and economic unit, we believe that Chief Awolowo was essentially correct when he described Nigeria as a mere geographical expression. Similarly, the late Sadauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello, was probably right in declaring that the 1914 amalgamation of Northern and Southern Protectorates was "a mistake." Subsequent centrifugal events in the country since 1970 increasingly corroborate the painful choice made by Eastern Nigeria to secede; they also necessitate re-interroga-
tion of the geopolitical foundation on which Nigeria currently stands. We have alluded to the anti-Igbo policies instituted by Gen. Gowon's government to emasculate the Igbo, and to some other unresolved problems pushing Nigeria towards disintegration. The Indigenisation De-
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HERE is a deafening silence about the civ il war in public discourse and we want to draw attention to it so that Nigerians can ascertain where the rain started beating them and take corrective measures to avoid being drenched by another downpour in future. Thus, in our analysis, you can replace 'Igbo' with the name of another ethnic nationality and 'Northerners' with 'Southerners' and my argument will still hold. The major point readers who might accuse me of unnecessary bias ought to bear in mind is that wickedness and injustice are morally reprehensible universally, and no genuine humanist should condone any of them no matter who the perpetrators and the victims were. Therefore, if Ndigbo had perpetrated the same atrocities against Northerners as the latter had committed (and, sadly, continue to commit) against them, we would have condemned their actions also. As we indicated earlier, members of Nigeria's ruling elite seem inoculated against the harsh lessons of our history; they are still using the antediluvian strategy of ethnicity and religion to discriminate against and fight their compatriots. The recurrent violent religious uprisings in Northern Nigeria in which thousands of non-
case of the late President Yar ’Adua aside, not many would forget in haste how Presidency officials fed Nigerians with fake news on the health of first lady, Patience Jonathan until she herself publicly explained that she resurrected severally. The present case of Governor Chime’s wife is particularly curious as the governor is fast gaining popularity as a man who cherishes to shroud in unnecessary secrecy anything he does. For instance, what is called uncommon transformation elsewhere obtains in Enugu without propaganda. Chime’s conservative policy of “silence is golden” is worse in health matters. From September last year till almost 6months later, the whereabouts of Chime himself caused so much public disquiet. He had allegedly gone on what was called ‘extended’ leave- an unspecified long period that generated speculations. According to the caption of one newspaper, it was “Enugu without Chime: Intrigues without end”. While some lawmakers threatened to move against the governor over his prolonged absence, the conference of opposition parties in the state launched a campaign to rally public support for the governor’s impeachment. The official response from the state government was that the governor was hale and hearty and was merely enjoying a well-deserved vacation. It
was only when Governors Amaechi of Rivers, Suswan of Benue and Akpabio of Akwa Ibom visited Chime in London that we all got to know that his absence from Enugu was due to illhealth.
vited to eat crumbs that fell from the master's sumptuous table powered by crude oil from oil-bearing communities were solely preoccupied with satisfying their bulimic appetite for primitive accumulation. They were not interested in using their privileged positions to attract developmental projects to Igboland, which would have alleviated poverty among the masses. Moreover, it is unfortunate that prominent post-war Igbo politicians, apart from Chief Sam Mbakwe, Dr. Alex Ekwueme and a few others, are glorified scallywags whose sole motivation is to get rich within the shortest possible time at the expense of the poor. It appears that after the war something terrible happened to Ndigbo, most es-
ple with the mentality of touts and alley cats parading themselves as governors and Igbo leaders of thought, and so-called Professors "bowing and trembling" before these pretenders begging to be appointed this and that is, to put it mildly, grotesque. We therefore call on Ndigbo to wake up from slumber fast and reclaim the values that made them the cynosure of all eyes before the war broke out in 1967. Nigerians must accept that the existing framework on which the diverse peoples of this country are compelled to coexist now is cumbersome and crisis-prone. It cannot provide appropriate environment conducive to lasting peace, harmony and brotherliness devoid of pernicious mutual ethnic suspicion and fears of domination. This implies that the concept of 'One Nigeria' must be rethought and renegotiated, based on a paradigmshift in our attitude to one another irrespective of ethnic origin and religious affiliation. Consider the historicist fallacy articulated in 1992 by Alhaji Maitama Sule, a prominent Northern politician: "In this country all of us need one another. Hausa needs the Igbo, the Igbo need the Yoruba man and the Yoruba need the Northerners. Everyone has a gift from God. The Northerners have leadership qualities. The Yoruba man knows how to earn a living and has diplomatic qualities. The Igbo man is gifted in commerce, trade and technological innovation. God so created us individually for a purpose and with different gifts. Others are created as kings, servants, teachers, students, doctors." Notice that, in Sule's ethnic calculus, among the three dominant ethnic groups in Niger-
Nigerians must accept that the existing framework on which the diverse peoples of this country are compelled to coexist now is cumbersome and crisis-prone
cree No. 4, promulgated two years after Biafra capitulated, and with each Igbo depositor in Nigerian banks receiving only twenty pounds afterwards, was another prevision of the extent of marginalisation Ndigbo would suffer in the coming years. Without a doubt, Northern military dictators without exception deliberately did not embark on solid integrated infrastructural and industrial development in Igbo heartland, because they intended to continue the emasculation of Ndigbo as a vanquished group. It is germane to point out here that Igbo marginalisation was very successful due to the fact that, from 1970 most prominent Ndigbo in-
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pecially at the leadership level. In the quest for survival after the trauma of defeat and devastation, the Igbo steadily abandoned those fundamental values that made them primus inter pares among other ethnic nationalities before the war, namely, hard work, purpose-driven ambition to excel, quest for quality education and good name, and indomitable desire to make something out of nothing through honest work. It is really heart wrenching that Igbo sons and daughters in positions of authority have joined others to despoil their brothers and sisters, forgetting that a person whose house is burning does not pursue rats. The spectacle of peo-
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overnor Chime was to confirm later when he surfaced that he had been treating cancer. At that point, the governor was disturbed about the high degree of misinformation on his health which he attributed to mischief makers. He neither appreciated his own contributory negligence nor the rationale that speculations are a logical consequence of lack of information. Hence, during the week of the current controversies on his wife illhealth, the governor again sought to blame mischief makers by recalling that those who said he died earlier in India never knew he did not go that way. Would people have imagined that; if as a public property, he had allowed the public to know where he was? What is special about a governor having cancer? Does being a governor preclude a man or his family from being human? If not, what then is extraordinary about Clara Chime, the wife of the governor of Enugu State falling ill? Rather than do the necessary, Governor Chime allowed gossips and rumours with their attendant ill-will to flow into his wife’s illness until well-meaning persons and
institutions rose up to the occasion. First, the nation’s most proactive news outfitchannels television, for more than 2 consecutive days in the week, deprecated the dehumanizing stories coming out of Enugu government house without any response. Second, Femi Falana-the ordinary man’s lawyer since after Gani Fawehinmi had to make some constructive noise too. Third, the National Human Rights Commission had to publicly demand access to Clara Chime. These forced the governor to organize a rather poorly rehearsed press briefing where he said something like “na me get my wife; na me know how to treat am” Whoever told the governor that the health challenge of his wife is one that can derogate from the public image of his high office and as such should be covered up is mean. The same is true of the unprofessional medical option adopted. Even if many people have mental problems in Enugu, Chime cannot justify the establishment of a psychiatric hospital within government house. Accordingly, any such hospital therein for Clara is illogical. Last September, the governor travelled miles away in search of the best treatment for himself when he was down; it is time now for him to also seek for the very best for Clara Chime, the incumbent first lady and mother of Enugu people. ia the Hausa comes first and Ndigbo last; there is also a surreptitious insinuation that skill in commerce, trade, and technological innovation purportedly possessed by the Igbo is not as important as the divinely ordained leadership qualities of the Hausa. Maitama Sule's ridiculous claim reflects the position of the core Northern establishment till now, which is why several prominent Northerners want one of their own to be President in 2015 at all costs. Of course, morbid obsession and irrational fixation with Nigerian unity anchored on a very strong centre and weak federating units will continue to impede our quest for rapid development. It encourages malignant corruption, emergence of violent insurgent and separatist groups, and bitter political struggles by different ethnic groups to produce the next President. Isa Yuguda and others benefiting from the present shambolic system can continue to call supporters of radical political reengineering names. Yet, the truth is that until Nigeria gradually and systematically evolves into a confederation, with each confederating unit having the right to secede after meeting certain criteria, the country can never fulfil its potential as the greatest black country on earth. Ultimately, since every nation is always a-work-inprogress, time will tell whether Nigerians can creatively resolve "the national question" before it is too late or their country disintegrates, as some Americans predicted, because the pachydermatous ruling class failed to heed the stark warnings of history. CONCLUDED.
PAGE 12—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 run to the utmost parts of the globe to get treated for any health issue rather than stay and be treated like the rest of us.Nigerian medical emergencies of the ruling classes are attended, in Germany, the USA or india. Is it not stating the obvious that equipping the hospitals is better for all of us if we place any value on Nigerian lives? Not too long ago, a Nigerian executive piloted a plane that crashed, he wasn't
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OLITICS or gossip is not my cup of tea and I have enough sense to stay away from religion but lately I do feel that rising above dirt doesn't make one clean and for a change would like to state the obvious to the leaders who don't seem to have a clue what leadership means! An emerging democracy takes time and it is true that Nigeria is a young one but youth and craziness are not mutually exclusive. Politicians the world over fight and at one point or the other blows have been traded in parliaments around the globe, so all the fighting is not the issue. The issue is the assumption that Nigerians are a nation of dummies who will continue to eat the rubbish the leaders seem determined to dish out, election after election. We apparently have a ruling party, seeing how winning elections has become a do or die affair, they rule by whatever means necessary. Wouldn't it be stating the obvious that it is no longer a democracy if one party always rules? I have reached a stage where hope in the Nigerian situation is fading fast. Scandal after scandal and the ruling party continues , the abuse of resources and public office is so endemic, it has seeped down the ladder to even the insignificants. If the ruling party was the only problem, then it would be just a question of a united front to boot them out. The major issue facing Nigeria is the entire ruling
class, our political waters are muddy and filthy and no right thinking person wants to get in and swim. The only challengers to the ruling party are not suitable alternatives judging by their utterances and rants! Challenging status quo just to grab power when you don't love Nigeria or Nigeri-
ans doesn't make any other party a solution to our problems and that is just stating the obvious. What exactly are the dividends of this democracy? It seems to me that getting re elected must mean that achievements in the first term are rewarded by a second term. For all the office holders jostling for a second term I ask for a manifesto, like other Nigerians, I am curios to know what value they plan to add to the lives of ordinary Nigerians! I am also demanding they show us the manifestos that got them elected initially and just how many of those promises they delivered the first time round. Lately I am convinced that Nigerian politicians hate Nigerians and I have two main reasons for saying this. My first reason is our healthcare. There is a general breakdown in primary healthcare and the situation is so deplorable that the leaders we elected
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Stating the obvious
The major issue facing Nigeria is the entire ruling class, our political waters are muddy and filthy and no right thinking person wants to get in and swim
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the only casualty, he was of course air lifted abroad for treatment while other victims of same crash were left to languish here. If the healthcare here was good enough, why did the executive
need flying out? Do Nigerian lives matter at all to these so called ruling class? How many times has the german chancellor gone to India for a transplant or any medical issue? We have the doctors, good and very competent but they are limited by the resources that are squandered on private planes and bullet proof cars!
My second reason is our educational system. How many of their children attend the public schools? The standard of education is so poor that nigerians have become education tourists! Different countries come here to woo the middle class to educate their children at a premium. Education is a necessary tool for development and sending our children out is not the solution to educating them, improving the lot of educators and providing the right infrastructure is. It has become a thing of pride to drop the name of Ivy League schools in conversations when the rich talk about their children when in fact they themselves graduated from University of lagos, University of Ibadan and other formally great institutions! Formally great because ageing infrastructure have been left to rot, lecturers are not adequately remunerated, and new ones are not being built to accommodate a booming population. Our lawmakers busy themselves voting to legalise child marriages when they should be making it law that any public official needing medical attention must be treated in the state and even local government they represent or lead! They should follow that by another law that makes it compulsory for all children of public officials to attend the public schools in their state and locality. Lets not forget to make power generators also illegal for all of them; let them see what life is like for the common Nigerian they claim to represent. In the coming dispensation I would honestly like to see politicians who would swear to us to love Nigeria and Nigerians, who would drink of the bitter waters in health, education and standard of living. How can anyone solve the problems of Nigerians when they don't face the challenges created by their corruption, ineptitude, indifference, incompetence and outright dislike of those of us they rule. Caring for Nigeria is the first step to restoring unity and kickstarting development, that is stating the obvious,
How Uduaghan, lawmakers collaborate to move Delta forward — Hon Tebite
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LOROGUN Taleb Avwerosuoghene Tebite is the member representing Ughelli South in the Delta State House of Assembly. In this interview, Tebite speaks on the administration of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. Excerpts: How do you rate Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s development initiative in the transport sector? Governor Uduaghan is one man that is very committed to the development of the entire state. His developmental projects are scattered all over Delta. He has touched every community; no matter how small the community is, Uduaghan’s government has at least a project there. In the area of transport, the governor has greatly alleviated the suffering of Deltans. In the past, there were few government vehicles plying the roads and transport fare were exorbitant rate, but, today, you see government mass transit buses, luxurious buses and cars plying all routes in the state and beyond. Delta Transport Line has been revitalized. The state transport commissioner, Mr Ben Igbakpa, is also doing well; he has brought life into that ministry. Government has also bought a good number of tricycles to cushion the effect of the ban on ‘Okada’ in Asaba, Effurun, parts of Ethiope East Local Government and Warri. As I speak with you, the state government has also intervened in river transportation. The state government, in the last few months, has bought speed boats worth millions of naira to ease river transportation in the state. When you go to Delta Boat Yard in Warri, you will appreciate what I am saying better. Let me use this opportunity to commend Governor Uduaghan for the re-
introduction of regional water scheme in the state. Under this water scheme, water will now flow in all parts of the state and in our homes, whether you have a water borehole in your house or not. I thank the deputy governor, Prof Amos Agbe Utuama, Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Comrade Ovuozorie Macaulay, who marked his 53rd birthday last week, the state commissioner for water resources, Dr Chris Oghenechovwen, and the commissioner for millennium development goals, Queen mother Victoria Ikenchukwu, for their team work with the governor and, I repeat, the
*Tebite
people of Delta will enjoy better water scheme under this regional water plan. The state government is also doing very
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BY FESTUS AHON
Uduaghan holds the development of the state close to his heart and is determined to accomplish his vision for the state before the expiration of his tenure in 2015
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well in the area of health; almost all the hospitals in the state have been upgraded with modern healthcare facilities. The Eku Baptist Hospital, built by missionaries, has been taken over and renovated with modern health equipment. I commend the effort of the commissioner for health,
Dr Joseph Otumara, for bringing our hospitals to modern standard. The commissioner for environment, Mr Frank Omare, must be commended for the general cleanliness and opening of water channels in our major towns. How do you rate the performance of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan as a member of the Delta State House of Assembly? Governor Uduaghan is the governor to beat in Nigeria as at today. He is one Governor that has coordinated projects in all aspects of human endearvour. Since he assumed office in May 2007, he has kept faith with his three-point agenda. In the area of infrastructure, Uduaghan is doing well; in the area of health, Uduaghan is doing well; in education and agriculture is doing exceedingly well. You are very conversant with the state; take a drive across the state, you see massive construction of township roads completed and ongoing in Asaba, Agbor, Sapele, Jeremi and other major towns in the State.
In the area of education; ninety percent of our primary and secondary schools are undergoing reconstruction. Let me use this medium to commend our commissioner for basic and secondary education, Prof Patrick Muoboghare, and the commissioner for higher education, Prof Hope Eghagha for bringing their wealth of experience to bear in the discharge of their duties. The commissioner for power and energy, Mr Charles Emetulu, also need to be commended for the work he is doing particularly in our rural communities; even our riverine communities are being linked. How do you describe the relationship between the executive and legislative arm of government in the state? We have a cordial working relationship. The House under the leadership of Rt Hon Victor Ochei is vibrant and very focused. We have passed several bills that have direct bearing on governance in the state. This year’s appropriation bill is a bill for the rapid development of the state; every part of the state has projects in the appropriation bill. Better days await the people and I wish to appeal to them never to relent in their support for Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. Uduaghan holds the development of the state close to his heart and is determined to accomplish his vision for the state before the expiration of his tenure in 2015. Let us look at the Asaba International Airport; how has it affected the economy of Delta since it commenced local flight last year? The airport, apart from its economic gains, has given Asaba, the state capital a face lift. People are now building around the airport; the capital city is developing towards that direction now. The airport is a very busy one and you can imagine how it will be when it commences international flights with cargo planes landing in the airport.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 13
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SUND AY SUNDA
Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 15
Mumbai’s The Antilla: A ‘Slum dog Billionaire’s’ Profligacy BY CHARLES IGBINIDU
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OU think Nigerian billionaires/ millionaires are insensitively lavish and ostentatious in their lifestyles and there is blatantly display wealth amidst screaming poverty on our streets? Take a trip to Mumbai, India
(one of the world’s infamous slum cities) and see profligate display of wealth taken to thoughtless heights by of super rich businessman Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries. Ambani, who is reputed to be the wealthiest man in India with an estimated net worth of $22.3 billion lives in a 27-floor residence called ‘The Antilia’ with his wife, a daughter and two sons. In Mumbai, a city infamous for its slums that it attracted multiple-awards-winning film, Slum dog Millionaire drawing the attention of the world to the sorry state of the city, which, in many respects, is like Lagos in Nigeria. I’m sure many are already asking why the take on Ambani? Simple. I recently visited India where I attended the 2013 World Brand Congress. Mumbai played host to that global marketing/branding event. Hence, I had to be in Mumbai, and, as a curious professional always ready to learn more about the world around me, I made out time to see the city that hosted me for nearly a week. Now, before I narrate my experience of my tour of Mumbai, it is pertinent to state that the World Brand Congress lived up to its billing as the single largest rendezvous of best brains behind some of the world’s most successful and sought after brands. Renown marketing/branding professionals, scholars and analysts from 33 countries and five continents of the world gathered in Mumbai to C M Y K
rub minds on trending marketing and branding developments around the world. It was a great platform to interact with thoroughbred marketing/ branding professionals, scholars and pundits from across the globe. The World Brand Congress took place from October 21 – 23. At the end of the event, it was time to go round and feel Mumbai. I was taken round the city by two of my India friends, Hitesh Mehta and Vikram Mehta. Places visited include the JAIN Temple, the Indira Ghandhi link bridge, which is almost the same length as the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos, the India Gateway and Ambani’s The Antilia. One family, 800 domestic staff I was awe struck when I beheld the imposing and luxuriantly carved edifice. Phew! As if the intimidating posture of the edifice was not enough, my guides shocked me further when they revealed to me that the 27-storey building housed just one nuclear family and about 800 domestic staff. For the first few minutes, it was a benumb. It was a slightly dizzying experience for me! All that for just a man, his wife and three children? You need to behold The Antilia to experience and feel what I felt, particularly, when you measure its level of affluence in comparison to the slums around it. It sounds unbelievable. Could this be true?, I inquired. Not sure if my guides were not just boasting; I decided to Google Antilia on my smartphone. I discovered that information available on the internet was largely in sync with what I was told by my guides. Indeed, Wikipedia puts it more succinctly: “A full-time staff of 600 maintains the residence, reportedly
the most expensive home in the world. The Antilia building is situated on an ocean-facing 4,532 square metres (48,780 sq ft) plot at Altamount Road, Cumballa Hill, South Mumbai, where land prices are upward of US$10,000 per square metre. In August 2008, Altamount Road was the 10th most expensive street in the world at US$25,000/sq m[9] (US$2,336 per sq foot”. The more my guides furnished me with additional information about the house and the Ambani family, the
The traffic situation on Mumbai roads were like, if not, worse than Lagos. Like Lagos, the traffic jams were caused by poor driving habits by motorists who refuse to obey simple traffic rules and also beat traffic lights with impunity more I kept telling myself, ‘I thought super rich Nigerians were ostentatious and insensitive with their display of wealth and affluence by acquiring fleets of expensive cars and private
jets; now I’m beginning to ask myself if there is anything (to the best of my knowledge) compared to this in Nigeria or anywhere else in the world for that matter ’. Pope Francis just publicly reprimanded a German Bishop, Bishop Franz-Peter Tebartzvan Elst of Limburg Diocese, for allegedly spending “too much money” renovating his official residence with some section of the media even labeling the clergyman “bling bishop”. Remember in Bishop FranzPeter Tebartz-van Elst case, the house belongs to the Church. Sorry state I considered the case of Ambani and his, The Antilia, insensitive because, as far as I am concerned, it is a lavish display of affluence in the midst of deafening poverty. You need to experience Mumbai to see the desperate and sorry state of living under which the vast majority of the people of the city are living. It sounds amazing how Ambani and his immediate family could feel comfortable displaying such affluence amidst millions of hungry and desperate kins in the same locality. This insensitive display of wealth amidst widespread penury has even drawn criticism from Ambani’s coIndian super rich. Wikipedia quoted Tata Group, former chairman Ratan Tata, to have described Antilia as an example of rich Indians lack of empathy for the poor. An obviously disgusted Tata told Wikipedia: “The person who lives in there should be concerned about what he sees around him and [asking] can he make a difference. If he is not, then it is sad because this country needs people to allocate some of their enormous wealth to finding ways of mitigating the hardship that people have.” Some Indians are proud of the “ostentatious house”, while others see it as “shameful in a nation where many children go hungry.” Dipankar Gupta, a sociologist at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, opined that “such wealth can be inconceivable” not only in Mumbai, “home to some of the Asia's worst slums,” but also in a nation with 42 percent of the world's underweight children younger than five. Few weeks before visiting India, I was in Frankfurt, Germany, Bologna and Milan in Italy. In both European countries, I had this unexplainable feeling of sadness. ‘Why are you sad?’ I asked myself. I realized I was sad because of the poor state of infrastructure in Nigeria, the lack of orderliness and the uninviting state of the environment. ‘When is my country going to get to this level? We still have a very long way to go’, I further told myself. Between MMA and Mumbai Airport However, the feeling was quite different in India. Right from the airport, I knew I was in a third world country. Hardly any difference between the Mumbai Airport and Murtala Mohammed International Airport here in Lagos, Nigeria. Security men were menacingly displaying automatic weapons, the air was unfriendly and one had to wait almost forever to claim his luggage. While still at the Mumbai airport, I said to myself, ‘Welcome to Lagos’. The drive from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to the TAJ Lands End Hotel where I stayed was hellish and Lagos-like as well. The traffic situation on Mumbai roads were like, if not, worse than Lagos.
Continues on page 16
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Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
Mumbai’s The Antilla: A ‘Slum dog Billionaire’s’ Profligacy Continued from page 15 Like Lagos, the traffic jams were caused by po or driving habits by motorists who refuse to obey simple traffic rules and also beat traffic lights with impunity. Mumbai shared several similarities with the city of Lagos, Nigeria. Much like Lagos, Mumbai, also known as Bombay, is a coastal city, with approximately a population of 20.5 million people. It is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Just like Lagos, it is the most populous, wealthiest, the commercial and entertainment capital of India. Many of the top Bollywood stars and the super-rich Indians live in the city. The major difference between Lagos and Mumbai, as I noticed, is that while Lagos is a state in Nigeria, Mumbai is a city and as earlier mentioned the capital of the state of Maharashtra. Unlike the European cities of Bologna and Milan where I saw so many young Nigerians who as far as I am concerned had no business being in Europe, the few Nigerians I met in Mumbai were traders (on transit) who are in Indian to buy goods for sale in Nigeria. Pity for fellow countrymen I know that some of my readers would be wondering why I described many of the Nigerians I saw in the Italian cities of Bologna and Milan as having no business
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being there. I stand by my assertion with every sense of responsibility. When I beheld the deplorable condition under which some of our kinsmen live in Europe, I felt pity for my fellow country men and women who left Nigeria believing that the streets of Europe are paved with silver and gold and that every tree lining the streets grows dollars, pounds and Euro leaves. Many of them left Nigeria with the erroneous impression that life in Europe was going to be an Eldorado, only to discover that the reverse is the case. Many of them would have loved to return to Nigeria but are ashamed of what they would tell their families and friends at home. Some simply didn’t have the means or could no longer afford tickets to come back home. For that category of Nigerians abroad, it’s more like self-inflicted imprisonment. Apart from the few who schooled in Italy, many of our people are living in the country illegally and engaged in demeaning jobs – hawking hard drugs, prostitution, pimping, street begging etc. (and sundry dehumanizing activities). worsen situation for these ‘stoways’, as I think they should properly be addressed, majority of them can’t even speak the language of their host country. They are either too illiterate to learn another language as adults or just can’t pay to be taught the language. This language barrier makes interaction between them
and citizens of their host country difficult. This in turn, partly explains the constant misunderstandings and distrust between Nigerians and Italians over flimsy issues. Consequently, these set of Nigerians relate more to themselves and congregate around public places such as railway stations. A situation that limits opportunities open to them in lands with legitimate opportunities at everyone’s disposal. Since most are idle, they begin to develop, share and engage in demeaning and criminal activities, thereby giving our dear country a bad name abroad. ‘No returning home’ From my experience, I discovered that it is difficult to persuade them to return home. When advised to consider returning, most of these ‘Andrews’ always retort: ‘Return home to do what?’ Now, if one should consider the impunity with which Nigerian version of Mumbai Ambanis, particularly, public officials, elected political holders and clergy men and women flaunt their “mostly ill” acquired wealth as if to spite their fellow Nigerians, it is easy to understand why these Nigerians prefer living as destitute in foreign land where they have little name and had nothing to be ashamed of, than live in Nigeria where their commonwealth is being used to taunt them. In trying to understand why these Nigerians would leave their country and
go suffer in another man’s country, I came to realize that the history of mankind is replete with migration. People have always relocated from one place to another in search of comfort. What is however, comfort to one man may be pain to another. The conclusion therefore is if we are to attract these people back home or stop more Nigerians from emigrating, we have to make our country more comfortable for the vast majority of the people. This is a job for all Nigerians. For the Ambanis in our midst, know it that your fleet of private jets, luxury cars and lavish lifestyle can be moderated to give succor to your fellow country men and women who are not so privileged. You can, at least, do yourself a favour by watching and learning from Jamal Malik, the hero of the Oscar-winning Slum dog Millionaire. You will see how that young man from Juhu Slums of Mumbai appears on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire (Koun Banego Crarepati) and exceeds people’s expectations. However, unlike your Indian super rich authorities, do not haunt your slum neighbours with Ambani-like display of affluence with impunity.
* Igbinidu is the Publisher/Editor-inchief of ionigeria.com and Managing Director of TPT International
SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 17
By BENJAMIN NJOKU njokujamin@yahoo.com
NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS OMONI REVEALS MATRIMONIAL SECRET
‘It is satanic to suggest I will divorce my husband!’
What I saw in her I don’t know. I couldn’t compare. I just know that what I saw in her was more than enough to make me want to consider marriage and make her my wife. She was just perfect for me. Ready for marriage at the time we met. In some ways, yes, but meeting her heightened my readiness to get married. How I met her We met for just a few minutes in Lagos while she was pursuing her acting career. We met some years later and started dating. What endeared me to her Her beauty and warmth. She is so exciting to be with. What marriage means to me What God ordained it to be; the union between man and woman, and fulfilling God’s purpose for our lives. Married friend Yes. Trust I trust her and cherish her a lot. Regret marrying C M Y K
a celebrity I didn’t marry a celebrity. I married Omoni, who now happens to be a celebrity. There’s nothing to regret. She’s the same person I married over the years. What binds us We’ve always been close. I don’t know if it’s what binds us because there’s more to us than what people see. We just enjoy every passing moment, as much as we can, knowing that we could never have it back once it is lost. 10th marriage anniversary We didn’t travel to Israel for our 10thyear anniversary, rather we travelled to Dubai. There can only be one honeymoon. The rest is enjoying every single moment and making it count.
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When relationship experts, Dr. Charles and Dr. Elizabeth Schmitz, stated that “The most successful marriages are those in which spouses are also best friends,” they were indirectly referring to Nnamdi Oboli and his actress wife, Omoni. The couple see themselves as best friends. They trust each other with their lives. This explains why the man always by his wife’s side even when she’s on movie location. After 13 years of marriage which is blessed with three boys, the couple are still like an item. They share the story behind their success and the secret of their marriage.
We met for just a few minutes in Lagos while she was pursuing her acting career. We met some years later and started dating
After 11 years of marriage The number one lesson
is that I wish I had met her earlier and been married sooner. Other lessons have been compiled into my book which is in the process of being published. So, look out for it. Other lessons are being learnt as we grow along. What I don’t like about her As soon as I know it is, I’ll get back to you . In my marriage, there’s no plan B; no thoughts about divorce— Omoni Combining marriage with my acting career I don’t mind travelling. I love it. Nevertheless, I miss my husband and my boys whenever I travel. I’m grateful to God that my husband takes care of things when I’m not around. I cope quite well. What has kept my marriage going 13 years now. Marriage is not about your status, so I didn’t go into it with the view to changing who I am just
because of my new status as celebrity. Again, I thank God because it’s not what I did, but the fact that God gave me a husband that I love and understand and one who loves and understands me. Many others who would have loved to stay married (celebrity or not) don’t always have a choice in their affairs. Feeling the same love for him I think I love him even more now than when we first started. We have changed in so many ways and levels in our relationship that has sealed our union, and I’m so enjoying our thing right now. Having a non-celebrity husband Marriage to anybody is to understand the responsibility that comes with it. In my marriage, there’s no plan B; no thoughts about divorce. The fact that he isn’t a celebrity is not what makes him a great husband, it’s just who he is. Temptations in marriage The greatest temptation is to just sleep. Sometimes the work gets to the point that you crave sleep but can’t seem to squeeze out the time for it. Second honeymoon We have had many honeymoon. We find time to make our little mummy and daddy timeouts count as honeymoon. Our 10th anniversary was in Dubai, and we had a great time. What I can do without my husband I can act and cook. What do you mean, “ what can I not do without my husband?” His presence makes those things that I normally do count for something more because he is there with me, and his appreciation of what I do gives me the greatest joy. What can I not do without him? I don’t know if I would have been as close to God as I am today if it weren’t for him. He is my teacher, my guide and the iron that sharpens my iron in the word of God. Running joint bank account That’s totally up to every couple. No two relationships are alike. If they have a joint account but make each other miserable, how does that help the relationship? If they don’t maintain a joint account, but enjoy their marriage, who can fault them? So, I say, to each his own, whatever works for you.
PAGE 18—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
Again, Amaechi, Omehia square up at the Supreme Court BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH
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*Amaechi The justification of the trial judge was that that since the apex court (in the 2007 judgment which sacked Omehia) held that the victory at the poll was for the political party (PDP) that fielded the candidate in the April 2007 governorship poll, the candidate’s tenure started counting on May 29, 2007 when his predecessor (Omehia), sponsored by the same party, wrongly assumed power. The judge held that it was wrong in the face of the law
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OLLOWING the consolidation of the papers filed by contending parties in the legal battles over the office of governor of Rivers State, the Supreme Court will tomorrow conduct hearing to adopt written addresses filed by Governor Rotimi Amaechi, sacked Governor Celestine Omehia and Cyprian Chukwu on the contentious issue of when the tenure of the incumbent governor should have started counting. The Supreme Court had given judgment in the suit filed by Amaechi against Omehia in 2007, but the case resurfaced in 2010 after the Court of Appeal made Omehia a party in a suit filed by a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Cyprian Chukwu, who had instituted the matter to challenge the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reschedule the then governorship election in Rivers State for August 2011. In his brief, Chukwu asked a Federal High Court, Abuja to interpret the 2007 judgment by the Supreme Court, which enthroned Amaechi by replacing Omehia. Specifically he faulted INEC’s decision to schedule the governorship election in Rivers State for August 2011. His argument was that since Amaechi took the oath of office in October 2007 as against May 29, 2007 when his counterparts in other states were sworn into office, the court should determine whether governorship election should be held in Rivers during the general elections of April or later. Amaechi and INEC were joined as defendants in the suit. Chukwu further contended that so far as the Supreme Court had held in its judgment in 2007 that it was the PDP, the platform on which Amaechi contested, that won the April 2007 governorship election in the state, his tenure ought to start counting from May 29, 2007 and not October 27, 2007 when he took the oath of office after the exit of his predecessor, Omehia, from office. In spite of the argument canvassed by the defendants (Amaechi & INEC) however, the trial judge, Justice Abdulkadir Abdulkafarati, held that though Amaechi took the oath of office on October 26, 2007, his initial tenure ended on May 28, 2011.
*Omehia However, another leg of the battle started when Omehia came to the scene and applied to be joined as an interested party at that level. Not comfortable with Omehia’s move, Amaechi opposed the application. He argued, through his counsel, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who contended that Omehia was neither a necessary nor a desirable party in the suit abi nitio. In his counter argument, Omehia urged the court to uphold his
In spite of the argument canvassed by the defendants (Amaechi & INEC) however, the trial judge, Justice Abdulkadir Abdulkafarati, held that though Amaechi took the oath of office on October 26, 2007, his initial tenure ended on May 28, 2011
for Amaechi to assume that his tenure would begin from when he took the oath of office and that time spent by Omehia in office formed part of Amaechi’s actual tenure, which would have guaranteed him then to stay till October 2011. He premised his argument on the fact that the Supreme Court did not annul the election of April 14, 2007 won by the PDP but merely removed the person who wrongly occupied the office. Amaechi, who felt the court was wrong in its decision, decided to appeal the judgment alongside the electoral referee (INEC).
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arguments on the ground that since he was a party in the case that led to the 2007 Supreme Court judgment, which the Federal High Court interpreted, he was adversely affected by the judgment and was eligible to be made a party. Though he made it clear to the appellate court that he was to contest the coming governorship election in another party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). He therefore asked the court to make him a party. Like a drama, the appellate court positively considered his (Omehia) application, as he was joined as a party. In its
ruling, the appellate court ruled in his favour. B u t Amaechi’s again faulted the ruling and appealed to the Supreme Court. In his notice of appeal, Amaechi argued that there was no relief sought against Omehia in the case at the appellate court, adding that being a party in the case leading to the 2007 Supreme Court judgment, which the High Court judge interpreted, was not enough to join Omehia as a party. Through his lawyer, the governor argued that Omehia deliberately hid salient fact from the court to get his judgment. He said that he actually participated in the April 2011 governorship election on the platform of APGA and lost, which automatically had disqualified him from benefiting from the past judgment of the apex court. Amaechi was not alone to challenge the decision of the appellate court as the originator of the case in the High Court, Chukwu, also filed a similar application before the apex court, challenging Omehia’s inclusion in the case. These are the issues that the apex court is ready to examine. Omehia’s lawyer, Nnoruka Udechukwu (SAN), at the last hearing, on October 3, rather than proceeding with the case, sought an adjournment. He had applied before the court to consolidate the appeal filed by the duo of Amaechi and Chukwu, a prayer that was acceded to by the court. He was expected to move his motion when, surprisingly, he prayed for an adjournment.
Fagbemi objected to Udechukwu’s prayer for adjournment. He argued that an adjournment was needles since all processes relating to the appeals had been regularised. Responding, Omehia’s lawyer said his client was asking the apex court to lump up all the issues raised and resolve them in the same appeal. “If the Supreme Court determines that the Court of Appeal was wrong, then that ends the matter; there will be no need to go back to the Court of Appeal. But if the Supreme Court says that the Court of Appeal was right in granting leave to Omehia to appeal, then, because of time factor; the fundamental question is; what are the issues in contention? Answer them and determine them, once and for all,” Udechukkwu said. Fagbemi also submitted: “Our position then was that we cannot conduct election in Rivers State because Amaechi, the governor, came in October 2007; that was the time he took the oath of office. If you reckon with that date, it means no election will be due until, may be two months to October. In order words, election could only come up around August and the court overruled us. “We appealed against that decision, now Mr Omehia, who was not a party in the suit, came and said he wanted to be joined in the matter as interested party. The question is; what is his interest in this matter?” He said Omehia had contested under another party and exhausted all judicial remedy, but to no avail. Legal opinions differ on the decision of the former governor to approach the appellate court as joinder, and where the matter would end. It has been contended that the argument by Omehia that the apex court should adopt its reasoning in the case of Peter Obi against INEC may not apply here. Legal experts argue that unlike what happened in Omehia and Amaechis’ case, Andy Ubah and Obi were never members of the same party. The experts think the case may end as an academic exercise after all. They cited a similar effort by Omehia in the past. They however submitted that the former governor possessed the constitutional rights to approach the court anytime. Mr Abiodun Kolajo said, “I don’t see this case as a waste of time. That is why the court is there.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2012, PAGE 19
Sambo and Yuguda: The bond of friendship
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BY SONI DANIEL
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The visit by Sambo to Yuguda and commissioning of some of the many projects completed by the governor has put paid to the claim in some quarters that the latter was working to supplant the former as the 2015 election draws nearer
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VP, Sambo
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T a time many p o l i t i c a l leaders in Nigeria are torn apart because of pecuniary interests, the love between Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo and the Bauchi State governor, Mallam Isa Yuguda, is waxing stronger. The two friends, who have kept faith with one another despite separation by time and offices, remain bonded by their membership of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), their unalloyed loyalty, love and cooperation with their principal: President Goodluck Jonathan. Curiously too, the two men, though powerful in their own right, have opted to remain largely introvert and incontrovertible. Clearly, despite the uproar in the PDP, Sambo and Yuguda have kept a safe distance from all controversial meetings and utterances, thereby walking tall as political heroes. Although such indifference could be mistaken for cowardice, it has, nonetheless, kept the two men in good standing with their principal and aided their supporters to head to the right direction, as the political atmosphere in the land begins to witness some heat. As the governor explains, Sambo can be described as a true son of Bauchi, having started his early life in the state and actually worked for the Bauchi State government as an architect for about four years. Beyond that, Sambo and Yuguda studied in the same university as they grew up. While Sambo studied architecture, Yuguda’s choice of course was economics and was two classes behind the Vice President in the university. Since coming into power as Nigeria’s number two citizen, Sambo has not hidden his love for Bauchi and the governor, whom he describes as ‘my junior brother’ while Yuguda routinely refers to the VP as my ‘senior brother’. It was perhaps in a bid to showcase their unbroken tie that Sambo decided to spend the first three days of the month of November to visit his fried in Bauchi,
Yuguda
As the governor explained, Sambo can be described as a true son of Bauchi, having started his early life in the state and actually worked for the Bauchi State government as an architect for about four years. Beyond that, Sambo and Yuguda studied in the same university
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inspect on-going projects and commission completed ones. The Vice President was not disappointed by the time he began to go round the state with Yuguda leading the way. Yuguda has indeed changed the landscape of Bauchi with numerous people-oriented projects to the extent that it became difficult for the VP to believe that it was the same Bauchi that he used to know. Most astonishing to Sambo was t he international airport (BIA), which Yuguda has completed with state of the art facilities without even mentioning it in the media with a view to drawing media attention to himself and the government,
as it the case with many governors, who try to use a single project to draw global attention even when the scheme may not bring the most benefit to the majority of the people. The uniqueness of the BIA lies in the fact that the terminal building was completed with precast concrete and can withstand any shock. It also boasts of the a runway of over 3.5 kilometres and the widest width of 80 metres, thereby making history as one of the best to emerge in Africa. The project, which also has a 1,000-car parking lot, a Well- equipped fire station, control tower and apron that can take a dreamliner, has gulped N8.5 billion till date.
The Yankari Games Reserve, the Bauchi State University, with three campuses spread across the state, a fertiliser plant, ten community radio stations, many general hospitals, each with 250 bed spaces and many roads built by the administration of Yuguda, left Sambo looking for words to describe his friend’s accomplishments. “I wish to say that Mallam Isa Yuguda has tremendously changed the landscape of Bauchi and made it impossible for me to identify certain places that I used to know as a resident of the town of Bauchi” , the VP said. “The kind of airport that the governor has built in the state is first of its kind and we are very proud of his achievements within so short a time. “Most astonishing to us as a government is that the governor has completed all these projects without any fanfare”. The visit by Sambo to Yuguda and commissioning of some of the many projects completed by the governor has put paid to the claim in some quarters that the latter was working to supplant the former as the 2015 election
draws nearer. But the governor, who does not hide his love for the VP and President Jonathan, came out boldly to rebuke those bearing the false story all in a desperate attempt to mar their agelong acquaintanceship. “The VP and I are very close friends. I cannot in all honesty do anything to undermine him or his position. He is aware of my love and friendship with him over the years and nothing can separate us. In the first instance, I don’t have blind ambition. Those who are familiar with me know that I have never lobbied or struggled for any of the positions I have occupied in life,” Yuguda said. “I know that God would unfailingly punish me if I don’t show appreciation for what he has done for me and wickedly go to bring down the Vice President.“God will certainly punish me if I even contemplate doing that. Besides, the VP and I have very good relationship. I look up to him as a senior brother just I look up to Mr. President as a senior brother ”. After taking the VP round for two days to see what he had been able to do in Bauchi in the last six years, Yuguda said he was happy to see the efforts of his administration fruits and giving hope to the people, who were once hopeless and relegated. Yuguda said, “I am satisfied that God is helping me to fulfill my promises to the people. I swore by the Q’uran that I will protect lives and property and I have done my best in that regard”.
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SUND AY V ANGU ARD, NO VEMBER 10, 2013, SUNDA VANGU ANGUARD, NOVEMBER
P AGE 21 PA
Email: vanguardwoman@gmail.com (08054650907- SMS only)
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BY JOSEPHINE IGBINOVIA
xcept for her feminine physique, everything about Hon.Elizabeth Ativie is mannish. From her husky tone of voice to selfcarriage, her military upbringing speaks volume. These characteristics however belly her disposition towards public service and motherly love for the people of Uhunmwode whom she has represented at the Edo State House of Assembly for two terms running. Elizabeth has also remarkably been the only woman in the state House of Assembly since then. In this interview, she shares the secrets of her success in politics, survival strategies in the House of Assembly and contribution to the development of her constituency.
'My masculine voice, a blessing'
—Hon Ativie, only woman in Edo parliament unholy place. Though I drink with male politicians because that’s one way they can see you as one of them, I don’t take too much of alcohol. Even when they are drinking hot drinks, I take a sip for solidarity! Right now in Edo State, if you ask for a politician who is a role model, my name will be mentioned! So, I believe I have achieved that ambition of making a difference.
How long have you been in politics? I’ve been in politics since 1999. I was once National President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria and that actually prepared me for politics. I was in the house in 2006 as the Chief Whip of Edo State House of Assembly but got thrown out one and a half year later by the court, immediately after Governor Adams Oshiomole won his mandate. I quietly went back home because I knew my place in the hearts of my people! So, I contested and won again the next term, still becoming the only woman in the house. We hear stories about female parliamentarians being beaten and messed up; how much of that have you suffered? I’ve experienced a lot. I went through the challenges of night meetings and all, but my husband was always there for me. He would go with me and stay in the car while I joined the meeting. Although, nobody has ever beaten me in any political meeting or rally because before you say Jack, I would have said Jack Robinson. I became very masculine and my masculine voice has also been helpful. All these put me at an advantage and make me seem a threat to some of the men. They find it difficult to lift up their hands against me even in crisis situations. But this is not so for most female politicians… You see, most of our women do not know when to retrieve or move further. For instance, in the last local government election, I was surrounded by over fifty young men with cutlasses and other arms. My security man was with me. When one of them wanted to harm me, my security personnel jumped out of the car and corked the gun. I came out of the car immediately and stopped him from attempting to attack them. “Don’t touch any of them; they are my brothers”, I
C M Y K
•Hon Elizabeth Ativie
I’ve experienced a lot. I went through the challenges of night meetings and all, but my husband was always there for me. He would go with me and stay in the car while I joined the meeting. Although, nobody has ever beaten me in any political meeting or rally because before you say Jack, I would have said Jack Robinson shouted at him. Do you know those boys immediately dropped their weapons because of those words! So, you see, we should be able to guard our words as women. And of course, you know, for a few of us that had won elections, if we want to be truthful, we were assisted by our male politicians; there’s simply no way you can win elections without them. So, you must know how to work with them. Actually, what men need from women is respect. That way, they will always recommend and stand by you. These are some of the
subtle means through which I have entered the house for a second term. Do you agree that politics is a dirty terrain for women? That used to be the old tale. Any woman in politics was considered promiscuous and frankly, I was scared by such tales because I value my marriage so much. At a point, I summoned courage and decided to go into it so as to make a difference and teach the world that there are woman who cannot sleep with men to succeed. You cannot see me in an
Female parliamentarians are perceived to lack influence over decisionmaking in the parliament; do you have facts to debunk this claim? I sponsored the Child Rights Bill in my state and in three months I was able to see it through. By my oversight functions, I’ve invited developmental agencies to my constituency, Uhunmwode, because it appears to be the most marginalized local government area in Edo State due to the fact that it is situated in the rural area and agencies tend to work more in cities, abandoning rural areas. My position in the house has however dragged them back to begin to look towards the rural areas. I’ve also influenced many other projects. For instance, a lot of new schools are being built and renovated, and children are now attracted back to public schools. I’m also sinking boreholes through the Community Development Projects where the World Bank and State government have some certain percentage of contributions. My people also have problems with accessing healthcare because the General Hospital in Benin City is very far away. So, I was able to acquire a mobile clinic that goes everywhere to give medical care. I also sponsored the Violent against Persons Bill. It was initially Violence against Women but the house rejected it and I had to redesign it. I’m also working on the bill on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Violence against WomenCEDAW; I’m working on getting the men on my side on this. You know, these things are usually done behind the scene so that before you come to the floor of the
house, you must have got about half of the house on your side. You therefore must be doing a lot of cajoling…. One thing I have done to get the men to support me was that I refused to allow the Committee for Women Affairs to be headed by a female. So, a man now heads it! The advantage is that, if you head such committee and you attend programmes on its issues, your opinion will be shaped. Our current Speaker was once a Chairman on Women Affairs and he is grounded on women issues. So, I believe therefore that CEDAW will see the light of day any moment from now in Edo State. Let us into your background… I worked as a professional nurse for 33 years in the Edo State civil service until I retired in 2006 as a Director. I also hold a degree in Health Education and a Masters in Sociology and Anthropology, specializing in social work. My flair for helping people informed my decision to go into politics because politics naturally gives you the ability to do more. Actually, I was a member of the Girls Guide and that groomed me to be humanitarian despite my background; my father was a police officer and I grew up in different barracks round the country.
Mobile clinic personally donated by Elizabeth to Uhunmwode
PAGE 22—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
PUBLIC COMPLAINTS ACT BREACH
‘Two heads of govt agencies, three others for prosecution’ By JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU
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HE Public Complaints Commission was set up by the Federal Government to interface between individuals and organizationS in any area of disagreement. In this interview, Chief Obunike Ohaegbu, the FCT Commissioner of PCC, says about five organisations are facing prosecution. He also speaks on the efforts to decongest the FCT prisons. Excerpts: Recently, you visited Kuje Prisons in FCT. What is your impression and what efforts are you making to ensure that things are done right? I visited Kuje Prisons in January and discovered that the people there were more than the number that ordinarily should be there, and that something had to be done about that. So the first thing I did was to go to the then Chief Judge of FCT, I went with him to the prisons that point, he released 13 prisoners awaiting trial and then twenty something of them he gave directive for accelerated hearing. But I thought that we still needed to do more because if you notice in other states the governors actually once in a while grant prerogative of mercy to inmates and that is not done here in the FCT because the power to do that is in the president who is more like the governor of the FCT but he has dedicated some of the functions to FCT minister. Unfortunately, however, the power to grant prerogative of mercy was not part of the powers that have been delegated to the FCT minister, so you find that the president who is busy governing the entire country, will not have time to actually visit Kuje Prisons to find out what is happening. So, I wrote to the Attorney General of the Federation who is the Attorney General of the FCT. I requested that he should recommend to the president to establish a prerogative of mercy committee to recommend on the people who he can grant mercy within the FCT and the president has actually done that with the Attorney General of the Federal as the chairman of the Committee. How many complaints have you received and how have you investigated them?
end of this month they are going to be arrested and prosecuted because six months imprisonment and N500 is within the jurisdiction of the magistrate court; we don’t have to go to the Attorney General or anybody; the Commissioner of Police can handle that. I must mention at this point that we are not prosecuting people for the matters that were reported against them. The prosecution is for failure to respond to us, ignoring us feeling that nothing will happen. The matters that were reported against them are still pending before Public Complaints Commission and, once we finish with their prosecution, they will still come back to us to continue with the matter that actually led to them being arrested and being prosecuted. How many people do you intend to prosecute? We have five recalcitrant respondents, we just came on board after 13 years without commissioners. We try to create awareness, inform Nigerians of what we do and the possible implications of not responding to us. I believe and in the opinion of the management here in FCT that one year is enough for people to know what we do and that is the reason; we organized within one year two seminars. So we are starting with the first set of pros-
*Chief Obunike Ohaegbu ...failure to respond to commission can lead to imprisonment In June, we treated over 200 letter’ or, ‘it was passed to the cases the ones we received and wrong person’ and all that. I the ones we initiated. What we usually say, ‘thank God, you are do here first because of this le- the one informing me what we gal maxim that says the other intend to do and it didn’t get to party must be heard is to write the wrong person. I think the reto the other party that so so sponse has been very wonderful matter have been complained and I must observe that Section against you and we want you to 8, Subsection 2 of the Public respond. When we send that Complaints Commission says letter, you are now expected to utilise the opportunity to let your own side be heard Section 5, Subsection 7 of the Public What I can tell you at this point is Complaints Commission Act that two heads of government said that any letter written to any respondent; the respondent has agencies and three managing 30 days to respond. That is not directors of private companies are to all because Section 8, Subsection 2, of the Act crimiface trial but you will get to know them nalizes failure to respond. So as soon as we forward the matter to when, we write to the respondent, the police then, as a reminder, after 30 days, we write and remind you that you have not attended to us and you are committing an offence and give you another failure to respond is a fine of N500 ecution now. seven days grace. People have this erroneous or imprisonment of six months Can you name the recalciimpression that the Public Com- or both; the Act was actually trant respondents? plaints Commission is a promulgated in 1975. What I can tell you at this As at 1975, I am sure you know toothless bulldog, so you find out that when they receive that letter, the value of N500, so we have point is that two heads of govthey say what will they do? But now formed a very strong ernment agencies and three when they realise that failure to synergy with the Commissioner managing directors of private respond, they are committing an of Police of the FCT to compile companies are to face trial but offence, most of the respondents the names of people we consider you will get to know them as will call us and say, ‘oh, when recalcitrant respondents, people soon as we forward the matter we got the letter, it was already who find it difficult to respond to to the police. I am saying this late’ or, ‘we didn’t receive the us, for prosecution. Before the so that it does not jeopardise
police investigations into the matter. What are the challenges facing your office and how have you been able to surmount them? The first challenge is awareness, public perception iof Public Complaints Commission. We are addressing that aggressively. The second one, I am sure you found it difficult to locate this place before now. Public Complaints Commission had two buildings in Area 1; unfortunately, a former minister of the FCT chased them out of that place because he said the place was residential area, that there shouldn’t be offices, and because we had no commissioner, there was no alternative arrangement and that was why an institution that was making use of two buildings ended up in two flats here. You can see how congested it is, but I am grateful to the management of FCTA now. They are making arrangement to find us an alternative office accommodation, the minister of FCT has actually given us land where we are going to build our permanent site. Another issue is the general issue of funding. I am confident that something will be done about that. Even the two seminars we had, the one we organised last year and graced by the founding fathers of the Public Complaints Commission, General Yakubu Gowon and Alhaji Maitama Sule, and the Ike Oha Ndigbo, the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and the one we organised this year attended by Babangida and Adams Oshiomhole, the Niger State governor and the Head of the European Union delegation, among others, were financed from my private resources and even the newsletter that we are publishing. But the leadership of fact, the leadership of the National Assembly has assured us that things will improve. Do you have the power to investigate financial crimes? If you look at the Act establishing us ... as a matter of fact, I just had a meeting with the head of one of the financial institutions and if a complaint has to do with crime, what we do is refer to the relevant agency.
SUND AY Vanguard , NO VEMBER 10 , 2013, P AGE 23 SUNDA NOVEMBER
Passionate sex in later life: Is it possible?!
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O WA D AY S , when people can postpone the ageing process as never before, they ’re tending to regard turning 60 as the start of the next phase of their lives, not the end - as people in the past were led to expect. We can’t dismiss this social revolution. The older generation - my own - is no longer behaving in the traditional manner ”, observed Yvonne recently. A highly successful business woman, she boasted of a very active sex life at age 61! Thursday In The Park by 62-year-old Hilary Boyd is the latest publishing sensation which owes its success to the kind of word-of-mouth praise that sent the sales of the ‘Fifty Shades’ out of the roof. Published modesty last year, the book is now at the top of the e-book chart, out-selling EI James, author of those books on sadomasochism. “So what’s causing such a flurry of excitement among female readers? It’s the question of love in later life and what form it should take. You’d think in these sex obsessed days, no stone has been left unturned when it comes to relationships. Yet if my weekly e-mails to my ‘Dear Bunmi’ column on Wednesdays in
the Vanguard are anything to go by, this is one trend which men and women find hard to discuss and I’ve lost count of the letters I’ve received from middle-aged women desperate for affection and real passion in their lives. ‘Does love have a sell-by-date?” Posed the cover line on Hilary Boyd’s novel. The answer is obviously ‘No’. ‘; In Boyd’s novel, two 60-year-old grandparents, one married, one single, meet in the park while their respective grandchildren are playing on the swings - :and fall in love. Their story speaks to countless women who would secretly love to leave their husbands and start again. The heroine, Jeanie, meets handsome, athletic widower Ray by the children’s playground, then finds herself struggling with the problem of having a difficult husband who withdrew from their marital bed years ago and is just as uncommunicative as some of the men in his age-group who believe menopausal women have hit their sell- by dates because their sexuality seemed to have vanished. However, it is a different story when the chemistry begins to work be-
tween Jeanie and Ray. “Her body seemed to have come alive, as if every cell had suddenly been sparked out of a long torpor.” Now, how many middle-aged women, reading something like this, wouldn’t feel wistful? Even a happily married woman likes the idea of being fancied by a handsome stranger - especially when her 60th birthday is looming. The author has cleverly tapped into that secret dfeam of a second crack at romance, and into the wistfulness which lies behind many-Ietters to my advice column. Men share that wistfulness too, of course, but
statistically, they find it easier to start new relationships - often with younger women. In fact, at one point in Thursdays In The Park, Jeanie, who stops meeting Ray after pressure from her daughter, believes he’s
in love with a very much younger women. She, of course, is in agony. The core of this book lies in the tussle between love and duty. Although Jeanie is falling in love with Ray, she is very much aware that her duty lies with her husband of 32 years, who is pretty boring. But, worse, he is domineering and insists they must sell their London house and move to
the country, even though his wife doesn’t want to. Fiction, they say, mirrors real life. About a year ago, Lanre, wrote in that: “My husband had dismissed my misgiving and is determined we should cut down on expenses. We have had loads of rows .. Now our home is being sold so we could buy a cheaper one down-market and I’m panicking as I know I will be bullied into a move I don’t want.” She moaned she was shackled to a man who had no regard for her wants or feelings. From my perspective, there’s no shortage of assertive, selfish men nor of women who dream of escape or rescuer. When Jeanie told her husband that she’s met someone else (and at this point no sex has taken place) he flatly refuses to talk about the issue. He walks away saying: “There’s nothing to say.” At this point, the author describes Jeanie feelings in a brilliant phrase, “leaving her in the limbo of the unheard.” Just think of the number of women who exist within that limbo! It’s not that they want to be unfaithful, just that they long for attention from the man they married. Let us not minimise the pain in-
volved in ending a marriage. In the novel, Jeanie tries to stay, but realises she’s clinging to her husband out of affection, pity and duty as well as the need of security. The author paints the alternative v¢ry rosily: “The thought ( of leaving) no longer spelt loss, but rather opened the door to freedom, such a scent of life, like breathing the fresh, early morning air from an open window.” Real life might be much messier, involving more pain as the divorce rate keeps climbing. But hope runs eternal. No wonder Thursdays In The Park is becoming a must-read, even if it merely feeds harmless dreams. Afterall, when Jeanie tells her lover: “I suppose that a part of me feels there is something indecent at my age, about being in love,” most of us are likely to join with her lover in acknowledging the possibility of a second chance at real romance which has nothing whatsoever to do with age. Why on earth shouldn’t you fall in love at 60, 70, or 80? But since there is most definitely no sell-by-date on love, there’s no reason not to try to rekindle it within your marriage ...
08052201867(Text Only)
You need flexibility exercise to relieve stress
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VERWEIGHT may not be your problem, but, then, that’s not the only reason for exercising. On account, life can rather be hectic, we all need to have a little bit more energy than we already possess. Practising relaxation techniques help us relieve stress brought on by everyday living. That way, we get quick results from exercise characterised by great energy and wonderful wellbeing. Of course, it won't do to do all the right exercises and ignore to eat properly. Quality aside, we must be modest in the quantity of food we eat. Eating great quantities of food means almost all of our energies go to digesting the food leaving us feeling lethargic. One of the good things about exercise is the fact that we tend to eat less. The less active we become, the more food we tend to put C M Y K
away. Now, this is why: With exercise or increased physical load, you call forth reserves of sugars from your liver and muscles for a dip in blood sugar levels. When you don’t exercise, you tend only to experience a high in blood sugar with meals. And, as soon as the energy from the food is stored by the help of the hormone insulin produced by the pancreases, yawning and malaise takes over - there’s a false alarm of hunger. In such a case, all you need do is whip up a bit of sweat,’ a bit of a work out and presto, your fallen blood sugar levels stabilise, doing away with your false hunger and all. It’s now an established fact that flexibility exercise which can be practised daily are best suited for relieving physical stress. Let’s consider flexibility postures and a relaxation technique.
YOGA MUDRA Technique: Sit on your heels and interlace your fingers at your back. Bend forward the trunk and rest the forehead on the floor and turn the arms forward
The Twist
and then downward. Benefits: The Yoga Mudra limbers the whole trunk and the thighs get toned. The stiffness is got rid of in the knee and ankle joints. Like other for-
ward bending postures, it has a calming effect. THE SPREAD EAGLE Technique: Sit down and spread out the legs as wide apart as possible. Bend down the trunk and with the left hand hold the left foot from the inside with the left elbow touching the floor. Bring the right hand over the side of the head and hold the left foot from the outside. Keep your breathing normal. Retain the position for 10-15 seconds and repeat on the other side. Benefits: The Spread Eagle stretches both hamstrings and inner thigh muscles. The flanks get a good workout leading to fat reduction about the waistline. THE TWIST Technique: Sit with both legs extended in front of you. Bend the right knee placing the foot flat down with heel touching the left buttock. Then, bend the left knee, placing the left foot on the outside of the right knee. Bring the right hand
across the right thigh and clutch the right knee. Turn the head and trunk leftwards raising up the left hand with the elbow locked. Breathe deeply, retain the pose for 10 seconds and changing hands and legs, repeat on the other side. Benefits: The Twist massages the abdominal organs improving digestion and elimination. It expands and strengthens the chest. It also increases flexibility in the hip and knee joints. THE DEAD POSE Lie flat on your back. Keep the hands a bit away from the body. Let the feet ‘fall’ side ways. Relax every strand of muscle in the body. Fix the attention on the breathing or some soothing music. Lie completely still for 10-20 minutes before getting up. Practised properly, it gives a most calming effect-my favourite destresser technique.
Yoga classes at 32 Adetokunbo Ademola, Victoria Island, Lagos, 9.10am on Saturdays
PAGE 24—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk
08056180152,
SMS only
In praise of bossy women! G
E N E R A L LY speaking, these days a taste for bossy women is something of a taboo. Men can openly desire a woman of any size or sexual persuasion, however weird or wonderful but not a few would admit that they have a thing about bossy women because they fear being la-
belled a wimp! “Why would any sane man be prepared to have his life ruled by a succession of bossy women,” asked Caleb, an industrialist. “Women who’d take charge of his life and tell him what to wear, what to eat, who to be friends with, how to cut his hair, where he should live and how he should make love?” Hakeem is one man who strongly believes there are loads of loveable things about bossy women. “For starters, what other men call bossy, I call assertive, dynamic decision and driven - which are all attractive qualities to a lazy and indecisive man like me,” he said. “The first time I took my current wife out for dinner, we clinked glasses of chilled wine and stared into each other’s eyes. I leaned forward for a kiss, and she leaned forward and said: ‘You shouldn’t wear your hair like that (I had it a bit bushy). You look like a sixties man trying to be hip!’ I loved her for her boldness. On our next date, she tore at my clothes: ‘Those trousers are outdated for a man of your age,’ she lectured. A few weeks later, she had me round the shops for a wardrobe make-over. “After that, she went to work on my weight. She put me on all sorts of fancy diet I wasn’t to argue or even so much as look at pounded yam
and ogbono soup, or stout which was my favourite tipple. One of my friends who used to enjoy these greasy meals with me looked at a bowl of steamed rice and chicken with all the skin off and asked: “How could you fall in love with such a tyrant? What are you, a man or a cheese-eating mouse?’ I jokingly told him I wasn’t even allowed to eat cheese! “Ever since we got married, I love the way my bossy wife gets thing done. She just does it! No debate. No discussion. None of those tedious, time consuming ‘but what do you think, darling?’ interrogations you get with modern women who believe that a relationship can only work if it’s an equal partnership. Rubbish! Bossy women instinctively understand that the first rule of a successful relationship is this: never ask a man what he thinks. And that’s right. Men don’t think - about colour schemes for the living room, linen, types of cooker, the children’s education, their clothes, where to go on holidays or pension schemes. Bossy women liberate men from the boring bits of life.
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o be honest, it took me quite a while to appreciate the advantages of being with a bossy woman. As our courtship grew, my wife took it upon herself to veto all my friends. Lifelong friendships came to a sudden end and with her dictates that this friend was ‘too boring’ and that one ‘too ugly’. I came home from work one day and found her shredding photographs of old girlfriends and their love letters to me.
‘You can’t just destroy a man’s past like that,’ I protested. ‘Oh really?’ she said. Just watch me.’ And that was exactly what I did! Uche, now in his late 40s recalls his experiences with bossy women: “The things about them is that they may at times be overbearing, but they ’re never boring. It might look as if we’re on our knees but a bossy woman keeps a man on his toes. She demands that a man be the best he can be. You may call it domestic tyranny - I call it tough love, and it works. I’ve noticed that as soon as a bossy woman captures my heart, she redecorates my home. Before I got married, I had what I thought was a very stylish flat. No sooner had I met my better half than she immediately set about restyling the entire place. The flat ended up looking very feminine. I had literally been eased out of the picture. Was I cross? Maybe a bit peeved - what had been my flat, was now her flat - at least in terms of looks. But I had to admit that the place looked beautiful. If it had been left to
me, the flat would have looked like something your neighbourhood carpenter knocked together! “Since my marriage packed up, I’ve had
quite a few bossy women. They go for the way I dress and my appearance. I’m either too fat or too thin. I either dress like ‘someone’s grand-dad’ or like an old man who thinks he’s a ’trendy teenager.’ I’ve had bossy women who demanded I stop wearing Y- fronts and go for boxer shorts ‘or else’. Or else what, I was tempted to ask? The plus side is that bossy women actually make you a better man. A few months of dieting and you’d have lost two chins and several spare tyres. Since I met my new ‘boss lady ’, I’ve never looked or felt healthier - or dressed better in my life. Friends who use to mock me for being a bullied wimp admit my girlfriend has done wonders. “I’v had relationships
ters and ideas, few of them possess good,meaningful and faithful characters. Among these few,even if they are one in the whole universe,you are that one. One in a million. Akachukwu Ferdinand, 08063819314
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OUR column to express your loving thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel. Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"
One in a million
Who ever says that human beings are the same is wrong. They look the same but they vary in charac-
A little jealousy
A little jealousy in a relationship is healthy,it is always nice to know that someone so awesome out there is afraid of loosing you, and never ever wish to see you shed your tears for someone who will hurt and dump you.Don't long for that wrong person if he left----don't feel sorry if you failed when you tried your best,because life is too short to wake up with
in the past, with women who weren’t bossy, who would let me dress how I wanted and let me eat whatever I wanted. And the end result was always the same - I got fat, sluggish and bored. And what about the bedroom? One ex-girlfriend would issue detailed instructions as to what I should do in bed. ‘No, over there! You’re doing it all wrong ... go up a bit...to the left ... now to the right...’it was like having sex with a sergeant major in command! But it was so refreshing not to have to spend half the night looking for her erotic buttons! She was the exception though. Most bossy women have a down-to-earth attitude to sex - oddly enough, in this one area, they like the man to be in control!” In the interest of the home!(Humour) “Darling, we’ve been married nearly 60 years and I’m still very happy. But in all that time, have you ever been unfaithful?” he asked. His wife
looked at him in surprise. “Well, if you must know, I was unfaithful just three times.” “Really” When?” “The first time was when you put in for promotion to become the youngest general manager in the company and it all depends on the vote of Malcolm Havelot.” “So being unfaithful one time has helped me work my way up to being one of the most successful men in our industry. Thank you darling. When was the second time?” “That was fifty years ago when there was a threat of a bypass being built at the bottom of our land. If you remember, there were two options and the final decision rested with the Planning Officer and the Environmental Surveyor.” “So you saved our house, how wonderful,” he said in gratitude. “Even if you did sleep with two men at the same time. And the third time?” “Okay, yes, you remember that time you wanted to restructure the company and you were 84 votes short ... “ What a way to go!(Humour) n old man and a 20year-old girl got married and for three weeks, they were very happy until one Sunday he collapsed and died. Her mother arrived to console the unhappy girl. “Oh mum,” she cried. “It was such a wonderful marriage. We were always so passionate, especially on Sunday when he would make love to the rhythm of the church bells.” : The girl suddenly looked thoughtful. “Do you know I’m sure he’d still be alive today if the fire engine hadn’t gone past, clanging its bell so ferociously just minutes before he died.”
A
regrets,be wise! Chris Onunaku dekris4real@gmail.com 08032988826/08184844015.
My Queen,
Love comes in a second: if you hold it; it stays for an hour, if you grabbed it, it stays for a day, if you believe in it, it stays in a lifetime; I believe I'm in love with you. I've hold you with all my heart, my hands, my body and my soul. I want only you for the rest of my life. Kiss me! Stainless Omorville Omorville@gmail.com, 08062486549.
SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 25
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Mystery world of blind Prophet Kasali
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IKE his recently departed mentor and role model, Prophet Apostle Timothy Oluwole Obadare, Prophet Moses Muyideen Kasali of Hour of Mercy Prayer Ministry International, (a.ka. Baba Orioke Alasheyori, Ibadan) Ojedeji Keji, near Moniya in Akinyele local government of Oyo State, became blind at the age of 3 as a result of measles outbreak in his village, Sanu Ijaye. He is not only blind; he was an illiterate but today, Kasali in his late 40s despite his disability was reported to have performed several outstanding feats including single-handedly disarming armed robbers, construction of Police posts and donation of generating sets for different communities. During his 40th birthday, he got 25 cars as gifts, the least being a Toyota Corolla; as he gets them he gives them out to the poor and deserving members and non-members of his church. Not only that, he gives his church members houses. In this interview with SAM EYOBOKA & OLAYINKA LATONA, Kasali narrated how God miraculously pulled him out the clutches of poverty to become the Elijah of this age. *Prophet Moses Muyideen Kasali Were you born blind? My parents had nine children and I am the only male child. At age three, there was an outbreak of measles epidemic in my village and it affected my two eyes and became blind as a result. My parents went through lots of challenges. My mother died when I was 10 and naturally I was helpless and hopeless since there was nobody to take care of me. To avoid being starved to death, I started gathering firewood from bush to sell to those in need of it since there was nobody to render help to a blind boy. One day I was in the bush to gather firewood when the hand of God found me and from the bush I was taken to a mansion where an angel taught me the Word of God, secrets of life and many other things. Jesus Christ appeared to me in that mansion. He anointed me and told me that I will be an evangelist to the world. The oil Jesus poured on my head flew for seven days physically. One of the angels took me back to our village and my father was surprised seeing the anointing oil flowing. But you were born Muslim? What was father's reaction?
giving out his only son to Christianity because he was blind. An Anglican priest in our village told the villagers that God was going to use this blind boy to reach the world. He sent for me and prayed for me and sought my father's permission to take me to the mission house. Did you have any formal education? No! I did not attend primary school. Isaiah 42:16 says: “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them. Also, Isaiah 9:2 says: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned”. The scripture is true and perfect once you are on the Lord’s side. How do you read the Bible since it is your preaching in strument? There is an angel assigned to me at every situation, as you are talking now there is an angel beside me. If my interpreter makes a mistake reading
If my interpreter makes a mistake reading the Bible, I correct him because immediately I mount the podium all the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation will immediately appear before me like a television screen and I will see with my inner eye; anyone that is not clear to me will be interpreted by my angel Yes! I was the first to accept Christ in my family. My encounter with Christ was unique because nobody preached to me. Even as a Muslim, my father loved Christianity. Every year he brought the best of his farm produce to the church. He said he had a dream where he saw me in the midst of a large crowd preaching the gospel. Before I was born, there was another prophecy that I was going to be a Nazarene from God. All these encouraged my father despite various talks from the villagers that my father was
the Bible, I correct him because immediately I mount the podium all the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation will immediately appear before me like a television screen and I will see with my inner eye; anyone that is not clear to me will be interpreted by my angel. How did it all start? There was a time I went to fetch water with a 4-litre container from the river. I was in a hurry to back before going to work. I was operating a cassava
grinding machine. At the river, the container slipped from my hand and of course, I won't allow it to float away, because it was the only container that I had. So, I followed it. The more I searched the deeper I went into the river until I found myself inside a big mansion beneath the river. The mansion consists of women and men dancing. I was able to see them as if I was not blind. I was afraid but a giant in me assured me that I will not die there. A woman in the mansion asked me what I was doing in the place and suddenly a man with white hair all over his body appeared and said I am his son and that I was there to have an experience. Immediately fight ensued between the woman and the white man and later an angel joined in the battle. I was afraid but the scene was interesting, there was a great bang like that of a bomb. The woman and her agents disappeared. The angel took me back home. I was excited and felt on top of the world that I had such wonderful experience. I spent over seven hours inside the river. My father was worried and searched everywhere including the forest for me. Another experience I can remember was when I tried to woo a lady for marriage, she insulted me, saying I don’t know my boundary. How can a blind man like me approach her. I also told her that she should be happy that someone like me was coming after someone that is after one. But glory to God, I did not only marry but God gave me a wonderful, caring and loving woman as wife. She was a virgin when I married her. That teaches me a lesson that when we ask God for something and there was no answer, we should not lose hope because God is preparing something better which we cannot get through man’s capacity. If I have married that first woman only God knows what would have happened. Recently you were said to have disarmed robbers. What gave you the boldness? It was the spirit of the Lord. When you
have God you will be able to do the impossible. I almost gave up my faith when we encountered them because they have collected my phones, wristwatch, money and other valuables including the key to my jeep and asked me to go. But the car was inside the ditch and suddenly I got ministration from the Holy Spirit and boldly I told them to assist me to bring out the jeep. They agreed and lifted it out. I requested for my money, phones and other things they took from me and they complied. I was really happy that they complied to all my instructions. Then I told them to surrender their riffles; they did that. I would have taken them inside my car and hand them over to the Police but I had a rethink that police might say I was working with the robbers. I told them not to engage in robbery again. Another one in 2005; on our way to a mountain in Ekiti State and we were attacked by men of the underworld. They took us to a very thick forest, collected my car and other things. They ordered me to pull off my jeans trouser that they needed it because I was not worthy to wear such expensive designer trouser. They removed it and gave me another trouser; but I warned them that they will get into trouble by collecting my jean trouser. One of them that wore the jean said the cloth has anointing. Another testimony was how the Lord delivered me from last year DANA air crash. I was billed to board the flight, but on my way to the checking point I started feeling cold and I told my personal assistant that I will have to postpone the trip till the next day. You said greater than Boko Haram will happen in Nigeria I said father of Boko Haram, if our government fail to be serious and go back to God another sect greater than Boko Haram will surface in Nigeria. Power of money, strategies have failed in the county. If our leaders have the fear of God we will not have any problem. Somebody will embezzle billions of naira and he would asked to pay N750,000 as bail. It is a pity that Nigeria has not found solution to such abberations and this will only encourage more corruption. Few people riding expensive cars while millions of youths cannot afford food on their tables. This is very wrong and God is angry with such things because when God blesses you it is not for you alone but for others around. Most of our leaders are only serving their pockets while the masses wallow in poverty. Is that why you say the father of Boko Haram is yet to come? God told me that He is going to show Himself powerful to those ruining the glory of this county and the father of Boko Haram will not attack the masses but those in power. If care is not taken they will attack government convoys and they will succeed because they are having God’s backing.
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heir filthy clothes, unkempt looks and raucous language mark them out in any crowd as street kids. Even as many people loath them and would not touch any with a twelve-foot pole, they hardly care. Confident and adept in street life, they go everywhere to beg or scavenge for food. Their numbers increase daily as many others attracted by the frills of the life of freedom in the streets wander away from home or are sent away by parents for being “witches” responsible for their ill fortune. With ages ranging from three to seventeen, the tales that took them to the streets are as varied as their faces and as bizarre as their scraggy appearance. Homeless, and far away from parental care and infusion of prerequisite societal norms and values, these kids sleep rough, roam the streets and live wild by scratching their existence by running errands for prostitutes, stealing, pick- pocketing, pilfering in the streets of Calabar, the Cross River State capital. Essentially, the drive to stay alive seemingly carves a common bond among them, which ties them into groups that they consider convenient and amiable to function, sometimes in three, five, seven or ten and in some cases fifteen. They concentrate mostly around areas where they can find leftover food, “rich” dustbins like around the Cultural Centre Complex, Unical, Atekong Junction, State Housing Estate. As they wander about, many people avoid them and even the law enforcement agencies keep a safe distance from them conscious of the mischief they are capable of causing at any given moment. The operational modus of one group during the day may differ slightly from those of the others but, at night, they converge in designated spots, particularly around Atekong Junction, the haven for prostitutes and their clients. For instance, while some engage in playing football on the several green lawns in the city waiting for night fall, others drag carts from place to place to scavenge for metals, iron rods, and other discarded materials, which they sell in kilos to discarded metal merchants. Some idle around drinking spots, prostitutes’ hostels, suya shops, and other eateries to wait for leftover beer and food. A testimony to their horrifying experiences in the streets is that each of them ts scar or fresh wound on one part of the body or the other sustained during brawls amongst themselves or inflicted by victims of their mischievous acts. One of them, Samuel Akpan, nine years old, who has a deep cut running diagonal on the left side of his head, said he and his friend Etim were sleeping one night on the corridor of a palm wine bar on Uwanse street when an assailant came after them in the middle of the night. “Somebody pursued us in night with a knife while we were sleeping in a palmy shop and gave me a cut on the
The weird lifestyle of Calabar street kids head and cut Etim on his back, he nearly killed us”, Samuel narrated. The wound, roughly stitched, obviously by a non-professional, still emits stench and pus, but hardly does it bother Samuel, rather the desire to raise money with which to get food preoccupied his mind. He was desperate to sell an Airtel SIM card which he said he fetched from a dustbin, but might as well have been pilfered from a shop somewhere. Asked what the content of the white bag worn across his shoulders was, his brisk answer was “iron”. Another kid, Idorenyin, who was scavenging for metals, told Sunday Vanguard that most of his time is occupied with ransacking refuse dumps, mechanic workshops, and electronic repair shops for the materials which he sells at Bogobiri, the Hausa settlement in the city. A peep into the bag revealed an assortment of iron metals, disused radio and television components which he sells at N10.00 a kilogramme to one Barau, an Hausa trader Another six years old, kid, Kingsley Okon Essien- Mensah, said his parents are dead and was taken in by an Hausa trader for whom he was hawking sachet water but his elder sister, who was not happy that he was not living at home, went to his benefactor and made a story which led to his being sent away. “I was staying with an Huasa man, Yellow, in Bogobiri to sell pure water but one day my elder sister came and told them that my mother and father are alive and that they should send me home and the man drove me away”. Asked why he could not go and live
with the sister since she does not want her to sell pure water for Hausa people? “Small girl, can she take care of me?”, exclaimed the urchin, raising his hand to his shoulders to depict the height of the sister, whose name he gave as Esther. Ita Asuquo, Kinsley’s group member, aged about eleven, on his part, said what brought him to the streets was the separation between his parents. “My father drove my mother away and married another woman and the
*The child as a scavenger for metals and subsequent imprisonment, they now have hope for the future: the hope of not just becoming useful members of the society, but contributing meaningfully to it. She regularly visits the home to fete the kids. During Governor Liyel Imoke’s 52nd birthday on July 10, 2013, she took time to visit the home with her husband. Addressing the kids, she said birthdays are times of joy, happiness, caring for one another, and, most importantly, showing of love to one another. She said the purpose she is committing her time and energy is to ensure that the lives of the children get better like the children who are under the care and custody of their parents. “You are not less human beings like the children whom mothers tell bed time stories and sing
A testimony to their horrifying experiences in the streets is that each of them has scars or fresh wounds on one part of the body or the other sustained during brawls with one another or inflicted by victims of their mischievous acts new woman said I should go and live with my mother and when I went to my mother she sent me back to my father that she has married a new husband and I should not come and disturb her home”, he said, giggling. However, these sordid tales have ended for many of the urchins through the milk of kindness of Mrs Obioma Imoke, wife of the Cross River State governor, who has given a special place in her heart to them. Her Destiny Children Home, located in Calabar, has taken in over two hundred of these kids where they are quartered, counseled, given good food, and regular medical attention. Effectively, many of them are being reformed, rehabilitated and given qualitative education thereby reshaping their lives and changing their destinies. From potential criminals
them sweet songs to sleep”. To kick start the goodies that await the children this 2013 annual Christmas Festival, she brought on stream the Miss Carnival, Miss Sophia Dijeh, on Friday, October 25, to celebrate her birthday with them. Dije gave the children a sense and feeling of love. Outside the house party, she also presented them with items ranging from cooked and uncooked rice, noodles, biscuits, vegetable oil to beverages, assorted drinks, toiletries and exercise books. Some of DCC children born in the month of October also joined her in cutting her birthday cake. Essentially, the action of Mrs Imoke has snatched these children from illicit drugs, alcohol, prostitution and armed robbery which many of them would have taken to.
SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 27
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PAGE 28— SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
BY HENRY UMORU
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Tukur
Oyinlola
Baraje
THE OYINLOLA COURT RULING IMPASSE
Two PDPs, one Secretary Subject to his reinstatement, Oyinlola will be scribe to the mainstream PDP. But his colleagues in the rebel group, at the weekend, were said to have seen the Oyinlola court victory as a prelude to their taking over of the mainstream PDP
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N the last few months, it has been hectic moments for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as it moved from one imbroglio to the other. At the heart of the problem in the party is the in - house struggle about who is in charge. Against the backdrop of the unfolding crisis which emanated from the August 31 Special Convention of the party to right the wrongs that were made during the March 2012 National Convention, one would say these may not be the best moments for the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur-led National Working Committee, NWC, when viewed from Tukur ‘s desire to have a total reconciliation of aggrieved persons in the party. Crisis ensued when the party split into two with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and six northern governors staging a walk out at the Special Convention to later address a press conference on the formation of a ‘New PDP’ with Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State in attendance and former Acting National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje, being named the National Chairman while Sam Sam Jaja was announced as Deputy National Chairman and Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola National Secretary. Only last week, the Appeal Court quashed a High Court order which removed Oyinlola as the PDP National Secretary late last year. Subject to his reinstatement, Oyinlola will be scribe to the mainstream PDP. But his colleagues in the rebel group, at the weekend, were said to have seen the Oyinlola court victory as a prelude to their taking over of the mainstream PDP. The governors in the rebel group are Sule Lamido of Jigawa State; Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara; Aliyu Babangida of Niger; Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto; Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano; and Murtala Nyako of Adamawa. The crisis has been interpreted in some quarters as a move by some PDP leaders to take control of the party structure at different levels ahead of the 2015 general elections. Since the governors and other members of their group including Vice President Atiku Abubakar walked out of the August 31 PDP convention at Eagle Square, Abuja, it has been one attack after the other on the Baraje led group to weaken the leaders of the ‘New PDP’ in their respective states. The first action against Baraje and his group came barely twenty- four hours after former President President Olusegun Obasanjo led other elders of the party on a trouble shooting mission and met with the leaders of the party as well as the aggrieved governors, with a vow to bring peace to the party. Also at the Obasanjo’s meeting were former military President Ibrahim Babangida; Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Tony Anenih; former PDP National Chairmen, Dr.
member caretaker committee led by Alhaji Hassan Kafayos and Andrew Musa as chairman and secretary, respectively. As a follow up, the Tukur led PDP was said to have concluded arrangements to further alienate Kwankwaso as it was also said to have pleaded with the son of the late military head of state and Police action Reacting to the former governorship aspirant closure of the secretariat, the of Congress for Progressive faction’s National Secretary, Change (CPC) in Kano State, Oyinlola, who noted that they Mohammed Abacha, to join were not surprised by the action its fold. Mohammed Abacha taken by the Tukur-led PDP to stormed the party’s national use the police to shut the office, secretariat with his supporters, however, described it as the height of impunity, adding that dumped the CPC and bounced security forces were mobilised to back to the PDP which he joined in 2010 but left same year. Not seal off the office based on a satisfied with the closure of the non-existent court injunction which the Tukur faction claimed ‘New PDP’s’ secretariat, Minister of the Federal Capital to have obtained. Territory Administration, FCTA, Defending the closure of the Senator Bala Mohammed, Baraje group secretariat by his ordered his men in the Developmen, the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory, ment Control to mark the Mr. Femi Ogunbayode, said the place for demolition. police took the action to ensure that there was no breach of Alternative office peace, adding that a court order Following the closure of the directed the two factions to Oyi River office, the Baraje-led maintain the status quo. faction immediately got In a reprisal move, Tukur Adamawa State Governor’s sacked the Kano State PDP Lodge, at 12, Gurara Street, Working Committee, SWC, that Maitama, as alternative office was loyal to Kwankwaso and but the FCTA, on October 12, replaced it with an elevenalso sealed it on the grounds Ahmadu Ali and Senator Barnabas Gemade. The meeting had hardly ended when heavily armed police men sealed off the Baraje group’s proposed secretariat under renovation at Plot 3206A, No 4, Oyi River Crescent, Maitama, Abuja on Saturday, September, 7.
that the ‘New PDP’ was using the lodge for political activities as against its original purpose of being used meant for residential purpose. On Friday, October 18, an Abuja Federal High Court, Abuja, presided over by Justice Elvis Chukwu, stopped Baraje and his group from parading themselves as the leadership of PDP, thereby declaring Tukur as the recognised and authentic PDP,even as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, threw its weight behind the Tukur-led NWC. The ‘New PDP’ National Publicity Secretary, Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, said the group was accepting the judgement, but vowed that the struggle continues, adding, “Even so, we have directed our legal team to appeal the judgement as a matter of urgency as we remain convinced that we have a good case and are thus determined to ensure that Tukur and his cohorts are not allowed to hold sway as the leaders of our great party.”
‘Endangered species’
The FCTA immediately unsealed the Adamawa Governor’s Lodge. The battle for supremacy took at twist when the Baraje group, on Sunday, October 27, cried out that its members had become endangered species following the clampdown on them and also alleged that plans had been concluded to go after senators and members of the House of Representatives who are members of the group with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, under an operation code-named, “Operation Coerce Them Back to Tukur”. Same day, the police stormed the Sokoto Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja where the
splinter group of the PDP was holding a meeting and chased those there out. The group then reassembled at the Kano Lodge also in Asokoro where the meeting eventually held. Besides Aliyu and Ahmed, all the G7 Governors were in attendance. Also at the meeting were former governor of Kebbi State and minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration during late President Umaru Yar’adua, Senator Adamu Aliero, a new member of the group ; former governor of Kwara State, Senator Bukola Saraki; former governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; Baraje; Jaja; Oyinlola; PDP National Vice Chairman, North West, Ibrahim Kazuare; Kassim Shettima, among others. Eze, in a statement after the meeting, said that as part of clampdown on its members, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Abubakar, was said to have ordered the immediate withdrawal of security aides attached to Goje and Saraki.
Order from above refused
The police action against the G7 governors was to be repeated one week later, precisely Sunday, November 3 at their meeting, scheduled for the Sokoto Governor’s Lodge, Abuja. Sunday Vanguard gathered that heavily armed police men were deployed to the meeting venue on the order of the Presidency with the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Asokoro, CSP Nnanna Ama leading his men. When the governors got wind
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SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 29
that CSP Nnanna Ama was outside the Governor’s Lodge, they asked him to be brought into the meeting hall. About 10 minutes after, the DPO left after he was briefed about the private nature of the meeting. Present at the meeting were the governors of Kano, Jigawa; Adamawa; Rivers and Niger, just as the governors of Sokoto and Kwara State were absent. Baraje, Jaja, Oyinlola, among other members of the ‘New PDP’ were also in attendance. Members of the National Assembly who are members of the Baraje group had, prior to the governors’ meeting, held a meeting at the same lodge and, shortly into the meeting of the governors, the Asokoro DPO entered and exchanged hot words with the aide-de-camp to Kwankwaso, claiming he had instructions from the Presidency that the meeting must not take place. The governors refused the order as the meeting continued and ended at 10. 25pm. Speaking with journalists at the end of the meeting, Secretary of the group, Oyinlola, said, “We were holding our meeting with the governors when the DPO of Asokoro came in to say that he had instructions to disperse us from holding the meeting or else effect arrest. We were surprised thatthis happened in spite of the fact that consultations on the resolution of the PDP crisis have been put on hold as a result of the pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Mecca. ”And it was made known to all Nigerians that we will continue after the pilgrimage break. It is for the continuation of the reconciliation process that we were meeting here only for the DPO to come. And we said ‘okay, if you had instructions that we should not hold meeting, we are ready to be arrested’. We felt that this is the height of impunity for a DPO to have the guts to tell a group of governors to say we cannot meet. I think it was not as bad as this even during the military era. ”We told him that we were ready for arrest and he should go and bring his troops to effect the arrest. So, we continued the meeting and we finished our meeting. ”The resolution was that we should continue the meeting that was postponed with the President. That was he essence of the meeting. We have not come to that.” A plot of land belonging to Kwankwaso was also revoked on the grounds that it had extended into what the FCTA termed ‘the Green Area’.
‘Alleged inciting statement’
The decision of Bayelsa State government to place the leader of the New PDP in the state, Mr. Richard Kpodo, who is also a former Special Adviser to former Governor Timipre Sylva on Security Matters, under security watch over an “alleged inciting statement” was also linked to the crisis in the ruling party.
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Two PDPs, one Secretary
available to us indicates that property in Abuja owned by other New PDP leaders may suffer the same fate.
‘Kidnapping’
Lamido Also marked for demolition is an event centre, A-Park Gardens, owned by one of the members of the Baraje group, Senator Aisha Alhassan, Taraba North, located near the OAU Quarters, Maitama District, Abuja, under the excuse by the FCTA that government wants to use the land for monorail.. Alhassan said the action was malicious, unjust and politically motivated. Defending the planned demolition, Minister of FCTA, Mohammed, on October 27, 2013, said Alhassan was given quit notice to dismantle the structures from the public transit way located between Wuse A07 and Maitama A06 April 13th, 2011 by the Development Control of the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA.
‘Systematic plot’
Chronicling the experiences of members of the Baraje-led
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Ahmed
Nyako Chapter IV Sections 42, 43 and 44 of the Constitution which guarantee our right as Nigerians to acquire and own property in any part of the country, our National
The legally acquired Abuja property of Governor Kwankwaso has been revoked by (FCT) Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed. The same treatment has been meted to Senator Aisha Al-Hassan from Taraba State, whose event centre, APark Gardens, which has been in operation all these years, has suddenly been revoked by the FCTA and slated to be demolished
PDP, Eze said, “The past few weeks in particular have witnessed the implementation of a well coordinated and systematic plot to traumatise, annihilate and cripple us economically and politically in flagrant disregard of Chapter IV Section 33 to 45 of the Nigerian Constitution that guarantees our fundamental human rights as Nigerians. A few examples of the excesses of these agents of confusion and enemies of democracy would suffice: ”Contrary to the provisions of
Secretariat and most of our State Secretariats have been sealed up by the Police on the orders of those in power. This is despite the fact that we still have a court case against Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and his National Working Committee (NWC). ”Two weeks ago, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in its over zealousness to please President Jonathan marked our sealed National Secretariat for demolition on the laughable excuse that it was originally
Wammako
Babangida approved as a residential building. Yet this property was being used as the National Secretariat of another political party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), before New PDP acquired it – and the same FCTA kept mute! At that time, the FCTA did not realise that it violated land use but it now wants to demolish the building in a hurry simply because the authorities perceive the new owner (New PDP) to be antigovernment! What is more, the Adamawa State Lodge, also in Abuja, which we were using as temporary National Secretariat, has also been sealed off on the flimsy excuse that the area is not for commercial activities! ”This invidious crackdown has been extended to individual leaders of the New PDP. The legally acquired Abuja property of His Excellency, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Governor of Kano State, has been revoked by the tyrannical Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed. The same treatment has been meted to Senator Aisha Al-Hassan from Taraba State, whose event centre, A-Park Gardens, which has been in operation all these years, has suddenly been revoked by the FCTA and slated to be demolished at any time from now. Information
“Today, the security details attached to Senators Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Danjuma Goje, former Governors of Kwara and Gombe states respectively, have been withdrawn; so, too, the security details attached to our National Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje. Of course, Governor Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State was the first victim and now operates without an ADC and a CSO in order to pave way for his kidnapping or assassination if peaceful ways of removing him from office have fail. The police orderlies of the Rivers State SSG and those of Amaechi’s Chief of Staff have also been similarly withdrawn without any cogent reasons. ”The use of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to hound our members is no longer news. His Excellency Timipre Sylva, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, and Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki are two foremost examples. We understand that the worst is yet to come as this unserious organ masquerading as an anti-graft agency would soon be unleashed on all our key members in both the Senate and House of Representatives in an operation code-named “Operation Coerce Them Back to Tukur ”. ”On its part, the Nigeria Police, which has woefully failed to find a solution to the menace of Boko Haram, kidnapping, assassination and other criminal acts ravaging the country, has been given a fresh mandate to frame up our members and term them criminals in order to keep them at bay. The experiment has already started in Bayelsa, the home state of President Jonathan, where 85% of the citizens have indicated interest to work against his second term ambition due to the total neglect of the state and the entire Niger Delta region by the present administration”. Meanwhile, the PDP has said it will appeal the ruling reinstating Oyinlola as its National Secretary at the Supreme Court. It said it has also filed a motion to stay the execution of the Appeal Court ruling pending the suit at the apex court. Following the crackdown on the “rebellious” members of the PDP, questions are being asked. Is it a case of politics or egotism, or is it a case of silencing the splinter group ahead of 2015 ? Or will truce be brokered like Vice President Namadi Sambo said October 31, at Wadata Plaza during the inauguration of the National Campaign Committee for Anambra State governorship election that there will always be fight in politics and pleaded with all aggrieved G7 Governors, other members of the party to sheathe their swords and return in full to the fold of the PDP? We watch as events unfold in the PDP family.
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Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
6 DAYS TO ANAMBRA POLL
The five-way contest
*REC in the eye of the storm
BY VINCENT UJUMADU
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OME Saturday, Novem ber 16, 2013, exactly six days from today, the 1,784,536 registered voters in Anambra State will line up in 4,608 polling units in the state to elect a new governor that will succeed Governor Peter Obi on March 17 next year. The figure was arrived at after INEC sifted unqualified voters, mainly double registrants, from the 2011 voters’ registration exercise, which had tentative registered voters of 2, 011,746. About 93000 people were said to be involved in double registration in the state and INEC has since said those involved will be prosecuted for violating a section of the Electoral Act. Feelers from the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, indicate that the National Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, would visit Anambra State any time from now to assess the situation on ground, while many national commissioners of INEC from its headquarters in Abuja and some state Resident Electoral Commissioners, REC, across the country, would be drafted to the state to conduct and supervise the exercise. It is still not clear if Anambra REC, Prof Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, would be part of the team to conduct the exercise in view of several allegations leveled against him by some politicians in the state to the effect that his body language shows some elements of bias. Onukaogu has since denied the allegation, saying that it is the usual behaviour of some politicians to fly such kites during elections, especially if they have not prepared and mobilized properly for the polls. Altogether, 23 political parties are involved in the governorship election and their candidates have been traversing the nooks and crannies of Anambra State selling their manifestoes to the electorate. Though many political parties were faced with the usual problems associated with party primaries, which had to be resolved in courts in few cases, everything appears set for a successful poll. Parties such as the PDP, APGA, APC, PPN, among others, initially had issues concerning their candidates, but they were able to resolve the problem. The battle for the PDP ticket got to the Supreme Court
C M Y K
before it was finally resolved in favour of Chief Tony Nwoye only last week.
Shema panel Analysts said the apex court’s ruling was a vindication of the PDP panel that conducted the primaries which produced Nwoye. Ahead of the primaries, according to the analysts, the PDP national leadership needed a tactician, somebody well- grounded in party matters, an objective and impartial arbiter; to lead the team to conduct the exercise against the backdrop of the crisis the jostle for the party’s ticket had created. There was bad blood in the state chapter to an extent that there were two excos. The lot fell on Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema of
The parties presenting candidates for the election have already signed an agreement to abide by the rules of the game, even as they urged the INEC and security operatives to provide a level –playing field for all the political parties Katsina State to lead the team . The party leadership was said to have trusted Shema to deliver rancourfree primaries and come up with an acceptable candidate. He did not disappoint. A source close to Wadata Plaza national secretariat of the PDP said the party knew how delicate the Anambra situation was given the factional crisis on ground and needed a party leader with the capacity to carry all the aspirants along. “Governor Shema fitted into the kind of party leader the PDP required to conduct the Anambra primaries because he had so many things going for him. Yes, he is one of the governors who have conducted the affairs of their states very well in the last six years. This is a thing of pride to the PDP leadership that we have a governor that is doing well on the home -front. But don’t also forget that before Alhaji Shema took the mantle of leadership in Katsina, he operated at the highest level of the party as a Deputy National Chairman in charge of North-west”, the source
Ifeanyi Ubah
Chris Ngige
Tony Nwoye
Willie Obiano
said. The source continued: “When Governor Shema was the PDP Deputy National Chairman, it is on record that he discharged the responsibility of that office with diligence and loyalty. It makes sense therefore that if there was any assignment like the Anambra primaries which the party found delicate and needed tact to deliver, the party leadership will not hesitate to use him. ”Even before the Supreme Court verdict which upheld Nwoye as the Anambra election candidate, the party leadership in Abuja was happy with the conduct of the PDP primaries in one of the most volatile states.” Indeed, the PDP national leadership had cause to be satisfied about the Anambra primaries. Safe for the little distraction caused by Oguebego, the factional leader, who organised parallel primaries, the Anambra PDP primaries, under Shema’s watchful eyes, went absolutely well. Most of the party’s 22 gubernatorial aspirants were fully involved in the Shema organised primaries to underscore their faith in the exercise and the person in charge to do a thorough job. A source at the Abuja
secretariat of the party said the quality of job done by the governor on the Anambra primaries recommends him for more responsibilities as we progress to the 2015 general elections. He noted that Shema is due to finish his second term by 2015 but pointed out that his conduct as a governor committed to the welfare of his people and his absolute loyalty to the PDP are factors to pave the way for him for bigger roles in the polity after 2015. • For APGA, one of the aspirants, Dr. Chike Obidigbo, disqualified by the party’s screening committee, was presented to INEC as the candidate of the party by the former interim National Chairman, Chief Maxi Okwu, but the electoral umpire has since dismissed his claim. Also, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, who tried to vie on the platform of APC, had to leave the party and later picked the ticket of PPA after he felt shortchanged in APC. Mr. Basil Iwoba had to chase Prince Isaac Onuka out of PPN to be able to get the party’s ticket. Onuka had to move to KOWA Party as the state chairman. At the last count, only
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Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 31
Continued from page 30 UPP, the political party floated by Chief Chekwas Okorie, still has its problem unresolved as two persons are laying claim to the party’s ticket. They are Professor Ben Akanegbu who is listed in INEC as the party’s candidate and who also participated in the political debate organized for governorship candidates in Awka recently, and Dr. Jide Emordi, who is claiming to be the authentic candidate of UPP, having paid the required N5 million as stipulated by the party. Emordi has gone to the Federal High Court, Abuja where he is seeking an exparte order to stop Akanebgu from parading himself as the candidate of the party. Emordi’s argument was that Okorie and some officials of the party have perfected plans to trade away the structure he built from the inception of UPP by trying to impose Akanegbu as the candidate. He also argued that Akanegbu is not a registered voter in Anambra State and therefore cannot stand for the election because he cannot vote during the election. As the campaigns got off the ground, the major contenders in the race began to emerge. Unless the unexpected happens, it is believed that the battle for Obi’s successor will be fought among the candidates of APGA (Willie Obiano), APC (Senator Chris Ngige), PDP (Chief Tony Nwoye), LP (Chief Ifeanyi Ubah) and PPA (Mr. Godwin Ezeemo).
Election monitors The Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, a coalition of over 400 civil society groups whose main objective is to promote the development and practice of democratic values and monitoring democratic institutions and electoral processes, is to deploy about 600 observers in all the 21 local government areas of the state during the governorship election. The group’s chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Zikirullahi, who recently visited the Anambra REC, Onukaogu, said the observers would be trained on how to transmit their information to the TMG headquarters in Abuja from the field for prompt collation on election day, saying that a situation whereby reports of election observers came weeks after the election when somebody would have been declared winner was unacceptable.
Tension Though INEC assembled the political parties and gave them the dos and don’ts for the election, there is still tension as the date for the exercise draws near. There are signs of desperation among some candidates and this is caused mainly by their overzealous agents who, apart from engaging in internet battles, also descend on the campaign materials of their opponents. In fact, most of the information churned out from the campaign offices of the candidates turn out to be hoax. For instance, when a group of people came up with the alleged double registration of the APGA candidate, C M Y K
6 DAYS TO ANAMBRA POLL
The five-way contest Obiano, they were already speculating that the man had been disqualified and went ahead to name his replacement, but it turned out to be false as INEC and a High Court in Anambra State have since absolved the man of engaging in any double registration
Adoration tragedy Also, APC and APGA have been accusing each other of being responsible for the destruction of bill
The use of inciting and violent language before, during and after the election must be eschewed; “No acts of intimidation of the electorate by the political parties, candidates and their supporters should be tolerated boards of their candidates such that the entire landscape of Anambra State is now filled with defaced and torn bill boards. Areas mostly affected in the bill board war are Awka, Onitsha, Nkpor, Agulu, Governor Obi’s town, Nnewi and Ekwulobia, among other areas. In fact, it is part of the desperation to win at all cost that was said to be responsible for the death of 25 persons at the Holy Ghost Adoration ground at Uke in Idemili North local
government area as it was alleged that the activities of agents of politicians led to the stampede.
Issues The candidate of APC, Ngige, hinges his campaign on the ground that 70 percent of the blueprint he prepared before he was removed by the court in 2006 were yet to be implemented, claiming that Anambra had become worse under Governor Obi. He cited the stadium in Awka which, he said, was 30 percent completed before he left office, adding that the project has remained untouched since he left office. He also claimed that he diligently paid counterpart funds that enabled donor agencies to come to the state and regretted that despite the efforts he made to resuscitate health institutions in the state; most of them have remained moribund. He has also been telling the people that voting for him would ensure good quality of life for the people and stated that it was to make them happy again that he is contesting the election. His PPA counterpart, Ezeemo, who released his five-cardinal programmes of security, health, agriculture, power and education in the commercial city of Anambra argued that once these five programmes are properly put in place, the economy of the state would transform in terms of job creation, industrialization, security of lives and property, qualitative free education at primary and secondary levels, qualitative health care delivery, among others. For the APGA candidate, Obiano, perhaps what he has going for him is the performance of the incumbent Governor Obi whose infrastructural development has been acclaimed
both locally, nationally and internationally. Before the APGA government took over in 2006, the state was virtually a dead zone, with collapsed school buildings and unequipped libraries and laboratories, unaccredited programmes in various health and educational institutions, demoralized work force, bad road network, unpaid arrears of pensions and gratuities, among others, but all that have changed. Obiano, in his campaign, has been saying that he would continue from where Obi stops and also claimed that he is the only candidate that has the capacity to continue to attract international funding for the state, considering his background as a renown financial manager. The PDP candidate, Nwoye, had some set back after winning the party’s ticket, but having finally settled down for campaign, has promised to turn the state around for the better if elected. Popular among the youths, Nwoye is supported by many prominent politicians and wealthy people in the state and, in view of the power of money, there are indications that he will surprise other political parties. Ifeanyi Ubah of LP has the support of the business community. His promise to drastically reduce unemployment in the state through his job creation measures is exciting the unemployed people in the state.
Agreement The parties presenting candidates for the election have already signed an agreement to abide by the rules of the game, even as they urged the INEC and security operatives to provide a level –playing field for all the political parties. In a communiqué issued at a oneday sensitization workshop for the political parties and stakeholders for the election organized by the office of the special adviser to the president on inter party affairs, the political parties, through their chairmen who appended their signatures on the document, observed that contestants perform better when the rules were made very clear. According to the communiqué, the will of the electorate must be respected by INEC, while security operatives should not only be seen to be neutral, but must be neutral in all actions. It also urged the Presidency to avoid manipulating the electoral process, while the judiciary should play its rightful role by delivering timely judgment to avoid hiccups in transiting from one regime to the other. The communiqué states further: “The gubernatorial candidates and their political parties should play a leading role in providing a rancour and violence free, smooth, fair and credible election; “The use of inciting and violent language before, during and after the election must be eschewed; “No acts of intimidation of the electorate by the political parties, candidates and their supporters should be tolerated, and that the stakeholders should abide by the revised Code of Conduct signed by all political parties and INEC.”
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Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
Why Anambra needs change —Rep Odedo
BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE
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onourable Charles Odedo (APC, Idemili North/South Federal Constituency, Anambra State) is one of the few All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives members from the South-East geopoliticalzone. In this interview, he speaks on the chances of his party in the November 16 governorship election in Anambra and what the people of the state will gain from Senator Chris Ngige’s administration, if elected.
On APC’s plans and programme for Anambra people. APC has a 12-point agenda for Anambra people. First of all, we have plan to ensure security of lives and property. As you know, our candidate has been governor before and he did very well. We are confident that he will ensure security of lives and property. Our party, the APC through our manifesto has articulated our plans and programmes for Anambra people. These plans include: Free primary education, free secondary education, access to public education, scholarship award to deserving
students and bursary award for students in tertiary institutions. In the health sector, our plan is to give Anambra people free antenatal medical services for all pregnant women, free primary medical care for children up to five years of age. Under an APC government, Anambra State will get a brand new Airport by the end of 2014, an inland waterways transport system to serve the riverine areas of Anambra East and West, Ogbaru, Anyamelum and Awba Otemili in Awka North Local Government Area, a mono-rail transport system to connect the major cities of Akwa, Onitsha and Nnewi in the first phase and Otuocha, Abagana and Ekwulobia for the second phase. Of course, our candidate is well known for quality road construction and that will continue. There are many other plans and programmes of our party that have to do with transforming lives of the people. How do you see comments of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA that Governor Peter Obi has done well and that Dr. Willie Obiano will continue in the same way if
•Charles Odedo elected? They want continuity but we want change. This is a debate we welcome anytime. Now, let me tell you why there must be change in Anambra State. One, security of lives and property. Anambra State Government led by Peter Obi has not done well at all in terms of security of lives and property. Anambra State is the last in the entire country. This is statistics from the Police. South-East zone is the most insecure zone in the country and Anambra State is the worse. Do we want to continue to be last in terms of security? We do not want continuity of last positions we want change. Our candidate, Senator Chris Ngige has been governor before and under his
watch Anambra State had one of the best security systems. Now, to education, students in Anambra State University pay the highest fees in Nigeria education history and on that basis Anambra State is also last in education. For example, the school fees at Anambra State University (ANSU) is over N130,000 for an academic year and this is excluding other dubious fees. When Ngige was governor between May 2003 and March 2006, he introduced free education up to JSS3. The shocking thing is that Obi who was sworn in on March 17, 2006, introduced school fees retrospectively and forced Anambra students to pay school fees for the terms that they had enjoyed free education. In other
words, Obi introduced school fees arrears. Again, teachers in Anambra higher institutions are the least paid in the country. So why does Obiano want to continue with everything Obi is doing? About 11 courses including Law lost accreditation when Nigeria University Commission (NUC) visited the school for inspection. Obi claimed to have constructed over 800 kilometers of road, that claim is contestable because the roads built by the APGA administration lack quality. For example, in Afor Market Square, Nnobi, the road has been constructed and reconstructed up to five times within the last seven years. We want change. We need Ngige quality roads. Anambra State government is making a mockery of youth employment and Job creation. A governor that has not created a single job throughout almost eight years of his administration and now suddenly with less than five months to leave, is advertising that they want to employ 5000 teachers. Of course, Anambra people know that this is an election gimmick and have paid no attention to it. The government of Obi has refused to pay minimum wage to workers and Obiano wants that to continue. Senator Chris Ngige has said no to that and has promised to pay minimum wage to all workers. The teachers in Anambra State University receive the least salary in the entire country. Obi’s government has refused to conduct local government election in almost eight years it has been in office. They have fixed date for local government election more than five times and failed to conduct the election. There is now a new date of December 2013 for the election. Let us watch and see.
‘We copy alien cultures to the detriment of tourism’ BY OLAYINKA AJAYI
A
ustine Eneduwa-George, a tourism and hospitality consultant, in this encounter, bares his mind on tourism challenges. What is your stand on the view that despite many tourists attractions, Nigeria is not a tourist destination? Tourism industry has been facing my challenges that call for urgent solution . One of the problems could be traced to the adverse economy in Nigeria which has seen everybody struggling to eke a living; nobody wants to recreate anymore. If you go to the villages where tourist attractions are, the only recreation you observe there is sex because by 6pm-7pm, the whole town has gone to sleep. Gone are the days of the moon-light stories, all they do is just farming in these villages where the Tourists attractions are . It will beat your imagination to know that the major problem facing tourism sector in Nigeria is traceable to the fact that despite all the attractions, Nigeria does not issue tourist visa. We have business visa as well as visiting visa . How does a tourist travel to a country that does not have tourism visa? It is the responsibility of government to educate the immediate community where these tourist attractions are by C M Y K
Austine Eneduwa-George giving them the story you are sending out so that when tourists come visiting, the views of the elderly people should not contradict what the youths in that same community would say to the tourist. If I should visit the Oranmiyan staff in Ile-Ife, everybody in the town should be able to tell the me same story . What are the major challenges in tourism sector? We have lots of things wrong for us. When an average Nigeria is establishing a hospitality business, what comes to his mind is how to attract a white man, whereas your biggest market is the domestic tourist needs. For instance, I should be able to leave my house in Lagos for Ekiti State to relax in Ikogosi. In tourism business, you
need repeat customers because they are the main people, you can generate a group of customers from just one satisfied customer. It is easier for a man living in Enugu State to partronise you than a man from Europe because of the trouble of visa . Also you will find out that some Yorubas are yet to visit some Eastern State in Nigeria before. We live in a country of over 150 million people and over 35 universities , research institutes and we don’t any functional zoo. Where are they doing their research; even EkoTourism is nowhere to be found. Many Europeans believe that in Africa lions and elephants roam our streets, but is it not shocking that at my age many Africans have not seen a giraffe? These are some of the issues we ought to address in a conference, we aim to educate investors and make create awareness about the green opportunities that will light up the Nigerian economy apart from the oil and gas sector. For instance; why would I want to visit water parks in United Arab Emirate Dubai if we have the same facility here in Nigeria ? Go to Asaba in Delta State or Abuja on public holidays, you will marvel at the sight of massive crowd that throng the hotels just to swim. Does that not tell a business man to wake-up one day to set up a water park? You can be certain that it will
attract massive crowd and they won’t be lining-up in these hotels anymore for swimming. How do you aim to cub the challenges in the sector? These are some of the issues we noticed that propelled the championing of Tourism Alive, an annual conference that have been fully endorsed by the Minister of Tourism, Edem Duke. It is a forum where investors and experts in tourism and hospitality sector would converge to brainstorm on issues hindering tourism in Nigeria. There are many wealthy Nigerians that can invest in hotels and hospitality business but their fear is who will run it. How lucrative is the sector? We will bring in foreigners to enlighten us on tourism. We also want to bring in government in order to create an enabling environment for investors to plug in. The issue of security will be addressed which is one of the fears of investors. Also we want to bring in the banks to come finance tourism projects. The Ibadan zoo that is ideally ought to be for the public can be resuscitated. I have seen what banks do here, supporting music, entertainment that do not really add value to the lives the people other than the practitioners. I belong to a renown international tourism board and most times in our meetings they
tend to ask when will Nigeria be ripe enough to attract tourists around the World? Everybody wants to come to Nigeria. With a country like Nigeria with population over 165 million people, you can’t go wrong doing any business. In some of these business you only need about 500 peoples patronage while others may require about 3,000. Amusement parks are lacking and you are wondering why our youths are jobless. So we thought of what we can bring down that will add value to our dear country . Go to Calabar there are many things lying fallow, Most things are not functioning in this sector because everything we have done have been tailored towards the white man coming. What have we designed to suit our co-country man? If you look at the Calaba festival, as beautiful as it is, it has adopted the Brazilian culture and costumes; even the FELABORATION celebrated recently in Lagos State in honor of our own Afro-beat Legend Fela Anikulagbokuti also embraced the Brazilian costume . You can hardly see them wear any costume reflecting their state or neighboring states or speaks Africa. If we can galvanize our traditional attires into trendy costumes, it will shock you the huge impact it will have globally.
SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 33
How I became the first black prof. of a US university —Chalokwu •Sa ys Nigerian vvar ar sities •Says arsities need paradigm shif shiftt
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rofessor Christopher I. Chalokwu is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and professor of geochemistry and physical science at Saint Xavier University, Chicago, United States (US). He was the Vice Chancellor of the University of Tennessee, US and presently a co-founder of Three Rivers Academic Consulting and Assessment Group in Africa as well as President/CEO of Medical Assay Laboratory, Chicago, US. During a recent visit to Nigeria, he bared his mind on the education sector just as he said it is unfortunate that Nigeria cannot produce one university that ranks among the top 30 universities in Africa. He also told the story of how he rose to become the first full tenured black professor of a US university.
BY GBENGA OKE & LAJU ARENYEKA
A
s a co -founder of Three Rivers Academic Consulting and Assessment Group, can you give us aninsight into what this group is all about? Also, as a group that rates universities in Africa, how do you rate Nigerian universities compared to others in the continent? Three Rivers Academic Consulting and Assessment Group was founded by a group of academics and seasoned university administrators (Prof. Christopher Chalokwu, Prof. Diedre Badejo, Prof. Joseph Orban and Prof. Godwin Mbamalu) who wanted to contribute to the advancement of best practices in education in Africa and the Caribbean. Our mission is to assist higher education institutions in Africa to develop their human capital needs through an effective recruitment process, improve student learning outcomes through robust assessment, and to build institutional capacity for teaching effectiveness, research, service and extension in an atmosphere that is characterized by trust and a commitment to academic excellence. We specialize in providing services including but not limited to : assessment of programs for accreditation,
strategic planning, development of student learning outcomes, grant writing skills, recruitment of qualified faculty and staff, training workshops and seminars for faculty development and technology integration., and leadership and management training that emphasizes data driven decision making. Our group is dedicated to partnering with higher education institutions in Africa to develop a holistic approach to recruiting and retaining faculty, staff, and administrators. We assist institutions with securing grants within and from outside Nigeria that are transformational in nature and with accountability on how the grant funds are utilized based on outcomes. Because African institutions of higher education face 21st century challenges and needs, our group offers a unique approach to academic consulting that begins with understanding the current state of the client institution, its mission and future direction. Our professional team brings to the process several decades of experience in developing curricula, assessment criteria, student learning outcomes, and public-private partnerships in the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa,
cannot produce a single university that ranks in the top 30 or 40 of universities in Africa by most measures. Most objective ranking of universities attempt to measure the extent to which a university is achieving its mission, which generally includes teaching, research, service and knowledge (technology) transfer. In the final analysis, institutional mission and student success are indistinguishable. Top rank universities in Africa such as the University of Cape Town, University of Witwatersrand, Cairo University or the University of Nairobi excel across a broad spectrum of indices. Universities in Nigeria are competitively disadvantaged by the lack of adequate infrastructure to support teaching and research mission. Brain drain of both faculty and talented students and mismanagement of scarce resources are contributory factors in the poor ranking of universities in Nigeria compared to other universities in Africa.I see a glimmer of hope in the private universities in Nigeria. The new private universities in Nigeria should develop curricula that are innovative and timely especially in the STEMM area instead of curricula that are merely duplicative of programs at other universities in Nigeria. The private universities have a potential for improved ranking if their resource base can be sustained. What is your assessment of strikes every time in the education sector in Nigeria? The crisis rocking the education sector in Nigeria is no different from the crisis in the petroleum sector, power sector, aviation sector and many other governmental sectors. My role here is not to be overly critical but to propose
ideas and solutions that upon further development and implementation could improve the educational sector in Nigeria. It pains me to admit that a great part of the problem stems from corruption, centralization of power at the federal level and leadership appointments based on nepotism with very little consideration for merit. University leadership appointments are currently politicized with little or no expectations on performance, transparency and accountability. This often breeds discontent between university leadership, the academic and non academic staff and ultimately results in a lack of trust. What is needed is a paradigm shift in the governance structure of Nigerian universities from a centralized top heavy administrative model to a structure based on shared governance whereby administrators, academic and
of the country, the intellectual and pragmatic capacity of the population, and the creation of new knowledge relevant to the natural and human resources available for the development of the Nigerian people and the country at large. The following should be emphasized: Nigeria’s new knowledge agenda must be based on an educational curriculum designed to reflect and unify the country; around its dynamic cultural and ethnic heritages, its complex national history, multicultural identity, and its ancient technologies, creative arts, archaeology, iconographies and epistemologies. These markers allow people to build upon what they know and to connect with what they don’t know and seek to achieve. In short, Nigeria’s education and future success rests upon taking pride in its patrimony as the
What is needed is a paradigm shift in the governance structure of Nigerian universities from a centralized top heavy administrative model to a structure based on shared governance non -academic staff and students collectively develop a shared vision for their institution. The private universities should be the laboratories for testing the new paradigm. The crisis in the education sector is also a crisis in management. The National Universities Commissionl and the governing councils of Nigerian public universities need restructuring with roles and responsibilities that are benchmarked and assessed continuously. There is also a misalignment between the needs
foundation of its ascendancy. In the national interest, the country’s education policy must envision the competitive training, research and development of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) citizens who focus on the national needs as an engine for driving the national economy and global competitiveness. The national education agenda must revamp universal, free,
Continues on page 34 C M Y K
PAGE 34— SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
Continued from page 33 quality, pre-school to secondary school pipeline. It would be wise to incorporate traditional knowledge including medicines into the curriculum through the study of local flora, fauna, and geosciences. A national assessment instrument that incorporates the effectiveness of such alignment and national goals at diverse levels within the country is essential for driving the education, development and employment sectors. The funding base needed to achieve the broader educational agenda for the country must be increased at all levels with a portion centralized in an infrastructure trust fund disbursed by a competitive process that is truly accountable and transparent. A radical approach is to entrust the infrastructure trust fund to the control of a single individual who would be accountable to all because the other methods of funding have not worked. As a result of the crisis in the education sector in Nigeria, the country is experiencing brain drain.What do you think could be done to stop this? Most qualified Nigerians who leave Nigeria do so for a number of reasons which may include but is not limited to the academic environment. People generally seek opportunities to better their life and that of their families. Faculty leave the country to pursue their research in more stable, conducive, productive, and competitive environments. In order to minimize the brain drain, government must confront the lack of incentives to work in Nigeria, for example, overcrowded, poorly equipped classrooms; inconsistent electricity, inadequate facilities, and generally unpleasant, dilapidated infrastructure. There’s no real reason for such disincentives to exist. Adequately funding research opportunities that contribute to the overall well- being of the nation would also appeal to Nigerian and other professionals who wish to contribute to the national good. Such competitive research contributes to the local, state, and national conversation and pride that is essential to academic quality and innovation. The brain drain also applies to talented students who seek admission to study abroad. Therefore, to slow the brain drain, all academic and nonacademic needs must be addressed to improve the learning and working environment and enhance the quality of lives of Nigerians. Nigerians are hungry for a welldeveloped, transparent, and reliable funding strategy and mechanism that provide enough accountability at funding levels that can seriously address the sagging infrastructural and material needs of the entire educational system. The following should be considered: A national funding strategy that includes all levels of governance with fiscally responsible, well-trained educational leaders who know how to leverage buy-in and generate ideas and partnerships with local and business
communities; provide resources at levels designed to increase wages and subsidize more impoverished local areas to caste a broad educational net in order to harvest multiple talents from the vast populations and cultures addressed above; provide separate infrastructural funding that is conducive to learning and that inspires students and graduates to maintain loyalty to their institutions and county and that respects the people who enliven the institutions; compete globally for the best technology and trained technicians to maintain the investments in teachers, students, and citizenry. That means taking advantage of technologies such as smart classrooms, laptops, and iPads to drive innovation; upgrade all levels of post-secondary education including teacher education and technology, and build on both National Youth Service and the diversity of existing postsecondary institutions as crucial parts of a national education strategy with specific and measurable goals; address infrastructural obsolesce and poor facilities maintenance as central to internal respectability and global competitiveness; and provide regular internal,
mechanism that include courses taught and contact hours actually spent on teaching students. I believe strikes can be minimized if all parties feel equally disadvantaged by the outcome of a strike. Paying competitive, timely wages incentivizes professionals to stay and contribute to the educational enterprise. This of course helps to improve the overall economy as well as the commitment of the citizens to the nation. This also includes paying the lowest level workers a living wage as well as the top earners, and would go a long way in addressing the constant strikes and improve the level of confidence in the nation’s commitment to the educational sector. It would also make workers feel valued by their national institutions. Changing the voluntary academic retirement age to 70 ill reap the benefits and collective wisdom of long-time faculty expertise and their collective institutional memory. Education in the US, especially now, may not be the best example of stopping faculty strikes, especially since faculty in some post-secondary sectors do strike, usually over working conditions and salary. The University of California and California State Systems are examples. The difference is that when strikes occur in the US they are usually
Chalokwu...Crisis of education is crisis of management
‘The paradigm shift Nigerian varsities need’
national as well as international opportunities for faculty, students, and members of the public to engage in collaborative experiential learning opportunities. These ideas are not new or unique. What is lacking is the willingness to innovate. What we have seen from time to time in the education sector in Nigeria is strike upon strike. How do you think this could be stopped citing examples of how education is run in the United States? Wherever there is a union and collective bargaining agreements, there will always be strikes, even in the United States. In the US, the salaries for US senators are not much different from that of a professor of any major university, while in Nigeria the politicians arbitrarily assign their own salaries with allowances and bonus which are often several folds higher than their salaries. ASUU should be at the table where the federal budget on education and funding priorities in education are set. I am advocating an administrative system that is transparent and involving some form of shared governance at the level of the National Universities Commission and other regulatory bodies that oversee education in Nigeria. The problem with shared governance in a union environment is that collective bargaining by its very nature is adversarial. In return for sharing governance, ASUU should clearly articulate its position on student learning outcomes, and how faculty reward and pay structure can be tied to a transparent faculty evaluation
short-lived often lasting a few days; the current ASUU strike in Nigeria has lasted over four months. There are many state universities in the US that face budgetary challenges, and the way these institutions thrive is through a transparent budget process, prioritization of scare resources and adopting corporate practices. How does a Nigerian like you scale above all odds to attain such heights in an American education sector? There is no substitute for hard work in American education sector where success is based on merit. The grant of tenure and promotion through the academic ranks in an American university is usually based on one’s teaching effectiveness, research publications, service and external grants and contracts depending on the complexity and mission of the institution. Merit also determines faculty rewards in the form of salary scales and annual increments. For any Nigerian to attain great heights in American higher education, the individual must minimally be as good as but preferably better than his American born counterpart. All my schooling from undergraduate to post -doctoral was done in the US. I arrived at Auburn University, a major landgrant, research extensive national university in Alabama in 1984, as a faculty member in geology and geochemistry. I immediately developed a teaching and research agenda designed to earn me tenure, which is the first step to becoming a permanent faculty member with job security. I was fortunate to attract talented graduate students to my research program and benefited from financial support for my research from my
university and grant funding agencies. I quickly rose through the professorial ranks to become the first tenured, black full professor in the 140-year-old history of the university. My success as a faculty member at Auburn University, election by the peers to Fellowship of prestigious scientific societies, and a Fulbright Senior Fellow grant became prerequisites for deanship, which led to my appointment as Dean at Benedict College in 1996. By most accounts I was a successful Dean, which led to my appointment as Vice Chancellor at the University of Tennessee, and later as Provost and Vice President at Saint Xavier University. In all my academic and administrative
In 2012, Nigerians were spending about 160billion on tuition in Ghana about 246million pounds in the United Kingdom. What do you think are the reasons for this craze for education outside Nigeria’s border and how can Nigeria improve on its education sector to attain some level of improvement like we have in the United States and United Kingdom? Nigerians flee to Ghana and other countries in search of education institutions that are stable, devoid of strikes and with infrastructure that supports teaching and learning. In my early career, I spent some time teaching and conducting research at the
The national education agenda must revamp universal, free, quality, preschool to secondary school pipeline. It would be wise to incorporate traditional knowledge including medicines into the curriculum through the study of local flora, fauna, and geosciences appointments, each position held was the outcome of a competitive national search whereby hundreds of applications are screened by a search committee consisting of representatives from a cross section of the university community (the internal stake holders) and external business leaders and supporters of the university. Transparency in the search process for faculty and administrative positions in American Higher Education engenders trust and ensures an acceptable outcome. Although all institutions have their own internal dynamics that could lead to politicization of searches for administrators, they are never along the lines of political parties, nepotism or cronyism.
University of Ghana, Legon. While universities in Ghana face financial challenges as well, I appreciate their commitment to student learning, which is clearly what is attracting students from Nigeria to Ghana. Nigerians flee to Ghana in large part to gain admission to a university due to the chronic shortage of slots in Nigerian universities and the instability caused by persistent strikes. Education in Ghana is stable and I would argue that the curriculum in Ghana is sufficiently challenging. Certainly, there are negative implications for Nigerian students studying in Ghana in large numbers, particularly the brain drain as these students are not part of the learning community in Nigerian institutions.
SUND AY V anguard SUNDA Vanguard anguard,,
BY HUGO ODIOGOR, Foreign Affairs Editor
V
ISITORS to United States consu late in Lagos or the embassy in Abuja will have no illusion that those territories are garrisons of a sort. From 200 meters distance, visitors to US facilities are under closed circuit security coverage. All access roads to the facilities are littered with barricades and cameras. Security personnel are under strict instructions to ensure that vehicles are not allowed to park within the vicinity of the structures. Persons that have appointments at the embassy or consulate must leave their names with officials 48 hours before the appointment date. There are also all kinds of masts, security and communication equipments at the facilities. The equipments and gadgets are just to show the strength and might of the US as a military/economic super power. In fact, those who are allowed into the embassy or consulate buildings are required to go through thorough security checks and frisked with metal detectors. Cellphones and cameras are not allowed in the buildings. Sometimes it looks like you are going into Guantanamo bay detention facility. A Nigerian staff of the US consulate summed up this garrison mentality thus: “Since September 11, 2001, everything about America is security, security, security; it is security one, security two, and security three”. The Snowden affair Since the revelations of Mr. Edward Snowden, the former IT consultant to the United States National Security Agency (NSA), the world has witnessed an unprecedented digital espionage and cyber warfare which the Americans have taken advantage of to invade individual and civil liberties as well as breach national sovereignty of its friends and foes alike. Media reports that no fewer than 37 leaders of different countries including those of allied nations have been subjected to acts of wire tapping by the American National Security Agency, NSA, which speaks volumes of how the war against terror has left the US isolated, unsecure and unsafe. The revelation of how low the NSA had descended to tap telephone conversations, email account of world leaders, organisations and individuals to gather intelligence has provoked global outrage at Washington. Snowden took the stage in June 2013, revealing the sweeping extent of the NSA’s surveillance programme. He has gone down as one of the US most important whistle-blowers of all time, becoming the seventh person to be charged by the Obama administration under the Espionage Act, more than double the number of prosecutions of all previous presidential administrations combined. The spying row has prompted European leaders to demand a new deal with Washington on intelligence gathering that would maintain an essential alliance while keeping the fight against terrorism on track. Germany and Brazil are also working on a UN General Assembly resolution to highlight international anger at US data snooping in other countries, diplomats said on Friday. Spygate and the people’s anger The act of nations snooping on each other is an age long practice but the golden rule has been: “Don’t get caught”. There are several reasons countries embark on acts of espionage. It could be for military or economic reasons. It could be to monitor the activities of hostile nations or to gain advantage over friendly nations. Some Americans who felt embittered
NO VEMBER 10, 2013, P AGE 35 NOVEMBER PA
Nigeria, Europe and the US spies by the actions of the NSA organised a march on the Capitol Hill, no fewer than 2,000 attended the march. The protesters were urging the US Congress to reform the legal framework supporting the NSA’s secretive online data gathering. Snooping on friends Brazil Brazilian President, Dilma Rouseff, was the first to accuse the US of violating her country’s sovereignty with what she called grave violation of human rights and civil liberties. She said personal data of Brazilian citizens was indiscriminately intercepted. Rouseff pointed out Brazil knows how to protect itself and called on US President Barack Obama to apologise to her country and assure them that electronic snooping will stop. The Brazilian leader, addressing the UN General Assembly, said the NSA also collected economic and strategic corporate data, as well as messages by Brazilian diplomats, including to the United Nations, and from her own office. She alleged: “The NSA also collected economic and strategic corporate data, as well as messages by Brazilian diplomats, including to the United Nations, and from her own office. It must be noted that Brazil is an important hub for transAtlantic fiber optic cables. “The arguments that the illegal interception of information and data aims at protecting nations against terrorism cannot be sustained.” “Friendly governments and societies that seek to build a true strategic partnership, as in our case, we reject, fight and terrorist groups, we do not harbor them. France President Francois Hollande was shocked that over 70.3 million calls made by his country men were listened to by NSA. Since the time of De Gaul, France has tried to resist the incursion of US into its affairs. Successive French presidents regard America as an ally but with a mind to pursue independent course of action in the international arena. Germany Germany is a major political and economic power in Europe. Its actions in the 1914 and 1935 resulted in two world wars. The US is interested in knowing what the Germans are up to at any given time. The reported incident of bugging the telephone of Chancellor Angela Merkel for over ten years and over 65million Germans left a bitter taste in the mouth of ordinary Germans. Spain In Spain, more than 60 million telephone calls were reportedly spied on by the US National Security Agency (NSA) in a month. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy described the snooping, , as “inappropriate and unacceptable between partners and friends.” Spain played a crucial historical part in the emergence of America as a nation. Mexico For so many reasons, Mexico is a country of special interest to America. The activities of the drug cartels and the ever contentious issue of Mexicans crossing into America made this southern neighbour a country to spy on. Both Belgium, the Vatican have all raised their voices that the NSA bugged them.
*Obama
*Snowden curity Advisor Susan Rice, NSA Director Keith Alexander, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Counter-Terrorism Advisor Lisa Monaco, tried to defend the actions of the NSA by directing the focus of the debate on other countries , whom they claimed to be spying on Washington. The enabling law to embark on this type of invasive security procedure came into effect in 2011 when the Patriots Act was enacted. The geopolitical imperatives of US Big Brother diplomacy Watchers of the unfolding spying saga have argued that there are several reasons America has embarked on snooping on its allies. First, an ally today may turn out to be a foe tomorrow in an international system that is highly unpredictable and defined by preservation on self serving national interest. Secondly, the post cold war international system may have seen the emergence of the US as a major power, but its dominance in global affairs is not in absolute terms, given the resurgence of Russia, with all the arsenal of the old Soviet Union. The rise of China is a major challenge to America’s hegemony in world affairs. Politically, China remains a communist country, but the free market reforming of its economy has made China the sec-
Even in a sovereign state like Nigeria, the US is believed to have full surveillance equipment and operates unhindered
US defence Embattled officials: The National Se-
ond largest economy in the world. America is constantly watching developments in China. U.S. was strident in its accusation of China for hacking into its cyber space where defence industry as well as its economic system have been targets of cyber attacks. Washington may have regarded Germany as its post World War II ally but in reality the US is uncomfortable with Germany as the hegemony in Europe. Germany has the biggest economy in Europe and its military power is awesome. The process of political and economic union in Europe, which was championed by France and Germany, has a major
*Merkel impact on America’s economic dominance. The first and second world wars, instigated by Germany, helped to push America to abandon its isolationist foreign policy. It is important to America to know what the Germans are doing. In South America, Brazil is a major regional power and the U.S. also wants to be on top of its game in monitoring what goes on in its backyard. The activities of NSA therefore goes beyond counter-terrorism as claimed by those defending the actions of the US.. The actions of the NSA have done more to undermine only security as it has created the impetus for Internet and cyber security bad guys to exploit the same route. There is every possibility that other countries as well would embark on their own hacking and perpetration of cyber crimes which the NSA has provided the lead. Even before the uproar about the activities of the NSA and its digital spying activities, Nigerians have been concerned about the state of intelligence gathering in Nigeria, the scope of the knowledge and vision of those who manage the country’s security organisations, the scope, size and capacity of our security agencies, their modus operandi, the quality of finding and structure of control, whereas their attitude to their jobs have not be impressive and cannot match the technical ability of the US to monitor, store and sift information in its host countries especially as we live in the age of technology and big data gathering. Even in a sovereign state like Nigeria, the US is believed to have full surveillance equipment and operates unhindered. According to Mr. Bassey Okon, a human right lawyer, the Snowden revelation is just a tip of the ice berg as the US has been active on digital spying even when Nigeria is sleeping on its responsibilities. “That is why they know more than us on so many issues and even come handy to offer assistance to us on every issue of our national life. Don’t ever be surprised to hear that Aso Rock, the National Assembly the NNPC and other strategic institutions are under intensive security surveillance”, he added.
PAGE 36—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
.... CRIME AND NATIONAL SECURITY BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, Benin-City
O
VER one hundred sus pected kidnappers face the death sentence in Edo State following the signing into law of the state kidnapping law by Governor Adams Oshiomhole. Kidnapping in the state became worrisome after hoodlums descended on the state to a level that even teachers were being kidnapped for ransom. Lagos lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome, a Benin High Court Judge, Justice Daniel Okungbowa, a chieftain of the APC, Athanacious Ugbome, were among those who suffered from the kidnappers onslaught along the AuchiAbuja road, in Edo State. It was later learnt that most of the evil perpetrated along that road was executed by a gang led by a kidnap kingpin, Kelvin Oniarah Eziegbe, who is currently facing trial in Abuja. Ordinarily, Oshiomhole believes very strongly in the sanctity of life but on 18 October, shortly after one of the bloody kidnap operations, the governor had no choice than to exercise his constitutional powers as governor, by signing into law the Kidnap Prohibition Law as amended by the state House of Assembly. On that fateful day, Oshiomhole was in his office attending to state issues, when the news filtered in that those attending Esan Professionals Conference, scheduled for Uromi, were kidnapped while one was killed almost at the spot where Ozekhome was kidnapped. Sunday Vanguard learnt that the suspected kidnappers, who reportedly wore police uniforms with bullet proof vests, stopped the victims and informed them that they were under arrest. They were said to have ordered Mrs Ekhomu and her children to a vehicle while the chief executive officer of Thomas White Plc. Mr. Emmanuel Obiyan, and Dr Ekhomu, a security expert, were pushed to another vehicle. The kidnappers headed towards Sapele. Sunday Vanguard learnt however that on realizing that their captors were kidnappers and not policemen after he inquired about the police station they were being taken to, Dr Ekhomu held one of the kidnappers with a gun and there was a fight. In the process, Dr. Ekhomu suffered a gunshot on his hand but he managed to escape through the bush. Apparently angered by the Ekhomu resistance, the kidnappers rained bullets on Obiyan and abandoned his body. The gang that held Mrs. Ekhomu and her children ran into trouble when men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in the Niger Delta intercepted them around Sapele and rescued them. The body of Obiyan was deposited at the Irrua Specialist Hospital. The sad incident occurred on Thursday, 17 October. Oshiomhole, visibly angry, came to office at about 7:30am the following
BAD DAYS AHEAD FOR KIDNAPPERS
100 face the death penalty in Edo
*Suspect: I didn’t defile one-yr-old girl; I only romanced her *Suspected kidnappers. Inset: Oshiomhole day, and called for the amended kidnap law file. While this was going on, appeal came to the state government to flood the Auchi-Abuja road with soldiers. Oshiomhole was particularly touched that Esan sons and daughters, who came home from Europe, America and other parts of the world for a meeting, were either kidnapped or shot dead. At about 11am, the governor signed the kidnap bill into law and urged all those concerned to ensure full implementation. The law prescribed death penalty for kidnappers.Speaking while signing the law, the governor said government would do everything within its powers to ensure the safety of lives and property in the state.
comes under the control of the state government. I am convinced as a matter of fact that the Federal Government is doing its best to arm and equip the police and the other security agencies. There are no quick-fix solutions to the issue of crime. Criminals are not in limited number that you exterminate and go and sleep”, he said. Sunday Vanguard learnt however that over one hundred suspected kidnappers have been arrested since the passage of the law. Meanwhile, fifteen suspected armed robbers and fourteen child defilers were paraded on Thursday by the Edo Police Commissioner, Mr Foluso Adebanjo. He said the parade of the 29 suspected criminals amongst whom was a 24 year-old Ifeanyi Nwongi, who allegedly defiled a girl of one year and eight months, was part of the efforts by the command to wipe criminals out in the state. Items recovered from the suspects include five vehicles, one AK47 rifle, three English pump action guns, three cut
Oshiomhole disagreed with those who argue that kidnapping is a result of unemployment, saying “no one should try to trivialise very complex issues”. He said: “We need coordinated efforts to deal with the problem of crime in Nigeria”, lamenting that the In the process, Dr. Ekhomu governor does not have the power to suffered a gunshot on his deal with any hand but he managed to security officer who escape through the bush. Apparently might have misbehaved or through angered by the Ekhomu resistance, the whose negligence kidnappers rained bullets on Obiyan the people might have been exposed and abandoned his body to any criminal act. “At best, we are able to provide resources and equipment as we have tried to do within our limited resources in spite of the fact that the language, the letter and the spirit of the constitution is clear that security matters are federal issues which is why the federal government continues to have monopoly of the police and of all the armed forces and the state security services. None of these
to size double barrel guns, five locally made pistols, 103 AK 47 rifle live ammunition, 505 live ammunition and other dangerous weapons. Adebanjo explained that 15 suspected kidnappers were arrested in different parts of the state. He said: “Operatives of the command, on routine patrol/ stop and search, stopped one Nissan Vannette bus for a routine check, search conducted
on the occupants of the bus led to the recovery of arms and ammunition and arrest of two suspects. Investigations however revealed that the suspects are notorious kidnappers who have been terrorising the state and were on a kidnap mission before they were arrested”.He further narrated that a crack team of detectives who acted on “credible intelligence” arrested one Osarumwense Ogbeide and Osahon Uhunamure at Aduwawa for alleged involvement in various kidnapping cases which occurred in the state, adding: “The suspects who have been on the command’s wanted list are notorious criminals who took part in the kidnapping cases reported on the 29/05/2011, 01/02/2012 and 09/02/2012 in the state. The arrested suspects who confessed to the crime led the operatives to IdunEhigie community where a 60-yearold man, Raphael Noruwa, was arrested and cone Jojeff Magnum pump action gun was recovered from him. As you can see kidnapping has reduced in Edo and it was as a result of the strategy we adopted which is working”.
Romancing baby However, 24-year-old Nwonga, who allegedly defiled the 20 months old baby girl, told Sunday Vanguard: “I held the baby and was playing with her and had erection and sperm was now released on her body. That was what happened; it is not as if I defiled her”. However, Nwonga later confessed that he defiled the child, attributing it to the work of devil. The mother of the child, who took the matter to the police described the suspect as a liar. “ He is my tenant but I never knew that people could be that wicked. He defiled this baby and that was why I came to the police”.
SUNDAY
Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 37
FOR THE PURSUIT OF A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT LPG:
The drive for Gas to Health Initiative BY KUNLE KALEJAIYE
B
lessed with abundant natural resources such as crude oil, coal, solid minerals, bitumen, liquefied petroleum gas, LPG, among others, the untapped LPG potentials of the country is so vast that it packs with it the potentials of multi-faceted benefits. In this report, Sunday Vanguard examines the quest of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, for a cleaner environment as it pursues a switch to LPG in her quest for a sustainable environment. The health benefit of substituting traditional fuel such as kerosene, charcoal, and firewood with LPG for domestic use like cooking cannot be over emphasis because research has shown that, in Nigeria, diseases directly related to indoor pollution caused by smoke emanating from the use of traditional fuels are the third highest killers next to malaria and HIV. Deforestation remains a big issue bedeviling the country as eco system has been greatly affected resulting in unsteady weather conditions making it difficult to predict season correctly. However, it is believed that increased use of LPG will greatly reduce deforestation. Meanwhile, a non-profit, nongovernmental, non-political C M Y K
organisation, Gas to Health Initiative, GTHI, said the health related implication of using traditional fuel for cooking has become imperative to take the issue very seriously. On the alternative, GTHI maintained that LPG has been seen to be healthy for use as a domestic fuel amongst its other uses, noting that it burns cleanly, it is non-toxic and it is also very efficient. GTHI said its plans to build a healthier country through a total conversion to LPG especially for domestic use. However, one of the bottleneck situations that hinder the use of LPG in the country is the possible fear of gas explosion. This anxiety, according to GTHI, can be curtailed if end users adhere to the do’s and don’ts that guide usage, stressing that it’s safe for use. It believes that LPG safety awareness and education by the federal, state, local governments and relevant stakeholders is key for wider acceptance by Nigerians. When fully converted to LPG, GTHI explained that there will be a reduction on the pressure on petroleum products which will cut down on government expenditure in that sector and the funds can be channelled to other beneficial uses, more opportunities for investment which will, in turn, be an
employment generator and also an avenue to further strengthen small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Government initiatives As part of its concerted effort to make LPG the preferred energy of choice, the Federal Government, in the 80s, commence an LPG project by constructing butanization( bottling) plants across the country, that is, Enugu, Ibadan, Calabar, Ilorin, Makurdi, Lagos (Apapa), Kano and Gombe respectively, with total storage of 12,000mt. The vision was mainly to reduce gas flaring, deforestation and inevitably taking LPG nearer to consumers. By 1995, NNPC boosted domestic LPG consumption to about 120,000mt with the injection of cylinders; this was a milestone that depicted the willingness of Nigerians to embrace LPG. However, this scheme was distorted due to supply gap and the populace relapsed to other conventional energy sources. The Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) is a subsidiary of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) saddled with the responsibility of petroleum product supply and distribution. In the same vein, PPMC recently embarked on the rehabilitation of all the LPG butanization plants, strategically located across the
country. This initiative, according to PPMC, has enabled the deeper penetration of the LPG market, and accessibility of the product to end users. The resuscitation of the bottling plants has also helped in supply and availability of LPG, making the pricing of the product competitive. As a result of the resuscitation of the bottling plants, the operational and selling capacity of the plants has improved.
Currently, the average of selling capacity of the plants is 11MT/day, that is approximately 875 (12.5kg) cylinders a day. The plants are also capable of selling four trucks (80MT/week) and the ability to fill 12. 5kg cylinders in 33 seconds and 50kg in three minutes. The status of the Butanization (Bottling plants) plants today are as follows: Continues on page 38
PAGE 38—SUNDAY
Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
The challenge of switching to LPG, by Adeshina, NLPGA President At the just concluded 26th World LPG forum in London, Nigeria had one of the highest representation in the council but in Africa, Nigeria is still ranked low in LPG usage. In this interview with Sunday Vanguard, President of Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association, Mr. Dayo Adeshin
the next couple of years let’s say in the next three years particularly if the government realises that kerosene has no place in the entire energy mix in Nigeria other than for aviation fuel and not for cooking. Also we are keen to educate the government that LPG is available for auto gas, in fact auto gas is the third fuel in the world after petrol and diesel so there is no reason why the government cannot switch to auto gas fuel. If you go to Ghana down the road all the taxi there run on LPG so what is our own problem here. These are countries that don’t produce as much as we do, we produce over four million tons here. So really and truly we don’t have any excuse for not deepening and promoting the LPG sector. Was Nigeria’s voice heard at the just concluded forum?
,,
W
here do we stand in the world when it’s come to LPG consumption? We consumed150,000 tons last year and it is very dismal but thankfully NLNG has increased supply by another 100,000 tons so hopefully this year would surpass the previous years because supply will be at 250,000 tons from the 150,000 tons that we use to do before. So I will say we are still low where we ought to be but the good thing is that all the players are committed to improving the market. Though before now NLNG was viewed as just a producer, it is also actively looking at how the whole value chain can be deepened to make sure that there is wider usage of LPG. So in terms of where we are today, we are not near where we should be in the world but we are hopeful that in
Nigeria has always had a voice at the world LPG forum, we have always had representation because am a council member and a representative from NNPC. Year in year out, Nigeria has always had a strong delegation in fact if we are not the biggest delegation we are probably be the second strongest delegation. In terms of number, Nigeria always has large number at the forum and in terms of representation. What measures have your association put in place to ensure that adequate cylinders are out there in the market? You may know or not know,
per cent. So, as the first entry point for anybody that wants to be in the LPG space, cylinders take a pride of place. If you are selling a 12.5kg cylinder at about N18,000 or N19,000 to people who could barely afford three square meals then that becomes a disincentive to them to switch from kerosene or charcoal to LPG. The tariffs need to come down; local production needs to be stimulated. As you know manufacturing in this country at some point in time had issues with power and all the other issues of flat steel which they have to import. All of these made them not to be
Though before now NLNG was viewed as just a producer, it is also actively looking at how the whole value chain can be deepened to make sure that there is wider usage of LPG
the total cylinder figure for the country is about 1.2 million and about 60 per cent of that is in a dilapidated state. The challenge here is the tariff because with the tariffs for importation of cylinders, we have the tariff at 20 per cent and by the time it comes out from the port with all the charges, we have about 30-35
competitive with the imported cylinder. So that needs to be addressed essentially; a holistic approach needs to be taken at resolving the whole issues in the value chain. Many users of kerosene and charcoal are scared to switch to LPG, what is your association doing to sensitise them?
These are some of the things that the association is looking into and addressing it. We are looking at starting off a campaign in newspapers, radio, electronic media online media as well to try to kind of educate people a bit more on the effect of pollution from cooking with unclean fuel and the advantages of switching to cleaner and more effective fuel like LPG. We will start from the grassroot with people who sell Akara (Beans Cake), and all that. We have also found out that apart from pollution, the time it takes them to cook is much longer but with LPG its cleaner and faster and it can get the same job done quicker and you don’t have to suffer the health hazards that you suffer when you use kerosene and charcoal. More importantly for us is the health implication of cooking with those fuels because the World Health Organisation, WHO, brought a statistic where 4 million people in a year die from inhalation of polluted fuel and that is higher than malaria and AIDS put together. So we have a responsibility to educate people to know that getting these things very cheap, they might look very interesting to you and you might think that you have been using a fuel that is effective but in real terms it is more hazardous to your health, it’s dangerous, it’s time consuming and really you have no business using that fuel.
LPG: The drive for Gas to Health Initiative Continues on page 37
S/N BUTANIZATION PLANT STORAGE TANK CAPACITY STATUS 1. APAPA 4,000MT COASTAL STORAGE (10 MT DAY TANK) COMPLETED 2. IBADAN 1,000MT ( 6 MT DAY TANK) COMPLETED 3. ILORIN 1,000MT ( 6 MT DAY TANK) ON GOING WORKS 4. ENUGU 1,000MT ( 6 MT DAY TANK) COMPLETED 5. MAKURDI 1,000MT ( 6 MT DAY TANK) ONC M Y K
GOING WORKS. 6. GOMBE 1,000MT ( 6 MT DAY TANK) COMPLETED 7. KANO 1,000MT ( 6 MT DAY TANK) COMPLETED 8. GUSAU 1,000MT ( 6 MT DAY TANK) COMPLETED
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o further grow the LPG market, PPMC reiterated its commitment to expanding the Apapa LPG facility from 4,000 MT to 8,000 MT and providing skids at depots with 20 MT skid tanks to further deepen LPG spread.
Other strategies to deepen LPG awareness include the complete digitalization of the butanization plants, partnering with NGOs to create awareness/ dissemination of safety tips and partnership with other stakeholders and exhausting supply sources. LPG Association Meanwhile, the President of Nigeria LPG Association, Mr. Dayo Adeshina, says the association is working with stakeholders to disabuse the minds of Nigerians that LPG is dangerous for domestic use (See interview). He told Sunday Vanguard: “We are looking at starting off a campaign in newspapers, radio,
electronic media online media as well to try to kind of educate people a bit more on the effect of polution from cooking with unclean fuel and the advantages of switching to cleaner and more effective fuel like LPG. ” We will start from the grass root with people who sell Akara, bookers and all that. we have also found out that apart from pollution, the time its takes them to cook is much longer but with LPG its cleaner and faster and it can get the same job done quicker and you don’t have to suffer the health hazards that you suffer when you use kerosene and charcoal. “More importantly for us is the health implication of cooking
with those fuels because the World Health Organisation, WHO brought a statistic where 4 million people in a year die from inhalation of polluted fuel and that is higher than malaria and AIDS put together. “So we have a responsibility to educate people to know that getting these things very cheap, they might look very interesting to you and you might think that you have been using a fuel that is effective but in real terms it is more hazardous to your health, it’s dangerous, its time consuming and really you have no business using that fuel.”
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‘Nigeria needs Ministr Ministryy of Old Citizens’ By AZEEZ SANUSI & FREDRICK OKOPIE
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enter for Happy Elderly Persons, CHEP, an old people’s home in Lagos, has urged the Federal Government to create a ministry that will be in charge of the care of the welfare of the elderly citizens as a result of the neglect and abandonment of old people prevalent in the country. During the celebrations of the International Day for Elderly Citizens, founder of the home, Lilian Adanoritsewo SuleJiringho, called on government to pay more attention to the elderly citizens by creating a more age-friendly environment
and community for the elderly ones. CHEP was inaugurated seven years ago and it offers free health check, that is, cardiovascular and random blood sugar screening for old people. It also conducts seminars on diet at old age from time to time. The event was graced by Professor Yemisi Obashoro from the Department of Adult Education, University of Lagos, UNILAG, as guest speaker, and Senator Oluremi Tinubu was represented by the wife of the Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, Mrs Bamigbetan as mother of the day. Jiringho also called on government to
acknowledge the older citizens’ day as a holiday and celebrate it as one in
spite of it falling on the same day as the country’s independence day.
Igbinedions to launch multi-million Naira ent er tainment cent er enter ertainment center By SIMON EBEGBULEM , Benin-City
N From left: Samsung Brand Ambassador, Mr. Ali Nuhu; Business Development Director, Hand Held Products, Mr. Daesung Ra; Product and Marketing Manager, Regional Headquarters – Samsung Electronics Africa Hand Held Products, Mr. Jaco van Zyl; Marketing Manager, Hand Held Products, Ms. Olajumoke Okikiolu and Managing Director, Mr. Brovo Kim, all of Samsung Electronics West Africa, during the Port Harcourt launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 and Gear at Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt.
ight life is set to return to BeninCity, following the completion of a multi-million naira entertainment center with over 900 audience capacity, scheduled to be opened tomorrow. The entertainment center equipped with club houses, cinema, shopping centers, is owned by the family of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. The Project Director of the complex,
Mr. Andre Griesel said the edifice is the first of its kind in Nigeria and it was built for people of Edo State and the pleasure of people in the South-south zone, Nigerians and the world at large. Griesel disclosed that the complex has the capacity to accommodate over 806 people in all the five cinema complexes within the single building at the same time. He said, “It is unique because I think it is the first in Benin and I have been quite a while in Nigeria and I have never seen any entertainment area for the people like this anywhere. For the people of Benin-City I think this is a wonderful new experience. You can take your family for a day outing; you eat, play games, enjoy yourself and watch movies. It is a place people can stay to spend quality time together.”
Ateke Tom, ex-militant leader commended
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EPENTANT ex-mili tant leader and Fed eral Government Amnesty beneficiary, Chief Ateke Tom of Rivers State has been applauded assisting the underprivileged and his youth empowerment initiative. Rivers-born musician and entertainment figure, Victor Harold Peterside gave the commendation when beneficiaries of Ateke Tom’s empowerment programme to develop music talents gathered in Port Harcourt to acknowledge their benefactor’s philanthropy. Peterside noted that aside the gesture to equip and change the lives of established and upcoming musicians, Ateke, leader of the Niger Delta Vigilante has equally supported actors and movie makers across Nigeria while also recalling his donations in cash and kind to victims of last year’s flooding. He said: “After dropping his weapons in Niger Delta militancy to embrace Amnesty, Ateke, has sustained his commitment to alleviate the sufferings of the people through his many charities.” Among his goodwill, Peterside also pointed that Ateke built toilets for nine communities in his native Okrika, financed women fish traders in Creek Market, Port Harcourt, bought buses, taxes and sponsor regular football tournaments for youths as well as regular visits and donations to orphanages. C M Y K
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HURRICANE KATSINA
Masari men battle ‘ G-10 lawmakers’ Kaduna, making it difficult for us to collect our certificates of return. All the same, the injunctions they were seeking were discharged and we collected our certificates of return. We were sworn- in, in June, 2011 when the National Assembly took off. The only thing they succeeded in was making most of us not to attend courses for elected members because you need to have your certificates before you attend. We were inaugurated but the PDP we defeated took us to election tribunal in September. The tribunal said our election was nullified and another one should hold within three months because we were not sponsored by a political party. We appealed in the Court of Appeal which is the highest body in the electoral matter. The Appeal Court said the tribunal was incompetent to nullify our election on the basis of pre-election matter ”.
BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU A controversy of some sort is raging in the National Assembly over the Appeal Court judgment of November 1 that ruled in favour of 10 sacked federal lawmakers from Katsina State. Will frayed nerves be calmed?
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Hon. Abba Sada loyal to Masari who, at that point, asked the court to join them in the suit earlier filed by the former Speaker. According to Sada, one of the axed lawmakers fighting for a come back from the outside after the Appeal Court ruling, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alaoma Mutar, who presided over the case, said the lawmakers came to reap where they did not sow. The 10 lawmakers thought the matter had ended as there was no consequential order. To them, it was a maintain-status-quo ruling. Sada, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the matter, last week, recalled the event. He said: “The CPC leadership at the national level including the Board of Trustees had Aminu Masari as their gubernatorial candidate and his people who they wanted to contest as senators and House members but they didn’t come out openly to say ‘ we already have candidates’. They said everybody should go and seek for peoples mandates. We all went. We reached the grassroots. We had the people. But they continue dragging us to do one primary election or another four times within the space of one week. The first one was January 8, 2011. It was cancelled because the Masari camp was not leading. The second one was on the 13th during which there was no primary election. What they did was that a top party chieftain from Abuja came to conduct the election. They didn’t conduct any primary election. They just went to home and completed the returned sheet and allocated figures. That day, there was a meeting in the office of the Commissioner of Police in Katsina with the Director of SSS. And there, the man that came from Abuja admitted there was no primary election. So, he was made to issue an announcement on the radio that it will hold the next day so that people could come out. “But the following day, the man left town as early as 4.am. He went to General Buhari and alleged that he was given a bribe.
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ATE was January 12, 2012. Target: The National Assembly. And like a hurricane, it came in the fiercest manner sweeping through the parliament. It swept away 10 lawmakers from Katsina State who had been elected on the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC. To some people, the verdict was the effect of a political adventure hatched by the powerful to advance their interests and influence. The certificates of return of the lawmakers were withdrawn while 10 persons were brought to replace them. But, on Friday, November 1, 2013, luck smiled on the displaced parliamentarians who now crave to retake their seats in the National Assembly. An Appeal Court in Abuja upheld a judgment by a Federal High Court on January 13, 2013 which declared the take- over of their seats illegal. The legislators include two senators and eight members of the House of Representatives namely Sen Abdu U Yandoma, Sen Ahmed Sani Stores, Hon Abba Sada, Hon Muntari Dandutse, Hon Aminu Mani, Hon Murtala Isa, Hon Musa Salisu, Hon Abdu Dankama, Hon Tasiu Doguru and Hon Umar K. This captures the power-tussle between the camp of former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari, and others since after the April 2011 general elections. Genesis A primary election that was to take place once to elect the CPC National Assembly candidates ahead of the general elections now stretched to one week and, within that period, four different primary elections were conducted with the Masari group allegedly continuously failing. After the primaries, the camp, on demand of CPC candidates’ names for the National Assembly elections in Katsina State, forwarded the names of its members to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). At this point, the 10 lawmakers approached the Federal High Court Abuja seeking to compel INEC to recognize them. On February 25, 2011, the court ruled in their favour which enabled them to contest the elections. Rattled by the ruling, the Masari group headed for the Appeal Court and later got victory. But the 10 lawmakers wouldn’t let go. They journeyed up to the Supreme Court which later ruled that no court had the jurisdiction to hear the matter. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court lambasted the lawmakers
A primary election that was to take place once to elect the CPC National Assembly candidates ahead of the general elections now stretched to one week and, within that period, four different primary elections were conducted
So, the primary election of January 14 was grounded because the man left. We chartered an aircraft and some of our elders headed for Abuja . Immediately they arrived, the national headquarters told them they would send somebody to Katsina on the 15th to do the primary election. So, they sent the national vice chairman, North West , Engr. Suleiman Adamu. He was the one who conducted the January 15 primary election. And it was the only primary election which had the presence of INEC and security agencies and everybody participated and we won; the 10 of us. “So, when the party announced, the man went back to Abuja and he was said to have been asked why he declared the winners because it was alleged they still intended to impose those from the Masari camp on Katsina State. So, when they made an announcement that every state should bring INEC forms and the details of their candidates at the national headquarters, we took that of Katsina to them but they replaced our names with those from the Masari camp. So, we went to the Federal High Court, Abuja . On February 25, 2011, the court delivered judgment in our favour. After the judgment, INEC put our names on the ballot paper. “We campaigned, contested and won and returned as elected. After being retuned as elected, these people took us to about four different courts: Two High Courts in Abuja and two in
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INEC and CPC leadership According to Sada, the Legal Department of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ‘did the unthinkable’. The embattled lawmaker said INEC ascribed a unilateral interpretation to the Supreme Court which had earlier ruled that no court had the competent jurisdiction to handle the matter. He accused the Masari camp of prevailing on INEC to withdraw their certificates of return and issued same to its men who were later sworn in by the National Assembly. The group of 10 lawmakers headed back for the Federal High Court seeking interpretation to the action taken by INEC wondering if such action was tenable in the absence of any consequential order from any court. “The gubernatorial candidate (Masari) made an appeal to Supreme Court. On the 17th of October, 2011, there was a ruling by the Supreme Court that he and his group could not join the case. The court called them interlopers who wanted to reap where they did not sow. On December 16, 2011, the Supreme ruled that no court has the jurisdiction to entertain the case. So, they did not give any consequential order. But these people went to the media with a lot of campaigns that we had been sacked. They also went to INEC which withdrew our certificates. “ We rushed to court and tried to get an injunction. But by then, the courts had gone on Christmas vacation and then the fuel subsidy protests. Our
seats were taken illegally because there was no consequential order backing their certificates. The interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment was done by the INEC legal consultant and they have no rights whatsoever to interpret the judgment.” ‘Our victory’ Sada said their case at the Federal High Court to stop the “illegal” lawmakers from occupying their seats paid off early this year but was not honored by INEC and the National Assembly who refused to return them. He said: “After they took our seats, we instituted a case. That was on Friday January 11, 2013, there was a declarative judgment from the Federal High Court that was not honored. The judgment said that INEC was wrong in issuing certificates to the other camp. It was illegal; that the House ought not to have even sworn them in; that they should immediately vacate and that we should take the immediate repossession of our seats. But this judgment was not honored by INEC and the National Assembly. But the people appealed in the Court of Appeal. So, by last Friday, the first of November, we got a judgment by the five- man panel set up by the Appeal Court to determine our case. In that judgment, they did not only support the Federal High Court judgment, they reaffirmed it. “They said that INEC and the National Assembly acted ultravires; they said these people were issued certificates illegally because it was not supported by any order from any court of competent jurisdiction”. Appeal Court ruling Justice Jimmy Bada, who led four other justices to hear the appeal, ruled that the High Court was right to have dismissed the objection raised by the appellants (the lawmakers issued with the certificates of return). Bada said: “There is no court of competent jurisdiction that declared the appellants as winners in the election”. Stay of execution But for a controversial application for a stay of execution filed by the Masari backed lawmakers which INEC and the National Assembly leadership relied upon, the 10 lawmakers would have been recalled at the first instance of the High Court judgment. But with the latest Appeal Court ruling which has confirmed the lower court ruling on the matter, Sada said the application is inconsequential. Prayers Nothing else can be acceptable to the Sada group than being allowed to repossess their seats at the National Assembly. “We expect total compliance because there are now to court judgments saying the same thing. This one has not only rejected their appeal, it has also dismissed and also strongly reaffirmed the judgment of the lower court. The court said INEC by issuing them certificate and National Assembly by swearing them in acted ultra vires. Ultra vires means outside the known perimeters of the law. So you see they acted illegally”. It is just like an action that has not even happened. We expect the National assembly being the highest law making body of the country to have respect for court
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Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013,
SULE LAMIDO ON G-7/PDP CRISIS
‘Why Jonathan must negotiate’ Explains how ‘vultures hijacked President’
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Says Bamanga Tukur continues aberration in PDP
overnor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and member of the group of seven governors opposed to the PDP leadership played host to Sunday Vanguard in his official residence for this interview, in which he touched on various issues including the developmental challenges in Jigawa State and the heated political crisis in his party. EXCERPTS…
BY OCHEREOME NNANNA Coming to Jigawa is always an opportunity for sight -seeing. Even if you came here a month ago, when you come back there are so many new things to see. This morning we went to the airport and we saw not only the pace of work but also, the level of completion. What plans have you to ensure that when the airport is completed, it will not only be for Hajj; that it would be a thriving commercial airport that would drive business from all over the w o r l d ? Let me start by your saying that if you come to Jigawa you must see something new. You know if you have got a healthy growing baby, if you leave her, after a month, you will find she has grown bigger. So Jigawa is a growing baby and has about 4.5 million people. Being the father, we are working hard to develop it. Number two, the airport is not meant for one event per annum. It is an airport which was conceived by the PDP government during the 2011 campaign. Dutse was designated as a zonal airport for exporting agricultural goods to the rest of the world. Primarily,
be flying domestic flights between Dutse and other parts of Nigeria and the rest of the world. It is because Dutse is a growing city and Jigawa is a growing state. Obviously, our activities during the economic summit would be bringing in investors. They will be coming in their own private jets and other commercial airlines. It does appear that it is your government that is financing the airport project? Yes. When we made the agreement, it is for me to kick start it so as to extract that commitment because, certainly, it would compel the Federal Government and the President who made the promise to then come in. What is the level of implementation of the outcome of the economic summit? You are right. Even as the summit was going on and we were doing the presentations, I saw the difficulties ahead. Mine is just the desire, the political will, the commitment, but beyond that you know there is also reality. There should be something on the ground. There are a number of things which have to be there and I know on infrastructure we are doing very
No matter what you do, if your citizens are not contented, if they are not happy, you’re insecure it is going to be a cargo airport but it is going to also be for export of agricultural goods. And part of it is to build huge cold storages around that area to be able to preserve most of these perishable agricultural goods for exportation. And so in terms of concept it is not really like what you said. There is no fear. It is going to be a very busy airport. When you say it is being sponsored by the PDP government, are you talking about the Federal Government because I know airports are in the exclusive list? Or is it in collaboration with the Federal Government? Of course! Is there anything apart from PDP? When I’m talking you should know I’m talking about PDP. So it is part of the programmes of the Federal Government under the PDP for this country. It is a manifesto programme and so I do not see this fear you are now seeing. I think it is going to be fully utilised. Of course, there would be a commercial side where you will
well. On power I hope the Federal Government through its own effort would be able to give us power. There have been a number of MOUs signed - we signed about eleven of them or so (with Dangote and many others). They have been coming here and there is an advisory committee on the conclusions of the summit. They are working very hard to ensure implementation. We have already gotten a onestop facility whereby as an investor you come in there and get all the information on land, on taxation and on whatever. They would try t o minimize the difficulties the entrepreneurs coming encounter, get the required information for them to be able to really come in. It is difficult but we’re working very hard. I think we have the comm i t m e n t to overcome the difficulties. W hat is your plan to let the investors know about all these things you are doing here? The DFID has been very support-
ive; they published for us an investor handbook which we have sent to all our embassies, which DFID is also promoting. And the statement of the British High Commissioner, Mr Pockock, it gave us a kind of confidence we needed because we saw, according to him, a commitment to Africa - to Nigeria where he thinks given the chances things can really work out here like in any other place. And so in terms of the advocacy, in terms of the information, in terms of reach out, I think that we are ready. There is a handbook in all our embassies showing a list of what Jigawa has in terms of solid minerals, gas, agriculture everything that an investor needs – has been put in our handbook and all the efforts we are putting in place will magnetize people to Jigawa S t a t e . What are your plans about ensuring their security which is key? Your citizen is your main security. If your citizens see that government is there for them, they own the government; if they have a stake in his country, if they are participants in their country, if they see a means whereby they can develop their potentials, if there is trust and confidence about the system then you are secured. No matter what you do, if your citizens are not contented, if they are not happy, you’re insecure. So people here are our own security. Our government is very open, very transparent and it’s a government which they own, which is theirs and working for them. And so whatever is your then it is up to you to defend it to protect i t . How would that now work for people who are coming from abroad to invest? You see, when you are coming from abroad and they know that you’re coming to give them prosperity, they will defend you. Whatever we do as government, as leaders at whatever levels, if people see that we are there for them and that they are stakeholders in their own country, in their own system, the problem of insecurity is solved. But when as a citizen you are shut out institutions which are supposed to be yours, which is
Sule Lamido supposed to give you security and protection is the one which is now turning around to harass you, then, of course, you know. So the issues are very simple. People are not born criminals. The main security concerns with us today are all social problems simply because the youth are there. They have needs, they have desires but they don’t see where these can be actualised and they are watching and seeing that things are not right. So security is a very simple thing. It is a human thing. Even the keeper is afraid of the lion even though lion eats flesh but somehow because it is able to develop a relationship of trust, it doesn’t eat the feeder. It doesn’t! But what is important is giving people confidence. Once they trust you when they believe you can guide them, then they begin to play a huge role in getting the economy developed Could that be why we have not have issues at Boko Haram in the state? Let’s say we are very lucky. We have been praying and God in His own mercies has been able to secure our people. I think the phenomenon of Boko Haram, I cannot begin to simply boast and make any claim. I’m just lucky, people of Jigawa State are also very lucky and I thank God; He also knows our heart that we are genuine, we are sincere, we are
God fearing and because we fear God, that is why God is protecting u s . In all sincerity, what should be the way out of the Boko Haram quagmire? It is a big problem. It is a national problem. It needs a national approach and I’m a state operator; I can only do my own in terms of supporting the national effort. In terms of policy direction that is supposed to be done, I’m not at that level yet. You see, the Boko Haram is not the only phenomenon in Nigeria, maybe because it is more militant and therefore more reflex but like a father with a family who in the morning cannot feed the children for that morning breakfast; it means he is failing his basic function as a father. If the children are crying he would go out to look for something. He wouldn’t mind slaving or doing any menial job even as a labourer. Now if that job is not available, he would have to go to friends and family to beg. He is blind and his preoccupation is what does he bring home? If that thing is coming from Boko Haram, robbery or theft he would do it. There was a woman on CNN; a woman in America was caught shoplifting and the police
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Continued from page 46 lady who caught her and was trying to prosecute her asked her why did she shoplift? She opened her bag and they were groceries, bread and some fruit and she said, ‘I want to give these to my children at home because they are there crying, they are hungry’. The police woman followed her to the house and indeed so the children were crying of hunger. The police woman went and paid for the groceries. The woman was caught committing a crime but it was crime forced on her by society, by the system; a system which is not compassionate. So you could see, every human being has honour around him, every human being has pride but then poverty can take away your pride. It can take away your self-esteem. It can take away your honour. Do you share the views of Professor Wole Soyinka and Mr Femi Falana who said what we have in River State is worse than the Boko Haram insurgency? I think they are dramatising. There is a difference between political issues where there is contest for power and control compared to lack of sensitivity from the leadership in giving service to your own people. What is happening in Rivers State is contest for power, pure contest. When you go to a governor who is operating in a different environment and harass him, intimidate him, so what you have there is raw power on the rampage. So it is not a kind of thing in-between governance and service rendered. The governor of Rivers State is a very proud young man who has a clear understanding of himself, with strong notion. Therefore, he would not simply allow people to impose on him because he knows his rights under the Constitution. He has been duly elected with all the power and authority and somebody is simply unleashing raw power on him.
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DP, your party, is in crisis and it is like there is no end in sight. What is really happening? There is end in sight. I’m really kind of amused. Here is a political party that was formed with some kind of ideas and belief with the primary role of always capturing power to run the country; it is in crisis because the people who now claim ownership of the party have no idea what is called party management and therefore would go to court and seek relief from the court to compel members of the party to stand by the party or use police to enforce followership of the party. Now that is a very primitive party culture. What would it translate to on election day? Would the crisis make us win the election or lose the election? And then from this, take your own position. If the crisis would make them win the election, let them continue with the crisis, but if the crisis would make them lose the election, which is the ultimate in political party formation; if we are going to lose the election through the crisis, then it means that should be enough warning. Do not go to the police; do not go to court because on election day, the court would not be there, the police would not be there. It is going to be the voters who are going to be there and there is no way the court would say this voter being a ‘New PDP’ member has no power to cast his own vote and this is a sycophant of the president
Sule Lamido
‘Vultures have taken over Jonathan govt’ who has been bootlicking and should not vote. What should worry us, the current crisis in the party at the end of the day, on the day of election, is how would it not affect us?I once asked you if the G7 governors would consider going into the APC and the answer you gave was that if you go into the APC it would collapse but now APC has summoned the courage to ask you to come and join them, what should Nigerians look forward to? You see, the crisis has a history, which we identified and which we listed as our resolution and for which we are meeting. So obviously, if all the issues raised are met then we would have no moral authority to say we would fight again because the fight is on principle, the fight is the desire in us to ensure that we remain the winning party; a winning party must have discipline; beyond making money and industry out of government - there is something we call service and service can only be rendered by people who can make sacrifices, by people who have elements of human dignity and human decency. The way the party is being run, it is being run by people who want to prove that they are loyal - that is the problem. It is one huge contest to deal with in PDP, between those who don’t want to a prove point to anybody and those who have to prove a point to somebody. Now, people like Bamanga (PDP National Chairman), he is clinging unto Mr. President’s ambition -he is helping him - people who had no input in making the president are now brought on board and therefore those postelection characters have to prove that they are loyal to him and therefore they must be sycophants, they must bootlick, they must praisesing and they must say he is the best human being on earth. They would say anything because they have to prove to him their loyalty.
In my own case, my proof is him (the president). How? He is my proof because he knows, more than anyone knows, what I was to him. So I cannot be competing with people like Doyin Okupe, Reuben Abati, Bamanga Tukur, Gulak and the new people who are now brought on board and who had no idea what happened before he became the president. They are now there and the place is filled with bootlickers and sycophants who are working hard to prove their loyalty. Should I be competing with them? Should I go to his house and say ‘Mr. President, you are the best man in this country, your head is
Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 47
been taken away from issues. And that office is a very huge office which if one is not very careful...like I say, Obasanjo was there before and, if you look at the personality of Obasanjo, it is something else. Babangida was there before, so also was Buhari and so also was Gowon. These are people who are coming from huge institutions and yet Nigerians were able to prevail on them - they left office and Nigeria is still there. So my worry is, this thing you are doing is upturning the PDP; ignore all these sycophants - these bootlickers because they are vultures pecking on what they think is a rotten flesh. Behind all these noise, would these things get us there in the next election? That is the bottom line. If it will, fine, we will keep on fighting. If it will not, then I think we should be sensible enough. Now coming to your point about my friends and brothers, it is true, there are changing dynamics, but, in spite of everything, we gave conditions and these conditions are on issues bordering on the party’s interest, not on individual interest. And the PDP is a family – a collection of a number of interests all over the country, therefore, we see that we are losing direction and that is why we said, ‘no, apply the brakes because we are not preparing for 2011’ - 2011 is ours now. We are saying ‘let us work and see if these vultures can keep eating in 2015’. From 2011 to 2015 is not an issue; it is something we did long before 2011 and therefore we are looking at the next level - how do we come back as the ruling party at the next election, united to be able to address the issues in Nigeria? Because after the stability of the nation between 1999 to 2011 we should be able to now focus on the next level – human development, which is the most difficult thing. Now, are you saying this crisis that we are making is what would give Nigeria development? ASUU has been on strike for about four months. Students have been denied the right to be able to be focused; they have distorted views. There are a number of things begging for attention more than the APC going around to see me or see anybody else.
Now, people like Bamanga (PDP National Chairman), he is clinging unto Mr. President’s ambition - he is helping him - people who had no input in making the president are now brought on board and therefore those post-election characters have to prove that they are loyal to him beautiful’. Must I say ‘you are very powerful?’ Because he is mine! Together we got to where we are with him. From nowhere to somewhere! Therefore, I don’t have to prove anything to the president because he is my proof. Others have to because they were not there before, so they can prove they are loyal to him. This is what I call loyalty of opportunism because in that same office people were there who they sang their praises. During Obasanjo, people like Ibrahim Mantu and many others sang the same song. Under Babangida, they sang the same song. And it is one huge industry today. Our attention has
Could you eventually consider their invitation? Like I said, in our party, we met and a committee was set up by the president. It was made up of former Head of State, Obasanjo, as the chairman, elders of the party like Babangida, former party chairmen like Gemade, Ahmadu Ali and others. We discussed these issues thoroughly and they were itemised and given to the president, now we have not fully exhausted these issues yet, so the issue of where I go would only comes in based on the outcome of these demands we made. They are not personal demands;
they are demands arising from worry and concern of the party we know damn too well as the vehicle for this country at the moment, which is being hijacked and they see it as an industry more than the issues. So when these issues are ruled either way, then from there we would know what to do? The other day we heard that none of these demands you made has been met by the president? No! No! No! When we met for the second time, in principle all the demands were acceded to. First, restoration of Adamawa party structure; two, recall Amaechi and give him his structure; t h r e e , sacking of Bamanga Tukur; four, new convention - election of new officials who have been shut out, then because there has been so much impunity, restoring the party to the path of legitimacy and legality as per the laid down rules. In principle, all these were accepted. Now it is only the pronouncement we are waiting for because there was a committee which was set up by the president, headed by me and we made a subm i s s i o n , part of which was that Adamawa structure should be restored to Nyako. So really that one is conclusive, so it only needs a pronouncement to bring it into being. That is all! Amaechi, because he went to court they said there should be a procedure, therefore, the chairman of BoT would go and meet Amaechi and the others and then all cases pending in court in Rivers State would be withdrawn and that will also be restored. So in principle, all the terms given were agreed to. It is simply the implementation that we are expecting. So why have they not been implemented? Ask them. But, in principle, it was agreed. Some days ago, the PDP inaugurated a disciplinary committee and you also hosted the APC. When one looks at all these two, don’t you think you and your colleagues in the G7 risk expulsion from the party? As a journalist, I know where you want to delve into because it gives you the kind of excitement you want in terms of news making. I understand that but I would disappoint you. You see, it is part of t h e aberration. Look at the committee headed by a very senior elder of this country, Umaru Dikko. Now when you are talking about discipline, you are talking about people who are part of a party who know the party culture and will be able to understand the breaches and see in the course of the offenses so committed - because of being part of the system, what and what do you think is wrong. Umaru Dikko was not part of PDP. He is a personal friend of Bamanga Tukur and also a good brother to me, because he has been coming here. So you could see – the approach is so laughable. When you put up a committee to discipline a governor of the PDP Umaru Dikko has no idea of the sacrifices that the governor made. He needs to have the understanding of some circumstances by which things occurred, so by the time you want to make a judgment you can be just and fair. Now Bamanga is aggrieved whereas he is the principal problem of the entire crisis and he is creating a committee to discipline people. It doesn’t make sense!
PAGE 48 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013 sameyoboka@yahoo.com
08023145567 (sms only)
Nobody can stop Nigerians from talking, Pastor Oritsejafor roars P
ASTOR Ayodele Joseph Oritsejafor is the founding and Senior Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, Warri, and National President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, the apex body of all Christians in the country, becoming the first Pentecostal leader to hold the position. Oritsejafor, a prolific author of Christian books, was converted through Benson Idahosa, the first Pentecostal archhbishop in Nigeria, in 1972, and began preaching almost immediately. He has taken the gospel to every continent of the world, having organised conferences around the globe. Founder of African Broadcasting Network (ABN), Pastor Oritsejafor is one of the most misunderstood ministers in the country. He is fearless and has actually made personal sacrifices for the Nigerian Church and yet he is the most vilified with even fellow Christians abusing him publicly. Because of his doggedness, some people call him the Lion of Africa. Today in the city of Warri, Delta State, he plays host to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebere Jonathan and thousands of people from different parts of the world as the Word of Life Bible Church flags off this year's annual Jubilee Word Festival which coincides with his birthday. In the following interview with SAM EYOBOKA, Oritsejafor bares his fangs saying: Nobody can stop Nigerians from talking. why are you the way you are? Why have you been the way you are? So it’s a season of re-covery: spiritually, physically, in every aspect and area of life.
Its another Jubilee Word Festival. What should we expect?
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irst and foremost, we are at a point in our nation's history where you can actually say that the ordinary Nigerian has no wealth, but we had values. We had very strong moral values that we stood by. But that seem to have gradually been eroded by a wave of lust for wealth and all kinds of things. To an average Nigerian now, money seems to be the center of any-thing and everything. So I’ll say that it is a period when we are praying and believing God that some of those values that made us what we were should be restored. It’s a season for restoration for us. It is a period where Nigeria should recover itself; recover who she really is, because when your values are recover-ed, every other thing will fall into place. And I believe that there are many things that God will use this programme to trigger off a revival, to make us have a rethink and begin to put our priorities right. Jesus said: “Seek ye First the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and All these other things will be added to you”. He didn’t say they will be taken away. I am not one of those who will tell you that God doesn’t want the good life. He wants us to have a good life, but before you can talk about good life, what about your connection with God, your creator because that is the basis for life itself. I believe the values and dignity will be restored and Nigerians will begin to witness equitable distribution of wealth of this nation. God
What is your opinion about the proposed National Conference?
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*PASTOR AYO ORITSEJAFOR, CAN President and Senior Pastor of Word of Life Bible Church, Warri will help us, because once man is affect-ed....it is man that is in charge of these things. God does not come down to allocate resourc-es of nations. It’s not God that does that, it is transformed man that does that. I believe it’s a good time for God to bring about transformation to the inner man that will affect the outer man and the nation as a whole.
Nigerians from all areas of life will come and be a part of Jubilee 2013 and to those I say: Come and recover yourself. Recover yourself from where you lost yourself. Jesus said; go back to your first love. As you recover yourself, recover your strength, spiritually and even physically. Recover what you believe that God originally wanted you to be in this world,
have already said it that I am 110% in support of the national conference. Some of the people who are making noise today; were at one time vehemently pushing for it and suddenly national dialogue is not good. Some of them recommended that government should talk to Boko Haram; if government should talk to Boko Haram, why can’t we talk to each other? Let me be honest with you; the talking has already started because people are already talking. Nobody can stop Nigerians from talking! Anyone who has such an idea should bury his face in shame because he’s only pretending that he’s not a Nigerian. The average Nigerian wants to talk; you can’t stop them from talking. If you stop them officially, they will still talk unofficially. It is a season for us to talk. For me, call it any name, do it any way you want, but let us talk. If nothing else, we will be able to put our cards on the table. Everybody will now know how we are all thinking. Whether we approve the outcome, whether the outcome is accept-ed, whether it is not accepted; to me, those are not even the important issues...the import-ant thing is there must be an avenue for people to discuss their pains and source of their frustrations.
If we don’t do that, we are heading for an explosion that this country cannot contain. The greatest thing that President Goodluck Jonathan has done is to establish a national dialogue. The national talk, or whatever you want to call it, people must be allowed to talk. They must talk! Speak out your mind; don’t hold back any-thing. Let everybody speak, you’ll be surprised what people are going to say; may be ugly, but that’s good for Nigeria. We need it, let’s not pretend. So let every one talk. We will sift through everybody's thoughts and submissions and if at the end of the day, nothing is even accepted but, at least, we have talked. We would have known the way we all are think-ing. It will help us to know how we can associate. It’s a nice opportunity. We are not politicians, unfortunately or fortunately, we are just Nigerians, so the average Nigerian wants to talk; so allow them to talk. I can assure you, there’s no part of this country that you will go to today, where people are not talking. Even states where people are opposed to the dialogue, people are talking unofficially. People on the streets are gathering in groups. They are gathering. This thing has gone beyond that. It tells you that most government houses are not speaking for the people. If some government houses are saying we won't talk and the people are saying we will talk, something is wrong some-where. Wouldn't think?
NATIONAL CONFAB: Group slams Kaigama over comments COALITION Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) has flayed the Catholic Archbishop of Jos, Most Rev. Ignatius Kaigama over his comments on the proposed national dialogue, reports BOSE ADELAJA. Most Rev. Kaigama had advised Nigerians, especially delegates to the proposed national dialogue, that the conference
should not be an avenue to agitate for resource allocation or negotiate for rotation of power. The cleric, who spoke to journalists in Jos after an interactive session with religious leaders on the peace process in the Plateau State, said it would be wrong for any group or individual to think that the aim of the dialogue is to serve as a forum to negotiate someone’s right or debate on
whether Nigeria can continue to exist as a country or not. Reacting to the cleric's comments, executive chairman of CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran averred that it is Nigerians that will determine what they really want to discuss at the conference, not a section of people or individuals with parochial interests. He said: "It is not for anybody to determine what should
be discussed at the conference. It would be selfish of anyone to say that the conference should not be an avenue to agitate for resource allocation. We have said it and are repeating it for the umpteenth time, nobody should gag anybody and no issue should be made a no-go area. All issues under the heaven must be discussed. We should negotiate our association at different level.
"There is need for us to start discussing among ourselves as those that belong to the geographical expression called Nigeria; because Nigeria is not yet what you can call a country because the people that found themselves in that geographical expression have not agreed that they want to bear that name Nigeria until everybody shows adequate confidence in that name."
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 49
Oritsejafor, Omobude, Bismark, Otabil for TREM conference
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*L-R: Mr. Paul Arinze, Dr. Sam Egwu, Senator Helen Esuene, Udy and Dr. Cosmas Maduka during the unveiling of the DVD featuring stories of men and women who have at one time or the other survived life-threatening adversities.
Udy’s Evening of Hope By SAM EYOBOKA T was not intended to rejuvenate her acting career neither was the occasion aimed at showcasing her ingenuity in designing clothes for both sexes but right from the unique 3-in-one goldplated invitation cards to the choice of menu and then on to the extraordinary decoration of the Grand African Ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel & Resorts in Victoria Island, it was obvious that UduakAbasi (Godswill) Umondak was truly a bundle of talents. The occasion was the unveiling cum formal presentation of His Word Made Flesh talk show on DVD to mark the sixth anniversary of the television programme. The black tie event did not disappoint as the high and mighty in the society took time off to honour the former First Lady of Akwa Ibom State and a beautiful lady who had successfully ventured into several trades. Heavyweights from the media, political climate as well as the corporate world including former governor of Ebonyi State, Dr. Sam Egwu, Senator Helen Esuene, publisher of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Sam Amuka, Coscharis CEO, Dr. Cosmas Maduka, chairman of Biscon Communications, BOS and veteran broadcaster, Chief Bisi Olatilo and Mr. Paul Arinze who represented the vice chairman/general counsel of Exxon Mobil Producing Nigeria Limited attended.
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Faith to faithless The list included Pastor Lola Alakija, Ruth Benamaisia-Opia, Engr. Mike Diagbare and his wife, Remi among many others. His Word Made Flesh is inspirational, motivational and entertaining as it gives hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak, faith to the faithless and courage to the timid. The underlying objective of the event, beyond the unveiling of the DVD, was to raise funds to sustain the TV series as well as give hope to the needy in the society through a foundation of the same name. Tagged an Evening of Hope,
*Udy making her remarks the event was flagged off by UKbased Nigerian inspirational speaker, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo who used the opportunity to extoll Udy’s courage to delve into the realm of giving hope to hurting persons in the society. He maintained that the essential ingredient of hope is patience, noting that there’s an appointed time for everything, praying that Nigerians would see the need to keep the programme on air. The evening also saw the resurrection of Frank Olize after 10 years of stepping aside from the tube. He was one of the two comperes. He revealed that the clothes he was wearing during his Newsline days at the NTA Network were all made by Udy’s burnt outfit, COLOURS. Olize---common man's advocate---popular for making light very serious issues in the society, also extolled the virtues of erstwhile First Lady, reminding the audience that Udy was noted for short skirts which made many First Ladies uncomfortable back in the days. Dr. Egwu, who had once featured in the programme, easily worked the audience up into a frenzy when he narrated the struggle he went through putting on an English suit with a black tie in accordance with the dress code. He described Udy as a very good friend to his wife, noting that the programme is a ministry that has helped a lot of people. “When you watch the programme, you immediately see the need to praise God because of
the testimonies. I got a lot of calls and text messages after people watched my episode," he stated, urging support for the programme as it gives hope to several persons out there. To Senator Esuene, no one who knew Udy could have been surprised when she started His Word Made Flesh, because she had always had a heart of God despite the short skirts. She agreed with Dr. Egwu that hers is a ministry that is leading people to the practical aspect of life, noting “there will always be challenges because we are human beings but we must look up to God for sustenance.” Dr. Maduka who cut short to trip to China in order to attend the programme also used the opportunity to extoll virtues of the host, Udy, saying that the talk show has the capacity to lift people’s spirit and renew their hope again. Director, Board of Trustees of His Word Made Flesh and visiting scholar at the National Universities Commission, Dr. Emeh Omokaro, in a review of the television programme, described it as a project as well as a process. "It is a 30-minute talk show which was launched in July 2007 and features weekly on television and has steadily gained national and international acceptance," she said. According to her, the programme focuses on searching, sifting and harnessing the amazing stories of courageous men and one. And beaming their stories of hope and light to viewers...so the viewer can see and learn that he/she too can walk the crucible and survive, not only to tell the story but to discover purpose and become a blessing to humanity through pain.” Mr. Arinze promised on behalf of Exxon Mobil to partner with Udy after due consultations with a view to expanding the horizon of the programme.
Seeking permission
The high point of the evening was the testimony of Mrs. Stella Amata who came from Asaba to grace the occasion.
According to her, she got
HE 24th Kingdom Life World Conference of The Redeemed Evangelical Mission (TREM), with the theme; “Open Heaven” will hold from November 17, 2013 at the TREM international headquarters, Gbagada Expressway, Anthony Oke, Lagos. Speakers expected to minister include the national president, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Dr. Felix Omobude, national president, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Dr. Jerry Wilcson, Bishop Tudor Bismark, Dr. Mensa Otabil, Bishop Simeon Okah and Pastor Taiwo Odukoya. One of the highlights of the 8-day conference is the “Big League Summit” on Tuesday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. The Big League Summit is a forum where both entrepreneurs and career people are informed and empowered on strategies to move to a higher,
more profitable and productive level of operations in their endeavors through the experiences of renowned successful businessmen and women. Speakers at the Big League Summit are: Bishop Tudor Bismark, Dr. Mensa Otabil, Wole Oshin, Ayo Megbope, Funke Amobi and Ibukun Awosika. Another highlight is the music festival on Friday, November 22, from 5:00 p.m. where top-rated Christian musical artistes including Mk, Proverbs, Xplicit Dancers, Princess Anne Inyang, Minister Vitus Eze, TREM Mass Choir, Zonal TREM Choirs, Evangel Voices and other gospel artistes will perform. Kingdom Life World Conference which holds in November for eight days is the annual conference of the Ministry that brings together everyone irrespective of his/her location to worship and celebrate the goodness of God.
Osu condemns use of religion for political expediency By SAM EYOBOKA
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IRECTOR of Social Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Very Rev. Msgr. Gabriel Osu, has expressed rude shock at the recent stampede that led to the death of 28 worshippers at the Host Ghost Adoration Ministry, in Uke, Idemili North Council of Anambra State. In his reaction to the tragic incident which happened on the solemnity of All Saints, a holy day of obligation for Catholic faithful, Osu also condemned the alleged role played by supporters of some politicians in fuelling the stampede that led to the loss of lives, saying it was regrettable and unacceptable. While calling on relevant authorities to investigate the root cause of the incident in order to forestall future marriaged at age 40 and had her first baby two years later. Shortly after, crisis reared its head in the form of fibroid and other complications. In the midst of that crisis, Udy called seeking permission to rerun her earlier programme but of course, she refused; for obvious reasons. "She persisted and after due consultation with my husband, we gave the go ahead and Udy aired an updated version of her story and behold a man who watched the programme in Port Harcourt immediately picked interest. The man sponsored my trip to South Africa where my fibroid was successfully removed and now I have my peace,” she narrated. Responding, Udy thanked everyone for the encomiums,
reoccurrence, Osu also cautioned politicians in the state and their supporters to stop using religion as a cheap tool to win public sympathy for their inordinate ambition. “I feel very pained that in this part of the world, we are quick to use religion as a cheap tool to win public sympathy. What happened that day on the adoration ground is very sad. So many poor soul who had gone to worship their Creator, ended up dead for no just cause. Some have already attributed the tragic incident to the forthcoming election governorship in the state. If that is the case, then it is most unfortu-nate and regrettable,” he said. While praying for the repose of the souls of the deceased, and for God to grant the family and relations the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, Msgr. Osu also called on the state government to ensure adequate compensation for the families of the deceased.
saying that life is a journey but when you walk with God it becomes a process. She pointed out that starting the programme was not an easy task. "Corporate organizations who we approached for financial assistance were insisting that we change the title. I have seen the goodness of God in my life and have come to realize that His ways are not our ways,” she stated, adding “I went through hell—all the scandals, controversies, embarrassments; all the threats and attempted suicide....For every sinner there is a past. For every sinner there is a future.”
Dr. Femi Aribisala returns next week
PAGE 50—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
A nation under an overwhelming leader VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The imperative of a president with vision
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ISTORY records that difficult situations in the life of any nation are always the right opportunities for great leaders to prove their mettle, like I mentioned in an earlier article. We saw that during the Great Depression in the 1930s when the then American President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt crafted his highly imaginative New Deal programme to get the U.S out of an unprecedented economic crisis. The point is, great national crisis rather than overwhelm leaders; bring out the best in them. But that hasn’t been the case with Nigeria. We have experienced at least three major national crises that virtually pushed this country to the precipice; notably, the civil war, the June 12 Annulment, and Boko- Haram led security crisis, but those at the helm of affairs never seized on any of these critical occasions to steer the nation towards a radical new paradigm of economic dynamism and national revival. Now, the centenary celebration is yet another golden opportunity for us to reinvent our nation and give purpose to our collective aspirations and desti-
VIEWPOINT BY OLUWOLE BAKARE VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF
Another look at the NCAA armoured cars saga
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HEN Mahatma Gandhi, the internationally acclaimed Indian philosopher who lived between 1869 and 1948, said, “It is the reformer who is anxious for the reform, and not society, from which he should expect nothing better than opposition, abhorrence and mortal persecution”, he must have had an idea of days like these in the history of our nation, Nigeria. To Stella Oduah, a sworn reformist, her role as Minister of Aviation has handed her a beautiful script similar to the creation of Eme Isong, arguably Nigeria’s most celebrated scriptwriter. In the lead role bestowed upon her by fate, Stella is hanging delicately between persecution and achievements. As a heroine with visible achievements and transformational initiatives to her name and beautiful visage, the roar of her persecutors is shaking the earth under her feet because their manipulative efforts are fast turning the day into night, and falsehood so propagated to assume the status of truth. The heroine in this theatre of the absurd is courageous and undeterred by the antics of her persecutors because of her belief in the meaninglessness of human existence when it is not for the general good of mankind. In the convoluted plot, infused with extreme farce, Stella’s logical arguments gave way to irrational and illogical affirmation, to which she should not respond. However, the theater audience,
2014, when our centenary anniversary would end, and the second millennium begins in earnest. The President has failed to seize on the rare moment to redefine his development agenda or inject new momentum to his programmes. Instead of attempting to breathe life into his failing Transformation Agenda, he is busy engaging opposition forces in his own
A president that is driven by a positive vision could easily unleash a bust of creative energy in our youths, and move them away from destructive pass-times into productive enterprises
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party over a needless battle for 2015.
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president that is driven by a pos itive vision could easily unleash a bust of creative energy in our youths, and move them away from destructive pass-times into productive enterprises. Instead of being counted with the criminal scourges of the world- Al-Qaeda AlShabab and the like, our youths should take their rightful place as leaders of a knowledge-based economy, a truly transformed Nigeria that could boast Fortune 500 entrepreneurs like China, India, Brazil and other emerging econ-
omies. Given the scope of our native talents, there’s no excuse for us not to make Lagos the financial hub in the sub Sahara Africa like Singapore is to the East Asia corridor. The Nigerian food belt, if well cultivated and managed, could feed Africa for many years. To lay a true claim as the Giant of Africa, we, not the Western nations, should be giving food aid to drought-stricken, war-ravaged countries of the continent. The year 2014 is a threshold year for Nigeria. An intellectually alert, purposedriven president should be able to create turnaround programmes for all the sick, moribund sectors of our national economy, from education subject of a 4month paralysing strike by ASUU, to the civil service, to the decaying infrastructure, health, agriculture etc, into a compact, realisable, vibrant vision which we could begin to implement from next year, though time is no longer on his side.A serious-minded leader would not find it difficult to mobilise mass support for what could amount to a national recovery mission but he must first fight corruption and put his house in order in the midst of all the confusion in the polity. He has suddenly convened a National Dialogue, but the truth is that he should now walk his talks with 2015 around the corner.
*Okotie, a pastor and politician, is resident in Lagos. okotie@revchrisokotie.com, follow on twitter @Revchrisokotie, 08078421451 (sms only)
Stella Oduah: Hanging between persecution and achievement moved by their awareness of the plot and the underlining truth, rose in defence of the heroine; a similitude of angelic intervention in the affairs of the mortals, registered their anger at the persecutions trailing the celebrated achievements of the heroine. I am in the theater audience, watching soulfully at the attack against Stella Oduah, the
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BY CHRIS OKOTIE
ny. From the look of things, President Goodluck Jonathan does not recognise that the occasion of the end of our first centenary, offers a lofty platform to relaunch this great nation to a new path of rapid development in all spheres of human endeavours, with a highly comprehensive, profound and far-sight turnaround plan that could reshape our socio-political and economic landscape.Instead, the vogue now on the corridors of power is the competition among our top elected officials to own private jets in a nation where in estimated 112 million people out of a population of 167 million are living on less than 2 dollars per day. The asymmetry between a new class of billionaire-rulers and millions of impoverished Nigerians, despite an annual income of $50billion dollars from oil is fuelling atavistic fears that we are heading back to the era of army misrule from which the new democratic dispensation was expected to provide a relief. Although there is no abating of public outrage over the dysfunctional state of the nation, one is perplexed by the numbing nonchalance of our rulers who continue to indulge in corrupt practices with an impunity on a scale never before experienced in this country. The ship of state under President Jonathan appears to be tottering, not knowing which direction we are headed. The year 2013 ought to be a critical year when his government should have set a new, long-term national agenda for the nation which could put us on a firm foundation in our second millennium stride from the end of January
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VIEWPOINT
The immediate transformation of the sector and strengthening of the agencies under her ministry are valid testament to her understanding of the nation’s aviation sector
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heroine in the intricate plot of the aviation sector drama. I had thought that the created and funded crisis in the aviation sector woven around Stella would subside with the commissioned investigations involving the House of Representatives and Senate Committees as well as the Presidential Panel of Inquiry but the publication of the snippets of House of Representatives Committee’s investigation before formal presentation of their findings to the larger House collapsed my confidence and indicated to me that the persecutors of this lady of achievements are legion and everywhere.
Not too surprised because a N2.5bn war against an individual should indeed create this type of results which include secret disclosure of investigation committee findings to the media. I will not yield to the suggestions my mind is making about the motivation for the leakage of the Committee’s report but rather make postulations with the facts that are obvious to everyone in the theatre called Nigeria. It is an incontrovertible fact that Stella Oduah’s appointment as Aviation Minister has brought about developments in the sector. The immediate transformation of the sector and strengthening of the agencies under her ministry are valid testament to her understanding of the nation’s aviation sector. Recently, Stella brokered Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) between Nigeria and the State of Israel. The agreement is expected to pave the way for direct flights between both countries on reciprocity by designated airlines of both countries.
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his initiative will put an end to the plight of Nigerians travelling to Israel, including Christian pilgrims, having to stop over in neighbouring countries before being finally transported to their destination. It is also important to observe that this effort will boost bilateral ties between both countries and promote economic collaborations. Even though Stella in her capacity as Aviation Minister and the driver of the landmark initiative did not execute the agreement on behalf of the nation as would have been expected, the fact that
our nation extracts a value of such magnitude from her service should be a lasting consolation for her. After all, there had been Aviation Ministers and none had thought of addressing the age-long challenge that kept Nigerians stranded in foreign lands for decades. Stella Oduah’s midas touch in the aviation sector is visible to all, even to her rumbling detractors and persecutors, who are gagged by their diabolic quest to hijack the sector and whose eyes are not blind to the beauty of her achievements. Really, persecution is the only ploy they have left when a woman is determined to revamp an ailing sector into a state that supports economic growth and national development! Unlike her accomplishments as shown in the remodeling and reconstruction of towers, runways, resurfacing and installation of new weather systems at 19 airports across the country, the designation of Perishable Agro-Cargo Terminals in Jos, Yola, Asaba, Enugu, Akure, Makurdi and Lagos and for expansion to Akure, Bauchi, Ibadan, Calabar, Jalingo, Kano and Owerri to help rural farmers reap the benefits of existence of facilities such as airports in our country and her aggressive investment in aviation safety facilities which have boosted the ratings of the sector by the international community, persecution is against her are rooted in allegations not visible to the discerning eyes but clear only in the conscience of looters fixedly gazing at the soul of the aviation sector.
*Bakare, a public commentator, writes from the United Kingdom
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 51
BY OLA BALOGUN VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Holes in account of events at 'Daily Times' on coup day N the history of newspaper publishing in Nigeria, Alhaji Babatunde Jose was a Icolossus who ranked alongside Dr. Nnamdi
Azikiwe, the flamboyant pioneer of mass audience newspaper publishing in Nigeria, as a key father figure in the emergence of modern Nigerian newspapers. For anyone who has studied the history of post-Second World War Nigeria, the most interesting thing about Jose was his evolution from his early days as a trainee journalist who was groomed to toe the British line into a dedicated nationalist and patriot who contributed tremendously to the end of colonial rule in Nigeria. Jose may not have been a radical in political terms, but he was clearly an outstanding nationalist and patriot! Although his erudition and journalistic skills were largely founded on private study, it was obvious to anyone who was privileged to read his output or hear him deliver public lectures that he was a far better educated man than many present day Nigerian Ph.D holders. It is therefore hardly surprising that he was singled out and specially groomed by the British press baron Cecil King (whose ‘Daily Mirror’ Group became owners of the Nigerian Daily Times in 1947) to become the first indigenous editor of the newspaper ten years later in 1957, later Managing Director of the Daily Times group shortly after independence in 1962, before becoming Chairman of the rechristened ‘Daily Times’ of Nigeria in 1968. In his various capacities, he initiated a variety of in-house training programs for aspiring journalists, as a result of which he nurtured first class journalists and editors like Sam Amuka, Alade Odunewu, Peter Enahoro, Gbolabo Ogunsanwo, Alade Bonuola, Sola Odunfa, Segun Osoba, Hezekiah Idowu, Haroun Adamu, Idowu Sobowale, Doyin Abiola (nee Aboaba), Tony Momoh, Willy Bozimo and a host of others... The grand old man was also a principled and diligent administrator who presided over the transformation of ‘Daily Times’ from a foreign-owned entity into a wholly Nigerian private enterprise, never once departing from a modest and honest lifestyle in the process. In the present era of the kind of wholesale corruption, nepotism and large scale theft that we have witnessed among those entrusted with high office in Nigeria, Jose stands out as a beacon of probity and dedication to the highest standards of public service. It could therefore only have been with the utmost dismay that those who are familiar with
TRIBUTE BY EMMANUEL AJIBULU TRIBUTE IN BRIEF Nigeria's fiirst femaly Majority Leader In House of Reps on her birthday GAIN, another moment of joy has come the way of Nigeria’s first female Majority A Leader at the House of Representatives in the
7th Assembly, Hon Mulikat Akande-Adeola, as she celebrates her 53rd birthday anniversary. Impressively, all progressive elements both in public and private sectors are proud to be such an important part of her legacy in our body politic. Hon. Mulikat is from Oyo State, and represents Ogbomosho North, South/Orire Federal Constituency at the National Assembly. She was born in November 11, 1960. The affable legislator completed her law programme at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1982, and was called to Bar at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos in 1983. She later proceeded to the prestigious University of Lagos for her second degree in law (master’s of law) and successfully accomplished her mission in 1985. Before she delved into active politics and
Between Babatunde Jose and Areoye Oyebola contemporary Nigerian history must have read the disparaging comments that Areoye Oyebola has found fit to direct at the memory of the colossus, first in the ‘Sun’ of July 21, 2013 and more recently in the ‘Punch’ of October 12, 2013. The oddest thing about the attacks that Oyebola chose to direct against the person of the late Jose in the course of pursuing his personal vendetta against his former colleague, Segun Osoba, is that the events that he is describing are both well known and publicly documented, including by Jose himself in an autobiography that he published in 1987 entitled, “Walking a tight rope” (Ibadan University Press). Jose’s account of the events in question is simple and straightforward. In his own words, here is what transpired on the day of the 1975 coup that brought Gen. Murtala Mohammed to power: “That day somebody rang me that there was a coup. So I jumped out. Of course, I had finished my prayers. Segun (Osoba) and Emmamuel Adagogo Jaja were already in the office and together we produced the Evening Times of that day to reflect the fact that there had been a change of government. Martins Iroabuchi, the editor of the Evening Times joined us later. From the newsroom we went to the production room. It was in the days of hot metal setting. I cast the headline and we stood on our feet till the paper came out at noon. After producing the evening paper, we all left the office to go home and refresh. The telephone exchange had been switched off by the coup plotters so that nobody could telephone or communicate with anybody. But Osoba, the reporter, drove to Yaba to meet General Emmanuel Abisoye who was then living in Yaba. On getting to his house at about 4 p.m., he was just coming from the Supreme Council meeting, and he, being a friend, gave Osoba details of what had transpired. That Murtala Mohammed had been chosen as the new head of state and Olusegun Obasanjo as the second-incommand. Admiral Wey, then Chief of Naval Staff, had been retired. He gave Osoba the rundown on the decision they took at their first meeting. Osoba then rushed back to the office with the hope of writing the story. By the time he got to the office, it was about six o’clock and curfew started at six. So he was in a dilemma. The evening paper had earlier been produced and everybody had gone home. The editor of the Daily Times Areoye Oyebola had called a meeting of the staff and said there was a curfew, so everybody should go home. So Osoba came back to meet an empty office. He was then deputy editor. He couldn’t produce the paper. The whole of the Daily Times was ringed by soldiers. What does he
,
VIEWPOINT
The key question is: Was Areoye Oyebola present at the ‘Daily Times’ premises when Jose came in with Osoba to supervise production of the newspaper on the day of the coup?
,
do? There was no telephone. It was not the era of GSM. What would he do to get approval to announce Murtala Mohammed as the new head of state? (....) An idea came to him to collect some of the copies of the first edition and to be giving them out to soldiers. Along the route, he was giving copies to the soldiers until he got to Ikoyi to come and tell me what he had heard and to seek authority to produce the paper, since the editor had left for home. I asked him how he got here in spite of the heavy security checkpoints and he told me he came with copies of the first edition, which he used in softening up the soldiers to allow him pass. I was very impressed, so I decided to go with him to the office. Two of us came and we changed the front page and back page of the paper for the following morning.(....) My two editors, Areoye Oyebola (editor, Daily Times) and Gbolabo Ogunsanwo (editor, Sunday Times) later came to the office. They strolled in around 10 and 11 o’clock in the morning. That got me angry. I couldn’t understand why they should come late to the office on the day of a coup. Oyebola, editor of the daily compounded it by now dismissing everybody to go home on account of a curfew, whereas journalists are expected to sleep in the office and produce the paper at such a critical period of our national history.” Jose’s testimony, which is quite detailed, is also quite clear about what took place at the ‘Daily Tmes’ on that fateful day. How come that in all the years that elapsed between the publication of this book and Jose’s demise in 2008, Oyebola never once came out to contradict Jose’s version of the sequence of events that led to his decision to terminate his appointment as ‘Daily Times’ editor and replace him with Osoba? Why wait so many years after the old man has passed away to come out and publicly accuse a man of Alhaji Babatunde’s stature of telling lies? Even if Jose had still been alive today, there would have been no need for him to defend
himself against Oyebola’s preposterous allegations that the events surrounding the military coup of 1975 merely served as a convenient pretext for Jose to move against him, as it is glaringly obvious that Oyebola’s belated attempt to rewrite history does not stand up to any form of rational analysis. The key question is: Was Areoye Oyebola present at the ‘Daily Times’ premises when Jose came in with Osoba to supervise production of the newspaper on the day of the coup? It is quite instructive that Oyebola has not at any point in time come out to state outright that he took charge of production of the newspaper on the day of the coup, or that he wrote or edited any of the stories that appeared in the ‘Daily Times’ on the day that followed the coup. If this were to have been the case, should that not have been the first point that Oyebola would have raised in his woefully belated attempt to contradict Jose’s version of events? In addition, Oyebola’s claim that Jose replaced him as editor of the ‘Daily Times’ because he held some kind of personal grudge against him does not stand up to close examination. In reality, the claim that the whole episode was the result of some kind of dark anti-Oyebola conspiracy between Jose and Osoba appears to be quite far-fetched! What was so special about Oyebola that the all-powerful Chairman of the ‘Daily Times’ Board of Directors would have needed to indulge in some kind of underhand conspiracy simply in order to be able to replace him? How many different ‘Daily Times’ and ‘Sunday Times’ editors were hired and fired over the years by Jose, both before and after Oyebola was employed at the Daily Times? At the present period in time, it is obviously easy to attempt to second guess some of the decisions that were made by Jose in the course of the painstaking efforts that resulted in the growth of the Daily Times Group of newspapers and magazines into a giant conglomerate under his enlightened and principled leadership. Even though he was not infallible, it is however clear that most of his choices must have been correct, judging from the ultimate outcome, since the ‘Daily Times’ Group thrived abundantly under his leadership. Would Oyebola have done better in his shoes? More importantly, should any of those whose covert and overt lobbying efforts paved the way for the military to take over the ‘Daily Times’ and eventually ruin that venerable newspaper be proud today of the outcome of their nefarious deed?
•Balogun is a film maker and musician who currently lives in Lagos
Hon Mulikat: Beauty & Brain at 53 also as member of the 6th Assembly in 2007, she had established for herself a meritorious and indelible employment history. She started her mandatory NYSC programme in 1983 and finished in1984 in the Legal Department of the Nigeria – American Merchant Bank. Hon Mulikat equally had a part-time employment with Kusamotu, Olojo & Co., as Associate (1984 – 1985). From 1986 to 1987, she was Associate in firm of Odunjurin & Adefulu. She later worked as Company Secretary/Legal Officer at Tuns Farms & Agro Ind. Ltd, Ikeja (Aug – Nov. 1987). Her private practice however began in Jan. to Sept. 1988. She further added to her feather the post of Assistant Manager (Legal Dept.) Continental Merchant Bank Nig. Ltd (Sept. 1988 – March 1991). Her enviable profile did not end there as she was made a Legal Adviser, Corporate Banking Division Continental Merchant Bank Nig. Ltd. (March 1999 – Dec. 1992) and later, Head of Legal/Administration CMB Home Ltd Appointed Company Secretary/ Legal Adviser CMB Homes Ltd (Jul. 1993 – Feb. 1996). After recording several milestones in the corporate world, she returned back to Private Legal Practice (Managing Partner) M.L. Akande & Co. (1997 – May 2007).
Hon Mulikat Akande-Adeola However, the impactful participation of Hon Mulikat in today’s politics especially the aspect of her intimidating track records as a federal parliamentarian has positively raised the stakes for women to get engaged in our political affairs. Although our political terrain perhaps doesn’t make the involvement of Nigerian women into elective positions come easy. More often women do not receive the support and mentoring they need to compete with their male counterparts. In turn, many voters do not fully appreciate the benefits of
having a mix of men and women in government. As a result, there is currently a low representation of women at all levels of government in Nigeria. In the country’s general election in 2011, female candidates fared poorly, with only 32 women elected to the national parliament out of 469 members, which is barely 8% representation. It is indeed gratifying to note that Hon Mulikat has steadfastly and irrepressibly demonstrated unwavering support for Nigeria’s democracy and willingness to readily avail our dear nation of her time and wise counsel whenever occasion has demanded at the hallowed chamber and elsewhere. Our astute, dynamic and cerebral leader, I join your family, colleagues, members of staff, numerous friends and many well-wishers to thank Almighty God for His continued guidance, protection and provision for you in the past fifty-three years of a life of outstanding accomplishments, I wish you a very happy birthday and many more years of good health and personal fulfillment. May God bless and prosper Nigeria.
*Ajibulu is of the Three Arms Zone, Abuja, emmanuelajibulu@gamil.com
PAGE 52— SUNDAY
Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
Brazil 2014, hot topic for Under-17 World Cup stars T
HE FIFA Under-17 World Cup in the UAE has generated great passion and enthusiasm, not only among the spectators, but also the players. As such, it is no surprise that the 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil is a frequent topic of conversation among the stars of tomorrow and their coaches at the tournament in the Emirates. “I’m a real football freak. I watch every game if I have the time. So I saw every World Cup qualifier, and I think our national team has a good chance of getting somewhere in Brazil,” Italy defender Arturo Calabresi revealed to Fifa.com. Japan coach Hirofumi Yoshitake can hardly wait for next summer’s global showdown, partly due to his special connection with the Samurai Blue. “I coached a few of the current senior internationals, so I’ve obviously been following developments with great interest. I’m expecting the team to give a good account of themselves in Brazil. Japan have gained a lot of experience in recent years. The time has come to achieve something significant at the World Cup.” Honduras have already had a significant achievement with the draw against Jamaica that saw them through to the World Cup finals for the third time, after previous appearances in 1982 and 2010. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to watch the all-important game because we were preparing for a friendly the next day,” reported U-17 coach Jose Valladares. “But obviously my lads were really thrilled when we successfully qualified for the World Cup in Brazil, and it was very motivating for them.” And what a motivating factor it proved, as the Central Americans rewrote their own history by making it through to the quarter-finals here. The Uruguay players also wholeheartedly backed their senior counterparts, although they too were unable to watch live as Luis Suarez, Edinson Cavani and co-recorded a vital victory over Argentina in their final qualifier, earning themselves the lifeline of an intercontinental playoff against Jordan. “We asked the players to go to sleep early so they could acclimatise to the new time zone here,” coach Fabian Coito explained to Fifa.com, before adding with a grin: “But you never know what’s really going on behind closed hotel room doors. It’s just possible they watched the game anyway.” Argentina’s dream of glory in
High Rise …. Nigeria’s Akinjdi Idowu (L) fights for the ball with Alejandro Diaz (R) during the finals of their FIFA U-17 World Cup 2013 football match Mexico against Nigeria at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, on November UAE fizzled out in the semi-finals, but the South Americans are hoping for a reason to celebrate next summer. “I think Argentina can make the final. We have a few of the best players in the world and it was a strong qualifying campaign. We have a good blend of talented youngsters and experienced players, and Alejandro Sabella is a really good coach. So I’m convinced Argentina can make it through to the final and could even win the trophy,”
commented U-17 supremo Humberto Grondona. Defender Emanuel Mammana is thoroughly looking forward to the tournament in neighbouring Brazil: “The current Argentina team is really skilful and just great to watch. If they can keep doing what they’ve been doing in all these fantastic matches, they could end up as world champions.” Of course, there is a chance one or two of the up-and-coming
talents might appear in Brazil next summer. After all, they have tasted World Cup air for the first time in the Emirates and are now hungry for more. “Naturally we all dream of playing alongside world-class players such as Messi, Sergio Aguero or Gonzalo Higuain at some point,” declared Sebastian Driussi. “But there’s a long way to go before then and we have to take it one step at a time.”
Wenger sees Arsenal ‘disuniting’ Man. Utd.
A
RSENE Wenger has backed his Arsenal side to beat Manchester United and prove their title credentials. The Gunners are currently sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League table but doubts still remain over whether they are true title contenders. However, Wenger has backed his side to beat current champions United today and prove to the world that Arsenal are in a title fight. ‘The game is one of the benchmarks of the season for us,’ said Wenger. ‘It puts you in a position to judge how strong you are. You can gain confidence and credit from your behaviour in that match. ‘We’ve had periods when we’ve done well at Old Trafford but
we’ve not done well there recently. ‘This is a big chance to show our improvement and put things right.’ Arsenal were written off by United striker Wayne Rooney this week, who suggested that Wenger’s men didn’t have the consistency to maintain a challenge. But Wenger insists Arsenal will prove they have what it takes. ‘His comments are his comments,’ added the Frenchman. ‘We’ve been very strong after Christmas in recent years and it’s important that we show that and prove that we are serious about our ambitions.’ Rooney believes Manchester United are finally back on track after a disappointing
start to the Premier League season. “We had a whole new set-up and different ideas from the manager,’ said Rooney. ‘It’s up to us to try and implement those ideas as best we can. It was a bit of a change but we’re starting to show the things that the manager wants. ‘Eight matches unbeaten is a good run. We’re confident at the minute, we’re getting more clean sheets and we’re playing with a freedom, if you like. ‘We’re just looking forward to every game now.’ Victory for Moyes’ men could see them jump into the top four, should other results go their way, but if they suffer their fourth league defeat of the campaign it will leave them 11 points off the pace.
Garba dedicates trophy to President Goodluck, wife
G
OLDEN Eaglets coach, Manu Garba (MFR) has dedicated Nigeria’s fourth record FIFA Under-17 World Cup victory to both President Goodluck Jonathan and his wife, Hajiya Babita Garba after the team’s 3-0 thrashing of Mexico on Friday in Abu Dhabi. Away from the battery of cameras and in the hallowed corridors of Al Jazira’s dressing room in Abu Dhabi, Garba said both President Jonathan and his jewel of inestimable value more than anybody deserved praises for the feat he achieved with his team. He recalled it was only President Jonathan that hosted the team upon their team’s return from the African U-17 Championship where they came second. ”This trophy is for President Goodluck Jonathan who had a strong belief in us despite the fact that we came second at the African championship,” he said, adding, “We were really fired up when he hosted us after the African Championship and we are looking forward to meeting Mr. President again with the World Cup trophy.” Garba described President Jonathan as a very lucky man after the Golden Eaglets followed the footsteps of the Super Eagles for winning a major trophy in 2013. The senior national team started the year with a glorious outing at the AFCON in South Africa and the Golden Eaglets World Cup win is more than an icing on the cake as 2013 drags to an end. He revealed that the first person he called immediately after the final whistle of the match that saw his young guns dethrone Mexico was his wife. “In fact, for the past four months I was not able to see my wife because of the nature of this job and I’m so happy that all the efforts we put into this work was not in vain,” he said, adding, “I want to use this opportunity to thank my wife so much for taking care of the home front.” He also heaped praises on both Senator Liyel Imoke, Governor of Cross River State and Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency Ibrahim Auwalu who rode on the team’s bus in company of the NFF President, Alhaji Aminu Maigari for a dinner reception hosted by Nigeria’s Embassy in the UAE.
SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013—53
We Are The Champions... Nigerian players celebrate their win in the finals of the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2013 football match against Mexico at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium.
Coach of Good Hope... Eaglets coach Manu Garba been carried shoulder high by his players.
Winner Takes it All... Eaglets’ Musa Mohammed walks pass grieving Mexican players Message From Abu Dhabi... Samuel Okon (right) and Chigozi Obasi show the nation their appreciation .
King of the Show... Kelechi Iheanacho showing off the reward of his hard work.
Twists and Turns... Musa Yahaya and Erick Aguirre tangle in front of goal.
Fight to Finish... Nigeria’s Akanji Idowu and Mexico’s Luis Hernadez fight for ball possesion and referee Craig Thomson of Scotland checks for foul play.
Wild Wild Party... Nigerian supporters in a fit of joy after the Eaglets sealed their win. C M Y K
PAGE 54—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
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SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 10, 2013, PAGE 55
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SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 10, 2013
CHAN 2014: Shoot yourselves to limelight, Adepoju charges home based Eagles BY EDDIE AKALONU
F
ORMER Super Eagles midfielder, Mutiu Adepoju, has advised home-based players invited to the national camp
*Maigari
*Umeh
by Coach Stephen Keshi, to see the assignment as an opportunity to prove themselves. He said their chance of making it big is in securing victory for Nigeria again on South African soil in January. Keshi recently invited more home-based players to camp ahead of the 2014 CHAN billed for South Africa in January, 2014. Speaking in an interview, Adepoju,who is the Shooting Stars Sports Club general manager, also charged the home based players to emulate the feats of Godfrey Oboabana, Sunday Mba, Azubuike Egwuekwe and others who have utilised the beautiful opportunity to play for the national team in lifting their careers to the next level. “The invited home based players should know that everybody looks up to them now to prove their critics wrong and seriously challenge their foreignbased counterparts. I strongly believe that if they are able to prove themselves in the forthcoming CHAN, Keshi will have no choice than to play
SHAME: NFF top shots fight in Abu Dhabi *As NFF spoils for war with NSC D
ESPITE the triumph of the Golden Eaglets Friday in Abu Dhabi it was a show of shame and national disgrace as NFF General secretary Barrister Musa and the Federations First Vice President Chief Mike Umeh exchanged blows in public, right inside the stadium. Eye witness account has it that problem started brewing early evening when Chief Umeh wondered why members of the League Management Committee were allocated “ better cars” than NFF chieftains. He then and there told a colleague that Musa was incompetent and not fit to handle NFF matters. On getting to the stadium, Chief Umeh was given a Category 1 ticket and again he complained insisting that every country was given 20 VIP tickets and wondered why he could not have one as NFF Vice President. At the stadium Chief Umeh boiled over when he saw members of the LMC in the VIP Box and challenged the GS who said he knew nothing
about it “Oga two of us are seating here, I don’t know anything about tickets besides I just arrived yesterday “ the General Secretary replied. He was shocked when Chief Umeh said “you are a useless man . I have to trek five minutes to ease myself in a competition that belongs to us?” That really got Barrister Ahmadu angry and he told him to withdraw the statement. Instead Chief Umeh repeated it and the General Secretary said he was a “ hopeless man”. As they were sitting together they rose to their feet and went for each other ’s jugular saying a lot of unprintable things. The intervention of some board members including Chief Inyama and some Management staff did little to assuage them. It took some time to get Musa to leave the seat for another one. A board member has called for a probe of the incidence when they get back home. “It was shameful to say the least. Chief Umeh did not behave maturely but there is need to find out where all our VIP tickets
Aston Villa Chelsea Crystal Liverpool S’hampton Norwich
them in future i n t e r n a t i o n a l engagements. Every coach takes note of great performances. Keshi’s era is witnessing a large invitation of domestic players. Players offered a lifeline this time in the Eagles forth-coming coming games are defenders Solomon Kwambe of Sunshine Stars and Benjamin Francis of Heartland FC. Adepoju, who featured in the Saudi ’89 FIFA U-20 World Cup for Nigeria, howver, admonished Keshi not to lose focus on the players when the chips are down. “Well, if you ask me I would say Keshi has tried so far. I like his courage because for him to have reposed confidence in home-based players on assumption as the national coach is something to talk about. Keshi, like others, having realised that there is need to look inwards is reaping the reward, especially now that many Nigerian football lovers have clamored for the use of home-based players to prosecute international matches. He is on the the right track and I have no doubt in my mind that he will succeed,” he concluded.
RESULTS 2 2 0 4 4 3
Cardiff West Brom Everton Fulham Hull City West Ham
0 2 0 0 1 1
TODAY’S MATCHES went to,” he said. Meanwhile, it was gathered that the NFF is spoiling for a war with the National Sports Commission, NSC over its penchant for sidelining it whenever football matters get to the presidency. An inside NFF source said the federation members were not happy when the NSC failed to provide seat for them during the reception for the Super Eagles after
they won the Africa Nations Cup in South Africa. “The NFF is not ready to be pushed aside when the President hosts the Eaglets in Abuja. This ceremony is an NFF ceremony, so the NSC should not push the NFF aside. In fact theNFF president, Alhaji Aminu Maigari has done well and should be commended. He even deserves a national
honour,” the source stressed. President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to host the victorious Golden Eaglets today in Aso Rock to show the country’s appreciation for their feat at the U-17 World Cup which has brought honour to the country, his Media aide, Dr. Rueben Abati disclosed shortly after the team won the trophy Friday.
Tottenham v Newcastle 1 pm Sunderland v Man City 3.05 pm Man Utd v Arsenal 5.10 pm Swansea v Stoke 5.10 pm
CROSS WORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1.W. African country (7) 4.Verify (5) 6. Galt (5) 7. Igbo boy’s name (5) 8. Blastoma (3) 9. Motorbike taxi (5) 10. Nuns (7) 13. Go (3) 15. Baked food (3) 17. Meditate (8) 19. Decrees (6) 22. Brings up (6) 24. Divert attention (8) 26. Farm tool (3) 27. Perfect (5) 29. Trails (7) 32. Range (5) 33. Muslim clerics (5) 34. Command (3) 35. Sum (5) 36. Roof part (5) 37. Derive from (7)
DOWN 1. Stairs (5) 2. Serious (5) 3. Eko city (5) 4. Flower part (3) 5. Weird (5) 11. Nigerian state (3) 12. Simple (5) 14. Animal doctor (3) 15. Arrogance (5) 16. Fishes (4) 17. Infant Lion (3) 18. Bowl (4) 20. Sour (5) 21. Solidity 23. Colour (3) 25. Bovine animal (3) 27. Fool (5) 28. Endures (5) 29. Fashion (5) 30. Greek market-place (5) 31. Gush (5)
SOLUTION on page 55
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