129 DEAD IN PARIS ATTACKS - This is part of Third World War

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VP Osinbajo for awards night of Nigerians in UK

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HE Central Associa tion of Nigerians in the UK, CANUK, a Diaspora umbrella body, is expecting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at its inaugural dinner dance and awards night slated for December 6.

CANUK hosts the event at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in central London to celebrate Nigerians during the course of 2015.

Planned to be a posh black tie affair, the dinner will be hosted by the Acting High Commissioner Ambassador Olukunle Bamgbose.

According to the organisers, the event will feature live entertainment too with prominent Nigerian artists, Weird MC, Deoba Authentic, UK Jazz band, electrifying youthful dance group, West end theatre musicals “the god are not

to blame”, cultural display, MC Mark, Akpos, DJ Mike Appoh, all performing. High profiled speakers will be making keynote presentations on developmental initiatives for Nigeria. Raffle Ticket star prize is a return ticket to London.

Tickets for the event are being sold for £50 per head and CANUK hopes that on the back of its success, the dinner will become an annual event.

Mimiko builds 50 mega schools, pays N2b bursary, scholarship •President Muhammadu Buhari in a handshake with Senate President, Dr Bukola Sarai, at the Yola airport when the leaders arrived Adamawa to attend the wedding fatiha of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s daughters.

With them are Atiku (l), Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State(r).

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HE Olusegun Mimikoled government of Ondo State has built 50 Caring Heart Mega Schools since it assumed office in 2009.

The Caring Heart Mega

No planned Boko Haram attacks in South-West — DHQ •Wanted terrorist arrested in Borno

By Kingsley Omonobi

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EFENCE Head quarters (DHQ), yesterday, debunked the claim that Boko Haram terrorists have concluded plans to launch attacks in parts of the South-West.

A statement by Colonel Rabe Abubakar, Acting Director of Defence Information, said, “The attention of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has been drawn to a story published by a section of the media claiming impending attacks by Boko Haram terrorists in some south western states of the country.

“This story is not only baseless but also lacks substance in its entirety, hence should be disregarded. Of more worrisome is the claim that the terrorists have infiltrated the western states.

“While the military and other security agencies have made tremendous successes in degrading and decimating the terrorists who are now in disarray having lost their Centre of gravity, camps and their source of logistics”.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Security (DSS) in Borno State, at the weekend, arrested one of the suspected Boko Haram kingpins whose photograph is among the 100 published by the authorities.

Confirming the arrest in a statement, Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sani Usman,

said the Boko Haram suspect is number 26 on the wanted list.

The statement said: “Following the release of the poster containing photographs of 100 suspected Boko Haram terrorists, security agencies and the public have intensified search for them.

“The renewed zeal has been yielding the desired

result as the Borno State Command of Department of State Services (DSS) has this morning arrested another suspected high profile Boko Haram terrorist, Danladi Abdullahi at Moduganari area of Maiduguri metropolis.

“Although he is still being investigated, it has been positively established that he is suspect number 26 on the list of the declared suspected Boko Haram terrorists issued by the Nigerian Army last month”.

PR expert faults Buhari’s refusal to shake hand with female ministers

By Dayo Adesulu

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HE Chief Executive Officer, NECCI Limited, a public relations firm, Mrs. Nkechi Ali-Balogun, has frowned at President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to shake hands with his female ministers after their swearing-in.

She said: “It is unethical in public relations because it portrayed the female ministers as inferior in eyes of the general public.

“If Hillary Clinton (US presidential hopeful and

former Secretary of State) is to visit Nigeria today, will our President refuse to shake hands with her in the name of religion? “ If you are working for the President, you must be able to advise him in such a way that he will know that your advice is due to the office you holding which you must do with boldness in such a way that the President will earn

the respect of the public.

“An expert in public relations should have told him that it is unethical even before the congratulatory hand shake which he gave to the male ministers. A public relations person must not be scared to tell him what will boost the President image and acceptability to the public”.

Schools, built and equipped with modern facilities, were constructed by the Mimiko government to meet the standards of child friendly schools as well as provide quality education for students in the state.

Hon. Kayode Akinmade, the state Commissioner for Information,speaking with newsmen in Akure at the weekend, said the aim of the mega schools is to emplace social integration among school children, so as to grow without division of social status.

“This means that the major objective is to close the gap between the rich and the poor in the society,” he said , submitting further that the concept would make the beneficiaries of the Caring Heart Mega Schools able to

Our Winning Streak – AirPeace

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IR Peace Airlines say welfare package for staff and observance of routine checks and maintenance of aircraft in its fleet are its core values.

In a statement, the airline explained that the success and client loyalty recorded

by Air-Peace within its short period of existence are traceable to those values.

The statement noted that immediately the Chairman of the airline, Mr. Allen Onyema, was granted the Air Operators Certificate (AOC) in September, last year, he set out the major

Monarchs warn on Lagos pipeline vandals

By Ifeanyi Okolie

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HE Alahu of Imore and Apapa, Oba Taofeeq Adegboye and and Onilashe of Ilashe, Oba Fatai Akinwumi, yesterday, challenged security agents in Lagos State on pipeline vandalism which they asked the agents to bring to a halt.

The traditional rulers, who made this call while speaking to journalists, disclosed that the activities of pipeline vandals in the state was having negative effect on the nation’s economy.

Adegboye explained that he and his colleagues in riverine communities in Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area of Lagos were ready to lend a helping hand to

security agents to end pipeline vandalism. I have adopted a system that does not encourage vandalism. If you ask the security agents patrolling around waterways, they can attest to this. There is

compete favourably with their counterparts outside the shores of the country.

He said the state government has also embarked on the renovation of 97 primary and 240 secondary schools across the 18 local government areas of the state, while some have also undergone full renovation.

Also, N200 million was released for the State Library Board to purchase modern and relevant textbooks in core subjects to improve and encourage reading culture among the students.

He said 90 free shuttle buses are available across the state, with 44 in the Central Senatorial District, 24 in the Southern and 22 in the Northern Senatorial District, conveying students to and fro their schools.

no inhabitant of my community that will engage in such because they know that such person will be arrested and handed over to security operatives”.

driving principles that have been guiding Air-Peace.

“Part of these critical issues that give us the edge is the large premium we place on staff welfare. Next to that is that, aircraft must be put in top shape to meet all safety standards as well as avoid inconveniences to passengers caused by delays and cancellation of flights. Above all we ensure that only good aircraft are procured for our operations,” the statement added.

While dismissing the allegation that it was poaching the pilots of other airlines, Air-Peace said that if any pilot is poached, it makes a statement about the degree of job satisfaction and welfare it enjoys, stressing that it is a standard industry practice for staff to apply for employment in firms where consideration for job security, welfare and capacity enhancement are assured.

Multichoice steps down Vox Africa, Animal Planet •As Hoolee is set for Dec 1 debut

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U LT I C H O I C E Africa says from Thursday, December 3, Vox Africa (DStv Channel 191; GOtv channel 17) will no longer be available on DStv and GOtv and Animal Planet (DStv channel 183) will stop airing on DStv from Thursday, December 10.

“In line with a recent strategic review, we have

therefore decided to make these changes, while also including an exciting range of entertainment channels; Maisha Magic Bongo, Vuzu and M-Net Family and opened up BBC Brit, CBeebies, BBC Lifestyle and a localized BET channel from DStv Premium to Compact Plus and Compact packages to give more sub-

scribers a broader variety of entertainment programming to enjoy in time for the holiday season”.

“In addition, viewers on these packages will celebrate their holiday break with the first African pop-up children’s channel, Hoolee, from Turner Broadcasting which will run from December 1 to January 31".

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•From left: Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State; and his wife, Rachael, during the burial of Mrs. Sylvia N. Ajah, mother- in-law of former SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, at Isiagu, at the weekend.

L-R: Parents of a beneficiary of prosthesis/scholarship, Mr & Mr Luqman Adeniyi; beneficiary Olamilekan Adekoya Adeniyi; wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs Bolanle Ambode; and CEO, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc, Mrs Sola David-Borha; at the cheque presentation/charity walk organized by Stanbic IBTC/Irede Foundation for children without limbs in Lagos, on Saturday.

Why it took seven years to probe Igbinedion — Oshiomhole

By Simon Ebegbulem

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OVERNOR Adams Oshiomhole has said it took seven years to probe former Governor Lucky Igbinedion administration because he knew former PDPled Federal Government lacked the moral and political will to fight corruption.

Speaking at a colloquim organised by the state government to interact with the people of Edo State on the topic: “The Edo Project: Defining the Issues and addressing the ChallengesPost 2016”, as part of activities to mark his seventh anniversary in office, Oshiomhole said “there were things I could not do under PDP”.

He added: “People asked me, ‘why didn’t you speak all these years?’. If I say it, what difference would it have made? Now I can talk because I know that the man

there, if I can provide evidence, he will act. There was no point reporting a thief to an armed robber.”

Speakers at the colloquim include Dr Pius Odubu, Deputy Governor; Mr Osarodion Ogie, Commissioner for Works; Prince Clem Agba, Commissioner for Environment and Public Utilities; Mr Godwin Obaseki, Chiarman, Edo State Economic Team; Mr Frank Evbuomwan, Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development; Dr Aihanuwa Eregie, Commissioner for Health; Dr Osagie Obayuwana,former AttorneyGeneral and Commissioner for Justice, Edo State and Mr Austin Osakwe, human rights activist. It was moderated by Mr Femi Falana, SAN. According to the governor, the PDP Federal Government acted with a lot of impunity at that time, saying, “a Commis-

sioner of Police came to my office a few years ago and brought an instruction from Abuja that I should be stopped from intruding into the Ovoranwnem Square, that I was vandalizing Federal Government property and violating federal territories.

“Given the new balance of forces in Abuja, I have directed that they resume rebuilding the water fountain and to re-grass it and I also said that that place should not be turned to a car park. Until we got rid of the PDP, anybody I sent to carry out such task did so at great risk to their free-

dom.”

Speaking on the Land Use Charge law, the governor said: “I am not going to waste my precious time dealing with the opposition. We are ready to engage with real civil societies. They have a signature House in Abuja and they know what they pay

there. They have a house in Bishop Avenue in London occupying 1,300 square meters, whether the one owned by the father or the son, they have properties in South Africa and they pay land use charge for those properties whether they live there or not”.

Aginighan, 2,000 PDP members defect to APC

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former acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NNDC, Pastor Power Ziakede Aginighan, has renounced his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. In an elaborate ceremony in Bomadi, headquarters of Bomadi Local Government Area, of Delta State, at the weekend, Aginighan said he was decamping to the All Progressives Congress, APC. “For the past 16 years, many Ijaw, including myself, lived under the illusion that our destiny was tied to the PDP. This has been reflected in the massive support received by the PDP throughout the Delta Ijaw territory from 1999 to date”.

The former NDDC boss explained that Ijaw territory is among the foremost crude oil and gas producing ethnic groups in Delta State, saying it is an irony that over 85% of the Delta Ijaw territory is inaccessible by road. “There is water every where with hardly any for the people to drink; we are virtually in darkness as we are not linked to the national grid, daily newspaper is a luxury let

alone GSM access. Over 90% of our territory has no access to an ATM let alone a bank. Our people travel for several kilometres

through water and land to get to the nearest ATM or bank in Warri or Ughelli”.

Aginighan, with well over 2,000 card carrying mem-

bers of the PDP cutting across the three senatorial districts of Delta, pledged his loyalty to the leadership of the APC.

3-yr-old kidnapped in school

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

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three-year-old boy, Adanu Godmercy, was, on Friday, kidnapped in his school in Otukpo local government area of Benue State.

Sunday Vanguard learned that the boy, who was last seen in his classroom during break, disappeared without the knowledge of his teacher.

The father of the pupil, James Adanu, who owns a business outfit in Otukpo, insisted there was no way his child would disappear from the school without the knowledge of his teacher.

“The school is fenced and has one gate and so no external person can pick him, the food flask and basket at the same time,”he said.

Adanu, still in shock, said his child was eating the food he took to school around 10am during break before his sudden disappearance He lamented that the school authorities did not

inform him of the development until closing time, insisting “the teachers of the school know something about my missing child.”

The mother of the missing boy, Janet Adanu, who spoke amidst tears, said, “I feel bad, I don’t know where he is. I don’t know

what they have done to him. Are they feeding him?”.

When contacted, the acting Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO in the state, Assistant Superintendent, ASP, Matthew Oku, stated that journalists would be briefed later on the matter.

Key into Okowa’s SMART agenda, Otuaro tells youths

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ELTA State Deputy Gov ernor, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, has appealed to youths to take advantage of Okowa’s SMART agenda to be employers of labour.

Otuaro spoke, yesterday, at a seminar organized by the Terence Ogagaoghene-led Read and Lead (RALE) Project, an NGO, at the Christ Missionaries Crusaders Church Auditorium, Asaba. He was represented at the occasion by Mr. Emeka Osuji, a political aide, and his Special Assistant on Youth,

Mr. Lucky Amola, who delivered Otuaro’s keynote address on “Youth Initiative for National Development”.

Otuaro said the SMART agenda, majorly targeted at youths, was occasioned by the need to guide youths aright in their initiative and advised them to key into the Okowa-led Youth Agricultural Entrepreneurs Programme (YAGEP) and Skills Training and Entrepreneurship Programme (STEP) amongst others.

Calabar Carnival Dry Run

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ALABAR came alive yes terday with the official flag of the Carnival Calabar Dry Run

by Cross River State governor, Prof. Ben Ayade, in readiness for the Carnival Calabar.

Representedbyhisdeputy,Prof.

Ivara Esu, the ceremony showcasedadisplayofthelatestdance stepsastherevellersaswellasthe five carnival bands were treated to a sumptuous rendition of the best Nigerian hip hop tunes.

In his remark, Ayade declared: “This year’s event will be glamorous, excellent with international presence from different countries to spice the festival,” adding

that the experience will linger in the memories of local and international participants for a long time.

“Don’t wait to be told, make out time and be a part of history becausewearepresentingthebest show ever in the history of carnivalbecausewehavegottheswag, energyandcapacity.”Thedryrun, which started at the Millennium Park,tookrevellersthroughMary Slessor, Ndidem Usang Iso, MCCandterminatedattheMuritala Muhammed Highway.

Chairman of Cross River State Carnival Commission, Mr Gabe Onah, said.

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PAGE 8—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015 rexmarinus@hotmail.com

Buhari’s summary sacking of the Perm Secs was a mistake

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r e s i d e n t Muhammadu B u h a r i ’ s sacking of sixteen Permanent Secretaries, and appointment of seventeen new ones to replace them seems to me a mistake. The office of the president from which the announcement of this mass removal of the Permanent Secretaries was made, did not give any real details regarding the whys and the wherefores of this presidential action. But that is only part of the problem.

Two questions ought to worry Nigerians about this move.

First, why does the constitution allow the President the kind of power he has exercised in sacking the top echelon of the Civil Service with no recourse, either to the Civil Service Commission or the Federal Legislature? We are operating, it seems to me here, in very strange territory, and the waters are darkened further by the confusions – the lack of coherence in the procedure of the civil governance of Nigeria, increasingly under this presidency. That brings me to the second part of the worry: if the president does have the powers, as I think it is made clear in the laws establishing the Nigerian civil service that he does, to

sack the Permanent Under Secretaries of State before the expiry of their tenure, and without the regulatory procedure laid down under the General Rules of the Civil service to guide his action, why has the Federal Legislature not responded fully to respond to this anomaly.

Section 171, subsections 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 6, undermine the institution of the Civil service, whose heads, owing their appointments to the president, rather than to the Civil Service Commission, makes the Nigerian civil service, rather than an independent executive institution, an appendage of the office of the president subject to extreme executive control. This aspect of the laws establishing the Federal Civil Service in the current constitution was inserted under the direction of the military which did not seek, nor brook, an independent civil service.

Although he is the head of the executive branch of the government, and as president effectively the minister of the civil service, it should not just be up to the president to summon the permanent heads of the National Civil Service to his office, and sack them with “ with immediate effect.” The president might

Divine Compensation

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e begin Joyful Homes, this week, with the statement of Dr. Daniel .K Olukoya, General Overseer of the Mountain and Fire Ministries: “By the reason of the anointing, the yoke is broken”.

Nearly all challenges that we experience as human beings are called yokes by Christian leaders.

Yokes, sometimes, manifest physically; others times, they don’t. Many of these yokes are inflicted by fellow human beings and this is the reason many have gone from one hospital to another, yet no cure, no solution .

The ‘yoke’ and how it could be broken is stated in Isaiah 10 verse 27: “ And it shall come to pass in that day , that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder and yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing”.

The anointing clearly is the power of the Holy Spirit .

Are you in the right

place?

Many couples, who have been waiting on the Lord for children, have moved from one fertility clinic to another, yet nothing has changed. Some have visited herbalists and nothing has happened. Others have gone to churches and nothing has happened.

Why? The answer is simple. It is only God; Jehovah Elohim; the God of Creation that creates. He is the only one that gives children.

It is natural that a couple trusting God will take one step or another, but, in most cases, relations who put pressure on the couple assume they are not taking any step.

What is important is that we take the right steps.

True, you may be an ardent worshipper, but is that particular church addressing your specific challenge?

Are there programmes for singles who wish to be married or those believing God for children?

You need to be in the right place.

However, we must always remember that

just be exercising his clearly enormous powers, but perhaps it is time enough for the National Assembly to intervene and redefine this provision. A politicized civil service is the breeding ground of corruption and larceny. If the heads of the permanent bureaucracy can be sacked at the mere whim of the political head of state without questions asked, just on the premise that Nigerians should trust his judgment and his words, such a system may just as well be manipulated to dangerous ends. We have seen this happen over and over since the Babangida Civil Service Reforms of 1988, which has led to the massive corruption of the system and its politicization. Summary dismissal are military things which has no place in the slow, deliberative mood of democracies, whose ultimate end is often the protection and safeguarding of the rule of law. In sacking these permanent secretaries “immediately,” this president seems to suggest that he learnt nothing about the failures of a military approach to purely civil processes.

The National Assembly must at least demand, through its control of funds, to rein-in the president.

These people sacked from the service are some of their constituents, and they have rights too, which the members of the Assembly are elected to protect.

Nigerians are rather a little in awe of the extent of the decay of the judiciary, needless to say. Nigerians do not trust their judges and magistrates whom they have long known to be corrupt. The role of the

we go to church to worship and serve the God of man and this is why our faith is crucial.

As usual, let’s share this testimony given at Mountain of Fire Ministries monthly ‘Power Must Change Hands’ service.

A lady, who had been married for five years, said she and her spouse consulted medical doctors, one of whom told them that her husband had a low sperm count and was recommended for surgery but the couple decided to pray out the challenge.

It must be said that there is nothing wrong with going for surgery, but this particular couple opted for prayer.

According to her, she and her husband went for a weekend deliverance service.

Barely two months after, she got pregnant and didn’t know she was pregnant. She took ill and visited her doctor and, it was during this process that she was confirmed three months pregnant.

The good news is that she gave birth to a baby boy.

How do you know if you are in the right place?

I will refer to a sermon of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, during one of the Holy Ghost Night programmes.

He said it is simple.

Where you worship? Is reference ever made to the word of God? Is it a place where you have to

Nigerian judiciary is often, it seems, not to secure the bastion of justice for the weak and acted-upon. The Nigerian judiciary, because it is largely an establishment institution is less likely to question the president’s action, and may in fact go further to legislate from the bench, against the general rule of the law which it has been charged to interpret and protect with courage. So,

There are grounds to investigate and find evidence to legitimately sack these officers, but we must follow the process and be strict to the law Nigerians are skeptical about the judiciary because they expect no justice from these robbed figures in the event of a presidential overreach. They are more likely to back that overreach as law.

Yet, it is expected that a courageous judge might someday stand and interpret the laws that ought to limit the president from acting beyond the given boundaries of the powers granted him under the constitution. One of those limits of presidential power should be the inability to break the protective glass that preserves the institutional integrity of the permanent bureaucracy – the non-political arm of state service. To sack a permanent

go seeing the man of God all the time?

In other words, is your concentration on the God of man or the man of God? . To identify the right place of worship, focus must be on the word of God. Focus must be on the God of man.

Divine Intervention Many have suffered all kinds of losses. For some, it is a case of broken

our duty is to refuse to be brought down by our challenges.

Keep faith alive, create quality time for prayers and study the word of God. Whatever is an obstacle to your attainment of a joyful home, with God on your side, you will overcome relationship which has frustrated every attempt to get married. For others, it is persistent miscarriage.

Still for others, it is financial loss or even broken home.

Which ever is yours, all that

secretary for purely political consideration should not be tolerated. To discipline a member of the Civil Service should not be up to the president at any rate. It should be the function of the Civil Service Commission which recruits, rewards and punishes members of the service.

The Civil Service Commission is constituted as a nonministerial body, which provides and secures the backbone of the administrative machinery of the nation, and is subject to no other authority under section 158 of the Nigerian Constitution. But that power is evacuated by section 171, rendering both the provisions and the intension of that constitution both contradictory and anomalous. One of the happier ironies of colonialism is that it gave us a great system of the civil service.

Over the years this has been tinkered with and undermined. But there are still the general principles of that civil service tradition that remains valid and necessary if we are to create and reform strong institutions that would drive Nigeria’s goals for prosperity, growth, and transparent governance. The most important institution in the modern nation is the civil service. Corruption in the system is the result of a politicization of the service, and the destruction of the system of permanent tenure that gives a sense of safety to career civil servants. I think that President Buhari, once again, made

a mistake in “summarily” sacking the permanent secretaries, simply because the constitution grants him that authority. We must return to an era in which the president cannot sack any civil servant, much less, the executive heads of the service.

We must rebuild an independent, professional, and career service, with an effective Civil Service Commission, that should be able to carry out its duties of hiring and firing career members of the administrative service, following laid down rules and procedures. President Buhari may no doubt have his intentions in the right place, and may have real justifications in sacking these civil servants, who are by no stretch of imagination, all lambs to the slaughter, yet, the greatest threat to the state is not corruption, but the lawlessness that breeds corruption.

There are grounds to investigate and find evidence to legitimately sack these officers, but we must follow the process and be strict to the law. We must also, as a necessity for creating the rule of law, remove the power of the president to hire and fire Permanent Secretaries under the laws establishing the service. An effective civil service executes the policies of the political arm of state, while it retains its independence, and its capacity to offer advise without political implications or consideration.

The president’s sacking of the permanent secretaries compromises this goal, central to the life of the state.

you needs is divine intervention. When God intervenes, restoration becomes possible.

When God intervenes, he does something beyond your expectation. The intervention of God makes people to glorify the name of God. Let’s consider the case of Mrs. X. She was married and had a son within the first two years of marriage.

She did everything humanly possible but could not have another child though she wanted one.

She and her husband went from one clinic to another and was told by doctors that there was no reason they couldn’t have more children, but none came.

By this time, her husband’s relations had been taunting him.

Meanwhile the couple stuck together and began to move from one prayer meeting to another until they came to right place; today, after 16 years of waiting, they have another child, a baby boy.

Let me share another testimony from Mountain of Fire Ministries.

A woman, who said she waited on the Lord for 12 years, was told by doctors that one of her fallopian tubes was blocked. She had surgery but no baby came.

According to her, during one the programmes, “ Power Must Change Hands”, she prayed and carried

out the instructions of the man of God, Pastor Olukoya, and, in September of that year, she conceived and had a baby boy.

There is also the case of a woman who said hers was a case of persistent miscarriage. Within a year, she lost two pregnancies, but, during one of the programmes, Pastor Olukoya gave a word of knowledge, “ There is a woman here, you lost two babies but the Lord said.

He will compensate you”.

During the programme, the congregation was asked to form a group of seven each and pray for one another. She complied and was prayed for. Within a short time, she conceived and had a set of twins.

For every thing we may have lost , God is able to give more .

Don’t give up So what is it that you are trusting God for? Is yours the case of delinquent children? Be assured that there is no challenge that is beyond God. Jeremiah 33 verse 27 states: “ Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?” Therefore, our duty is to refuse to be brought down by our challenges. Keep faith alive, create quality time for prayers and study the word of God. Whatever is an obstacle to your attainment of a joyful home, with God on your side, you will overcome.

Believe it or not, you will

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PDP is not dying and certainly will not die

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he title of today ’s article is taken verbatim from a speech by Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the 2015 National Conference of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Dokpesi spoke in Abuja last Thursday during the conference. The forum whose goal is to rebrand the party was no doubt well attended making it obvious that PDP is well positioned to offer viable opposition to the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC). The nation watched on national television an assembly of many politicians in the party who are yet to decamp to the ruling party as politicians normally do after every election in the country. The PDP thus ensured that so far Nigeria has not become a one-party state. But whether members of the party will be able to hold on for long in the opposition is too early to tell. This is because as large

as Thursday’s forum was, it was easy to see that it was different from the usual flamboyance of the party.

The normal bright colours of the PDP were not there; Abuja was not brought to a standstill as the party was used to doing whenever it organized any activity in the past. The paucity of media coverage was also observed as only Dokpesi’s Africa Independent Television gave the event partial LIVE transmission which was interrupted at a point and replaced by the coverage of another eventthe 7 th Anniversary of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as governor of edo state. Could it be that the PDP did not have the financial muscle to sustain a LIVE coverage?

Again, it was easy to see that perhaps all was not well. May be because visitors interrupted our viewership, I didn’t see former President Goodluck Jonathan, the immediate PhD,Depar tment of Philosophy, University of Lagos 08116759758 opuruiche2000@yahoo.com

What has changed since Buhari became President? (2)

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he gullible average Nigerian conflates 'change' with 'progress' or 'positive transformation,' without realising that the objective processes which lead to change are dependent on the blending of several variables and that positive or progressive change is quite different from mere change. Ordinarily, change in itself is an inherent feature of reality at all levels of being. But progressive change, which is value-impregnated, is utilitarian and consequentialist in character, since it signposts a transition from one state of being to another judged to be beneficial for a certain purpose determined by an individual or group.

Hence, there are different ways of perceiving and interpreting change, which means that any interpretation of change is an invitation for deliberation and possible disagreement.

Going by the campaign rhetoric of the APC, Nigerians would soon experience a positive difference in the war against corruption, i n f r a s t r u c t u r a l development, job creation, security, the economy and implementation of welfare programmes for poverty reduction.

In his inauguration speech, President Buhari himself

promised to be the President of Nigeria, to govern without fear or favour, to fight corruption with iron determination, and move quickly to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and underprivileged. In that regard, we ask again the question posed earlier: in what ways have the fundamentals of our national life changed for the better since May 29, 2015? Let us start by examining Buhari's version of the war against corruption.

Invidious critics of Jonathan excoriated him because in their opinionated corruption calculus, the former President lacked the willpower to move against corrupt top government officials, especially prominent members of his political party, the PDP. It has also been alleged that the antigraft agencies were complacent in the execution of their functions, a situation that led to sloppy investigation and prosecution of high-profile corruption cases.

Indeed,while Jonathan was still President, I criticised him for the sybaritic lifestyles of some of his political appointees and for pardoning late Diepriye Alameyeseigha, former governor of Bayelsa state, who was impeached and imprisoned because of

past national leader of the party, former Vice President, Namadi Sambo and founding fathers of the party such as former President Ibrahim Babangida, former Vice President Alex Ekweume, former Senate Presidents, Ken Nnamani, David Mark, former chairman of the PDP, Ahmadu Ali, former minister of Finance, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia among others, some of

At last Thursday’s conference, PDP members drew attention to alleged failures or wrong doings by the APC; thereby putting the government on its toes whom had been advertised as confirmed participants at the conference. Even Chief Anthony Anenih, the immediate past chairman of the party ’s board of trustees generally described as “leader” by a cross section of party members was not there.

Apart from Babangida who financial misconduct, although facts have emerged indicating that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the President whenAlameyeseigha was removed from office, deliberately orchestrated the matter for political reasons. Now, some people are unduly excited about and romanticising the socalled "body language" of President Buhari, which they expect would give new impetus and vigour to the war against corruption.

Accordingly, these days there are regular media reports about how the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spent several hours "grilling" Sule Lamido, Godswill Akpabio, Mrs. Saraki and few officials of the Jonathan administration. Moreover, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Godsday Orubebe, erstwhile Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, are facing the Code of Conduct Tribunal for allegations of false assets declaration and corruption.

Former National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki, has been charged to court for treasonable felony, and there are attempts to try him secretly in a kangaroo court. All this suggests that the relevant agencies are waking up from their slumbers now that "a new sheriff is in town."

But the situation is actually more complex than the average Buharimaniac for whom everything the President does, every decision he takes, is right and must not be questioned, can fathom.

Objectively speaking, President Buhari is probably repeating the same mistakes that Obasanjo made by

had publicized his unwillingness to participate, no one knows why they other leaders stayed away. It was however obvious that many party members had different ideas other than the conference for rebranding the party. Perhaps the decision of the national executive of the party to distance itself from Dokpesi’s earlier apology for what he called the party’s past mistakes may have turned some of them against the conference. It will be recalled that the party’s national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, said that Dokpesi’s apology was his personal opinion and not that of the party’s National Executive Committee.

However, Dr Dokpesi’s posture is in our opinion a more realistic approach as Nigerians showed at the last election that they deprecated PDP’s attitude of self denial. The party being a human organization is not infallible as Metuh insinuated. Indeed, it made so many mistakes in its 16year rule; a notable example being its constant effort at sweeping issues of public interest under the carpet. For example, there was a serious allegation that an audio recording provided by a Captain in the 32nd Artillery Brigade stationed in Ekiti State, revealed that some top officials of the then ruling deploying the EFCC to harass, intimidate and humiliate those who do not belong to his herd. Prof.

Nwabueze, in an informative essay entitled "The tragedy of lack of a collective sense of history," discussed in detail how Obasanjo trampled on the

Objectively speaking, President Buhari is probably repeating the same mistakes that Obasanjo made by deploying the EFCC to harass, intimidate and humiliate those who do not belong to his herd

constitution and used the EFCC to hound selected state governors. Similarly, Buhari, in his Inaugural Speech, hinted that he intends to follow the footsteps of Obasanjo by not allowing constitutional limitations on presidential power arising from our federal system to inhibit his war on corruption. Thus, with Buhari's ascension to power, we have moved from Goodluck Jonathan's laid back attitude towards fighting corruption to a more dangerous and sinister situation in which the constitution will be arbitrarily subverted in the name of fighting corruption, which means that we should be prepared for odious dictatorial and unconstitutional usurpation of powers by

PDP planned and successfully rigged the gubernatorial elections in Ekiti State. The said Captain who the Press says has since fled the country recorded the conversation on 20th June 2014 when he accompanied his Commanding Officer, a Brigadier to the meeting held at Spotless Hotel in Ado-Ekiti. The government of the day did nothing about such a pointed allegation.

Instead, it used its might to appoint one of the accused as a Minister of the Federal Republic. While it is true that an allegation does not mean guilt, government should have investigated such a serious allegation to allay the fears it imposed on the psyche of the nation.

Allegations concerning the inappropriate purchase of armoured vehicles and the daily hiring of private aircraft against two influential female ministers were similarly discountenanced by the then PDP government

wiser for the party to thoroughly examine why for instance it always rubbishes any person that emerges as its national chairman as if it enjoys being a body without a head. Is the party waiting for anyone to warn her that a party executive from the south-east acting as national chairman when the position is zoned to the north-east till 2016 is a potential source of conflict? Second, the party needs to orientate itself to fully appreciate the expedience of internal democracy and resolve to put an end to its well known habit of fielding unpopular candidates that emerge from party caucuses instead of party primaries. Third, it should design strategies for winning elections in view of the changes the nation has recorded so far in electoral technologies. If not, the old rigging styles known to the party cannot work in this age of biometric registration of voters and the use of the card reader.

At last Thursday ’s conference, PDP members drew attention to alleged failures or wrong doings by the APC; thereby putting the government on its toes.

While that is good for democracy, it cannot rebrand PDP because it was essentially a rally to sell itself for the 2019 general elections instead of a forum for introspection to identify what it did wrong in the past with a viewing to correcting them. It would have been

Finally, the party should come to terms with the fact that the Judiciary is constitutionally empowered to settle election disputes. As a result, it is uncivilized to engage in abusing judges wherever its candidates are not successful in an election petition instead of appealing such decisions. A party that “ will certainly not die” must observe the due process of law.

Buhari against those outside his inner cabal.

Of course, it is impossible for any President to deal with all allegations of corruption at the same time - the war against corruption must begin fromsome individuals, preferably former heads of state and key public officialswhose extremely ostentations lifestyles far outstrip their legitimate income.But consider this: since Buhari took over power, virtually all the prominent government officials and politicians facing the EFCC and the CCT belong to the opposition party or had worked for Goodluck Jonathan, whereas APC politicians with fat hunchbacks of corruption are being selected as gubernatorial candidates of the party in states where elections are pending or are rewarded with ministerial appointments.

More specifically, the politicians APC is fielding in Bayelsa and Kogi states' governorship elections were former PDP governors in their respective states with unsettled allegations of graft hanging on their thick necks, whereas despite several petitions sent to the EFCC against APC kingpins, including Babatunde Raji Fashola, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, none of them, to the best of my knowledge, has been interrogated by the antigraft commission, let alone charged to court. In my opinion, on the issue of fighting corruption, there is change, but not in the direction that would bolster the confidence of discerning Nigerians that indeed the war against corruption would be fought

by Alhaji Buhari in a manner that would be fair and just to everybody concerned. All the same, I

sincerely wish the President unequivocal success in bringing the biggest evil looters to justice.

Next, let us consider the question of inclusiveness in central administration, which is extremely important in a federation such as ours, inspite of its numerous challenges and imperfections.

The emergence of Buhari as President is an object lesson in the power of propaganda, prejudice and habit of thought in shaping how human beings perceive reality and how they interpret socio-political phenomena occurring around them. It is distressing to note that some Nigerians thoroughly dislike Goodluck Jonathan to the extent that even in few areas that he deserves some credit, they would either concoct some stupid arguments to discredit his achievements or distort facts to suit their jaundiced interpretations.

For instance, Jonathan, from what one can glean from accounts of his personality and disposition, is a mildmannered humble man temperamentally incapable of the kind of sectional lopsidedness President Buhari manifested in the first few dozen appointments he made on assumption of office. I do not have the exact facts concerning the constitution of Jonathan's inner circle of officials with whom he took on the spot decisions daily, but I am sure that he distributed fairly key official positions, especially Secretary to the Federal Government, Chief of Staff, National Security Adviser, Director of State Security and others between the North and South. But President Buhari gave all these positions to Northerners.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Herdsmen and MASSOB: Need for caution (2) “Nothing in this world is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.”

Victor Hugo, 1802-1883, (VANGUARD BOOK, p 96).

T

he first part of this article tried to establish certain facts. Chiefly, it was pointed out that our penchant for using the term Fulani herdsmen was unfair demonisation of one ethnic group – the Fulani. While a good number of herdsmen and women are Fulani, those shepherding livestock all over Nigeria are not all Fulani neither are they all men. Those late Yinusa Idi recruited, my Supervisor, in a settlement near Gezawa, Kano, to handle my own flock in the early 1980s included Basa-Nges, Igalas and Juguns. They’ve learnt the tricks.

Second, Nigerian nomads, unlike pilots and ship captains don’t operate with precise compasses telling them the exact locations in which they find

themselves or where they are headed. Furthermore, they seldom find themselves in the same place every time. So, as they move with the flock, they might not know there is a farm ahead until they wander into it. By then, it is too late to prevent the flock from wreaking havoc.

Third, most of the nomadic communities on the move are usually unarmed; at least until now.

Rustlers, armed robbers in the jungle, had forced many of them to acquire arms to protect themselves.

Fourth, the sort of gang of robbers, who kidnapped Chief Oul Falae, cannot be “professional” herdsmen who work 24/7 to find fodder and water for their flock. The real herdsmen cannot afford to leave their flock; stay in one place and negotiate a ransom to be paid for kidnapping one person.

Those who kidnapped Falae were just armed robbers, perhaps working in collusion with

Biafra: It is good to Talk (2) “False opinions are like false money, struck first of all by guilty men and thereafter circulated by honest people who perpetuate the crime without knowing what they are doing”-Joseph Marie hat a difference a week makes. I received an enormous amount of mail in response to my article of last week. I was not surprised at the level of responses. In fact, I wholeheartedly welcome it and I do believe that it is always good to talk.

Every single comment in response to the article means that we are having a discourse that is long overdue. It really didn't matter, that some comments were peppered with colourful language which was not necessary but that is fine by me, as Churchill

W

would say;" You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life".

Out of hundreds that I received here are two : “I just finished reading your take on agitation for secession by some Igbo youths.

It's a masterpiece. You have said what's needed to be said. I have the feeling that the agitation will soon die because some Igbo both old and not too old who witnessed Biafran war are already up against it. The Igbo will lose more now than they did during their first attempt. Once again, well done” To another, “Madam, Your articles and those of Sobowale, Iredia and Anele make me not to miss Sunday Vanguard.

You were very wrong on some of the points you mentioned on the subject

one of the Chief ’s staff to kidnap him. Otherwise, how could they have known that he would be in the farm on a day he should have been expected to stay at home?

Collectively, we need to think very hard, as a nation, about the solution to this national puzzle. The herdsmen and women provide far more economic benefit to Nigeria than the destruction they also bring about. Nobody even remembers that they provide millions of tonnes of natural manure which feed out crops as they pass through.

We now shift our attention to Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB. Before the reader starts wondering what cow manure has in common with the struggle for self-determination by the Igbo nation, let me quickly summarise what they have in common. And that can be reduced to two words – prejudice and panic.

Scratch any Nigerian, including the socalled “de-tribalised” and you will find tribalism embedded and more than skin deep. Everybody was too eager to flay the Fulani, almost ten million in number, for the actions of less than one million herdsmen – not all Fulani – because the Fulani are supposed to enjoy more power than their population dictates.

MASSOB is also now regarded as an outlaw organization because other ethnic groups actually hate the Igbos. Yet, the selfdetermination for which MASSOB is agitating is as

old as time itself. When Moses asked Pharaoh, “let my people go”, he started a political movement which will outlast all of us. Three examples will illustrate why I think we are handling the MASSOB challenge the wrong way and creating a national crisis when there should be none.

Britain just concluded a referendum on account of demand by some Scots men and women for selfdetermination.

Some marched; others wrote; some used social media, television

Nigeria. Indeed, the NCNC, founded by Herbert Macaulay and others, who, on getting old, handed the leadership to Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, was once called the National Council of Nigeria and Cameroun.

Another set of “freedom fighters” demanded that Southern Cameroun should leave Nigeria and join its northern half. Just before Nigeria was granted independence in 1960, a plebiscite was arranged for the people.

and radio programmes to make their demands. Pastors even preached it in their churches. Nobody was arrested. A referendum was organized and the majority voted to stay in Britain. That brought a peaceful end to the palaver.

When India gained independence from Britain in 1948, the country included what are now Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Political agitations resulted in the fracture which produced three countries today. Each time, the people concerned were allowed to determine their own future.

Closer to home, many people, my age, would recollect that Southern Cameroun was once part of

When the overwhelming majority voted to leave Nigeria, a peaceful separation resulted.

To me the MASSOB challenge can also be resolved peacefully; this time by arranging two referendums. The Igbo people should be allowed to freely vote on whether or not they want to remain a part of Nigeria.

Simultaneously, and on the same day, the rest of Nigeria should also decide if they want to live with them. The second proviso might, at first glance, appear strange.

But, in reality it is not. Any attempt to dissolve a partnership invariably allows those who want the

matter. General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was not one of the leaders of January 15, 1966 coup as you erroneously wrote.

Rather General Ironsi crushed the coup in Lagos. He made then Lt Col. Yakubu Gowon, a northerner his Chief of Army Staff. An Igbo, Colonel Arthur Unegbe in charge of the armoury was killed by the coupists of January 15, 1966 to have access to weapons.

One of the majors that led that first coup was Major Adewale Adegboyega, a Yoruba, the author of WHY WE STRUCK. It is not correct to infer that the first coup was entirely an Igbo coup. Trust you would spare some time to verify the veracity of the points I mentioned”-Ed It is Chinua Achebe who said, that “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.” That is so true.

I have no intention of rehashing old wounds, but, it is about time that the truth is spoken, all of it, it is going to be very painful but it needs to be out there so that we can lance this old festering boil that ties everyone to our painful past. We need to have truth and reconciliation across the land. This will help us to move on and build a

better country for all. Our leaders need to do more, I feel they need to do away with the quota system.

Real and transparent meritocracy would be the ideal and this will make us focus on what matters; a stronger and united Nigeria but, it is not up to

He said : “I led the first one and I proudly led the first but, it would be a mistake to provoke another war and a second war is not necessary". He added that: “we should have learnt from the first one otherwise, the deaths would have been in vain and to no avail”. It would be wise taking this advice from the man himself.

Peace does not come with a clenched fist, we all have to be open and willing to come together for the sake of the next generation. If we are habouring bad feelings and resentment over five decades, and intend on another it will be tragic and our children’s children will not thank us. In fact, history will not be kind to us, if we do not choose peace over war. It will be naïve to think that an amicable separation is possible when already we are seeing the writing indelibly on the wall and the older pattern is already on its trajectory.

And I recommend that you read the interview

by Vanguard’s Paul Odili, to mark the anniversary of Ojukwu’ 70th birthday, titled “I AM THE FINAL BIAFRAN TRUTH – OJUKWU IN THE

I think we are handling the MASSOB challenge the wrong way and creating a national crisis when there should be none

Nigerians deserve the government they have at the moment, so if we want better then we really need to work towards making it so. We have to continue to talk and appeal for common sense and reconciliation our leaders though, it is up to us! Nigerians deserve the government they have at the moment, so if we want better then we really need to work towards making it so. We have to continue to talk and appeal for common sense and reconciliation.

Ojukwu was interviewed, some years back and he was asked, why some people want to provoke another war?

divorce to have their say, as well as those against.

Four possible outcomes confront all of us. Igbos could either vote to leave or to stay. The rest of us can either vote asking them to stay or go. There should be no problem if both parties choose for Igbos to stay or go. Problems would arise if Igbos vote to go and we vote to retain the union; or, if we vote for them to go and they want to stay. If the former, my advice is that Igbos should be allowed to go. The real cracker will come if the rest of Nigeria grants Igbos an exit visa when they want to remain in the union. Permit me, if right now, I don’t offer an opinion if the latter happens to be the result of the votes. One thing is clear to me. There is no need for violence, arrests and detentions of MASSOB protesters. We should peacefully put the matter to vote.

Herdsmen or MASSOB, we need to think outside the box; we need new ideas.

SHORT AND SHARP · If you still hold shares of companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, especially oil, banking, as well as food and beverages, you need to see a psychiatrist or say your last prayers. · Reuben Abati called Pa Edwin Clark Peter who betrayed Jesus before the cock crowed three times.

Baba called Reuben a hypocrite who, after calling Mr and Mrs Jonathan a bunch of dirty names for years changed his tune once given a pot of gold. They are both right. A good name is always better than silver and gold.

VANGUARD. In the interview, Ojukwu said that “There is no doubt that some people want me to play the oracle, but I do not look like an oracle. I remember telling the people that I am not a politician, but it is their (Igbo) well-being in the North, West and elsewhere that forces me into their defence, but if they want me to stop they should withdraw and come to the East; and not every time you would shout and complain that you’ve been massacred, that their shops have been destroyed and looted you look for me.

So, for as long as they are out there they need protection from here, which was what I said” So here we are again, and some fractions are fanning the fire and the leftover embers, to reignite the resentments and anger for their own selfish agenda, mostly engineered by those who are goading others while staying in a safe distance to watch the young and impressionable people do their bidding, while destabilising the region.

If Biafra is the end goal then, the implosion will ensue and it will not be Biafrans against Nigerians but Igbo against Igbo. This will be tragic and unfortunate.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015—PAGE 11

129 DEAD IN PARIS MASSACRE

This is part of

Third World War —Pope Francis

•352 injured - 99 in critical condition

BY WALE AKINOLA, ABIODUN ALADE, with agency reports

P

ope Francis has described the deadly terror attacks on Paris, the capital of France, which left no fewer than 129 people killed, as part of “the Third World War ”, just as the country is now under a state of emergency.Francis said, yesterday, he was “shaken” by what he described as the “inhuman” attacks on a string of Paris venues, lamenting that he did not “understand these things, done by human beings...”

“There cannot be justification, religious or human. It’s inhuman,” an emotional Pope Francis said during a telephone interview with TG2000 television.When asked whether he thought this was part of a “piecemeal Third

World War ” that he had made reference to in the past, he said “this is a piece of it”.The scale of the attacks gave way to the thinking that death toll could rise.

352 victims were injured, 99 of them critically. In an online statement, militant group, Islamic State, IS, claimed responsibility.The attackers ruthlessly sought out soft targets where people were getting their weekends underway: a busy concert venue, restaurants and bars, the French national stadium where an international soccer game was being played.Already, French security agencies have identified three of the attackers as French, Syrian and Egyptian nationals.

There is heightened security presence in most European cities yesterday.Arrests are ongoing: One person was reportedly arrested at

Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom; some arrests were made in Belgium and authorities are claiming that there is a connection between the raids and the deadly attacks in France.

One of the vehicles used in the Belgium attack was said to have been traced to a particular location. ’Ten horrific minutes ’The attack on the 1,500seat Bataclan hall, where the concert was taking place, was, by far, the deadliest – over 100 Parisians were killed there alone. The event had been sold out.French President Francois Hollande, visibly flustered, called the simultaneous attacks “a horror” and vowed to wage a “merciless” fight against terrorism.He described it as “an act of war”.The assaults are the deadliest in Europe

The attack on the 1,500-seat Bataclan hall, where the concert was taking place, was, by far, the deadliest – over 100 Parisians were killed there alone since the 2004 Madrid, Spain bombings.What began as a regular Friday night of Parisians and tourists out eating and drinking in the city descended into scenes of savage bloodshed.Heavily armed tactical police units and other emergency workers swarmed the scenes of the attacks, many of which hit popular nightlife areas.

At the Bataclan, a concert hall in an eastern part of

central Paris, gunmen stormed the venue as an American rock band, Eagles of Death Metal, was nearing the end of a show.”People yelled, screamed,” said Julien Pearce, a journalist who was at the event. “It lasted for 10 minutes.

Ten horrific minutes where everybody was on the floor covering their head. ”At first we thought it was part of the show but we quickly understood,” Pierre Janaszak, a radio presenter, told Agence France Presse.He said the gunmen took 20 hostages, and he heard one of them tell their captives: “It’s the fault of Hollande, it’s the fault of your president, he should not have intervened in Syria”.Within an hour, security forces had stormed the concert hall and all four attackers there were dead.

Three had blown themselves up and a fourth was shot dead by police.Meanwhile, not far from the Place de la Republique and the Place de la Bastille, three busy restaurants and a bar were targeted by gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs.Around 40 people were killed as customers were singled out at venues including a pizza restaurant and a Cambodian

Continues on page 12

PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

World leaders condemn Paris attacks Continued from page 11 restaurant, Le Petit Cambodge.”We heard the sound of guns, 30-second bursts. It was endless. We thought it was fireworks,” Pierre Montfort, a resident living close to Le Petit Cambodge said.

The other target was the Stade de France, on the northern fringe of Paris, where President Hollande and 80,000 other spectators were watching a friendly international between France and Germany, with a TV audience of millions more.The president was whisked to safety after the first of at least two explosions just outside the venue to convene an emergency cabinet meeting.

Three attackers were reportedly killed there.Police believe all of the gunmen are dead - seven killed themselves with explosives vests and one was shot dead by the security forces - but it is unclear if any accomplices are still on the run.’A scene straight out of a war ’A little further north, Charlotte Brehaut and a friend were dining in Le Petit Cambodge, a Cambodian restaurant in the Canal St. Martin neighbourhood of the city.”All of a sudden we heard huge gunshots and glass coming through the windows. We ducked with the other diners,” she said.

The gunfire also reportedly hit Le Carillon, a bar across the street from the restaurant.”We were listening to music when we heard what we thought were the sounds of firecrackers,” a doctor from a nearby hospital who was drinking in the bar with colleagues told Le Monde.

“A few moments later, it was a scene straight out of a war. Blood everywhere.

Obama leads chorus of world outrage

US President Barack Obama led a chorus of global condemnation of the wave of attacks on Paris.Besides Obama, Britain, Spain and India, which have experienced their own mass-casualty attacks, were among the first to voice their condemnation. ”It’s an attack not just on the people of France. But this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values we share,” the US President said in an address at the White House.”We’re going to do whatever it takes to work with the French people and with nations around the world to bring these terrorists to justice and to go after any terrorist networks that go after our people. ”German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she will meet with ministers over the

•Scenes of horror and confusion series of attacks in Paris, as she pledged to “do everything” to help France in its fight against terrorists.In London, where 52 people were killed and hundreds wounded in a series of coordinated suicide bombings in 2005, British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “We will do whatever we can to help.”Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo, the foreign minister of Spain, where 191 people were killed in train bombings in 2004, raised the specter of a jihadist attack. ”All of this confirms that we are facing an unprecedented challenge, a hugely cruel challenge,” he told public television TVE.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose country was hit by two major attacks in 2006 and 2008 that saw a total of 355 people killed, said on Twitter the “news from Paris is anguishing & dreadful”.

France’s Jewish community was among the targets of the last attacks Paris in January and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added his voice to the condemnation.”Israel stands shoulder to shoulder with French President Francois Hollande and with the people of France in our common battle against terrorism,” he

said.President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, where twin bombings on a peace rally in Ankara last month killed 102 people, offered his condolences.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini tweeted that she was “in the process of following with pain and dread the events in Paris”.And in Australia, where a lone gunman reportedly shouting Islamist slogans killed a man outside police headquarters in Sydney last month, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said “this is indeed a black Friday for France and for the world”.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull praised the French people for their response, describing France as “the home of freedom”.Elsewhere in Asia, where people woke up to the news from Paris, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan of Singapore, which raised its alert level, said “this is a terrible assault on a beautiful city with warm, cheerful, hospitable people”.Philippine President Benigno Aquino’s government, which is preparing to host the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit on November 18-19, said the

Paris attacks demanded “heightened security from all of us”.Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke of “these tragic times for the French people” as he condemned “in the strongest ways this barbarous act.”Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah tweeted that “these brutal, barbaric & coward attacks show that terrorists have no religion...

Global efforts must eliminate terrorism. ”Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan, for his part, condemned “this act of terror... this brutal carnage” while Japan’s foreign minister Fumio Kishida said he was “shocked and angry”.Moscow called for the international community to unite in its fight against terrorism.”This tragedy has become another testimony of terrorism’s barbarity, which poses a challenge to human civilisation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telegram to French counterpart Hollande, according to the Kremlin.

The “heinous” Paris attacks are a violation of all religions and underline the need to intensify efforts against “terrorism,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said as he arrived for talks on ending Syria’s civil

war.Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi condemned the attacks, saying they showed the need for action against militants worldwide.

The head of Sunni Islam’s leading seat of learning, Cairo’s Al-Azhary, condemned the “hateful” attacks in Paris and urged global unity against extremism.Syria’s Assad: Paris attacks result of French policySyrian President Bashar al-Assad said French policy had contributed to the “spread of terrorism” that culminated in gun and bomb attacks.

In a meeting with a delegation of French lawmakers in Damascus, Assad said France’s “mistaken policies... had contributed to the spread of terrorism.”Iran’s Rouhani postpones Europe tripHassan Rouhani, yesterday, postponed what would have been the first visit to Europe by an Iranian president in 10 years after the attacks which he described as “crimes against humanity.”Rouhani had been due to hold talks in Rome, yesterday, with Pope Francis as well as Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi before travelling on to the French capital.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 13

Anambra: Obiano, Obi clash over ‘N75billion handover money’

TRIBUTE

By Vincent Ujumadu, Awka

Odebala at 50

BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF Saluting a political leader at golden jubilee

O

ne thing you cannot take away from Barrister Ejaife Omizu Odebala is his simplicity.

Odebala, Chairman, Sapele local government area of Delta State, is an unasuming leader of OkpeUrhobo extraction.

He was two-time member of the Delta State House of Assembly representing Sapele constituency.

He was later appointed Commissioner, Project Monitoring by the administration of former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan.

The passion for service to humanity made him succumb to pressure from his people to serve as executive Chairman Sapele local government area.

Omizume as I call him has not been corrupted by attractions of the various political office he has occupied.

He has remained the Ejaife his constituents, Sapele local government area and friends have always known.

I see him as one who has demystified the ruling class. He is approachable any day. Unlike many of his status this Chairman of Sapele local government area, a two time member of the Delta state House of Assembly and former commissioner in an oil rich delta state carries his phones about himself and respond to calls and text messages directly.

C M Y K

Ejaife Omizu Odebala I knew Ejaife when he was a member of the state House of Assembly and till date he has maintained one mtn number as his most active line.

Another thing that endears him to many is the value he has for his fellow man. I can’t recall seeing Ejaife being snubbish to old friends who are yet to find their feet. He is accomodating and one to call a friend anyday.

The few times I came into Asaba, capital of Delta state for workshop or meetings when he was a Commissioner he always made sure we saw no matter how tight his schedules were.

There was this day I sent him a text that I was in Asaba for a conference and I thought it was proper to notify my leader that I was inhis hood. You wont believe it

that he immediately sent a reply that he would certainly stop by to say hello at my hotel when he was through with office duties.

You can imagine how I felt when at about 9pm I got a call that this great and humble leader was at the reception for me. Quickly I dashed there to meet him.

We drove in his vehicle to nowhere in particular, gisting, recalling memories of when he ran for the governorship on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Ejaife is a senior friend to have , always wishing those around the best. He does not promote this slave master relationship in his circle. This is why those around him have remained glued to him.

I salute my exemplary leader, Odebala, as he turns 50.

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OVERNOR Willie Obi ano, yesterday, denied the claim by his predecessor, Mr. Peter Obi, that he left over N75 billion in Anambra State coffers.

But Obi said the state government’s statement was inaccurate.

Addressing reporters, Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu, described Obi’s claim as false.

He said: “The N75 billion was not there; it was not handed over to anybody. At best it can be half truth” Chukwulobelu said instead, the state government inherited a total contract sum of N185.1 billion as liability from the Obi administration.

He said the explanation had become pertinent because of the rumour of the N75 billion in the so-

Lagos doctors offer free screening, surgeries General Meeting (AGM) billed

BY CHIOMA OBINNA

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octors in the employ ment of Lagos State government will tomorrow begin free medical screening and surgeries for diabetes, surgical condition such as hernia, uterine fibroids, urinary tract infection, malaria, and eye conditions such as cataract and glaucoma, The free medical camp, targeted at indigent Lagosians, is starting with residents of Ikorodu. The exercise would run till November 24.

The Chairman of the Medical Guild in the state, Dr Biyi Kufo, said the weeklong medical camp is a prelude to the guild’s Annual

to hold November 25.

Secretary of the guild, Dr Sunday Luro, said the body has a key role to play in the provision of health care services to Lagosians.

cial and traditional media.

Chukwulobelu said it took the state government this long to reply to the claim in order to put the story finally to rest, urging the public to disregard the claim.

He said: “In the real sense, what the Obiano administration inherited from Obi was N9billion cash and N26billion near cash”.

Reacting, Obi described the state government’s statement as untrue.

Speaking through his media aide, Mr. Valentine Obienyem, the former governor said it was a deliberate attempt by the state government to misrepresent facts.

Obienyem insisted: “Obi left over N75billion in cash and investment. The breakdown is as follows: N27 billion in local currency investment; N26. 5 billion in foreign currency investment and N28.1 billion in Certified State/ MDS balances.

“Even in the final handover document, Obi deducted N10 billion approved Federal Government refund, as well as the salary, pension, gratuity, money on certificates raised on contracts for the month of March which all amounted to N5 billion before arriving at the balance of over 75 billion he bequeathed his successor”.

Ebonyi Govt House not torched

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bonyi State government, yes terday, dismissed a report that a section of the Government House, in Abakaliki was, on Friday, gutted by fire.

The government, in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Emma Anya, said members of the public, especially Ebonyians, should disregard the story. “There was a spark in the Office of the SSA to the Governor on Petroleum, Onyibe Bassey Chima,

on Friday, but no portion of the office was damaged. The SSA was attending the burial of the mother –inlaw of a former SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, when the incident happened”, the statement said. “ When he was alerted, Hon. Chima raced back to Abakaliki and to the Glory of God, some members of staff in the Government House had doused the smoke. Only a photocopier and a television set in the said office were slightly affected.

PAGE 14 —SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

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SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015 — PAGE 15

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SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 17

BABY BUMP SPECIAL:

Lizzygold, Chacha or Chiebere!

Who rocksititbetter, better ? who rocks F

•Chacha

ORMER Miss Delta State and blossoming Nollywood actress, Lizzygold Onuwaje, has put to bed. The 2008 Information Science graduate of Delta State University was delivered of a bouncing baby boy late Monday, November 9th 2015 at Oasim Private Hospital in South Africa.

In fact, the report came as a pleasant shock yesterday as news of her pregnancy •Lizzy was never made public. A host of her friends had and still have on their dps a captivating picture of Lizzygold in what you would call ‘bikini baby bump photo’. Though seriously pregnant beyond the trimester period, Lizzygold was still able to remind all how alluring and beautiful she was. Not even the stress and burden of pregnancy could take away her smashing beauty and sex appeals. What do you think?.

Flaunting baby bump is not an original idea of the ex beauty queen, the trend started in the US and soon became a world’s fab.

Hollywood actress, Demi Moore, kind of

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Ella Mensah murders in photo shoot for Effizzie magazine

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HANAIAN actress, Ella Mensah, seems to have a thing for Nigeria. Ever since she came to shoot a film in 2012 she has been hooked. To drive home this fact, the actress permanently has on her Blackberry, a personal message “Hottest Ghanaian actress in Nollywood”.

Hot and wild as they come, Ella doesn’t set rigid rules for herself. As an actress, the Ghanaian beauty takes on roles many of her colleagues wouldn’t dare. She doesn’t take prisoners as well on her social media as she flaunts her shapely bum and bubbly boobs at will.

The mother of one, who once told Potpourri she smokes shisha 24/7 shot up her presence in the Nigerian entertainment industry by having a photo shoot, the like she has never done before. It was a shoot for Effizzie magazine and Ella killed her admirers in several poses, oozing style, attitude and a quantum of sex appeals.

According to the actress, the styling for the shoot was done by her clothing line, House of Ella.

started the trend and Kim Kardashin, Nia Long, Naya Rivera and many others caught the bug.

“Pregnancy is such a beautiful thing to me, and I feel like you should embrace your body in whatever stage it’s in” said Naya in her interview to defend her naked baby bump photos Nowadays, Nigerian celebrities are also having a sting of t h e b u g a n d saying “ y o u s h o u l d embrace your body in whatever stage it’s in”.

Chacha Eke, Dior Chiebere Adiele and now Lizzygold Onuwaje have made their own near-nude baby bump statements. A couple more have made their own statements but few have been as daring as Lizzygold or what do you think?

•Lizzy

•Chiebere

Ayomide Dawodu shoots her ffir irirsst ffilm ilm “Iw “Iwaaye Mi’ UDDING Yoruba actress, Ayomide Dawodu has joined the league B of movie producers. The accounting graduate of Lagos State University has just shot her own first film titled “Iwaye Mi’, which literally means

•Ella Mensah

‘my life’s sojourn’.

The movie promises to be a thrilling prospect as the very best names in the Yoruba film industry are featured. Top names like Odunlade Adekola, Afeez Eniola, Aina Gold, Liz da Silva,Madam Saje, lead the powerful cast.

According to Ayomide, the story centres around a covetous girl who believes everything in life is for the taking and thus engages in loose and wanton escapades.

Eventually, nemesis caught up with her and consumes her with all sorts of tribulations.

“The interesting part of the film is her battle with her problems. The film is a thriller full of intrigues and suspense. People are going to be asking at the edge of their seat, what happens next and really looking forward to how she survives her ordeals” says Ayomide.

She has featured in other films like Alakada 2, Aja, Aroba, Ife Oju, Olarotimi, Tani Were, to •Ayomide mention a few.

STOP PIRACY NOW! STOP BUYING PIRATED MOVIE AND MUSIC CDs, DVDs. IT IS KILLING THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. STOP! C M Y K

PAGE 18, SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

AFRIMA Awards:

The chips go down tonight •Wiz Kid

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HE very best of the best in African music are all in Lagos, Nigeria, right now. Not for any other reason but for the All Africa Music Awards, which will be making its second outing in Nigeria. The venue is Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, and the occasion promises to be nothing but a musical jamboree and a celebration of African cultures, talents and artistic values.

The 2014 edition pretty much reaffirmed Nigeria’s position as the hub of African music as our musical acts dominated the winners’ list.

Nigerian artistes took home the highest number of trophies, 13 in total, with the Aye crooner, Davido, carting away four of the coveted 29.3 carat goldplated AFRIMA trophies.

Davido won The Best African Hip Hop, Song of the Year; Artiste of the Year, and Best Male Artiste in West Africa. Shakiti Bobo crooner, Olamide came home with the coveted Album of the Year award while the sensational twins, P-Square got the Best African Group award.

Don Jazzy, Brymo, Bez, 2Face, D’banj, Yinka Ayanda, Nikki Laoye, and Fela Anikulapo Kuti (Posthumous Legendary award) were all winners on the night.

Out of the 23 continental awards given out, Nigeria was victorious in 12 and also clinched one of the two regional awards applicable to the country.

But the big question on the lips of many, is: Will they repeat the same feat or achieve more this year? From the look of things, with the chips all square and fair, the country should equal or even surpass the feat of last year, which was the maiden edition of the award.

Nigeria has nominations in all the 24 categories applicable to the country except in the categories: Best African Hip Hop, Best African Rock and Best African Traditional Music. It means the country is open to collect 21 awards, where in most cases they dominate the Nominees list.

Of all the 174 nominations in which the country is eligible, it has 63 nominations.

Without demeaning any category of the award, there are the big ones which the whole continent and the world look forward to. These are: Best Album of the Year, Best Song of the Year, Best Artiste of the Year and possibly the Best Group of the Year. Last year, Nigerian artistes won them all. Olamide’s Baddest Guy Ever Liveth, won the Album of the Year Award, while Davido won both the Song of the Year with Aye and Artiste of the Year awards. P-Square clinched the Best Group award.

For AFRIMA 2015 Nigerian artistes are again in pole position to win in all of these four categories. Psquare has been nominated again for the Best Group C M Y K

award category. For the Album of the Year, Wizkid, Psquare, Yemi Alade, Brymo, and Flavour have been nominated alongside 4 other Africans.

Davido, Yemi Alade, Wizkid and Psquare will battle 6 other Africans for the Song of the Year. For the Artiste of the Year, Davido, Flavour, Olamide, Wizkid, and Yemi Alade go in tango with 5 other African artistes.

With these stakes in our favour, Nigeria sure looks good for another round of awards haul.

•Niyola

•Davido ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

What fans did to me Yetunde Bakare

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•Yemi

By KEHINDE AJOSE

ETUNDE Bakare is a talented actress who has been able to make her mark in the movie industry.

The beautiful graduate of Microbiology, whose recent movie, Asiyan, is making waves, recounts the weird experiences she has had with her fans.

“Some time ago, I went for a party and after spraying money on the dance floor, some old women followed me, dragging my cloth to give them money. The funny thing was that I had spent all the money I had on the dance floor. It was so annoying and I had to shout at them. One of them said this: “Aunty Ajobi, you think we don’t know you? We are the ones who buy your movies.

Why are you so stingy? I had no choice but to give them the money I reserved to board a cab. I had to board a cab to the ATM centre.

Another experience I won’t forget was an incident that happened at a club in Ikeja. A guy greeted me and I answered him, but he was too drunk to hear •Yetunde my voice. He grabbed me and pulled me back, saying I didn’t answer him very well. He called me an arrogant person. I had to let go because I knew he was under the influence of alcohol.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 19 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

The remaining 15 contestants of the Glo-sponsored Dance with Peter show, back row from left: Messiah, Julius Fakta, Yemi, Bobby Blankson, Octopus, Miracle, Kelvin and C-Fly. Front row, MX, Amazing Amy, T-rubber, Paulette, G-xtreme, Nekky and Teejay.

Glo’s Dance with Peter features 1970s, 80s music legends M

USIC of the 1970s and 1980s was the focus last week on the Glo-sponsored Dance with Peter. Before the performances, however, ambivalence filled the air when three housemates were sent packing from the dance academy as a result of the votes cast by viewers. Six dancers, Amazing Amy, Bobby B, Octopus, SoCrazy Cool, Weezy and MOD who had been nominated for eviction during last week’s edition were in high hopes of remaining in the academy. Unfortunately, SoCrazy Cool, Weezy and MOD were sent packing after recording the lowest votes while Amazing Amy, Bobby B and Octopus were saved and returned to the house.

The dancers, who had earlier been briefed, were to perform solo with creativity and careful adaptation to their preferred music legends as advised by the judges. Messiah performed Boney M’s `Daddy Cool’, Paullete performed Cindy Loper’s `Just wanna have fun’, Nekky performed Angelique Kidjo’s `Agolo’, while G-Xtreme performed Tina Turner’s `What’s love got to do’.

Other contestants who performed are, Amazing Amy who performed `La Isla Bonita’, MX who did Bobby Brown’s `My Prerogative’, Da Octopus who reenacted Vanilla Ice’s `Ice Ice Baby,’ and C-Fly who did MC hammer’s `Too legit to quit’.

The rest are Teejay who did Brenda Fassie’s `Vuhndlela’, T-Rubber did

Miracles performance threw Peter Okoye on his feet. He enacted the ‘Lion King’ with Diana Ross’ sound track `He lives in You’

Brenda Fassie’s `Nguanoma’, Julius Fakta did Celine Dion’s `The Way It` Is’, Miracle who performed Diana Ross’ He lives in you’, Yemi did James Brown’s `It is a Man’s World’ and Kelvin who re-enacted James Brown’s `Feel Good’.

As each dancer performed, the judges gave their verdict. Omawumi applauded T- Rubber ’s performance saying, “TRubber, I just don’t know what it is that is in you. You really wowed me tonight, you have a thumbs up from me”. Kaffy said she saw the efforts in Paulette’s performance but couldn’t just connect with her. “Paulette, you are such a great dancer, but tonight I couldn’t see that link in spite of your energy and efforts”, she said.

Miracles performance threw Peter Okoye on his feet. He enacted the ‘Lion King’ with Diana Ross’ sound track `He lives in You’, costumed and made-up in a typical Lion outfit. ‘You killed it, Miracle’, Peter said in a standing ovation.

L-R: SoCrazy kool, Weezy and MOD who were evicted from the Dance with Peter show on Saturday night. ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

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Buzz Media lights up yuletide with ‘Christmas in Lagos’

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UZZ Media, a foremost event and media company has announced plans to host a five day event in Lagos called `Christmas in Lagos’.

According to Buzz Media, the event will have three

Olamide dedicates ‘MVP’ video to Quilox Nightclub

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BNL’s CEO Olamide aka Baddo releases the music video for the ultimate club hit “MVP”. Olamide dedicates this video to Africa’s luxury entertainment pioneer “Quilox”.

“I am dedicating this video to Quilox and the CEO Shina Peller because of the constant love and support that has been shown to the YBNL team. I cannot thank the brand enough. God bless you more”, says Olamide The video which makes its debut, Thursday, on Olamide’s VEVO channel denotes Olamide in a luxurious lifestyle. This relates back to the luxurious lifestyle that defines both Olamide and the brand Quilox. In simple terms, the video illustrated the typical life of an MVP, a CEO that works so hard to achieve his goal and knows the importance of teamwork, and also knows how to have fun.

The video defines Olamide in the new generation relating to his personality and lifestyle. This video was shot in London and was directed by Alexxadjei. The video was premiered exclusively at Quilox on Wednesday 11th of November 2015 to a variety of celebrities who came to support Olamide.

•Olamide

major attractions, Daytime Series, Night Time Series and Shopping Festival. The Daytime Series will include Games, Bouncing Castles, dancing, free gifts, parties, side attractions and more, for the kids; the Night time Series will include Mega entertainment, music, comedy, barbeque, live bands, guest performances and more for the adults. The Shopping Festival is a coordinated shopping festival where shops, hotels, malls, brands and all, partake in the shopping festival, offering discounts from their respective locations, online and at the venue.

All these will be happening for five days from 23rd to 27th December in one location within Victoria Island, Lagos.

With billboards already in strategic parts of Lagos, courtesy partnership of leading outdoor advertisement company, Afro Media, the organizers have also launched a competition on Instagram where people can win up to 1,000 US dollars.

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PAGE 20, SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

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No trouble with my jokes

OPULAR comedian, Francis Agoda aka I Go Dye, is surely a delight to encounter whether on stage or offstage. In fact, there is never a dull moment with the funny bone, and after spending some time in his presence, one will most likely confess ‘I go die with laughter o.’

We ran into the Delta State-born rib-cracker at an event recently where he had just finished ‘murdering’ the crowd with laughter, and we quickly accosted him before he could hastily leave the scene of the ‘crime.’

Surely, he must have gotten into trouble on account of his jokes before, we were curious to know. But his face assumed a more serious countenance as he replied, ‘No, I’ve never gotten into trouble because of my jokes before. I try as much as possible to educate people with my jokes on stage. Apart from laughing, there must be a message to be passed across to people with every joke. So I don’t see any reason why I will be harassed because I’m a Nigerian. If you don’t want people to embarrass you, you have to respect yourself; and that is what I always try to do.’

Known to perform a lot outside the shores of the country, we sought to know how he manages to get the crowd to laugh in a foreign land. He wastes no time in answering, ‘First, you need to understand that most of the events we go for outside the country are populated

by Nigerians living abroad. At a typical show overseas, you can have 80% of Nigerians, and 20% foreigners. So far it’s an English speaking country, they’ll be able to understand us, and I always alternate between normal English and pidgin.’

I finished from church years back and a young man gave me a flier to help him. He needed to have a kidney transplant. I asked him if he worships in my church and he said yes

— I go Dye

•I Go Dye

a comedian, but as time went on, they began to assist me. And they said, since it is what I love, I should do it. That’s why I always give credit to my parents for giving me the opportunity to walk in the path that I chose.’

As popular as he is though, not much is known about I Go Dye’s personal life. He admits with a mischievous smile that it is deliberate. ‘All I want is for people to come and watch me. I’m not the type that likes to put myself out there. From a tender age, when I started presenting programs at Delta Broadcasting Service (DBS), I knew that I had sold out my private life. And the best I can do is to protect the little privacy that I have left; and that is what I’m doing,’ he says.

At a time when many entertainers complain that the government and Corporate Nigeria are not giving the industry adequate support, I Go Dye singles out telecommunications giant, Globacom for commendation. His words, ‘I have to give credit to Globacom because it’s not easy doing what they’re doing. They’re supporting the entertainment industry, and if other companies can follow in their footsteps, they will create more jobs for the youths. When they call us for events, there are people that work with us as well; so it has a spiral effect. For me, Globacom has increased the level of employment in Nigeria.’

The general belief is that no matter how talented or skilled an individual is, he or she must have ‘off’ days, but this rule doesn’t apply to the former radio presenter. He chuckles, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever had any embarrassing moment on stage because I’m not someone that takes life too seriously. The truth is that no matter how serious you take life, none of us is going to get out alive. I don’t see any incident as embarrassing; I only learn from them. Those things you may see as embarrassing are actually lessons that guide you, and can make you succeed in future.’

because I had the passion for it, and today, I thank God that I actually made that decision.’

I Go Dye believes that comedy is serious business He speaks further, ‘When I started comedy about 20 years and should be approached just like any other ago, entertainers were not seen as serious people. As at then, profession. He says, ‘Comedy is like every other there was no way my family would support my choice of being profession that requires seriousness. You should also understand that your life must be tied to your job, because if you don’t do it well, someone out there will do it better than you. Even if there are people who can do it better than you, have it in mind that you’re going there to do your job and entertain; endeavor to be the best you can be at all times. In OPULAR rapper and son of legal my artistic side, I can’t neglect essence, the way I get myself luminary, Femi Falana, Folarin aka the funny guy and the element ready for a performance is the Falz the Bahd Guy, is set to release his of ‘razzness’ that’s always in my music. same way you prepare for your sophomore album titled, ‘Stories that Touch.’

As much as you listen to the songs with very own job.’

In a chat with Showtime, he shed some light serious themes, my alter ego is still going to pop Still expressing his passion on the project, ‘This is my second official up.’ for his job, I Go Dye recalls album, and it will be released on November On what informed the title of the album, he that the most important person 16, 2015. With this album, I’m trying to do said, ‘My inspiration for the title of the album he needed to convince before something different; I’m trying to showcase stems from the fact that I’m trying to showcase embarking on the journey that my artistic side and the musicality in me. my artistic side, so every song is a story. They’re has brought him to this point Generally speaking, there is an impression stories that people will either be able to relate to, was the man in the mirror. In that I’m a crazy, hilarious and an unserious or be touched by. I want people to listen to the his words, ‘I believe in God, person. The brand definitely reflects that, but music, and connect to me.’ and I believe in myself. For you I’m trying to get people to focus on my music On whether the ‘stories that touch’ are personal to to succeed in whatever you do and see the content in it. That’s why I don’t him, he said, ‘They’re not all personal stories, but in life, you have to believe in really have skits on the album because I want the general theme that runs through them is life, yourself. The sacrifice I had to people to pay attention to the serious relationships and things that happen around us. I make for my job was me messages in it. Falz the Bahd Guy is an allwant people to get a visual picture of what I’m taking the decision to become a encompassing brand, and the funny part is portraying in the songs; that’s all.’ comedian, even when it was not still in there. As much as I’m trying to show so lucrative. But I stuck to it

For second album, Falz tells ‘Stories That Touch’

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•Falz

STOP PIRACY NOW! STOP BUYING PIRATED MOVIE AND MUSIC CDs, DVDs. IT IS KILLING THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY. STOP!

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 21

Are you the kind of woman he sees as relationship mat erial? material? “friend zone” almost

BY ONOZURE DANIA

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id you know that most men decide if a woman is “girlfriend material” within a few seconds of meeting her?

And here’s what is even more fascinating and strange about how men think and feel, if you don’t know how to create the right first impression with a

Networking/ Sponsorship •Bennard , a graduate, resides in Abuja, passionate for youth development and entrepreneur, needs sponsorship from well meaning Nigerians to set up a small business that Act name Bennard Ugbeikwu, Gtbank , 0026617276, 0 8 1 8 4 9 3 9 8 3 5 •Roni, a gospel musician, needs a record deal and a good sponsor who can help in managing his music career.

0 7 0 6 1 9 5 0 8 4 8 •Daniel, 26 and resides in Lagos, needs a someone to sponsor his music career.

07038957003,08185220702 •Promise, 28, a graduate and resides in Calabar, needs someone to sponsor her business financially.

08160386516,08024058059 •Peace, from Warri Delta state, needs a God fearing Nigerian to sponsor her education. 08136140021 •Samuel, 24, resides in Jos, needs someone to sponsor his education, Acct name Samuel Cletus, Acct no 3086837292, bank name first bank.

08148098703, 07081995998 •A Painter, sculptor and branding consultant needs a sponsor for his art exhibition.

09037155440 Friends Searching Female •Rejoice, 23, fair in complexion and resides in Delta state, needs male friends.08068701022 Searching Male •Sam, resides in Lagos, needs good friends who are caring.08093200016 •Idama , employed and resides in Port Harcourt, needs decent, tall, romantic and serious female friends.

08055221583 •Ebube, 28, needs Igbo friends to help in sponsoring his music albums.

0806599333608091925874 •Eguono, 34, a graduate, employed in Asaba but resides in Lagos, needs a busty female friend within Asaba.08036569912

man, then you just might get thrown into the “just a friend” category before you can even talk to or connect with him.

And guess what that means?

Everything that you do after a man gets that initial impression about you is run through the “she’s just a friend” filter and this can make being in the

•Felix, 30, resides in Warri, needs a serious minded guy for friendship.

08025434210,08034846381, 08105268974 Lovers Searching Female •Ijeoma,26, fair in complexion, average height, plumpy, good looking, a graduate, employed and from Imo state, but resides in Port Harcourt, needs a God fearing guy, who is caring, handsome, strong, hardworking tall or average, aged 25- 35, who is ready for marriage. 08128711023 •Sandra,24, OND holder, black, beautiful, intelligent, mature with mouth dropping boobs and seductive backside needs an older sensible matured man aged 45 and above for love and relationship 07080226853 •Ndidi, 25, Igbo, undergraduate, chocolate, slender with alluring hips and backside needs a responsible man aged 45 and above for a romantic relationship. 08154591309 •A lady, 47, dark in complexion average height and from Delta state, needs a man, either a divorcee or a widower for a relationship that can lead to marriage, aged 55-65.07089349748 •Tina, 26, needs a caring and God fearing man, aged 26-35, for a serious relationship, that will lead to marriage 08077030422 •Chichi, employed and from Imo state, needs an handsome, employed and God fearing man, for a relationship that would lead to marriage.09053386736 •A lady, 35, from Anambra state, but resides in Lagos, needs a man from Anambra state, or any other state from Igbo land, aged 40-50 for a relationship that will lead to marriage 08088204060, 08176243670,08088294969 •Jenny, 29, fat, busty and resides in Enugu, needs a responsible man for a serious relationship. 08036579746 •Grace, 38, Hiv positive, employed and resides in Edo state, needs an Hiv positive

i n e s c a p a b l e .

Especially if you’re looking to get involved with a man for more than just a fling.

But, there is something you can do about this.

If you want to learn the mistakes lots of women make in first and second impressions that land them

man, aged 38 and above, for marriage.08105843930 •Favour, 28, humble beautiful, kind and God fearing single mother, from Edo state, needs a God fearing and responsible man for a relationship that can lead to marriage.

09090862876 Searching Male •Obus, 26, from Delta State, but resides in Lagos, needs a God fearing lady, for a wife.

08160569689,08163683153 •James, 32, needs a lady, aged 38-45, who is kind hearted for a discreet relationship.08032547190 •Edwin, 26, cute, romantic and resides in Delta state, needs a beautiful, humble and influential lady, for a serious relationship.

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in the “friend zone” And what you can do instead that will make him think “girlfriend material” from the get go, then keep reading.

Did you know that men have several specific terms and phrases that they use with each other to think of and describe women?

It’s a sort of “guy code” or shorthand slang what men everywhere use with each other and their friends.

One of my favorites that I’ve

been hearing all my life from men is the term “Cool Girl.”

As in when a man says, “Yeah, I met this girl the other night and she was a really “cool girl”.

As simple as this sounds, the meaning that men give this term is important and applies to a set of very specific qualities.

Qualities that, although never actually discussed among men, are universally understood.

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PAGE 22 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Portfolios: How Buhari kept ministers in suspense

BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari couldn’t have afforded the leakage of the portfolios he eventually assigned to his ministers on Wednesday. And so, he kept the information close to his chest.

Only he knew who was getting what.

For the time it lasted, there was apprehension in the room.

Two reasons were responsible: Rumour of ministers-withoutportfolios and who gets what.

And with rapt attention, they listened as the event went on.

Recall that for weeks, no one was close to the getting it.

Guesses on the portfolios kept on flying in different directions.

But in clear terms, President Muhammadu Buhari eventually betrayed every social media speculation that was in rife. Were it possible to raise questions or at least seek explanations, you can trust that some ministers would have toed that path.

But it was completely a presidential prerogative. And so, no one dared him. In fact, the ministers were at the mercy of Mr President. To one, he gave one ministry. To another, he gave three ministries. To some, he chose as deputies. But all that did not matter. What really mattered was that everyone was assigned a portfolio contrary to the rumour that some might be sitting idly in the cabinet.

So, with the subdued smug on their faces in that pin-drop silence, the ministers watched and listened as Buhari reeled out the names and the portfolios that Wednesday afternoon at the tastefully furnished Council Chambers in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

They were Rotimi Amaechi (Transportation); Chris Ngige (Labour and Employment); Kayode Fayemi (Solid Minerals); Abdulrahman Dambazau (Interior); Aisha Alhassan (Women Affairs); Ogbonnaya Onu (Science and Technology); Kemi Adeosun (Finance); Abubakar Malami (Justice); Hadi Sirika (State for Aviation); Suleiman Adamu (Water Resources); Solomon Dalons (Youths and Sports) and Ibe Kachikwu (State for Petroleum).

Others were: Osagie Ehanire (State for Health); Audu Ogbeh (Agriculture and Natural Resources); Udo Udo Udoma (Budget and National Planning); Amina Mohammed (Environment); Ibrahim Usman Jibril (State for Environment); Anthony Onwuka (State for Education); Muhammadu Bello (Federal Capital Territory); Adamu Adamu (Education); Okechukwu Enelamah (Industry, Trade and Investment); Aisha Abubakar (State for Trade, Industry and Investment) and Khadija Bukar Abba (State for Foreign Affairs).

The remaining ones were, Claudius Daramola (State for Niger Delta); Geoffrey Onyeama (Foreign Affairs); Monsur Dan-Ali (Defence); James Ocholi (State for Labour); Zainab Ahmed (State for Budget); Mustapha Shehuri (State for Power); Babatunde Fashola (Power, Works and Housing); Heineken Lokpobiri (State for Agriculture); Isaac Adewole Folorunsho (Health); Usani Usani Uguru (Niger

Buhari

Delta Affairs); Abubakar Bwari Bawa (State for Solid Minerals); and Adebayo Shittu (Communications).

The comic relief however came midway when the president announced himself Petroleum Resources Minister after he had named Kachikwu as his Minister of State.

‘Round pegs in round holes’ The reading of the portfolios was preceded by the President’s speech. Buhari took time to score himself high on the choices he had made. But then, who would fault himself before the television cameras? Who expected otherwise? To him, weeks were spent in the company of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to avoid the mistakes of the past.

He said: “Today we have reached another milestone in the evolution of our new government which Nigerians overwhelmingly voted into office in the March 28th, 2015 general elections. Today we witness the swearing-in of new ministers of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria “Since our inauguration on May 29, 2015, the Vice President and I have been mindful of the need to constitute a cabinet that will best deliver our expectations of a better country than we inherited. We want to work towards a prosperous nation respected for the right reasons, and whose citizens can hold up their heads anywhere in the world. And we are optimistic that bringing this set of ministers into the service of our country today is a step in the right direction, a timely move towards realizing our positive goals for our country.

“Since we assumed office in May, I have been mindful of the need to ensure that the appointment of new ministers translates into putting round pegs in round holes while showing sensitivity to our diversity as a people and our various positions as groups of stakeholders in our country.

“I have also been conscious of the need not to repeat such mistakes of the past where the right people were allocated the wrong portfolios, which translated into their performing poorly to our collective detriment despite their obvious capabilities. Also, I have responded to the counsel to consult as widely as possible, given the need to build a stable and all-inclusive government by reaching across our various

For the time it lasted, there was apprehension in the room. Two reasons were responsible: Rumour of ministers-withoutportfolios and who gets what. And with rapt attention, they listened as the event went on. ethnic and political divides.

“With the inauguration of ministers, our government shall continue more decisively to implement its policies in respect of the economy and in other areas. While working hard to maximize revenue from oil in the face of a sharp decline in the price for the commodity, we are determined to diversify the economy in agriculture to enhance employment and explore solid minerals as a major revenue earner.

“Our new ministers must proceed to work speedily and do their utmost to justify the confidence we have placed in

them not only by their conduct but also by their performance in their various positions.”

How they took the oath of office, allegiance The ceremony, which began by 10 am, saw the reading of citation of each minister by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu. Thereafter, the ministers, in the four sets of nine batches took their oath of office and allegiance before the President.

Nigerians react Let’s be patient with ministers—Chief Chekwas Okorie, National Chairman, United Progressives Party, UPP “Everybody must appreciate that this is Buhari’s government which is in accordance with Buhari’s style of leadership. So, his assignment of portfolios was based on his own best judgment. The bottom line is delivering on his campaign promises and that is where Nigerians should be more watchful about instead of being bothered about who is holding what office.

“For instance, I can state

safely that when he said that these ministers were going to be noise makers, he meant it to be on the lighter mood because now he has given them assignment and with the type of marching orders he gave them, he definitely did not intend that they should go their ministries and make noise. And so, his government has begun.

“We will looking at the delivering of promises and the comfort of Nigerians which is the primary aim of government and I would base my own assessment on those areas other than the individuals. He can do reshufflement. I have seen government reshuffle Ministers.

So, the taste of the pudding will be in the eating. We have seen presidents along the line drop some ministries and bring new ones. So, I am not too concerned about who is heading what.”

I have no doubt they will deliver—Alhaji Shetima Yerima, National President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, AYCF. “The nominations in some areas, actually. Some of them have been tested. We have no doubt of their capacity and capabilities also to deliver. Let me give an instance of former Lagos governor. The position they gave to him really goes well because when it come to executions of jobs, there is no doubt. He is a machine. Some of them are strange to Nigerians. We may not be in a hurry to talk about them. “Yes, Amaechi, apart from the issue of corruption, there is no doubt him also having capacity to deliver. The issue of integrity is one thing but on the other issue of capacity to deliver, there is no doubt about him. Those are just few. For others, we have to be watchful to see what they can do before we begin to conclude. “But I think Nigerians would have to be patient. The president has actually tried in his selection. If you look at Fayemi, apart from the issue of integrity, they have been tested and they can work.

That is my take on that.”

The pr oblem with por tf olios assigned ttoo problem portf tfolios Buhari’s men — Onuesoke

Onuesoke eoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Sunny P Onuesoke, has described the

portfolios assigned to ministers as putting ‘round pegs in square holes’.

Reacting to President Muhammadu Buhari’s statement that he put round pegs in round holes to avoid non-performances while assigning portfolios to 36 new ministers, Onuesoke, in Abuja,

while speaking to journalists, faulted the President’s statement, saying the portfolios assigned to the ministers negate their professional skills.

He wondered why Babatunde Fashola, a lawyer, should be assigned three significant ministries of power, housing and works that are not related to his profession whereas there are many qualified engineers and labour specialists who fit into the round holes. “Where are the round pegs in round holes? Ngige with medical background is now Labour Minister. Fayemi with experience in military, security and politics is now Minister of Solid Mineral. I don’t know whether to weep over the appointment of Adamu Adamu as the Minister of Education or not. Making a journalist as supervising minister to resuscitate the moribund education is bad enough. But making a professor of education and a former vicechancellor, Anthony Anwukah, a junior minister reporting to Adamu Adamu shows the value we place

on education”, Onuesoke stated, adding that the appointment should have been the other way round.

He faulted the appointment of Kemi Adeosun as Minister of Finance, saying with the present challenged economy, significant dip in revenues, risk of inflation running riot, Naira under very significant pressure, foreign financial organizations exiting our bond markets, liquidity squeeze and the need to churn out policies that will impact the economy positively, she does not have the clout and the pedigree to run the ministry. He said his greatest disappointment is the appointment of James Ocholi as Minister of State for Labour. “Here was a man who shone like a million stars during screening and spoke like a law professor now made a Minister of State for Labour.

Ocholi should be the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation. Being a side kick to Chris Ngige is curious”, Onuesoke pointed out.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 23

Every woman owes it to herself to have a sex toy!

W

HAT happens t o ‘meaningful’ relationships in your middle-age? Is sex different now you’re older? According to Richard, now 50 and a divorcee; “I no longer believe I can sweep a woman up with the sheer physical power of sex and temporarily wash away our failures in a rain of sweat.

As a new relationship moves towards the physical, I find myself thinking: ‘I have been through this before, 1 thought I would survive it and I suppose I did, but only barely. I don’t want to do it again.

I want to be in the water, very much, but I can’t bear to dive off that high cliff another time. No more swinging from the chandeliers!

“The women are older too, they open up more readily, they waste less time, they show their needs. Most of all, they read a man’s reluctance like a soothsayer looking through her crystal ball.

We strain for the pleasures of new romance, but our ability to pretend is short-lived.

‘Let’s end this before it becomes toxic,’ suggested one smart lady

after about five dates! What amazes me after a long decade away from the sexual market place is how different our public discourse of sexuality is from our actual experiences. Casual sex, ‘friends wrth benefits’ (where you bunk a close friend from time to time with no strings attached) all the arrangements meant to satisfy the libido without entangling the heart, are, for the most part, dull and awkward forms of sexuality. The small miracle for older people is that most of us still believe in love, and live for it, and sometimes, after a long wait, find it.”

Rachel, a sports enthusiast in her late 50s runs a thriving company and lives comfortably in her own home with her two sons. “I took several years off romance and sex after having had a moment of spiritual insight, born of intense pain - when 1 was in an unhealthy relationship with a man, my mind and sports, mainly golf, fell apart.

I happen to be a good golf player and most of the men I played with naturally flirted with me. They loved that I could help them with their game - and maybe provide them with a bit of loving too.

“After a while, I realise I did not feel safe or esteemed in these relationships. The last one left me with a pain in my

being so severe that I made two decisions: one, I would have a sweet, r o m a n t i c relationship with my vibrator, and two, I would play golf only with people who are as good as I am. I have had great vibrators ever since I figured out that the phallic ones were based on the dreams of men, not on the anatomy of women.

Twelve years ago, I bought a couple of vibrators and that was fine. But as menopause loomed,

Tightening the abdominals

F

or most people over thirty the abdominal region gets to be the least toned set of muscles of the body. We work with our hands and walk with our feet, therefore, somehow, those parts are almost always in better shape than the abdominal wall.

A trim waistline doesn’t only look impressive aesthetically, it also speaks volumes of the state of health of the individual.

Reduce the girth and presto! You instantly look youthful. You will begin to digest your food and absorb it more efficiently.

Once the belly is shrunk appreciably, we can then learn to perform certain exercises which can help the system achieve better bowel action - a veritable way f eliminating toxins.

As regards exercise, there are countless ways to deal with the bulge of the belly.

Some get results from practising dit-ups, others from leg-raises and so on.

But there are some less familiar practices that deal with flabby stomach a lot more thoroughly.

Besides strengthening the muscles of the abdomen, some of these practices can be used for purification

purposes along with drinking large quantities of salt water.

The following exercise will help trim the waist and keep it so, forever. I have had the same waistline since the past thirty years and I am fifty two now. If yours truly can do it, so can you!

All it takes is diligence.

Lets consider the Rocking.

Technique: Sit with the knees drawn and the hands placed at the back of the knees.

Now, lunge both legs

I bought my first bottle of Astroglide, a slinky lubricant women can use during sex after chemotherapy or menopause.

“I’d just split up with my last lover and my heart was so broken that I took the pledge that no more men who weren’t up to my standard would merit a second glance. I’d fmally hit rock bottom.

After a life spent charming the pants off men, I just wanted a little peace of mind. I wanted for people to be kind to me. I wanted sexual leasure.

Of course I still

fantasise about being with a man in bed, and at these times, I get out the vibrator and the Astroglide. I dated my cute vibrator exclusively for years.

“It was at this time my married women friends began to menton how rarely they had sex. It was not just them, or menopause.

Their husbands didn’t want sex that often either, and the women felt both relieved and lonely.

They sometimes faked orgasm because they were not aroused enough, and while they wanted the man to feel great about

forwards and quickly draw them back and thrust them forth again. Keep this to and fro movement of the feet going continually. If you break the rhythm by hesitating you rill immediately fail to keep going. You may do as few as 5 thrusts and withdrawals of the feet initially and then increase the number of times as you improve.

Benefits: The Rocking toughens the upper thigh and abdominal muscles.

The exercise is reputed to also improve the soundness of sleep.

The Abdominal Lift Technique: Standing with the feet about a foot apart, breathe in deeply and

*The Rocking

his prowess, they also wanted to get it over with so they could get the credit, the cuddling and the nap! So, whenever I travelled, I often get them boxes of vibrators, never failing to point to the faces of women on the boxes easing the stress of a frustrated sex life. I always bought them bottles of Astroglide too.

It was heaven.

My sexua11y frustrated friends now “had the choice to be a sexy, juicy old lady when they grew up, whether or not they find a healthy partner. It’s so heartening to know tht today, so many people are using sex toys.

Vibrators have helped some women have orgasms for the first time, and since women now expect sexual pleasures, it makes sense they would buy sex toys. Vibrators are getting smaller these days and a box-load of them guarantees a lot of profit! Every woman should own at least one sex toy. It’s like buying a daring designer dress - you may not end up wearing it, but it’s there for when you want to try it!”

exhale forcefully. Now, with the breath out, draw in the muscles of the abdomen until you have a hollow forming beneath the ribs. The hands should be placed on the thighs and the knees bent a little.

Keep the trunk a bit tipped forward but don’t lower it.

Maintain the retraction of the diaphragm by keeping both hands firmly pressed against the thighs as you lean on them.

Keep the position for as long as can be without breathing.

Then, ease up, stand erect and begin to breathe normally. Repeat only once more if you’re just stating this exercise. As regards this very exercise, Indra Devi advises gradually bringing it up to seven times adding one time each week.

Warning: People with a weak heart or serious abdominal or circulatory problems should refrain from this exercise.

Yoga Classes STARTED *The Abdominal Lift

Physical Therapy Centre @ 32 Ademola,

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P AGE 24 — SUND AY Vanguard, NO VEMBER 15 , 2015 SUNDA NOVEMBER

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A cougar confesses: Men of my age don’t do It well for me!

U

bong, just turned 63 and a grandmother recalled a recent date she had with a man ‘her age’. A merry widow in the real sense of the word, she’s a fairly successful real estate agent and spent a fortune looking after herself - and the results are spectacular.

Against her better judgement, she’d decided to go to the movies with him when he kept raving about a Nollywood film he was involved with.

“Shuffling selfconsciously in his seat beside me at the cinema, I sensed that this my date, was about to make his first move: said Ubong,” “He went for the old’:fashioned romantic option and gently took my hand in his and gave me a squeeze. But rather than making my heart melt, the gesture made me cringe.

“Staring ahead at the scream, all I could think was: ‘How soon can I extract my hand from his without appearing rude? I waited a few seconds, subtly slipped my hand out of his grasp and edged myself away from him. At 66, Ovie was a few years older than me. We’d been introduced by a mutual friend who thought we would be a good match.

Ovie was a wealthy, highly successful, intelligent, divorced chap who’s invested in several profitable ventures. He owned homes here and abroad and is supposed to tick every box going on a date with me. In the flesh, however, it was another story. He was scruffy with a scratchylooking grey beard that made him look horribly unkempt.

He also suffered from a bad back, which gave him an old man’s gait. The thought of

being intimate with him repulsed me. If he looked so unappealing in his clothes, what on earth would he look like naked?

“I tried to push aside mental images of grey chest hair, a sweaty bald patch and a flabby stomach. There was no way I could ever sleep with this man.

Not tonight. Not ever!

In fact, if they were like this, I doubted whether I could ever sleep with any man my own age.

Experience had shown I was better off with toyboys, so why have a swing to the other end of the age scale?

A few months ago, before my 63rd birthday, my friends made it known they were fed up with my escapades with toyboys. I was urged to try a man my age. One of the more unpleasant accusations was that my adventures with younger men had turned me into ‘shop soiled goods’, and that this would deter any ‘nice’ man. According to this friend, my actions meant I faced a sad and lonely old age. Try man my age.

“While I could easily disregard the vitriolic views of my friends, some of whom I suspected were merely jealous or prudish, I did feel it would be sensible to put my experience in perspective by dating some older men. Surely they had charms and allure of their own? And so it was I decided to date this ageing industrialist. We had dinner at his palatial residence, and yes, it was easy to converse with a man who ‘had’ the same things as me. Yet, as the conversation steered predictably down the safe avenues of favourite holiday spots and people

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"

Advice for lovers

1. If a man is crazy about you, pray he doesn't get well, if he is getting well, know that

he’d worked with, my mind wandered back to those playful exchanges I’d enjoyed with one of my favourite younger chaps, during our wonderful sexy afternoons.

“Aged 32, I teased him endlessly about political figures he had no clue about.

But he was confident about his toned body and what to do with it. Was I being too fussy? Had my flings with younger men led me to set the bar unrealistically high? Let’s face it, a paunchy man fast approaching his 70th birthday will not compare favourably with a 32-yearold stud. But let’s turn the table. If I was frumpy, over weight, with unkempt grey hair and dressed in sensible shoes and polyester slacks, would Evie have asked me out in the first place? No! So why on earth should I settle for an out-ofcondition old

codger like him just because society deems it appropriate for me?

Especially not when I still feel vibrant and youthful enough to attract the hot young thirty-somethings of this world?

“Since Evie, I’ve crossed paths with other older men and I’ve discovered how world-weary and bitter they can be, desperate to off-load their emotional baggage on any female who would listen. One top civil servant in his 50s stifled me with his tales of woe. “I divorced my wife after only four years of marriage and haven’t found a replacement since then. And that was 18 years ago,” he whined.

Yawn. “My longest relationship was barely two years.

Why is that? Why am I so hopeless when it comes to women? What is it about me? Am I not attractive?”

No, you’re not, I wanted to

another woman is giving him some tablets.

2. First love may not die, but true love can bury it.

3. If you still believe "LOVE IS BLIND" then I know for sure MARRIAGE WILL OPEN IT FOR YOU. 4. A woman's beautiful face attracts a flirt; a woman's beautiful heart attracts a lover; a woman's beautiful character attracts a man.

5. Don't fall in love because you are lonely, fall in love because you are ready.

6. A blessed garri is better than a cursed fried rice.

A Godly poor man is far better than an angry rich man in marriage.

7. I will rather have you stay in your father's house that you are sure of, than pack into a man's house you are not sure

bark. Because you whinge and whine the whole time.

“Another date launched into a tirade against his former wife, claiming she was a terrible woman who’d had affairs and abandoned their children. Then he started on his subsequent partner - she was a selfish golddigging alcoholic apparently. I’ve got my own gripes about exes, but I wouldn’t dream of bad- mouthing them to a virtual stranger.

“Let’s face it, to days middle-aged men are clueless about most things. They’re not great on grooming, mistakenly taking their lead from the young. I mean, designer stubble can look sexy on a cute 30-year-old, but it makes a 62-year- old look like a dishevelled pensioner. On the other hand, mature women these days are all too aware of the importance

of taking care of the face, hair and body, and of dressing well in order to hold the interest of the opposite sex. Why don’t older men think the same rules also apply to them?

“And it isn’t just about appearance. Older men don’t seem to know how to conduct themselves around women. They hail from the era when ‘men were men.’ They were the provider, the defender.

They made the moves, they called the shots. But that doesn’t wash in a modem society filled with strong, independent women. The balance of power has shifted and this seems to confuse a lot of 55-plus men, even the successful ones. They don’t know whether they should pay for dinner, or whether it’s OK to compliment you on your legs.

“Men in their 30s neither know nor care about ‘rules’. Used to the notion of equality between the sexes, they are more spontaneous and natural.

If they think you look sexy, they tell you. If they disagree with you, they tell you.

And a lot of them are financially independent not the gold-diggers they’re often painted to be.

A few months back, I entered an enjoyable parttime relationship with a man who lives outside the state. Every few weeks, he comes to Lagos to see me his ‘naughty secret.’ At 37, he’s no youngster, but he’s still almost two decades younger than me. I see him as a sort of compromise. He is neither young enough to be my grandson nor old enough to look like my father. It will end at some point, probably when his wife finds out, but for now this arrangement will do me very nicely, thank you!”

of.

8. Most men base their capacity of manhood and their ability to fertilize ovaries and produce children. Any man can impregnate a woman. The real deal is HOW MANY MEN CAN BE THE FATHER TO THEIR CHILDREN, not promoters of ABORTION? 9. HOLY wives don't just speak in tongues, they MANAGE their homes, make SUPER meals, raise GODLY kids, and bring out the KING in their man.

10. When you tend to your garden diligently you will be the one to reap the fruit of the vine thereof....

Be wise in your choice.

Chris Onunaku dekris4real@gmail.com

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 25 08116759757

•Jude Ngaji

Audacity of Calabar robbers!

By Emmanuel Una

O

ne of the first appointments made

by Professor Ben Ayade, Cross River State governor, was that of a retired army officer, General Bamis Nyam, to head a new security outfit, Operation Skolombo. The outfit was set up with the goal of combating rising crime wave in Calabar, the state capital, and other parts of the state.

To position the outfit to achieve this onerous task, it was equipped with vehicles and weapons while operatives from the police, the navy, and the airforce were deployed to it.

Operation Skolombo held hope for the residents of the Calabar who expectated that , in conjunction with the police, it will stem crime wave which has pervaded the city since 2014.

With its reinvigorated mandate and equipment, the outfit has been carrying out patrols both night and day all round the capital city.

But these measures seem inadequate to address crime in Calabar, a city once seen as the “safest and most peaceful in Nigeria”, and thus the pride of the leaders and people of the state.

So much has changed in the city such that, today, residents, often described as C M Y K

•Government to the rescue

Nigeria’s tourism hub, feel the activities of hoodlums who operate at all times of the day, whether in the dark or broad daylight with audacity. They rob, hijack cars, break into houses, snatch bags, rape and kidnap.

Incidents involving men of the underworld in one month were in excess of 20.

On September 15, Leo Aggrey, a lawyer and former Director General of the state Border Communities Development Commission, was attacked and robbed of an undisclosed sum of money in his house at the state Housing Estate in Calabar. At about that same time, Ntufam Elegance Edim , a former Executive Secretary of the Calabar Urban Development Authority, was attacked and left with machete wounds.

On September 27, five armed men, operating in a tricycle, attacked a pool's betting company located at Bassey Duke Street at about 4 00 pm and took away money earmarked for winners. Soon thereafter, an electronics shop at Mary Slessor Round About was broken into and products for sale carted away. Mr Patrick Ogana, a staff of the Ministry of Agriculture, was

attacked and dispossessed of his Toyota Avalon car while Mr. Okoro, a jewelry dealer operating along Harcourt Street, had his shop burgled and emptied of jewelries. Another trader, Jones Ebai, had his Toyota car, parked in the front of his house at Edim Otop, stolen.

Phone shops, provision stores, residential apartments and student hostels also had their dose of attacks by hoodlums in Calabar who raped and carted away valuables.

Poor power supply to

Phone shops, provision stores, residential apartments and student hostels also had their dose of attacks by hoodlums in Calabar who raped and carted away valuables

Calabar has made venturing out at night in the city a dreadful and risky adventure as one could be attacked at the slightest opportunity. A journalist, who preferred anonymity, narrated his experience when he went on an outing recently. “I went to the Margaret Ekpo Airport field for a drink after which I went into my car to have a chat with my companion.

All of a sudden, two young men emerged from nowhere and started flashing light on my face and commanding me to roll the side glass of my car down. When I refused, they broke my screen, pointed gun at me and demanded for our phones which we quickly handed to them. It was a nightmare”.

Tales like this are everywhere in Calabar. The Cross River State Security Adviser, Mr Jude Ngaji, told Sunday Vanguard that security issues are among the concerns of Governor Ayade who is committing so much resources to ensure safety of lives and property in the state.

He said, recently, the state government, in conjunction with the Nigerian Air Force, bombarded the creeks of the Calabar channel which he

described as a hideout for hoodlums and also pulled down some brothels where men of the underworld hide.

Ngaji said the state could not be overwhelmed by criminals, saying government was taking a proactive step to stem crime. ``The state government is planning to wipe out crime.

We can’t sit with criminals and negotiate. We must show them the way out of the state”, he stated. ``The joint patrol team of security men are on the streets, and so far the Nigeria Police has done very well” He said the clampdown on criminals in the state was yielding result, adding that there was a quick intervention centre set up to respond to distress calls at any time of the day.

“Men of the police force and QIS have been deployed to crime prone areas of the state to ensure lives and property are safe”, the security adviser said. ``The government of Gov. Ayade is a new government; we are working hard to ensure that, in a few months, the issue of insecurity in some areas of the state is a thing of the past.

PAGE 26— SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

08116759757

Regenerative medicine treats prostrate cancer, diabetes, infertility with fat, blood – Dr Ikudayisi One thing about medical treatments is that they mostly come with side effects. What side effects does regenerative medicine have?

One thing about regenerative medicine is that it is autologous, meaning that we use the patient's own body part. So, there is no documented major side effects or infection, up till today, especially if the “procedure is done correctly.

It even works as anti-body to some extent because it makes sure there is no new reaction since it is your own body part that is being given back to you. If you use fat, there may be some discomfort from the part we harvested the fat. After some time, the discomfort goes away. That is all.

By Oladimeji Folashade

D

r. David Ikudayisi, a Nigerian-American, is a specialist in regenerative medicine based in Florida, United States (US). In this interview, Ikudayisi discloses that fat and blood extracted from the body can be used to treat human ailments including cancer, diabetes and infertility. He also speaks on anti-aging therapy.

What is regenerative medicine all about?

This specialist segment of medicine helps people to naturally regenerate and rejuvenate their bodies from the different conditions they may be suffering from without using chemicals or the orthodox medicine we are used to. We use the patients' own blood and fat to treat them, and they look more beautiful and younger.

How does this happen?

Patients come to us with different complaints, and if they fall into the category of the ailments we treat, we take their blood, process it and inject into the area of the problem. In the case of the fat, we process it as well and give it back to the patients for administration.

The blood or fat, when processed, goes into the body and accelerates the healing process naturally and the patient ailing situation improves over time.

Can all parts of the human body benefit from this specialist aspect of medicine?

Most parts of the body can benefit from this treatment. They include the eye, the lung, the heart, the kidney, the joints, the hair, facial skin, female urinary incontinence, even the breast tissue for women who don't want to be cut open, and poor sexual performance. You can get 100% satisfaction in the treatment of the female and male sexual function enhancement. The process can save marriages and relationships.

Does this treatment apply to complicated but common ailments like cancer, diabetes, infertility, etc?

In men, there is what we call prostate cancer. The treatment has proved to be proficient in the shrinking or the slow-down of the progression of this aspect of cancer.

The treatment with regenerative medicare of other aspects of cancer is still being researched into. In the case of fertility, it depends on the issue the woman has. For instance, if the woman's infertility is a product of multiple abortion, what happens is that we do a procedure to regenerate and rejuvenate the wall of the womb. “That way, the womb can hold the fertilized egg and the patient can conceive. There are researches on other ways regenerative medicine can treat infertility. For the diabetes patient, regenerative medical treatment improves the efficiency of the pancreas. For the heart, it improves the functionality. If a patient requires heart transplant, after the treatment, you find that he can walk more distance.

Ultimately, the patient does not need heart transplant. For chronic C M Y K

It is curious that fat and blood extracted from the body can have healing properties. What makes it so?

The growth factor in the blood is what activates the healing process at a faster rate. And the stem cells in the adult fat can differentiate into any tissue where they find themselves.

•Ikudayisi...Regenerative medicine treatment works as anti-body obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), problem of the lungs, people who can't breath, they use oxygen on daily basis, after the treatment, using the patient's blood or fat, or both, they improve and get off the oxygen supplement.

How long does it take for the result of the treatment to start manifesting in the patient ? That

is, if I commence regenerative medical treatment today, when do I likely to get improvement in my system?

Full improvement can come as early as three months, but the initial signs come around 21 days (three weeks). In some ailments, it can even be earlier than three weeks.

In six months, the body continues to regenerate and rejuvenate.

What is the advantage of using fat over blood and vice versa for regenerative treatment? And what is the advantage of using both blood and fat?

The blood has growth factors that attract the stem cells to the area where the plasma is injected. The adult fat already has stem cells which can differentiate into any tissue where they find themselves.

The combination of “both is better in some of the procedures.

Regenerative medicine, going by the advantage of not having to cut open a patient as it is with the

Afromedia: My EFCC story — Mohammed Gobir

By Kennedy Mbele

A

lhaji Mohammed Gobir, a former Chairman of the Business Development Committee of Afromedia Plc, has said the business transaction for which the Managing Director of the outdoor company, Mr. Akin Olopade, reported him to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has nothing to do with Afromedia.

In an interview in Abuja, he said it was purely a transaction involving both of them and that making it look like it was an Afromedia deal was wrong.

Gobir had been picked up from his Ikoyi, Lagos residence on Saturday, September 12 by operatives of EFCC and detained for four days.

He was told the allegation against him revolved around '419' and corporate fraud. The EFCC had acted on Olapade's accusation against Gobir that he illegally collected $3,500,000, N514,457,151.87, $2,102,740 and 51,000 Pounds Sterling at various times through a phony investment deal.

But Gobir denied the allegation. According to him, he was not given any opportunity to state his own side of the story before the incident was made

•Alhaji Mohammed Gobir public.

Gobir said as the executive in charge of Business Development at Afromedia, his main duty was to secure high level business opportunities for the company. It was on this basis, he said, that in one of the private meetings he held with Olopade, both of them agreed on the possibility of the company exploring and receiving capital investments following the meltdown in the Nigerian stock market. In accessing the capital investment, money was required part of which was allegedly expended by Olopade, who was said to have later requested for refund and several payments made to him.

Both men allegedly disagreed on the balance to be paid having

deducted earlier payments from the total sum, with the two parties resorting to legal redress.

Gobir said if he was fraudulent or wanted to commit '419' as Olopade and the EFCC alleged, he would not have started making refund to Olopade after they decided to end the business deal.

He said he had refunded to the Afromedia Managing Director N100m, $52,000 and £21,000 all of which are documented. He said it was after he started making the refund to Olapade that the EFCC came to his house to arrest him.

orthodox medicine, must be expensive. How expensive is it?

It all depends on the presentation. But there are many things involved. It may be expensive because of the technology that regenerative medicine comes with, and the advancement of the treatment, and the skills of the personnel. But life has no price.

Health is wealth. So this aspect of medicine is good for everybody who believes in good health.

You currently operate in the US. And whereas you are an American citizen, you are also a Nigerian.

What plans are on ground to make Nigerians benefit from your specialist area of medicine?

I am thinking in the direction of making regenerative medicine available to Nigerians locally as early as January 2016 so that they don't have to travel out for the treatment.

How did you train in this specialist area of medicine?

I was born in Nigeria and attended Federal Government College, Ido-Ani. I was in the University of Ibadan where I was admitted on merit for medicine in 1988. Then I got a scholarship to study in Russia in 1989 when I won the only slot for medical scholarship through the Bureau for External Aid (BEA). I had my medical education in Moscow when I left UI after spending one year. I was at Moscow Medical Institute. From there, I went to the US for additional training where I did my intership and Fellowship training. After that, because of my experience in France with cosmetics and aesthetic surgery during my medical student years, I got interested in anti-aging, cosmetics and “aesthetics, making people look younger.

Your interest in medicine, was it a childhood ambition or something that came as you grew older?

Since I was a kid. I had always loved the medical field. One of my uncles used to be a doctor in the US. That actually motivated me into wanting to go into medicine as a child.

What have been the challenges?

There are challenges really. But with determination, there is no hurdle you cannot scale. For instance, while in Moscow, I had the challenges of the language and being far away from home.

But if you have a focus and you are determined to make your dream a reality, with God, all things are possible

Group faults Okowa’s tribunal victory

A

GROUP, Niger-Delta Youths, Women and Se curity Movement for Buhari, has faulted the judgment of the Delta State governorship election petition tribunal, describing it as a setback to the change and transformation agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari in the state.

The group in a statement through its national president, Comrade Felix Ubokan, said such judgments are capable of thwarting the effort of the president in his drive to bring sanity to this

country.

The group took this position yesterday during the meeting of the national executive from the nine states of the Niger-Delta region held in Asaba, describing the judgment as one hijacked by the ruling party in the state.

They also use the medium to laud the judgment of Rivers and Akwa Ibom states governorship election petition tribunal, saying Delta should have borrowed a leave from those of Rivers and Akwa Ibom.

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 27

Deeper Life Seeks Spiritual Intervention in Osun

By Gbenga Olarinoye, OSOGBO

T

he General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W.F Kumuyi, will, for 13 days, hold crusades at three different camps in Osun State to intercede for the state.

Kumuyi, an indigene of the state, would be seeking spiritual intervention on the knotty issues the state is contending with.

The State Overseer of the church, Pastor Biola Adeniran, said the three days crusade ,tagged: “Season of Total Liberation for Osun State”, would run from November 17 in the three senatorial districts of the state.

His words: “The entire state requires total spiritual liberation. Only God can solve the avalanche of problems facing the state and the General

Superintendent, Pastor W.F Kumuyi as a stakeholder in the state and an indigene has always been concerned about the welfare of the state.

“As we are all aware of the present doldrums in the economic, security and social life of our great nation, this is time God arose and heal our land.

“It is a well-known fact that Osun is going through hard times, on various levels. It is very easy to identify several abnormalities in our social educational and even political set-up and the serious thirst of all who wish the State well is for total liberation from the clutches of the multifarious problems confronting the state.

“The threatening economic

melt-down being experienced by the State has left its negative marks on the economic growth of the State. It has also led to the retrogression in the educational sector due to incessant strikes and low morale among teachers who are struggling with how to survive due to inability of government to pay salaries as at when due.

“The State of Osun requires total spiritual liberation. Only God can solve the avalanche of problems facing the state”.

“The General Superintendent, Pastor W.F. Kumuyi, as a stakeholder in the state and an indegene, has always been concerned about the welfare of the state”.

NCE mos or ged cer tif icat mostt ffor orged certif tificat icatee in Nigeria — Adumu, educationist

BY KELECHUKWU IRUOMA inister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adumu, M has been urged to reinvent National Certificate of Education, NCE, in order to stem forgery of certificates.

Speaking at a press conference to announce the th 20 anniversary of Trinity International College, Ofada, Ogun State, billed to start on

*Asks new minister to stem the tide

November 19, the Chairman, Board of Directors, Mr. Samuel Olatunji, said NCE was the most forged in Nigeria.

He said: “The greatest problem in education sector is forgery of NCE. NCE is destroying education in Nigeria.

That is why we don’t have quality teachers in the sector. There is a massive forgery of NCE. Mallam Adamu should ensure that certificates are reinvented in

Nigeria, so that all the forgery will disappear”.

He urged President Mohammadu Buhari to prioritize education.”The agenda of this government should be to achieve three things: education, education and education. Education is life.

The new millennium development goals prioritizes eradication of extreme poverty as number one; education as number two and education and number three”,

Adamu stated The Chairman revealed that the anniversary would kick off with a public lecture, onThursday, at the college compound, with a foundation laying ceremony of a 500-seater multi-purpose hall and other activities. Saturday would feature an alumni dinner/award night at Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja and Sunday thanksgiving service and luncheon.

Pfizer’s bid to bridge nutrition gap

BY VICTORIA OJEME

P

fizer has launched a multivitamin supplement, Centrum, to help people bridge nutrition gap.

Speaking at the launch, in Abuja, the Director, Marketing,

Pfiizer, Consumer Healthcare, Sue Cartwright, said, “We have brought a range of five different variants into Nigeria which are all NAFDAC approved. The range is for different ages and different life styles. Based on age, it is something that is needed for pregnancy or healthy living.

We have one for adults, one for over 50, one for children and then pregnancy and one for extra adult.

Explaining the science behind the products, Cartwright said: “Since 1978, a lot of science and development has been put in place. We have clinically tested all of our products and we have done numerous clinical trials using Centrum globally. More than a hundred thousand years of clinical studies exist; so we can prove that our products are excellent. If you get a lot of products from the market, you can never really test whether the quality is there. The whole science behind multi vitamin is that you need it in a balanced ratio. That is what Centrum is all about”.

She went on: “It is a very complex market, so we

C M Y K

thought of introducing to our colleagues, our customers at wwwcvo. It is a little bit challenging because there is lot of Centrum in the market already, but it is very exciting because consumers show interest in partnering with us to grow a very strong brand. So we are very excited about the

possibilities there for us.

“No clinical science has been done specifically within the Nigerian population, but when it comes to multi vitamins, they are lots of studies within Africa specifically within the role that supplementation can play in helping mutation integration of HIV AIDS”.

Delta councillor donates to less raised the money from privileged pupils have friends and well wisher,” and

BY SIMON ADEWALE

A

ided by an oil outfit, Nepal Oil and Gas Ltd operating in his constituency, the Councillor representing

ward 13 in Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state, Mr. Aghogho Meretin, has put smile on the faces of pupils in primary 1 to 3 of Ibori, Ajanesa and Uherevie Primary Schools, all in Oghara, headquarters of the council, when he donated educational material including one thousand two hundred copies of “You Must Read Phonetics” workbook 1, 2 and 3 worth over N500,000, to the pupuils.

Moved by the gesture of the Councilor, Chairman of the

council, Mr Solomon Golley wondered how the donor was able to fund the donation, say, “I am left with no other conclusion than, to say he must

urged other councilors to follow suit. Earlier, Headmistress of the school, Mrs. Elizabeth Otobo had thanked the donor for his kind gesture adding that he (donor) had earlier provided free school uniforms and paid school fees for the less privileged pupils in several public schools in the council area. Speaking at the donation ground, Mr Meretin, ascribed his gesture to his determination to fufil his campaign promises to his constituency, adding that, “I thank the management of Nepal Oil and Gas Ltd operating in my constituency which has made my dream and focus on the education sector a reality. A good education is the best legacy that an average Nigerian parent can bequeath to the children who are the leaders of tomorrow.”

PromoXchange unveils platform PromoXchange has unveiled a reward platform for consumers, using technology solution that turns a mobile phone into an account that accumulates points on procurement of goods and services.

According to Mr Adebiyi Oke, co-founder/CEO, for a long time, the raffle mechanism has been used to reward customers during promotion. “But the question arises, why do customers with less transaction value or less spend win at the expense of other customers that have contributed more to the business bottom line?

PromoXchange provides answers to these questions and lots more by offering new and exciting ways to reward true patronage using a combination of instant and life enriching rewards to attract customers”, Oke stated.

“PromoXchange, a customercentric and first of its kind technology solution provider, has several compelling tactics that ensures that channel partners, brand customers, including consumer behaviour are influenced which ultimately results in increased transaction and consumption of products, goods and services.

In the long run, together as partners, PromoXchange works with brands towards stimulating product usage that drives brands success in the market place”.

Domino dismisses discrimination claim According to her, Centrum is manufactured in Pfizer plants in the U.S, China and Europe. “We don’t have the possibility of starting up new plants at this stage. In terms of the investment that we are bringing into Nigeria, it is very more from marketing operations to support pharmacists”, she stated.

“For us, it is about partnering with pharmacists to get consistent supply of products so they don’t have to buy huge volumes at a time.

“We obviously will be working closely with NAFDAC to determine whether we need to put the SMS codes on the products, but they are not on the products at the moment.

Meanwhile, the products that we have in Nigeria are not counterfeit; they are from the U.S or Canada, and we don’t have counterfeit Centrum. “We are targeting health professionals, doctors and pharmacists and we will be going directly to the consumer through campaigns in newspaper and television.

“Centrum is indicated to

help bridge nutrition gap resulting from poor diet; so if you do not eat a balanced diet, you need to ensure that you get in your food range of nutrients to prevent illnesses and diseases”.

Domino Pizza chain of restaurants says it is not selective in customer service.

It also dismissed the claim Domino Pizza was an expensive brand. Marketing Coordinator of the firm, Ufuoma Ogeleka, said: “Those who have connected with us know that our pizza is for everyone.

We try to be transparent and run an open door policy to help the visibility and the inculcation of the brand in the Nigerian market”.

Lotto reward for 30

By Onozure Dania Nigeria Golden Chance Lotto has rewarded 30 sub-agents.

The lucky winners were given awards in three categories. The highest category was awarded with ten tricycles and cash sum of N30, 000 each. The other categories won double door deep freezers and television sets; they were also given N20, 000 and N12, 000 respectively.

Speaking at the award ceremony, the Managing Director of the firm, Mr Charles Arthur, said the award was as a result of their hard work . He said that without the sub-agents, the rewards wouldn’t have been possible because there was no time you didn’t see them working even when it was raining, encouraging people to play the game.

PAGE 28 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

AYO ONIKOYI 08052201215

Priest Bo t. Sabina mar ks 75 with re tirement Boyyo of S St. marks retirement

T

he Priest of St. Sabina Catholic Church, IdiMangoro, Agege, Very Rev. Msgr. Christopher Adebowale EdemaOritse Boyo, on October 29, 2015 clocked 75 years of age and to celebrate a life well spent in the vineyard of God, the entire archdiocese of Lagos, particularly his parish, celebrated him even as he marked his retirement. See photos

by Akeem Salau

.

L-R: Msgr Livinus Ukah, Very Revd. Father Ofuya Daniel, Msgr John Aniagwu; Very Revd Msgr Christopher Adebowale Edema Boyo, celebrant;n Msgr Obanla Anthony;V ery Revd Patrick Aclsichei and Very Revd Patrick Arowele.

L-R: Adaeze Ekwueme, Dr.(Mrs) Helen Ekwueme,Very Revd Msgr Christopher Adebowale Edema Boyo,celebrant, Dr Alex Ekwueme, Mrs Tolulope Kamanda and Mr Raphael Kamanda

Bellos and Baloguns nuptial union

T

he Nikkah/wedding between former Miss Fatimah Shittu Bello, daughter of Alhaji and Alhaja Shittu Bello and Mr Ibrahim Otuoze Balogun, son of Chief and Mrs Abubakar Ozi Balogun took place at Kota, Ekiti recently. Both families treated their guests to deluxe refreshments and souvenirs.

L-R: Mrs Pat Imomoh; Mr Charles Hammond and Mrs. Aba Oputa.

L-R: Mrs Victoria Igbene, Mrs Edith Grant, Chief Tessa Egbe Ikimi and Mrs Bose Clarke.

Newly wedded couple , Mr & Mrs Ibrahim Otuoze Balogun flanked by groom’s parents, Chief & Mrs Abu Ozi Balogun

L-R: Chief Sena Anthony, Senator Daisy Danjuma and Mrs Violet Hecksher.

N

Award

igeria Youth Parliament Leadership Award of Excellence was recently conferred on Dr. Nwanze Ezeom, Provost Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, Delta State.

L-R: Chief Sena Anthony; Lady Maiden Ibru and Ms Augusta Chibututu.

New Lion President District 404 B2 TERESE Ihenacho has been installed the 10th President of Viva L’Amour Lions Club in Lagos.

Newly wedded couple , Mr. & Mrs. Ibrahim Otuoze Balogun flanked by bride’s parents, Alhaji & Alhaja Shittu Bello.

From Left: Hon.Azeezat Yussuf, Head of Mission, Nigeria Youth Parliament, presenting an award to Dr. Nwanze Ezeom, Provost, Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, while Mrs, Josephine Anene Okeakwa, Dep. Provost,looks on.

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L-R: Imediate Past President, Viva L'Amour Lions Club, Mrs. Gloria Moweta; President, Viva L'Amour Lions Club, Engr. Terese Ijeoma Ihenacho; Chairperson, Region 4 Lion International, District 404 B2, Lion. Elizabeth Pacheco; and District Governor, District 404 B2, Dr. Funke Adebayo,

The couple: Mr & Mrs Ibrahim Otuoze Balogun flanked by friends

SUNDAY, Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15 , 2015, PAGE 29

Ok olugbo dedicat es ne w cor porat e of Okolugbo dedicates new corporat porate offfice

S

ir and Lady Ken Okolugbo had friends and family friends together when they dedicated the corporate office of Ken-Kol Nigeria Limited in Lekki on November, 8, 2015. The occasion was preceded by a thanksgiving service officiated by the Lord Bishop of Ndokwa Diocese, Rt. Revd.

David Obiosa. Many dignitaries graced the event.

HRM Enyi Friday Abaja, The Ukwata 1 of Umukwata Kingdom (1st right), the celebrant (3rd right), Chief Ominimini (L) and well wishers.

The Ndokwa Woman Association led by its President Dr. Mrs. Roseline Tilije (middle) with the celebrant, dancing

Cross section of Ndokwa Women at the event

Officiating priest: The Lord Bishop of Ndokwa Diocese, Rt. Rev. David Obiosa praying for the celebrant, friends and family members.

Kehinde Gbadamosi buries mum in style

K

ehinde Gbadamosi, photojournalist with Vanguard Media took friends and colleagues all the way to Ibadan for the final burial ceremony of his late mum, Madam Bintu Adufe Gbdamosi. The burial party held at Yemetu Police Barracks and it was merry time for everyone present.

L-R: Mrs Fausat Badaru, Mr Nurudeen Gbadamosi, Otunba Kola Olasupo, Mrs Sadia , and Mr Kehinde Gbadamosi, all children of the late Mother Bintu

Group picture of friends and colleagues.

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L-R: Celebrant, Sir Ken Okolugbo, HRM Enyi Friday Abaja, The Ukwata I of Umukwata Kingdom in Delta State and SA to the Deputy Speaker, DSHA.

Mojisola and Sunda Sundayy

F

ormer Miss Temidoro Mojisola Oluwadamilola signed off her maiden name recently to become Mrs Sunday Atoyebi. Their wedding was witnessed by their families and friends

L-R: Mr Ademola Akinlabi, Chairman of PJAN, Mr Gboyega Ogunosun, Mr Kola Akinro, and Mr Felix Ademola.

L-R: Mr Tayo Odusanya, Mr Tunji Obasa, Mr Najeem Raheem, Miss Mariam, Mr Femi Kuti, Mr Segun Bakare, and Mr. Dare Fasube .

The new couple: Mr and Mrs Sunday Atoyebi

PAGE 30—SUNDAY

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Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 31

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PAGE 32—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

By JIDE AJANI

P

resident Muhammadu Buhari should not allow Nigerians to go away with the impression that he does not seem to have respect for the Constitution in the area of the structure of Nigeria’s election management body.

The 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria did not envisage a situation where a President will choose to engage a partial, piecemeal constitution of a board as sensitive as that of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Nor are Nigerians finding it funny that the selfsame INEC that saw to the emergence of Buhari, by adhering to global best practices in election management issues, would be treated with such levity.

This analysis would show why the President must abort this voyage.

That President Muhammadu Buhari, last month, nominated more members into the board of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, came as salutary. But the nominations came far short of the constitutional requirement of a full board for the election management body.

A month prior to the appointment of six national electoral officers for the Commission, the government of Buhari came under several criticisms for not only attempting to undermine the independence of the electoral management body, but also for its negligence of the enabling legal frameworks which also constitutes another suspected attempt to undermine the functionality of INEC. But rather than correct these omissions, the government made piecemeal appointments to the Commission to barely meet the legal requirements to conduct elections. That is not the spirit of the Constitution.

This perpetuation of a less that holistic constitution of the INEC board with less than the required appointees necessary to meet the functions of the Commission questions the extent or depth of understanding of the President on the origins and utility of an election management body.

Clearly, the vision of Buhari regarding election management and its importance as a pillar of democratic societies appears to be falling short of internationally recognised benchmarks.

In 1973, there were less than 46 free democracies out of the 152 countries in the world; and, by 1990, more than 120 countries had become electoral democracies. Many countries that have become more developed have had their democracies sustained

INEC BOARD OF SIX

Buhari and the wrong signal!

•Constitu tion sa ys there shall be 1 2 •Constitution says 12 Commissioners and a National Chairman principally by adherence and respect for the enabling legal frameworks which guide their electoral processes.

The electoral legal framework, comprising the Constitution, Electoral Act, judicial electoral decisions and the by-laws and guidelines generated by election management bodies, is the DNA that sustains the practice and goals of democratic development.

Deviation from the framework is often an early sign that a country is drifting away from democratic standards.

It is thus a frightening realisation that the Buhari government had to be reminded, nay even threatened by court litigation, before it conformed to the basic structural requirement regarding the constitution of the INEC board, and it lived up to its obligation of constituting the minimum number of appointees required to conduct an election.

The Constitution, in stating that the board of national bodies be constituted in Section 153, did not direct that half, one third or any fraction of a board should be constituted.

Recent queries in government quarters regarding this anomaly had been responded to by the explanation that the government is hoping to stagger the

tenures end in one single group.

This is a weak excuse for government not being proactive in meeting its obligations of constituting boards as and when

The board of INEC is 12 commissioners and a National Chairman - the latter is expected to break any deadlock in the event of a stalemate in decisionmaking appointments to boards such as INEC in order not to erode the legality in the functions of the board when the

due.

The tenure of any board should be public knowledge and constituting such boards in time should be the proactive function of a responsible government.

Many observers of the Buhari government, unable to discern policy direction from its taciturn disposition on policies, have resorted to reading its perceived body language - perhaps wrongly.

If the body language of the government regarding election management is anything to go by, it may be concluded, rightly or wrongly, that election quality and election integrity are not priorities of the government, whereas these were the main reasons the President was able to gain political power after over a decade of political competition.

It is indeed a shocking embarrassment to discover that a President who, benefited from good governance and best global practices in election management, needed the legal advocacy of the civil society and, even more specifically, Sunday Vanguard, to be reminded that a

subsisting court order requires that INEC needed a board to conduct elections.

Worse still, now, and despite that reminder, Mr. President has only made halfhearted attempt to constitute the board - he has

appointed only half the constitutionally required board.

A government, which is not proactive in ensuring that the structures of election management conforms with the enabling legal framework by properly constituting the structures of electoral governance, is subconsciously sending a wrong signal that it may not be trusted to observe the principle underpinning free and fair elections. Buhari does not need this baggage.

Nigerians should not be made to begin to doubt the sincerity and honesty of the President in the area of free elections.

The board of INEC is 12 commissioners and a National Chairman - the latter is expected to break any deadlock in the event of a stalemate in decisionmaking.

And because Sunday Vanguard published a High Court judgment which says the quorum of INEC cannot be less that five, does not in any way confer on Mr. President the magna charter to constitute a board with just six members instead of 13 - this sends a wrong signal.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 33

•Umar

N10 million bribery scandal: Presidency in dilemma over CCT Chair? *EFCC retrieves N1.8 m to be used as exhibit *Attorney General approves prosecution of Umar, removal from office SONI DANIEL, NORTHERN REGION EDITOR

T

he Presidency is in dilemma over what to do with the embattled Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Jusice Danladi Umar, who has been embroiled in a N10 million bribery scandal, forcing the two other members of the tribunal to refuse sitting with him.

The two other judges of the CCT, Robert Odu rtd and Agwaza Atedze had in a joint letter to former President Goodluck Jonathan and copied to the EFCC, drew the attention of the government to the N10 million bribery allegation made against Umar, saying that the issue had brought serious embarrassment to them and the tribunal.

“May we with respect, draw His Excellency’s attention to the allegation of N10 million bribe made against Justice Danladi Yakubu Umar, current chairman of Code of Conduct Tribunal, Abuja, which is being investigated by the EFCC", they reportedly said.

This allegation has been widely

reported in the media, besides embarrassing comments from legal practitioners who have been calling to express their disappointment over the shocking development, although investigation is yet to be concluded.

“We, the two members of the CCT and the entire staff are embarrassed and saddened by this allegation because a tribunal set up to check corruption should not be accused of being corrupt.

This would not be in keeping with the transformation agenda of the administration.

“We are mindful of the fact that the Federal Government has zero tolerance policy for corruption, and this is the reason for the establishment of the CCT as one of the agencies to fight corruption in all its ramifications.

“It is our prayer therefore that this allegation will be looked into so that the tribunal can start sitting in the interest of litigants and their counsel,” the two members said in the letter dated April 4, 2014.

Sunday Vanguard investigations spanning weeks indicate that although the Presidency has been embarrassed by

the gamut of evidence adduced by key government officials against Umar, it was however handicapped by the fact that the said man is handling the trial of persons suspected to be corrupt.

It was learnt that the Presidency was however carefully studying the bribery case against Umar so as to take a definite and prompt action that would not tarnish the image of the CCT and the administration.

Confusion is said to have become the lot of the Presidency as to whether to move against Umar based on the advice of the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke, to former President Jonathan, that Umar should be removed from office based on the scandal or to initiate a new probe of the bribery scandal.

Adoke was also said to have authorised the EFCC on June 25, 2014, to prosecute Umar and his PA based on the findings by the commission.

In the investigation carried out by the EFCC under its recently removed Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, Umar was alleged to have demanded and collected the sum of N1.8 million from

one Rasheed Taiwo, a former Deputy Comptroller General of Customs, who was arraigned at the CCT over false declaration of assets.

To pave the way for the prosecution, EFCC crack investigators swopped on Zenith Bank, through which Taiwo allegedly paid the first tranche of N1.8 out of the N10 million to Umar through his PA, Gambo Abdullahi, and retrieved the cheque number and details of the transactions.

The Zenith Bank cheque for the amount of N1.8 million was issued by Taiwo Rasheed Owolabi on December 12, 2012 from his Bourdillon Branch on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, and received the same day by Gambo Abdullahi in his Usuma Branch, Maitama Abuja.

Evidence available to Sunday Vanguard also shows that with the payment of the N1.8 million into Abdullahi’s account, his balance in that account rose to N1, 900, 448, 41. The money was promptly withdrawn the same day by the Abdullahi, who told EFCC investigators that he handed over the cash to Umar by hand.

EFCC’s findings showed that Umar used his telephone number, 08033367814 to communicate with

Continues from page 34

PAGE 34 SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

*Jonathan...refused to act

*Adoke... recommended Umar's sack

The current state of affairs in which the CCT is unable to sit while the institution is increasingly diminished by a pall of suspicion, should not be allowed to fester as it will expose the institution to public ridicule and undermine this administration’s effort to combat corruption *Mukhtar...washed hands off Umar Continued from page 33 Taiwo whose phone number with which he established constant communication with the CCT chairman was given as 08074455022.

Based on the findings, the former EFCC chairman, in a memo dated June 24, 2014, and addressed to the Attorney General of the Federation, Adoke, said that it was obvious from their findings that the CCT chairman might have collected the said amount of money from Taiwo.

The agency said however that it was unable to carry out forensic analysis of the telephone number of Umar, since he insisted that he had since lost that phone.

Lamorde said: “We write to bring to the attention of the Honourable Attorney General to the case which was reported by one Mr. Rasheed Taiwo (DCG Rtd) of 6 A Milverton Road, Lagos, against the chairman of CCT, Justice Danladi Umar and his Personal Assistant, Gambo Abdullahi in December 2012.

“Available circumstantial evidence suggests that the Tribunal Chairman might have indeed demanded and collected money from the complainant through his PA. Efforts made to recover the telephone handset used by Justice Umar have proved abortive, as he claimed that he lost the handset in 2012.

“This has made it impossible to subject it to independent scientific analysis with a view to corroborating the allegation.

Justice Umar also admitted that he met privately with the complainant in his chamber of the CCT. This has since been considered most unethical and highly suspicious conduct on his part.

“There is a preponderance of overwhelming evidence to however prosecute Gambo Abdullahi, who could offer no coherent excuse for receiving N1.8 million into his salary account from Taiwo, who is an accused person standing trial at the CCT. “The full money has been recovered from him in May 2014 and aptly registered as exhibit. The fact that he made two contradictory statements on the reason he was paid the money, is clearly an attempt to cover the reason the money was paid to him,” Lamorde concluded.

EFCC did not stop there.

The commission promptly raised a two-count charge against Dandali Umar and Ali Gambo Abdullahi. The charge sheet sighted by Sunday Vanguard, was signed by Andrew Akoja, of the Legal and Prosecution Unit of the EFCC. Count one: “That you Danladi Yakubu Umar and Ali Gambo Abdullahi, being public officers in the CCT, Abuja, on or about December 2012 in Abuja, within the Judicial Division of the Honourable Court, did engage in culpable conspiracy to obtain the sum of N10 million from one Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi for a favour to be shown to him in connection with the discharge of your official duties and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26 (1) (c) of the

*President Buhari...what will he do?

ICPC Act 2000 and punishable under Section 10 (a) (11) of the same Act. Count two: “That you Danladi Yakubu Umar and Ali Gambo Abdullahi, being public officers in the CCT, Abuja, on or about December 2012 in Abuja, within the Judicial Division of the Honourable Court, did engage in culpable conspiracy to obtain the sum of N10 million from one Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi for a favour to be shown to him in connection with the discharge of your official duties and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 26 (1) (c) of the ICPC Act 2000 and punishable under Section 10 (a) (11) of the same Act. Findings, however, showed that although the

case file for the two accused persons was prepared since June 2014, it was not clear why the EFCC later dropped Umar ’s name from the charge sheet and took only his PA to court, where the matter is still pending.

The EFCC has remained silent on Umar till date.

An EFCC source said last night that the commission would not comment on a matter that was before a court so as not to commit contempt.

An attempt by Sunday Vanguard to speak with the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, proved abortive at the weekend, since his lines indicated that they had been switched off.

It was however learnt that the lacuna that has kept Umar in office till date might not be unconnected with the provisions of the law, which make it impossible for the President to remove him from office without getting two thirds majority support from the National Assembly.

It was also leant that the National Judicial Council, NJC, whose opinion on the matter, was sought by the immediate past government, had said that they had no hand in removing him from office but that the EFCC should thoroughly investigate the bribery allegation against him and bring him to book.

In a four-page memorandum written by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria to the Presidency on the issue of Umar, Justice Aloma Marian Mukhtar, made it clear that since it is the President who has the power to appoint the CCT

chairman, it is also the President who has the power to remove him from office with the approval of the NASS. The former CJN who headed the NJC said: “The National Judicial Council, on the recommendation of the Federal Judicial Service Commission, has no power to either discipline or recommend removal from office of the Chairman of the CCT to the President. Hence, the reason why Council was unable to investigate the allegations levelled against Hon. Danladi Yakubu Umar, Chairman of the CCT. “It is hereby advised that in consonance with the Rule of Law, which is one of the cardinal principles of this administration, the case before EFCC against Umar should be allowed to follow due process.

“Since Constitutionally the Chairman of the CCT is not a judicial officer, the power to discipline and remove him from office, lies with the Presidency, please," Mukhtar wrote on May 26, 2014 to the Presidency, washing off her hands.

But Mohammed Adoke in another memo to President Jonathan dated May 7, 2015, asked the President to set in motion measures to get Umar removed from office.

Adoke said: “That under the constitution your Excellency may remove the chairman of the CCT upon an address supported by two thirds majority of each House of the National Assembly praying that the chairman of the CCT be so removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office in question on grounds of misconduct or for contravention of the law.

“I am of the humble opinion that the current state of affairs in which the CCT is unable to sit while the institution is increasingly diminished by a pall of suspicion, should not be allowed to fester as it will expose the institution to public ridicule and undermine this administration’s effort to combat corruption.

“IN the light of the foregoing therefore, Your Excellency may wish to initiate the necessary steps for the removal of the CCT chairman from office,” the former Attorney General wrote.

It was learnt that the Presidency might soon take action and reconstitute the CCT to be able to assist the government in its anti-graft war.

A source said the continued stay in office of Umar with the corruption scandal hanging in the air was giving the Buhari administration a serious cause for concern.

How soon action is taken to save the face of the new administration remains to be seen.

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015,

RIGHT OF REPLY

Page 35

Re: Oceans of Blood and the Words of Inuwa Wada

I

BY UMAR ARDO

am constrained to respond to the article with the title above

by Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, published in the Vanguard of Sunday, November 8, 2015. Ordinarily I don’t join issues with people, but to allow concocted and sensational lies and falsehood, mischievously and deliberately aimed at and capable of rising one section of the country against another, heaped on the nation in the name of truth is to be complacent in the destruction of society; more so given the level of the author ’s intellect, educational attainment and the high position he held in the country as a minister. They say when evil is done by the wicked, silence of the righteous is complacency and God shall not find the latter guiltless. To this end, a simple deed of drawing attention to the facts of the past to lay bare the lies in the write-up can very well catalyze the removal of the evil therein. This, in itself, I believe, is a huge service to the country.

One good thing about truth is that it always surfaces no matter who tries to hide it. At all times, truth is complete; always full. There is no such thing as half-truth. Therefore, in any intellectual discourse where one tries to argue the pros of a point, he must have to also face the cons of it, because the two complete the truth. They always go hand-in-hand. But in arguing an issue, if one side is taken and the other side left out, the inevitable result is that it brings out the lie of the argument. This is an academic truism; and this is what befell Fani-Kayode’s argument as he tries unsuccessfully to put up the pros and hide the cons. Given that the central thrust of his article is to illustrate that ‘the ocean of blood shed in the name of a united Nigeria’ was carried out by northerners, particularly the so-called coreNorth or the Hausa-Fulanis, he lists what he claims as undeniable truth of massacres perpetrated by these northerners as follows:“The truth of the Jos massacre in 1945 where hundreds were slaughtered cannot be denied. The truth of the Kano riots in 1953 where thousands were butchered cannot be denied. The truth of the pogroms in the North in 1966 where hundreds of thousands were killed cannot be denied. The truth of the slaughter of millions of innocent civilians, women and children between 1967 and 1969 during the Nigerian civil war cannot be denied.

The truth of the Asaba massacre in 1969 where 1,000 little boys and old men were rounded up in the town square and shot in the head cannot be denied.

The truth of the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Christians and ethnic minorities all over the North and particularly in the Middle Belt throughout the 80s and 90s cannot be denied.

The bitter truth of Boko Haram and the relentless slaughter of hundreds of thousands of innocent Nigerians by Islamic fundamentalists in northern Nigeria from 2009 up until today cannot be denied.

The truth of the murder of dozens of young NYSC members and hundreds of other people in the far North in 2011 cannot be denied.

The truth of the brutal slaughter of innocent Nigerians by Fulani herdsmen over the last 20 years and up until today cannot be de-

•Dr. Umar Ardo

nied”.

Now the truth is that all but one of these claims can definitely be denied; and I so deny them. Not only Fani-Kayode manufactures lies for truth, but also twists whatever truth therein upside down. The truth is that there was no massacre of any sort in Jos in 1945 and no single soul killed; talk less of “hundreds slaughtered”. This is a figment of the author ’s imagination. It is a lie and I deny it as an event in our history. He who alleges must prove; let him bring his proof. Yes, there was the 1953 massacre in Kano, but it’s a vicious lie that “thousands were killed”. Page 21 of the Official Report of the Kano Disturbances of May 1953, set up by the British Colonial Government, gave out the number of persons killed at 36; 15 northerners and 21 southerners. So where did Fani-Kayode get his figures of thousands from?

Similarly, the pogrom of 1966 did not get “hundreds of thousands dead”. While nothing can excuse the terrible deeds in the North, and the reprisals in the East, even Ojukwu, and later Biafra’s propaganda machine, did not play such a dreadful ‘number game’ as given out by FaniKayode in his write-up. For example, in the foreword of the Eastern Region’s booklet, Pogrom, Ojukwu spoke of ‘more than 7,000 dead’. At the Aburi Conference in 1967, long after all the casualty returns were in, he said 10,000 had died. Also, using the dead figures to justify secession, Biafran propaganda had claimed 30,000 killed.

But as stated by the veteran European journalist, John de St. Jorre, who covered the civil war, “ while the true figure will probably never be known but most reliable estimates put it at between 6,000 and 8,000”, thus tallying with Ojukwu’s Aburi figure. On the face of these, therefore, one can categorically deny Fani-Kayode’s so-called truth of ‘hundreds of thousands killed’.

The same St. Jorre, in concluding his book The Nigerian Civil War, posited: “The pursuit of Nigerian unity killed between half a million and a million Nigerians. And based on consensus of informed opinion I personally feel that around 600,000 for total deaths may be nearest the mark” during the entire war. I

take this figure of St. Jorre who was on ground, which in any case tallies with most figures of the civil war literature, to deny FaniKayode’s bloated millions.

It is only on the Asaba massacre of 1969 that Fani-Kayode’s 1,000 figure is near the mark, as 800 men and boys were killed when the federal troops entered the town after fierce fighting.

However, this cold blooded act was carried out not by northerners but, to Fani-Kayode’s probable consternation, by “an Ibo-hating major ” from the Midwest.

Again, “the ‘truth’ of the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Christians and ethnic minorities all over the North and particularly in the Middle Belt throughout the 80s and 90s” can be denied in terms of both figures and twisting of facts. The first major crisis of this nature was the Kafanchan uprising in 1987. According to the New Nigerian of 17 April 1987, the Kafanchan crisis claimed 19 lives. Then there was the Zagon Kataf disturbances of May 1992. In sum, 471 persons were officially confirmed killed in the disturbances. This official figure may, however, represent an understatement of the scale of casualties and destructions. Indeed, the presentations of the Zangon Hausa community to the investigation panel included names of some 1,528 members of the community who reportedly died in the disturbances. There were several other uprisings in Adamawa, Taraba, Benue, Plateau, Kogi, Nassarawa, Bauchi, etc. which, according to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, claimed an estimated 8,211 lives.

And, interestingly, over 5,000 of the dead are said to be HausaFulani Muslims viewed as unwanted settlers in the lands of indigenous autochthons. So while Fani-Kayode’s figure of ‘hundred thousands’ is a refutable far cry, the majority of those killed were also not Christian minorities but Hausa-Fulani Muslims. Equally, the Wikipedia put the total number of deaths by the terrorist Boko Haram insurgency at over 17,000.

Given that the main theatre of their activities is in predominantly Muslim areas, it is elementary logic to guess that Muslim casualties will be by far higher in this conflict.

While I cannot deny the regrettable killing of innocent dozen NYSC members, along with many

The truth is that there was no massacre of any sort in Jos in 1945 and no single soul killed; talk less of “hundreds slaughtered”.

This is a figment of the author’s imagination. It is a lie and I deny it as an event in our history

others, in the wake of the 2011 general elections, it can be asserted, however, that the issue of Fulani herdsmen is a very recent phenomenon. And even at that, the herdsmen kill just as they are themselves killed.

Please, let me not be misunderstood; I am not defending, excusing or justifying these heinous crimes perpetrated by our people – they cannot be! Every life is sacrosanct and whosoever takes the life of another must both be condemned and brought to book. But where someone tries to create a false impression of putting the entire blame on one group against the other, then it is a duty on all of us to correct that impression. Why didn’t Fani-Kayode mention the Lagos booing, pelting and insults of northerners in March 1953? Why didn’t he mention the brutal uprisings in the Western Region in the wake of the 1965 elections?

Why didn’t he bring up the murderous coup of January 1966?

Why didn’t he bring up the deadly Ondo uprising in the wake of the 1983 elections? Why didn’t he bring up the OPC crisis in the Southwest? And why didn’t he bring up the killings by the Niger Delta militants and the MASSOB in which northerners have been victims?

He didn’t do so simply because it would illustrate that some of what he mentions were reactions to unmentioned previous actions.

For example, there certainly wouldn’t have been the Kano May riots without the Lagos March episodes of 1953. Similarly, it was unlikely to have had the 1966 pogrom, and probably the civil war all together, without the January coup selective killings. And without the pogrom and the war, which widened the doors of murders and butchery, there might not have been these subsequent killings in the country as enumerated, albeit falsely, by the author.

I think I know Fani-Kayode’s problem – I honestly believe he is a victim of what we call in history as ‘the Kisra Effect’ - i.e a conscious, deliberate and systematic distortion of historical facts in order to respond to a perceived or real present danger as a means of protecting and advancing certain unmerited acquired self-interest. This is usually driven by fear and/or inferiority complex. It sets in motion a process in the mind leading the heart to be diseased against the truth; programming it to see no good in certain people; and taking it upon itself to propagate jaundiced belief that certain people are naturally evil against others. But like all propaganda, it feeds the unsuspecting members of the public with only one side of the story - the side that will make them boil with hatred against the people it is programming them to hate! The other side that it hides makes up the real truth, which the public needs to recognize and draw object lessons from to avoid ruin. The earlier the victim also cleanses his heart of this vice the better for him and the society. While it is only truth that can set the heart free of such malady, it is also for the victim to reconcile himself with the truth of his situation. *Ardo is a doctorate degree holder

PAGE

36 — SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Sorry, Biafra died over 40 years ago — Igwe Alex Nwokedi

•`The r ole monar c hs can play in Buhari's regime'

By Bashir Adefaka

I

gwe Alex Nwokedi, Press Secretary to the Head of State during the military regime of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is the sitting Uthokoneze and paramount ruler of Achalla Kingdom, Anambra State. The 79-year-old former Chairman, Anambra State Council of Traditional Rulers and erstwhile Chairman, Eastern Nigerian Traditional Rulers Forum, spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the calls for Biafra and threat of secession by Afenifere among other things. Excerpts: What is your perspective on the brewing agitation for Biafra in your part of the country?

General Yakubu Gowon, in one of his published interviews, spoke well when he said he was surprised that people could be talking about Biafra over 40 years after the matter had been resolved.

Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a respected governor of the people, of course, has also spoken like a patriotic Nigeria when he counselled that Igbo should stop hating other Nigerians. That comment credited to him gives a good perspective on the Igbo people of this country. Igbo people are loving people but we should talk about what unites us than talking about what divides us.

I have read a lot about the so-called agitation for Biafra and I even read something about people who said they wanted to secede from Nigeria and become Oduduwa country. Biafra and Afenifere are no threat to the unity of Nigeria.

So, as far as I am concerned, we should talk more about what unites us than what divides us. I am more concerned about the need to develop all the regions of Nigeria. I am concerned about the need for government both at federal and state levels to collaborate and bring physical development to all parts of the country. It is sad, for instance, that Enugu-AwkaOnitsha Road is not motorable.

As a matter of fact, when I was coming to Lagos, I drove through the old road to link the airport and that road, so narrow with narrow bridge, is very dangerous. I have read so much about how contractors handling that road complained that they have been owed for over three years, a situation they said had led to the retrenchment of many of their workers including the expatriates and that they were now considering folding up. I appeal to the Federal Government to

look into the issue and come to the aid of the people of that area by paying the money owed the construction company so that they can fix the road in good time.

The road facilitates the movement of goods into and out of the South-East to other parts of Nigeria and, if properly fixed, falling and breaking down of vehicles plying the road will stop and, also, it will boost the economy of the nation from that axis.

There is this talk about Afenifere saying the Fulani should vacate Yorubaland. What does it sound like and will you, as a prominent Igbo leader, support such call under whatever guise?

I don't believe it is possible for Afenifere to make such a call that the Fulani should vacate their land. I see it as a media thing because I will never go with anybody who talks about division.

Yoruba or Igbo leaders, nobody should touch anything that brings no development but destruction to Nigeria.

Was it not Chief Obafemi Awolowo who said he would secede if Ojukwu seceded? And when Ojukwu seceded, did he secede? So, let nobody talk about what divides but what unites us as Nigerians. United we stand, divided we fall. We will access peace and

I have read a lot about the so-called agitation for Biafra and I even read something about people who said they wanted to secede from Nigeria and become Oduduwa country.

Biafra and Afenifere are no threat to the unity of Nigeria

development faster this way than the other way round.

When President Muhammadu Buhari was elected, you said his chances of being a successful Nigerian leader would depend on the intellectual capacity of his media handlers. Mr. Femi Adesina and Mallam Garba Shehu are his media aides. So far, what is your assessment of their performance?

So far, they have done well. However, the ability of a President's image maker to perform depends on the brief that he has.

Femi Adesina for instance is a very good communication man, so also is Garba Shehu. And I am sure, eventually, they will get to the promised land.

check what they were buying before they bought it? They had problematic power distribution facility transferred to them and they accepted it because they were very eager and some didn't do it for national interest, of course, they did it to make money but they found out it was different from what they thought.

The President is said to have played his own part by volunteering to lead a change process for the nation to move forward. What path are Nigerian traditional rulers taking in ensuring he gets the required support?

First of all, I have made it clear in my past interviews that traditional rulers should confine themselves to traditional issues while politicians pay attention to development. President Buhari is an experienced person. He can, through the traditional rulers, reach the people if he so desires. This is the area the traditional rulers can bring to him the feelings of the people, just like his media handlers should do, and his inner thought should also be communicated to the people most of the times through the same channel.

But is it not the idea that the facilities are better off in private hands?

What were the terms of the procurement, I mean the terms of the buying of the companies? If the terms say that if you buy it and it is later found to be a problem, you can return it, that is one thing. But if the terms say you are buying it to put it right and make it better, you should work hard to achieve that, so that Nigerians can feel the impact of improved power supply.

What the DISCOs should know is that, if it the goal of government that sold the distribution companies to them was for their own business interest alone, it would be different issue but government sold it to them so that they could improve it in the over riding interest of Nigeria. If Nigeria still complains therefore of having no light and it is found out that it is not the problem of generation but distribution, then, the DISCOs should know that they are the problem.

Also, there is the need for the people to cooperate with the power producers to ensure stable supply. I am confident that with the cooperation of the people, we will get it right as far as the power sector is concerned in this country.

As the first Public Relations Manager of the defunct Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN), how do you assess the power sector so far in the hands of DISCOs because, it is not expected that we should still blame government for the distribution after the PHCN successor companies have been privatised?

There are many things that provide effective power supply out of which three are vital. The first is transmission and I think we have only a single transmission line. Another one is distribution and our distribution network is very weak. The third one is generation. All of these aspects have to be revived and, if they have to be revived, it shouldn't be oneby-one. All the three must be revived together in order to have regular and steady power supply.

Yes. Did those private people who bought the distribution companies cross-

How do you mean?

We have many new estates being developed and those builders don't provide information about their electricity need. How are we sure that available power will cover those new estates if the people generating, transmitting and distributing don't have information? This kind of thing increases the burden on generation, transmission and distribution of power supply.

People, in this aspect too, will have to cooperate with the power distribution companies; this is the way to go. It doesn't help when there is no information about consumption level.

We should know what our requirement is and then it will help our policy on generation and the type of distribution facility to take care of that requirement.

I am confident about our country. We have the people, we have the resources.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015—PAGE 37

Our security template

drove robbers, kidnappers

out of Anambra

—CP Hassan Karma

’The limits of pro-Biafra protests’

BY EMMA NNADOZIE, Crime Editor

I

n terms of crime and criminality in Nigeria, Anambra State is, no doubt, rated high. This is not just because it is in the heart of the South-East but also shares borders with many other states, a situation that makes it easy for criminals to penetrate. However, efforts of government and security agencies seem to have put paid to the excesses of the criminals as shown in the successes recorded by the state Police Command. The state police boss, Hosea Hassan Karma, bares his mind to how he has been coping with the situation. Excerpts: Security situation in the state The security architecture in Anambra is one of the best in our federation. Anambra State used to be a spot for armed robbery, kidnapping, murder and violent crimes. But, to the credit of my predecessor, who is currently my AIG, Usman Gwary, in charge of Zone 9 at our Zonal headquarters in Umuahia, he started laying the foundation by putting the crime situation under control. I came in and started building on that foundation and, so far, it has been wonderful.

The magic wand The magic wand is that Governor Willie Obiano sees security as the reason he is in office. He believes that if he cannot guarantee security of lives and property in Anambra, then he does not have any business being governor. To achieve that goal, he makes sure all the security agencies in the state work together as a team.

In Anambra, it is immaterial whether you are in the military, Customs, Immigration officer, or in the Civil Defence, NDLEA, police, DSS. All of us see ourselves first and foremost as security agencies sent to the state to ensure that lives are protected, and that has given us a focus. I recommend that approach to every state government in this federation because if we work with common purpose, one aim, the job is half won and made easy.

That is the magic wand.

Challenges Of course, as a human being,

It is stamped out in Anambra. Even the local ones where families have trouble and they want to set each other up, we try to apply the law and the state government, through the state House of Assembly, put a law in place that if you kidnap somebody and keep in your house, that house will come down you do not expect everything to be rosy at all times. First, logistics is always a challenge.

The state government has done so much especially in the area of provision of vehicles. And the police high command, under the able leadership of the InspectorGeneral of Police, Solomon Arase, has done so much in the area of providing vehicles as well and extending maintenance allowance to our men, especially those on highways. These days, you see patrol cars on highways in place of policemen who used to be at roads block and this has gone a long way to ease some of the challenges we have.

Checkmating the activities of MASSOB and pro-Biafra elements If you say Anambra is MASSOB’s main operational area, I will disagree with you in the sense that Anambra is not the only South-East state. Their over-all leader is not from Anambra. So, the headquarters is not Anambra. However, Anambra has its own challenges. It has it’s own elements of the movement. We keep on telling the MASSOB people and other such movements that our Constitution provides for freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of movement. But, it has limits because the truth about it is that

where your freedom stops is where another person’s freedom starts. For example, I cannot tell you now I have freedom of movement and start stepping on top of your head and say I am exercising my freedom. Of course, you will push me down because I am infringing on your own freedom. So, we let them know that as long as they have the right to express themselves, to associate, they should do it within the confines of the law.

Personal involvement in combating crime Naturally, if you must be a leader and you want the people to actually do what you preach or what you expect them to do, you must live by example. Anambra is not the first state in which I have been involved in operations. If you follow my deployment, I have practically been in operations since after my training. Of course, I was in my state where I later became the ADC to the governor and you know that is an operations job. From there, I went back to training institutions as directing staff for four years.

From there, I went to Rivers State where I was a Divisional Police Officer in charge of Bokiri, Obasanjo, Trans- Amadi and Mile One Police Stations. I ended up as the commander of internal security in entire Rivers when I took charge of the Swift Operations Squad. It is an internal outfit created by the state government to checkmate crime and criminality. That time, crime was on the increase in Rivers which coincided with the militancy that came up. If you were a DPO there, you must be physically involved in patrol and, when I left there, I still got deeply involved in operations jobs including as a commissioner in charge of mobile police force and you have to move round the whole country.

•CP Hassan Karma

arms, you must obtain license.

For the local gun runners, if we get you with any of these arms, we allow the full weight of the law to come down on you and that has really streamlined the manufacturing and those people that bear them for illegal activities because, of course, you can not have a locally made gun or pistol and say you are taking it for protection. There is no law that stated that.

Kidnapping It is stamped out in Anambra.

Even the local ones where families have trouble and they want to set each other up, we try to apply the law and the state government, through the state House of Assembly, put a law in place that if you kidnap somebody and keep in your house, that house will come down. Even if you are not a kidnapper and you allow your house to be used to keep a victim who had been kidnapped or use the proceeds to build a house and it is investigated and traced, the house will come down too. That has discouraged kidnapping because people mostly kidnap for money and if you kidnap and make N10,000 and, maybe, you use it to build a house of N100,000 and, the house comes down, it means you have wasted your effort.

Curbing the excesses of policemen My policemen have been Checkmating manufacturersandrunners undergoing training and retraining. Secondly, on weekly When it comes to the issue basis, we talk to them and anyone of local gun manufacturers, of them caught doing what the especially if it is prohibited

law does not permit, we allow the full weight of the law to come down on him. We have had cause to dismiss bad ones. We have had cause to demote some in rank and it will be a continuous exercise.

Cultism We have our own share of cultism in Anambra. Maybe, because violent crimes have been stamped out, cultism is now well pronounced in the state. That is the reason we have to set up an outfit to address cult related issues and a seasoned operations office put in charge and any where it happens, we follow it up immediately.

Plans for Xmas Just like last year, before Christmas, we had, in addition to the ‘Operation Hold” that was in place in the state, a joint task force which we code-named, “Operation Shaba”. This year, we are going to have another joint operation. We want to call on the people of Anambra outside the state, outside the country, that they should feel free to come home and reunite with their families. The security apparatus is well informed on any kind of crime and we call on our brothers, those who have not renounced criminal activities, to, please, know that crime does not pay. If any one of them is still contemplating in engaging in crime, they should be informed that we are watching. We are prepared to deal decisively with any situation. Anambra is too hot for criminals now.

PAGE 38—SUNDAY

Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

HUMAN TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR:

I was raped 43,200 times K

arla Jacinto is sitting in a serene garden. She looks at the ordinary sights of flowers and can hear people beyond the garden walls, walking and talking.

She looks straight into my eyes, her voice cracking slightly, as she tells me the number she wants me to remember -43,200.

By her own estimate, 43,200 is the number of times she was raped after falling into the hands of human traffickers.

She says up to 30 men a day, seven days a week, for the best part of four years -- 43,200.

Her story highlights the brutal realities of human trafficking in Mexico and the United States, an underworld that has destroyed the lives of tens of thousands of Mexican girls like Karla.

Human trafficking has become a trade so lucrative and prevalent, that it knows no borders and links towns in central Mexico with cities like Atlanta and New York.

U.S. and Mexican officials both point to a town in central Mexico that, for years, has been a major source of human trafficking rings and a place where victims are taken before being eventually forced into prostitution. The town is called Tenancingo.

Even though it has a population of about 13,000, Susan Coppedge, the U.S. State Department's Ambassador at Large to Combat Human trafficking, says it has an oversized reputation when it comes to prostitution and pimping.

"That's what the town does. That is their industry," Coppedge says. "And yet in smaller, rural communities, the young girls don't have any idea that this is what the town's reputation is, so they are not suspicious of the men who come from there. They think they have got a great future with this person. They think they love and it is the same story of recruitment every time."

Mistreated from the age of five Karla says she was abused for as long as she can remember and felt rejected by her mother. "I came from a dysfunctional family. I was sexually abused and mistreated from the age of five by a relative,' she says.

When she was 12, she was targeted by

C M Y K

a trafficker who lured her away using kind words and a fast car.

She says she was waiting for some friends near a subway station in Mexico City, when a little boy selling sweets came up to her, telling her somebody was sending her a piece of candy as a gift.

Five minutes later, Karla says, an older man was talking to her, telling her that he was a used car salesman.

The initial awkwardness disappeared as soon as the man started telling her that he was also abused as a boy. He was also very affectionate and quite a gentleman, she says.

They exchanged phone numbers and when he called a week later, Karla says she got excited. He asked her to go on a trip to nearby Puebla with him and dazzled her by showing up driving a bright red Firebird Trans Am. "When I saw the car I couldn't believe it. I was very impressed by such a big car. It was exciting for me. He asked me to get in the car to go places," she says.

'Red flags' were everywhere It didn't take long for the man, who, at 22, was 10 years older than Karla, to convince her to leave with him, especially after Karla's mother didn't open the door one night when she came home a little too late.

"The following day I left with him. I lived with him for three months during which he treated me very well. He loved on me, he bought me clothes, gave me attention, bought me shoes, flowers, chocolates, everything was beautiful," Karla says.

But there were red flags everywhere also.

Karla says her boyfriend would leave her by herself for a week in their apartment. His cousins would show up with new girls every week. When she finally mustered the courage to ask what business they were in, he told her the truth. "They're pimps," he said.

"A few days later he started telling me everything I had to do; the positions, how much I need to charge, the things I had to do with the client and for how long, how I was to treat them and how I had to talk to them so that they would give me more money," Karla says.

Four years of hell

I came from a dysfunctional family. I was sexually abused and mistreated from the age of five by a relative

It was the beginning of four years of hell. The first time she was forced to work as a prostitute, she was taken to Guadalajara, one of Mexico's largest cities.

"I started at 10 a.m. and finished at midnight. We were in Guadalajara for a week. Do the math. Twenty per day for a week. Some men would laugh at me because I was crying. I had to close my eyes so that I wouldn't see what they were doing to me, so that I wouldn't feel anything," Karla says.

There would be several other cities.

She would be sent to brothels, roadside motels, streets known for prostitution and even homes. There were no holidays or days off, and, after the first few days, she was made to see at least 30 customers a day, seven days a week.

Karla tells how she was attacked by her trafficker after a John gave her a hickey. "He started beating me with a chain in all of my body. He punched me with his fists, he kicked me, pulled my hair, spit at me in the face, and that day was when he also burned me with the

iron. I told him I wanted to leave and he was accusing me of falling in love with a customer. He told me I like being a whore."

And then came a child...

One day, when she was working at a hotel known for prostitution, police showed up. They kicked out of all of the customers, Karla says, and shut down the hotel. She thought it was her lucky day -- a police operation to rescue her and the other girls. Her relief turned quickly to horror when the officers, about 30, she says, took the girls to several rooms and started shooting video of them in compromising positions. The girls were told the videos would be sent to their families if they didn't do everything they asked.

"I thought they were disgusting. They knew we were minors. We were not even developed. We had sad faces. There were girls who were only 10 years old. There were girls who were crying. They told the officers they were minors and nobody paid attention," Karla says. She was 13 years old at the time.

In her nightmare world, even a pregnancy was cause for horror not joy.

Karla gave birth at 15 to a girl -- a baby fathered by the pimp who would use the daughter to tighten the noose around her neck: if she didn't fulfill his every wish, he would either harm or kill the baby.

He took the baby away from her a month after the baby was born, and she was not allowed to see her again until the girl was more than a year old. Karla Jacinto was finally rescued in 2008 during an anti-trafficking operation in Mexico City.

Her ordeal lasted four very long and tormenting years. She was still a minor, only 16, when it ended -- but she has endured a lifetime of horror that will stay with her as long as she lives.

CNN independently verified portions of Karla's story. We have spoken with the United Against Human Trafficking group she was referred to after being rescued, and to senior officials at Road to Home, a shelter where Karla lived for one year after her rescue. Due to the clandestine nature of the human trafficking business, corroborating everything Karla told us is not possible.

Source: CNN

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 39

selling suya with two degrees?

That was in 1992 or 1993, I was working with an international NGO and there were issues that didn’t agree with my conscience. So I gave it up and I said I could do any other work and what was available was to sell suya.

With two university degrees, I sold suya on the street of Jos —Mike Omeri, NOA boss

How do you see tourism in Nigeria?

I am attending, for the first time, a gathering of the Federation of Tourism Association of Nigeria. The future of tourism is very, very green. It is green in the sense that there is renewed government interest and the practitioners have kept faith over the years. The fact that you see this number coming to sit to discuss the way forward shows that there is private sector commitment and so, with the posture of government and what it is currently doing to ensure that the atmosphere, the environment, is conducive, is attractive, Nigeria will be a natural tourism destination in West Africa.

for orientation as well as culture. So, we use their platform to promote the positive side of our country, the values of our country and that is why the tourism industry must also have positive attitudes driving it.

Without good attitudes, without values, no matter the infrastructure provided, it will not attract patronage.

So, the NOA will work with them; we have developed a patriotism and ethics programme to enhance the capacity of the tourism staff and owners in their disposition to handling clients and guests in the management of their offices.

So, once we collaborate with them, we will implement this strategy first within our local level or they can go to the institution we have partnership with, University of Abuja. We are also discussing with the University of Ibadan to implement this patriotism education to orientate workers in the sector to understand that, apart from earning a living, they are responsible for promoting the image of our country as workers or patrons or even as owners of the places of tourism.

What efforts is the National Orientation Agency making to promote tourism in Nigeria?

We have various agencies to handle specific aspects of government policies and programmes. However, we have situated our roles because tourism is a platform

Why do you always try to create awareness on patriotism?

I am lucky, but I am doing my passion, even in public service. Loving Nigeria is an indisputable fact. As you see me, I do not have any investments, outside Nigeria. I don’t even want to

BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

M

ike Omeri, the Director-General of National Orientation Agency, NOA, in this interview, speaks on how he ventured into roasted meat business, popularly called suya, to earn a living and why he does not have investments outside Nigeria.

Excerpts:

C M Y K

In all honesty, many people didn’t know I even went to school because I was selling suya. From my background, I didn’t have reason to do that have a second building outside where I live not to talk of abroad. I believe this is the destination, this is Nigeria and that when we tap our resources, our energies and intelligence and all of those things our country, we can develop, we can be the best.

How did you develop the passion?

At childhood, from the attitude of my parents, they are late now. My father was a policeman and served outside his locality and was travelling from one place to the other. First, he kept telling us that we must love our country, we must be generous and respectful to elders and even our peers and that our country is first. I remember each time he had to travel, Nigeria Police were majorly the people sent out at that time to enforce peace in West Africa, they were in Congo and, on his return, he would display medals he had brought. He was not talking about himself but about how he and fellow

police officers projected Nigeria, how they were inspired about the colours of Nigeria and this continued to influence our lives as we were growing up, the need to look for alternatives within every situation. There are challenges and in every difficulty, there are opportunities; so, I try to look for the opportunities instead of sitting down, complaining, criticising, abusing. Without being immodest, orientation is my passion and I am lucky to be in public service and living my passion.

Some people think preaching patriotism to Nigerians with our diverse ethnic backgrounds is a hard sell. How do you do it?

I have heard this comment even from the elite and I say they are the problem; anybody who tells me that is the problem. It shouldn’t be difficult if all of us believe that we have a country that needs all of us; it shouldn’t be difficult if we cultivate the habit of doing the right things; it shouldn’t be difficult if we believe we don’t any other country than Nigeria and that it needs us and we must stand for it all times, in whatever we do, I have two degrees and didn’t feel that I should depend on anybody, I believe there is a place for me to make it in Nigeria and so I look for opportunities within the structures and it has paid off for me.

How did you come about

With two degrees, how did you go about it?

I established a place called Geshu in Jos and recruited some persons to work with me. We would go to the market with N5,000 to purchase all the items we needed and roast the meat.

Then, in the evening, we start selling to customers.

The business sustained me for the period that I had no job. It was from there that a former administrator of Plateau State, Col. Maina, who became Senator Mohammed Maina, appointed me press secretary and newspapers were awash with the story that ‘mai-suya’ had been appointed press secretary. In all honesty, many people didn’t know I even went to school because I was selling suya. From my background, I didn’t have reason to do that. My father was a police officer, nine of us-children-had gone to school, working and we were doing very well but I needed to be my own person.

Was it because you were in need or you wanted to do something?

I wanted to work. I shouldn’t be idle because my family, friends were providing for me. I believed I should look inward to survive.

How much were you making a day, and was it enough to take care of your problems?

At the start of the suya business, we invested N5,000 and we were making between N2,500 and N5,000 a day which was more than my salary of N1,000 a month at that time and, because of the way we operated, the media helped me. Coming from that constituency, the media made the opening ceremony so glamorous as if we were bringing a different kind of suya from heaven.

So people were anxious to come and see what it was, so what we did was to package it in a manner that you come, you choose what you want; If it was a la carte, you stand there, it’s done for you. We also introduced other services; so that while you wait for your suya, you patronise other services.

PAGE 40—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

W I did not steal Nigeria’s

hat you are about to read is probably the most anticipated story of the year birthed in the long awaited authoritative investigative newspaper of the future.

This pregnant saga fell into labour last week in the prenatal wing of Pendulum ward and it has now given birth to a big bouncing baby christened, The Boss.

This is an apt metaphor for the melodramatic scoop which is the cover of the first edition of what I believe will be a catalyst for unbiased investigative reporting in Nigeria. The Boss had long been conceptualised as a leadership newspaper to occupy the void created by lack of true and credible investigative journalism in some traditional and online media. The original plan was to launch in December or early January. But the Diezani-Alison Madueke story changed all that. It was too compelling to restrict to the Pendulum column alone. And here we are with what promises to be an exciting addition to the media landscape in Nigeria and beyond featuring an enthralling cover story that will run and run.

After that effervescent introduction of the meeting between this reporter and the embattled former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke, published in Thisday, everyone requested for details of the encounter. Some unbelieving Thomases even suggested the story was pure fiction, or at the very best “faction” to borrow Kole Omotoso’s word. They wondered why a more comprehensive interview could not be published, garnished with clear crispy pictures of Madame Diezani.

It was obvious many had read the story in a hurry and did not assimilate the carefully worded tale of a woman in deep pain and anguish for variety of reasons. Of course there were insinuations that it was a public relations stunt but mercifully most readers thought it was a wellbalanced story. It even went viral.

At any rate, those who took their time would have noticed that I had to settle for such a gripping monologue because it was virtually impossible to extract more information from a cancer patient who had spent her day C M Y K

money – Diezani • Life

as a cancer patient

with her medical team in a private London hospital.

Our protagonist had also probably taken the risk of meeting this reporter in order to check if he was going to play the quintessential antagonist or do his job professionally and dispassionately.

That meeting obviously impacted on her decision to open up eventually, two days after Episode One. A call came through on Friday, November 6, 2015, from a female aide of Mrs. AlisonMadueke to request for a meeting the following day at 2.30pm at a location yet to be determined.

The appointment was immediately approved. Later in the evening, this ubiquitous aide made yet another call shifting the appointment forward by a few hours to 11am the same Saturday. My response again was yes. The pot that would eat pepper must endure some heat, says a Yoruba proverb. The Diezani story was worth all the sacrifice in the world. In other climes, journalists would have shown more than cursory interest in chasing that super exclusive chat. Her copyrighted picture would have fetched a few million dollars, probably. Anyway…

A text message flew into my phone very early Saturday morning. It contained the address and full postcode of a new venue different from the one of two days earlier.

Not to worry.

My

Most of the time we spent talking, she coughed intermittently into a napkin and dabbed her mouth with it but she was clearly determined to pour out her obviously heavy heart despite the discomfort I could notice she was struggling to endure

wife offered to chauffeur me again but without her sister this time around. While on our way, the female aide called to ask if we were going to make the 11 o’clock time pronto or arrive late. I replied we would arrive earlier rather than later. I would soon understand the import of her question.

Madame Diezani was apparently on her way and I was expected to be comfortably seated prior to her arrival. Presumably, so I would not know how and from what direction she had come. There was no sign this time of any overbearing or anxious security man.

Mrs. Alison-Madueke had laughingly dismissed as funny my James Bond imagination of Thursday, in any event. Since the meeting was supposed to be strictly one-onone, my wife had to wait in the car while I was away.

The venue turned out to be a popular restaurant near Regent’s Park, famous for its breakfast.

I was a bit surprised and disappointed at the

choice of location. I was hoping she was going to give me access to her now famous apartment which was said to have been bought at a most staggering amount, or the new multibillion dollar home that was rumoured to have triggered the alarm leading to her arrest, claims she would dismiss as tales by moonlight.

Glimpse I called the mobile number I had been given as I approached the doorway of the restaurant and her female aide emerged from the bowel of the restaurant to lead me to a somewhat secluded corner where a table had been reserved. I was seated facing the entrance and hoping I could catch her glimpse whenever she arrives.

After waiting for about 20 minutes or so, I heard some footsteps and the once most powerful woman in Nigeria surfaced. She looked slightly better than at our last meeting for which I was glad. I sprang to my feet as we exchanged pleasantries.

I mentioned to her that she looked better and she said she’d been resting and gaining strength in preparation for the radiotherapy sessions expected to last five agonising weeks.

She ordered for full English breakfast while I settled only for a cup of cappuccino. But when the meal arrived, she didn’t eat it because she had lost appetite for food generally and was more on fluids but had hoped this would return if she saw the food.

She then asked for American coffee, water

Continues on page 41

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 41

‘Life as a cancer patient’ highly restricted and encumbered by strings of events as well as existing litigation and other possible future developments. We could not get as much revelations as we expected but the little we managed to get provided enough insight into a woman who had achieved so much and enjoyed substantial accolades before the sad turn of events.

Had she remained in Shell, where she became the first and only female Director, and shunned the murky water of Nigerian politics, maybe she would have savoured the klieg-lights forever.

We knew it was going to be very difficult getting pictures in her present not too genial or glamorous condition. That was practically tough on our first meeting as she was just returning from her hospital rounds and looked totally exhausted. We however succeeded in getting a few pictures this time some of which we are revealing for the first time today.

Continued from Page 40 and fresh lime instead. She also ordered for tea at some point. Most of the time we spent talking, she coughed intermittently into a napkin and dabbed her mouth with it but she was clearly determined to pour out her obviously heavy heart despite the discomfort I could notice she was struggling to endure.

Let me reiterate for the sake of those who missed the first part of this story that our two meetings took place on Thursday, November 5 and Saturday, November 7, 2015 at different locations. The first was in a private apartment while the second was in this restaurant.

Unlike the first which lasted less than half an hour, we were able to spend more time together this time. Indeed, we were at it for a total of just over four hours, and I believe she spoke from the heart, I believe, but the reader is always the judge.

There were several off-therecord interludes. More than anything, we were both careful not to discuss in detail matters which might impact on the cases and legal problems now bedevilling her.

I did not expect otherwise.

Mrs Alison-Madueke is a smart and intelligent woman and had recently benefited from being advised by lawyers both in the UK and Nigeria in connection with her arrest in the UK and the search of her Abuja home.

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Paronoia Getting and persuading her to talk in detail about a lot of issues was therefore very difficult. There were other reasons. First, was her obvious paranoia of the Nigerian press. She’s been bruised, battered and blistered, especially in print and on social media. She’s been scandalised, summarily tried and precipitously convicted by the media, according to her. She did not expect anyone to lend her an ear or listen to her now muffled voice.

On top of her problems, she’s having a running battle with the most dreaded form of cancer of the breast and she’s had to undergo surgeries to remove the lumps and later some chunky tissue. The treatments have not been that successful and it’s been a ding-dong affair for this once ebullient and elegant lady.

We had to give assurances of not sensationalising her story if granted access. Of course it has never been our practice to do so and thus, this was not a problem. We promised not to embellish her stories in any way or reveal off-the-record discussions which were truly personal and confidential and had nothing to do with her travails. There was a strict proviso that no form of recording would be allowed and we had to adopt the novelistic style. The result of that covenant is what you’re reading today.

We must note that we were

Intrigues of power play The Diezani AlisonMadueke story is a classic study in the intrigues of power-play. Barely months ago, she was at the pinnacle of the temple as Minister of one of the biggest oilproducing nations on earth.

She was elected the President of the powerful Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). And the world was at her feet. The cancer issue had crept in, like a thief in the night, but was being treated and managed by the best doctors available in England. There was that optimism that all shall be well at the end of the day until everything that could go wrong started going wrong, like in Murphy’s Law. Madame Diezani confirmed that she and the government she served loyally and passionately never thought for one second that the Nigerian general elections could turn out the way it did or that they would suffer the crushing and devastating defeat that they did. The first and major casualty would be the woman who controlled the destiny of Nigerians as Petroleum Resources Minister. Under her care, a whopping $20 billion was alleged to have literally vamoosed into thin air. Till this day, no one has come forward to authenticate the veracity or otherwise of such mind-boggling claims.

Instead we’ve received conflicting figures on the supposed infractions.

This is a story like no other

her boss. She went further to say: “What people don’t know is that we’ve been family friends for long. My mum, Mrs Beatrice Agama, has always played the role of a godmother in the Niger Delta and all the militants love and respect her. I come from a royal privileged background and lacked nothing.” She said she was not unaware of certain insinuations about an intimate relationship with the former President but she never bothered her head about them because some people had made up their minds to spread those ugly tales about her. “If you are in the corridor of power, you must expect anything, including mud and even bricks being thrown at you.”

Now wait for the next shot!

“You’ve been linked to so many young guys who made so much money from you and later absconded or turned against you… What was between you and Chris Aire, Kola Aluko, Jide Omokore, Tonye Cole, Dapo Abiodun, Wale Tinubu, Igho Sanomi and others?”, I queried her.

Madame Diezani’s response was calm and unruffled: “I vehemently deny any intimacy or liaison with any of these gentlemen.”

She noted that she is happily married like most of them are happily married and asserted that she is not the Scarlet Lady that people paint her to be. She sees those rumours as insults on accomplished women who cannot be seen in sensitive positions without running riotous with some men. She said it was important to put in context how she met most of them: “I was the Chairman of the Nigerian Content Development & Monitoring Board and I did my job to the best of my ability and intentions. My boss and I were determined to empower Nigerians, especially the young ones, who had the brains and guts to dare.” She pointed out that her firm belief and desire to empower Nigerians stemmed from the manner that she and her parents and siblings were unceremoniously dumped out of Shell Camp where her father worked and lived while she was young.

(1)

I remember that day vividly. It was definitely one of the worst days of my life. We were not even allowed to finish eating before they hurriedly packed our belongings, threw them into trucks and drove us into an uncertain, unknown future.” She continued

and it cannot be told like any other. It is a tale from the super highway of power and the fast lane of confusion.

Nothing is sweeter than power and money, in no particular order, as long as you have both you are in the rarefied company of national decision-makers. And nothing is sadder than having both and falling from grace to grass or from fame to infamy. Mrs Alison-Madueke had the world not just at her feet but firmly in her palm.

She could apparently turn a certified pauper into a certificated billionaire within the twinkle of an eye. In short, she could make and unmake. Diezani was the subject of many fables. And this is the crux of the matter.

Her closeness to President Goodluck Jonathan and the influence she wielded on him was never a hidden matter.

This lent credence to the mystical power over the Nigerian economy that it was claimed she possessed. I fired my first shot from that direction and it was as if she expected it.

“Is it true that a sister of yours has a kid or kids for President Jonathan?” I asked.

“That is totally untrue as I don’t have any such sister or relative!”, she said. She wondered how people could fabricate such blatant lies.

Family friends I soon followed with what I regarded as an upper-cut: “It was said that you and the former First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan were in permanent conflict; why was it so?” She responded that their relationship was cordial enough and she gave the former First Lady the respect she should give the wife of

Worst days The memory was apparently traumatic as I could notice her wiping her eyes with another napkin.

Continues on page 42

PAGE 42—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Continued from Page 41 She said: “I remember that day vividly. It was definitely one of the worst days of my life. We were not even allowed to finish eating before they hurriedly packed our belongings, threw them into trucks and drove us into an uncertain, unknown future.” She continued: “I was determined that what my father fought for, which was to ensure that Nigerians had a greater say in the scheme of things in Shell and thus in the petroleum industry, would be championed and achieved by me in government”.

She noted that in every government, some people must land the big jobs which every human being would love to have. She said: “I chose to empower mostly Nigerians and took the power away from foreigners who used to dominate the sector. That was why we pushed for the Nigerian Content Bill, which mercifully we got through. So you cannot expect some forces not to hate me but I was shocked that Nigerians themselves were ready to crucify me mostly on rumours and not verifiable facts. Most leaders before me have suffered a similar fate, so I take some comfort from that experience.”

She added that people seem to forget that she is happily married to Rear Admiral AlisonMadueke and would not do anything to jeopardise her marriage or smear herself in the eyes of her husband, children and family. She also said that some of these men were unknown to her until she became a Minister and that although, in some cases, they later enjoyed a cordial relationship with her, it was no more than the kind of relationship she enjoyed with other successful Nigerian businessmen who respected and admired her for the way she was bringing Nigerians to the

forefront of the industry: “It is unfortunate that things didn’t work perfectly all the time as expected and as a leader I take the blame for those imperfections, but I’m certainly not a demon as being portrayed. I have no doubt that I served my nation well, the reason my colleagues at OPEC supported me despite the opposition from my own people. I still maintain that level of relationship with my former colleagues despite not being in government.”

I then asked, why is she so controversial? “Controversy has nothing to do with your qualifications or performance.

As a matter of fact, people often hate you for knowing so much and for being efficient and confident which they mistake for arrogance. We had to confront so many challenges, including oil theft and general insecurity but we

did very well even if we did not succeed 100 percent. I must say that some of our own people delivered responsibly while a few of them breached the faith and wasted the opportunities handed to them by my boss, President Jonathan.

Unfortunately, no one ever remembers the things that went right but everyone remembers and tends to emphasise the things that went wrong…”

We soon moved the discussion to the many allegations of financial impropriety under her tenure, especially the alleged disappearance of $20billion and other wasteful spending authorised by her. She observed that she could not go into any real details because of the criminal investigations in Nigeria and England as well as the civil case here. However she told me she would try and provide general details about these matters because it was important to shed some light on her own involvement from the vantage point of someone actually in government who believes these things simply cannot happen.

She was visibly angry at the mention of the $20billion: “If there is one issue I must pursue in this world it is the biggest lie of this money.

How can $20billion disappear just like that?

Where did it disappear to? Is it possible that such an amount would not be traceable? This is more painful coming from someone I considered a good friend who should appreciate the gravity of such allegation. I challenge anyone to come forward with facts showing that I stole government or public money. I’ve never

I chose to empower mostly Nigerians and took the power away from foreigners who used to dominate the sector. That was why we pushed for the Nigerian Content Bill, which mercifully we got through. So you cannot expect some forces not to hate me but I was shocked that Nigerians themselves were ready to crucify me mostly on rumours and not verifiable facts

‘I tried my best for my country’ stolen Nigeria’s money…

“Rather, I worked hard to halt the rampant business of round-tripping. When I brought in Reginald Stanley to clean up the place, I requested for a list of the defaulters. There were about 92 of them and I made sure we sanctioned them. You can imagine the threat to my life but I was ready to defend the economic interests of my country. In fact, we were able to reduce the oil subsidy by about half. No one has applauded our effort.

“There were those who said the then Governor of Central Bank must have been angry at me because of the way the Presidency treated him. In all honesty, he was being blocked from seeing the President by some of Oga’s people (presidential aides) but it had nothing to do with me. I was the one who even told Oga about the development and Oga said he would meet him in London on one of his trips.

Unfortunately my boss fell ill and was rushed to King Edward Hospital and the meeting was aborted.

“Sanusi and I had been friends. There was no way I would have done anything bad to him. He even came to my house to inform me about his interest in heading the African Development Bank and we discussed for about two hours. I promised to support him and I spoke to Oga about it. We were together on the Reconciliation Committee that looked into the accounts of NNPC. Yes, there were gaps but not on the alarming scale being circulated. Markafi (former Governor of Kaduna State) did a thorough job. You know he is a very sound accountant.”

Houses What about the allegations that she owns choice properties everywhere? “It is so sad that anyone could say such about me. Let me say something to you. I live with my husband in the same house we’ve lived since we married in 1999. Ask anyone who knows us. Our house in Abuja was bought in 2007 by my husband and as an architect and lover of interior

décor I did it up to our own taste. It is not over the top because I have good taste and appreciate bargains. I shop in regular shops like B & Q to do up all the places where I live. Anyone who tells you I have houses anywhere should feel free to publish them. That was how they said I bought an expensive property in Vienna. I went to court and I won the case. I never saw the house before except in picture. The house I stay in London is rented. As a woman I love to look good.

Some of my dresses and jewelleries are often dumped on me by those I buy from and I pay them when I can” She went on to explain that virtually all the transactions in respect of which allegations of corruption are being levelled against her went through due process and that the Group Managing Director of NNPC was actively involved in ensuring that the best international practices were maintained. She added that her involvement in the conclusion of these transactions was limited and that some of the contracts had been executed before she became Minister of Petroleum Resources. In some other cases she only got details after the contracts had been concluded when approached by some businessmen who complained about the terms.

She usually admonished them to forego the contracts if they felt they were not profitable and seek other ventures within the industry.

She reiterated that she could not speak in detail since she is currently facing charges and criminal investigations in England.

But she emphasised that her boss neither discriminated against nor favoured anyone.

She claimed some of those who benefited the most were even in opposition and mentioned how a renowned opposition leader and vocal critic of the government at the time met her on about three occasions to discuss his interests in the business of oil. “My boss didn’t want Nigerians to suffer because of politics; so we agreed to offer certain support to a company we knew was owned by the opposition once we were satisfied they controlled the market substantially and have what it takes to deliver the goods nationwide. We were that tolerant…”

•This interview was conducted by Dele Momodu and first published in THE BOSS, his new online publication. It is reproduced here with his consent C M Y K

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015 — PAGE 43

C M Y K

PAGE 44—SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

will not win the election. If these people continue on the grounds of ethnic sympathy, Salawu and Ozigi may get the majority votes and limit the chances of the PDP in the area.

SIX DAYS TO KOGI POLL

Two-horse race too close to call

By BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO, LOKOJA Six days to the gubernatorial election in Kogi State, supporters of the two leading party, APC and PDP are singing songs of victory. Who wins the poll remains the issue.

Barely one week to the governorship election in Kogi State, the debate is about who will win the election. The two leading parties in the poll are winding down their campaigns.

Though there are 22 political parties contesting for the Lugard House, political analysts have narrowed the contest to two: Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, fielding Governor Idris Wada, and the All Progressives Congress, APC. Prince Abubakar Audu, a former governor of the state, is the candidate of the APC. Enesi Ozigi is flying the ticket of Peoples Progressive Alliance, PPA, and Dr. Philip Salawu of Labour Party, LP. Most of the other parties are believed to be in the race to gain recognition, with many said to be in alliance with the PDP or the APC with which they hope to form the government at the inception of the next administration in Kogi.

Incidentally, the people of the state are faced with the choices they are familiar with as the race is, in the main, between the incumbent governor and a former governor.

The electorate have the rare opportunity of making an informed choice based on the scorecards of the main candidates.

Audu’s handlers said they had a head start based on what they described as ‘unparalleled achievements’ during his six years as governor

There is fear of rigging. Many in the PDP are ‘afraid’ that the APC may pay them back in their own coin

between 1991-1993 and 1999-2003. Many people have also assigned to Audu the toga of the Father of Modern Kogi. The achievements they listed include the establishment of the Kogi State University, Kogi State Polytechnic, NTA Kogi, Confluence Beach Hotels, Graphics Newspapers and some housing estates.

They went further to ascribe the leg work that led to the establishment of Dangote Cement Company, Obajana to the efforts of Audu.

The Audu men claimed their campaign is performance-based, saying their candidate’s performance in four years dwarfed the twelve years.

Meanwhile, Wada, the PDP candidate, says his of the PDP. The PDP, on the other hand, hinged their campaign on personality, taking a swipe at the APC candidate alleged poor relationship with civil servants, traditional rulers, pensioners among others while he held sway as governor at the return to democracy in 1999.

At the weekend, political analysts felt 70 percent of the electorates have already made up their minds on who to vote for,

leaving the parties to persuade the 30 percent who are yet to made up their mind on the path to follow .

However, there are many factors that will influence the voters in each of the senatorial axis.

KOGI CENTRAL The central senatorial axis looks favourable to the PDP. With the APC governorship candidate coming from the eastern flank and his deputy, from the west, the axis was hoping of securing their son for the minister’s position.

Unfortunately, the appointment of Barr.

James Ocholi, from the eastern flank as minister, coupled with the wrangling in the APC in the area, may give the PDP the upper hand.

Another factor that may work against the APC in the area is the alleged imposition of James Abiodun Falake as deputy governorship candidate. The move is perceived by the Ebira as not only narrowing down the chances of power rotation in 2019 to the western senatorial axis but also to a particular person.

To them, Faleke was brought in by an APC top leader to be his preferred candidate for power shift in 2019. This claim has been used by the PDP to whip up sentiment in their favour. The ruling party in Kogi has been telling people of the area that its only in PDP that they have chances for power shift in 2019.

The obstacles for the PDP in the area, however, are the strong apostles of power shift, who will not mind voting for their ethnic person even if the person

KOGI WEST The deputy candidates of the two leading parties are from this area. Faleke is from Ekirin Adde, in Ijumu Local Government Area, while Awoniyi hails from Mopa in Mopamuro Local Government Area.

Both are Okun persons the Yoruba speaking area of the senatorial axis.

The west has seven local government areas. The five LGAs in the Okun area will be shared. APC may win Ijumu, Yagba West, while PDP may win Mopamuro, Kabba/Bunu and Yagba-East.

However, APC may likely pick Lokoja and Kogi Local Government Areas to secure the majority votes from the zone.

KOGI EAST This remains the battle ground for the election as Audu and Wada are from the zone. Analysts have also narrowed the nine LGAs in the area in ratio 5:4 for APC and PDP

respectively.

Audu is favoured to win his local government, Ofu; his mother’s LGA, Olamaboro; as well as Ankpa, Idah and Ibaji; while Wada is favoured to win his local government, Dekina, as well as Omala, Bassa and Igalamela/ Odolu.

Any candidate with clear cut votes from the zone must win both in Dekina and Ankpa. Unfortunately, none of them is favoured to win the two together, and must rely heavily on votes from the two other senatorial axis to win the election.

on them this time around.

But the APC has boasted that winning will purely be on the altar of free and fair election.

The PDP feels its strong holds, especially the central senatorial district, may be heavily militarised to intimidate voters from coming out to enfrachise their right, while the APC strong holds may be left open for them to have a free day.

Another pointer to the rigging fear was stressed last week by the governorship candidate of LP, Salawu, who alleged that one of the two leading parties in the election had VOTER APATHY stocked arms and There may be voter ammunition to distribute to apathy in central and western senatorial districts. thugs to disrupt the election.

The Kogi poll promises to The people of the two zones are enmeshed in power shift be a replica of the last presidential election won by struggle and may be President Muhammed indifferent about who Buhari. The only difference emerges as governor is that both leading among the Igala candidates are Muslims candidates. and will not receive religion sympathy. The election is a RIGGING. two-horse race that is too In the meantime, there is close to call. It can be won fear of rigging. Many in the PDP are ‘afraid’ that the by either the APC or the APC may pay them back in PDP. It will not be surprising their own coin. They feel the if the eventual winning will same way the federal might not lead with more than 20,000 votes unlike in the was used to oust Audu by past when PDP always won the Obasanjo led- PDP in with a difference of more 2003 may also be visited than 100,000 votes.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 45

BY UDEME CLEMENT

O

perators of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) as well as entrepreneurs doing business in Nigeria have been called upon to key into the agricultural projects going on in Akwa Ibom State, in order to create jobs for the citizens, especially the youths.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Bascon Nigeria limited, Mr. James Bassey, also an entrepreneur, said this in a chat with Sunday Vanguard in Lagos, stressing that the agricultural sector of the economy if adequately harnessed can create over 500.000 jobs annually, to reduce the rate of unemployment in the country.

According to him, agricultural sector has the capacity to create thousands of jobs on yearly basis, therefore all the states in Nigeria should follow what Akwa Ibom government is doing in agriculture, in order to engage the youths meaningfully.

The Bascon boss further disclosed that his company has concluded plans to build an international market in Akwa Ibom, to boost economic activities in the area. “The market, which would be located along the airport road, would cater for small scale businesses and big

‘How agric can create 500,000 jobs annually’ investments in the region. The market has a unique structure and is designed to serve as a one-stop arena for electronics, spare parts, furniture, building materials and other accessories.

He said, “The governor of Akwa Ibom, Udom Emmanuel, is doing so much in agricultural sector of the economy, by using agriculture as a tool to empower the youths.

For instance, he sent many youths from the state to Israel, to be trained on modern agricultural practice obtainable in advanced countries. This means that these youths would be exposed to large scale farming techniques and the technology involved in the entire process. This is a good development because the initiative would further boost productive activities in the state, especially in the areas of food processing, storage and export.

This is the time for more investors to come in and support this project and other industrial activities in the state. For instance, if all the states in Nigeria can invest massively in agriculture like Akwa Ibom is doing right now, Nigeria would have food security

Inset: Governor Udom Emmanuel and Mr. James Bassey and the level of importation would reduce drastically”.

Responding to other measures that the government is putting in place to develop Akwa Ibom, apart from agriculture, he said, “Government is doing a lot to secure the state for investments to flourish. Also, the current governor is sustaining the free education project that the immediate past governor, Godswill Akpabio, started in the state eight years ago. The good thing is that many indigenes

including children from neighbouring states are also benefiting from the free education provision in Akwa Ibom.”

He added, “Tourism is also an important sector of the economy that is capable of generating revenue for government to invest in other developmental projects.

So, my advice is for the government to invest more in this sector, in order to stimulate influx of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) into the state. Tourism must be seen as a productive and

lucrative venture, because even in advanced countries, tourism is given serious attention.

“I am calling on all Akwa Ibom indigenes in Diaspora and those within the country to support the efforts of government in developing the state and Nigerian economy at large. The current governor is opened to suggestions and ready to work with economic experts as well as private sector players, to move the state forward for greater economic prosperity.

Udom is giving all the indigenes a sense of belonging to promote unity in the state. Another area that government should turn attention to is capacity building, to enhance human capital development. This is quite imperative to encourage wealth creation for the economy.

Training our youths on various skills would help in terms of reducing unemployment rate in the system. Skills acquisition and man-power development are paramount to economic growth everywhere in the world. So, Akwa Ibom and other states in the country should give attention to these areas, to enhance rapid economic growth and development.

Concessioning of airport terminals : The MM2 example

BY LAWANI MIKAIRU

T

he recent ranking of Nigeria airports as among the worst in the world by SleepingInAirports.net has brought to the fore the need to bring in private investors to assist and complement the efforts of the Federal Government in the development of Nigeria airport terminals.

SleepingInAirports.net, a travel website that reviews the best and worst airports in the world, had rated the airports in Port Harcourt, Abuja and Lagos as the first, seventh and 10th worst respectively in Africa. There is now a general belief by stakeholders in the aviation sector that if most Nigeria airports terminals are privatized or concessioned to private business organizations , Nigeria airports will witness rapid transformation and the aviation industry will contribute higher GDP to the country’s economy.

Recently, the Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA2, Lagos terminal operated by BiCourtney Aviation Services Limited was voted the number one airport terminal in Nigeria during the tenure of last Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka by Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, through an independent survey. Also, the report of another survey by Phillips Consulting also rated MMA2 as the number one terminal in the country Chidoka had said while announcing the result of the FAAN survey that “I doubt if there is still anyone uncertain of the fact that Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the development and management of critical infrastructure is the most effective way to build a sustainable economy.”

Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited has spent close to a billion naira in the past three years on facility upgrade in MMA2. These include but not limited to e-gates, self-check-in kiosks, and automatic baggage reconciliation system (BRSkk) and Passenger tracking system (PAXTRACK). The terminal boasts

• Murtala Muhammed Airport, MMA2, Lagos terminal the most innovative facilities in the country.

In addition, it provides 24-hour uninterrupted power, it has 45 check-in counters equipped with common user check-in systems and baggage handling facilities, and also has 10 elevators, 5 escalators and two panoramic lifts and plans to install more.

While making the FAAN survey public Chidoka further said “Aviation industry in other countries contributes in the double digits to their GDP, but in Nigeria it is 0.4 per cent to the GDP. We also decided to find out from our passengers how they feel about Nigerian airports. We contracted a polling company to question the passengers and the result we got from them is that most of our airports are under performing.

“They ranked most of our airports below average, I think only MMA2 (domestic terminal, Lagos airport) came out with a 3.2 score out of 5. And we believe that only two airports among those they surveyed scored up to 2.7 and 2.6 the rest were below 2.5. This is a customer perception index to find out what the customers think.”

He added that “What, perhaps, is most instructive in all of this is the fact that MMA2 is only privatelyrun airport terminal in the country and its pre-eminence in the nation’s aviation industry is hinged on its distinct features with unparalleled state of the art facilities including a terminal building, a multi-storey car park, hotel, conference centre, and an apron.”

At the launch of the Common User Passenger Processing System (CUPPS) in MMA2, Chidoka also said “Technology is going to make it possible for us to be able to say things with more clarity.

Therefore what we have seen today with the launch of the Common User Passenger Processing System (CUPPS) in

MMA2 by Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited is a step in the right direction; and it is no surprise that it is coming from the airport Nigerians have voted as the best in the country.

“Having said that, what is needed is not about having somebody like me or someone that is better than me to run the affairs of the aviation industry, I think MMA2 has offered the template about how government should go about the issue of the operations of airports in the country. Feelers from the stakeholders in the industry including the pilots, grand handlers, etc also gave it to MMA2.” Stakeholders in the aviation industry have been brainstorming on ways of making Nigeria airports catch up with their counterpart in the rest of the world .So, what is the way out?

Aviation experts propose two radical solutions to airport terminal growth, especially for airports with a minimum annual traffic of five million passengers.

“ The first is full privatisation, while the second is leasing (concession). The Conservative government in Britain adopted the first model to a great success in 1987 by privatising the British Airports Authority, raking in $2.3 billion from the sale. In 2009, Heathrow and Stansted generated combined revenue of $4.27 billion.”

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria , FAAN, may not be able to give all the airports terminals in the country the needed facelift.

According to an aviation expert who pleaded anonymity, “The core problem of airport improvement programme in Nigeria is government’s interference with what FAAN generates internally, and as long as the airports authority is tied directly to government’ s overbearing directive, there is no way Nigeria’s airports will function to international standards.”

‘Made in Nigeria’ food at Agrikexpo

P

RIMLAKS Group, pioneers of Individually Quick Frozen (IQF) fruits and vegetables in Nigeria, has demonstrated its steadfast support of agriculture in Nigeria by exhibiting its innovative Sympli brand of convenience food at the 2015 FOODBEXT WEST AFRICA Exhibition in Lagos.

Sympli is the registered brand name of a range of IQF foods produced by Venus Processing and Packaging Limited (VPPL), which is a part of the PRIMLAKS Group.

The locally farmed, processed and packed Sympli products, which include ‘Yam Fries’, ‘Yam Cubes,’ Plantain ‘Dodo’ and Plantain Chips, are delivered in ready-to-cook state for frying, steaming or baking.

Chairman of VPPL, Otunba Christopher Tugbobo said, “I am very happy to be a part of this venture because Sympli proves that Nigeria is capable of doing new things in agriculture that can help reduce our dependence on

•The management of Primlaks Group at the exhibition oil and gas.”

Nigerians a home grown brand Tugbobo, a one-time Head of the in the frozen food segment that Division of Agricultural Research we can all be proud of.” in the Federal Ministry of Group Chairman of PRIMLAKS, Economic Development and a Mr. H. K. Ram, explained that retired Permanent Secretary, PRIMLAKS invested in Nigeria’s described Sympli as a 100% first IQF production facility in Nigerian product, stressing, order to tap into the country’s “Sympli is produced 100% vast agricultural potential, locally by Nigerians for particularly in light of growing Nigerians and this gives me hope concerns on unemployment and as it creates much needed dwindling foreign exchange employment, helps reduce postreserves”. harvest losses and gives

Page 46 — SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

TRIBUTE T. O. Taire: A life enhanced by family, friendship and argument

By Lindsay Barrett

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF

Celebrating the life and times of an accomplished Nigerian

T

ORCH Oritseweyinmi Taire, known universally as T.O.T, was a civilised and cultured man. He was an avid reader who chose to peruse books from a polyglot selection of subjects, not at all relating to his profession of pharmacy. He did not just love reading. He loved the process of expanding one’s range of knowledge. From the first time that I met him in July 1966, just a few days after I first came to live in Nigeria, this aspect of his character drew us together.

He was then living in Onireke District in Ibadan and the poet Christopher Okigbo was his close neighbour and friend. I was working at Mbari the artist’s club and he was a regular visitor to the institution. His wife Femi was finishing her undergraduate studies at UNIBADAN and T.O.T not only knew his way around the campus but was also a contemporary and close friend of a wide cross section of the academic staff members. I remember his close association with scholars like Dr. Ben Obumselu and Prof. Ayo Ogunsheye, among others, and I was fascinated by the esoteric arguments that he often engaged in with them when they met in Mbari, for he had a way of turning social occasions into debates.

T.O.T was a highly opinionated individual and fearless in voicing his opinions. But he was never either overbearing or simply quarrelsome because he had a fine sense of humour and liked to base his arguments on well researched facts, He also had a keen instinctive awareness of the political history of his homeland and this served as the basic underpinning of his deeply held viewpoints.

In fact as I got to know him better over the years it occurred to me that T.O.T was really a historian manqué; someone who had missed his true calling. He never tired of expressing his own interpretation of contemporary public affairs, which was often original and at variance with conventional assumptions. But where he really excelled was in interpreting the political machinations of Nigeria’s leaders whether historically or contemporaneously, and his constant discourse on this subject became a primer in the understanding of Nigerian political history for me. For a long time in those early days of my Nigerian sojourn we were travel companions almost on a weekly basis between Lagos

and Ibadan. He had a distinctive black and white Peugeot 404 which he drove with skill and flair as he undertook professional duties as the Parke-Davis Pharmaceutical Representative in the Western Region. It was an act of singular friendship on his part, and extraordinary good luck on mine, that he would always pick me up to accompany him on these trips. Apart from the wide knowledge that he displayed as we chatted on these journeys his expansive hospitality served to impress the fraternal possibilities of African reunion that I had come to the Mother Continent in search of, upon me. To this extent I have always felt that had I not met T.O.T I might very well not have chosen to stay in Nigeria.

T.O.T had been a good footballer in his youth. I heard this not only from him but in Sapele on one of our trips I met some of his former team mates who confirmed it.

Seeing T.O.T among colleagues from his adolescent years, some of whom had grown successful and some of whom had not, I witnessed another remarkable aspect of his personality. He was classless, He did not put on airs.

He was at home with all types of people and never gave the impression that time, status, or wealth had changed his intrinsic values.

It grew more obvious that he had fixed his attitudes early in life and was comfortable in his presumptions when he grew to become a very wealthy and almost glamorous member of the international jet set. This unlikely elevation was made manifest after he had left Parke-Davis for some time and transformed himself into a successful businessman. He started out on this path with ownership of a pharmaceutical emporium near the railway crossing at Yaba Bus Stop shortly after the civil war. However this modest beginning was soon to metamorphose into a period of international high living that saw him maintaining a town house in Mayfair, London leased from a member of the British Royal Family. T.O.T grew enamoured of the globe trotting lifestyle of his peers as he diverted into high finance and trading including for a time a link with weapons trading through British Aerospace.

But even when he was moving in these rarefied circles (when even Margaret Thatcher and her husband were listed among his acquaintances) what he became known for was the expansive and ever-ready hospitality of his London residence. It became one of

•Torch Oritseweyinmi Taire the landmark stops on the London circuit for Nigerians with some memorable parties taking place there.

While this period of T.O.T’s life and career was

He became adept at purchasing extraordinary creative works of some local artists in the UK, and was a well-known visitor to the open air weekend exhibition along the fence of Hyde Park for a time

characterised by what might seem to have been an ostentatious display of wealth symbolised by his ownership of expensive cars, including a custom made Le Clenet, and

a classic Bentley, his basic lifestyle was also defined by a broadening of his interests.

In London whenever we met we spent hours listening to good music in special clubs and theatres and visiting art galleries. His appetite for literary material grew more voracious as he was able to spend more time in leisurely pursuits and he developed an acute and genuine attachment to the fine arts.

He became adept at purchasing extraordinary creative works of some local artists in the UK, and was a well-known visitor to the open air weekend exhibition along the fence of Hyde Park for a time. Eventually T.O.T seemed to grow tired of this milieu and soon he shed much of the foreign trappings of his success and concentrated on completing a uniquely comfortable and self-designed living space for himself and Femi and their children in Anthony Village, Lagos. There he spent years building up, and living with, an extraordinary collection of Nigerian paintings and sculpture and a much thumbed library.

Unfortunately in his last years I was unable to visit him often but I was aware that he kept close tabs on life around him and every now and then we would engage in a phone call that showed me that his penchant for argument and contentious

views had hardly diminished even if his health had declined.

When someone whose life has had a seminal effect on one’s own passes away trying to do justice to his or her memory can be a difficult task. It is not easy to be objective, fair, or truthful, and often it is not even advisable to try. But T.O.T’s life was such an open book that the things we feel constrained to be silent about are much less than those we feel compelled to be open about. In the main his devotion to family and friends was an especially consistent factor in his life.

The deep affection that he felt for his wife Femi was enhanced by the overt pride that he took in her own success as she rose up the ladder of the Lagos State civil service to eventually become its Head. “Auntie Femi”, as most of his close friends, both young and old, called her, proved to be a perfect foil for T.O.T, always somewhat amused at his argumentative ways and ready to puncture his ego if she felt he was being boastful. His children, first son Oritsejolomi, second son Tajin, and daughter Eyetini were the recipients of much paternal indulgence as far as we could see for he laboured hard to ensure that they lacked no privileges or opportunity. But it was T.O.T’s generosity towards, and tolerance of, his friends’ foibles and follies that marked him out as a special person. He volunteered to be and was my best man at my first marital adventure in Ibadan in 1967, and when the marriage collapsed he was a pillar of support as I tried to comprehend my disaster. One thing that stood out was how many friends from his youth from various backgrounds remained closely attached to him throughout their lives, and his. I remember the incredible trouble he took to track down an old former British UAC factor Mr. Porter, the father of our friend a quintessential “Warri Boy” the late William “Willie Pep” Porter in the UK nearly four decades after he had abandoned his son. Some of his friends like the late Chief Dr. Bobo Ibiama, and the octogenarian former AIG of Police Prince Parry Osayande, and so many others too numerous to name here, were more like brothers to T.O.T and because of him they became of particular importance in my life as well.

The truth is that T.O.T was a natural mentor once he chose to befriend someone as I am sure his other inseparable brother Sam Amuka, the publisher of the Vanguard, knows. Nothing that we write now can fill the huge vacuum that his demise has left in the lives of a particular generation of Nigerians.

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, Page 47

VIEWPOINT

By Toyin Saraki

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Reflections on the passage of a mother and new born baby

I

am writing in honour of Omowumi Shonuga, a woman who joins Folake Oduyoye who I wrote about, just under a year ago.

These two women died in horrific circumstances following birth as a result of systemic failures within Nigeria’s healthcare system, a lack of effective health education, and poor health communications. Until Nigeria’s health system is fully accountable to its people, there will be more names, more stories, and more preventable maternal deaths.

Shonuga’s death and the death of her newborn baby was primarily caused by fatal delays and fatal miscommunications, starting from when she was initially turned away at

VIEWPOINT

By Mojisola Saka

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The need for support

I

N the 1970s, Professor Emmanuel Ayandele, then vice chancellor of the University of Calabar, made a rather sarcastic description of the people of Cross River State (of which the present Akwa Ibom was then a part), as an atomistic society that was perpetually at war with itself.

The statement expectedly drew the ire of the people of the state who, in unison, rose in arms to call for the man’s removal. Ayandele was saved by the fact that being an employee of the federal government, neither the people of the state nor the state government had a hand in his appointment, and could therefore not do anything about his continued stay in office. But the university don had made his point, caring little about whose ox had been gored.

Painful as it is, that description has remained poignantly true about the people of Akwa Ibom, who have the uncomplimentary reputation (or is it notoriety?) for fighting one another and destroying their best – what is generally known as the pull-himdown syndrome. There is this if-Ican’t-get-it-nobody-else-will attitude that has contributed in no small

VIEWPOINT

By Niyi Anibaba

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

A reply to allegations of nonperformance

M

ISCHIEF must be at work when a person sees a cup half full and declares it is nearly empty!

Some hatchet work must be in place when a foreign magazine writes a timid analysis that acknowledges only a quarter of the good work on the ground in Lagos State, Nigeria’s economic powerhouse.

Thus it was with the magazine, The Economist of London, in its report on Lagos under the six-month-old administration of Akinwunmi Ambode.

The Economist write-up blames Ambode for the “worsening traffic and escalating crime” in the megapolis and describes the governor as “less competent”, “weak” and “full of excuses.”

There are two reasons a reporter would put out this babbling conclusion. First, when you rely on uninformed and jaded sources, it is quite impossible to churn out reliable news. You may shroud your

Horrifying maternal deaths! the locked doors of the hospital where she attended her antenatal appointments, to the inability to find the keys for the ambulance to transfer her to a larger hospital that actually had a doctor on call, to the negligence that led to her newborn dying in a room alone, and to the final injustice – the hospital refusing to offer a blood transfusion unless her husband was willing to pay before use. On the very same day that she gave birth, both she and her newborn were buried.

Nigeria made some extraordinary gains in terms of infrastructure, technology, economics, and human rights. However, the rights of Nigerian mothers lags far behind, with maternal health in dire need of improvement. 110 Nigerian women die every day from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, the second largest

contributor to maternal mortality rates in the world. Nigeria is not alone in this — India has made outstanding economic and technological progress in the last 10 years, but is the highest contributor to maternal mortality rates, accounting for 50,000 maternal deaths each year.

These deaths can be so easily prevented with simple measures that we know can work. Nigeria’s healthcare infrastructure needs extensive investment to ensure quality care is accessible to patients whenever they need it. Nigeria needs an accountability mechanism that incorporates patient data in Personal Health Records as well as consistent birth/death registration. Nigeria’s healthcare workers need clear guidelines for offering Respectful Maternity Care. Nigeria’s patients need affordable health insurance that

does not require them to pay before use or to buy the essential health equipment they need such as gloves, sutures, and candles. Nigeria’s soonto-be parents need an antenatal education that can help them navigate pregnancy, childbirth, and the fragile first five years of their child’s life. Nigeria needs to address the social determinants of health that prevent citizens from accessing the care they need. Nigeria needs to adopt a Midwifery Services Framework, as recommended by the International Confederation of Midwives that can ensure midwives are trained and retained within the profession.

Today, we mourn the loss of Omowumi Shonuga and the 110 Nigerian mothers who have died in a single day. Tomorrow, we begin action.

We cannot rest until a mother in Lagos has the same rights and chance of survival as a mother in Los Angeles or London. In September, the global

community committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, known as the Global Goals, by 2030.

Nigeria cannot expect to meet these goals unless we commit to the road to dignity for our mothers. By putting in place the measures that we need to build the resilience of Nigeria’s healthcare system, we can achieve substantial progress on reproductive, maternal, newborn, children and adolescent health (RMNCAH). This resilience will ensure that we have a system that works, continues to work even under pressure — including within fragile contexts as seen in the plight of pregnant IDPs in northern Nigeria — and saves the lives of women like Omowumi Shonuga and Folake Oduyeye, rather than contributes to their deaths.

•Toyin Saraki is the wife of the Senate President. Follow her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ ToyinSaraki

Governor Udom Emmanuel: Correcting the ills of the past measure to rob the people of the state of the opportunity of realizing their full potential, for the overall benefit of the state – one of the reasons the state is today not counted among Nigeria’s frontline states in terms of physical and human development.

During the tenure of military president, General Ibrahim Babangida, the people lost an opportunity to have a refinery built in the state because of disagreements over where it should be sited. A few influential people decided it was better the project was not built in the state, than have it sited in the ‘wrong’ area. They also lost the chance to have a federal university of agriculture sited in the state for the same reason.

Yet, Akwa Ibom is one of the smallest states in the country, if not the smallest. You can reach any part of the state from Uyo, the capital, in one hour, meaning that no part of the state would genuinely feel not being part of a project, no matter where it is sited.

Governor Udom Emmanuel rose above some of the stereotypes that stunted the growth of his people to attain an enviable height in the accounting profession, holding a position that placed him two steps away from leading one of the country ’s biggest financial

institutions. His assumption of office as governor on May 29 offered him a rare opportunity to lay the foundation for the evolution of a new culture that would help change, forever, the course of the state’s history and that of its people.

The Dakkada philosophy, which the governor launched to mark the 28th anniversary of the creation of the state in September, is expected to eliminate such negative tendencies like back-biting, back-stabbing, hatred, envy, jealousy, etc, and instill in the people a new spirit of brotherhood and a sense of collective ownership of the Akwa Ibom Project.

The philosophy is expected to change the mindset of the people and make them see their individual contributions as the tributaries that must flow unhindered into the ocean of a state where they, their children and generations yet unborn, will have a sense of belonging and, ultimately, pride of place in the Nigerian federation.

The current efforts by a few privileged individuals to truncate the mandate that the people of the state gave Udom in the April 11 governorship election, through subterfuge in the law courts, can be viewed from the perspective of resistance to change. It is an attempt

by the same forces that have kept the state in darkness for too long to halt the march into a new era in which people would exercise their freedom to explore and develop their innate abilities and potential.

I am not one of those who see the questionable ruling of the election tribunal, which invalidated election in 18 out of the 31 local government areas in the state, as a setback for the governor. The ruling, as obnoxious as it is, still gives him an edge over his opponent, Umana Okon Umana, of the All Progressives Congress, which is the reason the latter is fighting tooth and nail for a fresh start. Nor do I harbour any worry about the possibility that he might end up losing the mandate, if the entire election is annulled. Perhaps a fresh election is what is actually needed to establish the acceptance or otherwise of the promise of change that the people of the state have seen in the past five months.

Since assuming office, Udom has embarked on a mission with twin purposes of developing the individual through the Dakkada philosophy and also developing the state, from a socio-economic point of view. He has put in place the building blocks that would actualize his vision of a state that is an

Ambode, Lagos and The Economist presentation in sugar and honey and in graceful prose. Still your story would be inelegant. Why? The answer is facts are sacred, comment is free.

Secondly,The Economist, far removed from what is on the ground in Lagos and shy of the dynamics of the new Lagos and the current reign of creative ideas in governance, is determined to publish the outdated information that rather obtained months ago.

The journal fails, for instance, to recognize that the gridlock it pronounces as the order of the day has long been addressed. Again the weekly gives scant attention to the fact that the governor it charges with socalled “policy failings” has been moving with the speed of a hurricane to deplete the army of traffic robbers thus also reducing the aura of insecurity in the mega city.

On the eve of the publication in The Economist, all of Nigeria’s leading newspapers ran the picture of the governor, dressed in street gear and ready to take the battle to the den of traffic hoodlums. Journalists captured him arresting a motorist

who breached the law right there in the middle of the highway.

Observers have noted that the governor is fulfilling all righteousness. He can stay in the office to discharge his duties as the Number One Law Officer, applying all the instruments of office at the bureaucratic level. But if the need arises, he can drop his suit and tie and don a shirt and a pair of jeans with loafers for the road work which our reporters revealed him doing during this past week.

Now, talking about maintaining law and order in Lagos, we must bear in mind that the tempo of music has changed to a faster beat than it was under the preceding administration.

Lagos has been witnessing a most phenomenal demographic growth in the past six months, stressing both its law enforcement and infrastructural architecture. This is adding to the challenges its 21 million residents are going through in the face of a paltry strength of 33,000 police men and women.

Meanwhile, there is daily influx of tens of thousands of social and

economic migrants from neighbouring countries through our porous borders. There is a dearth of funds arising from the country’s low income on oil due to the global recession. Add this to the billions of naira owed Lagos by the Federal Government as a result of numerous federal road projects being executed by the state.

Somehow, these problems have not pushed Ambode to throw up his arms in despair. He has also not reneged on his campaign promises.

And in pursuit of the importance he attaches to cleaning up Lagos traffic, he appointed former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Chris Olakpe as the Chief Executive Officer of the Transport Management Authority (LASTMA). Olakpe has since read a fiery code expected to deal ruthlessly with transgressors. The past one week has seen the duo turning the streets of Lagos upside down, as it were, to give succour to Lagosians by ridding the city of road rogues and errant motorists. That is fresh oxygen in the system which The Economist failed to breathe in.

industrial and economic power house in the country. His focus on the economy is not surprising. He knows, from his rich private sector experience, that only economic self reliance can guarantee the freedom that the people of the state seek, and deserve.

Today, there is a growing acceptance of attitudinal change and moral rectitude as imperatives for individual development and accomplishments, especially among the youth. There is a new can-do spirit that had been lacking in individual efforts to overcome the circumstances in which they found themselves.

If it boils down to a fresh election, there is a possibility Udom will have new converts and supporters in the youth who have woken to the fact that they have what it takes to be an Ini Edo, a Vincent Enyeama, or an Ufot Ekong. They have seen a leader who has inspired them in a way none before him had done. It is not likely they would abandon the known for the unknown. If a fresh election is held today, Umana will find to his chagrin that the event of April 11 was not a fluke. The governor will not just win, he will do so convincingly.

•Saka sent this piece from Lagos.

The government’s creative ideas will work with time and patience and not according to wishful reports of those not writing from the scene. The governor has spoken of a future he expects to emerge from the cauldron of ideas. It is a world whose period of gestation would necessarily admit of some hiccups, given the struggle between those who do not want a change from the old order to a new birth to take place. Some people look the other way when a good thing is happening. They see half empty vessels when the cup is filling up.

Such struggles do not come without some dramatic twists of events.

Sometimes, they could come in the form of open and covert political sabotage. Others could be infighting in the ruling party. At other times, there could be a suborning of ethnic and social groups to rebel and agitate for odd demands on the government of the day.

But the subtle and lethal reaction of those opposed to change is to resort to hatchet work in the media.

Progress loving and the ever conscious Lagosians cannot be deceived!

•Anibaba, an economist, lives in Gbagada, Lagos.

PAGE 48 — SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

By JAPHET ALAKAM VISUAL

O

RDINALLY, the KIA Motors showroom located at Adelu Odeku street, Victoria Island is one of the places customers go to purchase their various range of cars, but the place received unusual visitors last month when people from all walks of life, especially art lovers trooped to the place not to buy cars, but to be part of the unique solo exhibition organised by Arthouse Space for one of Africa’s living modernist masters, Prof Yusuf Grillo titled Igi Araba .

The solo exhibition which could be described as the mother of all exhibitions, is coming up 40 years after his last outing, featured body of works that make his legendary night blue strokes glow with some of the neverbefore-seen paintings. Also among the new works were stained glass pieces, rendered in a medium of which Grillo, for several decades, asserts his great signature.

Given the artist’s background as teacher of masters as well as dream collection of many art lovers, any art event that focuses Grillo means so much to quite diverse shades of art enthusiasts.

So the opening was a carnival like as it was graced by prominent Nigerians, captains of industry, diplomats, expatriates, art collectors, promoters and lovers especially the members of the Zaria rebels. It was declared open by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Ranti Adebule who represented Governor Ambode of Lagos State. Others include former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, Prof.

Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko, Jimoh Okolo, Prof JP Clark, Prof Ebun Clark, Jerry

By ELIZABETH UWANDU POETRY

T

HE first Lagos International Poetry Festival may have come and gone, but its memory will linger for quite a while. And one of such memories was the concert tagged,”Borderless Words,” a spoken words poetry performance, held at the Muson Centre. It was entertaining and educative as the audience were held spell bound by the scintillating performances of poets like the Lawyer cum poet, Chuma Nwokolo, Chijioke Amu Nnadi , Efe Paul,,Jumoke Verisimmo, Titilope Sonuga, Dike Chukwumerijie, a protege of Chunua Achebe, Inua Ellams from London, Dami Ajayi, Lebo Mashile, Natalia Molebatsi, Wana Udobang of Inspiration FM, Obii Ifedika and TJ Dema from Bostwana among others.

Young poets such as Chika Jones’, “Nigeria my beautiful country, and Ehis Momudu’s “Who am I? Poems on the resolute spirit of patriotism and identity of Nigerians, set the ball rolling for a night of travel via words that provoke, retrospection, reassessment, and re-evaluation on the part of the audience on issues such as leadership, love, kidnap, gender and self appreciation.

The concert had the presence of Odia Ofeimun, Igoni Barrett, AJ Dagga Tolar, Uche Umez, Jahman Anikulapo and Toni Kan.

How Grillo’s Igi Araba changed the face of art in Lagos • Prof

Yusuf Grillo, with o n e of his works

Buhari , Oleseinde Odimayo, Kolade Oshinowo and a host of others.

A look at some of the works shows his masterly rendition of his strokes as in the piece, Kabiyesi and Olori (oil on canvas, 2010-2012). Grillo also celebrates his resilient Yoruba cultural value, as shown in the

One special feature of the show was the display of stained glass works produced over the decades for private collection and religious worship places,

painting, which is about royal couple that captures the flowing elegance in the native iro / buba for the queen and buba/agbada for the king. However, there seems to be a slight de-emphasis on the artist’s cubist identity compared to most of his older works.

Apart from his usual paintings, one special feature of the show was the display of stained glass works produced over the decades for private collection and religious worship places, which are not made more visible to a wider viewing public, but IgiAraba provides an opportunity, perhaps privilege too, to see Nigerian modernism at one of its very bests.

According to the artists who is known for his specific use of colour blue, “the works are there,

people want to see it and luckly there is an organisation ready to promote the exhibition, so what more. So the exhibition is to give people the opportunity of seeing what I have been doing for years now. It is a mixture of old and new, we are not putting new wine in old bottle, but we are showing new works side by side with the old works, works done since 1960 till date.”

Speaking about the exhibition, art scholar, Prof Jerry Buhari had this to say, “I don’t remember when Grillo had his last show, its a long time and I do remember that there has been several discussions, when are we going to see Grillo. It is very interesting to know why he came out, how he was convinced to come, credit goes to the people that did that and we thank God for his life, his

creativity and all that he has given to contemporary art in Nigeria.You can see that he has brought out the stained glasses from their traditional habitats ( Churches) and they are now seen, have been liberated from the cathedral or buildings, now they are standing on their own and making statements of their own.

For me it is extremely profound,” he added.

For master printmaker, Prof Bruce Onobrakpeya, “It is a rare opportunity to see Grillo come out like this. This is stupendous and we know Grillo, we like his works but we have never seen them put together. As one of the greatest artist we have in Nigeria, it is real an honour and privilege to encounter his works the way they are. And you can see the audience, the amount of people that have come, that shows his greatness. He is number one, not only for for creating such good works but because his works are seen by thousands of people every day, the ones in the churches, are seen by billion audience.”

For Kavitta Chellarams, the CEO of Arthouse, the organisation that organised the exhibition said, “it is a coup, it is a lot of collaboration between us and a friendship we’ve established. I’ve been going to him for the past 8 years, begging him for the works and show and finally here is it.

I am very happy that the show is sold out, we sold out all the works, he is happy too, all his colleagues that were in Zaria and were part of the Zaria rebels are here to honour him.”

When words travel across borders Then came major performances , one of which saw the audience transported to the seat of power, “ Aso Rock” as Nwokolo performed his poem ‘ An Oga at the top says his morning prayers”, a satire that depicts the intention of our leaders during and after their rule and the foolishness of the ruled as they unconsciously assent to Oga’s prayer. Chukwumerijie’s poems spikes up the tempo of

Nwokolo’s performance with “ I am a Nigeria” a poem that ridicule our moral sense of identity when asked, ‘Where are you from? And a piece that resonates the legacies of Prof Achebe’. For Dema and Lebo, their presentation extolled the virtue of true African Leadership.

After these rapturous displays, lovers of poems went into sober mood as Sonuga, read poems on

motherhood, rape and terrorism.

This was followed by Ifejika piece which made audience cry as she performs a piece calling on one of the Chibok girls, to asked of her mother, father, siblings who awaits her return, if she ever comes back. For Unabang popularly called Uwana, women are called to stand up against forced marriage when she renders “ Catfish” a scenario where woman is point or pick for

marriage without consent resulting in loveless marriage, divorce and broken homes.

The concert also evokes the feeling of love, and beauty of nature by performances of Verissimo.’s Ajani, Hassan Sage appreciation of beauty in creativity without conformity and Amu Nnadi’s classic which featured Molebatsi acrobatic display of love; a performance that saw audience wanting a cuddling from their love ones.

Exhibitions,plays,workshop Ake festival The Abubakar Gimba Literary headline Award postponed till 2016

By PRISCA SAM-DURU FESTIVAL

A

rrangements have been concluded for the take-off of the 2015 edition of Ake Arts and Book Festival, a yearly literary feast, billed to hold at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto-Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital.

Expected at the festival which begins from Tuesday November 17th through Thursday 21st, are some of world’s renowned writers, filmmakers, artists, scholars and thinkers for the 5-day event.

Themed ‘Engaging the Fringe’, the festival focuses on the genres and creative endeavour that are deprived of same attention as Art forms considered as mainstream.

It will also explore topics about African life and living in Africa

in an honest, open and constructive way which is aimed at advancing goals to develop, promote and celebrate creativity on the African continent, on African turf.

The Festival’s Project Director, Mrs Lola Shoneyin and the festival’s Senior Communication Manager, Miss Byenyau Jessica at a press conference in Lagos, took time to announce line up for this year’s event.

They hinted that the festival will showcase the very best of contemporary African literature, music, art, film and theatre.

Features include 8 book chats, 3 art exhibitions, 1 play, 2 in-depth interviews, school visits, 18 stimulating panel discussions, 3documentary screenings, 2 films screenings and a poetry

Byenyau Jessica, Mrs Lola Shoneyin and a g u e s t during the p r e s s briefing in Lagos performance event.

Renowned poet, Prof. Niyi Osundare, Angolan writer and TV host Imanni Da Sylva, and Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna State, are among top writers and resource persons expected at the event. Osundare will sit in a conversation with author and editor, Kunle Ajibade, while Dr Olaokun Soyinka will

sit with Imanni Da Sylva and in another panel moderated by Kadaria Ahmed. Governor Elrufai will talk about Minding the business of Africa with Howard French of the New York Times.

In collaboration with Etisalat Nigeria, Ifeoma Fafunwa’s Hear Word!, will be staged for the very first time at the Ake Arts and Book Continues on pg...

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 49

By PRISCA SAM-DURU INTERVIEW

POPULAR On-Air-Personality, Wana Udobang best known by friends and fans as Miss Wana Wana, is a writer and poet. The gender activist who graduated from the University For The Creative Arts in England with a First Class in Journalism, was on the 6-man panel at the recent Playwrights workshop organised by the British Council Lagos, held in preparation for the Lagos Theatre Festival holding in 2016. As a professional, Udobang advocates for newness in everything that relates to theatre productions and performance in the country. Most importantly, she insists that fresh voices are vital to championing the course of squaring up with the evolving theatre industry. She tells us more.

What was your job at the British Council Playwrights’ workshop?

I was a member of the panel.

Basically, we ensured that the shortlisted stories went through a critique process, suggestions were given after which the playwrights went home with feedback. At the end, only 4 plays would be chosen and performed at the Lagos Theatre Festival. So, they just went through the process of development and that’s why we had a couple of theatre professionals on the panel to assist them fine tune their works for public performance.

Was the workshop really necessary since the playwrights are competing against each other?

Yes! It was absolutely necessary because we need to inject life into the industry. What we’ve seen so far, only tells us that young playwrights are thinking, in terms of themes and subjects to be explored and interrogated, that’s a beautiful thing. You can tell now that people’s voices are moving away from the typical things

Theatre needs fresh voices, newer plays, audiences – Udobang experienced in the past to more contemporary issues, in addition to looking at very contemporary characters as well. Instead of the stereotypes, they are looking at hybrid identities of different characters and different individuals and the works they are doing as well as a lot of scenarios. The essence is to have works that can be staged numerous times. The playwrights are guided to recognise their strengths so that at the end, we have very fantastic pieces of works to showcase. This helps us with the data base of new writers in Nigeria.

Is there hope of birthing new crop of playwrights to carry on from where the established ones stop?

There has definitely been a creative renaissance from the past 6 or 7 years ago. Literature was a bit ahead in the game, also, visual arts as in photography was in the light and now, I think it is time for theatre to have its own shine. Lets have a new robust set of younger writers, newer plays and also attract newer audiences. Lets not forget that its a contemporary thing as well because the things that go

There are beginning to be lots of poetic plays, especially in monologues, its just about innovative language

Writer and poet, Wana Udobang on, themes that people explore connect with people and you want to get the younger ones into theatre as well as people who are writing about different things. So, yes! there is a renaissance for theatre and play writing.

And also for us to say we have an archive of new plays that we can watch, enjoy and attract new set of audiences, we must redefine theatre in the country. In respect to the Lagos Theatre festival, this is why we are taking the festival to different places. We are going

to UNILAG and other selected venues. It is an opportunity to attract different audiences.

Prof Yerima who was also on the panel complained during the workshop that some of the scripts where not written in theatre language, did you notice that too and what does this portray?

Prof is a theatre arts professor and that’s the beauty of having different professionals in the panel. So, I think Prof Yerima has what he is used to as theatre language. We the younger ones also have different ways of representing things in different climes, languages and their meanings and I think in life we are gradually navigating through language. So, for me I think its a good thing that people are able to express themselves in different languages. As a Nigerian, when you travel out and you are able to speak a bit of Yoruba, Igbo, slang, pidgin and you mix them together, its a good thing and as life evolves, language changes. For me I love seeing fresh language in theatre.

At the moment, if you go around the world, you have a lot of poetic languages used in works of art.

There are beginning to be lots of poetic plays, especially in monologues. Its just about innovative language.

Exhibitions, plays headline Ake festival Continues from pg...

Festival. HEAR WORD!, a powerful stage play that combines artistry, social commentary and true-life stories of inequality and transformation will be delivered by some of Nigeria’s most talented actresses: Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola, Omonor, Elvina Ibru, Ufuoma McDermott,

Zara Udofia, Lala Akindoju, Rita Edward, Debbie Ohiri and Odenike.

Also, 16 books will be discussed in 8 book chats at the event which include; Maaza Mengiste’s Beneath the Lions Gaze, Pius Adesanmi’s Naija No Dey Carry Last, Helon Habila’s Oil on Water, EC Osondu’s This House is not for Sale, Irenosie Okojie’s Butterfly Fish, and others.

Also billed to hold at the event are three documentaries that will be screened. They include, Behind the Veil, a documentary that focuses on diversity issues in Nigeria, No Where To Run To:Climate Change and Nigeria’s Environmental Crisis.

Rolling Dollar: A legend unplugged, celebrates the music of late Fatai Rolling Dollar.

Other highlights of the event

are fiction writing workshop with Helon Habila, Taiye Selasi, and Nnedi Okorafor, three exhibitions; a commemorative exhibition in memory of felled environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa titled, Ken Saro -Wiwa: 20 Years On; a stunning exhibition of photographs by Andrew Eseibo and others.

Ikem explores the invisible effect of Depression

By JAPHET ALAKAM REVIEW

T

HE word depression may sound very simple in the ears of many, but it is a silent yet virulent killer described by psychiatrists as “ the common cold of psychiatry.” But one fundamental issue about it is that despite its negative effect it has not received the deserved attention and worse still, little has been published on the subject all over the world and particularly in the African world. It is in response to this, that Dr Vivian Ikem, a scientist who has experienced it came up with a new book entitled, Shadows In the Mirrow: The Many faces of Depression.

In the 162 pages book, Ikem offers a one-stop resource to those wanting to understand depression and seek the help they need for recovery. Beginning with her own honest account of her encounter with depression, the book provides information on types, causes, prevention and treatment of this devastating illness.

According to Dr Ikem, Depression, derives its debilitating toxins from the common mistake of underestimation and the lumping of it with misplaced synonyms such as moodiness, sadness and heaviness. It is a psychological

disorder, a sickness, potentially with mortal harm in its wake. As such, each one of the trio of sadness, moodiness and heaviness - are only initial stopovers on a long and very dark lane. .

The author in the book, shares her confidence with would-be sufferers (since nearly everyone is prone to the affliction at one time or the other, at least in one of its milder stages of gestation.)

The book retains few technical terminologies that could otherwise inhibit the general reader.

She confesses that she herself could not guess how serious and

mortally hurtful the disorder could be until she had gone through that crucible of experience.

Ikem in the book also highlights some of the effects which include, paralysing the will when in full swing, robs the victim of the impetus to indulge in the most menial of everyday chores. Other losses following in tow include the loss of appetite and loss of interest in activities they were once excited by.

The author advises that people should not to trifle with the disorder when a loved one slides into it, is given in a multitude of illustrations, over and over again.

The book describes measures that can aid recovery and selfretrieval like speaking to someone who would listen is very precious to the recovery process. Others include improved nutritional choices, exercises and psychotherapy (talk therapy), the need for clinical therapy (use of medicines) where matters get to the brink of acute etc.

A whole chapter is devoted to the utility and great value of finding one to listen. Where no one lends a listening ear, it is inevitable that the victim would retract and become entirely and resolutely self-contained.

She also looks at it from the context of faith communities. The author shows how there can be a higher incidence rate of fatality

triggered by depressive episodes when left to fester. She is convinced that depression would be nipped in the bud if love was put into action.

Corporate organisations which desire optimal performance from their employees will do well to put the procedure in place for tackling depression whenever it rears its ugly head.

The book closes on a bright note: health rebounds when the

patient sees the first rays of hope. The book asserts that hope is brightest for those who nurse faith, even if, somewhere along the line, their faith did fritter away.

The whole book is a wholesale warning and a call on everyone to be more sensitive. The foible common to our relationships is that we deck ourselves out in the toga of ultimate knowledge and pontificate even over things we simply have not experienced.

Soyinka honoured in Florence

N

obel Lauret

Professor Wole Soyinka was honoured among other Nobel laurets as well as cultural and art advocates such as actor Tim Robbins during the Global Mayors conference which took place in •Prof. Soyinka addressing the audience Florence.

Prof Soyinka was given the of Sam Okello,who uses art to highest seal of the City of train former child soldiers in Florence, acknowledging him as Uganda. one of the world’s leading art, The conference brought mayors culture and peace advocates. He from cities around the world as is the first to get the medal that well as human rights and art and is uniquely designed to recognise cultural advocates together to world leaders. foster dialogue between Also recognised was the work communities.

PAGE 50—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Let Nigerians say Amen!: Open Letter to Nigerians

By Josiah Idowu-Fearon

I

N his address to the members of the Christian Legislators Fellowship of Nigeria at their 6th Annual Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, October 22, in Abuja, President Muhammadu Buhari is quoted to have said: “The time has come for Nigeria to have godly leaders in a permanently changing world.

Change, though usually resisted, is the most constant component of life.

Thus the need of a Godly leader in our ever changing world cannot be over- emphasized.

Whenever God’s people have been without godly leadership, the result has been disastrous.”

(The Nation).

With this statement, Mr. President has given an indication of what he expects of all he has invited to participate in his government specifically and Nigerians in general. In a private audience with him last July, this writer, after listening to him speak on the state of the nation prayed for him this prayer, “Allah shi taya ka riko” and he responded very quickly: “Allah shi taya mu riko”!

Meaning: Mr. President, may God assist you in this mission” to which he responded, “ May God help us in this assignment”.

Again, it is clear, this is a mission of rescue and restoration to decency in which all Nigerians are invited to participate. All who have been studying the body language of President Buhari would have seen that he is committed to zero tolerance for corruption from all those who are in this government and believe that it is their turn to loot the wealth of this nation and enrich themselves. So, Mr. President has made his clarion call, let Nigerians say, ‘amen’ in whatever language but be prepared to live it out!

Mr. President is not “going spiritual”, he is only appealing to all :Muslims and Christians to live out what their scriptures command them to do, it is not a matter of preaching or seeing visions and predicting whether he is going to succeed or not, Mr President is calling for the living out our religious beliefs. It is a call and a challenge to put into practice what our holy books teach us. No matter whichever faith you profess, the challenge before all Nigerians in this new dispensation is that, everyone should follow what his holy books prescribe. For those who promoted the slogan, ‘ Buhari is not an option’ ‘Buhari will Islamise the country’, Buhari, by his body language is calling on all to show that it is not the religion one professes that this country needs today, rather, it is the praxis that will bring sanity and international respect to a country that has been raped by false and selfish religious bigots who have enriched themselves with the wealth of the country and hope to live sumptuously at the expense of millions of hard working Nigerians.

Common values as Christians and Muslims Our two major religions share many values between them and enjoin their adherents to live out these values. Because of the almost equal number of adherents of both faiths in this country, Ni-

geria could have been one of the advanced and business-friendly nations of the world. President Buhari desires to take us there, even if he does not get us there, he has made an honest call and challenged us all to follow his good example. What are these common values both Muslms and Christians share together?

Hopefully, those who are being called to be ministers and those who are already sworn-in and already serving as leaders will have a re-think after reading this article and follow the godly leadership example of President Buhari.

What is our understanding of Good Leadership? According to the teachings in the Bible, the Qur’an and Hadith, the two primary roles of a leader are those of servant-leader and guardianleader.

Serving The concept of serving is fundamental in the role of any leader. Good leadership involves SERVING the people you represent. Ineffective leaders tend to invert this principle and consider merely that the leader must be served by the people Jesus Christ said, “I am among you as your servant”. The leader is the servant of his followers: sayyid al qanat khadimuhum. (Kasule:1998:3). The leader is to seek their welfare and guide them towards the good. The notion in Nigeria that leadership is an opportunity to take, to acquire personal status, advantage, gain, e.t.c at the expense of others is grossly wrong and it is what has brought us to where we are today.

Leadership therefore is and should be an opportunity to give and to serve the people and this is what we need today in Nigeria.

We need to restore it, it agrees with our two main religions!

Godly leadership to which Mr. President refers demands emotional strengths and behavioural characteristics which can draw deeply on a leader’s mental and spiritual reserves. This is where ethical values are of utmost importance. Leadership relies most on things like trust, inspiration, attitude, decision-making and personal character.

Protecting A second major role of the

Nigerians, whether Muslims or Christians expect all who have accepted to serve in this Buhari administration to work together on the common religious ethics of both Islam and Christianity and support Mr, President in his fight against corruption and the negative use of religion

(saw): “And you stand an exalted standard of character”.(Qalam, 68:4) The example of prophet Muhammad (saw) then, is what both Muslim leaders and followers seek to emulate. According to Prophet Muhammad (saw), leadership in Islam is not reserved for a small elite. Rather, depending upon the situation, every person is the “shepherd” of a flock, and occupies a position of leadership.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said: “Each of you is a guardian, and each of you will be asked about his subjects”. ( Sahih Bukhari, 3:733).

This supports what President Buhari had in mind when he changed my prayer for him to a prayer for all Nigerians: “Allah shi taya mu riko”. For his call to “godly leadership” to have any impact on this country for a long time, every citizen of this country has a role to play in the call to cleanse the country of corruption, daylight roguery, rascality, impunity and greed that have characrerised leadership in our country.

We are enjoined by our holy books to speak out and expose irreligious practices.

Proposed key parameters of behaviour in response to President Buhari’s call for godly leadership

•Josiah Idowu-Fearon Christian ( Ezekiel 34, John 10), and the Muslim leader is to protect his community against tyranny and oppression, to encourage God-consciousness and taqwa, and to promote justice.

“A commander (of the Muslims) is a shield for them”. ( Sahih Muslim: 4542) Way forward President Buhari’s call is to be seen as a pragmatic solution to the problem of ungodly leadership that has plagued and continues to plague Nigeria, his call therefore is to be welcomed as an antidote to bad leadership. I propose the following as modest ways to actualising the challenge President Buhari is placing before Nigerians, irrespective of religion or political affiliation.

There is no doubt that productive leadership has eluded Nigeria for decades, its consequences are therefore grave for sustainable development. It is the assumption of this writer that President Buhari has appointed his cabinet in order to move Nigeria forward.

Nigerians therefore expect this team to be leaders who will be accountable to the people, leaders who are prepared to listen and be just in governance. Our leaders must, as a matter of urgency bring their religious convictions into governance and prove that they are “women and men with godly leadership qualities”. Nigerians, whether Muslims or Christians expect all who have accepted to serve in this Buhari administration to work together on the common religious ethics of both Islam and Christianity and support Mr, President in his fight against corruption and the negative use of religion.

Whether we play politics or not with the religious composition of this country, the fact remains, Nigerians are a very religious people and for every ten Nigerians randomnly selected eight would jointly profess the religions of Islam and Christianity while the other two would tell you they believe in God but would not iden-

tify with either of the two major faith communities. The challenge this writer is placing before those in this new administration is that they should put their belief in God into action and stop living as what the French Catholic Philosopher, Jacques Maritain calls ‘practical atheists’ that is: “Those who profess belief in God, but who In actual fact deny His existence by their deeds and the testimony of their behaviour...In other words, they intellectually affirm the existence of God, but live as if there were no God, often contrary to God’s commandments. They profess the right God with their words, yet they deny God with their lives”.

(Volf:115).

It is worth mentioning here that this attitude is also condemned in both the Bible ( Isa.58: 3-7) and the Qur’an (Baqarah, 2:177).

New leadership style What I propose as panacea for a successful Buhari administration is nothing new, rather it is a fresh and genuine call on Nigerian Muslims and Christians to, for a change, honestly and faithfully make an attempt to obey what their Scriptures teach on Leadership. I now offer the following as a gentle reminder of what both of our scriptures enjoin us to do as adherents in order to usher in an era of a positive change in governance in Nigeria.

Muslims and Christians base their behavior as leader and/or as follower upon the Word of God as revealed in their holy books, the Qur’an and the Bible.

The Christians are exhorted by Jesus Christ to keep His commandments: “If you love me, keep my Commandments”. ( Matt20:28) Muslims, on the other hand also teach that the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (saw), has modeled the way for Muslim leaders and followers for all times. This belief is supported when God says the following about Muhammad

Justice According to Umar -Ud-din, justice is a dynamic characteristic which each Muslim must strive to develop whether he is a leader or a follower. (1991:24) “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for God as witnesses to fair dealing and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice”.

(Q:5:8) God instructs Moses to remind those who believe in Him: “Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.. You shall not follow the crowd to do evil, nor will you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice...keep yourself far from a false matter do not kill the innocent and righteous” (Ex. 23:1-2, 7-8).

The need to achieve a balance and to take a middle road is quite important in a leader, and is stressed repeatedly by God in the Bible and the Qur’an. The Qur’an describes those “who will be rewarded with the highest place in heaven” as: “Those who, when they spend, are not extravagant and not niggardly, but hold a just (balance) between those two extremes” (Q25:67-68).

Application of justice to leadership. The principle of justice must be observed by all who profess to be Muslims or Christians whether in public office or private. For example, God admonishes Muslims thus: “God does command you to render back your trusts to those to whom they are due; and when you judge between man and man that you judge with justice.” (Q.4:58) Similarly, Christians are commanded: “You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show partiality, ...you shall follow what is altogether just, that you may live and inherit the land which the LORD

Continues on Page 52

SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015, PAGE 51

Francis, others extoll virtues of Oritsejafor

BY SAM EYOBOKA

T

HE 11th month of the year is always a special month in the Word of Life Bible Church: the founder, Pastor Ayodele Joseph Oritsegbubemi Oritsejafor who narrowly escaped death recently when two huge bricks were discovered inside the engine compartment of his Bombardier Challenger 600 aircraft, was born in November; the church was founded in November; naturally celebrates the church’s annual convention tagged ‘Jubilee Word Festival’ in November; he met his beautiful wife in November. The list is endless.

Last Tuesday, during the ongoing 2015 Jubilee Word Festival tagged, EPHPHATHA (Be Opened), the charismatic National President of Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor dressed in his unique sparkling white flowing robe, managed to shift attention from himself even as all the church women turned out in pepper red dresses to mark his birthday.

However, much as he tried to down-play the significant event (being the last birthday he will celebrate as CAN president), the wife, fondly called by all admirers as Mama Helen Oritsejafor, also dressed in similar colours, made sure that members and a motley of foreign and local delegates participated in the cake cutting ceremony. It was a very colourful event with the three biological children assisting their parents to cut the threestep cake which effectively reflected the colours of the celebrant’s dress and flowers in pepper red.

Earlier, UK-based Bishop John Francis, who took the third-day slot of the annual convention urged the congregation to praise God for the gift of life and sang different versions of the Happy Birthday song while the celebrating couple stood in acknowledgement, reminding the large crowd of worshippers that just as the church was hosting a Jubilee Word Festival, the Jews were in Jerusalem to mark the Jubilee.

The significance of the Jubilee year, the 50th year after seven repetitions of the seven-year shemittah cycle, holds vastly different meanings for Christians and for Jews.

According to Jewish tradition, the reestablishment of the Biblically-mandated Jubilee year is part of the messianic process.

Speaking on “The gates are open,” Bishop Francis said gates are a symbol of access to opportunities, assuring fellow Africans that the continent might look poor now but certainly it is not broke as the West want us to believe, arguing that the USA, China might be broke but Africa with the large deposit of crude oil, diamond, gold and other priced solid minerals representing the wealth of the Earth cannot be said to be broke. “It’s just that people keep coming to take all the wealth of Africa; but God

*Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor cutting his birthday cake

said He is stirring up people to restore the wealth of Africa,” he noted.

In an interview, Rev. Simon Mashika, a long acquaintance of Oritsejafor, back in the days of Church of God Mission, described the celebrant as a unique man of God, saying “He is my brother and colleague who I have worked with for several years and I know him well enough to say that he is a man of God. People can say whatever they like about him, but one thing is true about life;

if you are doing something and people are not criticizing you, something is wrong.”

The Gboko, Benue State indigene who had worked in Bomadi and in several areas of the old Bendel State traveling with the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa said he was not a stranger to the area, saying that he was warmly welcomed to Warri with open arms. According to him, he would be going back at the end of the conference with the good news of prospect for

church unity, lamenting that it’s a major destabilizing factor tearing the nation and the Church apart.

“The nation has ‘K’ leg. The ‘K’ leg is as a result of the fact that the Church in Nigeria is leaving in disobedience. The Bible says, ‘a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another’; but there’s no love, no unity in the Church. That is why Boko Harm has now has a field day in parts of the country,” he stated.

Another delegate from Benue State, Pastor Yeshua Aiyene, who arrived Warri on Tuesday for the conference, said God is doing great things in the lives of outstanding men of God like Pastor Oritsejafor, who he said has given Christianity a new lease of life with a unique leadership style that he has brought to bear in CAN. Talking about insecurity in the country with particular reference to Fulani herdsmen, who “have been attacking our farmers, killing our people, maiming people and destroying churches and the challenge we Christians have is to appeal to governments in the country to arrest this violent attacks on innocent citizens in different parts of the country.

“We are praying that God should touch their hearts so that what looks today as peace will be sustained in the country,” stressing the need for every Nigerian to be security conscious both spiritual and physical so that we can build a hedge around ourselves to prevent them from penetrating our defenses.

The church’s choir, Milk and Honey Choir in collaboration with home-boy JAHSON rendered ageless Rex JimLawson’s ‘Amaye Nuwaye’ to usher in a philanthropist, life coach, prophet and the National President of CAN as he celebrated another milestone in his life voyage.

War against terrorism should begin with family — Adewale

F

OUNDER of Family Booster Ministry, Pastor Bisi Adewale, who has been impacting singles and married, has stressed the importance of family in nation building, stating that family failure has brought so much pain to our society. In a recent interview, with OLAYINKA LATONA , at a Singles and Married Conference, with the theme: “Pillars of Marriage” at the National Stadium, Lagos, he suggested ways the Church and government can partner to redeem marriages and secure the future generations of Nigerians.

Excerpts...

It will address family health, parenting, child care, gospel, food and kitchen, pregnancy and delivery, family security, family business, job empowerment and lots more.

Why did you decide to float an online platform?

Causes of marital challenges in the society?

Busy schedule and internet are modern day twin killers of marriage and family life. Married couples in the city are too busy to be great husbands or wives, because an average city dweller leaves home as early as 6.00 a.m. daily and comes back home around 8.00 p.m., spends more time with the TV till around 11.00 p.m., gets to bed with iPhone or blackberry in his or her hands chatting or visiting Facebook or tweeting. The truth is marriage can never be sweet when you are never at home. While musicians use time to make symphony, couples can only use time to make harmony. When they cannot spend time together because of job, drifting will set in, intimacy will be affected and these destroy the foundation of homes leading to many other troubles that

There are many blogs and sites but you hardly find any serious one for family development. What you have is gossip blogs and sites.

Nobody is doing anything unique.

Most of the sites are not familyfriendly as they encourage sexual immorality, nudity and unrighteousness. That is why you see lots of nude pictures, stories of celebrities whose marriages have one challenge or the other and are often spiced with half clad ladies.

This is what prompted us to start www.familyparliament.com for families around the world. People have serious marriage and relationship challenges and are in dire need of someone to talk to anonymously online and this is what familyparliament.com seeks to do.

Character and successful marriage; is there any correlation?

Nothing destroys marriage like bad character. An average Nigerian will blame the devil for the state of his or her marriage, but the truth is, it is not devil that destroys marriages.

In fact if the devil wants to destroy any marriage he will use your hidden or silent negative character, attitudes and mannerisms because character is marriage.

make married couples total strangers in their own homes.

What do you think is responsible for rising wave of divorce among Christians?

Carelessness is one of the major problems. Many Christian women that dressed very well before marriage soon become careless with their dressing after wedding: they look shabby, uninviting and uninteresting unlike what they were before they got married to their husbands. They believe they are now secured because their husbands are born again forgeting that their husbands may be truly “born again” but they are not “blind again”. Most Christian women do fail to know the five basic needs of their husbands which include: Need to be respected, Tantalizing sex (Wives do think their husbands are too spiritual to love sex, what a grave mistake), Need for the wife to look good, Good character and Career support.

Most Christian men are clueless on the need of their wives, they always fail to know the five basic needs of their wives. They are too spiritual to know that their marriage needs more than fasting and prayer. The major needs of these women include: affection, attention, provision, communication, affirmation (constant affirmation of love and her beauty). When Christian men fail to know these, their marriage will definitely be difficult and

Adewale divorce tends to set in.

Place of marriage and family in nation building?

A nation is only as strong as the families that constitute it: strong families make strong nations; weak families make weak nations. Any nation that neglects family will be sitting on time bomb. So I challenge governments at every level to wake up to build the family. The best way to fight terrorism is to groom and grow the family. The Most effective war against terrorism is not on the battle field but at home. The true weapon of fighting terrorism is not gun and bullet but family education and training of parents.

Our educational system has neglected the family for too long. I challenge the government to introduce family education into our school system from primary school to the tertiary level. It should be made compulsory for every pupil and student.

PAGE 52—SUNDAY VANGUARD, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

I

N the story of the Good Samaritan, a supercilious lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus answers his question with a question: “What is written in the Scriptures? How do you understand them?”

The man replies: “The Scriptures say, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.’

They also say, ‘Love your neighbours as much as you love yourself.’” (Luke 10:2627). Jesus then tells the man: “You have given the right answer. If you do this, you will have eternal life.” (Luke 10:28).

No room for religion It is important to note that Jesus’ prescription for eternal life is free of religion. He does not tell the man: “Be a Jew, and you will inherit eternal life.” Therefore, it cannot be presumed today that being a Christian is the passport to eternal life. According to Jesus, eternal life belongs to those who love God deeply and passionately, and also love their neighbours.

This means eternal life is available to anyone, irrespective of religious affiliation. It means, for example, eternal life is available to both Christians and Muslims, as long as they fulfil God’s requirement to walk in love.

However, the discussion does not end there. The scriptures say the lawyer, wanting to justify himself, then asks Jesus: “Who are my neighbours?” Jesus’ answer to this question remains just as pertinent today. Who are the neighbours of the Christian?

Jesus’ interrogator in the scriptures was a Jew, so he

WOULD JESUS’ GOOD SAMARITAN BE A MUSLIM IN NIGERIA TODAY? presumed he was only required to love other Jews; perhaps only those living in close proximity to him.

Today ’s self-justifying Christian might also presume he is only required to love other Christians.

Therefore, Jesus gave us the seminal story of the Good Samaritan.

Despised Samaritans At the time, the Samaritans were religious opponents of the Jews in a way similar to the religious divisions in Nigeria today between some Christians and Muslims. The Samaritans looked towards Mount Gerizim for worship, while the Jews looked towards Jerusalem. In Nigeria today, Christians go for pilgrimage to Jerusalem, while Muslims go to Mecca.

In the days of Jesus, the Jews considered themselves to be God’s chosen people.

Therefore, they regarded Samaritans, who they insisted did not belong to the commonwealth of Israel, as infidels. Today, we Christians consider ourselves to be the Jews of yesterday. We call ourselves the “spiritual Israel;” sons of God and heirs of the kingdom of God. Jesus’ teachings are designed to discourage this

Jesus despises the faith of selfrighteous Jews, and he makes a point of commending deliberately the deeper faith of non-Jews exclusionary line of thinking.

But the problem is that many Christians refuse to listen to him and heed his warnings.

Jesus despises the faith of selfrighteous Jews, and he makes a point of commending deliberately the deeper faith of non-Jews.

For example, he commends a Roman centurion who is not of the Jewish faith and warns the Jews: “I tell you that in all of Israel I’ve never found anyone with this much faith!

Many people will come from everywhere to enjoy the feast in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But the ones who should have been in the kingdom will be thrown out into the dark. They will cry and grit their teeth in pain.” (Matthew 8:10-12).

This warning should be heeded by self-righteous Christians who presume we are in with God just by virtue of being Christians. We also believe everyone else who is not a Christian is done for.

According to Jesus, such Christians are in for a big surprise when we see Muslims, for example, enjoying the feast

in the kingdom of heaven with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

We will cry and grit our teeth in pain.

The Muslim Samaritan This is part of the reason why Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. In this story, a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is attacked by armed robbers who leave him half-dead by the roadside. A priest passes by, but when he sees the man, he crosses over to the other side. A Levite also passes by, looks at the man and continues on his journey. But when a Samaritan passes by, he comes to the man’s rescue.

Jesus asks the lawyer to whom he tells the story: “‘Which one of these three people was a real neighbor to the man who was beaten up by robbers?’ The lawyer answers: ‘The one who showed pity.’ Jesus then says to him: ‘Go and do the same!’”

(Luke 10:36-37).

It is often overlooked by Christians that this story is, by implication, a lesson on

religious tolerance. It is also anti-religion. Those who do not do the will of God in Jesus’ story are the Jewish religious elite; the priest and the Levite.

Moreover, they are the ones who represent the Christians of today. However, the Samaritan, the very man despised by the Jews, is the one who does God’s will by showing mercy.

Therefore, it becomes clear that if Jesus were addressing Christians of Nigeria today, his Good Samaritan would be a Muslim; and if he were addressing Muslims of Nigeria, his Good Samaritan would be a Christian. It is the values and precepts of tolerance and compassion for others that determine our inheriting the kingdom of God. By their fruits Jesus does not prefer Samarians to Jews. Neither would he prefer Muslims to Christians or Christians to Muslims. If the lawyer had identified the Samaritan as the real neighbour to the injured man, his answer would have been wrong. The real neighbour is religionfree. He is simply: “the one who showed pity.” The one who shows pity could be just about anybody. He could be a Christian or he could be a

Muslim or he could be of other faiths.

According to Jesus’ kingdom dynamics: “the merciful shall obtain mercy.”

(Matthew 5:7). Religious affiliation is not a passport to heaven. Instead, Jesus says: “By their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:16). The scriptures do not say Jesus is only the saviour of Christians.

They say he is “the Saviour of the world.” (I John 4:14).

Christians must not be supercilious but tolerant of non-Christians. We cannot presume we have the copyright on God. In Nigeria, Christians must be tolerant of the faith of Muslims especially. Some of us have multi-faith backgrounds.

Some have Christian fathers and Muslim mothers or viceversa. In my case, my maternal grandmother was a Muslim. It makes no difference according to Jesus: our responsibility is to love one another.

I have met many Muslims who have played the role of the Good Samaritan in my life; and I have equally met many Christians who have done likewise. All faiths seem to have one thing in common: they teach and believe in the love of the neighbour.

Jesus tells the story of two men who went to pray in the temple; the one a selfrighteous Pharisee and the other a tax-collector despised by the Jews. The Pharisee presented his credentials of faith before God and looked down on the tax-collector.

However, the tax-collector stood in contrition asking God for mercy.

Jesus warns: “If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honoured.” (Luke 18:14).

Let Nigerians say Amen!: Open Letter to Nigerians Continued from page 50 your God is giving you” ( Dt. 16:18-20).

This is why the Prophet of Islam (saw) emphasized that justice must never be compromised by personal affiliations or other considerations.

In line with this idea of justice, while we praise the new courage being demonstrated by the judiciary, we would expect the following government institutions to also display justice: EFCC, the Armed Forces in the way they treat captured Boko Haram members and how the party of President Buhari relates to those in opposition and non-party member Nigerians.

Trust This concept of trust stresses the idea of responsibility towards organizational stakeholders, and holds true whether those entrusting something to Muslims are themselves non-Muslims and vice-versa.

“O you that believe! betray not the trust of God and the apostle nor misappropriate knowingly things entrusted to you”(Q.8:27).

“Owe no one anything”, “ let your yes be yes and your no be no” As a core value, trust fits within the overall Islamic as well as Christian etiquette governing social relationships.

Application of trust to leadership. Trust is explicitly linked to leadership in the Qur ’an. We refer to the story of Prophet Joseph

(as). After the king had indicated that he placed great trust in him, Prophet Joseph (as) deliberately asked to be put in charge of the granaries and storehouses, and the demanding task of establishing them and guarding them. As one translator of the Qur ’an, Abdullah Yusuf Ali, points out, Prophet Joseph (as) understood the need to build reserves better than any one else, and was prepared to take on this task himself rather than throw on to another the burden of restricting supplies in times of plenty.( Ali, commentary:1716) Could this explain why President Buhari, like Joseph of old chose to supervise the oil sector of the Nigerian economy?

Let all those who are trying to read politics of vendetta into the decision of Mr. President know therefore where Mr. President is coming from. There are certain offices that Nigerians crave for: Pilgrims Directorate, Energy & Power, Niger Delta, Finance, Agriculture etc. We plead with Mr. President to critically look at each Ministry and appoint those who will be trustworthy.

All who have therefore enlisted to serve in this administration are reminded that as godly women and men, once an individual has accepted to be the leader of a group or organization, he has become their trustee.

The implication here is that like in a for-profit organization, the management of the organization is entrusted with the shareholders’ investment, so is the allocation to each State and local government as well as allocation

to each ministry. Furthermore, as in a nonprofit organization where the management of the organization is charged with watching over the properties in the trust, so also all in this administration are entrusted with the resources of this nation. Consequently, any managerial decision from the President to the Local Government Chairperson must be balanced with respect to this trust.

Righteousness Righteous behavior is described as follows from the Islamic point of view: “It is righteousness to believe in God and the Last Day and the Angels and the Book and the Messengers; to spend of your substance out of love for Him for your kin, for orphans, for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who ask [...]; to be steadfast in prayer and practice regular charity; to fulfill the contracts which you have made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity”.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (- - Micah, - 6:8, - ).

Application of righteousness to leadership.

Based on the above verses, several moral attributes of righteous leaders become salient: They act justly and do not allow their personal feelings to hinder justice, they take care of those in need, and do so for the love of God, they are steadfast in

prayer and practice charity, they observe all contracts, and they are patient no matter what type of adversity they may be experiencing.

In general, then, Nigerians as leaders and those being led irrespective of religious affiliation expect Buhari’s call to godly leadership to be met by a type of governance that will treat all Nigerians with basic human decency and dignity, fair play and justice. All Nigerians expect this crop of new leaders in Nigeria to be sensitive to their needs.

Promise-keeping All Muslims and Christians whether leaders or followers-are urged to keep their promises.

They also cannot make promises that are ungodly in nature.

O you who believe! fulfil (all) obligations. ( Q.5:1) “Let your yes be yes and your no be no” (Mtt.5:37).

Keeping one’s word characterizes a godly leader, Muslim or Christian. Breaking one’s word is tantamount to hypocrisy.

Application of promise-keeping to leadership. Based upon the above discussion, keeping promises is very important for all, and a leader is not exempted from this important principle.

I bought something from the prophet (peace be upon him) before he received his Prophetic commission, and as there was something still due to him I promised him that I would bring it to him at his place, but I forgot.

When I remembered three days later, I went to that place and

found him there. He said: I have been here for three days waiting for you.(Abu Dawud) Our leaders are used to making promises in order to get elected into offices, irrespective of whether they are religious leaders or politicians. We look forward to this government living out their promises and giving full explanations to situations that make it difficult to fulfill any promises made while canvassing for votes.

Conclusion Good leadership depends on attitudinal qualities, not management processes – hence, the need for the above listed values. Much of the misery that has come into Nigeria in the name of religion can be avoided by reintroducing these shared values. And it is not necessary to use guilt and fear to promote these values. You will find in the history of all the religious systems in the world that guilt and fear were used to control people, but such dis- cipline is not needed today. At this time we need only to culti- vate love and understanding.

The President of this great nation, Muhammadu Buhari has called on all Nigerians to join him in governing this nation with the fear of God by promoting the culture of godly leadership. Let Nigerians, irrespective of religion or politics say, ‘Amen’.

•Archbishop IDOWU-Fearon sent this piece from the Anglican Headquarters in London.

S UNDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, NOVEMBER 15 , 2015 — 53

NPFL: Enyimba, Sunshine Stars battle for honour and prestige T

HE Nigeria Professional Football League ends today with matches across the country. But The Teslim Balogun Stadium where Sunshine of Akure host Enyimba of Aba will be the central attraction.

Sunshine , coming back with a fury after a period of slump are itching to pick a continental ticket, and a win will almost guarantee that.

Enyimba are already champions following their draw against Warri Wolves in Aba last Sunday. They want to finish well and be the first team to rake in a record 70 points in the Nigerian League. Also Sunshine striker Tunde Adeniji is aiming to score and be crowned

TOP TEN Enyimba W/Wolves Giwa Sunshine Nasarawa Wikki K/Pillars Heartland Shooting I/Ubah Bottom Five Dolphins Akwa U Kwara U Taraba FC Bayelsa

MP PTS

37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37 37

69 63 63 60 60 60 55 53 52 50

37 37 37 37 37

44 44 39 37 34

goal king of the season.

When the two sides met in July in the first game this season, Enyimba ran over Sunshine Stars 3-1 in Aba. Stephen Eze’s own goal paved the way for Enyimba before Nzube Anaezemba and Ezekiel Bassey ensured that Enyimba raced into a three- goal lead. Top scorer Adeniji scored at the dying minutes of that contest.

Adeniji is in line to step into the shoes of Enyimba striker and the league’s record scorer, Mfon Udoh. Adeniji has scored 16 goals so far and could possibly add to that tally but he is seven goals short of Udoh’s record feat of 23 goals in a single season by an individual. A change in baton looks on course from Udoh to Adeniji only if the pair of Esosa Igbinoba of Nasarawa United and Gbolahan Salami of Warri Wolves fail to score on the final day of the season.

“This is one match I will not like to lose. A win will take us to 70 points or more No club has ever achieved this. Topping the league with over to 70 points won’t be a bad idea” said Enyimba coach Kadiri Ikhana who could be facing his son, Azeez Ikhana who will likely be between the sticks for Sunshine Stars.

Dolphins will swim to safety —Eguma D

OLPHINS of Port Harcourt are swimming against the tide as they play against Shooting Stars today in Ibadan, but coach Stanley

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ympics, which are just nine months away.

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach says he’s confident Russia will enact the necessary antidoping reforms in time to have its international ban from track and field lifted in time for next year ’s Olympics.

Bach on Saturday gave his backing to Russia’s Olympic head Alexander Zhukov, who has been tasked with overseeing reforms to the Russian athletics federation, anti-doping agency and national drug test lab, all of which were implicated in a sharply critical World Anti-Doping Agency report Monday.

Kanemi and recently Heartland FC, gave them hope of surviving the drop. But they need at win against Shooting Stars to be sure of stay-

*Striking Distance .... Enyimba’s Ufom Udoh in action.

ing in the top flight.

Awka United, Sharks FC, Rangers and Lobi Stars are the other clubs desperate for points to avoid relegation.

“We have a culture and a great history to protect.

It is a difficult situation, but we have what it takes to make it through. The season has been a rewarding one despite the struggles. We hope to wrap it up on a positive note.

“There is everything to play for, and the players are determined to stay in the top flight next season. The premier league is where we belong, and we will remain there. We hope to consolidate on the gains we have recorded this season, and come out strong next season,” Eguma said. To be guaranteed a place in the top flight next season, Dolphins will have to defeat Shooting Stars in Ibadan, hoping results from matches involving Akwa United, Sharks FC, Rangers and Lobi Stars will turn out in their favour them.

Chance of Olympics appearance thrills Oduwa

R

ANGERS loanee Nathan Oduwa is set to switch international allegiances after joining up with the Nigerian U23 training camp .

The 19-year-old, who is on loan at Ibrox from Tottenham, is eligible to represent England or the Nigeria after being born in London to Nigerian parents. He has represented England from U17 to U20 level but is

Russia to contest ban He added that lengthy at CAS court proceedings might USSIAN athletics actually reduce Russia’s R federation officials hopes of having its ban say they could go to the lifted in time for the OlCourt of Arbitration for Sport to appeal a ban from global track and field. Russia was suspended by a 22-1 vote on Friday by the governing council of the IAAF, track and field’s governing body, four days after a World Anti-Doping Agency report accused the country of operating a vast state-sponsored doping program.

The Russian track federation’s acting president Vadim Zelichenok says Russia is focused on finding “a rational compromise” to have the ban lifted but could appeal to CAS if the IAAF “tells us clearly that it doesn’t accept any of our arguments,” in comments to the Tass agency.

Eguma believes that his side will beat relegation.

Dophins have endured a turbulence season, but crucial wins at home against Kano Pillars, El-

eyeing a potential place at next year ’s Olympic Games in Rio should he decide to turn out for Nigeria. Oduwa told Rangerstv. tv: “It’s a very exciting time; this is my first call-up for my origin country, where my Mum and Dad are from.

“It would be a fantastic opportunity to play on the platform that is the Olympic Games and it’s a very good team so

we’d be going there to win it not just participate.

“It’s very unique tournament; the World Cup is the best competition in the world but the Olympics is also up there.

Everyone watches it and to have a chance to win a gold medal would be amazing.”

The team is being expected in Gambia this week with 26 players to prepare for the CAF Under-23 tournament where Nigeria will play in group B along side Egypt, Algeria and Mali.

Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics.

*Nathan Oduwa

Siasia welcomes Eaglets stars

N

*Anna Chicherova...

One of the ‘innocent’ Russian athletes who could miss the Olympics next year if the ban on that country persists.

IGERIA Football Federation has approved the invitation of four Golden Eaglets player to the camp of the Nigeria Under-23 squad by coach Samson Siasia.

The players include, Kelechi Nwakali, Victor Osimhen, John Lazarus and Udochukwu Anumudu who were crucial to the Eaglets win of the FIFA under-17 world cup in Chile. “I have been monitoring the progress of these boys while the team was in progress under my brother, Emmanuel Amuneke,” Siasia told thenff.com.

“Don’t forget we were in the same hotel and used the same pitch to train and I have been im-

pressed with what I saw them do in Chile, so I think what I just did was rewarding them for a job well done. “Their invitation is only to tell other players that they too can progress to the senior cadre if they are levelheaded and keep working on their game.

“For me age is not a factor; if they can give me what I want, then they will be part of my team to Senegal. But they must justify their invitation for no player in my team has an automatic shirt.” The four players have been given a week off before joining up with the rest of the squad in Gambia en route Senegal.

54 — S UNDAY Vanguard SUNDAY Vanguard,, NOVEMBER 15 , 2015

FUAM will take NUGA games to another level —Kucha

BY PETER DURU, MAKURDI

T

HE hosting right of the 25th. edition of the Nigeria Universities Games, NUGA, was granted the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, FUAM, Benue State, by the NUGA Council. In this interview, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Emmanuel Kucha, spoke on the preparedness of the university to host the fiesta, how his institution is putting up a world class facilities for the games and challenges confronting his institution in her dogged determination to bring the games to Benue in a non-conventional university.

How prepared is the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, to host the 25th. NUGA fiesta?

We are working round the clock to ensure that necessary facilities are put in place for the fiesta, though there are obvious challenges, but they are surmountable and we are doing everything possible to ensure that all the facilities are in place for the games.

There are however apprehension in some quarters that your institution might not be able to host the games?

Those fears are not tenable, there is absolutely no reason for the NUGA Council to have doubts over our capacity to host the best NUGA sports fiesta. Like I told you, work is already in progress to ensure that construction of the facilities are completed for the games. And in that regard, we have been working and constructing superb facilities that would be the pride of all when the games kick off, I can assure you that.

From all indications, the 2015 date for the games may not be feasible?

Obviously, though we have been working had to meet the originally scheduled date which was supposed to be the last quarter of this year, but it seems we might be given a grace of having the games rescheduled for early next year. We are however expecting the NUGA Council to make a pronouncement on the that after seeing how far we have gone with our preparations. But from all indications we are looking at possibly March or April of next year. However, a pronouncement would be made by the Council after seeing the level of commitment and seriousness we have put into the preparation.

I’m sure you are aware that this is the first time that a non-conventional university was granted the hosting right of the NUGA games and we are also aware of the responsibilities that go with that rare privilege. We are not prepared to betray those who belief that we will deliver. Moreover we are using the games to showcase our institution and also cap and commemorate the university ’s silver jubilee. So, all hands are on deck to ensure that we make a success of it all.

Preparing for the games certainly comes with lots of financial commitments and expenditure given that you are putting up new facilities.

How much will it cost you to ensure that you put up the facilities and also host the fiesta successfully?

Our earlier projection was about N9billion to N10billion, but we had to scale it down to N6billion in view of the economic realities of the time. It is certainly a herculean task to raise the fund, though the NUGA Council has been helpful in that regard. Aside the financial aid you get from the Council as host, they have also been helpful in C M Y K

Some students of the institution preparing for the games

*Prof. Emmanuel Kucha assisting us get external funding in order to help us accomplish the feat.

That is the more reason why I would want to appeal to the organized private sector to key into what we are doing by extending financial assistance to us and also invest in what we are doing.

You and I know that sports is a big business all over the world. Who knows, the coming games like in others before now might be a fertile ground to produce world beaters in various sporting events. The games will certainly help us discover new talents who would be able to represent this country at any sporting meet across the globe. So I urge the private sector to come in and invest in this worthy project and by so doing encourage our youths and also assist in discovering sporting talents for this country. We know that in other countries of the world this type of game is supported and majorly financed by the private sector. Because as you know, the benefits of being part of a sports fiesta like the NUGA Games is highly rewarding and quite enormous.

In terms of the provision of facilities what have you been able to put on ground and what has the institution spent on the facilities so far?

Since we got the hosting rights we were confronted with the urgent challenge to develop world class

sporting facilities, we are resolute on that because our aim is to put up the best NUGA Games and everyone is working in that direction. So far we are on course. Despite the paucity of funds we have commenced work on the construction of new football pitches which have been grassed, handball, volley ball and basketball arenas. We are also putting up a cricket oval, squash court, a proposed indoor sports hall for indoor games and a swimming pool. The hosting right has also availed us the opportunity of constructing four gigantic hostels of 407 bed space each. These are currently being constructed simultaneously and specifically for use during the games and subsequent use by our own students after the games.

We have also opened up a new road that easily links the North and South Core of the university which also make for easy movement of athletes and officials. Like you know, our campus is about 10 kilometres away from the town, so the university would not want to rely on external facilities to host the games.

All the events would be held within the campus to make the games interesting and easier for the athletes, officials and the spectators to move around. Already, our students and the staff have been motivated to host the games and we are all prepared to make the best of this opportunity.

In the area of expenditure, we have so far spent between N2billion and N4billion on the provision of infrastructure and work is still ongoing.

There is no gainsaying that the allocations for these projects are being judiciously applied in strict adherence to due process guidelines. We are also not allowing for wastages, we are being frugal with the funding of our projects in order to get the best at reasonable cost.

What are you major challenges?

Our major challenge is that of the construction tartan tracks and swimming pool. That is the more reason why we said we needed the assistance of the private sector. We urge them to come and partner with us and assist in the realization of this lofty project that will be used to develop sporting talents for this country. The

essence of having all these facilities in place is that it will also serve the dual purpose of helping us train and produce world beaters in sporting events.

What is the projection of the number of participants you are expecting to attend the games?

We are expecting over 10,000 student athletes and officials from various universities across the country to grace and participate in the two weeks long sports fiesta. This is aside the visitors who will troop into the state to witness the games and those who will come from far and near to do all kinds of businesses and engage in commercial activities in the state. There is no doubt that within that period the attention of sports loving Nigerians and students alike would be focussed on Benue.

How many sporting events are you hosting and how many is the FUAM competing in?

We are hosting 16 sporting events, it used to be 15 but Scramble is making a debut which makes is 16. On our part we will be competing for glory in 14 events. Among the events we will be hosting are: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Chess, Cricket, Football, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis and Volleyball. Its going to be two weeks of ostentatious sporting displays by students and officials from across the country.

I want to reiterate that plans have reached advanced stage for the hosting of the 25th edition of the Nigeria Universities Games, NUGA, in Makurdi. It’s a dream that has to come into reality. Our institution is between 80 and 90 percent ready with facilities for the games. We will host the best NUGA Games, that I can assure you, because we are putting up modern facilities for the fiesta.

What is the relationship of the institution with its host community, this is critical especially when you are hosting an event like the NUGA Games?

I must mention without mincing words that we have ensured harmonious and cordial working relationship with the host community which has accounted for peace and stability we enjoy on campus.

S UNDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, NOVEMBER 15 , 2015 — 55

Ikpeazu leads Enyimba to Lagos A

*Mr. Jenkins Alumona, CEO, Flykite Productions; Mr. Ray Amao, former Commonwealth boxing champion and Mr. Remi Aboderin, General Secretary, Nigerian Boxing Board of Control during the presentation of a cheque representing a quarter of the gate takings of the last GOtv Boxing Night.

Eagles disappoint Akwuegbu Continues from Back Page

gerians to be patient with Sunday Oliseh’s new team.

Nigeria complete with their Europe-based stars including Chelsea midfielder Mikel Obi and Watford striker Odion Ighalo were shut out by a team of players who all play their football locally in Swaziland and are ranked 130th in the

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world. “To be frank it was a disappointing result considering the calibre of players both countries paraded and their ratings as far as football is concerned,” said Akwuegbu, who featured at the 2002 World Cup. “But we should be calm and take it easy with the team as we know the Eagles are undergoing a rebuilding process.

“They will get to the promised land and be the Eagles we all want.

“And I am sure they will finish them off in the return leg in Nigeria.”

The return leg match will be played on Tuesday in Port Harcourt with the overall winners advancing to the league phase of the World Cup qualifying tournament in Africa.

BIA State Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is among important dignitaries scheduled to storm Lagos today for the grand finale of the NPFL 2014/2015 season where Enyimba FC are expected to be crowned league champions for a record seventh tie after their Week 38 tie with Sunshine Stars at the Teslim Balogun Stadium. Ikpeazu was present when the People’s Elephants pinned neighbours, Abia Warriors at the Umuahia Township Stadium two weeks ago and donated two luxury buses to both teams in his quest to make Abia become the heart of professional football in Nigeria.

Chairman of the club, Felix Anyansi said plans are in top gear to practically move Abia State to Lagos for the grand occasion and that the Governor of the State, Okezie Ikpeazu and his team have confirmed their trip and that other important dignitaries including the fans have promised to paint everywhere blue(Enyimba’s official colour) in celebration mood. “We want to

celebrate our feat and everyone has been identifying with us including our loyal fans. We want to celebrate our unprecedented seventh league title in grand style.”

Aside the governor and his entourage, plans have been completed to have Enyimba fans and supporters to travel to Lagos with five buses

designated at the Enyimba International Stadium, Aba. Enyimba have won the league title with a game to spare as they have 69 points from 37 matches to create an unassailable six points lead at the top of the table ahead of their insignificant NPFL Week 38 tie against Sunshine Stars in Lagos today.

Slimani salvages crucial draw for Algeria

A

LGERIA were lucky to escape with a 2-2 draw against Tanzania in Dar es Salaam on Saturday, in the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tie.

Trailing 2-0 with twenty minutes remaining, the visitors had to rely on Islam Slimani to salvage a crucial point with the Sporting Portugal striker scoring two goals in three minutes for his side to draw level.

Tanzania started the better of the two sides, with Mbwana Samatta missing the target with only Algeria keeper Raïs M’Bolhi to beat. The TP Mazembe striker then hit

the crossbar on 21 minutes, as the Taifa Stars started to pile more pressure on the visitors.

Algeria defender Carl Medjani saved his side with a goal-line clearance just past the halfan-hour mark, and it was Farid Mussa’s turn to come close to opening the scoring for the home team three minutes later.

M’Bolhi managed to keep Samatta at bay again in the 38th minute, but the Tanzanians were ultimately rewarded on 42 minutes, with Elias Maguri heading past M’Bolhi to send the locals with a deserved lead into the break.

SUNDAY Vanguard, NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Black armbands, a minute’s silence for Paris Pope sends solidarity, Messi, Ronaldo show support England vs France to go on

Gov Ikpeazu leads Enyimba to Lagos —P.55 *France and Germany supporters gather together on the pitch at the Stade de France on Friday night after the shocking terrorist attacks that left 129 people killed and 352 injured.

Eaglets skipper Nwakali chooses Arsenal RESULTS ALL FOR ENYIMBA - Soccer fans pose with the League trophy that will be handed over to Champions Enyimba today.

Chad stun Egypt in N’djamena C

HAD recorded arguably the upset of the first-leg second round 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, beating Egypt 1-0 yesterday at the Stade Omnisports Idriss Mahamat Ouya.

Ezechiel Ndouassel scored the only goal in N’Djamena with Les Sao holding on to beat a team ranked a massive 79 places above them in the latest FIFA world rankings.

Even without the influential Mohamed Salah ,who is nursing an ankle injury, the Pharaohs were tipped to breeze past the African minnows.

Hector Cuper ’s men though were awful on the day and went a goal behind on 73 minutes.

ACROSS 1.Nobel-winning Archbishop (7-4) 5.Sailor (3) 7.Consumed (5) 8.Domesticates (5) 9.Ovum (3) 10.Electricity counting gadgets (6) 13.Highlander (4) 15.Poem (3) 17.One that contests (9) 20.Nigerian tribe (5) 22.Cereal (5) 24.Demoted (9) 27.Pig’s pen (3) 29.No one (4) 30.Sulks (6) 33.Away (3) 35.Presses (5) 36.Till (5) 37. Swine (3) 38. “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow” (11)

Ndouassel lost his marker before heading a cross from the right flank past the stranded Ahmed El-Shenawy.

Egypt pushed forward in search of the equaliser and when they did find the back of the net the goal was chalked off for offside - Chad holding on for a memorable win despite the absence of Cameroon legend Rigobert Song.

The former Liverpool defender was appointed head coach of Chad last month, but he was not on the bench to oversee the encounter. Instead it was Mahamat Oumar Yaya who bossed the touchline for the hosts.

The reverse fixture is set for Alexandria on Tuesday evening.

Niger/R 0 Cameroon 3 Namibia 0 Guinea 1 Burundi 2 DR Congo 3 Madagascar 2 Senegal 2 Mauritania 1 Tunisia 2 Liberia 0 C/d’Ivoire 1 Comoros 0 Ghana 0 Kenya 1 Cape Verde 0 Sudan 0 Zambia 1 Libya 1 Rwanda 0 Morocco 2 E/Guinea 0 Benin Rep 2 B/Faso 1 Mozambique 1 Gabon 0 Togo 0 Uganda 1 Angola 1 S/Africa 3 Chad 1 Egpyt 0 Ethiopia 3 Congo 4 Angola 1 S/Africa 3

Today’s Matches

NPFL 4.00pm kick off Heartland v El-Kanemi S/Stars v Dolphins Nasarawa v Giwa K/United v Ifeanyiubah Abia Warriors v Sharks Warri Wolves v Taraba Sunshine v Enyimba Rangers v Bayelsa Akwa v Lobi Stars FC Wikki v Kano Pillars World Cup qualifier Zambia v Sudan 4:00 pm Congo DR v Burundi 3:30pm Equatorial Guinea v Morocco 4:00pm Uganda v Togo 2:00pm Guinea v Namibia 8:00pm

CROSS WORD PUZZLE

DOWN 1.Sleeping vision (5) 2.Possessor (5) 3.Tax (4) 4.Depressing (9) 5.Argentinian dance (5) 6.Wash lightly (5) 11.Greek letter (3) 12.Distress call (1-1-1) 14.English boy’s name (5) 16.Obstacle (3) 17.Bovine animal (3) 18.Mindfulness (9) 19.Alarm (5) 21.Help (3) 23.Village house (3) 25.Gnome (3) 26.Vast age (3) 27.Condescend (5) 28.Youthful (5) 31.Circular (5) 32.Trades (5) 34.Old Russian King (4)

See solution on page 5

*Nwakali

Congo punish Ethiopia in 7-goal thriller

C

ONGO enjoyed a 4-3 victory over Ethiopia in Addis Ababa on Saturday afternoon, in the first leg of their 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying tie.

Deprived of several key players including Stade de Reims midfielder Prince Oniangué and SCO Angers striker Férébory Doré, Claude Leroy’s men proved up to the task during their tricky trip. While Getaneh Kebede broke the deadlock for Ethiopia on 41 minutes, it took the visitors just two minutes to level through Granada hitman Thievy Bifouma.

Wydad Casablanca for-

ward Fabrice Ondama doubled Congo’s lead past the hour mark, with Red Devils’ skipper Delvin Ndinga giving the visitors a two-goal cushion on 75 minutes.

It went from bad to worse for the Walya Antelopes when attacking midfielder Hardy Binguila hammered a fourth nail into their coffin with ten minutes to go, and while they managed to pull two late goals back through Dawit Fekadu and Shemeles Bekele, it was too little too late for the Ethiopians who will have to overturn their deficit in Brazzaville on Tuesday.

MVP of the 2015 U17 World Cup Kelechi Nwakali has revealed he would love to play for Arsenal in the English Premier League as speculations about his future continue.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City are among the clubs reported to be interested in signing the exciting midfielder who led Nigeria to retain the FIFA U17 World Cup in Chile this month.

Nwakali, who earlier this year underwent trials at Manchester City, said he is a big fan of Arsenal because of their attractive passing game.

“I will love to play for Arsenal. They are the Premier League club I will like to play for. They play the best football in the world,” he revealed.

His elder brother Chidiebere Nwakali, who is on the books of another EPL side, Manchester City, has insisted the decision of where the Eaglets star goes to will be down to him.

“It is a personal decision and so he will be the one to take it as this could well define his career,” he said.

Eagles disappoint Akwuegbu

F

ORMER Super Eagles striker Benedict Akwuegbu has described as “disappointing” a barren draw recorded by Nigeria in the first leg 2018 World Cup qualifier in Swaziland on Friday night.

However, FK Gratkon of Austria manager Akwuegbu has urged NiContinues on P.55

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