Start your war now, Northern Elders reply S/South Militants

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Northern elders reply S-South militants Continued from page 1 said there would be war in Nigeria if their kinsman, Jonathan, is not re-elected, may start their action now.

According to them, the Jonathan sympathisers do not need to wait until their kinsman is defeated in 2015 to act.

The northern elders, under the aegis of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), hinged their opposition to the president’s re-election on non-performance. They added that Jonathan was not entitled to the office of president in the first place.

Prof. Ango Abdullahi, their spokesman, conveyed their position in an interview with Sunday Vanguard.

Abdullahi, a former Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, pointed out that the North was dissatisfied with Jonathan’s presidency.

“We in the North are not going to support Jonathan in 2015 because he has done nothing for this country since he became president,” the NEF spokesperson declared.

“In fact, things in this country are worse than they have ever been. So far, in terms of the performance of this president, I don’t see how he can stand and win an election if you judge him in terms of the social, economic and political indices in the Nigerian environment where we are now. Things have gone from bad to worse since his coming.

“In the first place, he should not be sitting as the president of Nigeria going by the zoning formula of his party, the PDP. The president should have come from the North based on the zoning policy of the PDP. “Under the PDP zoning policy, the North allowed the South to produce the president for eight years, which Obasanjo took and, by their own signature, including Jonathan himself, when he was the

Deputy Governor, on behalf of his governor, that the North will then run for eight years and we agreed.

Umaru Yar ’Ádua started and died after two and a half years.”

Abdullahi continued: “Of course, the constitution allows that his vice should serve out the remaining term of the joint ticket and we did not complain.

Commonsense should have dictated to Jonathan that he should be honourable enough to respect the zoning agreement which he was a party to.

“He should have been gentlemanly enough to say to his party, ‘look, I’m not qualified to put up myself for election beyond 2011 and that a northerner should run for the post as agreed. He did not do so, but came out to say that he did not know about the zoning.

“So, how do you deal with this kind of a person who cannot honour a simple gentleman’s agreement?

So, from all these perspectives, I don’t see how one can support the president or his ability to be able to lead this country.”

On the threat by exmilitant leaders to cause violence if Jonathan was not returned in 2015, the NEF spokesperson challenged them to start the war now and stop waiting until their kinsman was voted out.

The renowned agriculturist made it clear that the North was not afraid of the threat as no tribe, group or groups of individuals had the monopoly of causing mayhem.

Abdullahi said, “The choice to resort to violence or not is that of the militants. The choice for peace or no peace is that of all Nigerians.

No individual or group of individuals has monopoly for peace or lack of it.

“My reaction is that but for the fact that I am aware

SOLUTION

President Goodluck Jonathan( middle), with President Jacob Zuma of SouthAfrica (right), Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State (left) and Senator Smart Adeyemi, at a meeting in Cape town, South-Africa. that (Alhaji) Dokubo (ex-NDelta militant leader) is a spokesperson for the corridors of powers, I would have ignored him.

But my reaction now is directed to their leaders, elders, including the president, that if it is their

feeling that this is the way things should go, I am saying, on behalf of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, that they should start the crisis now because I’m putting them on notice that Jonathan will not be president in 2015. So they

can start now and we in the North are waiting.”

The NEF spokesperson boasted that the North was capable of presenting a common candidate, who would be able to defeat Jonathan in a free and fair election in 2015.

He said, “Look, what I want to see is democracy in practice so that as many candidates who want to contest the next presidential election, including Jonathan himself, can do so freely, without being witchhunted or harassed by anyone.

“In fact, I would prefer that Jonathan should contest and I can assure you that he would lose. And as far as the North is concerned, there are many credible and qualified candidates and, once a free and fair election is guaranteed, the people would choose who they want to be their president come 2015.”

Former militant leader, Asari Dokubo, last week, warned of dire consequences if Jonathan was not re-elected in 2015.

Although the House of Representatives has raised a panel to investigate him for making provocative statement Dokubo and other Niger Delta groups have dared the lawmakers to arrest him. *Ango Abdullahi’s full interview on pages 15-17.

IG to Nasarawa elders: Help fish out killers *I still don’t believe my husband is dead – Police commissioner’s widow

BY ABEL DANIEL

T

HE Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, wants elders and eminent citizens of Nasarawa State to collaborate with the police in order to fish out the perpetrators of Tuesday’s killing of policemen in Alakyo village.

Abubakar made the call, yesterday, when he visited widows and family members of the slain officers in Lafia, the state capital, just as the widow of one of the victims, ACP Momoh, said she still could not believe her husband was dead.

The IGP, who was accompanied by the Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade, described the killing of the officers as “callous” and had never been heard of in the history of the force.

He disclosed that some officers were still being held hostage by the suspected cult group, adding that efforts were being made to ensure their release.

“We are making every peaceful effort to ensure that some of our men still being held hostage are released unhurt,” Abubakar said.

Abubakar expressed optimism that with the level of dialogue at the state level and in some other quarters, the officers

would soon be released.

According to him, the police had taken appropriate measures to cushion the effect of the loss on the families of the slain officers, especially the upkeep of their children.

On his part, the Minister of Police Affairs, Olubolade, said such ‘barbaric’ act of snuffing lives out of security personnel, who are meant to safeguard lives, is unacceptable in a decent society.

“Somebody somewhere is causing havoc for whatever reason and the society must not allow that to continue,” he added.

Olubolade assured that the police would dig deep in order to unravel those behind the killing of the officers and bring them to justice.

Governor Umaru AlMakura, while welcoming the IGP and his entourage, commiserated with President Goodluck Jonathan and the security high command over the killing of the officers.

Al-Makura took time to explain the excesses of the ‘Ombatse’group in the past and the events leading to the Tuesday killing of the officers, saying the group had been proscribed since January 2013 and was carrying out its activities unlawfully.

He maintained that a substantial amount of Eggon leaders and elders were not happy with the activities of the group “but

could not talk to them for fear of the sophisticated weapons at their disposal.”

He said all efforts were being made to recover the bodies of the remaining slain officers, adding that the area of the incident was still volatile.

The IGP and his entourage visited three survivors of the attack where they were receiving treatment at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia.

Meanwhile, the widow of the Assistant Commissioner of Police, ACP, Momoh, who was killed during the attack, Mrs. Stella Momoh, told Sunday Vanguard that she could still not believe that her husband was dead.

She thanked the IGP for the visit and expressed

optimism over the assurance by the Police High Command to take care of their children.

REDEPLOYMENT Also, at the weekend, Abubakar, the IGP, carried out the redeployment of officers and men of the Mobile Police Unit, undercover operatives and the counter terrorism unit of the force.

The move, it was learnt, was to engage a shift in paradigm for effectiveness, re-assure citizens of their safety; stabilise the security of states; provide a safe and conducive environment for effective policing; and to provide additional manpower and support for the Nasarawa State Police Command.

Family of Supreme Court Justice kidnapped BY EBEGBULEM

A

SIMON

RMED men suspected to be kidnappers have abducted the wife and daughter of a Supreme Court Judge, (names w i t h h e l d ) . .

The driver of the vehicle was also abducted.The victims were travelling from Lagos to Edo State, ahead of the judge’s daughter ’s wedding ceremony.

Unconfirmed reports

said they were kidnapped along Benin-Shagamu expressway, while approaching Edo. When contacted on telephone, Edo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Moses Eguavoen, said he was unaware of the development. “I am not aware of that, but let me call the control room and get back to you.”

Sunday Vanguard learnt that the suspected kidnappers were yet to make any contact with the family at press time.

PAGE 6 —SUNDAY V anguard, MAY 12, 2013 Vanguard,

Scandal rocks mobile number portability

•Alleged 60,000 porting requests missing •NCC threatens to impose heavy sanctions against saboteurs •Operators want regulator to investigate

BY JIDE AJANI

T

HERE were indications at the weekend that the newly introduced, 20-day

old Mobile Number Portability, MNP, may have run into a scandalous hitch owing to some alleged sharp practices on the part of one

of the major operators in the Global System of Mobile Telecommunications, GSM, Sunday Vanguard can reveal.

This development, it was gathered, compelled the regulator, the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, and interconnect

clearing house, Interconnect Nigeria, ICN, to summon an emergency meeting of the operators in Lagos last Thursday.

At the meeting which had all the operators in attendance, the regulator and the clearing house painted “a dismally low porting activity since the exercise commenced”.

A very dependable source at the review meeting said the following status update was reeled out by NCC and ICN: Total no of porting requests so far: 4,659 Total completed successfully: 2,456 Total still in progress: 501 Total failed: 1702 The snag in the process, it was gathered, “is that the donor operators appear not to be disposed to quickly processing and releasing the lines to the receiving operator.”

“It is the underhand practice that appears to have accounted for the low success rate of porting. Although it is early days yet, the figure of less than 5,000 considering the millions of subscriber base in GSM operations in the country is incongruous”.

At the Thursday meeting, NCC and ICN admonished the operators “to ensure that they do not bring dishonour into the exercise”.

Although it turned out to be a meeting of muted suspicion, the operators suspected foul play “and urged both the NCC and ICN to

investigate the dismal figure and intervene appropriately to restore order and public confidence in the process”.

To this end, according to our source, “NCC threatened to apply the maximum sanction against any operator that violates the porting regulations. NCC officials pledged to swiftly put in place fines and other regulatory measures that will help to restore sanity in the whole process.

Following the meeting and the suspicion of sabotage by some of the telecom operators, “the ICN and its partners interrogated their data to see if any of the operators had deliberately stalled the process. Investigations revealed that the staggering discovery that followed rattled the ICN and its partners”.

The source explained, “It was discovered that instead of the abysmally low figure of over 4,000 porting requests recorded, the total number of porting requests made were discovered to have been almost twentyfold, out of which over half were found to be authentic after proper diagnosis. It was gathered that during the first wave of investigation, the sabotage was traced to a player in the industry, thereby denying two other players the benefit of porting”.

Investigations are on-going. It was gathered that NCC and the clearing agents will soon announce various strategies to compel operators to play by the rules. Porting operations started on April 22, 2013.

2015: DPP moves to reposition ExecutiveCommitteemeetBY GAB EJUWA

T

HE DEMOCRATIC Peoples Party (DPP) has, at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, disbanded its merger committee formed to negotiate how the party could join the proposed All Progressive Congress (APC). It has instead outlined strategies to work with other parties in what the party referred to as a “strong and strategic third party force that will alter the present political map based on better leadership alternatives that the Nigerian people will be presented with.” It also took far-reaching decision to stem what the party called “manifest indiscipline and gross misconduct that is so strange to the DPP”.

In a statement by its National Director, Media and Publicity, Abubakar Ateeku Yusuf, the party stated that the emergency National

ing, presided over by its National Chairman, Major Gen. Bashir Salihi Magashi (rtd), and attended by its prime movers and state chairmen across the nation, decided to disband the former merger committee.The statement reads in part, “The Merger Committee formed as a result of the resolution of the February 13 NEC meeting is hereby disbanded and a new committee to be appointed to continue the merger negotiations with other political Parties.”

The statement noted that the party resolved in the meeting to hold its national convention on May 25, 2013 in Abuja to enable the party function effectively. In attendance at the meeting were notable leaders including Chief Great Ogboru, DPP’s gubernatorial candidate in Delta State in the last general elections, and Chief Tony Ezeagwu, the party’s Chairman in Delta State.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013 — PAGE 7

LACK OF FUND FOR DAD’S BURIAL

60-yr-old commits suicide

BY DAUD OLATUNJI, Abeokuta

T

here was confusion in Abeokuta, yesterday, when a 60 year-old man, Akanni Timothy, allegedly committed suicide only hours to the commencement of his father ’s funeral. Relations blamed his financial incapacitation to give the late father a befitting burial for the suicide.

The lifeless body of the father of eight, fondly called ‘Marshal’ was found dangling on an orange tree close to the venue of the funeral in the neighborhood at Ojugunuko, Oke-Ijemo area of Abeokuta. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the body was found by passers-by who raised the alarm which attract-

ed residents. An eye witness told Sunday Vanguard that the deceased was preparing for the funeral slated for yesterday.

A family source said Akanni had hired a disc jokey to entertain his guests at the ceremony.

When the news of his death filtered into the venue, many of the guests who were reported to have settled down for the party hurriedly left.

Some relations were said to have attributed the incident to the financial challenges facing the late Akanni .

However, some other people described the ugly incident as spiritually motivated.

One of the siblings of the deceased, who simply identified himself as

Mutiu, said his late brother was in dire need of money to give their late father a befitting burial.

He said, “I told Baba Sadiat (the deceased) to join me in my tent if he knew he didn’t have the means to entertain his guests. I did not know he will kill himself ”.

According to him, the family received permission from the police at Ijemo who visited the scene of the incident before they removed the body of the deceased. .

The Ogun State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Muyiwa Adejobi, could not be reached on his mobile line for confirmation as at the time of this report

Left-right: The Obiri of Aiyeoe, Oba Adebisi Okubanjo JP, Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi, OFR former National Planning Minister and his wife Chief Mrs. Tinuade Gbadamosi at the memorial banquet for the father of Mr. Akinola Akintunde, past President of the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce at Island Club Lagos.

From From left: Director, Hand Held Products, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Emmanouil Revmatas; Managing Director, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Brovo Kim and Marketing Manager, Hand Held Products, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Ms. Olajumoke Okikiolu, at Samsung’s Design for Life Fashion Show to mark the Nigeria launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone in Lagos.

Buhari warns FG over anarchy

BY SONI DANIEL & GABRIEL EWWPU

L

EADER of the Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday blamed rising mayhem in parts of Nigeria on the PDP-led government’s inability to take steps to curb insecurity in the land.

Also, the former head of state lampooned the federal administration for celebrating corruption as a way of life and devising ways of staying in power for life thereby rubbishing the tenets of democracy.

Buhari made the claims at the special national convention of the CPC convened as part of the requirements for his party to dissolve into the All Progressive Congress, APC. To actualise the merger, two motions were moved and unanimously adopted by the party members to merge with the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, and the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, to form APC. He accused the Jonathan administration of creating avoidable mayhem in order to cover its guilt, obscure the issues and then blame the opposition in order to deceive gullible Nigerians. But he warned that the opposition would not tolerate the mayhem or be intimidated by anyone. Buhari said, “Anarchy is knocking on

*Says APC will end insecurity, graft the door of many sections of this country and the Federal Government has not demonstrated that it has the good sense to understand what is going on or the competence to check it.

“The nation is hopelessly adrift. But if we are to survive, this vicious cycle of violence that has engulfed this nation must be brought to an end.”

The party leader, who used the occasion to openly sympathise with the people of Borno, Yobe, Kano, Nasarawa and Benue states over the spate of mass killings in their domains, implored members of the National Assembly to take the lead in restoring peace to the country.

The former head of state described the 14 years of PDP rule in Nigeria as a

period when corruption and insecurity loomed large on the horizon, breeding poverty and decay across the country.

“The government has failed in almost everything; it has proved unable to secure the nation’s internal environment, there is insecurity everywhere,” he lamented.

“There is spiralling lawlessness all over the country.

There is widespread and rising poverty and unemployment across the length and breadth of the country. There is total decline in the quality of social services and an irremediable dilapidation in the nation’s socioeconomic infrastructure across board.

“There is an unprecedented fall in the nation’s standard of living

and an astronomical rise in the standard of dying.

In short today, there is nothing going right; and we have become a nation in which nothing works as it should, that is, if it works at all. When they said they have what they call ‘Transformation Agenda’, we didn’t understand, but we now know better because, within the space of three years, they have transformed the country into a veritable wilderness, where everything that should work doesn’t; where everything that can get broken, has broken.

“They promised to give the nation credible elections; they couldn’t deliver. They promised to fight corruption, they couldn’t deliver. They promised to stop insurgence and they couldn’t deliver.”

Fashola, at CPC convention, tasks INEC on fair role in APC merger

L

agos State governor, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN), yesterday, joined his colleagues from Ogun and Imo States to attend the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) convention held at the Eagle Square Abuja, charging the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to write its name in history by ensuring that it is seen to have acted above board in delivering Nigeria’s first successful political merger.

Fashola, who spoke before a large gathering of the supporters of the CPC, which included the Chairman of its Board of Trustees, General Muhammadu Buhari, said INEC must not only be above board but must also be seen by all Nigerians to have done so. “If it is true that our opponents have any plans or any hand in scuttling the merger, they must rethink and desist. If they believe that the merger offers no ideology, it is not for

them to decide that. That is the decision the people of Nigeria, who

own Nigeria’s sovereignty have to make and live with”, he added. The governor said the biggest message of the merger is that it will give the people of the country the real choice to determine whether they will continue with the dysfunctional arrangement that the opponents of the merger call a government.

L-R: The managing Director of Alford conference Limited, Mr. Fredrick Apeji and one of the Directors of the company, Ms. Rahmat IIavbare (right) presenting the award certificate to Mr. Emmanuel Elebeke of Vanguard Newspapers yesterday in Abuja.

Vanguard bags Web Nigeria award

BY EMMANUEL ELEBEKE & RUTH ODINIYA

V

anguard Media limited, publishers of Vanguard Newspapers, yesterday emerged the winner of the 2013/2014 edition of Web Nigeria Awards in the Newspaper category.

Vanguard beat Punch and Sun Newspapers, which settled for second and third positions respectively.

Presenting the award in Abuja, the Managing Director of Alford Conferences Limited, the organizers of the awards, Mr. Fredrick Apeji, said the choice of Vanguard Media came up, after a research and findings benchmarked against the Alexa measures, which is recognized and widely accepted as the global standard for the measurement of web traffic all over the world.

He said the selection of the winner of the award was based on five criteria: Alexa ranking of the top 500 Nigerian websites, Alexa global ranking of websites, website links that indicate the general popularity of a website, facebook fans and Twitter

followers. Based on this Web Nigeria ranking, Vanguard, Punch and Sun emerged top three Nigerian newspapers in terms of web traffic, as at May 4, 2013 and figures used for the ranking, he said, were obtained and analysed from between April 20May 4, 2013. On facebook, he said Vanguard polled undisputed number one fanpage, with 611, 253 fans, while Punch trailed with 300,122 fans for the second position.

On Twitter, he explained that Vanguard came tops with198,804 followers , while Punch followed closely behind with 169,816 followers.

According to the Alford MD, Guardian And Thisday newspapers fell behind Vanguard in the overall ratings, despite their prowess in advert patronage for their respective prints editions.

Apeji explained that out of the top 10 newspapers websites in the ranking, eight of them were among the country’s top 100 sites, which, he said, is a clear indication of the general online popularity of the leading Nigerian newspapers.

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Vanguard, MAY 12,, 2013

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 9

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

Nigeria and the ICC docks Dear Sir,

W

ith the wave of violence and atrocious crimes that amount to crimes against humanity gaining momentum in Nigeria, one may be forced to ask, why has the International Criminal Court not intervened?.

The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, 1998 had placed the ICC under the courts of nations and it can only intervene in national issues of international concern when the nation involved has shown that it is unwilling or unable to prosecute.

Not too long ago, scores of Nigerian citizens in the now famous village, Baga, Borno State were killed during a battle between the men of the multinational joint task force and the militia, under suspicious circumstances and it wouldn’t be strange to say that the killings have not gained sufficient recognition and urgent action of the federal government.

Without mincing words, every Nigerian knows that in our country, equality before the law is much more a fantasy than a reality. It has been divulged on many occasions that some political heavy weights in the nation, have their hands, deep in the menace precipitated by the notorious ‘Boko Haram’ group. The president himself had once openly stated that his government has been infiltrated by some Boko Haram elements.The late National Security Adviser, Gen.Azazi had equally spoken out against the ruling party as having a hand in the boko haram atrocities. The most pressing question on the mind of every C M Y K

concerned and patriotic Nigerian is: “What/who has stalled the prosecution of the alleged accomplices of the “boko boys” (as fondly called).It appears that our Federal Government has suddenly been fettered thus either unwilling or unable to lead the way in the prosecution of the supposed ‘big’ law offenders.

The ICC can be called in to investigate, prosecute and possibly convict individuals, including government officials who are accused of either genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity such as rape and murder. By virtue of articles 13(a)(b)(c) of the ICC statute, the court’s jurisdiction can be invoked by

a “State-party” referral,UN Security Council referral or a ‘pro prio motu’ investigation by the Office of The Prosecutor(OTP),with the authorization of the pre-trial chambers.

In the aftermath of the post election violence of 2007 in Kenya, the ICC was invited to investigate the atrocious crimes committed in those “dark days”, through a state-party referral by the Kenyan government.Today, some Kenyan “big guns” are facing the wrath of the law at The Hague. What stops Nigerian authorities from doing the same? Our leaders have developed cold feet in that aspect therefore ignorantly or perhaps, deliberately shielding criminals. It is undeniably

clear that our authorities are unwilling and unable to prosecute state enemies and it’s high time the jurisdiction of the ICC was invoked. Persons need be prosecuted; arrest warrants ought to have been served certain individuals who sit on our ‘pleasure seats’ of power.

What is more?.Our courts more or less, have no pulse anymore; quite crystal clear that it has been long overdue, the International Criminal Court ought to have been invited into our appalling state of affairs.

Obinna Okonkwo. N .

Faculty of Law University of Benin.

How to reduce carnage on our roads!

Dear Sir,

O

UR present crop of rulers who are rarely involved in the fatal accidents caused by trailers, trucks and petroleum tankers on our roads, as they travel by air most of the time, should put on their thinking caps, by revitalizing our rail transport system that will criss-cross the major cities and towns throughout the length and breadth of our country. By so doing, trains will then convey the heavy loads carried by the aforementioned vehicles and passengers, in order to reduce the daily carnage on roads and to ensure their durability.

I must not fail to mention that fatal accidents are equally caused by passenger buses and cars that literally

fly on our roads, by breaking their stipulated speed limits, as we are yet to get the technology that determines the speed of any vehicle at any given time and for which those that broke the stipulated speed limits, are fined to serve as a deterrent.

For example, a rail line should be built from Lagos – Shagamu – Ore – Benin – Asaba – Onitsha – Awka – Enugu – Abakaliki – Ogoja. Another line will branch off from Onitsha – Owerri – Aba – Calabar – Uyo and so on to other parts of our country.

The terrible accidents that were caused by these heavy vehicles like when a tanker laden with fuel rammed into vehicles that queued up at police check point along Lagos – Ibadan Expressway leading to several

passengers being burnt to death in their vehicles, the trailer carrying cement that rammed into a petrol tanker that caught fire and burnt more than 50 passengers on 5th April, 2013 along Benin – Ore Expressway and the tanker carrying vegetable oil that rammed into vehicles loading passengers at Unizik Junction, Awka on 26th April, 2013 that led to the death of several people, just to mention a few of these accidents, would have been avoided, if we had efficient, fast and comfortable trains that convey passengers and goods.

This is food for thought for our policy makers!

Ifeka Okonkwo Plot 44, Ahocol Housing Estate, Phase II, G.R.A, Awka.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

End of illusion 20:2020

Jets, egos and all things tasteless “When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty.”

-- Thomas Jefferson ARDON my igno rance; I really did not pay closer attention to the existence of Governor Chibuike Amaechi until the private jet situation. The River State governor,it must be said has a passion for the finer things of life.

And I guess, he does feel his office demands the absolute respect wherever he goes in and out of his state.

His ego must have taken a huge dent when he was told that his private jet cannot take off.

He must have been incandescent with rage that someone dared question his station. But aviation rules are rules and he was delayed at the Akure International airport until all the paperwork was verified.

The spin doctors have been earning their keep as one conspiracy theory indicated that the governor had stepped on the president’s

P

toes and that the incident was orchestrated by the president’s men.

So when the brand new jet came to light, his office was quick to defend him; that the purchase was given the assembly’s approval. Their defence was that they simply were concerned with the governor ’s safety. I really can’t stand it when they try to justify the unjustifiable.

The same old sound bite is “it’s not the government’s jet, it belongs to the state.

Really, do these people need a jet to travel? And what did other current and previous governors do when they did not have a jet? Does sans jet make them less effective and would their tenure be better with a jet?

What people want is that, their elected officials are accountable, transparent and answerable to the electors. Our elected officials should be trusted to deliver and work in the best interest of the people they serve and not the other way round.

The old jet was $6M and

stepped back from the euphoria, which he started, the most honourable things for him to do are the following. First, he should dissolve the VISION 20:2020 Committee and allow the people co-opted to this nonsense to go about their lives.

They have been punished enough. And on no account should Jonathan allow another Committee to be inaugurated. VISION 2010

Nigeria, under PDP presidents, remains the only oil producing country in the world still classified as poor

,

Committee was a failure; VISION 20:2020 was even worse.

Second, Usman should do the honourable things as is expected in more decent climes. I never believed him; but millions did and he has lost credibility by this admission that VISION: 20:2020 was a waste of time and resources. His observation that Nigeria moved from 44 to 39 in six years failed to take into account the fact that crude oil prices had reached record highs moving from $75 per barrel to over $120 in the period under review. If crude falls below $70 per barrel tomorrow, we might be down to 50 or worse.

His staff who had been attempting damage control

ident, in September 2009.

He had announced to the whole world that, The targets for Vision 20:2020 are realistic and can be achieved even before then.

As President, Goodluck is still wedded to that illusion while its author is running for cover.

the new one is at the cost of $45M. So while their people scrap through living life on the breadline, the governor is living in the lap of ostentatious luxury. Seriously, there is something phenomenally wrong with our priorities. Why are we so preoccupied with the trappings of wealth that we have lost our humanity and compassion for one another?

We have become a 'Me' society and we cannot think beyond the quick buck and the abuse of power.

So the big FG has waded in, with a very public spat

Amaechi “is fully incharge and in full control of the situation in the state.”

So roll on the court scribe, Abati to extol the emperor’s virtues. Abati has been waxing lyrical again, that “Jonathan was a democratically elected leader who runs a people-oriented, inclusive and progressive government. He believes that the ACN grandees are the cause of the mêlée. And he went on (pardon me but this is stuff of nonsense), that under GEJ’s watch, Nigeria’s democracy has been consolidated; the scope for human free-

,

T

HE scalp of anoth er top government official has landed on my trophy shelve: that of Dr Shamsudeen Usman, the Minister for National Planning. He joins the likes of the technocrats, led by Chief Shonekan, who championed the cause of the Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP in the 1980s to early 1990s,which ruined us till this day.

Shamsudeen will also have waiting to receive him Professor Ojowu, who as Chief Economic Adviser, CEA, to Obasanjo caved in to Presidential pressure and unilaterally reduced the percentage of Nigerians living under poverty from 70 to 54.4 per cent. Ojowu left, but the world has not changed its estimates 70 per cent of Nigerians still live in poverty.

Other defeated BIG men include Professor Soludo; who mesmerized Nigerians with Con-soludo-tion of banks. By 2007, I was screaming on this page that the Nigerian banking sector had become a swindle.

Nobody listened until Sanusi blew the lid off the can of worms. Last but not least, there was Madam Obama, the Director General of the Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE. While Professor Ndidi Oyuike was telling Nigerians, in 2008, that the stock market was sound, I was warning that the NSE was heading for the graveyard. The market capitalization was N16.4

trillion in 2008; it is N10.6 today with new listings accounting for about N2 trillion of that amount.

Since 2007, Usman had been leading a group of people, in and out of government, deceiving Presidents YarAdua and Jonathan that Nigeria stood a chance of becoming one of the top 20 economies by the year 2020. That hoax was titled VISION 20:2020.

Not contented with just uttering the fallacies, which were designed to convince Fellow Nigerians, for whom they have total contempt, Usman actually established a VISION 20:2020 Committee including some of the brightest and the best people Nigeria has produced. In all fairness to the Committee members, not all of them were convinced. One member told me he was serving because governments take dim view of people who refuse when called to serve them. And, he did not want his business interests endangered.

Only God and Usman know how much of our lean national resources had been wasted on this ridiculous idea until last week when the Minister finally caved in to tell the world that he didn't want to be held responsible if Nigeria does not reach the top 20 in 2020. According to him, I will be happy if we are 25 by 2020. Really? If the Minister, who promoted a false campaign for over six years, is not held responsible for leading us astray, then who is? Now that Usman had

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The most obstinate illusions are ultimately broken by facts, Trevor-Roper.

sound like a bunch of illiterates. Even if Usman had warned that the vision was possible under certain conditions, he still had the responsibility of telling the Federal Government and Nigerians if those conditions are realizable in thirteen or fourteen years. For instance, since it has taken us almost seventy years to reach 3000 MW of power production and only about 1,000 MW had been added in the last thirteen years, how realistic is it to expect 30,000 MW in the seven years left to 2020? Even the village idiot knows the answer to that one.

Meanwhile, President Jonathan who, apparently, would believe anything, was on record as Vice-Pres-

PDP NOT OIL IS NIGERIA'S CURSE ..a political party deserves the approbation of Americans [or Nigerians] only as it represents the ideals, the aspirations and the hopes of Americans [and Nigerians].

If it is anything less, it is merely a conspiracy to seize power. President Dwight Eisenhower 1890-1969, November 7, 1956.

Conventional wisdom

Our elected officials should be trusted to deliver and work in the best interest of the people they serve and not the other way round

and the heat is on, for two egos to fight it out. It is clear that Amaechi has crossed swords with GEJ, the president we are told, is ensuring that the governor knows who wears the trousers.

In the meantime, the talk of impeachment goes on but the Rivers State Government has dismissed any threat of impeachment of Governor Chibuike Ameachi by five minority lawmakers in the State assembly. The governor’s office has assured the people of the state that Governor

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dom has been further expanded and there is respect for due process and the rule of law. And that “ordinary Nigerians appreciate the fact that they have a president who is humane, disciplined and focused.”

What does he or his boss know about ordinary Nigerians? He is far removed from reality.You cannot make this up even, if you try.

While the overblown egos are worried about the next election, other governors are busy getting on with improving the lives of ordi-

has it that Nigeria suffers from the curse of oil. That is nonsense. Oil is just another resource which generates funds which the leaders of a nation spend for the benefit of the people in general or steal for themselves as in Nigeria. Gadaffi in Libya and Chavez in Venezuela used oil revenue to transform the lives of their people positively. Nigerian leaders, especially the presidents since 1999, had used the same oil revenue to ruin the lives of the people. The three Nigerian presidents, all elected on the platform of the PDP had collected over N40 trillion since 1999 and Nigerians are poorer for it. The difference between Nigeria and Libya or Venezuela is not in the source of revenue but in the fact that we continue to send to Aso Rock presidents who rob the people by willfully violating the laws which they have sworn to uphold. When the Senate announced that N1.52 trillion was misappropriated by three presidents - Obasanjo, YarAdua and Jonathan - there was more to the story than the statement suggests. In that seemingly simple statement, the NASS was telling Nigerians that we have had incorrigible lawbreakers as Presidents since 1999 and that they have discovered the reason why Nigerians have not received the dividends of democracy and abundant oil reserves as the people of other oil producing countries. Nigeria, under PDP presidents, remains the only oil producing country in the world still classified as poor. Incidentally, the Senate which made the grand announcement about the N1.52 trillion misappropriation is also PDP-led. There is probably no Senator who, if a honest probe is conducted on his sources of funds and disbursement of constituency

allowances, would not be indicted. If we take the probe back to the third term attempt, some senators of whatever calibre may have questions to answer.

The truth is, Nigerians are not poor because we have the curse of oil but because we have the curse of the PDP and its leaders. And the sooner we face the truth the better for us. We will not turn the situation around as long as we continue to vote Jonathan and not PDPbecause it was not the PDP which had been misappropriatingfunds from the Special Accounts since 2010, and who continues to do so, it is President Jonathan. It was not the PDP who, along with twelve other former Governors, was indicted by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB, for filing false assets declarations, it was Jonathan.

There is no need to list seriatim all the documented instances of character defects of our present PDP president. The fact is, it is almost impossible for a honest President to emerge from the ranks of the PDP as constituted right now.

The PDP is simply a conspiracy, against the people of Nigeria. It had, seized power and the national purse and uses them to do what Chairman Bamanga Tukur called taking care of its members.

A political mafia that pushed convicted Lucky Igbiniedon on Edo State for eight years, and Jonathan, who says nothing while his wife is appointed as Permanent Secretaryin Bayelsa State, which she hardly visits, can never take Nigeria to the same heights as Indonesia another oil producing country with large population. When leaders collect funds on behalf of the people, they either invest in the people's progress or they steal the money.

Visit:www.delesobowale.com

nary Nigerians. About time Nigerians use their constitutional rights and do away with blind patriotism. Nigeria deserves better.

the Abuja High Court allowed a former Deputy Director in the police pension office, John Yusuf to pay a paltry sum of N750.000 fine and walk away scot free after he was convicted of stealing N1.3 billion. He,in their esteemed judgement, has a case to answer. In their investigation, they indeed found out that there were indeed many “errors and disappearance of materials in the due process of the case.”

I am impressed that a lawyer, John Oloyede, stuck his head above the parapet and has described the recent suspension of Justice Yakubu Talba by the Nigeria Judicial Council (NJC) as “a middle line option” insisting that what the judiciary needs now is a complete overhaul. I cannot agree more.

Whose says justice is blind?

There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” -- Elie Wiesel The wheels of justice, they say, grinds slowly, but in Nigeria it has taken such a very long time to occur. The National Judicial Council has finally decided to put its house in order and suspended the Honourable Justice Abubakar Mahmud Talba of the FCT High Court from office for a period of twelve months without pay. Pardon me,but they could have gone farther than that and show this justice the door for bringing the house and the profession into disrepute.

The Hon Justice Talba has been prolific in the way he judiciously interpreted the law in favour of high profile cases, one such is that of Mr. John Yakubu Yusuf who fleeced the Police Pension scheme. The lack of sentence was so incredulous that Nigerians were shocked that such crime got a judicial light slap on the wrist and a paltry sum instead of a lengthy custodial sentence that it in fact deserved.

The National Judicial Council concluded that Justice Abubakar Talba of

Big thanks to my mum.....

I love my mother as the trees love water and sunshine — she helps me grow, prosper, and reach great heights. ~Terri Guillemets By the time you read this, my birthday would have come and gone. I do not do much in terms of celebrating, I do have my moments of prayers with God to give thanks and relish my blessings. And I will be calling my mum, Modupeola Ayinke to thank her for being my mother. So I am thanking you mum, I owe so much to you and who I have become.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 11

House been in existence to require massive renovations or the building of a new one?

The last time i sought to glance through govern-

ment projects in Nigeria on the net, what many States pasted to have done or were doing were interesting. In Abia State, the government was busy with the construction of what it called a new and befitting government house at Ogurube layout.

The cost of fencing of the site alone was put at N175million. In far away Abuja, renovation, construction and installation work at the Abia house at a cost of N150million were also in progress. The state government was also spending N500million on quarters for commissioners. In neighbouring Imo State, Government demolished and renovated the existing Government House in Owerri. The cabinet office, the office of the Secretary to the Government and the Governor’s office were all restructured. The old Multi – Purpose Hall was transformed to a mini conference Hall with state – of the art facilities. Meanwhile, the immediate past administration of Chief Ikedi Ohakim, had before leaving office begun the development of the permanent site of the Government House Complex at New Owerri.

That massive renovation would be undertaken in Ibadan from the day Otunba Alao Akala left office was not in doubt as Governor Abiola Ajimobi avoided the governor ’s office in the state secretariat, Agodi.

The programme for the handing over ceremony was supposed to hold in the executive council chambers

but it ended up under a canopy erected at the parking lot. The luncheon fixed for the Banquet Hall of the Government House was also shifted to a private location - the Ibadan Civic Centre. Interestingly, Alao Akala had before leaving office, worked not only on the Ibadan location but had also built an ultra modern liaison office at a cost of N170.9million for the State in Lagos. The edifice which has among other things 15 Guest room chalets was to serve as the new Governor’s lodge in Lagos.

On its part, the current Ekiti State Government is building a new Government House at a hilltop close to the present one. It has also awarded the construction of the second phase of the new Governor’s Office at a cost of N2.02bn. It is to be completed in 13 months according to the State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo. Of course, projects such as new office or residential accommodation for Governors are usually completed on schedule. Only last December when former President Obasanjo visited Katsina, one of the projects he inspected at the instance of Governor Shema was the New Government House which was at the time under construction at Modoji.

The beautiful structure appears ready now for show casing to groups like the Good Governance Tour Team but the many questions that analysts would ask about the project may

never be answered.

If those in government are there on behalf of the people, why do they build, renovate, refurbish and rebuild new Government Houses when many of those for whose sake they are in power are homeless? In the case of Katsina, there is no evidence that government felt the pulse of the people before embarking on the building of a new Government House. Indeed, the story is that a local newspaper –AL MIZAN - had published the findings of its survey showing that the people were against the project. The government has however been touting some strange logic that the funding for the project was sourced from interests which accrued from the state's resources, lodged in the different commercial banks and not from grants allocated from the federation account. The other pertinent question concerns the use into which the existing Government House will be put when government moves to the new one. Is there a possibility that the speculation that it may be donated to any Governor as gratuity for serving the state will come to pass? Whatever is the answer let our leaders remember that other nations that are not engaged in our kind of covetousness are no fools, hence successive British Prime Ministers for instance enjoy only No 10 Downing Street. They dare not waste public resources in restructuring customized Government Houses.

en has greatly lessened their subjugation, ignorant pastors still quote with satisfaction the silly statement credited to St. Paul in the New Testament: "Let your women keep silence in the church; for it is not permitted unto them to speak, but they are commanded to be under obedience... And if they are to learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home, for it is a shame for women to speak in the church" (1 Cor. 14: 34-35).

St. Paul is unaware of the grave dangers inherent in demanding that a woman of superior intellect and understanding should take lessons from an inferior spouse.

Paul, in 1 Cor. 7: 8-9, reportedly admonished believers: "I therefore say to the unmarried and widows; it is good if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry; for it better to marry than to burn with lust." St. Paul's exhortation reflects antiquated Christian morality in matters of marriage and sex. In the text, he does not mention children, since the biological purpose of marriage does not matter to him. There is no hint from St. Paul that sex within marriage can and should give mutual enjoyment to the couple, that there may be some positive good within marriage or that affection between wife and husband may be a beautiful and fulfilling experience. Indeed, St. Paul has no interest in the very important task of raising a family within marriage.

Prevention of the "sin" of adultery and fornication

biological and psychological facts, is a form of morbid aberration. Consequently, Christianity throughout the ages has been a force tending to psychoneurosis and unwholesome views of life. Islam has similar distressing weaknesses with respect to marriage - and even worse.

The dress code for "virtuous" wives in Islam drips with contempt and degradation of women as secondclass creatures to men. In core Islamic countries, the prescribed punishment for adulterous women is death by stoning.

Pathological obsession with chastity in both Christianity and Islam makes marriage burdensome and tedious for women, which is why in ultra-orthodox religious societies they tend to suffer from cognitive dissonance, low self-esteem and inferiority complex. Consequently, the popular notion that sexual fidelity is the most important factor in a successful marriage should be reassessed.

There are economic and psychological reasons why lifelong fidelity to a single partner might seem desirable. However, due to unfair culturally conditioned advantages men have on this issue, it is very plausible that in the olden days when contraceptives were virtually unknown, husbands insisted on sexual fidelity in order to be certain that they are the real biological fathers of the children from their wives. Eventually to ensure that women complied adultery became a deadly sin and its prohibition was codified in the scriptures as a commandment from God. A little reflection would reveal that

the contemporary situation is not conducive for lifelong sexual fidelity. Men and women now have numerous interests, tastes, and desires; opportunities to meet prospective new lovers have increased tremendously. Again, in their "natural state" uninhibited by morality or religion, human beings are instinctively polygamous generally.

Russell observes in his book, Marriage and Morals, that a man (or woman) may fall and remain in love for a few years deeply absorbed in one person. With the passage of time, sexual familiarity deadens the initial passion, and he begins to look elsewhere for a partner to rekindle the old thrill.

The speed and frequency with which this happens depends on the character of the person involved and on the total environment in which he lives with others.

That is why romantic love cannot serve as the sole foundation for lifelong marital union, as we noted earlier. It also explains why, despite all the hypocritical condemnation of extramarital affairs by so-called men and women of God, the rate of sexual infidelity has increased in recent years.

Taking the Gospels' narratives as they stand, Jesus of Nazareth himself was guilty of the absurdity of looking at marriage solely from the point of view of sex when he proclaimed, in Mat. 5: 32, that the only acceptable ground for divorce is adultery, and that anyone who marries a divorced woman, except for reason of adultery, is guilty of the same offense. TO BE CONTINUED.

Our new ultra modern Government Houses constitution clearly stipulates that the main purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people, insecurity has become a recurring feature of public life in the country. As for the welfare of the people, what appears paramount is the pleasure of the “rulers”.

This explains why our leaders - another name for the peoples’ representatives make their own accommodation and feeding a priority. The Governor of a State for example, being the first citizen of the State lives in

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D

EMOCRACY is acclaimed world wide as the best form of government but its features appear rather easy to bastardize. In a democracy, power is said to belong to the people and that they exercise it through a government that is made up of a group of persons selected by the people. What this suggests, is that government ought to constantly feel the puluse of the people on public policies, projects and programmes.

However, in many developing societies like Nigeria, this hardly happens. Indeed, the representatives of the people who ought to function as the servants of the people, more often than not, lord it over the people.

Quite often, these overlords operate above the laws of the land. For instance, in order to have an easy drive from one location to another, they use the instruments of power like the siren and law enforcement agencies to scare away from the public space, ordinary citizens who are going about their lawful businesses.

Although the Nigerian

ovated, if not entirely replaced with a new Government House. Even Akwa Ibom State, generally applauded for its many first class projects virtually began with the building of a new Government House.

The argument that what the immediate past administration in the State wanted to spend on renovating the premises was almost as high as the cost of a new Government House is not the issue. Rather, what we need to ask now is: for how long had the Government

Although the Nigerian constitution clearly stipulates that the main purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people, insecurity has become a recurring feature of public life in the country

the best accommodation in the State. Yet when a new Governor assumes office, the said best accommodation suddenly becomes inadequate and has to be ren-

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PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

M

OREOVER, reli gious stipula tions on marriage reflect the culture, worldview and experiences of the society from which the religion in question originated. As a result, although there are commonalities across cultures that legitimise generalisation of few particularities of each culture, it is definitely wrong to believe that the nuances of Jewish-Greco-Roman and Arabic cultures in the Holy Bible and Holy Quran must command complete or universal assent from everyone.

In addition, given the dogmatic attitude necessarily associated with religion, believers are unwilling to abandon wrong or unrealistic ideas of marriage contained in the scriptures when it is obvious that those ideas hamper marital happiness. Christians who uncritically insist that monogamy is the only divinely sanctioned type of marriage are either completely ignorant of the complex factors that determine the type of marital relationships in various communities throughout history or have not really taken time to reflect on the matter dispassionately.

Anyway, why would God ordain monogamy rather

than polygamy and polyandry, even in societies with demographic differential in favour of women and men respectively? Why should the Supreme Being meddle in a matter human beings can handle by themselves?

Religious conception of marriage provides the strongest justification for the hideous subjugation of wives by husbands. Biblical and Quranic accounts of creation depict women as subordinate to men, whereas in some traditional African communities some of the most powerful deities are conceived as females.

Of course, the idea that a man is innately superior to a woman is pure nonsense invented by religions founded by men. Ashley Montagu's The Natural Superiority of Women and Natalie Angier's Woman: an Intimate Geography among others provide compelling evidence that women may, in fact, be superior to men. That said, when a man sees the wife as a property, he tends to treat her like an object, like a mere thing. This foolish attitude is reinforced by the economic dependence of wives on their husbands. Although the continuing global economic and intellectual emancipation of wom-

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Facts and fallacies about marriage (2)

Pathological obsession with chastity in both Christianity and Islam makes marriage burdensome and tedious for women

Without a doubt, religion constitutes the fundamental cause of marital unhappiness because of the constellation of erroneous ideas about marriage that believers are enjoined to accept dogmatically. Consider, for example, the notion advocated by St. Thomas Aquinas that sex is permissible in marriage solely because of procreation, as is the case with animals. St.

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preoccupies matters so much to him, to the extent that his theory of marriage is constructed with reference to it. Bertrand Russell wisely observes that St. Paul view is "just as if one were to maintain that the sole reason for baking bread is to prevent people from stealing cake".

Christian conception of marriage and sex, which almost always conflicts with

PAGE 12 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013

death would be so sudden?

Was it an accident? Was he assassinated? It was past the April Fools’ Day, and we do not normally, even then, make jokes with death. What manner of death, O Pini? This death is by all means a shattering oddity, simply because Pini Jason was far too alive and present in our increasingly shrinking universe; far too important – far too crucial in these dark nights of our

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RANKLY, I’m tired of writing obituaries and eulogies. Were death not such an invisible coward, we should go and drag it from its abode, and give it a public flogging for being such an ass – what Nigerians would call a “mumu.”

But death hides and strikes with impunity. For example, how come of all its prime choicesin the land – including many who do not add a scintilla of value to the human family: corrupt politicians, thieving civil servants; terrorists, killers, rapists, fake pastors, many retired Nigerian Generals who are generally unworthy of their epaulettes, those who “dey kampe” doing nothing at all - death went and took Pini Jason, one of the more priceless jewels in Nigerian public life? Elegant Pini.

Magnificent Pini. Incomparable Pini.

Our own Pini. My rage is, I understand, fruitless, but these were the exact thoughts that passed through my mind last Saturday when the news flashed across to me. It was a crisp and final statement without ambiguity: “Pini Jason is dead!” The message gave no quotas. It was cruel. I’d read Pini Jason’s last column, and it seemed fresh and resolute; there was no signal – no sign of senility nor of ill omen.

How come then that his

spected colleague, but he was my brother and friend too. You could not but like Pini: his deep-felt laughter was genuine; his love ofpeople and nation was real; he was fair, broadminded, andcosmopolitan.

He was proud of his Igbo ancestry; he fought and defended the rights of the Igbo as citizens within this federation, but his sense of justice was equally tuned towards defending, in his in-

With Pini you knew exactly where he stood. He had a clear, unambiguous way of communicating the moral insight that animated his choices

nation.

His sharp, critical insight; the clarity of his prose and reason; the thoughtful exegeses of the subject of nation in his writings was far too crystal; too invaluable and necessary to any attempts to provide this generation with scrutiny and with a compass. Pini Jason Onyegbaduo was our compass; our ownJason steering the wheels for the Argonauts in search of the lovely fleece. Pini Jason was not only a highly re-

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cisive and public statements, the rights of any Nigerian irrespective of ethnicity, religion or class against the buffets of power and ill governance. Pini Jason was of the category of liberal intellectuals that shaped the debate of the nation from the 1980s till the moment of his final breath last week. He was centrist in his persuasion.

We read Pini not merely for the seductive and pristine elegance of his prose, but for the quality of thought

Where the time goes....

L

ATELY social me dia has woven its technological claws into the tapestry of everyday life. I am not much for conversations; especially on a phone, I find that I follow updates on messenger applications to see how my friends and family are faring. People post the most amazing and amusing status messages and photos on their profiles and I will most likely find one to either make me laugh or cringe daily. In all of the activities on social media one must surely notice a frenzied need for people to capture events and broadcast them. I always wonder why it is so important to spread news most of which is quite bad with such delight and zeal? I am especially appalled by those who send you photographs of carnage and my contacts lists are limited to people who actually are liv-

ing their own lives and sharing a bit of themselves rather than self appointed bad news mongers or even worse, the narcissistic few who feel the need to take pictures of their own face and outfits a 100 times a day!!

Time seems to be flying by and everyday lived is a day gone. I often find myself wondering where the time goes. Last sunday I had a meeting with someone who seemed to be just as shell shocked as me that we were old; that we were parents and finally responsible. Does anyone recall the days growing up when the word responsible seemed like a noose? It seemed responsible was the anti fun! I can remember most grown ups using that word to deny me of all my earthly pleasures.

Too much make up was irresponsible, watching television and daydreaming( my specialties) was irresponsible, don't even

mention partying or hanging out with your friends!. On that particular sunday I was the soul of responsibility. I had dashed out of church after listening to a particularly wonderful word from my Pastor for my meeting. I was early and had synchronised all contacts and parties; very responsible! In the course of that meeting I recall mentioning how surprised I sometimes am when people bow or courtesy to me, or how people defer to me the way I used to defer to elders and how it was dawning on me that I was the elder ( its becoming quite regular). In fact my exact words were that I got old when I wasn't looking and nobody had bothered to send me a memo! Where on earth did the time go and what did I do with all of that time?

I have come to conclude that social media's fa-

from the customs to journalism. It began in the weekly Lagos Weekend where he was a stringer while he worked in the Customs. Then to the international Africa Nowmagazine, where I first read him, until later in the now defunct Thisweek magazine. I came to know Pini more closely as colleagues here in the Vanguard, certainly through his eminently readable columns, but more through shared intellectual and political causes. He chose to call me, “Intifada poet!” He was a man, who in everything was neatly and elegantly packaged: in his writing and in his appearance.

With Pini you knew exactly where he stood. He had a clear, unambiguous way of communicating the moral insight that animated his choices. Much had been made by his admirers and critics about his decision to serve the Imo state government in the administration of Ikedi Ohakim. There were many who felt that Pini’s presence in that administration gave moral weight to an otherwise floundering government, and that he helped thus to legitimize hokum. I think it is important to acknowledge that Pini Jason had a right and an obligation to offer his services to the government of Imo state to the highest ability of his talents. True talent, like light, has no business under the bushel. I choose rather to think that Pini was one of the brightest spots in that administration, and there were a few bright spots. That government did not lack conceptual capacity, what it lacked was the capacity to execute strategic ideas equifinally. Pini’s advisory role in that government, and he did offer his own

self-defence, took nothing from his high moral grounds.

The measure of the man is the measure of the world he occupies. Pini served with diligence and came out untainted by any whiff of malfeasance. He added no unearned shekel to his name.

In due course, it should be clear, that of the highest attributes of Pini Jason’s character, the most important was fidelity. He was firm in his convictions. Firm in his faith about a Nigerian renaissance. Firm in his friendship, and firm in his loyalty to truth as he perceived and lived it. A great star has departed among us.

I write this with a profound sense of loss, and it is crucial to add this, even just as an aside: there is a terrible lack in Nigerian journalism that limits the communication of the truth of our general reality. Reports of Pini’s death kept saying he had “stomach surgery.”

That is lame, speculative, and uninformed journalism. There is no medical term called “surgery of the stomach.” Did Pini have a ruptured appendix? Was he diagnosed with a form of cancer – the colon cancerwhich is a deadly killer, and which has frequently been ignored by Nigerian public health information? Could routine colonoscopy have saved Pini? These are questions that now trouble me, as it should any man on the approach of fifty in Nigeria. That said, Pini Jason Onyegbaduo was an unforgettable man. We who knew him feel grateful that he shared his life with us. Death indeed is dumb, otherwise, it’d have left Pini Jason well alone because he had much more worthwhile things to do. But even good things too must come to an end.

vourite tool is emotion.

We all get in touch with our inner philosopher and begin to share our thoughts; some of us even broadcast those thoughts regularly; some broadcasts unconfirmed news, stale gists and spread rumours. Nostalgia, morality and religion play lead roles in all the musings but lately I get worried when I see a burning candle or a black out profile. Its the new obituary and the fac-

One minute you are being fed, housed and clothed and the next you become the one doing the housing, feeding and clothing. I am not denying the joy of family, growth and independence but are we paying any attention to the passage and usage of time?

I am not in anyway advocating irresponsibility and frivolity but I am advocating spending our time judiciously balancing our responsibilities

life possible but we can try to rein in the amount of stress our myriad responsibilities places so heavily on our shoulders.

Mastering time is a divine privilege but applying our hearts to wisdom and accepting our days are limited is the grim reality we all have to embrace. I turn 44 in a few months and from where I stand; the young should savour their youth! Its fleeting and will be over before they know it. Truth is I still don't feel old but my age and responsibilities beg to disagree most strongly. I have spent the past week in the company of my best and possibly only friend; we have had so much fun and redeemed a bit of our lost youth. Between motherhood, running households, husbands and businesses we hardly ever have such escapes.

Fate and circumstance have created this opportunity and while I would rather it was a choice we were afforded by a motive of fun I am still grateful for the opportunity. I am trying to make time a friend by being present and embracing all the facets of life as it is presented to me. I end with a Blackberry profile that had me in stitches this past week.."Don't grow up; its a trap"

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Elegant Pini: Death is such an ass

and the warmth of the humanity conveyed in his writing.

Born in Obizi, Mbaise, in Eastern Nigeria, Pini Jason arrived Lagos in 1959 to attend the CMS Grammar School in Bariga, Lagos.

He was barely out of school when the crisis that led to the fleeing of the Easterners from the rest of the federation happened; and like other young men of his generation, Pini Jason proudly and courageously volunteered to fight and defend the Republic of Biafra when it was declared as the safe berth for Easterners, particularly the Igbo, who had fled for their lives in the old federation. If there was any singular emblematic moment for his generation the civil war was such a moment.

The civil war uprooted them, and redrew the maps of their lives. Pini Jason was commissioned as an officer of the Biafran Navy and he saw action in Oguta and Arochukwu. The war was fought and lost; Biafra was defeated; young Igbo men like Pini returned to Lagos, determined to make the most of their situation; to demonstrate the courage and valor of their age and the steadfast will that led them through war – outgunned, outmanned, defeated, but unbowed. Pini Jason represented one of the best of that generation. The war was over. They picked up their lives where it lay shattered. He soon returned to Lagos, and sought a commission as an officer in the Nigerian Navy, failed to securethe commission but ended up in the Customs and Exercise. In his last essay for the Vanguard, almost as though he knew to put the early records of his journeys in perspective, Pini Jason wrote about his move

Responsibility is not a choice we make, it's an inevitability that happens before we have time to even consider the possibilities!!

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es get younger with more frequency. It brings me back to the question of time and what we all do with it. It is amazing that the transition from young to old happens so fast that time is lost in between. Responsibility is not a choice we make, it's an inevitability that happens before we have time to even consider the possibilities!!

with a higher quality of emotional, spiritual and physical presence. This last week I have seen at least two burning candles on two different profiles; two young and vibrant people died and their time stopped. Thats what happens to all of us at one time or the other; our time runs out. No one is ever going to live the perfect or even the best

SUNDAY

BY JIDE AJANI, EMMA NNADOZIE & LEKAN BILESANMI

K

idnapping is a relatively new phenomenon in Lagos State. Last month, a local government chairman was kidnapped. The state commissioner of police, Mr. Umar Manko, in this interview, says his command is up to the task of containing all forms of criminality in the state.

He acknowledges the collaborative efforts of the people and government of the state to curb crime.

On the kidnapping of the council chairman, Manko says the gang that did it came from Ghana, and that his men were on their trail before a ransom was paid to secure the release of the top government official. Excerpts: How does it make you feel that there is this sudden but creative ways of criminality in Lagos now occasioned by kidnapping and the rest?

I think it is a new challenge and a new phase. Naturally I should feel bad being a commissioner of police, but one thing I always tell people is that these things are not as bad as they are painting it, but even if it is one out of many, that is bad enough for somebody who is on my seat. If you have zero crime return, it is better for us. By and large, while it is sad that we have such, I also want to C M Y K

put it on record that things are not yet out of hand contrary to what some people are thinking and that, for every challenge in Lagos State ,we have a strategy to counter it.

We are also dealing decisively with the new phenomenon of kidnapping and abduction. We have started making in road into the identities of these people who probably had the feeling that they could come here, just as they are doing in other places. Of course you remember the group that kidnapped the mother of finance minister was cracked here.

Some of the suspects who had been very evasive for a long time were arrested. After we finished parading them here, my colleagues from other commands have been calling me to see how we send them to them to face charges preferred against them before returning them here. Now that kidnapping did not happen in Lagos but we had an information which we followed and we were able to decisively crack that group. We also paraded another group of kidnappers that migrated from two states in the east, they came here trying to see if they could have a base, they were picked one by one from their hideouts and we followed them to other states where their mates were and we brought them here and they were paraded some weeks back. And we also have the identities of some of them on the run. We have reasons to believe that some of them came from their base in Ghana, and taking on council chairman.

Of course we know that anybody in captivity, relations of such a people will not find it easy but we were telling them that we were already on the trail of these kidnappers, ‘don’t pay ransom, but they went ahead and paid and I think after

Vanguard, MAY 12,, 2013, PAGE 13

collecting the ransom, they (kidnappers) returned to where they came from. But, as we speak, I have a team in Ghana in collaboration with the Interpol with a view to locating and bringing them here. And from the report reaching me, we are making headway. God willing, they will be brought here.

The way your men are tracking kidnappers these days makes one to wonder the magic behind it?

Lagos has the best of everything. Even though some people say my face is not fine, we have been able to demonstrate quality leadership, we allow people to do what they are supposed to do without molestation, that has gone a lot way in helping us to do our work.

Why do people ignore police advice against paying ransom to kidnappers?

Fear. If somebody is captured, the relations would try to do all they can to get the person out. And I think it is in the process of that that they panick and pay ransom. When the chairman came out and said the sophistication of the kidnappers operation was beyond the police, I quickly reminded the people by asking them where was the chairman when we picked the kidnappers of the mother of Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala? There is no crime that is beyond the capability of Lagos State Command.

What you have said now relates to intelligence

Continues on page 14

PAGE 14—SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

MAY 12,, 2013

CP Manko... I am grateful to citizens and residents of Lagos for their partnership in the fight against crime

‘Ghanaian gang abducted council boss’

gathering. How cooperative have members of the public been in intelligence gathering?

I am grateful to citizens and residents of Lagos for their partnership in the fight against crime because if you look at some of the breakthroughs we had, they were all based on intelligence gathering, people giving useful information which led to recovering of arms and even being able nip some of those crimes in the bud. It is very encouraging that Lagosians are on the side of the police by giving information that is critical and I think that has gone a long way in helping us. Now, not on this alone, I think the future of police in Nigeria is going to be based on intelligence, more than physical. I think we are also grateful to have a governor and government who are interested in the security of the citizens because we have been able to partner with the state government such that most of our requirements are given to us without delay.

The governor ,I want to single him out for commendation for his interest in the security of the people of Lagos State, that has helped the police in a long way.

The way the I.G has positioned himself since coming to office, Nigerians have never had in so good in quote, it could be better. When you look at what comes from the top, that is, the I.G office, how does that affect the others below like the DIGs, AIGs, Comms, Area Commanders?

If you want to assess anybody or a body, you look at the head. And I think the police today is very lucky to have the calibre of the kind of personality occupying the IG office now who is so passionate about effective and quality service delivery. He has done so much since he came in. He started with the reform agenda and I think the agenda is taking the police from where he met it to where it is now and I hope it will still go places before he leaves office. The initial actions he took which some people thought were just smoke screens have manifested clearly that he meant well for this country.

I am talking about road block, they thought that road block has become part of our culture and that it cannot be removed, but the man insisted that it should be removed, and here we are today, everybody is benefitting from it. The police code of conduct he re-launched, it is not as if the thing had not been there, it has but nobody had the courage to say look let us revisit what we used to have,’ he brought it up and every police man today knows his limit.’

Those things some of us used to take for granted have been brought back to focus.

You also saw the police week, that was another one. The last time that event ever held was about 30 something years ago.

The I.G had not joined the police then. He has partnership with you guys (media).

Sometimes where he said,’ look, come and C M Y K

tell us where we are wrong; if you tell us where we are wrong, we can know how best we can improve.’ I think that is humility.

He was very bold to have brought in people like Femi Falana, Adams Oshiomole, natural critics of government, to come and tell us to our face where are going wrong. I think these are some of the qualities that every leader thinking good about his organisation will certainly go. I think if he has more time, the police will be better served and it will be in overall interest of the public. Again, people talk out of ignorance. I laugh at their ignorance. And that is why one would have to forgive them sometimes because if you live here in Lagos and you say the Lagos police command still mounts road block against the I.G’s order, and to think that this is Lagos with an increasing population, he never said we should not stop and search. He did not say also that if we have reason to block a place when crime is committed, we should not do it. But the traditional road block that had become a culture and probably an avenue where people extort money is wiped out. I came here when the law was introduced and

the area commanders and the DPOs, and I always emphasise what I think Lagos State Command should be while I am here. We are not going to take incivility on the members of the public lightly as I will implement the IG’s instruction about corruption to the letter such that people found wanting are sanctioned. If I don’t sleep, I don’t see how an area commander will sleep and if you decide to sleep, then you leave that office so that I will give you a place where you can sleep comfortably; this has been working including the area commanders. If I cannot remove you, I can tell the I.G I don’t want to work with this one and he goes, that has been the magic.

And if you send a constable or corporal to go and collect bribe for you and the thing boomerangs, if we find reason that you sent him, we will extend the sanction to you. I also went round to the area commands and some divisional headquarters and I told the rank and file that if you allow your DPO to use you to go and collect money under the pretext that he is going to give me money, I have not asked anybody to give me money and I didn’t send any DPO to go and look

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Continued from page 13

It is very encouraging that Lagosians are on the side of the police by giving information that is critical and I think that has gone a long way in helping us. Now, not on this alone, I think the future of police in Nigeria is going to be based on intelligence, more than physical

we went to the level we did to make sure that the I.G’s order was obeyed and, till I remain in this office, I don’t think there is anybody that will flout that order. Other aspects of that write up was the attack on my person.

Talking about the I.G and other officers, the I.G cannot be every where, just as you too cannot be every where. How do you check the excesses of your men on the field.

I told you earlier that the aim of a leader depicts what the followership will do. I made myself clear when I came in that I am here on posting like every other ones; the I.G who sent us here has reasons for bringing me here, just like every other person that he has sent here to come and work and I told them how best to run the command while I am here. My mission was so clear that everybody knew where he will start and stop. We also told them clearly that anybody who decides to go beyond his limit will be adequately sanctioned. I try as much as I can every week to interact with

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for money for me and I don’t want, so if anybody sends you to go and collect money, tell him you are not going; if you are caught, you will be dismissed and prosecuted. That has been my approach.

How accessible are the members of the public to you in terms of information gathering?

When I came here, I gave out my numbers.

I don’t have any private line that the public does not know. Even if I buy a new line today, I will advertise it through you and your colleagues so that the public can have it and I think that has brought about tremendous assistance from the public.

People call me any time of the day and I take immediate action. There was a particular day, somebody, around 4.30, called me to say a police man was hanging around her house and given the kind of kidnapping going on, she didn’t know what the police man was waiting there for, especially now that there are fake

policemen here and there. Fortunately I was around that neigbourhood on patrol, so she was surprised to see me. She asked me repeatedly if I was the commissioner of police until she saw me through a hole on the gate and said I might be the one because of my glasses. She said,’ yes, it is you because of your glasses because your face is not always good on television’. I tried to reorganise the X-Squad when I came in, I brought an officer whom I knew very well in my days here as a middle class officer, one Kola Ogunmola.

Community policing If we are going to follow Nigeria police history, you will discover that the citizens tend to have more to say in the affairs of policing the country. And one the cardinal points of the IG, as you rightly pointed out, was community policing. If you give this force 10 more years, I think the police we have today will be one that will be called people oriented force. If you go to Isokoko Police Station, the flagship programme of community policing in Lagos State, you will discover that citizens of Agege have active participation and singing a different tune about the police now. They are involved in patrol with us, they are involved in arrest, investigation and, to some extent, prosecution of suspects. If we expand it further as we are doing now, I think it is going to be a model that others will be coming to copy.

There is information that you have been embarking on tours of some ells in your command. What brought about such?

Lagos State Police Command is the only command that runs human rights programme for policemen. That has been going on even when the I.G was commissioner here. I think that was his brain child. We sent officers and men on six weeks intensive training where fundamentals of human rights are taught.

At the end of the day, they sit to write examinations, so that those who passed, they are issued certificate, and those that could not make would take handshake and return to their offices. I always tell them that they are going to be in the vanguard of human rights protection in the protection of citizens rights in Lagos state. So we have a human rights desk headed by a DSP, a lawyer. We ensure that peoples rights are not violated unnecessarily. But coming to your question, I think I have a responsibility for suspects detained in our cells, wherever they are in Lagos State, so I take my time to go into where I think there are major crimes to check the suspects; are they are faring well?, because even if they are suspects they are Nigerians. That is why on the 1st of January, I told all area commanders that they must feed all the suspects in their custody for that day. At the headquarters here, I served a suspect myself. We all sat down with them and ate together.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013 — PAGE 15

By SONI DANIEL, Regional Editor, North Professor Ango Abdullahi is the face of the Northern Elders Forum, NEF. In this interview, he warns of the consequences of some unguarded staements of a few individuals close to the presidency and insists that President Goodluck Jonathan would not be president in 2015: Excerpts

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C M Y K

•Ango Abdullahi ... Jonathan has done nothing

ANGO ABDULLAHI SPITS FIRE ON 2015

N-Delta should start the crisis now! ...rather than waiting for Jonathan’s defeat *Demands answers to questions on Monguno’s kidnapping *’How to re-design the nation’s economy’

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ut don’t also forget that before the abduction, the JTF had made an announcement that they had intelligence report that Boko Haram members were planning to embark on kidnapping, which they claimed was more lucrative but less hazardous. And this kidnapping came a week later. So, you see, there has always been this suspicion that there are the original Boko Haram, the criminal Boko Haram and the financial or economic Boko Haram. So, as time goes on, we would be able to find out why the man was taken. Is it harassment of an elder and by extension other northern elders? Or is it intimidation to make us shut up and, by implication, silence us. But the end of it is that we are happy that our elder is back home and we look forward to seeing him shortly.

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OW do you feel about the release of elder statesman, Ali Monguno, by his captors?

Well, speaking on behalf of the Northern Elders Forum, it gladdens our hearts that the 92-year-old elder statesman has rejoined his family and his community after his abduction by some unknown persons. I think this is the most heartwarming of the tragic incident. But there are still some unanswered questions as to who did it and why. It is necessary for the administration to investigate who masterminded the kidnapping of the man and why. I think from the statement issued by Boko Haram, they had no involvement in the abduction..

So, if you take Boko Haram out, the next question is, who and why? So there are circumstantial questions and factors which must be understood before a final position could be taken as to who and why. Some of the circumstantial issues were, in the first place when this man was abducted, it was done in broad daylight after coming out of the mosque. The place should have been well protected as is the case with most places of worship. But there was no such protection in the mosque where the old man was taken. Shortly after taking the man away, the abductors called the family to say, ‘ we have the man here, he is fine and then demanded that ransom be paid to them as a condition for releasing him.

The demand for ransom suggests that it was purely for economic reason. And the other question is, why they should abduct a poor man.

For many reasons, I don’t see how the Boko Haram members could touch Monguno because of the many social roles he had played since this crisis started. In fact, he was most sympathetic to them and had even asked that the Joint Task Force should leave Borno alone. He had even pleaded with the president to see reasons to relax the grip of the soldiers on the city. So it could not be them.

I am not President Jonathan’s political adviser and, in fact, I don’t want him to be re-elected

What does the kidnap of Mungono tell you about the setting up of the committee on Boko Haram by the Federal Government? Do you think the committee can achieve anything given the rejection of amnesty by the sect?

I believe the committee can still achieve a lot. You see, initially, their argument was that there was no contact or dialogue with the sect but the mere fact that they are talking means that dialogue has begun. For me, that is the starting point. They pick up

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their case and start from there.

There is exchange of information between government and the group. So, both will find a way to reconcile. It something that should be vigorously pursued.

I

s this the kind of approach that the NEF put to the president?

Exactly, we had always believed that a point must be reached where contact is made and some form of dialogue started. This has always been our demand and, when we met with the president, we told

him so in very clear terms. We even gave him a document on that and suggested the way forward. So, it is quite in the direction we believe we should go.

But the Arewa youths came out the other day condemning the president for setting up the committee, saying that he was doing so to win the support of the North towards his re-election in 2015.

How could the membership of this committee be turned into politics?. The only reason one can say so is that the chairman of the amnesty panel is a minister and the secretary is to come from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. But, looking at the members that I know, they could not be errand boys to anyone including the

Continues on page 16

PAGE 16 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

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e should have been gentlemanly enough to say to his party, ‘look, I’m not qualified to put up myself for election beyond 2011' and that a northerner should run for the post as agreed. He did not do so, but came out to say that he did not know about the zoning. So, how do you deal with this kind of a person who cannot honour a simple gentleman’s agreement? So, from all these perspectives, I don’t see how one can support the president or his ability to be able to lead this country.

But, are you and the northern elders not worried that Asari Dokubo, one of Jonathan’s kinsmen, has threatened that there would be no peace if Jonathan is not re-elected in 2015?

The choice is theirs. The choice for peace or no peace is that of all Nigerians. No

‘We demand answers to questions on Monguno’s kidnapping’

responsible for the conflict between the president and the governors individually or as a group.

•Ango Abdullahi ... President created confrontation with governors

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Continued from page 15 president. So, you will soon discover that if they are allowed to do their work, they would do their work well, otherwise they would resign.

What do you think President Jonathan should do in order to win the support of Nigerians and be re-elected in 2015?

Well, I am not President Jonathan’s Political adviser and, in fact, I don’t want him to be re-elected.

Why? Because he has done nothing for this country since he became president. In fact, things in this country are worse than they have ever been. So far, in terms of the performance of this president, I don’t see how he can stand and win an election if you judge him in terms of the social, economic and political indices in the Nigerian environment where we are now. Things have gone from bad to worse since his coming.

In the first place, he should not be sitting as the president of Nigeria going by the zoning formula of his party, the PDP. The president should have come from the North based on the zoning policy of the PDP. Under the PDP zoning policy, the North allowed the South to produce the president for eight years, which exPresident Obasanjo took and, by their own signature, including Jonathan himself, when he was deputy governor on behalf of his governor, that the North will then run for eight years and we agreed.

Umaru Yar’Ádua started but died after two and a half years.

Of course, the constitution allows that his Vice should serve out the remaining term of the joint ticket and we did not complain. Common sense should have dictated to Jonathan that he should honourable enough to respect the zoning agreement which he was a party to.

All these actions tell you the quality of leadership of the president himself and the quality of advice he gets from those who are advising him

individual or group of individuals has monopoly for peace or lack of it. My reaction is that, but for the fact that I am aware that Dokubo is a spokesperson for the corridor of power. I would have ignored him. But my reaction now is directed to their leaders, elders, including the president, that if it is their feeling that this is the way things should go, I am saying on behalf of the NEF that they should start the crisis now because I’m putting them on notice that Jonathan will not be president in 2015. So they can start now and we in the North are waiting.

The president is believed to have initiated moves again of those he suspects do not support or will not support his re-election. Are you not worried?

All these actions tell you the quality of leadership of the president himself and the quality of advice he gets from those who are advising him.

It is absolutely clear that either he is totally incompetent or that he has incompetent or inept advisers around him or, on the whole, they are totally desperate that power should be retained by him or by some people. But I would not know whether it is personal or whether it is tribal or regional or zonal. It is not very clear to me who these people are representing. Are they representing Jonathan as

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a person or representing Ijaw as a tribe or the South-South as a zone?

But do you think that the North will be able to agree on a candidate in order to defeat Jonathan, who has the support of many governors across the country?

What do you mean by being capable? Look, what I want to see is democracy in practice, so that as many candidates who want to contest the next presidential election, including Jonathan himself, can do so freely, without being witch-hunted or harassed by anyone. In fact, I would prefer that Jonathan should contest and I can assure you that he will lose. And as far as the North is concerned, there are many credible and qualified candidates and once a free and fair election is guaranteed, the people would choose who they want to be their president come 2015.

W

hat do you make of the frosty relationship between the president and governors including those from his party? Some accuse the governors of using the NGF to prevent the president from performing his duties to the nation.

I think the president created the confrontation which is totally needless. I have not seen any governor who has come to interfere with the activities of the Presidency. I

have not seen one and those who are criticising the governors for forming themselves into a forum to plan for their own meetings should come forward and tell Nigerians how they are disturbing Jonathan. What seems to be happening is that the president wants to exert himself everywhere as the leader of the party and the country. That is the problem.

But that is totally wrong and inconsistent with the democratic principles of the party because when we drafted the PDP constitution, there was nothing like the president also serving as the leader of the party. It is not done even in the United States of America from where we borrowed our mode, of democracy. But the president is trying to copy what Obasanjo did when he anointed himself and forced the party to appoint him as the leader of the party and the President of Nigeria.

I am saying so because when we drafted the constitution of the PDP, there was no provision for party leader. What we had was the Chairman of the PDP. But, before we knew it, Obasanjo had concocted something which is applicable in the parliamentary system of government where the leader of the party becomes the prime minister as we have in Britain. In the US, the party is totally different from the president. Once the election is over, the president gets on with his job and the governors go to their respective states to do their job of providing services for the people. But, because in Nigeria, the President wants to exercise excessive control over the governors and all other party members and organs, the president wants to take everything and that is what is

Creation of conflict So, the creation of this conflict needs to be there.

What is wrong with the governors getting together under a forum to discuss common problems and issues that can help them to serve their people and Nigerians better?

What is wrong with that? How does that affect or prevent the president from doing his own work for Nigerians? Of course, we have been having the Northern Governors Forum because of the history of the North. There has always been the South-West Governors Forum where they meet to discuss problems confronting them.

The same thing has been going on in the eastern region and so on. So you can see that the meeting of the governors in this country is not a new thing and has never been a setback to any government either at the national or local level. So, how can the president now begin to worry governors simply because of their regular meetings? Is this not a democratic government that we are practising?

I

would advise the president to do away with the isolationist approach to governance in this country. If I were him, I would rather go for regional cooperation with the governors in order to fast track the development of Nigeria. So, to me, the NGF is a vital platform for enhancing the development and progress of Nigeria and should be encouraged by wellmeaning Nigerians. But the Presidency looks at the NGF as a political manoeuvre where the governors are exercising too much influence either on the party or on their states, but the question is, what is wrong with that? The governors were elected just like the president. The NGF embraces governors from all the parties and they have the right to sit down and discuss issues of common interest. But I think the Presidency fears that the control of the governors is slipping out of his hands especially now that it is clear to him that he is ready to contest election. He is going about it the wrong way and I hope he will continue to go the wrong way so that it becomes easy for the North to get him out in 2015.

Are you worried about the way things are going in Nigeria?

Yes I am in so many ways,

Continues on page 17

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013 — PAGE 17

Continued from page 16

C M Y K

•Ango Abdullahi

‘How to re-design the nation’s economy’

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as someone who has seen the good and bad times in the country. Nigeria has never had it so bad in its history as a nation. But I don’t think that this country has ever had as bad a time as we are witnessing today, including the time we had the civil war.

In the period of our civil war, the issues were well defined.

The positions were very clear and the basis for which the war was fought and won by Nigeria was very clear to all.

Soon after, General Gowon, a nice man, announced that there was neither a victor nor a vanquished.

And he got on with the task of rebuilding the nation. The Igbo came back to the mainstream politics of the country.

Ojukwu was back and Ekwueme became the vice president of Nigeria. It was a feat that was not achievable by war- torn countries before Nigeria. Everything was shared at the national level by government and Nigerians began to live as one again. No part of the country was left out because of the rebellion. Nigerians wanted to live in peace with one another and to be their brother’s keeper. But the sad thing about our present situation is that fronts are being created deliberately to divide the society. Politics based either on region, old and new, tribe and latest addition, religion, which is very dangerous, is being played up. In those days, the issue of religion was not known either in the North or anywhere. The people in the Nigerian Army, side by side fought without considering which faith the man next in the trench was serving. Now, what worries me most is that if they keep pushing the religious front to a point when it becomes clear that the man in uniform is a Muslim and the other one is a Christian or another faith, and that they are looking at themselves purely along that line, then you can be sure that shooting will start from the barracks. And once shooting starts from the barracks and spills over to the community, that is the end of Nigeria. This is the most dangerous threat to this country and I can see quite a few extremist religious leaders trying to push this front beyond what it should be. I am asking them to be cautious not to do it to the point they will divide this country along religious lines. Anything that should reverse this process should be taken seriously by those who are in the position of authority.

But the South insists that the North is actually precipitating problems to weaken Jonathan and make him fail so as to fit into the threat in 2011 that if the North did not take back power, it would make the country ungovernable. The leaders blame Buhari for making that statement when

Why is it that when Obasanjo threatened the peace and security of the nation, it was not seen as something dangerous, but Buhari’s comparison of a dog and baboon has become a threat to Jonathan’s government?

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he said that both the baboon and the dog would be soaked in blood if the election was rigged.

I do not remember or read any formal statement by Buhari or his supporter that both the baboon and the dog would be soaked in blood if the election was rigged. But is that more dangerous than what Obasanjo said in Abeokuta that the 2011 election was a do-or-die affair. When he made that threat, it did not amount to any problem but that of Buhari’s quarrel and a dog is now taken as a serious threat. So, which of the two statements is more threatening to national peace. That is why we say that this country is being manipulated by certain persons in positions of authority to castigate certain per-

sons and regions for their selfish interest. Why is it that when Obasanjo threatened the peace and security of the nation, it was not seen as something dangerous, but Buhari’s comparison of a dog and baboon has become a threat to Jonathan’s government? That statement by Buhari was largely reported out of context by the PDP-controlled media deliberately to cast the former head of state in bad light. You can see all these are aimed at canvassing for votes on the basis of religion. But, let me say that we will not be afraid if the canvassing for votes is going to be done on the basis of sentiments. The North will not be afraid of that. But we are not like some of these people. Remember what Chief Anenih did during the prima-

ries for the PDP presidential election in 2011. Anenih had warned the delegates from the South-South that if any of them voted for the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, the party would trace the person and sanction them seriously.

What did he mean by that?

Yet, we in Adamawa, where Atiku comes from, gave him 33 votes and over 60 votes to Jonathan. So, if they are saying that people should vote their ethnic or religious ties or they are punished, we in the North are also going to do the same in the next election. We can also say if any northerner votes for Jonathan, we will punish the person. If this is what they want to reduce the country to tribal and religious sentiments, we will respond in the same fashion. I can assure you of that.

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s a renowned agri culturist, what do you think makes it impossible for Nigeria to have a worthy food chain in about 100 years of nationhood?

Poor leadership, poor economic policies that need to be redesigned and implemented to ensure the development of this country on all the fronts.

Not to forget that for the years of Nigeria’s existence, the agriculture sector sustained the nation’s economy and pro-

vided food for the country but also provided foreign exchange for the nation. So , it is very clear that as soon as we began to earn big money from oil, we jettisoned agriculture. Yes, oil brought money but go and find out how many billions is being used to import agricultural products and how many billions is being wasted to import things that our farmers can easily produce in this country. How do we explain the profligacy whereby we produce tomatoes in the raw form but there is no place to preserve and process it into the form we import from overseas?

The factories should be set up to checkmate waste. I can tell you that everything that you see being imported as food into this country can be produced by Nigerian farmers and agriculturists if the government is willing to put in place the necessary facilities, policies and programmes to encourage local production.

But poor leadership, planning and implementation have led us to the miserable position where we are today in this country. And mark my words, until we make a deliberate and sustained effort to rehabilitate agriculture, this country will see no development in its multidimensional form-social, economic and political. We have to go back to agriculture in full swing in order to make progress as other countries have done. But now, you hear somebody saying he wants to buy mobile phones for farmers to improve production.

Does that make sense? Some of these people do not know anything about the socio-economic challenges of this country and should be stopped from plunging the agricultural sector in to ruin and exacerbating poverty and diseases in Nigeria.

PAGE 18—SUNDAY

Vanguard , MAY 12, 2013

ing a different political structure until recently and all efforts to make him (Orubebe) withdraw his interest in the cases he filed in court against the party fell on deaf ears.”

Apparently corroborating the claim, on Tuesday, Clark called on the national chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, to “call Mr. Godsday Orubebe to order and advise him to withdraw these court cases to allow peace to reign in the party and in Delta State.”

Clark

Orubebe

RUMBLE OVER DELTA 2015

Why Clark fell out with Orubebe, N-Delta Minister Regional Editor, S- South

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NTIL lately, the Minister of Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe, was a member of the political family of the South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, in their native Delta State. Both are from the Ijaw ethnic nationality in the South Senatorial District. While Clark hails from Kiagbodo, Orubebe is from Ogbobagbene, both in Burutu Local Government Area of the state.

Possibly, because of racial affinity and paternal love, the powerful 85-year-old former Minister of Information favored 54year-old Orubebe politically, which was the reason he nominated him as minister against all odds.

Former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, did not want Clark’s nominee to sail through because of the power tussle between him and Clark. He almost succeeded as former President Umaru Yar’Adua, now late, did not swear-in Orubebe with other ministers that were appointed. Clark, who was with Orubebe at the aborted swearing-in, left seething with rage, but he soldiered on and his wish was later granted.

His preference for Orubebe angered some prominent members of the political family, who took umbrage and they grumbled in secret. They were livid that the patriarch was positioning him above his seniors in the group.

However, those knowledgeable said the crack in the relationship between father and son emerged since last year, but Clark managed to hold himself back.

“Some of them came back to tell Clark to his face that Orubebe, who he picked against advice, was not performing as Minister of Niger-Delta, “source told SunC M Y K

,

EMMA AMAIZE,

The cause of disagreement is Orubebe’s alleged ambition to become the next governor of Delta State and the manner he is said to be going about it

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day Vanguard.

“His response to those accusing him of non performance was that the ministry does not have enough money, but people complain that he is tight-fisted and is not empowering those who worked for him.”

The bad blood finally spilt out, Tuesday, May 7, in Warri, when an enraged Clark descended on his once -favoured son and tongue-lashed him.

Roll back to 2006-2007 In the build-up to the 2007 elections, Orubebe was of one of the most regular faces at Clark’s Warri, Kiagbodo residences and he continued even after his appointment in 2007 with visits to the old man’s Abuja abode, but things have changed now.

His parley with Clark then was to facilitate political appointment for him and he promised not to fail the old man. God used Clark to lift him up. It was normal those days to see Orubebe still hanging back with Clark after some persons would have

gone home.

Probably because of pressing official engagements, he could no longer consult as expected with his political mentor. Clark was miffed that Orubebe, who he suffered many indignities to propel, was engaging in a dangerous power game.

Disagreement The cause of disagreement is Orubebe’s alleged ambition to become the next governor of Delta State and the manner he is said to be going about it.

Clark is also piqued that against the warning of President Goodluck Jonathan to relax until 2014, the Minister of NigerDelta was already causing disaffection among the ethnic groups in the state because of the ambition.

Some people, however, wondered if it was now Clark realized that Orubebe had the ambition to succeed Uduaghan. “Elder Orubebe is very calculating, he believes that Clark is old and and his time has passed, and so, he should give them to younger politicians to run the state.

Therefore, he had to build his own political empire, knowing that anybody under Clark’s leadership must be subject to his authority,” a top politician from Delta said..

“The truth is that while Clark trusted Orubebe and was trying to put him above others in his group, the minister already saw himself as a leader by virtue of his status and so, was building his own structure, instead of Clark’s structure.

“The rivalry was so bad that even in their local government, Orubebe has his men working for him against the interest of Chief Clark.”

The politician added: “Orubebe wanted to take over the leadership of the party in the state to facilitate his nomination as PDP’s gubernatorial candidate in 2015.

Clark never thought Orubebe was build-

Embarrassment What stirred the hornet’s nest were the critical comments credited to some leaders concerning Ijaw nation, Jonathan’s presidency and 2015.

The leader of the Niger-Delta People Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, Hon. Kingsley Kuku, came under fire recently over alleged inciting comments.

Kuku, however, explained that he never threatened violence if the president was not re-elected in 2015, saying he was a peace crusader and knew that it was through the ballot box, and not violence that a democratic president would emerge.

Clark confirmed Jonathan was disturbed by the turn of events and called him to find out what was amiss. He said the president was also not happy with the allegation that he (Jonathan) had given Orubebe the green light to take over Delta and asked him to find out if Orubebe actually declared gubernatorial ambition and made comments to that effect.

The elder statesman allegedly told the president he would investigate and get back to him.

Speaking to reporters in Warri, he said, “I returned from United Kingdom on Wednesday, 1st May, 2013, and I started to receive calls from PDP, Delta State party faithful resident in the state, Abuja and other places, asking me whether I had seen a text message echocing the Sahara Reporters about Mr. Godsday Orubebe’s statement that he was going to contest the 2015 gubernatorial election in Delta State, that it was the turn of the Ijaw ethnic nationality to produce governor of state.

“My attention was then drawn to a text message in my telephone, which reads thus: ’President Jonathan must realize that Delta State is not Bayelsa State where he can do what he likes and any attempt to impose Orubebe on us will be resisted. If he is bent on pulling down Nigeria, let him go ahead with his Ijaw nation, we will not be part of it.’

“Part of the Sahara Reporters report on the same issue which was also read out to me stated thus: ‘I must say categorically that all the ethnic nationalities of this state must have a taste of governorship of this state. Urhobo people have gotten it, Itsekiri have gotten it, Ndokwa have not gotten it, Ijaw have not gotten it, Isoko have not gotten it.

And so, we are appealing to others that it is the turn of the Ijaw people. We are appealing that it is the turn of the Ijaw people now because all the ethnic groups must have a taste.”

Pointing out that he was not surprised at the slant the online medium gave the publication, Clark said it was Orubebe, who brought an ant-infested wood to the house that should be held responsible.

First, he said he was aware that Jonathan had stated categorically that he was not going to take a decision on 2015 until 2014 because he need-

Continues on page 19

SUNDAY

Vanguard , MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 19

RUMBLE OVER DELTA 2015 Why Clark fell out with Orubebe, N-Delta Minister Continued from page 18

Unguarded utterance The prominent South-South leader said, “However, I did not believe that Mr. Orubebe made such declaration until my arrival in Warri on Thursday, May 2, 2013. I was not only besieged by party members on the alleged statement by Mr. Orubebe at Ovu town when he paid a condolence visit on the family of the late Alam Barovbe, three members who were present also testified to the fact that Mr. Orubebe made such statement in Ovu. This was also confirmed by a prominent party leader in Delta State, Chief Bernard Edewor, who said he replied to the speech made by Mr. Orubebe.”

He went on: “Our opponents and detractors are definitely catching on Mr. Godsday Orubebe’s careless and irresponsible statement and are now using it to insult Mr. President Goodluck Jonathan, the Ijaws and even myself; that the president and I are definitely behind him. I have tried to disabuse the minds of the people and denied that neither Mr. President nor I is aware of Mr. Orubebe’s statement.

The calls to my telephone have not stopped, hence my decision to address

,

ed time to concentrate on the job he promised Nigerians.

‘Subsequently, the president directed that none of his ministers and government functionaries should engage in politics as to declaring their intentions or supporting anyone for elective position, including senatorial, House of Representatives or gubernatorial”, the elder statesman said.

“Mr. Godsday Orubebe cannot claim ignorance of Mr. President’s directive.

His flagrant disobedience is no doubt an embarrassment to Mr. President, to the leaders of the party and the party faithful, particularly to me that everybody believes contributed greatly to his becoming a minister, having regard to the opposition from the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, and his supporters against me.”

Subsequently, the president directed that none of his ministers and government functionaries should engage in politics as to declaring their intentions or supporting anyone for elective position, including senatorial, House of Representatives or gubernatorial

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the people of Delta State.

“Perhaps, Mr. Orubebe has also forgotten how I accompanied him to the State House in Abuja after his confirmation at the Senate and to be swornin as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with three other colleagues of his. And the embarrassment caused to me when the former Secretary to the Federal Government, Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, came to inform me that Mr. President had decided not to swear-in Mr. Orubebe.

“I left the Executive Chambers with Mr. Orubebe and his wife in disgrace, but later summed up courage to address the State House Press on the issue. It is, therefore, my advice to the Honorable Minister not to allow the spoils of office to derail him or cause him to take wrong judgment. I am aware that all his other colleagues and other government functionaries have religiously obeyed the Presidential order. It is unfortunate and ridiculous that Mr. Orubebe should be the one to flout this order.”

Appeal

Governor Uduaghan Clark appealed to detractors, who had resorted to abusing him and Mr. President to stop as he and Jonathan were not responsible for Orubebe’s actions.

The old man also advised those threatening to make Nigeria ungovernable if the president was not reelected in 2015 to desist from such undemocratic comments.

He stressed that neither Ijaw nor the South-south can single-handedlt make Jonathan president again.

Clark said what was clear was that nobody would deny Jonathan the right to seek his party’s nomination for re-election.

He stressed that the decision to return Jonathan to office was purely that of all Nigerians from all sections and ethnic groups and not that of the Ijaws.

The Ijaw leader noted that Jonathan had maintained that it was too early to campaign for 2015 because he did not wish to be distracted from delivering on the electoral promises he made to Nigerians in 2011.

Tension Clark picked holes in Orubebe’s ethnicity logic for the emergence of the

next governor of Delta. According to him, “The assertion by Mr. Orubebe that the governorship should be produced on ethnicity basis and for him to state that the Urhobos and the Itsekiris have produced governors and that the Ijaws, the Isokos and the Ndokwas have not produced governors is not correct.

“The Honourable Minister knows that the Ndokwa belong to the North Senatorial Zone where you have the Ikas and the Aniochas, and not the South Senatorial Zone, which has also not produced a governor. The five ethnic nationalities have to live together having regard to the immediate past fratricidal war between the Ijaw, the Itsekiri and the Urhobo of Warri.

Nothing should therefore be done to pitch one ethnic nationality against the other. We must emphasize those things that bind the people together.

“Mr. Godsday Orubebe should realize that peace is a scarce commodity in Delta State, particularly in the PDP since the 2007 gubernatorial election.

At this juncture, it must be emphasized that our great party, the PDP, has been in crisis since 2007. It was only last year, after a period of five years and after series of litigations that we agreed to voluntarily reconcile.”

The elder statesman declared, “For the purpose of argument, if the Ijaw are asked by the Delta State PDP to produce a gubernatorial candidate, it will not be Mr. Godsday Orubebe and he is fully aware of that.”

Clark’s strong reprimand of Orubebe on his 2015 quest and his plea that nothing should be done to sow seed of discord among the ethnic nationalities have raised fresh hopes for the people of Delta North Senatorial District. The people of the district (Anioma), comprising Ndokwa, Aniocha, Oshimili and Ika-speaking ethnic groups, believe that since the incumbent governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, an Iteskiri, is from the South Senatorial District, same area with Orubebe and Clark, it was off beam for anybody from the district to seek to rule the state in 2015.

The argument is that the Central District (Urhobo) had ruled eight years through Ibori, the South District (Ijaw, Itsekiri and Isoko) is taking their eight-year turn through Uduaghan now, and when it terminates in 2015, Delta North should take over in the spirit of fair play.

Mukoro’s aide backs Clark

By Ephraim oseji

M

eanwhile, former Cam paign Manager of Pro fessor Saliba Mukoro in Delta State 2011 governorship race, Mr Godwin Anaughe, has joined Clark to reject Orubebe’s bid to become the governor of Delta in 2015, saying it will not augur well for the state. Anaughe, who condemned the minister’s aspiration, advised that for the sake of Delta and, in the interest of the PDP, “all well-meaning persons of the state owed it a duty to shun Orubebe’s brand of divisive politics.”

C M Y K

Anaughe argued that Orubebe’s attempt to use ethnicity as the basis for power rotation is a slap on the face of PDP loyalists and a repudiation of the principle of the party “which has so far served the party well in the state and at the national level.”

“The Delta PDP chieftain warned that the minister’s candidacy could drive a wedge between important elements of the party’s historical coalition which Governor Uduaghan has put together in the past three elections in the state.

“Orubebe cannot build a winning

coalition if he is the nominee of the party in 2015 gubernatorial election because he is running on ethnic platform which the majority of Deltans will not accept. I am certain that the people of Delta North and Delta Central will not accept this ethnic rational for retaining governorship position in Delta South because if this Orubebe’s doctrine of ethnic rotation is to be stressed to its logical conclusion, then it is only the people of Oghara and Agbarha that have produced the governor of Delta. When will it be the turn of the people of Okpe, Udu, Agbarho,

Orogun, Ughivwen, Ogor, Jesse, Uvwie, Abraka, Ughelli, Olomu, Ewu in Delta Central? Is it after the Isoko in Delta South, Ika, Ndokwa, Oshimili and Aniocha in Delta North have had their turn”? Anaughe commended Clark for speaking out against Orubebe’s “risky proposition” and allaying the fears of Deltans that Jonathan was in support of the minister. “The party establishment both at the national, state levels and other party leaders in the state should speak now and tell Orubebe the truth before he brings down the house”.

PAGE 20— SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013

Email: woman.vista@yahoo.co.uk

(07036819426)

Scrapping of JAMB, NECO: Right way to go

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C M Y K

OR some of us who were class room teachers at an era when learning and the acquisition of knowledge was much sought after and desired, and both the learners and their teachers were very interested in getting things right, the current deteriorating state of our educational system, is of much concern.

One had envisaged a nation of focused and knowledgeable people in the various fields of endeavour, and the passing on of the torch of progress from one generation to another of Nigerians.

Then in our old age, we would be contented that our country is in the capable hands of those who will do the nation proud. Sadly, that’s not the case. Down the line, the rot began to set in, to the extent that a large number of university graduates, not only do not have a good mastery of the English language, and in the courses they took a degree in, they’re poor in general knowledge too.

Fast going are the days when young people actually took pride in the knowledge they had acquired at school, and are eager to display it at any given opportunity. There just isn’t enough knowledge at present, to back up the educational qualifications that they have.

How were these ones able to go through higher institutions of learning actually absorbing the required knowledge? How did they get in, in the first place to do these courses they have no good mastery of? The fault lies in parents who would do anything to get admission for their wards, the government examining bodies which have their own agenda about admission, those supervisors and teachers of doubtful integrity, and the pupils themselves who would rather rely on cheating and ‘expo’ than on their capability, to pass. Preparations for examinations are no longer based on intense coaching on the syllabus and past examinations questions, but rather on how to cheat with mobile phones, concealed papers, etc., I’m told. What a pity!

Whenever I come across anyone who teaches, I ask if the pupils or students are interested in learning.

The answer I get most of the time is negative.

‘Oh no, they’re not,’ said a secondary school teacher. ‘Many pupils/students are intelligent alright, but they’re mentally lazy and lackadaisical about their studies. Some want to acquire knowledge, but the majority don’t care. They and their parents do all they can to ensure that they secure admission in an institution of learning, but once there, other things claim their attention and they’re like onlookers in the classroom.’

‘Why is this?’

‘Madam, it’s something in the society right from the primary school level or even the nursery classes these days,’ explained a university lecturer.

View-Point

Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor

Cheating and expo would gradually die out since children can sit for examinations into several institutions.

This would be a wakeup signal for our children to work really hard if they want to gain admission into the university of their choice ‘Many children are sent to school because, well, it’s the thing to do to keep up with other families. You watch children going to school in the morning. From their sluggish attitude and the vacant looks on their faces, you know that they don’t appreciate why they’re going to school, and they’re not going to put themselves out to learn anything.

They certainly don’t have that burning desire to learn, like we did. That’s why they go late to school, don’t do their homework, and can play truant. I doubt if parents drum into their children, the importance of the acquisition of learning in educational institutions, and then supervise homework, projects, etc. So, the children go to school for going sake, and some parents are contented with that.’

‘That sounds a bit irresponsible, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, but it isn’t deliberate. Children know they have to go to school, and they have to pass the relevant examinations, but since they know that there are means by which they can achieve that goal without actually imbibing the requisite knowledge, they’re

relaxed. Even in some primary schools, gangs are formed to threaten, terrorize and beat up teachers so that they can cooperate and give pass marks. This goes right up to the university level. They know that as a body, they can use threats and violence to get good grades, so, why bother to apply themselves to their studies? I always tell my students, right from the start, that it’s in their own interest to face their studies squarely and acquire the required knowledge that would see them through their examinations; otherwise their work-life would be a failure, as they could be sacked for incompetence in their duties. ‘ ‘Does that advice work?’

‘Some listen, some don’t. One can say the central admission system is faulty, as some young people who are hardworking and intelligent may not be given admission due to the dodgy cut off points, while those without the required capability, gain admission and cheat their way into acquiring their degrees.

This may not be true of every annual admission exercise, but it’s the ogre that frustrate many applicants.’

Precisely. That’s why I think

it’s a good idea to scrap JAMB, and allow the individual higher institutions of learning conduct their own entrance examinations and interviews. Affordable and qualitative education, tailored to meet the need and capability of every Nigerian child is our goal, but the truth is that not every institution is capable or even desirous of delivering on this. They each have their own mission and vision, so, it makes sense to allow them conduct their own entrance examinations.

Cheating and expo would gradually die out since children can sit for examinations into several institutions.

This would be a wake-up signal for our children to work really hard if they want to gain admission into the university of their choice.

A major worry in the scrapping of JAMB was what would happen to the workers. Thank God we’ve been told that they would retain their jobs as the organization is not folding up to tally, and they would still have their other duties; like overseeing what goes into university entrance examinations, to ensure that the contents are right.

As for NECO, I’ve never seen the importance of having a third body to conduct O level examinations. Aren’t the WAEC and GCE assessments adequate and reliable?

Candidates sitting for the 2013 UTME.

UTME candidates undergoing checks before entering the examination hall in one of the centres in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 21

Email: woman.vista@yahoo.co.uk

T

he Keera Autism Foundation, (KAF), a notfor-profit organization, is set to embark on a massive awareness campaign to enlighten the general public on the plight of children, living with autism as well as help provide succour for both the children and family members.

Barrister Mrs. Helen Mbakwe, the Executive Director of the Foundation said KAF was set up as a result of her family’s personal experience and the desire to help others with the same problem. She said the campaign’s main focus is provision of information on the condition, with the aim of making more Nigerians understand and appreciate the stress the children and their families go through. In most cases, children living with autism and their families are victims of a poorly understood condition. In this chat with Esther Onyegbula, the president of the foundation, Barrister Mrs. Helen Mbakwe shares her experience and challenges as a mother with a child living with, how society attach stigma to people living autism and other issues.

The birth of KAF They say that necessity is the mother of invention, so it the foundation, as it was birthed to create awareness and hope. “It was after my child was diagnosed; I realized that I didn’t understand so much about autism. I also wondered why people were not showing me love and care; it was then it dawned on me that people can’t show love and care if they don’t know or understand what autism is. After all, I didn’t know what autism was until my child had autism” she says.

“The more we tried to tackle it our selves as a family, the more we discovered it was bringing a strain on us. At a point we found out that if we as a family were feeling that way, other parents with children in similar situation are also feeling that way too. So as we reached out to people we realized that a lot of people were concerned as they didn’t really know or understand what autism was. But some where along the line of their lives they have ran into kids living with autism”.

So we felt that if this few who have heard about autism can be this concerned then we should reach out to more people, the more people understand what is autism, the more people will show love and care and the more the society will be able to provide avenues for people living with autism to be able to get help and relief.

Curbing stigmatization associated with autism Part of what we are doing is

My daughter’s condition drew me into the world of Autism — Barrister Helen Mbakwe

creating awareness, you can’t know not to stigmatize if they don’t know what autism is all about. So we are hoping that the campaigns about autism and putting a face to autism will help reduce stigmatization. When people understand what autism is all about, when they see a child, instead of looking, staring and pushing the child away they are likely to show more concern.

Report shows that there seems to be a growing number of people living with autism in Nigeria. This means people should begin to adjust themselves to be able to stay in an environment side by side with someone living with autism. If you can’t assist them, please, don’t add stress to the person living with autism.

Giving autism a face As we tried to reach out we found like minds who would love to help but we realized that one of the basic difficulties understanding autism is that there is no face to autism. If you don’t have a neigbhour or a child who is living with autism it is quite difficult to assimilate what it is like or what autism is. It is like an abstract word. That is why we decided to put a face to autism. The foundation board of directors made Keera the face of autism. So that when anyone thinks autism the person will remember her and what autism is all about. It becomes easier to explain that there is this condition called Autism.

So, when we are in an environment, or a place where a child is behaving that way, instead of staring and blaming the parents or the child, you would know at once what the child has - Autism.

Discovering point Unlike most kids living with autism, Keera wasn’t born with autism; she has done her milestones well up till about three years when everything changed. She began to lose speech and then subsequently no speech and she developed the condition. According to Barrister Helen, “I registered her for a school where she completed a full session in the playgroup and proceeded to nursery one where she completed the first term, it was middle of second term that it began. Her teacher said she got up in the class and started jumping all around. It was at this point she started to behave differently. That was when they called me in for a meeting to know whether I noticed something too. And just around the same time I noticed that she has started to lose her social skills and

•Barrister Helen Mbakwe

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BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA

Part of what we are doing is creating awareness.... So we are hoping that the campaigns about autism and putting a face to autism will help reduce stigmatization

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she had started to move away from the family.

When, I was first called by the school that my daughter in the middle of a class changed her behavior and started acting funny, my world sort of changed. It is still hurtful to think back to those times when I got the word that my child had autism. I thought it is something I could face head on, devote time and resources, follow all the medical prescription and be

prayerful, and once I did that, everything would turn around again and she would become normal as before.

The countless sacrifice Like every mother, when Helen was first told that her daughter had autism it was like the sky was falling. “When she was first diagnosed with autism, I was working as a solicitor in the bank.

I resigned, so that I could devote

(07036819426) my time to following it up the best way I could.

There were so many tests to run, we also had to take her abroad to run some tests and go through her therapies. I went with her to all the hospital appointments; never missing a question they asked that will help to get a solution. I did this for a month, a year, and a decade. It was when she clocked ten that I began to realize that it was a condition and I needed to follow it like that, treat it as autism, and adjust my life and that of my family to be able to live with a child with autism.

The several adjustments As she was the middle child, we needed to have a meeting with her siblings, and explain to them that their sister may behave differently from before, and that they should start accepting her the way she had become. They learnt how to help her in a few things and they understood that when she is playing differently, she is also having fun her own way.

Also I stopped laying plans, and putting off my life till tomorrow; because I kept saying if she gets well today, I will do this tomorrow, if she gets well by the end of this year by next year I should be able to pick up a job. I had many job interviews lined up for next year, next year until she was ten.

After ten years with no solution I realized I had to get a job, I had to start getting things done. And the fact that she had some special foods to eat which were quite expensive made me realize that I needed to pick up a job.

I had to rearrange my life to be able to live with her.

I have to be able to earn money to be able to afford living with a child with autism. She had to continue her therapy, which doesn’t come cheap. I didn’t want the entire financial burden left to my husband alone.

We had to streamline our travels, I have to be available for her travels, and there’s no way she can travel without me being there. She has to be managed in a particular way. It just changed our lives.

PAGE 22 — SUNDAY VANGUARD , MAY 12, 2013

Church denomination may be an obstacle!

Dear Rebecca

I

am a guy of 29 in love with a girl who is a 200-level medical student. We really love each other and have promised to marry after she is through with her her studies. I am presently doing my NYSC programme. We are both from the same state.

The problem now is our church denomination.

Though the two of us are Christians, but she is a core catholic, while I am an Anglican. I also feel her parents who though regard me a responsible man, will oppose me because of my denomination. I have tried to make my feelings known to them, but I have not been able to . I love this girl and want to marry her because she respects me and takes my advice, among other things.

Please advise me.

Thanks.

Thomas Anambra REPL Y REPLY

T

here is a wise say ing that ‘’most of the things we fear never happen. In your case, your fear is based on speculations, not hard facts. Your girl knows that you are not catholic, yet she loves you and has agreed to marry you when her studies are over. She didn’t insist that you must become a catholic before you wed her. Also, her parents who are aware of your relationship have not openly come out to oppose it because you’re not catholic. You say they treat you like a responsible man, that means they respect you. My advice is that you relax and continue to enjoy the relationship as it is. I wouldn’t advise that you should continue discussing marriage with the girl . Suspend all talk of it as you study her more closely, so that you can be quite convinced that she is the girl for you.

Don’t forget that she has quite some way to go before she completes her studies, does her Housemanship, and then the NYSC. It’s only then that she could be ready for marriage Roughly, she has about 5years to go. Anything can happen within that period on both sides;

as you meet and interact with other members of the opposite sex.

So, it makes sense to wait until she is in her final year before you begin to discuss marriage,that is, if you are still together.

If you are, your people can go meet her people to tell hem of your intention to marry her. I doubt if being a non-catholic will stand against your chances of marrying their daughter, when they see how steadfast your love for each other has been over the years.

These days, many young christian couples choose their own church irrespective of the ones they were raised in. Religion is important to our lives because it supplies us with the philosophy with which to live Godapproved lives and be happy.

One worries if one’s child falls in love with someone of a totally different religion, but you and your girl are Christians. It’s only the mode of worship which differs.

However, it’s a matter for you and your girl to resolve. It’s best for a couple to worship and raise their children in the same church, but there are couples who worship in different churches who are happy together.

Children usually go to their mother’s church because women have more

time for church and religious activities than men. Once in a while, the couples worship together in each other’s church. Discuss this and other matters like money, number of children to have, help in the extended family, etc. try to arrive at a compromise if you can. But if the differences are many, it’s best to end the relationship then. You’ll both meet other partners.

Ask God to choose a wife for you.

She’s hotly pursued by boys!

Dear Rebecca

I

don’t want you to discourage me, but rather, to encourage me in this my relationship. I am a regular reader of your column. I am a boy of 18 who is in love with a girl of 16. we both love each other.

She has on several occasions told me of a boy in her street who wants to go out with her, and how she has kept refusing him. This boy and his friends have violently confronted me several times, asking me to quit the relationship with my girl. They even collected the N1,000 I had on me when my girl and I were running from school one day. Apart from the boy,

another guy has asked me if she is my girlfriend. But I told him she is my wife and not just a girlfriend.

My girlfriend says there is nothing between her and these two boys, but I’m beginning to wonder. I’ve asked her if she would always remain faithful to me, and she said ‘yes’.

Rebecca, I am confused.

Please advise me. I don’t to lose her.

Worried reader.

REPL Y REPLY

I

’m sorry, I’m not go ing to encourage you in this relationship, considering the way you are going about

Is tummy ache due to ‘no sex?’

Dear Rebecca

I

am a boy of twenty.

While I was in secondary school, I was a play boy and I had sex regularly. Now that I’ve left secondary school, I think I should turn a new leaf and work towards a better future by cutting down on sex.

Therefore, I have stayed away from it for about three years now.

But the problem is that I usually have stomachache which last for about 24to 48 hours. People tell me that I need to have sexual partner in order to get rid of the problem.

They say that the continuous stomachache is usually caused by the excess of sperm in the body.

Should I heed this advise? What should I do to avoid the excess of sperm in my body?

Tunji, Ibadan.

REPL Y REPLY

A

n expert says there’s nothing like excess sperm in the body as nature has a way of keeping things balanced. No-one can die from not having sex, and you can live a very healthy and normal life without having sex at all.

Some people, men and woman, vow not have sex and they live a happy life. In fact, even though it is God who ordained sex as a means of having an affectionate and close relationship in a committed union like marriage, and also to populate the world, it is the cause of terrible diseases. When we have sex the way God wants it, that is, in a marriage, then all is well, but if we commit fornication (sex when you are not married) or

adultery (sex, when you are married, but had it with someone you are not married to), then we are in trouble.

Our guilty conscience alone can bring on psychological problems. It is good that you decided to stay off sex. I hope you will resume only when you get married. Now, the discomfort you feel is not due to not having sex. The expert advises that you watch what you eat and drink.

Check to see if it comes after you have eaten a particular type of food (maybe very oily or very spicy), or drunk fizzy soft drinks which have a lot of gas in it. If the ache is not related to any of this, then it is advisable for you to go see a doctor.

You may need to do some lab tests in order to know what could be wrong with you insides.

it. You are 18 and this girl is 16, so, you both have no business talking about ‘fiancee’, ‘marriage ‘faithfulness’ and ‘loyalty. |You are far too young and inexperienced for all these. You in particular, as male, having a girl to call your fiancee or wife is not a priority now at all. A stable girl as a girlfriend is not what you should hanker after, as you have many years ahead of you to fall in and out of love before you make a final choice of who to marry.

What you should do is have several girls as ordinary friends to chat with, exchange books , magazines, cassettes, CDs, etc. with, so that you can have the opportunity to study and understand girls. This would help you when you are ready to embark on romantic relationship which would lead to marriage, as you would know the sort of girl you would like for a wife.

Even though a girl of 16 may get married if she is ready for marriage, this girl who is still in school like you, should have several boys as casual friends so that she too can have the opportunity to study and understand the boys. If both of you have been doing this with responsible boys and girls, you wouldn’t be talking of ‘fiancee’ and ‘wife’ and struggling to keep her. You would be paying full attention to your studies and educational career so that you can make grades and, hopefully, stand a good chance for a bright and successful

career. Know that most girls prefer successful men, so, if, God forbid, you pursue this girl, to the detriment of your studies and educational career and there isn’t a good job later, she will surely fall out of love with you and go with someone else.

We all want to associate with successful people, and marry successful and responsible people, so that we can have a comfortable life. Most men who make girls their priority in life, before they’re firmly established in a good career, usually suffer for it in one way or the other. So, stop at once, all talk of marriage, everlasting love, etc. and be casual friends with this girl. Encourage her to face her studies, and you face, yours.

Don’t try to lay claims on her again, so don’t worry if you see her with other boys. You don’t own her, and are neither married nor engaged to her, so, there should be no scuffle or tussle over her.

If she tells you that a boy is pursuing her, tell her that, you don’t mind, as she needs boys as friends so she can study them, but that if a man is threatening her with violence, sh should reort to her parents, who will get the Police involved. Relax in your relationship with girls and don’t be involved in any tussle over any girl, not even the one you will marry in future. This girl may not be the one, as she may be ready for marriage before you are.

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

SUNDAY Vanguard , MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 23

At times, a married man could be a better prospect!

C

HINYERE, 34 and a mother of a young daughter is a purchasing manager at a leading department store’, She has a good brain, dresses well and, to all outward •. appearances, is a confident career woman. She has travelled several times abroad for her company that she has learnt to be at ease in first class hotels and enjoy the good things of life, We use her services from time to time and she’s never let me down.

For the past three years, she’s been involved with a married man. It suits her, she told me, but then the relationship isn’t that perfect either. “I simply don’t believe that a single girl ever becomes a man’s mistress out of choice”, she said. “I would defy anyone who says she is happy to be the other woman! I started the relationship by being tough, believing 1 could handle it as an affair that would suit me.

You see, when 1 was 26, 1 got pregnant. My fiance and 1 were to be married soon after 1 made this discovery but he died in a ghastly motor accident about a month to the wedding. 1 didn’t have the heart to get rid of Chukwwudi, my daughter. And I’ve never regretted my decision to have her.

“After 1 started my affair with Mark I discovered I was not tough at all where

my emotions were concerned. Women simply aren’t made to be that calculating. Not if they really love the new man in their lives. Unfortunately after a short while, I became sick of taking second place in Mark’s life. I became sick of the subterfuge and lies and the knowing glances from his friends whenever we went out. 1 thought 1 could take it all but 1 found out that there is nothing like the little gold band and having a place in society as a wife and mother!

“Don’t get me wrong.

Mark had hinted several times that 1 should have a couple of kids for him.

That he could afford a second wife any time I was ready. But his wife knows about me, has taken the pains to thoroughly investigate my background and, judging by the snide remarks Mark said she always made about me, she hates my guts and envies my success. ‘’ ‘Getting permanently hitched to her man might cause a lot of hassle.

Things were in this sea-saw position when 1 met Hilary. I’d just had a blazing row with Mark and he kept away from me, which was another tiling that riled me in our relationship.

Anytime we had a tiff, Mark was back with his family while I fumed until things blew over. . ... Anyway, it was during one of these frequent tiffs

that 1 met Hilary. He is only fours year older than me, and very successful. He is an architect in the civil service but has his own private practice. The fIrst night we went out to dinner, my heart wasn’t really in it. He had been after me for ages to go out with him and now that he had succeeded in dragging me out, I didn’t feel much enthusiasm. We went to one of these fancy and expensive restaurants that are constantly springing up in Lagos. On the ground floor was a well-stocked perfumery and 1 was surprised when he edged me into the shop. 1 gaped at prices of the stuffs they had in there. 1 knew how much those stuffs cost abroad but the shop was asking almost five times the origulal

prices. Hilary asked me for my favourite perfiIrne. 1 told him. Then he proceeded to buy the perfume and a set of matching lotion, soap and God-knowswhat. I cringed a bit when the machine totalled up the whole lot - they were ridiculously expensive! . ... We had a lovely dinner. The best on the menu.

The best wine. By the time we both staggered home, I was bewildered by it all.

The followulg day, he told me he usually did his shopping on Saturdays; did 1 want to come with him? I went because I didn’t have much to do in the house. By the time I came home, two boxes were filled with goodies he insisted on buying for me. Casually, he asked when my car would be due

for its next service. I told him and his driver was around to take the car for me. I felt a bit rushed by it all. I liked him. He was very jovial and had a lot of really lovely friends. The pride in his voice as he introduced me to them made me a bit cautious. 1 was being rushed off my feet and I didn’t like it. ‘’’Then he started talking about marriage and I knew that it all had to be called off. He was a likeable person but I didn’t love him and we never even had time to make love more than a few times. I often pushed him away if he as much as touched me after that. Anyway, he was a spendthrift.

Constantly, .flitting from one expensive hobby to the other and restless with it. A

permanent relationship with someone like him would drive me round the bend. I told him all these and he really agreed to change. He had his head in the cloud that one! I told him to grow up and next time he met a girl he liked, he should rush her. ‘’’He said I was special and he was never that eager with his other girlfriends. I want to believe him because he could really be a nice person. Anyway, Mark came back and that was it. Hilary knew about Mark and he’s never had anything good to say about him. Why should 1 waste my time on a married man when I could have a single man as my husband if I wanted?

“That’s just it! I didn’t want just any man. I wanted Mark with all the handicaps. If I were to be sincere with myself, being with Mark is like eating my cake and still having it. I don’t have to play at being a wife.

I know when he’s visiting and I can plan my time around him. I have time for my business too and don’t have to comb the market all the time looking for foodstuffs. I go out with my friends when I feel like it, travel when I can afford to yet give quality time to my daughter. I’m a bit set in my ways and 1 know Mark might just be the type of father that 1 believe my future children deserve.

08052201867(Text Only)

Fighting the flab in the arms

F

OR the pearshaped woman fat is mostly concentrated in the lower half of body. With the apple-shaped one the land is mostly in the upper half.

As to which type a woan belongs to is determined by the genes.

That’s the recent report on the phenomenon of fat distribution in the body.

So what does this mean to the person desirous of shedding too much fat.”

Obviously it must be thus it the fat is chiefly in the torso in comparison to the thighs and legs it means you’ll have to do a lot more exercises for the top half. If the problem is in the lower half it calls for you to do a lot more exercises meant for the lower half.

Well, in yoga the idea is to exercise a greater C M Y K

part of the body everyday.

In fact with as few as ten postures almost every part of the organism can be “touched” ensuring an all round state of good conditioning.

My yoga teacher’s approach used to be that you are given as few as three postures to practise diligently. After two month’s practice when the body could then assume the postures with considerable duration (which is wha counts in yoga, the ability to hold a posture for the full count) then he would add accomple more to your countine.

The one good thing about this approach was that it ensured that each posture was mastered and not improperly executed. We have discussed the need to keep

the thighs and legs well in tone. We know an exercise like the chair pose works wonders on flabby thighs. We also know that the deep knee bend or Vajirasana practised faithfully banishes celulite.

For those women whose arms are flabby there are three postures prescribed here to deal with the problem. Ofcourse there are other postures that can equally deliver but we shall focus on these three for now.

Let’s start off with the carried posture which is called dhirtyasana in Sanskirt. Sit on the h,, keeping your knees apart arrange the hands with palms flat down with fingers Lacking backwards.

As you inhale deeply lift the pelvis and chest high up as possible as you drop back the head.

Retain the pose for says 20 seconds as you breathe deeply. Breathing out sit on the heels again. Besides rendering a good work out in the arms the camel is excellent for strengthening the Pelvis small of the back and the abdominal muscles.

Our second exercise is the Writer ’s pose sit on the heels and bending the left arm bring it up.

Bend the right hand downwards and hook fingers of both hands. This is to be done for as long as it’s comfortable. Then change hands and repeat. Apart from working up a miracle in the arms I have said it before that it is great against a running nose.”

You can do the writer’s posture for a more forward thrusting posture.

Our third posture is the bungle posture. As you sit with legs wide apart place your hands on the ground behind the back.

Inhale while houting up the waist as high as can be above the ground very

slowly and carefully.

As you exhale return slowly to the floor and life that down on your back for a short rest. You may repeat this exercise three

times” - Morning and evening.

Apart from the arms this posture brings tone to the legs and abdomen.

* The Bridge

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

P AGE 24 —SUNDAY Vanguard , MAY 12 , 2013

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

The remorse of a husband snatcher!

W

HEN Sikemi’s daughter ’s 10th birthday approached, Jide, her ‘husband’ of over .’ ,.,. ten years arranged for his first wife to be informed of the impending celebration.

“Jide always insisted we gave Dorcas every respect she deserved,” said a sombre Sikemi. “In her early 60s, Dorcas was the perfect matriach and hostess··.when we called at the old family house fussing around ensuring we all had a lot to eat and drink. But the circumstances could not be more awkward for me - I do not deserve to be made so welcome in this kind, accommodating and unquestioning woman’s house.

“As we left, she stood alone on the doorstep and cheerily waved us off I had to turn my head away. It was too painful to look, I willingly endured contact with her because of the guilt I feel at stealing the only man she ever loved. I also robbed their children’s grandchildren of the stable family life I believe everyone deserves. If I hadn’t started an affair with Jide, who was then my boss, when I was 24 and he was 47, they would still be a family unit today. So my advise to anyone contemplating stealing another woman’s husband is this: prepare for a life time of guilt.”

In today ’s society where husbandsnatchers are more or less the good ‘guys’, is Sikemi for real? Now in her early 40s, she’s a co-founder of a marketing services company with her partner, Jide who’s almost 24 years older. “We have two lovely children,” she continued, “and all we could want materially and all would be perfect were it not for my abiding remorse over appropriating another wom-

an’s life. Dorcas came from a family of strict Roman Catholic and she’s a firm believer in the sanctity of marriage, so divorce was out. In fact Jide became a knight of the church several years ago.

“Though I would have loved to get married, I know that divorce would hurt Dorcas more than being married to the man I loved would make a difference to me. As it is now, I remain haunted by the fact that Dorcas hasn’t had a relationship since she and Jide split and doesn’t want one. In short, she’s on her own because of me. Jide was the boss of a commercial bank when I joined aged 23 and fresh out of the university. Sophisticated and greying with fancy cars and sexy physique, he was hugely attractive - the 24-year age gap only added to his allure.

“It was easy to fall in love with him when he pursued me with all the trimmings. Two years into our affair, he professed his love for me and his wish for us to live together. When he finally plucked up the courage to tell his wife about us, Dorcas was genuinely shocked. She said it was the first she knew of our affair, though Jide maintained he had told her many times how unhappy he was in their marriage.

And although she ranted and raved at him, she was too proud to confront me, for which I was grateful.

“Their three children, aged between 24 and 20 were outraged and his only son barely spoke to his father for two years.

As we moved into one of his modem houses, shock waves went through the bank we both worked we’d done a good job of hiding our affair from colleagues - and Jide was tormented by the hurt he’d caused his family. He went on to use

money to assuage his guilt, and even paying his grandchildren’s private school fees when the time came. I managed to convince myself that, because his family were financially comfortable, they weren’t suffering because of me.

He visited them regularly which eased my conscience. Whenever he left however, I would sit at home, feeling like the mistress again, and would search his face on his return, expecting him to announce he was going back to his first family.

“Over the years, Dorcas and I tried to be civil towards each other but it wasn’t all that plain sailing. The most challenging occasion was when their fIrst daughter was getting married. I didn’t really fIt in anywhere despite wearing the same ‘aso ebi’ with the family and his daughter made sure I wasn’t in any of the photographs. Then, a couple of years ago, when Jide suffered financial catastrophe at the start of the financial crash, I discovered that underneath the brave front Dorcas put up, was still a very raw wound. Jide was no longer able to afford school fees for his grandchildren and also had to reduce the generous financial support he was giving Dorcas, forcing her to dowsize her home.

In the end, she was persuaded to move into the specious bungalow at the back of the family house so she could rent out the main building and use the cash. It was a bit humiliating for her and for the first time, she blamed me forher plight.

“Thank goodness the company is now picking up - and my children are now teenagers, asking all sorts of questions. I always let them know that it’s not marriage that keeps parents together but love, and that their daddy and I love each other very much. But a part of me is aware that, despite all these years together, Jide still isn’t wholly mine. We had a native law and customs ceremony, but it’s not like being the legal wife. If I could go back to advice my 23-year old self, I would tell her to steer clear of married men, particularly if they already have a family. Affairs cause too much heartache for everyone.

“Yet if I hadn’t met Jide, I wouldn’t have my beautiful children, who are more than worth the emotional price I’ve paid ... “ Too Much Processed Meat Could Send You To An Early Grave Meals containing too

to heaven above and closer to you.

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

True friendship

Y

OUR column to express your loving thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel.

Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"

Fly away

Cowboy take me away, fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue. Set me free oh I pray. Closer C M Y K

Real boon companions. The authencity of friendship can be perfectly elucidated by the conscientious feelings of two or more caring hearts. Friends who are much of a muchness. Who can be stoical in the face of hardship, who wouldn't throw the other to the wolves or leaves the other out in the lurch, who wouldn't run-away when the balloon goes up & then come back when the dust has settled. But will be of service to themselves without leaving anything under wraps come what may.

UDOKA K.C Eze

much processed meat such as bacon and sausages could send you to an early grave, a largescale study has found.

Analysis of the diets and medical history of almost half a million men and women linked processed meat to deaths from cancer and heart disease.

The Europe-wide research, including work

by Oxbridge scientists, found that processed meat is to blame for about one in 30 deaths.

The researchers suggested a limit of no more than 20g a day of processed meat - equal to one rasher of bacon.

The warning comes in the wake of the horsemeat scandal in Britain which has caused many consumers to question the origins of their food.

Processed meat, made by combining the leftover parts of animals which cannot be sold as good cuts such as steaks and joints, contains high concentrations of fat, including artery-clogging cholesterol. The researchers from ten European countries quizzed almost 450,000 people, many of them Britons, and tracked their health for an average of 13 years.

They said: ‘Men and women with a high consumption of processed meat are at increased risk of early death, particularly due to cardiovascular diseases but also cancer. ‘ Some 26,344 of the participants died over the course of the study, with those who ate the biggest amounts of processed meat being 44 per cent more likely to have died than those who ate the lowest amounts.

The figures for heart disease were striking those who ate the most processed meat, more than 160g or three sausages a day, were 72 per cent more likely to die of heart disease.

A study last year found that eating 50g of processed meat a day - the equivalent of one sausage or three rashers of bacon - raises the likelihood of cancer by a fifth.

But in the latest, much bigger study, those who ate the most processed meat were almost 50 per cent more likely to suffer an early death, with heart disease the overwhelming cause.

The study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, concluded that a limit of 20g a day of processed meat - equal to a rasher of bacon or one full English breakfast a week would prevent about 20,000 early deaths in the UK each year.

Tracy Parker, a dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: ‘With spring in the air, many of us may be looking forward to sunny barbecues.

But this research suggests processed meat, such as sausages and burgers, may be linked to an increased risk of early death.

‘However, the people who ate the most processed meat in this study also made other unhealthy lifestyle choices.

They were found to eat less fruit and vegetables and were more likely to smoke, which may have had an impact on results. ‘ Professor Karol Sikora, one of Britain’s leading cancer specialists and an unpaid member of the industry-backed Meat Advisory Panel, said the key to good health is a balanced diet.

He said: ‘Don’t worry about having a bacon sandwich. It is not going to kill you. But don’t have four bacon sandwiches every day for your whole life.’

The amount of white meat eaten, such as chicken, was not linked to death rates by the researchers, while small amounts of red meat appeared beneficial.

emeraldson4u@yahoo.com (0813 625 1188)

My love for you

Although your smiling may fade within hours, although your laughter may end within hours, although your make ups may be wiped at night, although you might take off that beautiful mini garn after the party, although you might think all our display of love had vanished, my dear, these memories are well stored in my heart, it's so bulky that each time am lonely I just select a part of our past life and smile............... Love can be crazy, love can be fun, love shared tears, love is beautiful. My love for you will never ever end.

KC Kelechi Ndubisi kconeofafrica@gmail.com, 08032900530

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013—PAGE 25

Lagos, Ogun defective buildings as disaster waiting to happen

BY BOSE ADELAJA

W

ithin a space of 24 hours, three buildings collapsed in different parts of Lagos State, sent two people to their early graves and injured several others. The first incident occurred on Tuesday when a two-storey building under construction caved in at 24, Bashiru Street, Ojodu-Berger around 4pm. The tragedy left a construction worker dead and injured several others.

The building was said to have served as the zonal headquarters of a Pentecostal church until the Tuesday incident. Some artisans were trapped in the rubble before the timely intervention of emergency agencies like National Emergency Management Authority NEMA , Lagos State Emergency Management Authority LASEMA and Lagos State Fire Services.

On Wednesday, another building, located on 6, Adenaike Street, Ejina area of Ikorodu, was said to have collapsed although no life was lost while the third incident occurred at 9, Shogbemi Street, Bariga when the perimeter fence of a building reportedly fell leaving one person dead.

The incident sent jitters to many people, especially those in Lagos and Ogun states as they approached emergency bodies alerting them of defective buildings in various locations in the states.

According to a report made available to Sunday Vanguard, affected areas include Ikorodu, Mushin, Ilasamaja, Ikotun-Igando, Masa-masa, Ijeshatedo, Surulere, Isolo, Aboru, Iyana-Ipaja, Iyana-Iba, Lagos Island, Dopemu,

Some residents of Igando-Ikotun, Lagos State sent a distress call about a building located at Lawal Street, Balogun busstop, Igando-Ikotun Road, describing the house as a disaster waiting to happen Egbeda, Ajegunle-Apapa, Baruwa-Ipaja all in Lagos while that of Ogun include Ado-Odo/Ota and Abeokuta.

To this effect, many of the residents were said to be contemplating relocation. Sunday Vanguard gathered that some of the buildings have been marked for demolition by relevant agencies but the occupants refused to relocate on the grounds that they have no alternative.

Some residents of Igando-Ikotun, Lagos State sent a distress call about a building located at Lawal Street, Balogun bus-stop, Igando-Ikotun Road, describing the house as a disaster waiting to happen.

“The house is a storey-building rented out about two years ago, but the floors are sinking and the walls peel-

z Collapsed building in Ejina area of Ikorodu on Wednesday ing; to hang a curtain is very difficult and all the occupants are aware about this including visitors who have advised that the occupants relocate”, a resident of the area stated.

Also, some residents of Ijeshatedo complained over a building located at Obiosa Street calling on government to act fast. According to a neighbour, “The building is near collapse and the occupants are about 100.’’

To some residents of Igbogbo in Ikorodu area of Lagos, a building located at Babs Ogunlewe Street is another disaster waiting to happen. “Help us in Igbogbo town where a decked house is located; the building is in a bad shape and the owner is not ready to out it in order please help us”, a resident said.

Some complaints also came from Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun State where residents said a building located at Imapa and owned by one Alhaja had its roof removed as a result of rainstorm. “The house has no roof and people are occupying it,’’ said the residents.

In an interview with Sunday Vanguard, South-West Information Officer for National Emergency Management Authority, NEMA, Ibrahim Farinloye, said his organisation had received about 40 distress calls, saying some of the buildings were affected by rains.

According to him, structural tests will be conducted on all the buildings and those found wanting will be marked for demolition to avoid further loss of lives and property. ‘’We have been receiving some distress calls from Nigerians, the bulk of which came from Lagos and Ogun states.

However, we want to be objective in our response; already, we have mobilised other emergency bodies and we shall swing into action on Monday (tomorrow) to carry out structural test on the affected buildings. Without fear or favour, any defective building will be marked for demolition and subsequently pulled down. We don’t want to jeopardise peoples’ lives and property,’’ said Ibrahim.

AGONY OF A CRIPPLED HUSBAND:

Wife ran away after infecting me with HIV

BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

A

47-year-old woman pleaded with an Agege Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her 22-year-old marriage to her crippled husband. The petitioner, Mrs Esther Tarsie, a trader, who resides at 67, Oduntan Street, Ikosi-Ketu, told the court that husband was fetish and slept in the cemetary for weeks.

But the husband, Ndubuisi, shocked the court when he said he was HIV positive, and that it was the wife who infected him. The wife, he said, ran away after infecting him.

C M Y K

*

“I met my husband, Ndubusi, with wound on his left leg, 23 years ago.

He has been living on drugs since that time,” the petitioner said. ”About 15 years ago, he stopped sleeping at home. I became suspicious because I heard he was an evil man. I trailed him and found he was sleeping at a nearby cemetary. ”He has so many shady deals, he is not a straight forward man, and always threatens to kill me any time we have a quarrel.” The mother of two told the court that her husband preferred to use his money on alcohol than to give his children for feeding.

Esther added that life with her husband was miserable and urged the court to dissolve the marriage and grant her the custody of the children.

However, the husband, Ndubuisi, 53, unemployed, told the court that his wife was looking for a way to leave him because he was crippled. ”My wife found me useless, she left me when I needed a shoulder to lean on. I was responsible for the upkeep of the family until my accident last year June”, Ndubuisi lamented. ”It was after the accident that I tested positive to HIV and my wife also tested positive. ” I was told that it was my

wife that infected me because she failed to treat her long time sexual disease which resulted in HIV. ”She left the house with the children and took away the little money I had”.. The husband, who lives at 1, Ndozie St., Ojodu, Lagos, told the court that he remained in love with the wife notwithstanding the challenges. ”I want the court to settle our misunderstanding so that we can join hands to fight this disease called HIV,” he pleaded. Court President, Mr Emmanuel Shokunle, told the couple to maintain the peace and adjourned the case to May 22 for further hearing.

PAGE 26—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

Facebook leads governor to village!

EMMA AMAIZE,

Regional Editor, South-South

T

HE first time he went to Umeh in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, on August 24, 2011, the astounded villagers ran into hiding, as they sighted Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, thinking he had come to arrest them.

Uduaghan, who got to know through social media, Facebook page, opened by a member of the community, Mr Duncan Afahokor, that the people lacked access road had decided to visit the area unceremoniously.

The villagers could not believe their eyes as no governor had visited them since the community was founded.

Odiologbo of Umeh Kingdom, Owhe Odiri, could not hide his feelings on the day. He praised God. He commended the governor and his team for their bold step and urged him to redress the neglect of Umeh.

The governor, on his return, posted on his Facebook page, “I sincerely thank you all for the various comments following my visit to Umeh today. Following my Facebook ‘town hall meeting’ yesterday, I had to postpone my State EXCO meeting to 9pm to give me enough (time) to visit. So after our security council meeting in Warri at about 12noon, I told the SSG to follow me to Umeh. It was a remarkable trip.

“Apart from the road, I was able to go into one of the plantain plantations and passed a footbridge over a flowing river, part of which was totally covered with water hyacinth. In another segment of the river was a long fishing net. On another farm site were two mud houses and a ‘kitchen’, which

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (2nd left), Rt Hon Solomon Funkekeme (1st left), Commissioner for Works, Dr Festus Okubor, Chief of Staff Govt House (3rd left) and Mr. Michael Osuoza (extreme right), Commissioner for Project Monitoring during the Governor’s inspection of Umeh Road under construction in Isoko South. Pix: Bripin Enarusai has only a thatch roof. The inhabitants had taken off when they saw us coming.

“They were eventually persuaded to come out of their hiding. I had an interesting conversation with them especially the 11-yr old boy who apparently had gone to pick ‘ikolo’ or edible worm to cook d banga that was on fire. He is a boy full of courage and determination. Some Okada riders joined us and we had fruitful discussions, not just on the road but issues of farming and livelihood.

“There were other encounters. In all, a lot can be achieved with the situation. We can start work earlier than I had envisaged. We were still able to hold our EXCO at 10pm after dealing with other programs. We finished about 1.00 am. Quite an interesting day, thanks Duncan. Thanks PG. Thanks Zino. Thank you all. Let me assure all that I was at no time offended. I am aware that people have lost confidence and faith in govt. I am trying to correct that,” he stated.

In March, 2013 when the governor undertook yet another visit to the community, accompanied by his Commissioner for Works, Hon Solomon Funkekeme, the villagers were no longer running. They now

saw him as their number one friend. As Uduaghan predicted, a great deal had been achieved.

Works were going on smoothly on the 7.6 kilometer Umeh Road, awarded for N3.625 billion, last year, to Setraco Construction Company. The road project is the product of the governor’s first visit to the community in 2011. It still looks like a dream to the villagers, but the truth is that Facebook has paid off amazingly for the people.

In fact, asphalting of the road was to commence in some weeks time and that was the purpose of Uduaghan’s visit, to see things for himself. Initially, on the Facebook page, most of the participants hauled missiles at him. The project, aimed at easing the evacuation of agricultural produce from the agrarian community to other parts of the state, is expected to be completed in 18 months. However, due to the last year’s floods, which affected works already done on the road, the governor said the contract value had been reviewed upwards with about N800 million to accommodate a bridge, instead of a box culvert that was initially contemplated.

Niger: 10,000 get free eye surgery

BY WOLE MOSADOMI

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lmost 10,000 people have benefitted from the free eye surgery embarked upon by a non-governmen tal organisation (NGO)- Talban Success Movement in Niger State.

The beneficiaries cut across eight out of the 25 local government areas of the state while other councils will be covered before the end of next year.

About N35m has been expended on the exercise. The state co-ordinator of the movement, Alhaji Hamisu Jankaro, who made this known in an interview, said the movement kicked off on the humanitarian exercise in 2009 with the aim of assisting the less privileged having eye problems to regain their sight either by giving them drugs or carrying out surgery. “The movement viewed it that C M Y K

anybody that has an eye problem is a problem to himself and even the society. Such people even to go and ease themselves will find it very difficult to move except by seeking for an assistance to do that and we see it as a calamity to the nation and that is why we delved into the health area knowing fully well that he/she that has vision has light.”

Alhaji Jankaro said the movement went as far as sensitizing and mobilizing the blind people on the streets to present themselves for check up and surgery where necessary of which there was an encouraging response.

The state co-ordinator however disclosed that most of the blind men and women mobilized from the streets had their problems irreversible because of their lateness in seeking for medical assistance but had to be counseled and given drugs free as an alternative where applicable.

SOS to Fashola over Ipaja-Ayobo Road Stories by Adeola Adenuga The slow pace of work on the rehabilitation of Ayobo-Ipaja Road, Lagos State is giving residents in the area concern.

A community leader in the area, Pastor Oluwadamire Akinola, sent an SOS message to Governor Babatunde Fashola over the pains the state of the road is causing residents, pleading that work is expedited on the road.

“Currently under construction by Ply-Con Nigeria Limited, the contract was approved in October 2010 and work commenced around September 23, 2011. The tenure of the contract is 18 months”, Akinola, senior pastor of Appealing Grace Assembly International, Onikanga, Ayobo, told journalists last week.

“This is May 2013, several months after the contract ought to have been commissioned, with the completion still very far in sight.

Our plea is that the suffering in Ayobo ought not enter the rainy season of 2013.

“From experience, the Ayobo area is prone to flooding. This is the reason residents fear rains.

The expectation is that the rehabilitation of the road with appropriate drainage will put an end to the problem of flooding in the area, beginning from this year.

“While we thank Governor Fashola for awarding the contract, we pray that the Lord will stir up his heart to give PLY-CON close monitoring on the road project, as he is doing, concerning other urbanization projects across Lagos State”.

Three suspected church robbers arraigned Three suspected church robbers – Akinbode Theophilus (30), Waidi Folorunso (27) and Wasiu Olusola- have been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate Court.

The trio were alleged to broken into the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Kingdom Parish, Ifelodun Street, Ijegun-Ikotun, Lagos at about 4 a.m on April 5, 2013 and carted away musical instruments worth N170,000.

The suspects told Magistrate Sule Hamsat of Court 8, Ikeja before whom they were charged that they were not guilty.

The magistrate granted each of them bail in the sum of N100,000 and one surety in like sum while the case was adjourned till May 15. The suspects were asked to be remanded at Kirikiri Prisons pending when they would meet their bail conditions.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 27

Succour for the mentally deranged

Wife accuses pastor of sleeping with church member

By ADEOLA ADENUGA

Soni Daniel, Regional Editor, North

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n a world where those endowed with special gifts de ploy such for gratification, one man is putting his spe cial endowment at the disposal of the downtrodden.Reverend Godwin Udofah is falling and rising with men and women who have lost their mental bearing apparently because he is able to subdue the forces keeping the mentally-challenged in bondage and bring them back to their senses. At the last count, Udofa claims he has been able to loosen some 168 mentally challenged persons and reunited them with their families. Udofah is not among those who want to speak at every turn about what he can do. But underneath his small head is the power to ‘arrest and subdue’ mentally-challenged persons, who roam the streets.

Within Akwa Ibom State and environs, his name rings a bell as someone who is endowed with what it takes to tame insane

Catering for insane persons “It is just a commission, which God gave to me as far back as 1995.

That year I had an encounter with Jesus for about 27 hours during which I was handed the mandate to set up the centre to cater for the mentally-challenged”,he explains. ”In that dream, God said to me, ‘Churches are not caring enough for the mentally-challenged and you must do something to help them right there in your village’.

“I was a new convert in a particular church in Lagos, the body of

,

men and women. In fact, when the state government opted to rid the streets of the mentally challenged, they turned in his direction.

Udofah’s ability to remove a towering mental man, who had been sitting at the University of Uyo roundabout for close to 30 years, rehabilitate him and reunite with his family has drawn the spotlight on him. Today, the man, who used to tie himself with chains, padlocks and tons of rags and sitting on the road daily, is back in his hometown ingratiating himself effectively into his family and community. It is like a miracle but that is what the man who founded the Wonder Light Christian International, a faith-based non-governmental organization in Ikot Afanga in Oruk Anam Local Government Area of Akwa Iborn State, does on a daily basis. “This is where God wants me to be so as to render assistance to the mentallyunstable”,he says.

“The main mission of Wonder Light Ministry is all about evacuating the mentally-challenged from dangerous areas, healing them and rehabilitating them through skill acquisition and discipleship training.

It is like transforming victims held captives by forces beyond their control and taking them to a new realm life so that they can still achieve their goals as human beings created with full potentials by God”. Udofah’s NGO started operation in 1997.

zRev

“While government uses police and medical staff to subdue the lunatics on the streets before taking them away, we pray and counsel them to follow us and they obey

,

Christ Evangelist Commission.

That day we went for baptism. As I returned from the baptism I came into the house and that is how I slept off from about 8:30 am till 10am the following day. During that vision, I saw a lot of things in the wilderness among them helicopters bringing insane persons to me for prayers and I was able to assist them to recover.

“In that dream, God said to me not to go outside the rural setting of Ikot Afanga. Shortly after the vision, I woke up. That is why I have been deeply involved in the programme of looking out for insane persons on the roads in Akwa Ibom State and bringing them to the WLCIC for healing and resettlement. The name of the centre became popular once the people began to see a reduction in the number of insane persons who used to line up available space in the state capital. But one mad man that made everyone to begin to look in the direction of the WLCIC was a towering figure that had become a familiar face at the University of Uyo Roundabout. He had been sitting there in warped clothes for over 30 years. He personally chained him-

Godwin Udofah

self with padlock and tons of black sackcloth apparently to distinguish himself from others in his genre. “For over 30 years, the man had been in chains, rags and rattled by evil forces. But the day God touched him; he followed us to the centre after a moment of prayers. It was by the grace of God that we were able to uproot him from the university junction and restore him to normal life. The day we took him, he pleaded with us not to chain him and that he was going to follow us without any resistance and that was it. Today, he is happily reunited with his kith and kin. Not many who knew him as a madman can recognize him again”. Udofah says he is able to deal with lunatics because of the special grace given to him by God in that area. “Under a programme called ‘Akwa Ibom Total Eradication of Lunatics by 2020, we want to rid the streets of mentally deranged persons”,he says.

“Right now, we are trying to create awareness for the families of persons with mental problems to know that there is a place to take them to for help. “While government uses police and medical staff to subdue the lunatics on the streets before taking them away, we pray and counsel them to follow us and they obey. That has been our wining strategy over the years and we have added a medical unit to cater for those who have serious health issues”.

Governor’s wife steps in The wife of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mrs. Uloma Ekaette Akpabio, now assists the centre with quarterly provisions. Udofah says the governor’s wife’s support is the only major assistance from any government-related agency so far. He is full of appreciation to the woman and has continued to pray for her and the government run by her husband.

According to him, all entreaties for help to other agencies in the state appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.

A pastor, Mr. Segun Fasina, pleaded with an Orile-Agege Customary Court, Lagos to dissolve his four-year-old marriage over the wife’s alleged wayward life. Meanwhile, Abosede, 30, denied the allegation and said, “My husband is adulterous. He counsels his church members at home, and I discovered that most of them are ladies.

I once caught him having sex with a church member on our matrimonial bed”.

The 35-year-old man, who lives at No 4, Moses Street, Alagba, Orile-Agege, told the court that his wife had lost her sense of dignity, and was now smoking and consuming alcohol.

“My wife, Abosede, possesses all bad habits one can think of. She was accused of stealing a phone in our house I believed she actually stole it because of her behaviour ”, the husband stated.

“She goes to our co-tenants’ apartments to gossip, and whenever there is any fight in the house, my wife’s name is always mentioned. “As a pastor, I have prayed for her deliverance from the evil acts but my effort was in vain.

“Since the marriage is childless, we owe ourselves nothing; so, I want the court to dissolve the union”.

Abosede shot back, saying the pastor had sex with a church member on their matrimonial bed.

“He was inside the room counselling a woman when I dashed in. To my surprise, my husband and the woman were both naked on our bed, My husband beat me and threw me out of the house. When I reported the case to his father, the man said I should not disturb his son,” the wife said.“My husband saw me with alcohol that was meant to cleanse my stomach, so that I could get pregnant.” She told the court that despite the husband’s adulterous lifestyle, she was still in love with him.

Court President, Joseph Adewusi, told the couple to maintain the peace and adjourned.

Ekiti to install surveillance cameras ...As

state

gets

army

base

Ekiti State government has unfolded the plan to install surveillance cameras in strategic parts of the state; making the state a no-go area for men of the underworld. Governor Kayode Fayemi made this known during a meeting with traditional rulers, security agencies and representatives of different sub-ethnic groups as well as transport unions in the state.Fayemi, who also announced that he just got a message from the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, informing him of President’ Goodluck Jonathan’s approval on the establishment of a military base in the state, said the proposed cameras’ operation would begin in Ado- Ekiti, the state capital.

28—SUNDAY, Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

Pizzazz as Otunba Bush gives daughter in wedlock

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From Left; Oba Sikiru Adetona, Awujale of Ijebu-Land, overseeing the cutting of the cake of Mr Mikail Babajide Olusegun Subair, and Miss Mariam Adenike Ajibike Alebiosu

agos socialite, politician and a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Otunba Bush Alebiosu, gave the hand of his daughter, Mariam Adenike Ajibike, in to dashing Mikail Babajide Olusegun, son of Alhaji (Aare) Abdul Kabir Subair, penultimate Saturday at the Muslim Pilgrims Board grounds in Ikeja G.R.A, Lagos.

The day turned out to be a pot-pourri of style, panache and deluxe merriment as dignitaries swarmed the Haven, venue of the reception. While Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, was an umpire of sort who directed the cutting-of-the-cake session, Senator Olurunnimbe Mamora was the Chairman of the occasion. Photos by Kehinde Gbadamosi

From right: Justice Goerge Oguntade (Rtd), with the couple, Mr and Mrs Mikail Babajide Olusegun Subair

From right: Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, Mrs Olanlesi Mamora, and Alhaja Bintu KafaruTinubu

Bride’s parents: Otunba Mrs Funmilayo BushAlebiosu, and Otunba Bush Alebiosu

From left: Alhaji Kabir Subair, groom's dad, Mrs Olakorede Ayankunbi, and Mr Mati Olayiwola

From left: Chief Yomi Idowu, Alhaji Kamaru Adeyemi, Senator Jubril Martins-Kuye, and Prince Bode Osinusi

odunola Ilori First Synod of the Diocese of When TTodunola marked 40 Ijebu South-west

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L-R: Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), Special Guest of Honour , Group (Barr) Bola O. A. Sotubo (Rtd ), Registrar of Diocese of Ijebu South West, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya (Rtd ) and The Rt. Revd. (Dr ) Babatunde F. R. Ogunbanwo

L- R:the Rt. Revd. (Dr ) & Mrs Babatunde F. R. Ogunbanwo, Bishop of Ijebu SouthWest and Hon. Olawale Shitu, Chairman, Odogbolu Local Government C M Y K

hird session of the first Synod of the Diocese of Ijebu South-west has held at the St. John’s Anglican Church, Ososa-Ijebu, Ogun State. The members of the Clergy were not alone to observe the special session, they were joined by eminent personalities drawn from different walks of life. Photos by Diran Oshe

R-L:Prince Henry Odukomaiya , Diocese Adviser on Media Matters, addressing the members of Diocese of Ijebu South -West

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hen Mrs Todunola Ilori marked her 40 th birthday, a dinner party was thrown by the family to give her a befitting celebration. Many dignitaries graced the occasion.

From Left; Celebrant's husband, Mr. Yinka Ilori, Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke OrelopeAdefulire. the celebrant, Mrs. Todunola Ilori and Osun State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Grace Titi- Laoye Tomori

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013 —29

vice ffor or Service Pastor Johnson Omomadia’s 50th birthday bash Funeral Ser Euc haria Idin Eucharia Idinyye

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astor Johnson Omomadia, the Senior Pastor and founder of Christ Reality Ministries has joined the ranks of the 50-yearolds and the celebration was done in style with public presentation of two books”Accessing God’s Blessing” and “Dynamics of S u p e r n a t u r a l Breakthroughs” writen by the charismatic Pastor.

The event held at TFC Place, Silver Hall in Festac Town, Lagos and it was a warm day of merriment, refreshment and thanksgiving.

Photos by Lamidi Bamidele

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he funeral service for Mrs Eucharia Nkiruka Idinye, wife of the General Manager of Daar Communications Plc, Chief Jacob Idinye, who passed on at the age of 45 years held at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Agege, Lagos.

Family and friends were there to pay their last respect to the deceased who many described as a dutiful wife, loving mother and a career woman who sought to give her family the very best.

Photos by Bunmi Azeez

L-R:Pastor (Mrs) Ngozi Achonwa; Pastor Charles Achonwa, of Doulos Ministries; Pastor Johnson Omomadia, celebrant; Pastor (Mrs) Ese Omomadia, wife; Pastor (Mrs) Anne Adedayo and Rev (Dr) Akin-Gabriel Adedayo From Right: Chief Jacob Egietseme Idinye, the General Manager, Daar Communications PLC, husband deceased, Miss Andrea Imoitseme, daughter, Mr. Jacob[Jnr] Eratsor, son and Mr. John Imoudu, son.

From left; Mr Kivie Kagho Omomadia, presenting the book; Pastor Johnson Omomadia, and Pastor (Mrs) Ese Omomadia, wife

From right; Mr Sunny Aminaghan; Mr Toju Aminaghan and his wife and daughter From left: Mr Anegbe Anthony Akiotu, GMD, Daar Communications PLC, his wife Ann and Prince Peter Arigbe

Mr Sunny Awevia, Operations Manager, Vanguard, with wife and son

R-L:Mr Olasunkanmi Akoni of Vanguard and some guests

Cross section of friends of the deceased

Oluwabusola Akomolede weds Adekunbi Balogun

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dekunbi Balogun and Oluwabusola Akomolede have consummated their relationship in a Holy matrimony. Their traditional marriage ceremony took place at Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos. Photos by Akeem Salau

The couple; Adekunmi Adesayo Balogun and Oluwabusola Bethy Akomolede C M Y K

L - R: Barr. Adesoji Oluyori, Chief Mrs Abike Akomolede, Kunmi & Busola, Chief Kola Akomolede and Mrs Folashade Balogun

L-R:Chief Mrs Abike Akomolede And Mrs Folashade Balogun

PAGE 30 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

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Vanguard,

MAY 12,

2013, PAGE 31

PAGE 32—SUNDAY

Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

President Goodluck Jonathan

President Barrack Obama

Lessons for Nigeria from the US sequester and fiscal cliff dodging

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ll human beings are prince and princesses, but only very few know their kingdom. As a president, rule as if the people are ruling themselves. When power is needed, summon, and use it. When war is needed then rise and go to war in the highest way, and win in the quickest way, and use it to create better conditions for all… (BEN OKRI in STARBOOK) USA, for now, rules the world. When it catches cold all countries in the world sneeze. So, anything happening to USA reverberates in the whole world. It is a phenomenon quite tasking to Obama and the USA Congress. How one would have wished that every government in the world could behave the same way and know that its activities reverberate within its sphere of influence and, so, act appropriately to keep its micro kingdom working. President Obama’s style seems to be that of creating the future now, the way he approaches C M Y K

issues, so as to avoid being taken by surprise and, one sees it the way Professor Nurudeen Alao perceives it: no present in life, it is past or future. The best way to see the present is either to live in the past as your present – quite retrogressive – or create the future now to avoid embar-

,

BY VICTOR ARIOLE

tightening or budget cuts, and fiscal cliff for no allowance of greater budget deficit or accepting debt payment gapbridging to avoid economic summersault; and it is suitable for a nation that dictates what happen in the world.

Till 2am Washington time of JANUARY 1, 2013, both

The president, holding the remote control, set the vice president in motion to press on clearing the fog in the Senate where the same vice president sits as the Senate President

rassment. Agenda setting which ought to be the exclusive domain of informed press, as the required language aesthetics oblige, seem to be lacking in journalism.

Obama knows how to create it and dramatise it to keep the Congress working for the good of Americans and the world in extension. USA prefers to use sequester for belt

,

OBAMA and USA CONGRESSMEN continued working to avoid what Americans have come to coin FISCAL CLIFF. That was language in action. So heavy a connotation that all attention was fixed at averting its consequences if the President was not allowed to go spending in the interest of USA. The President, holding the remote control, set the

Vice president in motion to press on clearing the fog in the Senate where the same vice president sits as the President of the Senate. That could be quite unimaginable in Nigeria for JONATHAN to send Mark on such an errand. In effect it could never be Mark getting fellow Senators to know that the oil benchmark must not go beyond N75 so as to avoid Nigeria’s own fiscal overhang.

In Nigeria’s case, it is accepting sequester as against more spending which is favoured by the Senate. The USA’s case is even unimaginable in Nigeria; Obama has been operating without a budget since 2009. The approval he is seeking for, to avoid fiscal cliff, that is: avoiding USA not meeting its financial obligations to debtors, is raising USA debt ceiling so as to get money to pay obligations already entered to by Congress before 2009; like a recurrent expenditure – social welfare packages, payment on USA bonds, tax benefit refunds, Obamacare commitments, etc.

Beyond fiscal cliff which was merely avoiding failing to meet payment deadline en-

tered into by government, another heavy language was at work to get the CONGRESS working on holiday, the SEQUESTER: aiming at cuts in different sectors of the government, especially the defence. Indeed, while both fiscal cliff and sequester could diminish the esteem of Obama in the eyes of Americans the last word TAX MARK UP or raising tax for rich Americans was going to hurt his opponents, the Republicans. The speaker of the house, a republican, needed to buckle up and concede to Democrats demand so as to limit the spread to no fewer than 2% of the rich. Indeed, it could only be on such tax that debt ceiling could be a negotiable item as tax payers would need to know what kind of spending their tax is going to go for. Creating more jobs is where both republicans and democrats agree. Hence the need for keeping the American “constant” alive, the American dream, land of opportunities. As constant a value it is, allowing Americans to own arms in the name of keeping off the bad guys from owning or using arms as exclaimed by one of the National Rifles Association (NRA) members, it is also another republican interest never to be traded off. Obama wants to reduce riches made out of gun running business which is a money minting business for the republicans. For the HOUSE SPEAKER, trade-off is part of congressional business as long as the basic constants of the American dream are not torched. Part of the constants are: do not discourage those making money – making money as venture capitalists and not vulture capitalists the way some perceived Romney; and do not stop die-hard republicans from owning arms – they could be die-hard republicans in either Democratic Party or Republican Party. The speaker, also, desperately, needed to be voted back which, in effect, happened on the 5th of January as the new 113 th CONGRESS resumed and, according to him, in an emotional outburst, elected members must aim at what they can do for America and not what they want to be, using their presence in the Congress as a leverage.

This is indeed a lesson for Nigeria that claims it is practising the USA brand of democracy. * ARIOLE is an Associate Professor at UNILAG

SUNDAY

Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 33

veyed, designed and presented for consideration . Contract was awarded as additional work to the contractor on his existing contract.

‘Our goal is to make Gombe accessible for coal exploration’

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HA T ar the HAT aree reasons behind the decision of the Gombe government to commit huge resources in the area of development of road infrastructure?

All over the world roads are very critical to development.

Roads are significant to Gombe State. I want to take road as an infrastructure globally. I was at a conference organised by the Senate Committee on Works, and the Minister for Works was in attendance to present a paper. Some of the revelations made by the Minister addressed the issue of historical background of road development and road infrastructure and we were told that the big nations of the world are talking about millions of kilometres of road networks in their environment.

The paper dwelled on some African nations with hundreds of thousands of kilometres of roads and that in Nigeria we are battling with just about 33,000 kilometres of roads nationwide. Don’t forget that, of this number, we have major places like Lagos, Kano, Kaduna and Ibadan that could take the chunk. States like Gombe and its peer group, we are below 1,000 kilometres coverage. Roads are the United Nations requirement for indices of reaching out to development; even if you want to provide health services to a community, the community needs to be accessed; if you want to provide education, erect a school or establish any school related infrastructure, that community must be accessed even if by bicycle or motorcycle. If you are talking about agricultural operations, if you have your farm located way into the bush, you need to open up access for these farmers to take in inputs for the development of their farmlands and you need access roads for them to bring out their produce to the markets.

If you want to convey services of any type, you need corridors, and, for maintenance purpose, even if you are tracking through the bush, NNPC pipelines that traversed all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, you need tracks for maintenance and so on. It is still another form of road. We are talking about providing corridors and opening access. It can

be an earth road, it can be a bush track. We only develop the asphalt type of conventional roads to make them durable, accessible, maintainable and reliable.

CASE WITH GOMBE The case with Gombe is that we needed to be linked; our various communities and settlements from where we take produce. Our people here are mostly agrarian in nature.

Greater majority also are traders who need access to markets. Some of the roads the governor has ordered to be developed based on the report of our 11- sector based committees are mainly to open up our vast agricultural potential areas so that activities can be enhanced. Gombe needs to explore ways of improving on its internally generatable revenue base. For example, the road we are developing, Kanawa-Deba-Jagali-Jaurogotel, is one of the most expensive ventures for a state government to embark upon, but the investment is worth the while because we are opening up the Balanga Dam site with all its vast agricultural potentials, we are opening up Maikaho International Cattle Market, we are opening up Kuri International Produce Market, we are opening them up to access markets from which we get people coming from neighbouring states and as far as from neighbouring countries to trade in our several international markets.

Our governor believes strongly that if we can improve on this, we will have saved Gombe not less than 40 to 50 percent of its revenue base. In the area of the Dadinkowa water body, we have some villages or communities that are adjoining this water -front but, for some time, they have not been opened up to explore what activities we can open up for our foreign direct investors to come and see what potentials they can access around there.

In this regard, we have developed Garindogo-Kufto Road off Gombe/Potiskum highway, you can access the Dadinkowa Dam from there because the leg right from Dadinkowa stretches up towards Ashaka.

At Malleri, we have opened up from the junction of the Gombe/Potiskum Road also, we are just about awarding the development of the road from Daban-Fulani to Kinafa to Gwani. This is the last community settlement bordering the water front.

CO AL EXPL OR ATION COAL EXPLOR ORA The intention of our governor is that by the time we open up this, we want to invite our foreign direct inves-

Hadi Shehu Usman.... tors in the agricultural and in the hospitality industry. In the other areas, there is this Maiganga coal deposit that has been discovered in Gombe here.

Presently between Gombe State government and Ashaka, we are considering an effort to open up and develop the vast majority of communities around there so that they can access the Maiganga coal exploration and many more things. So, roads are very vital to enhancing development and promoting growth and the investment in this that we are doing all over Gombe State is meant to drive the state towards sustainable development.

What is the situation of road infrastructure in Gombe State now in view of the effort of the last one year during which a number of roads were con-

,

Hadi Shehu Usman is the Gombe State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure handling multi- billion Naira road infrastructure projects across the state. In this interview, the Commissioner says the Ibrahim Dankwambo administration is on the verge of turning Gombe into an economic hub with roads network that will link the entire state to stimulate growth.

to us by the governor. We have already presented our score card and the cabinet was highly impressed and the governor especially commended most of the ministries for keeping the flag of total commitment flying. Gombe is at the threshold of a kind of renewal of efforts and commitment. The state is celebrating its 16th anniversary at a time Nigeria is celebrating her 52nd anniversary. In Gombe, we took stock of where we were yesterday, where we are today and where we would like to be in the future. In the last couple of months, we have been very active as you can see as far as roads construction is concerned.

What is the state of the road construction in Gombe and in various parts of the state?

The last time I spoke to the media some three months ago,

In Gombe, we took stock of where we were yesterday, where we are today and where we would like to be in the future

structed in Gombe metropolis and in some local government areas?

Incidentally, you are asking this question at a time when Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo had already called for bids and the EXCO was engaged in the last few days taking performance and evaluation reports on the activities of the ministries. The Ministry of Works and Infrastructure had been fully engaged because we had some list of projects that needed to be presented, and evidently we have done a lot in response to the mandate given

,

we were still concentrating on our first 12 and 19 additional roads, as we are talking today 20 to 21 others have been added; when I say added, because of the problem of flooding, those 12 and 19 were awarded last August; at that time, some of the areas which showed some vulnerability to flooding did not manifest. Now that these areas became manifest, the governor personally undertook visits to such sites and ordered that we must package and consider these corridors for development and since then, these were sur-

Let us talk about the nature and location of these roads We have the regional roads network, these are the link roads connecting important towns and settlements and then we have the local government township roads in about five local governments. We have two communities in Balanga called Banbam and Cham benefiting from sub township road development.

There is also Kaltungo with about five roads network being developed there. Billiri with about four township roads network, Funakaye, that is Bajoga with about two township roads, even though the governor has graciously approved that we add two more roads in Bajoga which means we will be developing four roads. In Dukku we are developing three township roads network and the governor has also graciously approved that we add another one to make it four. The total kilometre coverage of the roads network within the local government township roads was about 17 before he added the two and one in Bajoga and Dukku respectively. The two and one in Bajoga and Dukku are adding up to another 4.5 kilometres, so we are talking about 22 kilometres in the local government township that is already awarded.

We are using the state and local government joint account to fund these projects. I can tell you that we are left with only Gombe local government out of the eleven local governments of the state, as Gombe is already a beneficiary of the Gombe metropolitan township roads development. So, all the eleven local governments are covered. Don’t forget that we are not talking of local government headquarters only, in some cases, we are talking of community by community, settlement by settlement.

Can you give us an insight into the costing?

We are talking of about N10.7 billion for a network of about 52 roads of 45 kilometres out of which 19 roads have been completed and opened to traffic. Here, we have to define what a road is, because the Gombe township roads are not like any other road. In the past what was specified on our road was laterite-self base and laterite base and you come and have an asphalt layer of 40mm. When we came in, we saw the need to replace the laterite base because the road structure is not about the beauty of the asphalt but is about the strength of the base material that will give extended life span for the road, so we replace the laterite base with crushed stones base, about five inch of that is used. This crushed stone base layer it improves the design lifespan for the road and all the 52 were developed on that prism.

PAGE 34—SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

‘SURE-P money can’t revamp nation’s refineries’

BY UDEME CLEMENT

T

Goodluck Jonathan

Okonjo-Iweala

government needs to build new and functional refineries for optimum production.

Refinery experts put the cost of establishing a new refinery at $15,000-$20,000 per barrel of crude oil capacity; so to build a modern, technologydriven and environmentfriendly of 100,000 barrel per day capacity refinery will cost about $2 billion. Government may not afford this cost now due to political and socioeconomic challenges, even the Nigerian banks put together cannot fund the building of new refineries in the country.

The move by government to spend the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) money to revamp and overhaul the refineries for me is a waste of resources,

government.

As such, what will you advise government to do?

Government should encourage Public Private Partnership (PPP) in this area.

Also, Building new refineries should not be much of a problem. My advice is for the proposal of three refineries to be sited in strategic locations in the country. First example, the first refining plant should be sited in Akwa Ibom/Cross River-axis to take care of the South-South Region and parts of the North Eastern region, while the Federal Government through the NNPC should serve as the coordinating arm as well as the motivator with an equity participation of not more than 25 per cent based on agreeable terms and capabilities of other

,

The oil and gas industry in Nigeria has been in the news since the sudden removal of fuel subsidy and subsequent increase in the official pump price of petrol from N65 per litre to N97 in January 2012. Crude oil theft estimated at over $6 billion annually as well as N165 billion to theft of refined products, non passage of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which has been in the National Assembly since 2008, alarming rate of pipeline vandalism, subsidy probes and currently the issue of Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) are among the controversies surrounding the sector. Engineer Kayode Sote. Principal Partner, Lubeservices Associates, speaks on the need for the Federal Government to sanitise the sector for greater productivity.

O start with, what is your assessment of the oil and gas industry in the first quarter of 2013 economic year?

Apparently, the performance of a public office holder is usually determined by the socio-political directive and policies of the government. In that capacity, under the present disposition, I believe the current Minister of Petroleum Resources has done fairly well notwithstanding what can be described as various challenges and distraction, but there is still room for improvement. The Minister should ensure full implementation of Nigerian Content Act to the letter, to enhance a level playing field for local operators in the industry. Again, government should remove overlapping functions of the ministries and agencies in order to create a synergy in the system.

For instance, the experience in the last subsidy crisis was embarrassing with conflicting figures of between $1.20 trillion and $2.1 trillion being branded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the ministers to mislead Nigerians on such a sensitive issue about the nation’s economy.

Many experts are of the opinion that the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) is not feasible. Do you share this view?

So far, government is just dancing around what can be described as “deregulation blues”.

What do you mean by deregulation blues?

This implies that to sanitise the industry and stimulate tangible growth, government needs a pragmatic and holistic approach to the reposition the entire industry. For example,

The contentious and subjective claims of subsidising importation of petroleum products with about N1.20 trillion - N2.1 trillion in 2011 - is subsidising inefficiency, corruption and sustenance of cabals in the system

which ought to be used for capital projects to grow the economy and create jobs for the citizens. It is like dropping water in a bottomless pit. The contentious and subjective claims of subsidising importation of petroleum products with about N1.20 trillion -N2.1 trillion in 2011 is subsidising inefficiency, corruption and sustenance of cabals in the system. The amount generated from subsidy removal should not be shared among the three tiers of government as stipulated in the SURE-package, rather it should be utilised at the federal level just like the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) era.

Nigerians want to see in practical terms how the accruable subsidy fund is spent to disabuse their minds about the fear of another windfall or jamboree of money spending by the

,

investors. Other equity owners should include the multinational oil companies, technical partners, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to represent the 9-oil producing states, in order to soften the issue of militancy in the region. Others should include the 27-State governments, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), organised labour/trade unions and other interested individuals.

The second plant should be sited between the bitumen/ sand tar axis of Edo, Ondo, Ogun and Lagos State coastline because of the potential for a backward integration using the heavy hydrocarbon resources in that area as a source of crude oil to the refinery. It is on record that Nigeria has the second largest bitumen deposit in the world

after Venezuela , with over 40 billion barrels untapped reserve, so having a refinery in that region will just be ideal.

The government through NNPC should also maintain 25 percent equity, while other equity holders should include the marginal field operators, technical partners, NDDC represent the 9-oil producing states, the 27-State governments including the FCT, major marketers, independent marketers, depot owners, corporate and institutional investors, individuals, organised labour/ trade union.

The third plant, which is a Greenfield refinery, should be sited at Lokoja-Kogi State .

Doing this will provide a balancing act for the country – geo-political zones. The equity holdings will be made up of same stakeholders and investors as mentioned in the first and second proposals.

Once this is done, the subsidy figure initially put at about N1.20 trillion as a benchmark, and with an initial partial removal of about 50 percent, which raised the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) from N65 per litre to N97 by government shall have N600 billion, an equivalent of $4billion as savings, and $500million out of this amount will provide the 25 percent equity required from the government in the establishment of a new refinery while the other investors should be able to provide the balance of $1.5 billion to build at lease one refinery.

What is fundamentally wrong with the existing refineries in the country?

To be realistic, the four refineries are not producing at optimum capacities due to several reasons, but specifically due to political consideration and lack of maintenance culture, thus allowing the golden eggs to rot away. For instance, the oldest plant is the Port Harcourt refinery, which is about over three decades now, less than the operational lifespan of an average refinery put at 50 years in civilised society. I am advising government to strategically pull out of these moribund refineries and channel resources toward rapid economic development to move the country forward for greater economic productivity. On the other hand, the refineries should either be privatised or contractleased with the government maintaining minimum equity participations for eligible operators either from China or India to invest.

Why do you suggest investors from China and India ?

At present, these two countries have the most aggressive investors who are interested in running our refineries and even assist in building new ones. The Eleme Petrochemicals is a good example and a success story since it was privatised to Indorama, an Indian company.

The plant is working

efficiently, recording profits and paying dividends to the government. In that ca operation of the refineries should follow the same stream.

Recently, the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum, Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), under the aegis of NUPENGASSAN said Nigeria is losing over $6 billion annually to crude oil theft, and another N165 billion to theft of refined products.

What is the taskforce on Petroleum revenue doing to curtail these losses?

Well, let me borrow a word of a First Republic politician of the old Western Region, I make bold to say that Nigerian oil and gas industry is “penkelemesi”. The situation is indeed a peculiar mess and a true cornucopia of complexity, because the more you look, the less you see. As I said earlier, the industry needs a total overhaul of all the sub-sectors, the parastatals as well as all statutory agencies. This must be done exhaustively without exemption of any agency operating within the sector to check financial excesses, theft and all forms of corrupt practices capable of impeding development of the industry.

Over 300,000b/day of crude oil is lost through bunkering, syndicated oil theft by the local thieves and their powerful international collaborators.

Incurring losses of over $36 million per day is a huge sum, which ought to be channelled into infrastructure development to boost large scale economic growth.

We had cases of foreigners being arrested for collaborating with some Nigerians to divert products from NNPC pipe lines and at the end, nothing happened to them. Don’t you think the National Assembly should make laws to ensure that such culprits are punished accordingly?

The National Assembly has the legislative responsibility to support and empower the President to handle the complex issue without blinking or fear of impeachment. There must be transparency and accountability in the management of the country’s resources because the whole scenario is a consortium of fraud, which is complex and inter-related. The challenges are enormous, and much more than what the Taskforce can handle, because Committee itself lacks the legal backing to prosecute anybody caught in the web of this organised, syndicated fraud and economic sabotage.

The issues of deregulation of the downstream sector and subsidy removal have been lingering for years now, what is the way out?

For me, subsidy means hassle for cheap wealth rather than sustainable development,

Continues on page 35

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 35

The imperative of PIB

BY JOHN EZE

A

S the sector operators, stakeholders and industry watchers patiently await the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), presently before the National Assembly for constitut ional legislative

considerations, it is auspicious to reflect on the issues that generated the hunger, appetite and eventual feeding of Nigerian hydrocarbon industry with new operational guidelines christened PIB to garner momentum to drive the needed impetus. The bill was conceptualised about five years ago and has suffered prolonged political and institutional setbacks.

Introduced with the best intentions to redefine the framework of the industry in line with global best practices, the PIB is to replace the Petroleum Act known to be obsolete.

The commercial hydrocarbon industry in Nigeria is almost as old as the nation’s independence – oil being first discovered in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State in 1956 and its extraction starting two years later. But in spite of many decades of operation and extent of development, indigenous participation is still low. No thanks to lack of enabling laws.

As an answer to the lingering inadequacies among other essential considerations in the context of President Jonathan’s transformation agenda, the cerebral minister of petroleum, Mrs Dieziani Madueke, in collaboration with the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Engr Andrew Yakubu, and the General Manager, National Assembly liaison of the NNPC, Alhaji Mohammed B. Bamanga, among other principal officers of the NNPC, have left no stone unturned in the pursuit and adoption of this 21st century compliant petroleum industry laws now facing scrutiny.

Nigeria’s economy is peculiar in the sense that since the advent of oil and gas exploration in the country, other sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, trade and services have suffered neglect, leading to a mono-cultural situation where petroleum became the mainstay of the economy.

Nigerian government hence mainly depends on oil and gas proceeds for finance and trade balances.

The countr y, therefore, more than anything else, requires a regulatory framework that will guarantee the fortunes of this lifeline, a home-grown approach encompassing the interest of Nigerians, as the PIB is the

key. And since the hydrocarbon industry is a global market, there was a priority to take meaningful steps to protect Nigeria from perceived vagaries of market dynamics.

Economic indicators highlight that petroleum contribution to the nation’s GDP has been falling since 2009, a year after the first PIB was presented to the National Assembly, from the initial 18.89% in the first quarter of 2009 to about 13.42% for the third quarter of 2012. This is essentially as a result of decline in investment in the

sector, especially the onshore front as investors are said to be afraid and uncertain of the PIB outcome coupled with sustained losses to theft and vandalism. There is, therefore, need to avoid further delay to transform the bill into an Act. Nigeria also needs to be mindful of losing its investors to other parts of the world in delaying the industry bill. As we speak, the increasing exploration activities worldwide have led to the discovery of oil in many countries. Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Kenya, Uganda,

Tanzania are among emerging oil producing nations.

Consequently, investors especially the foreigners are increasingly getting alternative fields to do business. Keeping the bill perpetually in limbo without completion could, as discouraging as it appears, push existing and potential investors to eventually abandon Nigeria’s oil fields for other new fields.

Above all, it is no more news that the petroleum industry in Nigeria is riddled with the crisis of crude oil theft, pipeline vandalism, militancy and even hostage taking, all emanating from a stagnant socio-cultural operation al

environment. This makes it imperative to change the laws

and guidelines prevalent in the industry in line with emerging realities.

The PIB is a new ideology and the entire interest and agitation in the oil producing areas on the other hand is a new ideology. What the situation vehemently demands is the swift passage of this revised PIB that meticulously took into account all perceived stakes of the governments (federal and states), the investor and the host communities. When this happens, the once peaceful and prosperous oil and gas industry environment can return to the country for the benefit of all.

*Eze is resident in Abuja

Politics compromising aviation safety– Airline operators *Seek substantive NCAA boss

BY UDEME CLEMENT

T

HE Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON) has called on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), under the leadership of Mr. Joyce Nkemakolam, to

separate politics from important issues of safety in the aviation industry.

The Assistant Secretary General of AON, Alhaji Mohammed Tukur , gave this advice, stressing that the recent statement from NCAA about plane belonging to Rivers State and allegedly operating illegally showed gross lack of professionalism.

He told Sunday Vanguard, “Such a statement coming from a recognised regulatory agency like the NCAA means Nigeria does not even deserve the Category-One certification the country has. The statement sounds so political because a plane that has been operating since it was brought into the country till this moment could not have been flying illegally.

Such practice is not possible.

You can see confusion in the whole thing and the angle the

statement is coming from.

“The Federal Government must realise that aviation is a very important sector and priority must be given to safety in all ramifications. I am calling on the National Assembly, as a matter of urgency, to approve the appointment of the current director general of NCAA. The reason being that, such a parastatal must not be left like that, and the director general of such an important agency must not be in acting capacity.

It does not make sense in any way and operators in other countries will not take Nigeria seriously.”

On whether the industry needs another financial bailout, he said, “The sector does not need any bailout now.

We had cases of some local operators who collected huge sums of money as bailout to resuscitate their operations but they still went under at the end of the day. What the local airlines need is full implementation of the waiver on spare parts and importation of airplanes without payment of duty. Also, the issue of aviation hanger must be given serious consideration.”

Front row: From left: Chief Azubuike Okafor (Chairman),Lady Ada Chukwudozie (3rd Vice Chairman), Pastor Godson Akuewulu (1st Vice Chairman), Mr. Peter Ezeibe ( Executive Secretary). Behind: From left: Pharm.

Anietom Igweobi,Engr. Chukwuemeka Nzewi (former Branch Chairman),Chief Oranu Chidume (2nd Vice Chairman) during the 2013/2014 Branch Executive Committee, National Council Members Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Anambra/ Enugu/Ebonyi states Council Meeting at Awka, Anambra State.

DESOPADEC: Uduaghan, Ejele get commendation over projects

T

HE Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Ewetan Udaghan and Chief Michael Diden (Ejele), Commissioner, representing Itsekiri on the board of Delta State Oil

‘SURE-P money can’t revamp nation’s refineries’ Continued from page 34 capital flight and drain rather that value addition to the economy. Deregulation is an economic issue and it is worthwhile for the government to deregulate the downstream sector in order to attract diverse investment streams from Nigerians and foreign investors.

Based on our endowment, Nigeria should infact be the hub of economic activities, investors’ haven and the choice destination in the ECOWAS sub-region, and the whole of sub-Saharan Africa .

There is need to deregulate so as to create a level playing ground and conducive environment for a

business growth to enable investors amortize their investments with a reasonable margin. The lubricants market for example has created jobs numerous Nigerians also stemmed the importation of low quality and substandard lubes into the Nigerian market. A profit margin of about N100 – N250 per litre is achievable for an average investor, because you can fix your price based on the quality of value addition and empirical service delivery.

Again, there is a mix-up between subsidy removal and deregulation of the downstream petroleum sector. Subsidy removal is not deregulation itself but part of it. Talking about

subsidy first, the template for calculating the landing cost of petroleum products is dismembered. The government imports at a premium and sells at a lower price and the differential is what is paid as subsidy to the importers or marketers now referred to as ‘fuel cabals’. The government is not doing us any favour because subsidy on products and services are practised all over the world.

The burden should not be passed to the people under the pretence of heavy payments of subsidy due to inefficiency in local refining operation and unjustifiable payments on excess importation of petroleum products.

Producing Areas Development Commission DESOPADEC, have been commended for the execution of projects across the Itsekiri oil and gas communities in the state.

Comrade Benson Erewa,national youth president of Iteskiri Oil and Gas Producing Communities, HOSTCOM, who made the commendation in Warri also gave pass mark to the leadership of the commission, Mr. Oritsuwa Kpogho.

He pointed that since the inception of DESOPADEC, the Delta State government led by Governor Uduaghan has ensured that the commission focuses on its mandate of delivering positively to the various oil and gas producing communities in the state.

“On behalf of the youths from Itsekiri oil and gas producing communities, HOSTCOM, I am thanking Governor Uduaghan and Hon. Ejele for spreading the dividends of the commission to our communities.”

PAGE 36—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013

SAKA’s PORTA-Movement And Functional Advertising

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subscribers change network without losing their numbers.

Essentially, therefore, I can decide to drop my GLO network and move over to MTN, for instance, but still retain my GLO numbers. That way, my contacts will not have to confuse my numbers; I do not need to re-connect with those on my contact list with my new numbers as a result of my having changed network, if the number portability were not to be. That is the benefit number portability offers. But truly, is that the issue facing subscribers in Nigeria today?

I can clearly state that if that were to be the problems facing subscribers today, they would rather be celebrating, as it were, compared to the gross misconduct among the GSM operators presently. Let us consider the following: 1. Quality of service.

Which among the present GSM operators can proudly say it is delivering comparatively good telecommunication service, among the players? In case they do not know, they are all judged poor at various levels, by subscribers. The issues are poor voice clarity, call-drops, poor connectivity, frequency of call termination at destination, transparent billing system, ease of top-up or credit reload.

2. Efficiency of Data Transfer – especially for internet service and BlackBerry and the social media users.

3. Spread of distribution network – are subscribers in far-away Fugar in Edo state readily get a given network’s recharge card for top-up?

Perhaps sales teams for GSM operators should be told this, the extent of reach and market penetration for recharge cards is, to a large extent, determined by the trade

margin on offer. I have experienced trade apathy against a certain operator based on very low trade margin at the retail end.

4. Image perception. At different degree and on perception of delivery at the various subscriber value touch-points, subscribers have different negative impression of every of the GSM operators.

Some are considered deceptive, some other ‘thieves’, some others unpatriotic and snobbish, while others are considered ill equipped to perform.

Depending on a given subscriber’s experience, each

,

HE one interesting thing about advertising is its flamboyance.With advertising, anything can go. Advertising enables what has come to be known as ‘free-styling’; full of entertainment, thrills, excitement and laughter.

There is really no limit to which advertising can go, to create humor. It is in the neighborhood of advertising most of our “NOLLYWOOD” home-video play – ENTERTAINMENT! Advertising is entirely the creation of those commissioned to create them (to ‘tell a story’), not minding any grand rule. Advertising permits excessive freedom of self-expression. During my start-off years in brands management, the most frequent warning I received from my teachers was to be careful to distinguish between advertising and marketing communication: they are two different worlds of engagement: the one is functional, the other is void.

With marketing communication, as in war, all the rules apply!

So, ‘SAKA’ ported (moved from ETISALAT for MTN), and so what? One wonders the Client’s brief to the Agency for this tactical campaign on SAKA’s movement. Could it have been to create a campaign that will make fans of the character SAKA, as an actor, move to MTN by reason of his change of client (MTN is SAKA’s new client)? Or could it have been that the Client briefed the Agency for a campaign that will create the impression that SAKA moved over to MTN because it is a better network compared to Etisalat. Except for the simple reason of wanting to make money, the advert agency owed it a duty to the Client, to advise on the advertising objective for the said campaign and to help determine the marketing objective in quantifiable terms, compare same with the projected budget and take a decision based on the balanced cost-benefit analysis, in favor of profitability. The operative rule, for purposeful brands management is that every investment must add-up to some value appreciation at the bottom-line. The Agency behind this tactical campaign earn my appreciation on speed of execution and beautiful creative. Beyond that, I am afraid, not much is earned.

Let us consider the Number Portability (NP) thing objectively; what has really changed? What is the NP thing bringing to bear, in real sense?

As it is, Number Portability simply put, enables

for GLO, per-second billing would still have been a dream.

That brand earned a fair size of its market share and earned substantial subscribe loyalty by that huge investment that positioned it as a sincere/ honest, subscriber-friendly and reliable brand. NCC did not do anything about the perminute billing while the cry was on. In fact MTN made it look like per-second billing was not possible.

Among data transfer category users, the choice of platform for internet-based services such as the BlackBerry service and the social media options is

Which among the present GSM operators can proudly say it is delivering comparatively good telecommunication service, among the players? In case they do not know, they are all judged poor at various levels, by subscribers

,

of the operators is perceived negatively at some point. For instance, my elder brother replaced one for another based on “better service delivery, subscriber-friendliness, relatively more affordable call rate and connectivity at remote locations. There are many others like him….

Generally, subscribers complain of poor quality, insensitivity to subscribers’ needs, high call rate, and unfriendly cost profile (for instance, subscribers – including me - think text messages should be free). But

determined by level of technical infrastructure development and sophistication (not ‘SAKA).

Putting it clearly, subscribers would rather that NCC live up to its responsibility of enabling improved telecommunications service in more concrete terms and protecting them from the not-too-transparent trade practices of some of these GSM operators, drive down call rates or costs and upping over-all quality standard, instead of trivialities such as NIMBER PORTABILITY. Number Portability is

beautiful, but the issue is that it is only the ‘icing on the cake’ in this market challenged in the fundamentals of telecommunication service delivery. The basic and rudiments are suffering, therefore, attention and efforts should be invested in improving the service delivery at that level. Nobody is interested in number portability, at this point, because none of the operators is equipped enough or adequately positioned as a rescue option. In other words, every subscriber in Nigeria has more than one reason to complain of his or her present service provider, based on their failure to deliver at their critical value touch-points. My old mother will not leave her house in my village and travel to Auchi to request for number porting (and wait for 48 hours for process completion) JUST because of call-drop or poor voice quality when she has been living with them for over 8years now, and when the other operators are equally guilty of same issues. That is why number portability will remain unattractive to well over 90% of subscribers. What does number portability amount to, for a subscriber subscribed to all-four networks yet unsatisfied? The various customer-care centers are frustrating, to say the least. For whatever reason, customer service personnel treat complainants/subscribers with disdain. What does it all amounts to when it is still a nightmare to effect SIM card replacement or retrieval? NCC knows this number portability thing is a joke, at best, a cosmopolitan novelty. There are more worrisome issues requiring of NCC’s immediate and executive intervention.

Subscribers are still the losers in all.

ETISALAT has nothing to lose with ‘SAKA’s movement.

MTN cannot justify its ad spend on this SAKA thing; the excitement the campaign generated did not last two weeks. Subscribers will not switch service provider in favor of MTN because SAKA switched ‘CLIENT’. The Ad Agency should have properly advised the Client on this matter (professionalism!): brands thrive on consistent delivery on promise, such that resonates with the target audience at the critical value touch-point, not minding whether such offers are on the platform of services or products, luxury or essentials: the expectation is the same.

NCC should please live up to its responsibility to subscribers in Nigeria.

‘SAKA’ is the only WINNER in this instance.

SUNDAY

Vanguard , MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 37

PROLOGUE

And because politicians do not learn, the same plot is playing out.

Timipreye Sylva, the former governor of Bayelsa State, has been having issues with Jonathan for quite a while.

Even while the latter was Vice President, Sylva allegedly attempted to rub his face in the mud over a certain library project in the state. Added to this was an alleged diarrhea of the mouth suffered by Sylva, allegedly creating the impression that he made some funny statements that he had to clarify. Sylva was arrested last week while hiding in a dingy, decrepit corner of his house in Abuja – these after over a year when he was removed as governor and after about three years since Jonathan became President despite Sylva.

F

Two years – just two years – into a constitutionally guaranteed eight years of two four-year terms, the President is already allowing his administration to replicate what Obasanjo’s government slid into in its fourth year and for which he remains the butt of jokes as an ordinary citizen today.

The idea and approach is all too familiar: Anybody and anything that would stand in the way of political ambition should and must be quashed.

Interestingly, because this is an environment where interests clash with the speed of light, there is expected to be so much wisdom in not throwing stones while in a glass house.

Almost always, those who had tried in the past to oppose sitting presidents either on principle or on other such mundane matters, with mere phrases like “what is wrong with Mr. President”, had ended up being consumed one way or the other.

During Obasanjo’s eight years, he launched a voyage of vendetta against C M Y K

2015 POWER SHOW:

Delusional Omnipotence!

By JIDE AJANI real and perceived opponents. The list is as impressive as it is ridiculous.

Using every possible agency of government, he dealt with Joshua Dariye where just a handful of legislators purportedly impeached the Plateau governor; in Bayelsa State,

,

IRST, just imagine:Abubakar Shekau, Kabiru Sokoto and Abu Qaqa stepping out of Aso Rock Presidential Villa after conferring with the President and Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria. Mind you, these are leaders of the Jama’ atu Ahl-Sunnati Lil Da’awati Wal Jihad, also known as Boko Haram. They have just met with Nigeria’s President of northern extraction. This is year 2020. Then imagine Qaqa, just a couple of weeks after meeting with Mr. President, coming out to threaten the country with chaos should that northern President not win a second term of office. Yet, that President carries on as if nothing is wrong; or nothing has happened.

Fast track to present day Nigeria!

Pessimists are still at a loss as to the type of legacy that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan wishes to bequeath to the Nigerian people. Yet, optimists in his administration (read sycophants) tell the president that he remains the best thing that has ever happened to this country of over 150 million people. For added effect, they tell him he is infallible – indeed, that he is omnipotent and omnipresent and omniscient.

The real danger in all of this is that politicians never learn.

You would think they do but they don’t.

Especially in Nigeria!

Take, for instance, the man known as Matthew Okikiolakan Aremu Olusegun Obasanjo. He was alive during the June 12 imbroglio. He is a living witness to what has become of another individual, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida. Whereas some may argue, the facts on ground support a claim that but for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Babangida may have been honored as the one who gave Nigerians, Africa and indeed the black race a pure democratic culture. But he lost the opportunity with just one act.

For Obasanjo, he ought to have learnt from that but he didn’t.

He pressed his own self-destruct button tagged Third Term Agenda.

He wanted another term of office which the Nigerian Constitution did not permit. What to do? Amend the constitution to dig his fancy. He lost.

Now, perhaps the luckiest public office holder in Nigeria, President Jonathan, is already stockpiling wood for his own eventual bonfire. Ignore the opposition’s propaganda that Jonathan has not achieved anything.

He is being slow and steady. But for how long can Nigerians suffer a slow and steady leader who creates the impression that a burden has been forced on him.

a loose mouth, Obasanjo caused emergency rule to be imposed on the state and Fayose made an outcast; in Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja was removed from office illegally for keeping another company different from Obasanjo’s dictate; Orji Kalu of Abia State and Bola Tinubu of Lagos State were becoming loose cannons and had to be dealt with

Two years – just two years – into a constitutionally

guaranteed eight years of two four-year terms, the President is already allowing his administration to replicate what Obasanjo’s government slid into in its fourth year and for which he remains the butt of jokes as an ordinary citizen today.

where President Jonathan hails from and where his “benefactor”, Diepriye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha, was governor and he, deputy, Obasanjo used the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to hound and haunt the legislators into impeaching Alamieyeseigha; because Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State allegedly had

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but in both cases – just as was the case in Ogun State where Gbenga Daniel held sway – Obasanjo bit the dust because he could not cause these state governors to be removed. For Boni Haruna, Atiku Abubakar’s protégé, and Chris Ngige, Obasanjo made life unbearable for the former while he unleashed the Ubas on the latter.

Mind you, James Onanefe Ibori, who thought the world was created when Umaru Musa Yar ’Adua became President, is cooling his feet in a London jail; no thanks to the instrumentality of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

The streak goes on.

The latest is the face-off between Jonathan’s Federal Government and Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State. Rivers State cannot be said to be enjoying governance as it is understood by right-thinking members of the public.

Granted that Amaechi could wear omniscience as an armour; does that excuse a Presidency that continues to carry on in a very petty manner?

Granted that some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leaders cannot distinguish between politics and the constitution of Nigeria, that does not grant the Presidency the magna charter to needlessly dabble into the affairs of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF? Worse still, the Presidency is watching as some ministers continue to foment trouble in their states all in their vain bid to demonstrate that they are on the side of their President in his quest for second term. Yet, a former dissident granted amnesty, after visiting the Villa some weeks ago, came out threatening that if Jonathan does not get a second term, there would be no peace in the land.

Pray, vanity upon vanity, all is vanity.

But before the essence is lost, all parties in the Rivers dispute must understand that their party, PDP, is one huge glass house where the throwing of stones is not only silly but very dangerous. Amaechi’s stone-throwing has caused the NCAA, NAMA, the Police and EFCC to turn the searchlight on him.

Obasanjo, after eight years as the main man, is today edging towards irrelevance – but he remains an irritant that can inflict pain.

What President Jonathan can learn from Obasanjo is that some of his actions today would make a hero of Governor Amaechi. Atiku Abubakar was a gentle deputy until Obasanjo started hounding him and that catapulted the former’s image. It would only take President Jonathan’s remaining two years in this first term; and another four year term for his Presidency to come to an end.

Therefore, what happens next?

Stones would still be thrown during his tenure and even after. In that same PDP, there are elders with good sense from whom the party and the Presidency can draw wisdom. They can stem this tide. And it is not that Nigeria may not be better off doing away with the party in the estimation of the opposition. Individuals, a party and the Presidency that engage a paradigm of acrimony stands to suffer the consequences of the whirlwind that would follow. The people of Rivers State deserve better than this gradual slide into chaos and anarchy.

PAGE 38 —SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

MAY 12, 2013

DANGER SIGNALS

Stockpiling wood for bonfire in Rivers The story of a dangerous turf battle

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME, Port Harcourt

IT has been one form of alarm or the other raised by either faction in the struggle to take political control of Rivers State. he former Chief of Staff, Govern ment House, Rivers State, now Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, has been locked in a battle with Governor Chibuike Amaechi, ostensibly encouraged by President Goodluck Jonathan, over who controls the politics of the state.

The factional state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Felix Obuah, raised the first alarm in his inaugural press briefing in Port Harcourt when he alleged a plot by 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to suspend five other lawmakers in the House over views relating to internal democracy within the party. Obuah warned the 27 lawmakers to desist from carrying out the alleged plot otherwise they would suffer sanctions from the party.

The Leader of the House, Hon Chidi Lloyd, said there was no such contemplation by the 27 members. According to him, the House could not be so petty as to engage in witch-hunting any lawmaker, stressing that it had always conducted its operations within the ambit of its rules and the constitution.

Few days later, the Speaker of the House, Hon Otelemeba Amachree, raised his own alarm; this time saying he had uncovered a plot by five members of the House to impeach him and the governor. He said those behind the plot had procured a fake mace to smuggle into the House for the job.

Amachree said the alleged plan also include creating an atmosphere of chaos that would warrant declaration of emergency in Rivers.

“The leadership and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly wish to bring to the notice of the people of Rivers State and Nigerians some of the dangerous moves by the Felix Obuahled PDP to cause general chaos and confusion in Rivers State”, the Speaker said in a statement. “ We have been reliably informed that a fake mace has been smuggled into the state to enable five members of the House hold an emergency session even when the House adjourned sine die on Tuesday, April 23, 2013.

“The Abuja plan on ground is to falsely impeach the Rt. Hon. Speaker and the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and create confusion through varied responses, which they hope will make the state ungovernable and provide them with some kind of warped basis to introduce emergency rule in Rivers State”.

The state police command also joined in the alarm game when the police commissioner, Mr. Mbu Joseph Mbu, deployed about 50 heavily armed policemen to seal off Obio Akpor local government secretariat.

The police claimed to have uncovered a plot by some hoodlums to unleash terror on the council secretariat. At the time of this piece, policemen were still occupying the property. The Caretaker Committee of the local government and staff of same C M Y K

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were not allowed access into the secretariat.

The dust raised by the alarm from the police and its subsequent sealing of the council secretariat had hardly died down when Amachree, the Speaker of the House of Assembly again raised a fresh alarm over alleged plot to destabilise a sitting of the parliament. According to him, some hoodlums had been rented to cause panic in the premises of the Assembly complex. He fingered the state police commissioner as an interested party in the political crisis rocking the Rivers PDP. Amachree, who said there was also a plot to arrest him and some key figures in government, stressed that the

Gov. Chibuike Amaechi

Felix Obuah

Nyesom Wike

The Abuja plan on ground is to falsely impeach the Rt. Hon. Speaker and the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, and create confusion through varied responses, which they hope will make the state ungovernable and provide them with some kind of warped basis to introduce emergency rule in Rivers State

move was part of the prelude towards declaration of emergency rule in the state. He called for the immediate redeployment of the state commissioner of police.

The Speaker had to adjourn the House sine die because, according to him, the state police boss allegedly withdrew approval earlier granted following a request by the House for police protection during the sitting.

“Ironically, a request by the House of Assembly for deployment of police operations to guard and protect the Assembly complex earlier approved was unceremoniously withdrawn by the commissioner of police, Rivers State Command on ‘orders from above’”, he said.

Meantime, hundreds of youths stormed the House, on Monday, apparently thinking that members would sit. The youths said they were protesting the suspension of the Chairman, his vice and 17 councilors of Obio Akpor Local Government Area by the House. The action of the youths lent credence to the alarm by Amachree that there were plots to destabilize the sitting of the House, create chaos within the Assembly that might warrant shooting and firing of tear gas by the police.

The protesting youths, who spoke under the aegis of Grassroots Development Initiative, called for the resignation of the Speaker and the Leader of the House over issues relating to the suspension of the Chairman, his vice and 17 councilors of Obio Akpor local government.

The elected council officials had been suspended by the House recently on account of alleged abuse of public funds and breach of security. The state government went ahead to constitute

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a seven-man Caretaker Committee for the council.

Some of the placards the protesters carried read, “We support police occupation of Obio Akpor local government council secretariat”, “they should revoke the sack of Timothy Nsirim and others”, among others.

The youths alleged that the House did not follow due process in the suspension of the officials, adding that some of the state lawmakers lied when they claimed that they acted on a petition before the House to suspend the officials.

Stressing that the suspension of the elected officials of Obio Akpor local government was a violation of the constitution, the youths said the governor and the House of Assembly should accord what they termed constitutional respect to local governments as a third tier of government.

The youths had earlier marched to Obio Akpor local government secretariat where they hailed the police for sealing off the place.

The alarm game continued at the premises of the House the day the protesters came. This time it came from the five lawmakers who had been accused of plotting to throw out the Speaker and then impeach the governor. The lawmakers who said they were in the House for the sitting, told newsmen that they were not aware it had been put off. They too said they had uncovered a plot by other members of the House to remove them.

The five lawmakers are Hon Evans Bipi representing Ogobulo constituency; Chinda Michael Okeh, Obio Akpor constituency II; Martin Amehule, Obio Akpor constituency I; Kelechi Wogu, Omuma constituency; and Victor Ihunwo, Phalga constituency

III. They told hundreds of youths, who had trooped to the House premises that morning, that they got an order from the Clerk of the House that the House would reconvene by 10 am but were surprised the other 27 members were not around.

The five lawmakers, who took turns to address the cheering crowd, faulted the suspension on council members. According to them, the House did not follow due process in the suspension of the council officials.

“We were to reconvene today but we cannot see the other 27 members. We don’t know if what chased them had to do with the suspension they gave to the Obio Akpor local government elected Chairman, his vice, and 17 councilors. Everybody should be calm and peaceful”, they said.

Also, the Chairman of Obio Akpor Caretaker Committee, Mr. Chikordi Dike, told newsmen that there was alleged plan by some hoodlums to set the local government secretariat on fire. According to him, the reason was to destroy sensitive documents the House might need to thoroughly investigate the suspended Chairman of the council and the others currently under suspension as well.

Indeed, it was a harvest of alarms last week in Rivers State. All parties in this game have also been exploring the instrument of the court to fight the battle.

Of utmost interest to residents of the state, however, was the assurance by the state government that it was in firm grip of the security situation. The state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, who spoke to newsmen in her office in Port Harcourt, said the people of Obio Akpor local government were relaxed with the action of the House which recently suspended the elected council members.

She said those who came out to protest against the suspension and subsequent constitution of a caretaker committee for the local government were sponsored.

The prayer on the lips of all is that the Rivers PDP should urgently resolve its differences in the overall interest of the state.

SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

MAY 12, 2013,

PAGE 39

Those who suspended 27 Rivers law makers are jokers — House leader

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME In this interview, the Leader of Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon Chidi Lloyd, speaks on the political crisis that is playing out in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. He describes the recent suspension of 27 members of the House by the leadership of the party as mere verbal construct.

Excerpts: What is your response to the suspension of 27 members of the House, including yourself?

I don’t want to gratify such things. The suspension never existed. When the House took its stand on the Obio Akpor issue (i.e. suspension of the Chairman, his Vice and the seventeen councillors by the House of Assembly), some persons, led by Felix Obuah issued the Assembly a 48- hour ultimatum to rescind its decision or face disciplinary measures from the party.

This was on radio. The House went ahead to suspend the officials of the local government after due diligence, it took its decision suspending both the executive and legislature of Obio Akpor because they were all mentioned in the alleged corruption and subversion of peace that took place in the council. The world over, when you are mentioned in things like this, leaders resign; remember the Mayor of New York resigned on mere allegation that he was number nine on the list of those that peeped at a prostitute. We are evolving, as a House, we now said let the executive and legislature move out a little so that they don’t tamper with the investigation process. That is what we did, it was not conviction. If at the end of the day, the allegations are not founded, of course we will recall, but if they are founded, we will take further disciplinary measures against the chairman in pursuance to the Rivers State local government laws.

Some persons say there was procedur-

*Llyod al defect in the action of the House. They also claimed the petition the House relied on was spurious.

Anybody who has evidence to the fact that the petition was spurious should come out to say it. But there is no way the Assembly would not have acted on those weighty issues that were raised. We are not petty and we are not witch-hunting.

They say you were supposed to have forwarded your recommendations to the Chief Judge, CJ, of the state?

It was not impeachment. What they don’t know is that the Rivers State local government law empowers the House to act in situations like this. It is only when the legislative assembly of a local government impeaches the chairman that we forward to the CJ to investigate the allegations. We invoked our powers from the Rivers State local government laws which empower us to cause investigation into any council and shall take any action that is deemed free. We are working in accordance with the law. We are not a lawless

Assembly.

Let’s look at the 27 members suspended. You said it never existed. Can we better?

We were never suspended. Pursuant to that threat, we went to court, got our lawyers and they filed process on the 26th and on Monday, 29th April, we got an order of court restraining them. Incidentally, there were two of them in that executive who were in court. Once they saw that His Lordship had given the judgement, they merely walked across to the radio station and announced that we have all been suspended which runs contrary to section 21 sub 4 of the party constitution. And remember that we are not run on convention. We have a constitution.

The constitution is clear that anybody accused of any office should be communicated in writing and you will hear from the other side, that was not done. A group of people went on air to suspend 27 members of the House out of 32. That is what I refer to as act two scene 1 of the script they have. These are a group of Nollywood stars who have been handed out a script and they are already acting. Act one scene one was the judgement of the Abuja High Court. Act two scene one is suspension of Rivers State House of Assembly members, Act two scene two, ultimatum to the governor of Rivers State to come and explain to them how he bought the aircraft, usurping the functions of the House of Assembly. I did not know that some of them are these talented.

Are you challenging the Abuja High Court order which sacked the leadership of Ake in Rivers PDP? We are in court.

The PDP alleged that you were planning to sack five members of the House?

You can see that this was why a state in the South-South was worried about the way rumour goes on in the state and had to set up a Bureau for Rumour Mongering; and went ahead to appoint a Special Adviser on Rumour Mongering. Like I

said, no legislator is punished for holding his view, but remember we have our own House rules that govern the conduct of members, if not, it will be a mad House.

We have procedures. There was no contemplation at anytime to suspend five members of the House.

Why will anybody want to do that? And, in furtherance to this, they went to court restraining. They served us process.

The issue is that we were not contemplating suspending anybody. They have gone to court. We have also entered a memorandum of appearance. Our lawyers have filed. We will meet them in court. At no time was it contemplated that they will be suspended.

However, the Speaker of the House, as if he knew, called the House to a meeting and said everybody must behave in line with the rules of the Assembly. Nobody is going to be penalised for his views. But if you run foul if the House rules, we shall take disciplinary actions. The rules are there, you don’t just suspend a man based on rumour mongering.

Let’s also look at the signs that made the Hon Speaker raise alarm recently of threat to impeach him and the governor.

I don’t know about that. The Speaker may have more information on that. How would five people convene a House that has been adjourned sine die and go ahead to impeach the Speaker.

Why did the House adjourn sine die?

This is not the first time we are adjourning sine die. We have met our constitutional 186 days of sitting. We would have proceeded on vacation, but because of the love we have for the state, it will not allow us proceed because their might be state function. What this means is that there might be state functions and members could be called upon anytime to reconvene.

Last word God being on our side, the government of Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi will continue to deliver democracy dividends.

Rivers PDP: Ambitious people behind crisis—Rep Uchendu

BY DAPO AKINREFON CHIEF Andrew Uchendu is the member representing Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency, Rivers State in the House of Representatives. Uchendu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in this interview, faults the court ruling that produced Chief Felix Obuah as the chairman of the PDP in Rivers State saying that ambitious persons are responsible for the crisis in the state chapter of the party. He also denounces the suspension of 23 legislators in the state House of Assembly by the PDP and the declaration of their seats vacant. Excerpts: THE PDP in Rivers State is engulfed in crisis. What would you say is the genesis?

As a party man, I am greatly shocked at what I have observed unfold in the once peaceful party in Rivers State, the party that is in power, both at the state and federal level. I am shocked because it should not have arisen at all, there is no reason for it.

What would you say is responsible?

I have sat back and reviewed the entire episode and again I will say I don’t know what may have led to the crisis because it should not have arisen. I would have expected some schism in the party if, during the series of party

*Uchendu congresses, there was any disagreement with anybody along the line.

We had a peaceful ward congress, we had a peaceful local government congress and we had a peaceful, harmonious state congress. Seven to eight months down the line, we now woke up to hear that some people are in court contesting an election that was generally accepted. So, if there is any reason, it must be an unbridled ambition of somebody or some group of persons who, I may say, know what is uppermost on their mind.

You mentioned ambition as being a factor fuelling the crisis but some peo-

ple in Abuja have been alleged to be masterminding the crisis. Do you agree?

Definitely some people must be pushing for this crisis in the party and I have observed from newspaper reports that certain persons have arrogated themselves as being party elders and are in support of the Felix Obuah-led executive. I have not seen them in the past four years in the affairs of the party, they never participated in anything and, to be specific, before the general elections, I know that Honourable Austin Opara was chairman of the reconciliation committee, after that, I did not see him.

For me to now see him on television saying that they are the elders of the party, I am shocked because I have never seen him after the committee which he headed. For Chief Sergeant Awuse, he is one person that has been jumping from one party to another. I am a foundation member of PDP in Rivers State, he was not there when we formed the party. So, I am shocked that people who were not there during party activities are claiming to be elders of the party. We know the elders of the party.

Are you not surprised that this crisis is coming at a time the president is believed to be at loggerheads with Governor Rotimi Amaechi?

The hawks around President Jonathan will want to fan these issues and will want to make a sing-song out of the

face-off and therefore leverage on it. It is unfortunate. I want to be fair, to my understanding of the nature of the relationship between the president and the governor. I do not think there is a face-off between the president and the governor of Rivers State. There are two issues involved: governance in the state and the management of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum. I am yet to know any governor that has disassociated himself from any major pronouncement Amaechi made on behalf of the Governors’ Forum.

It is expected in a democracy that once in a while, some group of persons and indeed the Nigeria Governors’ Forum may present issues that may be in conflict with the position of the Federal Government. That is democracy and I will not think that such conflict will necessarily degenerate to personal issues that to say the governor of Rivers State is having some problem with the president.

On the other hand, as governor of Rivers State, Amaechi must protect the interest of the people of the state including lives and property. And if in the course of general governance, he believes the Federal Government has not appropriately addressed the problems in Rivers State, as governor, he must present before the Federal Government for discussion.

PAGE 40—SUNDAY

Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION

Nigerians set agenda for Okiro

President Goodluck Jonathan

The appointment of former InspectorGeneral of Police, Sir. Mike Mbama Okiro, as the Chairman of Police Service Commission was received with excitement by Nigerians who have been clamoring for positive changes in the administration of the embattled Nigeria Police. Sunday Vanguard went to town to feel the public pulse over the appointment.

R Livinus NkwochaRetired Assistant Comptroller of Customs: I read about Okiro’s nomination in the papers. I think the president has not made a wrong choice by nominating him. Until square pegs are put in square holes, you cannot achieve the expected result. Okiro, even though I do not know him one on one, is the right person. I make bold to say this because being a onetime Inspector-General of Police, he should be abreast of the situation in the police and, with him there, he will be able to make policies that will move the Force forward. The police need urgent restructuring. One of the areas I would like Okiro and his commissioners to look into is in the area of recruitment. Proper scrutiny and assessment should be carried out on individuals before they are recruited into the police. Another area is promotion of police officers, from the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police. It has been discovered, for instance, that promotion has not been fair to some people. I know a friend who is currently serving in the NPF. He a CSP while his course mate is the current IGP. Okiro should ensure that due process is followed.

Arch. Tajudeen Olaifa, CEO Mettles Motors, Kano: This is one nomination that will attract kudos to the President. Okiro has set a pace in this country going by his impeccable records when he was the IGP. He is one detribalized Nigerian and his humanitarian activities transcend tribe or tongue. The Nigeria Police would, no doubt, achieve greater heights this time around.

Hon. Laz Ogbonna, Abuja: I followed Okiro’s era as the IGP keenly and I must point out that he deserves what he has got from the Presidency.

Okiro’s wealth of experience and impeccable character qualify him for

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any position of trust in this country and beyond. An unassuming and detribalized Nigerian, we all know how he carried himself as the IGP. There is no doubt that he will discharge the responsibilities associated with the commission creditably well.

Mr Ogbonna Mbadiniju, bank executive, Lagos: Okiro’s

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By Emma Nnadozie, Evelyn Usman and Ifeanyi Okolie

Mike Okiro

Okiro, as a thoroughbred officer, should try and right all the wrongs in the Force. I have no doubt that he has the capacity to do that, given his pedigree

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appointment did not come as a surprise to many Nigerians, particularly me. But I must confess that he has more to do here than he was, as the IGP. First and foremost, he should know that to whom much is given, much is expected. I remember reading vividly in the papers when the present IGP was the then AIG Zone 2, Onikan Lagos, the out-gone Chair man of the PSC, Mr Par ry Osanyande, visited the zone and said all policemen dismissed from the Force without the knowledge of PSC should be recalled. From what I read, they said the PSC is responsible for recruiting and dismissing policemen..

But till date, I have not read about the number of policemen recalled since the directive was given. I stand to be cor rected anyway. Okiro, as a thorough-bred officer, should try and right all the wrongs in the Force. I have no doubt that he has the capacity to do that, given his pedigree. He should not forget to put improve service delivery in the commission.

Alhaji Sani Abubarka, head of Hausa community, Olodi -Apapa, Lagos: I am comfortable with the

appointment of former Inspector -General of Police, Mike Okiro, as the Chairman of the Police Service Commission.

As a Nigerian, Okiro is qualified for the job and his background as a police officer would go a long way in assisting him in carrying out his duty. All I want from him is to do his job with out fear or intimidation. He has served Nigeria as an IGP and I’m confident he is going to do well at the Police Service Commission.

I’ve known him for quite a long time and he’s not tribalistic, you know tribalism kills us in this country. If we shun tribalism, Nigeria will go a long way. I praise the President on the choice of Okiro. He is an old man with lots of experience which could reform the Nigeria Police. I don’t really know how the Police Service Commission operates, but I urge Okiro to make sure promotion is given to police officers who deserve it. It shouldn’t be given based on favoritism, tribalism or sectionalism.

Igwe Simeon Osisi Itodo, Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers: I wholeheartedly commend President Goodluck Jonathan for appointing the former Inspector- General of Police, Sir Mike Okiro, as Chairman of Police Service Commission, PSC. Okiro is the right man for the position, having served the police at the highest level. He would move the police forward with his wealth of experience and hard work. Okiro deserves the appointment at this period when the country is facing serious security challenges in some parts of the country. He is not tribal and he knows the problems in the police having been an insider. Okiro is an asset to this country which he has served all his life. My advice is that he should use his wealth of experience to address the myriad of problems facing the police. He is coming in at a time policemen are being killed all over the country on flimsy excuses. He should use his good office to address the problem of officers stagnating on their various ranks for a very long time to boost morale. Nigeria deserves a good police and I believe that he will bring the much needed changes.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013 — PAGE 41

.... CRIME AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Border security, arms proliferation and terrorism in Nigeria

By SAGIR MUSA

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igeria’s borders are massive with hundreds of footpaths crisscrossing to neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger with links to Mali, Libya and Sudan. From conservative estimate by locals, there are well over 250 footpaths from Damaturu/Maiduguri axis that link or lead direct to Cameroon, Chad or Niger.

These paths, which are mostly unknown to security agencies, are unmanned, unprotected and have continued to serve

Boko Haram members. as conveyor belts for arms and ammunitions trafficking into Nigeria.

It is disheartening and unfortunate that the “merchants of death” have since devised methods to beat security agen-

trailers, lorries and old model pickup vans and jeeps with little attention given to them by security agents. The use of Jega type of tricycles ( KEKENAPEP) as well as camels,

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ROLIFERATION of small arms and light weapons is increasingly and dangerously becoming a transnational organized crime in Nigeria with Boko Haram’s insurgency, reemerging Niger Delta crisis and escalating kidnapping, communal crises and armed robbery in the South East providing impetus for arms trafficking. Some border towns, particularly in the North Eastern flank, serve as a hub for trafficking of arms as well as stolen goods, drugs and hostages by criminals, terrorists and their collaborators. The recent kidnap of a French family at a border town between Nigeria and Cameroon is an example. Similarly, many arms and ammunition of various types, sizes and calibre have been intercepted and confiscated by security agencies.

The recurrent detection and recovery of cache of arms, ammunition and Improvised Explosive Device Materials by the Joint Task Force, JTF, further buttresses the point. Similarly, the occasional recovery of stolen goods and hard drugs from criminals and terrorists’ camps or hideouts is an indication that the illicit trade has been on the rise in recent times.

Of concern is the discovery that despite the efforts of security agencies, the “merchants of death” continue to engage in arms trafficking/ trading through covert means largely aided and abetted by the porous nature of the Nigerian borders with Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

Recently, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Services stated that the Service had discovered hundreds of illegal routes in Nigeria that link or lead to some neighbouring African countries.

Similarly, the Libyan and Malian rebels are desperate to exchange arms for money to Boko Haram terrorists, their financiers and collaborators as the sect has since been affiliated to Al-Qaida in the Maghreb

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cies at the borders, chief among them, through the footpaths. These methods include the use of camels, donkeys and cows to traffic arms, ammunition and drugs such as cocaine into Nigeria. The fact that the weapons are small, light and collapsible makes it easy to be concealed and moved on camels and donkeys’ back in a specially crafted skin or thatched bags mainly meant for the illegal “expedition” undetected.

Similarly, some cows and grains merchants in the NorthEast sub – region of the country device means of hiding cache of arms and ammunition in empty fuel tankers, vehicle engines and bags of grains.

The “grains” are transported in large number via trucks,

donkeys, and cows (moving in flocks) to deceive, hide and conveniently traffic arms in some parts of the North are ways hitherto unknown, not well exposed or documented.

Their capacity for arms trafficking is beginning to be uncovered and is being curtailed by security agencies. The security situation in the JTF Operation RESTORE ORDER area of responsibility forced the task force to take on additional responsibility to trace sources of arms and ammunition to Boko Haram insurgents, how the arms are trafficked and are also taking measures to block them. This is one way of effectively checkmating terrorism in Nigeria – destroy its centre of gravity!

And this seems to be a task

that has so far proved difficult but necessary to be accomplished if the war against insurgency is to be effective and successful.

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imilarly, the Libyan and Malian rebels are desperate to exchange arms for money to Boko Haram terrorists, their financiers and collaborators as the sect has since been affiliated to Al-Qaida in the Maghreb. This has added to the overwhelming challenge of the influx of illegal aliens, arms, ammunitions and sophisticated IED materials into the country and an efficient and effective fight against terrorism. Additionally, the water ways/ seaports provide havens for arms trafficking through ships and speed boats on high seas and the use of canoes in the creeks. The exchange of stolen crude oil for arms/ ammunition is a well known “trading activity” nurtured and ferociously protected by militants or sea pirates and their financiers and collaborators with the possible connivance of unscrupulous law enforcement agents in the Niger Delta. This is one major source of arms and ammunition that strengthens militants’ arms and ammunition holding not only in the Niger Delta but also in the South East and South Western parts of the country.

Security agencies at the borders and seaports have severally complained of the porosity of the nation’s borders and waterways. The problem of porous borders is compounded by inadequate personnel, patrol vehicles, surveillance helicopters and

equipment. Consequently, most of the borders are leaky and this makes effective control of intruders, smugglers and “merchants of death” a mirage. The vastness of the nation’s borders in the face of these challenges bring to the fore the need for a rethink on the management and security of the Nigeria’s borders and seaports – without which effective fight against insurgency, arms trafficking and proliferation will remain an optical illusion. There must be innovative technology; sound policies, proficient process that will help protect our borders.

It is worrisome that the exact number of illegal routes and means through which illegal aliens, arms and ammunition are trafficked into the country are largely unknown by the nation’s security system.

The use of innovative technology – radars and alarm systems- are major ways developed countries utilize to monitor and secure their borders.

Some radars can be used as primary detection sensor for long range remote surveillance platforms. The ability to detect slow moving targets, even in complex mountainous, thickly forested terrains and large open areas make some radars such us Blighter Radar ideal for remote surveillance and detection of vehicles and people trying to cross borders illegally.

I

n remote areas, it is com mon for intruders to follow natural routes across the land, valleys, mountain paths or animal tracks. In these instances, Mobile Surveillance System provides a cost effective way of monitoring key areas with limited resources.

Similarly, Blighter Radar, unlike traditional Air Surveillance Radar, can effectively survey both the land and low air zone simultaneously.

Correspondingly, the fundamental problem of border security, arms trafficking, efficient and effective fight against terrorism in Nigeria can be linked to what Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi tersely identified as institutional fragmentation, intelligence and policy non-coordination among the security agencies.

These challenges are real and must be addressed for the fight against terrorism, arms proliferation and border security to be effective.

* Musa, a lieutenant colonel in Nigerian Army, is the spokesperson for Operation Restore Order, Maiduguri, Borno State C M Y K

PAGE 42 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

.... CRIME AND NATIONAL SECURITY

By SIMON EBEGBULEM, Benin City

He said, “While the case of murder is a state offence, the constitutional duty to protect the lives of every person in Nigeria, Nigerians and foreigners alike is binding on the Federal Government.” He disclosed that a powerful leader of the party openly threatened the life of the Edo State Commissioner for Information, Mr Louis Odion, without provocation.

According to Falana, Odion quietly lodged a complaint with the police, but the complaint was treated in a cavalier manner as no charge was preferred against the criminal suspect who had threatened to violate the fundamental right of a citizen to life. “Regrettably, Edo State government left the matter in C M Y K

From Left: Governor Adams Oshiomhole Of Edo State, Comrade Issa Aremu, Vice President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr Femi Falana (San), Guest Speaker And Comrade Peter Esele At The First Anniversary Of The Death Of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Private Secretary To The Governor Killed In Benin City, Last Year.

COMRADE OLAITAN’S WIDOW CRIES

'It is difficult to take care of four children alone' How they tried to scandalise ex-aide’s name in death-Oshiomhole Edo needs coroner’s law — Falana the hands of the compromised security apparatus. In an attempt to defend the lives of our people, we must be prepared to end the culture of impunity and the official policy of granting amnesty to those who engage in violent crimes in the society instead of relying on the police to investigate serious crimes, Edo State Government should be more proactive”, Falana declared. “As comrades, we should have a coroner ’s law in Edo State for the investigation of unnatural deaths as it is the case in Lagos State. As we are marking the first anniversary of the assassination of our comrade, we should remember all those unarmed citizens who have been extra judicially murdered by security agencies and other criminally minded individuals in the society.”.He said he had asked the governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, to reopen the case into the assassination of the former

,

SATURDAY, May 4, 2013 made it one year since the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, was murdered by unknown gunmen at his residence in Ugbor, GRA, Benin-City. He was shot dead in the presence of his wife, Funke. Sadly, investigations into the killing are puzzling. The Department of State Security (DSS) linked his death to armed robbery that went awry but the police declared it was pure assassination.

The two conflicting claims threw the nation into confusion, particularly Oshiomhole who had been seeking for justice on the death of his aide. Olaitan was remembered in a special manner by civil society organizations in Edo State, the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Coalition to Save Nigeria led by Dr Philip Ugbodaga.

The anniversary commenced with a candle light procession on Saturday while on Monday there was a lecture entitled, “Citizens Rights, Youth Empower ment and National Security” delivered by human rights lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN).

The occasion was chaired by the President of the NLC, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar. The Imaguero Hall venue of the event was filled to the brim and emotions were high when speakers paid tribute to the deceased in the presence of the wife and four of their children including the only son, Adams, named after Oshiomhole. Falana, in his lecture, bemoaned unresolved murders in the country and called on the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Mohammed Bello Adoke, to publicly apologise to Oshiomhole for the alleged misleading statement, that the office of the Attorney-General does not give legal advice to the police with regards to state offences, as regards investigations into the murder of Olaitan.

Staying alone with four children in the past one year has been hell.

I remember some few months ago, my boy woke up from sleep and said, ‘Mummy, where is my Daddy?’. I felt bad but I had to control myself

,

Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, who was killed in his home on December 23, 2001.

The NLC President, Omar, who was represented

by Comrade Isa Aremu, said the cowardly murder of

Olaitan was a big blow to Edo State government and labour organizations. Aremu said, “Olaitan was known for hard work, diligence and intelligence. His last support and unity was during the last delegates conference in Asaba. It is time all Nigerians rally round to unravel the death of Olaitan.” The National President of TUC, Comrade Peter Esele, who described Olaitan as a man who made things happen behind the scene, said, “We will continue to celebrate him every year because of his conviction and doggedness.”

Others who paid tributes were Comrade Didi Adodo, his former classmate, and Barrister Rufus Olanrewaju, among others. Emotions rose when the widow of Olaitan mounted the podium to address the crowd with her little son, Adams. She said: “Staying alone with four children in the past one year has been hell. I remember some few months ago, my boy woke up from sleep and said,

‘Mummy, where is my Daddy?’. I felt bad but I had to control myself. God has done it for me in Edo State. I had Adams pregnancy when we were in Abuja and God answered my prayers when we came to Edo State where I had Adams after we had had three girls.

Secondly, God blessed me with a good work through our daddy the comrade gover nor ”. Her mood changed suddenly, andshe thundered and laid curses on the killers: “ But the killers, if you are here or else where, you will never have peace. Your children, grand children will never have peace. Whatever you lay their hands upon in this world, they will never prosper, because the moment my son or my daughters ask after their father, you wife, your children will be having complications. My mother died few months after my husband died. That very day the incident happened, the devil wanted to laugh at me, I almost collapsed but with the strength of God I was revived.

I want to use this opportunity to appreciate you daddy (governor), you have been there for me, you will never die young. You will reap the fruit of your labour. We are not mourning, we are

Continues on page 43

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013 — PAGE 43

'It is difficult to take care of four children alone' celebrating. They killed the body of Olaitan but his soul is still alive”.

Oshiomhole, visibly touched by the wife’s comments, said the sin will only be on the heads of the perpetrators and not their children “because if we add the children, the society will be in trouble”. He continued: “I saw Isa Aremu (Deputy National President NLC) shedding tears but I said no, I will not submit to that emotion because to submit is to make the killers smile or laugh. Isa, the real cowards are hiding and they will live in shame forever. We have a duty to keep the memory of Olaitan alive.

Olaitan is a man of uncommon vision and clarity, he is a very selfless worker. It is impossible for me to find a replacement; if there is anything happening in any section of the civil society, Olaitan will draw my attention and, if possible, he will suggest what was to be done; so it is impossible to find a replacement.

If it is impossible for me to have a replacement, it is impossible for the children to have another father and for the wife to have another husband.

“I am happy that one year on, the fighting spirit is on and people have asked me why I talk in this way. Some say I don’t talk like a governor when it comes to Olaitan’s matter. How is a man supposed to talk when a man is mourning? Is my office and indeed the life of any Nigeri-

,

Continued from page 42

If it is impossible for me to have a replacement, it is impossible for the children to have another father and for the wife to have another husband

,

an as important as the life of a Nigerian? I am conscious of the fact that I have tenure at best of eight years, the next position is ex- and we must continue to remind ourselves that today we are here and tomorrow we are no more.

Some times I ask myself, should we bother to talk about Olaitan’s investigations because, as we have seen few weeks back, the former Inspector General’s house was allegedly attacked? That former IG, when he was IG, I had an interesting encounter with him. He transferred an Assistant Commissioner of Police on account of the fact that he refused to do the bidding of a powerful party official. He transferred a DPO for the refusal of the DPO to arrest innocent people on the eve of an election.

“When you allow politics to influence your professional

Bus crushes couple in Bauchi

BY SUZAN EDEH

T

RAGEDY struck at Bayara community, a surburb of Bauchi, when a couple was crushed by a fast moving vehicle on their way to church.

The accident was said to

have occurred early yesterday when a Toyota bus swerved and hit the motorbike conveying the couple, killing them instantly.

The victims, identified as Mr. and Mrs. Yakubu, were on their way to send off a close relation who was getting married the following week

Wife of the deceased, Mrs. Labake Olaitan, (2nd left); and her children duties, you will be contributing to the destruction of the rule of law. Once the rule of law is no more enforceable, the law enforcement agencies are compromised, the celebration of democracy is basically the celebration of the rule of law.

And central to the rule of law is the capacity of the state, through the security agencies, to identity and prosecute criminals regardless of their status.” The governor appealed to Edo people never to allow rascals to take over the reins of government, noting, “If we do that at all levels, Nigeria will change.” Oshiomhole went on, “There were attempts to

when they were hit by the Toyota bus.

An eyewitness said the driver of the Toyota bus was making a call while driving and was not concentrating when he left his lane and hit the couple on their motorcycle.

The Sector Commandant of Federal Road Safety Corps in Bauchi State, Mr Sunday Henry said he was not aware of the incident,but will carry out investigation into the crash.

Group condemns comment against Clark

BY SUZAN EDEH

E

XECUTIVES of the Ijaw Transformation Group, ITG, has said the comment on elder statesman and foremost Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark by the Delta Progressive Leaders’ Forum, DPPLF, on behalf of Minister of the Niger Delta Ministry, Elder Godsday Orubebe is detrimental to the governorship aspiration of the latter.

Arising from their national

executive council meeting in held in Warri, the group expressed dismay at the “flagrant and disrespectful attitude of the forum towards the highly esteemed former Information Minister ” as published in a national daily.

In a statement signed by Comrades Demebide Pele and Abulu Gragham, Chairman and secretary respectively, the ITG stated that “it is natural to disagree with your father but it is not right to attack and humiliate him in the public as was done by the DPPL”,, adding

that “it is not in the culture of an Ijaw man to abuse an elder ”.

“The attack and insult on Chief E.K Clark is doing more political harm to Elder Godsday Orubebe than good. We therefore warn and advise that the DPPLF immediately retract the publication and apologize to the Ijaw national leader while Elder Godsday Orubebe should immediately dissociate himself from the activities of the forum if he wants to keep his political aspiration alive, they maintained.

scandalize Olaitan’s name in death, where they said his death has to do with exchange of dollars to naira.

Olaitan was selfless and he was somebody that did not care about wealth, just his work. After working with me for three years, I noticed that he was the only person who had not made any attempt to travel outside Nigeria under any guise. And even when I will invite him on an official trip, he will find a way to decline. But one day, I called him. I said, ‘Now you have worked with me all these years, you don’t want to travel, let your wife go. I approve that you should go on three weeks vacation after

three years of hard work’. I approved vacation money for him. One month later, Olaitan did not travel, two months, three months and I had thought that he collected the money and maybe used it for something else. It was two days after his death that the accountant came to me to say, ‘Oga, you remember the money you approved for Olaitan, he never collected it’.

That is the kind of person Olaitan was. So I ask all of us to remain focused. The oppressors cannot survive forever. May the blood of Olaitan wet our appetite for struggle, may we have a country where the rule of law prevails”.

Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiled S AMSUNG Electronics has rolled out Galaxy S4 smartphone in Nigeria, adding a new Galaxy device to its range of products in this category. The device, which the company describes as a life companion, was unveiled to the Nigerian public on Friday.

Speaking at the programme, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Brovo Kim, said the Galaxy S4 will set the benchmark for how a mobile device can be integrated into daily life.

“The Galaxy S line of smartphones has achieved

momentous success with 100 million in unit sales worldwide in less than three years. This validates the fact that we are addressing what consumers want from a smartphone. The Galaxy S4 builds upon Samsung’s tradition of excellence and provides our consumers with even more innovation that simplifies and redefines the way that they will interact with their smartphones. We believe that this device will be a true companion to all aspects of their lives; from work, to travel and even watching TV,” he said.

Delta appeals for restraint over Fulani herdsmen

BY UJU MBANUSI

D

ELTA State Government has assured communities in the state providing grazing land to Fulani herdsmen that measures have been taken to confine the hersdmen to grazing areas earmarked for them.

Responding to the recent crisis between Fulani herdsmen and

members of Ogume clan over damages to farmlands belonging to the community, the state administration promised that it has taken efforts to ensure that the incident does not recur.

The state commissioner for information, Mr. Chike Ogeah, in a statement said the state government was liaising with all stakeholders on the issue.

C M Y K

PAGE 44 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

e h t e r a Who ple? o e p a b u Yor ) (1

BY FEMI FANI-KAYODE

T

he Yoruba people of south-western Nigeria are a nationality of approximately 50 million people, the vast majority of whom are concentrated primarily within Nigeria, but who are also spread throughout the entire world. They constitute probably the largest percentage of Africans that live in the diaspora and they have made their own extraordinary contributions in virtually every field of human endeavour throughout the ages. Descendants of the Yoruba and indeed various ancient derivatives and forms of the Yoruba language can be found and are spoken in places like Brazil, Haiti, Cuba, the United States of America and various other parts of the western world. Today, first, second and even third generation Yoruba have settled down and spread all over the world and are amongst the best and most sought after lawyers, nuclear scientists, doctors, industrialists, academics, writers, poets, playwrights, clerics, theologians, artists, film producers, historians and intellectuals. Wherever they go they tend to flourish and excel.

This is nothing new and indeed has always been the case. The first Nigerian to be called to the Bar was a Yoruba man by the name, Sapara Williams, who was called to the English Bar and started practising as a lawyer in 1879.

Yet Sapara Williams was not a flash in the pan or a one- time wonder.

Other Yoruba men followed in his footsteps in quick succession and were called to the English Bar shortly thereafter. For example, after him came Joseph Edgarton Shyngle who was called in 1888, then came Gabriel Hugh Savage who was called in 1891, then came Rotimi Alade who was called in 1892, then came Kitoye Ajasa (whose original name was Edmund Macauly) who was called in 1893, then came Arthur Joseph Eugene Bucknor who was called in 1894 and then came Eric Olaolu Moore who was called in 1903. Ironically Sapara Williams was not the first Nigerian lawyer though he was the first to be called to the English Bar. In those days you did not have to be called to the Bar to practice law and the first Nigerian lawyer that practised without being called to the Bar was a Yoruba man by the name of William Henry Savage. He was described as a ‘’selftaught and practising lawyer’’ and he was a registered Notary Public in England as far back as1821. These were indeed the greats and every single one of them was a Yoruba man.

My friend and brother, Mr. Akin Ajose-Adeogun, who is a historian by calling and a lawyer by profession, is a man for whom I

C M Y K

have tremendous respect. I have often described him as the ‘’living oracle of Nigerian history’’ simply because he has a photographic memory, a knack for detail, first class sources and has read more books on Nigerian history than anyone that I have ever met before in my life. Akin has an extraordinary mind, he is a living genius and I have often urged him to write a book. You can ask him anything about anyone or any event in any part of our country, since or before independence, and he will give you names, dates and the sequence of events immediately and without any recourse to notes, books or sources. After he has given you the information he will then cite his sources and tell you which books to go and read in order to confirm what he is saying. I have learnt so much from him that I must publically acknowledge the fact that I owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. He once told me something that I found very interesting and that reflected the

passages just to watch these great men perform and enjoy their brilliance and oratory.

They spoke the Queen’s English and they knew the law inside out. It is not like that today’’. This is a resounding testimony from an illustrious Nigerian and it speaks eloquently about where the Yoruba, as a people, are coming from and the stock and quality of minds that they are made of.

Yet the dynamism of the Yoruba and their innovations and ‘’firsts’’ did not stop there.

It went into numerous other spheres of human endeavour. Permit me to cite just two examples. The first lies within the field of medicine. Dr. Nathaniel King was the first Nigerian to become a medical practitioner. He graduated from Edinburgh University in 1876 and he was a Creole of Yoruba origin. Next was Dr. Oguntola Sapara who was the second Nigerian to become a medical practitioner and who also graduated from Edinburgh University in 1884. He was followed by Dr. John Randle who graduated from Durham University in 1891, then Dr. Orisadipe Obasa who graduated from Edinburgh University in 1892, then Dr. Akinwande Savage who graduated from Edinburgh University in 1900, then Dr. Curtis Adeniyi-Jones

The first African Anglican Bishop and the first man to translate the Holy Bible and Book of Common Prayer to any African language (outside of Ethiopia) was a Yoruba ex-slave who gave his life to Christ, won his freedom and rose up to become one of the greatest and most respected clerics and leaders that the African continent has ever known by the name of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther. semi god-like status that our earliest lawyers, including some of the names that I mentioned earlier, enjoyed amongst the people. These men were not only revered but they were also admired by all, including members of the British intelligentsia, legal fraternity and elites. Akin told me that many years ago in the mid-80s, Sir Adetokunboh Ademola, who himself was one of the legal greats, who was called to the English Bar in 1934, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a magistrate in 1938, who was the third Nigerian to be appointed as a High Court judge in 1948 and who was the first Nigerian to be appointed Chief Justice of the Federation in 1958, said the following words to him. He said, ’’When you saw the way the earliest Nigerian lawyers conducted themselves in court and argued their cases you would have been filled with pride and you would have wanted to become a lawyer yourself. Members of the public used to fill the court rooms to the brink and sometimes even the forecourts and

who graduated from Durham University in 1901. Others like Dr. Oyejola who graduated in 1905, Dr. Kubolaje Faderin, Dr. Sesi Akapo and Dr. Magnus Macauly who all graduated in 1912, Dr. Moyses Joao Da Rocha who graduated from Edinburgh University in 1913 followed.

The second example lies within the ranks of the clergy. The first African Anglican Bishop and the first man to translate the Holy Bible and Book of Common Prayer to any African language (outside of Ethiopia) was a Yoruba ex-slave who gave his life to Christ, won his freedom and rose up to become one of the greatest and most respected clerics and leaders that the African continent has ever known by the name of Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther.

Unknown to many his original name was Rev. John Raban but he changed it in his early years. Crowther got his first degree at the famous Fourah Bay College, Sierra Leone (which at that time was part of Durham University). He was ordained as an Anglican Bishop in 1864 and in that same

*Femi Fani-Kayode year he was awarded a Doctorate degree from Oxford University.

This extraordinary man who was blessed by God with an exceptionally brilliant mind was, as far as I am concerned, one of the greatest Africans that ever lived. He not only translated the Holy Bible and the Book of Common Prayer to Yoruba (an extremely difficult, complicated and painstaking venture which he began in 1843 and which he completed in 1888) but he also codified a number of other Christian books and he translated them into the Igbo and Nupe languages. He was literally the pillar and foundation of the Anglican Church in West Africa.

Throughout his adult life he courageously stood up and fought for the rights and the dignity of the African and he, more than anyone else, was responsible for the spread, influence and power of the Christian faith in Nigeria in the late 19th century. He was also the maternal grandfather of the great nationalist Herbert Macauly who, together with Nnamdi Azikiwe, founded the political party known as the NCNC in 1944. Crowther was also the fatherin-law of Rev. Thomas Babington Macaulay who founded the Christian Missionary Society Grammar School (CMS Grammar School) in 1859 in what was then the Lagos Colony.

CMS Grammar School was the epitome of excellence and a citadel of great learning in those days.

It was also the oldest secondary school in Nigeria and the main source of African clergymen and administrators in the Lagos Colony. It is not surprising that it was the son-in-law of the great Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther that founded such a school and that it was his grandson that founded one of the greatest political parties that the African continent has ever known.

*Fani-Kayode served as minister of aviation under the Obasanjo administration

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 45

For the audience, one of the significant aspects of the performance is that it comes at a period when Nigerians are gradually forgetting the price paid for freedom in search of selfish and divisive tendencies by politicians.

It re-echoes the price for freedom, the suffering of many Nigerians and loss of hope for the giant of Africa.

But for South Africa, it is the struggle of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Benjamin Molasie, Steve Biko, Chris Hani and the price they paid for their country’s freedom.

The play is a good example of total theatre,which effectively combined mime and dance, drama, poetry, recital, music and visual arts, alongside a wonderful costume to achieve aesthetic unity.

Though a South African story, the director also deployed Nigerian songs and dance across nationalities in order to bring the South African story alive as never told on the stage before.

•Casts of Kole Omotosho’s Yes and No

Yes and Know to the Freedom Chatter

…Liberation dance for Kole Omotoso

BY EMMANUEL AGOZINO

P

rolific writer, dramatist, former President of Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA) and foremost icon of the literary arts, Prof. Kole Omotoso recently clocked 70. He was honoured penultimate week at the Ondo State Cultural Centre at a dance drama performance put together to celebrate him by poet Odia Ofeimun. Vanguard Arts was at the event to capture the thrilling performance that moved the Ondo State governor Olusegun Mimiko.

THE assemblage of dignitaries inside the expensive hall both from within and outside the state penultimate week, to celebrate the 70 th birthday anniversary of former President of Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA) and veteran scholar and writer, Prof. Kole Omotoso, shows the esteem with which the scholar is held even in his homeland.

It was the staging of Yes and Know to the Freedom Chatter part of the activities to mark the birthday event of the writer that made it memorable.

Written by Omotoso himself, Yes and Know to the Freedom Chatter, dance drama employs colourful costume of typical South African society to tell the story of black struggles against White supremacists rule and eventual freedom in South Africa.

In what seems an archetype of historical comparison of

•Prof Ko Omotoshoflankedle State Governor Mby Ondo and Wife while cuimiko tting birthday cake events, the script brings the author ’s personal in depth knowledge of South Africa to tell the story from beginning of the liberation struggles in the 20thcentury, and then the story of South Africa from the era of Dingsiswayo and great Shaka the Zulu through Apartheid period, to the Rainbow Coalition that brought Nelson Mandela to power after about 27 years of imprisonment in Rode Island.

The dance title, Yes and Know to the Freedom Chatter loaded with paradoxes as part of the romance of looking homewards and in the assertion of dignity against man’s inhumanity to man.

However, the beauty of the performance lies in Omotoso’s attempt to celebrating South African rich cultural heritage and courage by playing down the view that Africans are not good or know their Godordained human rights.

The dance offers a contrast to the popularly held view

that Africa is a home to people without civilisation or people that do not know God or where nothing works or anything good happens.

It showcased the nation’s beauty in diversity and cultural differences that many consider as South African pride.

As the story demonstrated, the discord often noticed during Apartheid rule in South African society was caused by divide and rule policy that can be overcome.

It is a matter of collaboration and unity among the oppressed blacks believing that there is no oppression or injustice that people cannot overcome once Africans are united.

Directed by Felix Okolo, the dance drama also meticulously brings the thought of the writer to reality with serious points to ponder, as well as great humour, especially during the various interjections by the casts.

H

is idea of creating archetypal images of African struggle for freedom and unity is excellent achievement, especially in the face of dying culture of arts.

The choreographic display of the casts reveals how talented the choreographers are. They include, Akah Austine, Steve Joe, Jude Onedeke, Ayodele Balogun, Michael Obata, Jeremiah Nwoso, Autin Ime and Asuquo Uwem. Others includes, Oyinye Nwaiwu, Anuoluwapo Akingbade, Fatimah Mohammed, Adetoun Abolaji, Onome Umokaro, Mberede Chidima and Serah Onomiwo.

In his appreciations after the presentation, Ondo State governor Olusegun Mimiko, expressed the need for youths to emulate Omotoso.

Mimiko who described the day as a sweet moment not only for himself and the Ondo people equally described Omotosho as a true son who has brought recognition to the State.

He therefore submitted that the day’s event may be the beginning of celebration of another big thing, adding that he still has much of his cultural roots attached to the State.

At the end of the sixty minutes drama, Odia Ofeimun, organiser of the event also noted that what made the drama unique is because it is one of Omotoso’s piece that tells the story of South Africa.

Ofeimun said it is one the best that Omotoso has written since his relocation to the country.

An Evening of Tribute for Achebe in Port Harcourt

By Ucheoma Nwabunike

T

he Rainbow Book Club in partnership with the British Council Port Harcourt, last week, organised a tribute evening in honour of the late prof.

Chinua Achebe on the 26th of April 2013 at the council’s office.

The evening program which was scheduled for 5pm began with opening remark s by Ms. Ijeoma Agruba the centre Manager of the council office in Port Harcourt and was followed by a reading of Achebe’s biography by Mrs. Judy Nwanodi, a trustee of the Rainbow Book.

Gabriel Okara, celebrated poet and author set the tone for the tributes with his moving tribute on Achebe whom he said was not dead but lived on in his work.

The evening also had a session tagged “Why We Love Things Fall Apart” An open discussion on why this classic novel is held in such high regard was lead by PEN. Here people shared their favorite characters, scenes and proverbs in a book that is widely believed to have changed the way African literature was viewed by the rest of the world.

T

he beauty and simplicity of the language in ‘’Things Fall Apart” with its proverbs and vivid imagery, the characters like Okonkwo, who rises above adversity against all odds, the book’s unique title, and its ability to yield itself to different age groups of readers,were all part of the reasons why TFA has endeared its self to generations .

The tributes continued with people who shared with the audience, their experiences from different Chinua Achebe books and poems that they love. The founder of Rainbow Book Club, Mrs. Koko kalango also delivered a moving tribute on Achebe who was an Honourary member of the club.

Mrs Kalango told the audience how Achebe had severally supported the club’s events including what was to be his last outing in Nigeria, when he delivered the keynote address at the 20II Garden City Literary Festival.

Book presentation

T

HE official presentation of the book: Nigeria’s Top Servant-Bureaucrats, will take place on Tuesday, May 14 at Tafawa-Balewa Square, TBS, Lagos.

According to the author of the book, Mr Ojo Idihaloise, the event which kicks off at 11:30am will have the Minister of Health, Prof. Onyebuchi Chukwu and the

Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Alhaji Bukar Goni Aji, as guests of honour, with Oba A.U. Omo-Bare 11, the Okumagbe of Iuleha as the Royal father of the day while Prof. Akin Osibogun, CMD, LUTH will be chairman of the occasion. All heads of Federal Civil Service of the Federation from 1961 to date will be special guests.

PAGE 46—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013 sameyoboka@yahoo.com

08023145567 (sms only)

Seeking divine intervention

By SAM EYOBOKA

N

IGERIA, like many other countries on the globe, is grappling with severe economic problems and several other life-threatening challenges that have defied every known human theory.

Governments at all levels are doing their best possible to uplift the citizens out of the pit of hopelessness and despondency but these efforts have not stroke the right chord.

Many Nigerians, believing that the current multi-dimensional problems facing the nation are spiritual problems that tend to defile all scientific interpretations and solutions and have therefore decided to seek freedom from all manner of afflictions beyond the physical realm.

They are now turning to God, the One who created the universe, for supernatural healing, provision and deliverance from all forces of darkness.

This was the thrust of a sermon delivered by the General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, when he addressed over 150,000 worshippers at the fourth special miracle service recently at the Deeper Life Conference Centre on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

At that meeting, Kumuyi declared that the only antidote to the manifold challenges of our contemporary world is a closer relationship with God and a life wholesomely devoted to his will.

The man of God said while perilous times may not abate, a life wedded to God has the

*A crowd of worshippers at the service

*Pastor William Kumuyi ministering capacity to weather every storm of life. And those who are wise, he argued, must seek to build bridges across to God, rather than running helter-skelter looking for solution where there are none.

He emphasised that from creation, Satan has been the architect of diverse afflictions in people's lives, and problems plaguing nations, noting, however, that the only escape route is Christ Jesus.

The GS, who spoke on ‘Restoring the falling foundation of the righteous’, and ‘Destroying the works and weapons of the devil,’ affirmed that “no circumstance can defile the power of God”.

Drawing inspiration from scripture, the cleric said the power that loosed the woman bound for 18 years with a spirit of infirmity is still potent enough today to set free as many as will be willing to touch Him by faith, admonishing believers and citizens to seek repose in God. Kumuyi maintained that believers have not only received redemption but have also been given restorative power to deliver the afflicted.

Quite expectedly, the special service tagged “Night of Supernatural Deliverance” recorded several miracles as many participants testified to their instant deliverances.

A middle-aged man, Tope Agboola, joyfully testified that he received deliverance from strange voices and invisible personalities that had taken possession of his life, terrorising him in the process. According to Agboola, it was the affliction that caused his deportation from the UK, after he developed a mental problem.

But on that Saturday night, he claimed he heard the sound of strange personalities flying out of his body with a terrifying speed.

Monica Aina, from Gowon Estate, Egbeda, Lagos, who had an accident in 2009, and had undergone four hip operations, testified to receiving her healing and had abandon her clutches after the prayer session.

Enewa James came to the programme from Obalende in Lagos, burdened by a goitre.

According to her, the health challenge took her to various places in search of a solution.

At a point she abandoned her family in Lagos to live with a sister in Abuja. She was told her case was hopeless and that nobody could perform an operation on her.

“I decided to drop all drugs.

When Pastor was praying, I just heard a sharp sound,

Cleric warns against taxation of churches

By DAYO JOHNSON, Akure

F

OUNDER of Cheru bim Seraphim, Success Gate Inc, Akure, Ondo State, Primate Ademisokun Turton has cautioned against the imposition of taxes on churches by the Federal Government, arguing that such move will have adverse effects on the citizenry who are members of the Church.

He said this during the inauguration of newly elected officers of the Ondo State chapter of the Cherubim & Seraphim Unification Church executive in Akure.

Turton said: "Imposing taxes

on churches would worsen the socio-economic crisis which Nigeria is going through. The truth of the matter is that church members are already paying income tax. Rather impose tax on the churches, government should consider giving subventions to churches."

He noted that the dreaded Boko Haram sect's current violent campaign will not cease until there is a strong indication that a northerner will succeed President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

"I am not surprised that the Boko Haram sect has rejected the amnesty offer from the Federal Government. It is now

clear that their agitation is political. What they want is either Nigeria breaks or they rule it.

"It (Boko Haram) is a problem created by northern elite.

It is the political class in the North that are using the Boko Haram people to foment trouble. The rejection of amnesty showed that they have realised that creating more trouble is the only way they can rule Nigeria.

"If President Jonathan will contest for a second term in office then there cannot be an end to Boko Haram," the cleric stated.

The primate recalled that crises have contributed to the

emergence of Nigerian leaders since 1999.

The cleric therefore appealed to “the Federal Government to compensate all victims of Boko Haram attacks by giving their families handsome financial largesse and erect monuments in their honour.

gboom, and the goitre disappeared”, she said.

Mercy Doe, a Ghanaian, testified to receiving freedom from an unexplainable illness.

According to her, she suffered from an internal sensation akin to electric shock. Doe explained to the bewildered audience that while the affliction lasted, it was difficult for her to clap her hands or bring the two palms together because it was as if there were pieces of magnet inside her palms. But Saturday night, she clapped her hands vigorously to demonstrate her healing. And her joy knew no bounds.

For Nwadiuche Nkemdirim living in Surulere, Lagos who nursed a terrible pain in the chest region and anytime he walked, it was as if the heart was packing up. “Before now”, he began, “ whenever I heard about miracle, I did not take it seriously. But today (Saturday), I am a partaker of miracle. Pastor mentioned my problem perfectly, that there’s somebody here who, whenever he is walking, it is as if he would drop dead. That’s how I became free; am totally free.”

The monthly miracle service is aimed at addressing the physical and spiritual needs of members and willing public, particularly people under various oppressions of the enemy, so that they can be of greater use to God and the nation.

Pastor Kumuyi reiterated the fact that people need to be set free in order to serve God without encumbrances and other obstructions which have the capacity to circumscribe the potentials of anyone.

DEBATE:

SHOULD CHRISTIANS PAY TITHE? SEND SHORT AND SHARP RESPONSES TO:

vanguarddebate@gmail.com

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 47

SWORD OF THE SPIRIT THE VALUE OF GOD

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AVID says: “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” (Psalm 24:1). How then can we insist only

Is God only worthy of a tithe of our income?

a tithe of our income belongs to God? God does not only own ten percent of our possessions, he owns everything we have. As a matter of fact, we belong to the Lord, even as he also belongs to us. Thus, Jeremiah declares: “The LORD is (our) portion.” (Lamentation 3:24).

Jesus says: “Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33). Therefore, a “tither ” cannot be a disciple of Christ. I used to pay tithes. But when I finally grasped the full import of Jesus’ message, I concluded that giving only a tithe of my income for kingdom purposes is grossly inadequate.

Some of us should give nothing less than eighty percent because we are very rich. God can even require that we give our entire monthly salary on occasion; after all he owns all we have.

But giving to God should not be confused with giving to a church.

Precious God What is God worth to us? Is he only worthy of a tithe of our income? Every Christian should be allowed to determine this for himself. Institutionalised tithing limits the generosity of a believer. Once we give 10 per cent, we believe we have fulfilled all righteousness. But this limitation is short-sighted. Jesus says: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38). Therefore, don’t use the measure of a delimited tithe.

The truth is that pastors have little faith in Christians. We are convinced they would never give out of their own volition. So we lay down the Law of Moses and threaten those who disobey with the disdain of heaven. Thereby, we nullify the faith of our parishioners by making them give out of compulsion. But our God is a God of free will.

That was the error of Moses. He was convinced the Israelites were a wicked people. So he thought it would be unwise to tell them God is against divorce because they would still not be able to obey. Moses decided the best he could do was to limit the propensity to divorce by regulating it and by laying down certain procedures that must be followed before a man could divorce his wife. In the process, he ended up by legitimising divorce and, thereby, misrepresenting God. Jesus was quick to correct this error.

He says to the Jews: “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, and marries another woman commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced commits adultery.” (Matthew

19:8-9). Therefore, don’t accept the indictment of money-grubbing pastors that you won’t give unless cajoled, and then would only give a tithe.

Self-serving theology Bolaji Ogundimu was distraught.

She asked her good friend for financial assistance and she refused even though she had the money. She told Bolaji the money with her was earmarked for her tithe. God forbid her tithe should be used to help someone in need. According to the brainwashing she had received, her tithe must only be handed over to her pastor; otherwise it would be nullified.

Little did she know that her pastor, in his greed for her money, had made her into a bad Samaritan.

Pastors who insist you must bring your tithe to their churches are only interested in your money. Never believe any man who preaches anything beneficial to him directly or indirectly. If he preaches the righteousness of giving, listen to him only up to that point where he tells you to bring the money to him or to his church.

If he is really interested in teaching the way of righteousness, he should encourage you to give the money to other institutions apart from the one he is involved in. Let him tell you to give the money to the orphanage, and his message is thereby purified. But once he passes the basket round after such a message, his motives immediately become suspect.

Don’t fall for the trick where a special guest to your church is the one encouraging you to give to your church. It is also conventional for him to say it is necessary for you to “bless” your pastor. This is a game of deception played by pastors. I ask people to give to you when I come to your church, and you tell people to give to me when you come to mine.

Looking unto Jesus Jesus must, in all cases, be our example. When he preached the gospel to the chief young ruler, he said to him: “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor.” (Matthew 19:21). He did not tell him to bring the money to him or to his church. Why must the money only be brought to the pastor or to his church? The righteousness is not tied to the church but to the giver.

The righteousness is not sown in the church but in the believer’s heart.

There is no spiritual benefit in receiving money. But there is great benefit in giving to others. Irrespective of the amount, the money we give can never make a real difference in the true lives of the recipients. However, when we give, it makes a difference in our lives. Giving may not change the receiver, but it often changes the

DOMINATE AS YOU PRAY giver because it works on our heart. The foundation of giving is love, compassion, mercy and faith.

Therefore, giving produces in us the fruit of righteousness which is pleasant to God. Don’t believe the lie of pastors that by giving to your church you are giving to God. The kingdom of God has nothing to do with pastors or with local churches. Jesus told the Samaritan woman: “Believe me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.” (John 4:21). The hour has already come. God is not worshipped in local churches. He is worshipped in our heart-ofhearts. The true church of Christ is not a building but a people.

Cathedral builders Tithes are often used to build the kingdoms of pastors as opposed to the kingdom of God. They are used to finance the pastor’s sometimes lavish lifestyle; to build huge mausoleums to the pastor ’s glory; to buy airplanes which most church-members cannot fly in; establish schools and universities which poor church-members cannot afford; or establish banks which only benefit the rich.

But the kingdom of God is about giving to the poor, the widows, the orphans and the stranger.

These are the true representatives of God. Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40). In the churches, pastors are not the least but the greatest.

“Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 18:18).

E

FFECTIVE praying is an instrument God has ordained by which you can rule and effect positive changes on earth. No believer has yet proved, to the limit, the possibilities and the power of the prayer of faith (Matt. 19:26; Mark 9:23; Mark 10:27; Mark 14:36; John 11:4).

No matter who you are — young, old, male, female, rich, poor, educated or illiterate — you can bring a glorious transformation into your life, family, church, work, business, community and nation as you make use of the weapon of prayer (Rom. 10:1113; 1 Pet. 1:17; Rom. 2:11).

Effective praying — there is nothing like it! It is as potent as God is. You can receive anything, any blessing from God as you pray effectively. There is nothing that you need that God cannot supply, but you have to ask before you can receive. Hear what Jesus said again: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14).

Whatsoever you shall ask…Isn’t this wonderful?

God is literally giving us an open cheque, asking us to fill in what we really want. It therefore, means prayerlessness is our bane. It is the main reason for lack and poverty. It is the main reason for suffering and shame. And prayerlessness can be categorised into four: (1) Not praying at all (2) Inconsistency in prayer 3) Insufficient praying (4) Ineffective praying. (James 4:3; Luke 18:1; Ps. 40:1-3; James 5:16).

To be more than a conqueror we must pray consistently, sufficiently, effectively.

To be effective in prayer, we must pray with clean hands and a pure heart. We must pray in faith, believing God for instant answer from heaven. We must pray specifically and pinpoint the exact thing, we want from heaven. We must pray with the name of Jesus —the key that unlocks God’s treasure house. We must pray with the spirit and with the understanding also. (1Tim. 2:8; Ps. 24:3-6; Mark 11:24). We must mingle our prayer with praise, worship and adoration to God our Father. (Phil. 4:6).

Conclusion Today is your day of change. By bending your knees to pray, you can change your rags to riches and your poverty to plenty. You can break forth into God’s righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

Prayer is a means that God has ordained by which we can tap into His infinite ability. You do not have to pay to pray, but praying will pay you such dividends that no amount of investment can secure.

You too can rule on your knees today.

"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye see, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him” (Isaiah 64:4).

Bishop Iheagwam bows out

O

UTGOING Bishop of the Diocese of Egbu, the Rt. Rev Emman-uel Iheagwam at the weekend celebrated his valedictory service as the presiding bishop of the See of the Diocese at the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Egbu in Owerri North Local Government, Imo State, reports EBUN SESSOU. In his sermon at the Eucharistic Service con-

ducted by the co-adjutor bishop of the Diocese, Rt. Rev Geoffrey Okorafor, Bishop Iheagwam said he had looked forward to the retirement since his consecration and enthronement 17 years ago.

Recalling the challenges that confronted him since inception of the Diocese, he said, it was expected that the Diocese would not survive, giving it only three

weeks within which to fold up and return to the mother diocese. But because of the Spirit of God hovering over the Diocese such expectations were aborted.

He said, the successes of the Diocese were as a result of prioritizing their needs, denial of worldly pleasures, patience, tolerance, humility, accommodation, openness, love and team spirit.

PAGE 48—SUNDAY

Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

Oyo mayhem is a manifestation of govt’s intolerance of the opposition – Ex-Gov. Ladoja

BY BASHIR ADEFAKA

What can best be described as the return of mayhem in Oyo State politics occurred on Thursday, May 2, 2013.

Attacked were supporters of the state’s leading opposition party, Accord, who had staged a reception to welcome defecting members of the Action Congress of Nigeria, can, and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, into the Senator Rashidi Adewolu Ladoja-led party. The government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi, the ruling party, ACN, and the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, fingered in the mayhem, promptly denied involvement.

But Ladoja says the governor and his party have questions to answer and urged them to stop pre-empting the security agents on their investigations into the issue. The former Oyo State governor speaks on the incident. Excerpts:

But did your party leaders not let the police realize the implication of doing that?

Ofcourse we did tell them.

We were supposed to start our

Senator Rashidi Ladoja....Nobody can stop us. rally at 12pm and our stage had been set by 10am. But before we got there, they had set our canopies ablaze and destroyed so many of our things; people were beaten and injured to the point that blood was gushing from their bodies and they made away with about five motorcycles belonging to our members.

Our party vehicles were destroyed. They manhandled our members and policemen on guard including the DPO in charge of that area, Mr. Obaniran.

Having experienced this and you know where it came from, what steps are you

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HAT is your reaction to the attacks?

What happened was that at the venue, we were supposed to hold a ceremony welcoming new members coming from ACN and PDP into Accord Party, we discovered that the attackers had invaded the place. And, in the course of doing that, canopies, stage, chairs were set ablaze and some destroyed.

It was alleged that the attackers were led to the place by policemen and soldiers under the aegis of Operation Burst, which is the security outfit of the state government.

Did that portend that you did not have police permit for the event?

We sought police permit for the event and we were granted. But, on that day, we discovered that the ACN had another canopy about 15 metres away from the spot where we were to hold our own event. And, in their own case, they wanted to hold the event without any permit and the authorities allowed that to provoke the supporters of Accord Party.

How did you know that the event they were staging did not have permit?

One of my party leaders, Seriki, asked the police why and they replied that they allowed it to happen because they did not want the crisis to escalate; meaning that they wanted us to stay side-byside with them and hold two opposing rallies.

the return of mayhem in Oyo State. It is the continuation of the intolerant attitude of the ACN-led government in this state. They have been like that. They have been very abusive. They have been very intolerant and it is that pattern that you have just seen.

And something of this nature happened a few weeks ago in Lagelu, where they unleashed mayhem on our members who refused to join ACN. And what about that?

They had expected that our members would join ACN but they have remained resolute with us. Therefore, they went

There is no administration supported by the road transport union that ever survived. This will not be an exception

,

taking?

The steps we are going to take? We are law abiding citizens. We were only lucky that policemen were on ground when it happened.

Perhaps we would have suffered more and the police saw when they were destroying and burning all those things. It is now left for the security people to fish out these trouble makers and bring them to book.

How do you feel about what looks like the return of mayhem in Oyo State?

Let me correct you, it is not

to a village there, ransacked the whole place and beat up everybody. They want to stop the people from declaring for Accord Party.

What has been the reaction of Abuja because this is a security issue?

We know that they are watching, they are not deaf.

If they have not read it, they must have heard about it and more so, we are going to lodge our complaint with the higher authorities.

But how could the hosting of a rally attract such magnitude of attack on a

people if you, as a person, did not do anything which provoked it?

It was not even a rally, so to say. It was just a reception for those who had resolved within themselves to leave their different parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and embrace the Accord Party. And it was a welcome thing.

As to whether there was anything we did to warrant the various attacks, let me tell you that it is intolerance of the highest order that is the cause. They are intolerant.

They do not want anybody to operate, politically, within the state and it is not possible.

The essence of democracy is freedom of association where you say your own view and you allow me to say my own.

Your own view ends where my own starts. You cannot say that because you have your own freedom, my own freedom should be truncated. There is freedom of association and nobody can stop us.

What would you say to Oyo State people who have kept faith with you?

What do we have to say? The attack they did was planned so that we would not go to that place. But we went there and we had our programme and the new members were welcomed into the party.

Nobody can stop us. And we have one record of history that will work against them. This is Western Region. You heard about some of the politicians of the first republic and what they did then. You heard about how they were terrorizing and oppressing people. What happened to them in the end?

They collapsed. You must have been born in the time of NPN. What happened to the tyranny of the ruling party of that time? It collapsed.

An administration in this state used the transport union. What happened to the administration? It collapsed.

What happened to the Akala administration and its people who terrorised us? They collapsed.

In the same way, a politician, said to be manning the militant wing of the ACN, and Ajimobi will collapse.

Take it like that. There is no administration supported by the road transport union that ever survived. This will not be an exception.

It may interest you to know that our attackers were not chased away by the Accord stalwarts. People, themselves, chased them away saying all the nonsense must stop. That is to tell you that we need not start trumpeting what we stand for. People are already aware of what Accord Party stands for. If we now say to the people of Oyo State that this is what happened, it will

look as if you want to start coercing them. We do not need that. They are with us and they are joining us as we move on.

With the alleged hands of security men in how the attackers came, how would you describe security in Oyo State ?

It is unfortunate that Operation Burst that was created to prevent crime has now been diverted to promote political interest. We had more of that because, during the attack, there were two vehicles, OB25 and OB31, that led the trouble makers to the venue where our rented canopies, chairs and stage were set and they did not only destroy those things, they set also set them ablaze.

One would now begin to wonder how soldiers and policemen paid from taxpayers money are used to oppress the legitimate aspirations and yearnings of Nigerians.

This is a case against state police and I can see why they are clamouring for state police. Because if it were to even be the case of state police, they would have gotten rid of us. So, no to state police at this stage.

Where do you go from here?

We are going to make our case to the authorities that these soldiers recruited into the Operation Burst in Oyo State are being used for other motives.

It is better government scraps them so that normal policing activities will be returned to the police.

How does this shape the political climate ahead of 2015 in Oyo State?

Accord Party will win in Oyo State; gover nor, Senate, House of Representatives, everything come 2015. There is no doubt about that. These ACN people are seeing the handwriting on the wall and that is why they are jittery.If ANPP or any of the mushroom parties was the one involved in the incidence, nobody would talk because they cannot muster anything. But because the ruling party is envious of the progress being made by the Accord Party, that is why they are getting uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, the governor through his aides, the ACN and NURTW have denied their involvement in the attack.

The governor, let me say to him, should not pre-empt security agencies investigations. He should allow the security people to do their job and find out what happened. Just like the story he was telling the people that it was Accord that caused the mayhem, disrupted its own programme and attacked its own people.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 49

2015: A phantom assassination plot The vindication of Gov. Akpabio

HEN Akwa Ibom State Governor Godwill Akpabio was supporting the senatorial ambition of Senator Aloysious Etok in 2007, in the spirit of equity, hardly did he know that he was embarking on a mission that would later degenerate into a messy affair.

At the moment, the governor and the lawmaker are reportedly at loggerheads over their individual ambitions to contest the senatorial seat in the 2015 general elections.

Akwa-Ibom North West, it will be recalled, had not produced any senator before 2007. In order to address this anomaly, Akpabio threw his weight behind the candidature of Etuk, who subsequently won the election.

Ever since, the lawmaker has remained in the upper legislative house, where he served as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriation.

However, following, the reported senatorial ambition of Akpabio to represent Ikot Ekpene Senatorial Ddistrict when he completes his second term as governor in 2015 , there seems to be no love lost between the duo.

Infact, the political atmosphere in Akwa Ibom said to be reaping the fruits of good governance, appears charged following the strained relationship.

For instance, the alarm by Etuk that the governor was after his life is not unconnected with the undercurrents of the squabble with the governor.

An infamous move In what analysts described as an infamous move, the lawmaker recently accused Akpabio of planning to assassinate him over his ambition for re-election to the Senate.

Etok, who made the allegation in a briefing with newsmen, recalled the a b d u c t i o n of his wife and mother-in-law and the series of text messages convening assassination threats if he insists on contesting the senatorial election come 2015.

He said, “I have on this phone some text messages that if I don’t retract the statement that I will contest election, after seven days, I will see what they will do. The governor has also instructed different groups that if I don’t retract the statement within seven days, I will either be dead to stop me or alive to retract the statement.

Therefore, I want you, all the media, to ask the governor, or those he had let loose, to tell the world. What is the insult: that as soon as they knew I was going to contest, my wife was kidnapped. ‘’After the release of my wife, my mother-in-law was kidnapped. When she was released, she died because of the torture she received in the hands of the kidnappers. As a result, my father-in-law died of heart break. Therefore, I also want Nigerians to ask Governor Akpabio what I have done to him.’’

He further said, ‘’I want all of you, like I am going to send a petition to the president, to ask Governor Akpabio to let me be; that his hit squad, which he has resurrected, should let me live. If anything happens to me, I want the world to know that Governor Akpabio is after my life.” The senator said that his aspiration to seek reelection to represent AkwaIbom North West remained unshaken.

Following the allegations by the Senator against Akpabio, security agencies swung into action, in order to unravel the truth. The Department of State Security Services,SSS, uncovered the person behind the assassination threats.

Confession The suspect, who was identified as Mr. Adelola Tamunotoye Olaore, confessed that, contrary to the claims by Etok, he (Olaore) hatched the plot to extort money from the senator.

Making the revelations when he was paraded in Abuja, the suspect confessed that he exploited the perceived rift between Etok and Akpabio. He said he had wanted to use the proceeds to pursue a master’s degree.

Olaore, a graduate of mechanical engineering from Rivers State University, PortHarcourt, Rivers State, said he

Gov Godswill Akpabio....Vindicated

went to the NDDC office in Port-Harcourt to submit a mail where he stumbled on a mail bearing the senator ’s complimentary card from where he obtained Etok’s number.

In addition, he said, being aware of the political interests between the senator and the

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BY CHARLES KUMOLU

der to convince the senator, he offered to furnish him with details of the governor ’s purported bank account and Energy Company in South Africa. He however confessed that he had never met Akpabio or any of his loyalists.

According to the Deputy Director of Public Relations of

Not a few analysts, based on the turn of events, argue that the governor appears vindicated even as others labelled the lawmaker as politically inexperienced

governor over the Ikot Ekpene senatorial seat ahead of 2015, he seized the opportunity to contact him.

Explaining how he was able to convince the lawmaker that he was sent by Akpabio, Olaore added that he introduced himself as General Africa, an ex-militant from Bayelsa State, and then told the senator that he had been contacted by three of Akpabio’s loyalists to assassinate him.

According to Olaore, in or-

,

the DSS, Ms Marilyn Ogar, the Service swung into action following a letter titled: “Report of planned assassination by a man who calls himself General Africa (an ex-militant)” by Etok.

Ogar said on getting the letter, the Service directed the senator to play along with the suspect which eventually led to his apprehension on April 29, 2013.

The spokesperson said Olaore would be charged to court and warned the gener-

al public to be wary of individuals who exploit activities, be it political, religious or economic, for criminal ends.

Vindication Not a few analysts, based on the turn of events, argue that the governor appears vindicated even as others labelled the lawmaker as politically inexperienced.

Some of the analysts say that despite the reported frosty relationship between the duo, the lawmaker ought not to have raised the false alarm which, according to them, was capable of overheating the polity.

Meanwhile, Etok has come under criticisms from his constituents, who were not comfortable with his allegations against the governor.

It is believed this informed the recall process initiated against the senator.

The recall move allegedly followed the failure and or refusal of Etok to tender an apology to Akpabio and the senatorial district.

Political leaders from the 10 local government areas of Ikot Ikpene senatorial district, that converged at a meeting convened by Itai Afe Annang and Okuku Pius Eside over the matter, claimed that they wrote Etok on April 20, 2013 to appear before them in order to begin a reconciliation process but he refused.

They said they were therefore left with no option than to call on stakeholders to begin the process of recall.

The motion to begin the recall process was moved by Engineer Iboro Ekanem of Ukpom Ward 5, Ikono Local Government Area, who said Akpabio would get overwhelming support in the 2015 senatorial poll in the state.

Chairman of Essien Udim Local Government Area, Mr. Nse Ntuen, who spoke on behalf of the other chairmen, said the district will recall the senator, who he accused of adding salt to an injury by alleging that the governor was responsible for the kidnap of his mother-in-law and other security problems that surrounded him and his family. There are those who believe that a public apology from the lawmaker would be in order.

Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

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PAGE 50—SUNDAY

The inside story of how Edo LG polls were lost and won

The observers, who held a press conference in Abuja, described the election as a charade and aligned itself with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which earlier called for the cancellation of the polls.

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

E

Gov. Adams Oshiomhole elections, described as shameful the attitude of the Abuja observers whom they alleged were sponsored by the PDP to discredit elections adjudged to be free and fair by the people of the state. According to Dr Samson Isibor of the CRPP, “We should all learn how to accept defeat and it is sad that people are capitalizing on the calmness of Governor Adams Oshiomhole to rubbish the image of the man. For the first time in our history, election of chairmen and councilors was held in all the local governments except Esan North East where both the ACN and PDP supporters started fighting.

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LECTIONS into the 17 local government councils of the 18 in Edo State were conducted by the Edo State Independent National Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), but Abuja based observers who were not accredited to monitor the April 20, 2013 polls are engaged in a war of words with the EDSIEC over the transparency of the elections. The observers, who held a press conference in Abuja, described the election as a charade and aligned itself with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which earlier called for the cancellation of the polls. But countering the allegation of the Abuja observers, the EDSIEC described them as people with political interest masquerading as observers. Addressing journalists in Benin City, on Wednesday, a member of the EDSIEC, Professor Stanley Orobator, regretted that after conducting free and fair elections in the state, the observers, who never monitored the polls, went to Abuja to tell the press lies. “These so-called observers came two days to the elections and failed to meet up with the requirements of observers. They came requesting that we should pay them to monitor, but we said no because an independent observer cannot start asking for money and, because we had nothing to hide, we said no”.

He said 104 individuals and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) applied to be accredited, but that, on accepting the applications, “It was discovered that most of the applicants belonged to unregistered bodies while some had forged registration certificates. The commission screened the applications and reduced the number considerably and issued letters of acceptance indicating the absence of financial commitment”.

He said the commission was shocked when some of the observers arrived two days before the elections and started demanding for money to enable them monitor the polls while others came two days later demanding that the commission offset their bills.

He assured the determination of the commission to conduct free and fair elections in Esan North East and other wards where elections were c a n c e l l e d .

The reports of the Conference of NonGovernmental Organizations (CONGOs) in Edo State and that of the Coalition of Registered Political Parties (CRPP) in Edo State, which hailed the conduct of the

noon, 19 April. After the London flight arrived Lagos, those in-charge of the materials put a call to the Edo government to talk to the Customs Director in the state so he could speak to his colleague at the Lagos Airport to give the materials express clearance with a view to getting them to Benin on time. But by time they were through with the clearance, it was late; therefore the decision to get trailers to load the materials to Benin was made. The Edo Commissioner of Police, Folunsho Adebanjo, the state Director of SSS and the Brigade Commander were contacted on the development

We should all learn how to accept defeat and it is sad that people are capitalizing on the calmness of Governor Adams Oshiomhole to rubbish his image

PDP was in this state for over ten years, they never conducted local government elections; all they did was to write results at Government House and announce to the people. The election in Edo was the freest and fairest in our history. Yes we are aware there was delay of materials but when it came people voted massively and the results counted. So the call for cancellation is rubbish”.

Election day /delay of materials

However, Sunday Vanguard found that though election materials arrived in most polling units as late as 12pm, people waited patiently to cast their votes. Election materials were said to have been printed in London and the flight arrived Lagos on Friday after-

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Prof. Jega

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and the CP Edo volunteered to appeal to his colleague in Lagos to provide security for the materials to get to Benin.

The materials arrived Benin at about 4:30am. And when the materials arrived, the PDP, ACN, ANPP agents were at the warehouse. As a matter of fact, the PDP agents insisted that all the materials should be off loaded at the same time, none should be kept due to the fear that the EDSIEC might give some to the ACN to rig the elections. The EDSIEC boss, Solomon Ogoi, in an attempt to show transparency agreed but that decision could not afford the commission the opportunity to cross check the materials that arrived. That is why they could not find that councillorship election materials for Egor and Ikpoba Okhai Local Government

Councils were not printed.

That was what forced the postponement of the elections in the two councils. These developments were monitored by all the agents including the PDP.

Why PDP lost Sunday Vanguard observed that voting commenced at about 1pm and 2pm in most areas. And the delay in the arrival of election materials affected both the ACN and the ACN members PD P.

protested non-availability of materials in Auchi, Oshiomhole’s domain. But it would be recalled that during the July 14 governorship election, the governor won in all parts of the state with a landslide, bringing about the popular song of 18 over 18 in Edo. Oshiomhole achieved the feat due to his u n p r e c e d e n t e d developmental projects in the entire 18 local government councils in the state.

Therefore, when the local government elections came, nobody expected anything less from the ACN. Even some leaders of the PDP like the legal coordinator to Gen. Charles Airhiviare, the party ’s candidate in the gubernatorial election, Kelvin Aigbe, and Martins Osakwe dumped the PDP for the ACN with their supporters.

Oshiomhole led ACN campaigns in the 18 local government councils showcasing his achievements just as he reminded them of the PDP legacy in eleven years it was in office. But on the side of the PDP, none of the well known leaders was sighted campaigning in the state. The only areas the PDP was visible were Ovia North East, where Chief Gabriel Igbinedion hails from, Esan North East, where the chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, is from and Etsako Central

where the Chief of Staff to the President, Chief Mike Oghiadohme, comes from.

Therefore, it was not surprising that the ACN won in the 17 local governments so far declared.

Elections

cancelled

Esan North East was one of the areas Vanguard pointed out as flash points prior to the elections due to the presence of Anenih and the Minister of Works, Arch.

Mike Onolemenmen. Though the PDP and ACN presented good candidates for the elections in the LGA, the events of the election day spoilt the chances of both parties. Trouble started on election day due to late arrival of election materials in the area. After materials arrived at about 2pm, the ACN members were ready for the polls but the PDP called for the postponement. The EDSIEC moved the election to Wednesday April 24. On the appointed day, materials arrived early in all the polling units and voting progressed peacefully. But at about 2pm, there were cases of snatching of ballot boxes just as EDSIEC staff were being attacked.

While some PDP youths allegedly abducted unit returning officers, the ACN youths in the area allegedly abducted ward returning officers and took them to Benin. As a result, both parties forced the returning officers to write results in their favour. And before any result could be said to be credible, it must be signed by the unit returning officers to the ward returning officers before it gets to the local government returning officer..

Consequently, EDSIEC decided to cancel the elections after it refused to accept any of the results.

However, the ACN swept the polls in the other 17 LGAs except Oredo Ward 6, Dan Orbih’s ward in Etsako Central and one ward in Owan West. And the in fighting among ACN members contributed to their losing Oredo Ward 6, where the ACN members accused the leadership of imposing one Uwagboe Gregory. They opted to vote for the PDP candidate Henry Osaheni who polled 680 as against the 434 and 225 polled by the ACN and the Labour Party candidates respectively. In Etsako East, the ACN

chairmanship candidate polled 23,262, PDP 4,281, Labour 245, CPC 16, ANPP 30. Unlike during the governorship election when the ACN and Labour presented consensus candidates in the person of Oshiomhole, the parties fielded their individual candidates in the local government elections and that whittled down the votes of the ACN in all the councils.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 51

Nasarawa killing fields, a cult and blood oath

Q

UESTIONS are trailing the killing of about 60 policemen in Nasarawa State, last week.

What led to the deployment of over a hundred mobile policemen in the operation?

Was there any fighting going on there? Was that the last option left to arrest anybody or group suspected to be carrying any act of criminality by the police?

Where was the intelligence aspect of the police? How many people were they going to arrest before deploying such a large number of armed mobile police with eleven operational vehicles? What is Ombatse group all about? Is it a cult group? Was that the first attempt to arrest such group in Nasarawa?

According to the Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Abayomi Akeremale, who spoke to newsmen on the policemen’s killing, “the large contingent was on a mission to raid a shrine as decided during a state security council meeting because of the frequent attack on churches and mosques by this particular group, who go about forcing people to swear to an oath in the shrine. We went to carry out the operation and to arrest the perpetrators”. He continued: “The police were on operation to raid the shrine and make arrest, particularly the chief priest and other leaders of the group called Ombatse who have been torturing people in churches and mosques, compelling them to take oath of allegiance”.

Sources told Sunday Vanguard that a pastor and some members of one church in Lafia were compelled to take the oath by the cult believed to be behind

the killing of the policemen, during a Sunday service recently.

A similar thing allegedly happened at a mosque in some parts of Lafia south.

It was learnt that in a village, Arikpa, a bus was used by the cult to transport Eggon people forcefully to Alakyo to take the oath on daily basis. The perpetrators allegedly claimed they were sent by the shrine priest, aka Bablakyo. One of the elders of Eggon said the group threatened to burn their houses if they didn’t cooperate with them, “We are not safe because they have threatened to deal with us. Our houses have been marked to be set ablaze since we are against them”, he lamented.

According to him, the cult operates outside Ombatse, because, according to him, “Ombatse does not encourage criminality or killing. This cult of young people is not Ombatse, but the public classifies all as Ombatse”.

The leaders of the Eggon Cultural Development Association (ECDA), Mr. Chris Mamman, said last week: “”The leadership of the association listed some criminals and reported them to the police.

“These criminals are going about claiming they are Ombatse but are not because Ombatse does not encourage criminality, neither do they force people to take oath of allegiance”, said the ECDA chairman.

Mamman said a meeting of the sons and daughters of Eggon was scheduled to hold on Thursday, and the agenda was the activities of those going about harassing Eggon people forcing them to swear to oath in religious houses.

“The special adviser to the governor on security matters, who is an Eggon man, wrote to

Gov. Al-makura

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BY ABEL DANIEL

We are not safe because they have threatened to deal with us. Our houses have been marked to be set ablaze since we are against them

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the security agents in the state on their agenda to hold a meeting on how to address the criminal acts being carried out by the so-called Ombatse. But then we were shocked to hear that over a hundred mobile armed men were ordered to invade Alakyo village to arrest just one person at about 6pm on Tuesday”.

Ombatse, according to Barrister Alumaga, secretary of the group, is a traditional prayer group for Eggon male sons.

Alumaga said it was the tradition even before the arrival of the Europeans who introduced Christianity and Islam. He revealed that the

name of their god is Aghili, whom they pray to for healing whenever there is illness, justice whenever there is wickedness or some form of criminality in the land. “We felt it was time to resume our prayers to Aghili because the Eggon nation has been marginalized over a long period of time and criminality has covered the land, and we want justice and fairness. That was how we came about Ombatse; ‘meaning it is time’”.

But Ombatse is banned, according to Governor Tanko Almakura while briefing the vicepresident, Alh, Namadi Sambo, at the Aso Rock Villa on Wednesday, accusing the group of causing most of the crises in Nasarawa in the past one year.

He said, “This group has been banned and its members are those causing problems in the state”.

Meanwhile, Al-makura was accused by some ethnic groups in the state of fraternizing with the group in the past. The accusers alleged that the governor identified with Ombatse when he went to Nasarawa Eggon in search of peace to address members of the group after a protest. Reacting to the allegation, a press conference was held by the group, which disclosed it was not a cult or faceless as many have alleged.

The protest that led to the blocking of the highway at Nasarawa Eggon happened when, according to the group’s spokesman, Alumaga, the combined military operation, comprising of soldiers, police and the state security service, invaded a shrine following intelligence that the group had arms stocked there. “That operation lasted over two hours of sporadic shootings, but thank God they found nothing like weapons and nobody was injured

until they took to their heels leaving their operational vehicle near the shrine”.

There are several instances when Ombatse had been accused and branded as a criminal group which perpetrated all forms of crimes. However, it was not the first time security officials deployed to maintain peace and security were killed in Nasarawa State. Early this year, four military officers were allegedly murdered by Fulani herdsmen.

Sources said the soldiers, deployed to stop the breakdown of law and order in the state were disarmed through the use of charms before they were killed.

The police later recovered the guns of the soldiers allegedly from some Fulani herdsmen in an operation in one of the villages.

The village where about 60 police and SSS officers were murdered, last week, is about 10km from Lafia, the state capital. An eye witness said about 11 operational vehicles of the police were seen fully loaded with mobile police officers heading towards the village called Alakyo at about 6;30 pm on Tuesday. Investigation revealed that when the convoy was noticed, movement from in and out of the village stopped.

Nobody went in or came out until Wednesday morning, when news of the murder of the policemen started spreading. The situation was that bad because there is no police network in the place; as soon as you enter the village, you are cut off from the rest of the world.

Many more of the victims were yet to be recovered as police rescue team was still searching for missing persons according to the Nasarawa State police PRO, Michael Ada, who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on phone. No arrests have been made at press time. The CP assured that the perpetrators would be fished out and made to face the full wrath of the law.

The elite fueled Nasarawa conflicts — Chris Mamman THE chairman, Eggon Cultural Development Association (ECDA), Mr. Chris Mamman, is blaming the elite for the conflicts in Nasarawa State. He spoke before the latest killings in the state on the efforts to stem the crisis between the locals and Fulani herdsmen.

WHAT, according to your findings, was the reason behind the attacks and reprisal attacks between the Fulani and the Eggon in Nasarawa State?

It is true the Fulani and the Eggon in Nasarawa have coexisted without any problem for many years and have even intermarried.

The conflict had had political undertone. The political elite failed the people.

In the past 30 years, the political elite, who call themselves ‘power brokers’ made up of chiefs, emirs, etc., don’t have anything to show, be it to the Fulani or the Eggon, what they have done with the resources allocated to the state.

No industries, no electricity. The

road system is terrible. Essentially, the common man has nothing to lay his hands on. That makes him prone to being used by the elite.

In Nasarawa, religion is being used as a tool to cause trouble among the people who have lived together without any violence. If we look back to the 12years of civil rule in Nasarawa, what can you say is on ground and hope for the common man?

Creating development areas in the state is no achievement, they are just cosmetics issues aimed at blindfolding the people.

It is against this background that you will understand that the elite chose to use the Fulani as aggressors around the state. The mercenaries hired to fight in the conflict were surprised to discover that there was nothing like religious war going on in Nasarawa contrary to what they were told. We have co-existed in Nasarawa as Christians and Muslims for a very long time. So you can see how they used religion to manipulate the people to fight and kill their fellow human beings. All these put together made the Fulani and Area Boys look at themselves as

enemies and fought.

It took God’s grace and intervention before the leadership of ECDA persuaded our Fulani brothers and sisters to come together for a round table meeting. It took us about seven weeks before we agreed to meet.

This is not the first time such peace meeting between the Fulani and Eggon was held, only for fighting to break out again. How do you convince anyone that this one will end all the problems between the two groups?

Let me give you the best of our own assurance. The Fulani man has come to realize that he is only being used as a tool, the Eggon man too has realized that he is being used as a political tool. Both sides have come to understand that violence does not pay.

It is true that peace meetings were held in the state in the past and yet violence usually followed. The reason it happened was because the same elite championing the cause of the violence were the ones calling the peace conferences. Do you think anything good could

ever come out of that?

But now, the two warring groups saw the need to come together and have decided to agree to ceasefire and take the destiny of their lives and children and their properties in

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BY ABEL DANIEL

In Nasarawa, religion is being used as a tool to cause trouble among the people who have lived together without any violence

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their own hands.

How would you describe the role security agents have played in peace keeping in Nasarawa?

The role of security agents in peace keeping is vital to the extent that the warring groups are brought together, without the security agents, to iron out

their grievances. The role of the security agents is significant but not quite necessary in maintaining and restoring peace. It is so because the military is not so trained in public relations. They do not understand the rudiments of negotiations, and so what they are able to do is to use force on the aggrieved people thereby forcing them to withdraw into their shells waiting for another chance to unleash mayhem on their enemies. You know arms have never created peace in any society where conflict happened.

All of the things we did to resolve the Nasarawa conflict were done without the involvement of government at any given point. We even paid for the hall we used for the meeting from our own pocket.

What is your advice to people who may still be living in the fear of possible attacks or violence?

My advice to the Nasarawa populace is that since there can be no meaningful development in the absence of peace, we should live in peace with our neighbours. Violence never pays, it gives birth to social vices such as armed robbery.

52 PAGE, SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013

Nigeria @ 100: What manner of celebration?

BY OLAIWOLA ALAO VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF No matter the misgivings, things are looking up for the country.

D

URING a two-day vis it to Jamaica to cele brate the 178th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery (Emancipation Day) and the 50th anniversary Independence of the Caribbean country, President Goodluck Jonathan outlined plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the formation of modern Nigeria.

He said it would be a yearlong series of heritage events at which Jamaica’s participation would be welcomed. He used the opportunity to extend invitation the Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller to visit Nigeria in 2014 for the centenary of the formation of modern Nigeria.

Already, the one-year long activities are unfolding in the usual spirit of camaraderie.

But, wait a minute: must we celebrate? What exactly are we celebrating? Do we have success stories which should spur celebration or should this provide an opportunity for introspection - to think through our challenges and possibly prof-

fer solutions to them?

There are those who believe that looking at Nigeria today, there is no cause for celebration. There are others, whose position is somewhat in-between these extremes.

I do know that, depending on anybody’s inclination and how he or she looks at our past one hundred years as an amalgamated entity whose name was coined in a Times of London newspaper article precisely on January 8, 1897, by one Miss Flora Shaw, based on whatever consideration, as an appropriate description for territories under British colonial governance around the Niger River, the celebration would not amount to another waste of resources.

Many may not be happy about our situation and our level of development because of what our peers at independence represent, especially South Korea that was the second poorest nation when Nigeria had one of the best 20 GDPs in the world. Many will juxtapose us with the Asian Tigers: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand or even India. But Nigeria has not been a basket case economically. No matter the setback Nigeria cannot be said to be a basket case.

Clearly, what has been missing is the emergence of a firm, strong, committed, visionary and focused leadership that

can mobilise, motivate, galvanise and inspire on the political and/or socio-economic fronts. This was the situation with Kemal Atarturk in Turkey, Jawaharlal Nehru in India, General Chung Hi Pak in South Korea, Lee Kuan Yew in Singapore, Mohammad Ma-

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VIEWPOINT

market capitalisation of N 289 billion naira in 1999 (approximately US$2.3billion) to a market capitalization of N8.2trillion (approximately US$64.5billion), in March of 2007, a phenomenal growth of almost 30 times in eight years.

Nigeria can today boast of

Each time we look back, we should be glad that we applied the force of self government to resolve the Nigeria-Biafra matter by insisting that to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done. That’s a major accomplishment as a nation

hathir in Malaysia and Julius Nyerere in Tanzania.

No matter our misgiving, things are coming up for us.

We are re-building Nigeria.

Her economic growth expanded 132% in the 60s reaching a peak growth of 283% in the 70s. Yes, due to inflation, per capita GDP today remains lower than in 1960 when Nigeria declared independence. But our GDP still boasts of the following sectors: agriculture, 33 per cent; industry, 39 per cent; and services, 28 per cent.

The Nigerian Stock Exchange alone grew from a

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more than 50million lines mobile and land and other forms of information superhighways. Indeed, Nigeria is the largest telecommunication market in the developing world.

Nigeria may no longer be seen by cynics as a major exporter of cocoa, groundnuts (peanuts), rubber, and palm oil. But we have raised our commodity reserves: maize rose from 5.47m metric tons in 1999 to 67. 24m in 2007; Millet from 59. 6m in 1999 to 80.9 in 2007; Sorghum, from 75.2m to 90.5m; Cassava from 3.2m

to 4.3 m; Cowpea from 21m to 28m, Palm oil from 8m to 13m, Groundnut from 28m to 38m since the return of democratic governance. Return of democracy itself is a blessing for a country whose military didn’t want to see itself as an aberration for more than 60 percent of her independence.

Each time we look back, we should be glad that we applied the force of self government to resolve the Nigeria-Biafra matter by insisting that to keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done. That’s a major accomplishment as a nation.

We are all living witnesses to the disintegration of a great nation called United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) which is now at best described as the Commonwealth of Independent States. Perhaps, more painful is the reality that Somalia presents today. Those who make the arguments also forget that while we were able to end the war in thirty months with a no victor no vanquished philosophy and mantra, the experiences and the destruction that accompanied similar developments in Sierra Leone, Liberia, DRC, Rwanda and Burundi cannot be compared to our lived experience! Oh yes, Oh yes, there is need to celebrate. *Alao, a public affairs analyst, is based in Abuja

Re: CBD: When traders lament extortion from a taskforce

BY MOSES OGUNLEYE VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Lagos body not created to make life difficult for traders

O

UR attention has been drawn to the feature article with the above title by one Leonard Okachie and published on March 26.

The article would have been amusing and interesting to read were it not for the misinformation and misinterpretation inherent in it, largely due to the inability of the writer to consult the appropriate authority for verification of facts before going to press.

It is true that Lagos State government established Central Business Districts (CBD) among other reasons to turn Lagos into a 21 century business precinct in line with its mega city structure and strongly tackling enormous challenges facing infrastruc-

ture towards providing conducive environment for business to thrive and for encouraging the influx of investors into the state.

However, government action has often been taken for granted by traders and marketers who are coming up with various antics to thwart such efforts and becoming somewhat like a cog in the wheel of progress to the realization of the set objectives of CBD. The disobedience and nonchallant attitude of market men and women who are used to displaying their wares on the walkways and roadsides thereby preventing free flow of both human and vehicular movement often lead to seizure of goods by CBD officials which are taken to their Onikan office as rightly pointed out by the writer.

Payment of fines are instituted by government not only to serve as deterrent but to also ensure discipline and compliance.

Payment of fines is no bribe, and CBD has, over time,

warned marketers not to offer any bribe to its officials. In fact, they have also been encouraged to report any enforcement officers that demand for bribe for necessary action which include outright sack.

The first of the three photographs used by the writer gave the wrong perspective of the story. Of course, it is the duty of officers led by Commanders to engage on daily patrol-

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VIEWPOINT

where they are expected to come forward to lay claim which are released after payment of necessary fines.

The second photograph showed a reluctant trader who, after being accosted by a CBD official for displaying his yams on wheelbarrow on the roadside, was still very adamant to move. He even went ahead to collect his money from the man in mufti who he sold yams

Payment of fines is no bribe, and CBD has, over time, warned marketers not to offer any bribe to its officials. In fact, they have also been encouraged to report enforcement officers that demand for bribe for necessary action which include outright sack

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ling and monitoring of the CBD areas to ensure compliance by traders. Offenders goods are usually confiscated and taken to Onikan office

to. The picture revealed that it was not a CBD official receiving the money.

On the third photograph, it is a known fact that after 4pm,

civil servants including uniform men like CBD are officially free to go home after the day’s job. The officer in the picture was seen removing his uniform after 6pm to proceed home and not to extort money.

In CBD, we see journalists as partners in progress who have been contributing their quota diligently to the success of the administration and for the thriving of our nascent democracy, but putting the facts in the wrong perspective is very unbecoming as well as discouraging.

We should all team up with the state government in its quest for turning Lagos into 21 century business precinct.

Traders, on their part, should endeavor to operate within the ambience of the law. CBD is not created to witch-hunt or to make life difficult for traders, but thwarting the law in any way or being a cog in the wheel of progress is something that will not be tolerat-

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013, PAGE 53

Though we have Muslims and Christians among them, they still go back to their traditional practice. So, it is like they practice their religions and hold their culture passionately. And they initiate their children into it also; so, as the older ones die, the younger ones continue. So, what we do is to help the children.”

Asked whether it is everybody in the community that practices traditional religion, he said: “Some of them that are enlightened are against it and, even then when they are not enlightened, the women are against it. But what can they do?

The leadership and most of the people are involved. It is their culture and they hold it tenaciously.”

Abuja villages where twins die! where we met some men under a tree. They told us there were missionaries in the villages and took us to a building, described as a church, where we had a chat with a 60- year-old man who identified himself as Moses. He is the pastor in charge of the church.

He declared that he was posted to the village only recently and that he was yet to know the practices of the people. He viewed the question as to whether twins were being sacrificed in the village with suspicion and declined to answer.

The journey into the villages of Tunga, Gomani, Zaiha, Dongoruwa, Tubudu, Kutara, Paiko began from Abuja-Lokoja highway. The connecting village was Dafa. And it was here that we parked our vehicle, hired two motorbikes to continue the journey because of the rough terrain. The villages have a common language called Bassa just as they are united by their cultural heritages. They believe that twin babies are a taboo and the children desecrate the land, and must be dealt with accordingly, i.e. killed. The people are no Christians or Muslims. They are traditionalists. There is total lack of government presence in the communities. No road, pipeborne water, hospital, school. Yet the villagers vote during elections. They have representatives in the Council Areas, House of Representatives and Senate.

Infant mortality Leaving Gomani, we waded through the forest on motorbike until we were greeted by a cluster of mud houses, signposting Tubudu village. On arrival, we met some children playing games. Our presence interrupted their games. One of the boys smartly greeted, “Good afternoon, sir”. We tried to establish a rapport with the people through the boy. But our looks betrayed us as we were marked out among them as total strangers. How to get answers to our enquiries became difficult. We asked for the village head and chiefs but were told that they might have left for their farms.

Guide and interpreter Before Sunday Vanguard set out on the journey, arrangement had been made with a guide who would also have been the interpreter. But it turned out that the guide could not make it. We resorted to using motorcyclists as interpreters with the villagers.

The first port of call was Gomani C M Y K

Shrines In a manner that tended to depict “it -is –our- culture- and- therefore -we- will- show it off”, the villagers built shrines that dotted everywhere. In every compound, there was a shrine strategically carved on the wall of a barn, simply announcing that twins had been sacrificed there.

Our enquiries produced one resident who claimed not to have been an indigene but had lived in the village for five years. He spoke Hausa and English Languages.

The man subjected us to a barrage

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C

rude. Cruel. Absurd. Call it any of these words and many more and you won’t be wrong. Twins are still not spared in some communities in Kwali and Abaji Local Government Areas of Abuja Federal Capital Territory (FCT) decades after a Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, championed the campaign that stopped the killing of the children in Nigeria. The story as packaged by Sunday Vanguard’s LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU AND LAIDE AKINBOADE.

In every compound, there was a shrine strategically carved on the wall of a barn, simply announcing that twins had been sacrificed there

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of questions trying to ascertain our identities and mission. By the time he became convinced, he agreed to talk to us on the condition of anonymity. He was one of the missionaries there on rescue mission. He said his mission was to fight infant mortality.

When we shared our experience with him, he said, “If you are a stranger, they will not tell you that they kill twins in the village but if you live among them, they tell you. Bassa people kill twins.”

Taboo Our source began his story: “I work for Christian Missionary Foundation in the North Central of Nigeria., I am here because I was posted here and our aim is to reach out to the unreached in Abuja. I have been here for the past five years. My mission here is to stem infant mortality. In this

village, they believe a woman is not supposed to give birth to more than a child; so they kill one of the children at birth if they are twins and leave the other because twins are a taboo to them.

They also kill single babies if, at the point of birth, the mother dies.

Initially they were not giving us the children, but a woman with a strong heart for her children would come to us and say, ‘I cannot accept this, I don’t believe this child is a witch’.

So, some of them bring the children to us. When a woman brings her child to you at the point of death, you won’t be able to say no. You see innocent child about to be killed, you won’t be able to say no. Some of them bring their children to us and say, ‘look they want to sacrifice these children’.

We live among them. “As they deliver twins, they don’t waste time to bring them to us because they imagine the evil that can befall them. ”So how do they kill these children? They poison them.

You will see a child is eating but terribly ill, they use spiritual means to poison the child.

Sometimes the child dies instantly. It is a spiritual thing, you see a woman gives birth and within seconds the child dies. ”Few months ago, one incident here. There was a woman who had lost four children. It turned out that it was her own brother who was the one bewitching her.

Spiritual things are things you don’t see with naked eyes. The husband went to a herbalist to promise him that if the baby she was carrying didn’t die, he would give him something. But when the woman gave birth the baby died within three hours.

Practice not strictly religious “The villagers are traditional worshippers, they worship the spirit of the dead, river and trees.

Rescue mission According to him, some of the village women are excited about his foundation rescuing the children. “They come around to see their children living fine.

Some of the children have even started school. As they pass out of schol, they would be taken back to the villages to proclaim the gospel. Initially, people outside the villages were coming to us for adoption of these children but we refused, they have been saved to serve. Initially some of the villagers were proud of the culture but when they discovered that it wasn’t good they tried to do away with it. Some of them have come to give their lives to God. Some of them are happy with us, “he added.

“But some of the village women are still ashamed to see the children, maybe because of their positions in the community. So, they don’t come to see the children;. even when they come in secret and tell you they want this baby to be rescued. Some of them might not be happy for rescuing the children. Because Basa people are proud people and they are proud of their culture but with the help of enlightenment and gospel, some of them want to do away with it. About three years ago in Kutara, a woman gave birth to twins, both girls. They called me and I told them that if they poisoned the babies, the foundation would take them to court. So we left the village but I kept on monitoring the babies.

When I went back few weeks later, the girls were okay. The twin girls are doing wonderfully well. If I hadn’t threatened them they would have poisoned the twins as they usually do in their culture.

Building a home “The foundation has been rescuing children for the past 16 years ago. Initially we were not rescuing the children, because in the vision of the ministry, the mandate was not there. But when you see a problem and the Lord gives you solution then and life is involved and lives are being taken everyday, what do you do about it? So, our Directors decided that these babies must be rescued.

Right now it is one of our core focuses in this work.

In the home, we have about 42 children, some of them are twins.

Five of the children were rescued from this village. The oldest of the children is about 16 years and the youngest is months old.

Culture in these villages is not a tenable reason for getting rid of them.”

PAGE 54 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

The many sides of legendary Alex Ferguson L

EGENDARY coach, Sir Alex Ferguson surprisingly announced his retirement on Wenesday after a 26 year stint at Manchester United and his place, his fellow Scot, David Moyes has already taken. There are 10 slightly lesser-known facts listed here about Ferguson.

Enjoy it.

1. Once ran a pub.

Ferguson has worked outside football, starting out as an apprentice toolmaker and shop steward in Glasgow and much later running a pub that he renamed Fergie’s with a downstairs bar named the Elbow Room in memory of his physical style as a player.

2. Intrigued by JFK. Gordon Brown sent him numerous CDs about the assassination of JFK. Ferguson bonded with Brown over a shared interest in US politics.

“Gordon sent me 35 CDs on it, which was brilliant of him,” he told Manchester radio station Key 103 in 2007. Ferguson is fascinated with JFK. He said he kept JFK’s autopsy report by his bed.

He also has a copy of the Warren Report signed by [the former US president] Gerald Ford.

3. Gave the young Kenny Dalglish lifts.

When Ferguson was at Rangers he gave lifts to a young Kenny Dalglish who was hoping to be signed. “Fergie used to give us a lift into town. He had such a big car,” Dalglish told the Guardian. When Dalglish was picked up by city rivals Celtic he was forced to play centre back and mark Ferguson in a reserve team game.

4.

Told Alastair Campbell to get a masseur for Tony Blair. Ferguson was a big Labour donor and advised Tony Blair on leadership. The idea of getting a masseur for the election “battle bus” may have been a step too far, he later admitted. Better advice was when he said: “So long as you can keep all your key people in the same room at the same time, you’ll be fine.”

5. Not the longest serving manager.

Ferguson was manager of Manchester United for 26and-a-half years. The longest serving league manager in Europe was Guy Roux, who occupied the hotseat at French team Auxerre for 44 years, finally stepping down in 2005. Ferguson isn’t even the longest serving Scottish manager. Willie Maley was Celtic manager from 1897-1940, clocking up 43 years.

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•Anger management: Ferguson’s temper is legendary 6. Used to jump over walls as a boy. He grew up in a poor area of Glasgow where there wasn’t much to do apart from play football, fight and jump over walls, known as dykes. “The dangerous ones had names - the king, the queen, the suicide, the diamond, the spiky,” Ferguson once said.

“You’d go to different areas of Govan to challenge each other into jumping dykes because it was very dangerous. But you do that when you’re a kid because you’ve got no fear.”

7. “Fergie time” is 79 seconds. “Fergie time” is the widely held belief by supporters of other team, that if Man Utd are losing after 90 minutes, the referee will extend injury time long enough for them to equalise or win.

Last year, the BBC analysed Fergie time. It found that Man Utd were not unique in being given extra injury time when they were losing, although it appeared they got more than other teams.

Games went on 79 seconds longer when Manchester United were losing than winning.

Man Utd’s towering achievement - securing the treble with victory in the 1999 European Champions League - was achieved in Fergie time, when they reversed a Bayern Munich lead, by scoring two goals after the 90th minute.

8. Alex or Alec?

Many people in football refer to him as Sir Alec, assuming that his Scottish background will mean his name is pronounced in that way. But Scotland is strangely split on the Alex/Alec question, with people slipping between

the two, often without noticing. BBC Sportsound presenter Richard Gordon said he had found himself using both forms. He said that former Ferguson colleague Willie Miller often calls him Alec when talking on the radio and exScotland manager Craig Brown is prone to using the informal Alec, quickly followed by the more respectable Sir Alex. Carole Hough, professor of onomastics, says she can think of no particular reason why people would choose one or the other, except that Alec is slightly shorter. She said both names were popular in Scotland and England, with Alec perhaps having more currency north of the border.

9. The “hairdryer treatment” and “squeaky bum time”. Ferguson was responsible for two memorable coinages.

Players speak in awestruck tones of what it is like to be on the receiving end of Sir Alex’s temper. The “hairdryer” - for its sound and heat - became the chosen phrase. Players talk of the moment a switch is flicked in Fergie’s head, he presses his face close to the you and emits a terrifying torrent of abuse.

Former United winger Lee

Sharpe - famed for his extracurricular activities has been credited with inventing the term. David Beckham said: “The fear of getting the hairdryer was the reason why we all played so well. He was a manager you wanted to do well for.” Ferguson also put his finger on the agony of watching a tense sporting moment. It is thought he first used “squeaky bum time” in March 2003 as his Manchester United team clawed back the lead from rivals Arsenal in a tense finale. It has become part of the football argot, especially at the climax of a season. It first entered the Collins English dictionary in 2005 with the definition “the tense final stages of a league competition, especially from the point of view of the leaders”. Wikipedia notes the act of “squirming or moving forward and back in one’s seat while watching an exciting sporting event”.

10.

Home is called Fairfields. Ferguson lives in a mansion in Wilmslow, Cheshire. It is called Fairfields after the shipyard where his father worked.

CBN points way forward for Nigerian tennis T

ENNIS enthusiast from across the country trooped to the Tennis courts of the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos from April 26 to May 4, 2013 to be part of the 35th edition of Central Bank of Nigeria Senior Tennis Tournament.

But little did they know that the championship would indeed provide more glamour than they ever envisaged, following the inclusion of the wheelchair tennis in this years edition as revealed by the Central Bank of Nigeria during the unveiling ceremony held at the media centre of National Stadium Surulere Lagos, prior to the tournament .

Not even the on-going 2013 Madrid Tennis Masters tournament in Spain could have stopped the excitement that was noticed on the faces of the bigwigs that watched the grand finale on Saturday May 4,2013 at the centre court of the National Stadium Surulere. Among them is the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, who was ably represented by the Director of procurement and support services, Mr Olakanmi Gbadamosi, the Minister of Sports and Chair-

man National Sports Commission Bolaji Abdullahi, who was represented by Dr (Mrs) Toyin Aluko an Assistant Director with the National Sports Commission, president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Engineer Sanni Ndanusa, who is also the president of Nigerian Tennis Federation and Dr Jonathan Nnaji,Vice Presidents Nigeria Olympic Committee who is also the president of the Nigeria Taekwando Federation among others.

Being the most prestigious Tennis tournament in west Africa, the championship witnessed the presence of Tennis players from neighboring west Africa Countries like Togo and Benin Republic who were among the over six hundred players that registered for the championship that saw Henry Atseye, the 2011 mens’ singles winner emerging victorious once again when he stopped hard fighting Clifford Enosoregbe 7-5 on 6 retired to pocket the N700,000 price money at stake for the men singles title in addition to the giant trophy also set aside for the winner.

Ronke Akingbade who struggled her way into

•Henry Atseye, 35th CBN Tennis champion the main draw of the women singles category through a wild card granted to her by the Nigeria Tennis Federation, *Adeniji-Adele beat tournament Seed 3 Christy Agugbom 4-6, 75, 6-3 to win the women singles title. Like the mens’ singles winner, Akingbade carted home the giant trophy plus the N700,000 cash prize attached to it.

The men doubles title went to the pair of Abdulmumuni Babalola and Shehu Lawal that defeated Samuel Omoile and Nonso Madueke 6-3, 60 , in the final, while Blessing Samuel paired

with Christy Agugbom to lift the womens’ doubles trophy when they defected the duo of Sarah Adegoke and Ibrahim Omotayo 7-5, 6-2 in the final ahead of the singles events final.

In the wheel chair cartegory which was included for the first time since the inception of the tournament in 1978, seed 2, Alex Adewale outclassed top seed Wasiu Yusuf by beating him 7-6 on four and 6-1 to win the men’s singles title. The Women wheel chair single title went to the women top seed, Remilekun Basanya who defeated seed 2, Olu-

watoyin Dawodu 5-3, 5-3 to emerge champion.

But that the tournament which started well and ended very well also without any hitch, did not end without upset to the class and standard of this year’s edition of the competition .

In the Men’s singles category, tournament top seed, Abdulmumi Babalola’s loss to seed 4 Henry Atseye in one of the semi-final matches prior to the final, was seen as an upset while George Abamu’s victory over tournament seed 6 Nonso Madueke in the second round of the Men’s singles event was another upset owing to the fact that Abamu came to the qualifiers.

Also in the Women’s singles cartergory, Ronke Akingbade who came into the maindraws of the women’s single chat via a wild card, proved book makers wrong by stopping tournament seed 2, Blessing Samuel in the semi-finals to book a place in the final where she justified the decision of the president of the Nigeria Tennis Federation, Eng.Sani Ndanusa, to give her a wildcard by beating tournament seed 3,Christy Agugbom in the final.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MAY 12, 2013 — PAGE 55

S

ATURDAY, May 4, 2013 will go down as a significant day in the history of Okpekpe, a dusty and mountanious little village in the Etsako East Local Area of Edo State. That day, the people who are basically rural farmers witnessed three events rolled into one.

The village was abuzz with athletes from far and near featuring in the first ever Okpekpe 10 kilometres road race for which a handsome prize money of $100,000 was at stake for the winners. Nigerians had to contest for it with the traditional long distance athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya.

However, aware that Edo indigenes are not too good in long distance races and may not share from the dollar rain, the organisers through the State government approved handsome prizes for Edo indigenes who placed first to eight in both the men and women categories.

At the beginning, the ceremony actually took the picture of a marathon race but as the athletes emptied into the dusty king square of Okpekpe, it turned into a carnival as the indigenes trooped out in their numbers, men, women, old and

Showcasing Okpekpe through Road Race

young alike, some in their best dresses, to catch a glimpse of their hero, the Comrade Governor, popularly called Oshio Baba as well as other dignataries on the governor’s entourage.

Colour was added to the carnival atmosphere as masquerades took turns to thrill the visitors, sometimes to an uncomfortable level, digging up red dusts that poured on all and sundry, irrespective of your status.

On the side of the government, officials of government which included commissioners, advisers and even security operatives jostled to be on parade before the start of the event with their long queues of cars which almost caused president of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, AFN, Solomon Ogba to lose his voice as he shouted on them to stop going to the Start line.

The other aspect of the occasion was the political rally dimension it took,

Chukwu, Hamilton mourn Jossy Lad

BY JACOB AJOM

F

ORMER national team coaches, Christian Chukwu and Paul Hamilton at the weekend expressed shock over the death of former Super Falcons coach, Jossy Lad..

In his reaction, former Super Eagles coach, Christian Chukwu said “Jossy Lad’s death is a great shock. This is someone we thought had recovered and had been discharged from the hospital. To hear that he is dead makes it intriguing.

We have lost a great Nigerian footballer, coach and colleague.”

Chukwu said the late coach’s career and contributions to the development of the game makes his loss a big one. “He was a member of IICC Shooting Stars, when Nigerian football was at it’s peak and contributed immensely as a coach. Indeed his death is a very big loss.”

On his part, former naC M Y K

tional team coach, Paul Hamilton said, “this is a sad news. Very bad to me and every member of the Nigerian football confraternity. We have lost a very important member of the football family.”

Continuing, Hamilton said the late football coach should be given a “befitting burial and those he left behind should not be forgotten.”

Similarly, President of the Nigerian Football and other Sports Supporters’ club, Dr Rafiu Ladipo expressed shock at the news of Jossy Lad’s death. “My brother, I am just hearing the news. I am short of words. What can I say.

This is the greatest surprise. It’s a very big loss.

No matter the encomiums poured on him now, it won’t make any difference. He is gone. Jossy Lad was a player, coach and administrator. He made everybody happy while he was alive... and that makes his death very painful,”Ladipo said.

courtesy of the announcer who took over the floor from the athletics officials, eulogising the governor and introducing every member of the Nollywood team who were brought by the State government not only to add colour to the event but drum support for the Governor who has shown that Edo could be transformed into a modern State infrastructurally.

Before now, Okpekpe was cut off from civilisation as there was no motorable road to the place.

Governments before Oshiomhole’s may not have seen any need for one but Oshiomhole who is an Afemai himself believes that development should be equally spread and so remembered the Okpekpe clan.

In his speech at the event, he promised the people that the road would not only be extended to the palace of the traditional ruler of the Okpekpe Kingdom but further down to other ad-

T

HE brewing crisis in the country’s Premier League may have been nipped in the bud as the warring club managers who go by the name Club Owners may seen reasons with the Nduka Irabor-led League Management Company after a truce meeting called by the football controlling body, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF. According to a statement by the acting secretary of the league managers, Alloy Chukwuemeka, the Nigeria Premier League Club Owners said the association was never at any time against positive reforms aimed at transforming the league for better just as it called on all relevant stakeholders in the football circle to support the Nduka Irabor led LMC in their quest to take the league to the next level. Speaking in Abuja Friday shortly after a peaceful meeting between the NFF and representatives of LMC and Club owners, acting

joining towns and villages like Imiegba, for which he received a roaring applause.

Like a showman that he is, Governor Oshiomhole chipped in that after the road project is completed, one of the illustrious sons of Okpekpe whom he described in glowing terms, Mike Itemuagbor, should make provision for street lights to illuminate the area.

Before the Governor’s speech, the Sports Minister, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi had eulogised Governor Oshiomhole for the development he has brought to Edo and assured that he would support in making the Okpekpe road race an annual event to make Edo and Okpekpe in particular, a tourist destination.

Like I mentioned earlier, one of the sore points about the road race was relegating the race participants to the background for the Nollywood actors and actresses. This is not supposed to be as the athletes were the main reason we were there.

What the organisers should have done was make provision for the

medal presentation immediately after the race so that the athletes, definitely tired after running, could take their leave to shower and take a deserved rest while the carnival and political rally for the people and politicians could continue, and may be run into the night, if need be.

Another sore point during the race was the overzelousness of the police men led by CSP G.O. Acha and DSP Kingdom Wowo who stopped the AFN bus conveying the medals and the media bus from following the runners. All effort to convince the leader, CSP Acha on why the vehicles should be allowed to join the convoy fell on deaf ears.

What however, irked the AFN scribe, Mrs Maria Wophill and journalists most, was that the police allowed a Senator and some Nollywood actors, who had no job to do on the race route to pass through. When he was told he could be queried for his action, he buckled and let the vehicles proceed.

No doubt, Okpekpe, to-

tally unheard of to majority of those who thronged there that day, now rings a bell around the country and the world. A repeat of the race next year, like Mallam Abdullahi suggested, would make the small and dusty village a constant in the heart of all athletics lovers.

Mention must be made of the dignataries who attended. Apart from the sports minister and Chief Ogba, the AFN president, former AFN president, Dan Ngerem was also there. So were two prominent commisioners like Louis Odion, for Information and Clement Agba for Environment.

Whether these men completed the race, could not be ascertained.

Though it was the inaugural edition of the race, it attracted a lot of sponsors like Edo State Government, NDDC, SETRACO, Malta Guiness, GLO, Coca Cola, AIT, Supersport, Hotsports, Adidas and Fourteen Africa, the official wear for the race.

With the success of the first edition, more sponsors could be attracted for subsequent races. If it happens, the organisers and the athletes will be the better for it.

Premier League Clubs drum support for LMC •Say they're not against reforms

DRIBBLE... Samson John of Islanders (right) trying to dribble Louis Edem of Union Bank, during the 2013 DStv Basketball League held at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos. Union Bank won by 84-76. PHOTO: Kehinde Gbasdamosi

Secretary of club owners, Alloy Chukwuemeka told journalists that the much celebrated rift between the LMC and Clubs was as a result of a mere communication gap and not a disagreement over reform processes as wrongly perceived in

some section of the public. Chukwuemeka who doubles as the General Manager of ABS FC Ilorin added that it was the same club owners who led the revolution that sacked the immediate past board of the league which brought in the LMC and

as such could not turn around to be against positive reforms in the system.

He called on the LMC to evolve more proactive innovations aimed at making the NPFL compete favourably amongst other organized leagues of the world just as he advised that club owners should be carried along in all process of the reforms as the biggest stakeholders in the league.

Chukwuemeka commended the Sports Minister, Bolaji Abdulahi, the leadership of the NFF and the entire stakeholders for their understanding and role in bringing positive and peaceful resolutions of the issues as it concerns the League system and assured that “this synergy of our collective efforts would be sustaintained to better our football development.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, MAY 12, 2013

World Cup qualifiers:

We are condemned to win, says Keshi S

UPER Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi has said that his aim is to win all the remaining World Cup qualifiers as this will guarantee qualification for the Brazil 2014 event.

The Eagles are tied on points in group F with Malawi who have two home Games to play. And as the Eagles take on Kenya on June 5, Keshi argued that any dropped point could spell doom for his qualification bid.

“Those are crucial games. For me they are like cup finals and we will do everything within our powers to get decent results in those games.

The match in Kenya will be a test of Keshi’s intention. A win will certainly make the Eagles masters of their own destiny as Malawi look too good to go down at home to Namibia on June 6. The Eagles put themselves in this tight spot after drawing against Kenya 11 in Calabar. It was a result that was blamed on Nations Cup hangover.

“It’s never easy to win away from home in Africa but we have to prove that we are champions,” added the former Eagles captain.

Meanwhile Keshi picked Werder Bremen

striker Joseph Akpala as replacement for injured Emmanuel Emenike.

Akpala who is returning to top form after a long injury lay off, has played seven times and scored two goals for Nigeria.

•Stephen Keshi

Lampard breaks record as Chelsea win

F

RANK Lampard scored twice to become Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer as the Blues came from behind to win at relegation-threatened Aston Villa.

Christian Benteke put Villa ahead with a strong run and finish, while Chelsea had Ramires sent off before half-time.

After the break Benteke saw a red card and Lampard fired his side level.

The midfielder then collected his 203rd Blues goal to break Bobby Tambling’s record and all but

secure their place in next season’s Champions League. Chelsea sit third in the table with one game left and only an unlikely mathematical scenario can deny them a top-four place.

Arsenal could end up above them and Tottenham can finish on the same points, but Chelsea’s goal difference is 17 better than that of Spurs.

Although the result leaves Villa five points clear of the relegation zone in 13th, they have played

TODAY’S FIXTURES Everton Fulham Man United Norwich QPR Sunderland Stoke

v v v v v v v

West Ham Liverpool Swansea West Brom Newcastle Southampton Tottenham

1.30pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 3pm 4pm

RESULTS Aston Villa B. Leverkusen Bayern Munich F. Dusseldorf Hoffenheim Maniz Schalke W. Bremen Wolfsburg Marseille

1 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 3 2

Chelsea Hannover Augsburg Nurnberg Hamburger Monchengladbach Stuttgart Eintracht Frankfurt Borussia Dortmund Toulouse

2 1 0 2 4 4 2 1 3 1

a game more than every team beneath them.

Paul Lambert’s side will feel hard done by, but Lampard’s intervention sums up the impact he has made throughout his career as he exploited a defence that has now gone 21 league games without a clean sheet.

For so long it seemed Villa were heading for a sixth win nine matches to secure survival, their newfound confidence clear for all to see.

NEW TALISMAN...

Returning Joseph Akpala is set to fill the gap left by injured goal poacher, Emmanuel Emenike

Wigan lift FA Cup, pip Man City 1-0

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

36. Gently (8) DOWN 1.Bed (3) 2. Enugu soccer team (7) 3. Maiden name (3) 4. Planet (7) 5. Chosen by vote (7) 9. After this (4) 10. Knock (3) 14. Nigerian Grammy Laureate (3) 16. Hatchet (3) 17. Hello (2) 19. Still (3) 20. Mathematical constant (2) 21. Anambra city (7) 22. Cancel (7) 24. Extinct flightless bird (4) 25. Sowed (7) 26. Lettuce (3) 32. Animal doctor (3) 33. Twelve hours (3)

SOLUTION on page 15

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