2015 PRESIDENCY:nPDP drops demand for Jonathan to go

...towards a better life for the people VOL. 25: NO. 61969

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ONLINE | www.vanguardngr.com

N150

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

I'll block £3,000 visa bond on Nigerians, others — UK Dep. Prime Minister

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2015 PRESIDENCY:

The Tragedy of Victory

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HE fresh accounts of the 1967-70 Nigerian civil war by Brigadier-General Godwin AlabiIsama (rtd) are revealing, thoughtprovoking and attention-grabbing.

Exclusive excerpts of The Tragedy of Victory: On the spot Account of the Nigeria-Biafra War in the Atlantic Theatre begin on Pages 46 & 47

nPDP drops demand for Jonathan to go •Dokpesi intensifies lobby of North for him •President meets G-7 govs, Baraje group •Please accept dialogue, Tukur begs Oranyan belongs to Oyo, not Ife, Alaafin insists

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BUJA—AS the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and the aggrieved G-7 governors and other leaders of the Abubakar Kawu Baraje

Continues on page 9

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Mr & Mrs

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COLUMNISTS:

DELE SOBOWALE •P.36

LES LEBA •P.44

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BY SONI DANIEL, REGIONAL EDITOR, NORTH; EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR, BEN AGANDE & HENRY UMORU

CONDOLENCE— From left: Mrs Olufunke Agagu, widow; Alh. Aliko Dangote, President Dangote Group and Otunba Niyi Adebayo, former governor of Ekiti State, condole with widow of late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, at his residence yesterday in Lagos. Inset: Gov. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State handing over a condolence letter to Mrs. Agagu.

Photos: Bunmi Azeez.

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6—Vanguard , MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Nasarawa boils again: 3 killed, houses burnt

Three-storey building of 13 flats collapses in Enugu

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OLICE in Nasarawa State said, yesterday, that three people were killed, while many houses were burnt during a fresh communal crisis in the state.

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Shehu Umar, said in Lafia that the clash was between suspected members of Ombatse and Alago groups in Obi Local Government Area of the state.

Shehu also said that the command had drafted a team of security personnel to the area to restore normalcy.

He said: “Three persons were killed, while many were injured during the clash. Also, many houses that we cannot number, for now, were burnt.”

It was gathered that the incident, which started Thursday night at Angwan village, had left the area deserted, with many residents seeking refuge in neighbouring towns.

14 dead as vehicle plunges into river

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O fewer than 14 persons died in an accident, when their vehicle plunged into a river on Bahindi-Kende Road in Bagudo Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

Alhaji Tukur Mari, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Kebbi Council, who witnessed the accident, said that the accident occurred at midnight on Saturday.

He said, in Birnin Kebbi yesterday, that the accident occurred when the driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into Kende River.

He said 14 of the 15 passengers in the vehicle died.

The survivor, Malam Shamsuddeen Kende, was said to be receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Dakingari, while the dead were buried, yesterday, morning according to Islamic rites.

COLLAPSED: The three-storey, 13-flat structure.

BY TONY EDIKE

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NUGU—A three-storey building under construction at 16, Nnobi Street in Enugu State capital, collapsed in the early hours of Saturday. No casualty was recorded.

The building, which consists of 13 flats and a penthouse, and had been roofed, suddenly came down at 6.40am, forcing residents in the neighbourhood to scamper for safety.

Governor Sullivan Chime’s private house, known as Thinkers’ Lodge, a one-storey apartment, is located on the same street in Uwani, which is close to Enugu South Local Government secretariat.

The owner of the building, identified as Paschal Eneh from Udi town in Udi Local Government Area, where Governor Chime also hails from, currently resides in South Africa.

ECTDA report

State Commissioners for Lands and Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ECTDA, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ujam and Engr. Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, respectively, who rushed to the scene shortly after the incident, said the building collapsed due to structural defects.

They disclosed that the developer did not get the ap-

proval of the Enugu Town Planning Authority as he went beyond government’s specification of a maximum of twostorey building for the area.

It was learnt that the government had issued a stopwork order on the building several times, but it was ignored as the developer allegedly went beyond the specified limit to erect four floors and a penthouse.

Ujam said that the state Waste Management Agency, ESWAMA, had been invited to evacuate the debris to determine whether anybody was trapped inside.

Ugwuegede said: “It is very unfortunate. We thank God that at least there were no casualties. But we are conducting investigations to ensure that miscreants or homeless people are not inside the rubble.

“What has happened is a structural failure of a building. Evidently, there must have been some structural problems in the foundation or the columns, slabs and beams. They are inferior and not up to what they should be.

Against rules, regulations

“I am also aware that this particular structure was in default of the town planning rules and regulations having been constructed in excess of the approved number of

floors.

“It is a vindication of government’s intention to bring to very close scrutiny applications for buildings to make sure that integrity intended is what is given out.

“Getting the approval is one thing, but sticking to what was approved is another. We are going to be more stringent in our inspectorate arms in the Ministry of Lands and the Town Planning Authority.

“We want to make sure that all the citizens of Enugu live in secured homes.”

At press time, the excavator from ESWAMA was still removing the rubble. No casualty had been found, although those living in the neighbourhood expressed fears that some miscreants, who normally smoke in the uncompleted building, could be present at the time of collapse.

Suspected fowl play

However, a woman who claimed to be a relation of the property owner said that the family suspected fowl play as the building erected in the last two years couldn’t have collapsed without any interference.

She said that the developer had genuine Certificate of Occupancy on the said property in addition to the approval by the state Town Planning Authority.

She alleged that someone believed to be representing the interest of some people in government “had demanded N20 million to enable them allow the construction of the building, but the developer declined.”

She alleged: “We had on our own offered to demolish part of the building to meet the government’s specification, but this was rejected by the government officials. We believe that there is something to it than we are made to understand.”

Meanwhile, Lands Commissioner said that the property would be revoked for violating town planning regulations, adding that a thorough investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the collapse.

VENGEANCE:

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AIDUGURI—ANGRY youths, members of a vigilante group, lynched a policeman and threatened others, Saturday, in retaliation for the killing of one of their members in Borno State, causing further friction in an area tense with violence from Islamist militants.

The Civilian Joint Task Force was formed by residents to help capture Boko Haram suspects in and around Maiduguri.

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013—7

13-yr-old kidnapped over late father's documents

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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ARRI—A 13-year-old girl (names withheld) has been kidnapped in Ekete, Udu Local Government Area of Delta State and held for eight days by suspected kidnappers

over the title documents of her late father’s property.

She has, however, been released.

A family source said the victim was kidnapped on September 5 at 12noon, when she went to a nearby market to buy

foodstuff, by a gang allegedly hired by a member of the family.

Vanguard learnt that trouble started in the family soon after the death of the father, Mr. Michael Salubi, in November last year, and a petition was forwarded to the police at Ovwian-Aladja Police Division for intervention.

DEMOLITION: Demolished building at 25, Bale Street, Orile-Iganmu, yesterday.

During the burial of the deceased in August, the victim’s mother, Mrs. Evelyn Salubi, was reportedly humiliated by some members of the family, but the crisis degenerated on September 5, with the kidnap.

Petition

In a petition sent to the Area Commander, Nigeria Police Force, Warri, Mr. Oghenejabor Ikimi, counsel to her mother, Mrs. Salubi, said “between 8pm and 9pm of that same day, our client received a call from her daughter’s mobile phone and a male voice spoke to her.

“The voice said that if she wants her daughter alive, she should drop the late husband’s house documents in her possession.”

He said the caller called Mrs. Salubi on September 6, “threatening to come for her life and that of her other children since our client refused to drop the said documents.”

He added that his client, who heard the voice of her kidnapped daughter in the background, asked the suspect for direction on where to drop the said documents, but he asked if she does not know the person that was entitled to the said documents.

JTF nabs 20 over oil theft in N'Delta

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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ENAGOA—FIVE Nigerians and a foreigner from Republic of Benin, alleged to be specialists in sourcing for illegally distilled petroleum products in the Niger Delta area, have been nabbed by operatives of the Joint Task Force.

JTF, codenamed Operation Pulo Shield.

Fifteen other illegal oil bunkerers were also caught in separate operations.

Spokesman of JTF, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, yesterday, in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said the suspects were apprehended by men of the 3

Battalion of the task force during a patrol in Opodibobo creek near Escravos in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.

The cartel, according to Lt. Col Nwachukwu, was smashed during one of the anti-oil theft operations carried out by the battalion.

He said one big Cotonou boat, containing 11 large plastic reservoirs and a speed boat were recovered from the suspects.

He said: “The suspects are currently undergoing preliminary investigations to uncover their links and other collaborators in the illicit trade.”

Nwachukwu also disclosed

Youths kill policeman Spokesman of the 7 Division of the Nigeria Army, Lt. Col. Sagir Musa, said he took the attacked policeman, who was drenched in blood, to the police headquarters.

It was not immediately clear if the attacked policeman was the same officer that shot dead the vigilante member.

State Police Commissioner, Mr. Lawal Tanko, confirmed the incidents and the death of the

policeman.

The angry vigilantes also blocked the major KanoMaiduguri Road, burning tires and threatened the police, calling them accomplices of Boko Haram.

A Civilian-JTF member, Muhammed Adamu, said that members of his group were stopped by policemen for driving in the wrong lane and they explained that they had

He said: “During the operation, the troops scuttled 16 illegal oil distillation camps and 21 Cotonou boats in Tukula, Gbaramatu Kingdom, Odi II, Asugba, Beneth Island, Ekekudo, Escravos, Egwa, Egbeokute and Opodiboba in Warri South West, Warri South and Okpe local government areas.

“Also scuttled were seven illegal distillation sites in

Moboko, Irhado, Agbekudo, Obodo Camp, Ajeosoho, Sapele Waterside and Omere in Ethiope West, Okpe and Sapele local government areas.

“The troops also scuttled 503 steel tanks, 22 cooking ovens, 44 plastic tanks, 16 large surface tanks, 12 dugout pits, 329 drums and 13 pumping machines during the operation.”

In Bayelsa State, he said operatives of 343 Artillery Regiment and Gun Boat Company, covering the Sector 2 area of responsibility of the Joint Task, also arrested eight suspects for indulging in illegal oil bunkering activities.

caught a Boko Haram member.

Adamu said: “We told him we could not (take the other lane) because we had a Boko Haram suspect. He threatened to shoot if we didn’t.

“One of our members said he dare not. And the policeman opened fire, killing one of our members.”

Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State pleaded for calm on Saturday. He said the government would try to pacify and compensate the family of the dead Civilian-JTF member.

He said: “This is a sad de-

velopment as it really threatens the emerging peace we are enjoying. I want to appeal to the angry youths to calm down.

“This is our state and the youths have assisted us tremendously in restoring peace. Let them not destabilise the emerging peace we are enjoying now.”

Lt. Col. Musa said the military had been deployed to the area, adding that the 7 Division, once fully formed, will replace the vigilantes in the fight against Boko Haram.

that in another operation, seven suspects operating illegal oil distillation sites were arrested by troops of 3 and 19 Battalions covering the Sector 1 area of responsibility of JTF.

Area of operations

4 relatives docked over N3.5m goods theft

BY ONOZURE DANIA

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AGOS—FOUR relatives have been arraigned before an Ikeja Magistrate Court, Lagos, over alleged theft of goods worth N3.5 million, belonging to one Ifeanyi Ude. The suspects, Samson Njoku, 24; Uche Ekperechi, 21; Lilian Njoku, 27 and Emeka Ekperechi, 21, were arraigned before Magistrate Sule Hamsat.

The defendants are facing a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and stealing, preferred against them by the police.

However, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecutor, Inspector Roman Unuigbe, alleged that the defendants committed the offence on August 30, at 5pm.

He said the incident took place at 11, Otigba Street at Computer Village in Ikeja.

Magistrate Hamsat granted the defendants bail in the sum of N100,000 each, with two responsible sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the matter till October 21, for mention.

JTF arrests 11 Boko Haram members

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OMMANDING Officer of Special Operation Battalion, Mubi, Lt.- Col Beyidi Martins, yesterday, confirmed the arrest of 11 suspected Boko Haram members in Michika, Adamawa State.

Beyidi told newsmen in Yola, Adamawa State, that the suspects were arrested on Saturday by men of the battalion and JTF from Maiduguri, Borno State, with the assistance of Civilian JTF. He said six of the suspects were taken to Maiduguri, while two of the remaining five brought to Mubi died resisting arrest.

8—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Dangote, richest African in the world zRichest African woman, Alakija not in Forbes richest 21 Nigerians

BY UDUMA KALU, WITH AGENCY REPORT

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HE Forbes Magazine has declared Aliko Dangote as the world's richest African in the world, just as the world's richest black woman, Folorunsho Alakija, is conspicuously missing in the magazine ranking of the 21 richest Nigerians.

Alakija, an oil tycoon and fashion designer, reportedly worth at least $3.2 billion edged out African American Oprah Winfrey, worth more than $2.7 billion, in Forbes 2012 list of richest black people.

However, Forbes said the value of shares held in quoted companies, size and market share of their companies, number of companies they own and its assumed value and the impact of the companies on the Nigerian economy were the yardstick used in compiling the new list.

Full list of the richest 21 are Aliko Dangote, founder of Dangote Group, richest man in Africa and richest black man in the world; Mike Adenuga, Conoil, Equitorial Trust Bank, Globacom; Femi Otedola, Zenon Oil and Gas; Orji Uzor Kalu, Slok Group; Cosmos Maduka, Coscharis Group; Jimoh Ibrahim, Nicon Insurance, Global Fleet; Jim Ovia, Zenith Bank, Visafone; Pascal Dozie, MTN Nigeria, Diamond Bank; Oba Otudeko, Honeywell Group Nigeria; Sayyu Dantata, MRS Group.

Others are Umaru Abdul Mutallab, former Chairman First Bank Plc, Mutallab Group; Samuel Adedoyin, Doyin Group; Dele Fajemirokun, Chairman Aiico Insurance, Xerox Nigeria, Chicken Republic, Kings Guards; Cletus Ibeto, Ibeto Group; Raymond Dokpesi, Daar Communication, AIT; Tony Ezenna, Orange Group; Molade Okoya Thomas, Chairman CFAO Nig and other six french companies; Ifeanyi Ubah, Capital oil and gas; Leo Stan Ekeh, Zinox Computer; Fola Adeola, GTBank; Ade Ojo, Elizade Motors Nig Ltd, Distributor of Toyota cars.

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I'll block £3,000 visa bond on Nigeria, others — UK Dep Prime Minister

BY UDUMA KALU, WITH AGENCY REPORT

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ORE prominent British leaders have continued to speak out against the British government’s plan to impose a refundable £3000 visa bond on Nigerians.

The new UK plan is to make foreign visitors from Nigeria, Ghana, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka routinely pay a security deposit to come to the U.K., an idea that has spurred outrage in countries such as India and Nigeria.

Officials and businesspeople in the affected countries have condemned the proposal, and the British government has not said how many visa applicants will have to pay the bond.

The UK government plans to begin a pilot project in November involving “high-risk” countries.

Some visitors will have to pay a £3,000 ($4,800) deposit, which will be refunded upon departure but forfeited if travellers overstay their visas.

But yesterday, Britain’s deputy prime minister ,said he will try to block any such move to pay the visa bond.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said his Liberal Democrat Party and its Conservative coalition partners had “differences of emphasis” on the plan, and details were still being discussed in government.

“I am absolutely not interested in a bond which becomes an indiscriminate way of clobbering people who want to come to this country,” Clegg told the BBC.

He said the bonds “are certainly not going to go ahead” on that basis.

“Of course in a coalition I can stop things,” he added.

Immigration is a sensitive political issue in Britain, especially with the unemployment and austerity measures brought on by the economic crisis.

Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged to cut

net immigration from 252,000 a year in 2010 to below 100,000 a year by 2015.

While that plays well with the Conservatives’ right-of-centre supporters, it has been trouble for the centrist, liberal Lib Dems, who are holding their annual conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

The party is sagging in opinion polls 18 months ahead of a national election, and many

members have expressed unease about the compromises involved in coalition government.

Earlier this month one of the bestknown Lib Dem lawmakers, Sarah Teather, said she was quitting because she felt the party no longer fought for social justice and liberal values.

Clegg defended his party’s participation in the coalition, saying it had made the government fairer and more liberal.

COMMISSIONING—From left: Senator Abiola Ajimobi, Oyo State Governor; Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of Education, representing President Jonathan; Mr Ekpenyong Ita, Director General, Department of State Services; Chief Godswill Akpabio, Akwa Ibom State Governor; and Senator Liyel Imoke, Cross River State Governor, during the passing out parade and commissioning of cadet officers of DSS, at the State Services Academy, Lagos, weekend.

Photo: Kehinde Gbadamosi.

I contested 2007 presidential election to preserve sanctity of democracy — ATIKU zSays I'll never allow a despot to rule Nigeria again

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

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ORMER Vice President Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that he contested the 2007 presidential elections in the face of defeat, to preserve the sanctity of democracy.

He also noted that he would never go back to the vow he took on the night late Gen. Sani Abacha allegedly sent hit squad after him, never to allow another despot rule Nigeria again.

The former Vice President, who said this in a statement yesterday, stated that after his first term as Vice President, he was faced with a fundamental question of remaining loyal to his boss, party or constitution.

His words: "This might sound strange because that was two

nights before the 2007 Presidential elections, and we were about to lose. It was my first, and only, run in a general election for president, and I knew it would be a heavy loss.

“At that point I knew if I did not run in that election, all those battles over the years would be lost. People in the future could potentially be banned from contesting elections because petty personal vendettas outweigh legitimate court rulings. I also ran because, win or lose, I would have given a gift of legitimacy to our democracy, even if I was not going to enjoy the results.

"So the next morning, I

went out, voted, went home and waited for my loss as expected. I knew that while I was going to lose a battle, I had won the war – a war to preserve the sanctity of our democratic process.’’

In addition, he said, "Over the preceding four years – at great risk to my own political future - I had engaged in long, tough battle to maintain the viability of our young democracy by preserving the presidential term limits prescribed by the constitution. The issues that led to these battles were rooted in principle. The key element was that after a productive first term as Vice President, I was faced with

a fundamental question of loyalty: should I remain loyal to my boss and party, or should I remain loyal to our constitution and democracy?’’

Continuing, Atiku said, "And Abacha went so far as to send a hit squad to open fire on my family and me at our home in Kaduna. That was the very night I vowed that when we defeated this military junta, I would never allow another despot to sit and rule over the people of Nigeria.

"This gift of life and of dreams is why I stay in the fight for justice, in the hope it will eventually bring the kind of government Nigeria truly deserves. This is what democracy means to me – freedom, opportunity and dignity for Nigerians.’’

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2013—9

POCKET CARTOON

NDA—From left: Governor Mukhtar Yero of Kaduna State, welcoming President Goodluck Jonathan and President Alassane Ouattara of Cote D'ivoire at the Kaduna Airport for the Nigerian Defence Academy convocation, weekend.

2015 PRESIDENCY: nPDP drops demand for Jonathan to go Continues from page 1 faction of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,

got underway last night to resolve the crisis in the party, there were indica-

LIFEWORDS

BY PASTOR ITUAH

Say something kind and encouraging to everyone you meet, and people will always be happy to see you coming. Weak people revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore!

TAKE HEART

BY ELLA RANDLE

Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it —Ann Landers

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E are all constantly changing and evolving.

The universe around you is changing. Just because something was right for you in the past doesn’t mean it still is. This could be a relationship, a job, a home, a habit, etc. It happens to you slowly as you grow.

You discover more about who you are and what you want out of life, and then you realize there are deliberate changes you need to make to keep up with the changes happening around you and within you.

You are the average of the people you spend the most time with. In other words, who you spend your time with has a great impact on the person you are and the person you become. If you are around cynical and negative people all the time, you might become cynical and negative.

If the lifestyle you’ve been living no longer fits, it is time for a change, a change for the better, a more productive attitude to life. If the specific people and routines you’ve known forever no longer align with your values, try creating new ones. Cherish all the memories, but find yourself letting go and moving on. If you’re currently dealing with this process you may feel a bit awkward, and that’s okay. This feeling is normal and necessary for reaching beyond the stars.

tions that the nPDP may have adjusted its earlier demand that President Goodluck Jonathan should not seek a second term in office. This came as the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has appealed to leaders of the new PDP to embrace dialogue saying the problem can be resolved in a family way.

The governors who were present at the meeting with President Jonathan which began at about 3.30 pm at the first Lady’s conference room, yesterday, were Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Abdulfattah Ahmed (Kwara) Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe), Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Idris Wada (Kogi).

As usual, the meeting which was earlier scheduled for the presidential villa at 9.00pm Sunday was closed to journalists.

nPDP drops demand for Jonathan to go in 2015

Sources among the governors at the meeting disclosed at the weekend that in the place of the earlier demand that President Jonathan should not seek re-election, the nPDP was last night set to demand that he gives practical and irrevocable evidence of allowing due process in the nomination process for the party ’s 2015 presidential candidate.

Top of the evidence, it was learnt, is the sack of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as national chairman and restoration of party executives in Adamawa and Rivers states.

Ahead of the crucial meeting with the president, the G7 governors aligned to the nPDP met at the Samora Machel, Asokoro, Abuja residence of the factional chairman of the party, Alhaji Kawu Baraje.

The G7 governors and their associates in the preparatory meeting at Baraje’s house rehearsed strategies on how to approach the meeting with the president and the faction led by Tukur especially on the crucial demand that the president reveal whether he would run or not in the 2015 contest.

The decision to readjust the strategy, it was

learnt, may not be unconnected to the campaign by presidential aides that the governors were asking the president to commit himself to an unconstitutional demand by ruling himself out of the 2015 contest.

“This is not about 2015, but we want the president to provide clear guarantees that due process would be allowed to prevail in the party in all matters relating to the party and also the presidential contest,” one of the governors in the forefront of the nPDP told Vanguard.

Another source close to one of the nPDP governors disclosed that the governors were to be informed by the president whether or not he would contest in 2015.

At the last peace meeting last Tuesday, Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State had reportedly demanded that Dr. Jonathan reveal to the nation whether or not he would seek the 2015 presidential ticket of the PDP, but he was rebuked

by Governors Idris Wada of Kogi and Liyel Imoke of Cross River State who argued that the demand was uncalled for.

Appealing to the leaders of the new PDP, in a statement signed, yesterday, by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the National Chairman, urged the seven aggrieved governors and other members of the nPDP not to play into the hands of those who hate Nigeria and the nation’s democracy.

According to the statement, the ongoing political quagmire were designed to portray President Goodluck Jonathan in bad light, adding that no problem in the PDP family was insurmountable.

Tukur begs Baraje, others

Metuh said: "The Peoples Democratic Party has urged all its estranged members to fully utilize the window of dialogue and reconciliation offered it and avoid playing into the hands of those who do not wish the nation or her democracy well.

"The party also said the on-going muted skirmishes and well organized theatrics aimed at portraying the President in bad light were not necessary because as members of one big family, no challenge was insurmountable.

"This tactics is antithetical to democracy but not an unfamiliar rule of engagement. However, it is important that we avoid over-stretching it so as not to play into the waiting hands of the desperate, wishing to incite the people and destroy our common destiny.”

Resolving PDP problem The PDP spokesperson regretted that the problem in the party was a challenge which could be resolved within the ambit of the crisis resolution mechanism of the party but was being exaggerated by some politicians desperately looking for quick photo-ups through sensationalism in the media.

“We wish to assure our members therefore that we are still capable of resolving our challenges and urge them to be more committed to our progress. We shall emerge stronger.”

The party said that the nation would benefit the more should detractors of the President pick him or the party on issues of development.

Continues on page 59

10—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Immunise your children, Lagos govt urges parents

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI & CHIOMA OBINNA

AS LAGOS State Government commenced Local Immunisation Days, LIDs, today, it has called on parents and care-givers to ensure that their children and wards are immunised against childhood preventable diseases like polio, yellow fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, hepatis B, measles and pertusis.

Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, in a statement, weekend, appealed to every parent and care-giver in the state to take children under the age of one year to the nearest Primary Health Centres, PHCs, and scheduled vaccination posts between today and Friday September 20, 2013 for necessary vaccinations.

According to him: “Immunisation remains the most cost-effective strategy in disease prevention and health promoting services, hence, I seize this opportunity to encourage our parents and care-givers to ensure that their children and wards are taken to the primary health care clinics to receive all scheduled immunisations before they are one year old.”

Grocery Bazaar opens in Ejigbo

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MEGA supermarket, Grocery Bazaar has opened in Ejigbo Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Lagos.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the council’s chairman, Hon. Kehinde Bamgbetan expressed joy at the location of the market, saying that “this will certainly bring about more development to the area.”

Bamgbetan expressed gratitude to management of Grocery Bazaar for employing youths in and around Ejigbo town.

Managing Director of the Grocery Bazaar, Mr. Sam Ejeh said Ejigbo Branch was the second in three years.

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Hold Jonathan responsible for blockade of Rivers’ Govt House — APC

BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI

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LL PROGRESSIVES Congress, APC, yesterday said President Goodluck Jonathan should be held responsible for the last week’s blockade of the Rivers State Government House.

APC said the President’s unbridled disposition toward political vendetta had pushed him to commit impunity and unconstitutionality more than any other president in the country’s history.

Its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement said the police could not have had the temerity to act the way they did in blocking Governor Chibuike Amaechi and his guests from his residence if they were not assured of support from higher authorities.

It warned that giving presidential backing to the police – or any national institution at all - to commit impunity and violate the nation’s constitution was the fastest means to destroy such institutions and erode public confidence in them.

The party said: ‘’In the case of the police, what is happening in Rivers is sending a wrong signal to the polity concerning the role of the force in 2015.

“How can a malleable police be trusted to be neutral and to help ensure the conduct of a free and fair election - with the President as a candidate - in 2015?.’’

APC claimed the Nigeria Police Force under President Jonathan had increasingly become a lawless force whose allegiance was only to the President and not to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a force that had become a tool in the hands of the President to har-

ass, intimidate, arrest and persecute all his real and perceived political enemies.

According to the statement: ‘’Since the onset of the President Jonathan-inspired political logjam in Rivers State and the implosion of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the President has been depending on the Nigeria Police to shore up his dwindling political fortune.

The insubordination of the Rivers State Super Police Commissioner Mbu, the po-

VISIT: From left, Mr. Peter Eshikena, Managing Director, FrieslandCampina WAMCO Nigeria; Mr. Cees't Hart, CEO, Royal FrieslandCampina of The Netherlands; HRH, Rilwan Akiolu, Oba of Lagos ; Mr. Piet Boer, Chairman, Super visory Board of Royal FrieslandCampina, and Mr. Jacobs Moyo Ajekigbe, Chairman, FrieslandCampina WAMCO, during a visit to the Oba’s palace, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

President warns security agents against coercing suspects

BY EVELYN USMAN

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lice-sponsored fracas in the Rivers State House of Assembly; the assault on the five visiting governors by thugs working under the direction and protection of the State Commissioner of Police and the unlawful occupation of the new PDP Secretariats at Abuja and Lagos, are clear examples. ’’President Jonathan, however, should be told in clear and unambiguous language that Nigerians will resist all machinations by him to turn Nigeria into a police state.’’

RESIDENT GODDLUCK Jonathan, weekend, in Lagos, warned security agents against use of force to extract information and confessional statements from suspects, lamenting that some Nigerians had lost their lives in the process.

The President called on security agents to rather, concentrate more on proactive measures at tackling insurgence in the northern part of the country instead of being reactive.

Jonathan handed down the warning at the passing out parade and official commissioning of Cadet Officers Basic Course 27 COBC held at the State Security Services Academy, Ojo. Represented by the acting Minister of Education, Nyesome Wike, Jonathan admitted that terrorism had assumed a higher dimension and that it was the major security challenge confronting the country.

He however, said it was being tackled, with the procurement of sophisticated technology by the Federal Government.

According to the President: “This level of trust means that these peo-

ple who give you information are not going to be penalised or betrayed for giving you information. For instance, if a man reports robbery, he should not be harassed or inconvenienced in any way.

“Remember that the constitution provides that a man is innocent until he is proven guilty by the court. Respects for human rights are the most expensive tools at your disposal.

“The era of using brutality to extract information or confession from people should come to an end. So many Nigerian citizens have been lost in the process to extract confession from them.”

To tackle terrorism, President Jonathan said Department of State Service, DSS, had witnessed over 100 per cent increase in its budgetary allocation in two years.

He noted that in addition to the increase in budgetary allocation, the “Government through the National Assembly is ready to tackle terrorism through the enactment of the AntiTerrorism Law.“ It is important to bear in mind that in the face of the current insecurity, the Federal Government is more interest in proactive measures of dealing with issues than reactive measures. “

Vanguard MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013—11

Ondo declares 7-day mourning as more tributes pour in for Agagu VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG, DAYO JOHNSON , CHIOMA OBINNA, DAPO AKINREFON & LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

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OVERNOR GOVERNOR Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State has announced a sevenday mourning for his immediate predecessor, Dr. Olusegun Agagu, who died last Friday, aged 65, even as more condolence messages and tributes poured in for the deceased.

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu

Waziri Tambuwal, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, Senator Danjuma Goje, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, Nigeria Medical Association, NMA and Bode Olajumoke, were among those that sent in their condolences, yesterday Tambuwal, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, said the deceased was a nationalist who championed unity and tolerance among the people.

He described him as a

fulfilled gentleman who shared his vast knowledge and experience with many politicians within and outside his state.

While condoling with the people of Ondo over the death, Tambuwal prayed to God to give the deceased’s family fortitude to bear the loss.

Governor Akpabio of Akwa Ibom, described his death as a painful loss to the country, Ondo State, which he served for years and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Akpabio, who is also the chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, in a state-

ment by his Special Assistant Media, Mr. Jackson Udom said “Agagu was a revered leader whose wealth of experience would have been effective in reclaiming the South-west states for the PDP. ”I am shocked by this death. It is a great loss to the country because he was a leader with a vast experience, having served as a Minister of Aviation and later governor.

But the loss is heavier to the PDP family, especially at a time that it needs experienced poli-

VISIT: From left, Vice President, Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy & Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos, Dr. Garba Tetengi; Osun State governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; President of the Association, Major General Lawrence Onoja, and Secretary-General, Mr. Isa Aremu, during a courtesy visit to the Governor, in his office, at Abere, Osogbo, weekend.

PDP chieftain seeks court protection over arrest

BY INNOCENT ANABA

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CHIEFTAIN of Peoples Demo cratic Party, PDP, in Ogun State, Prince Buruji Kashamu, has asked a Federal High Court sitting in Lagos, to restrain security agencies from arresting him as a result of pressure allegedly mounted on them by former President and former governor of the state.

He is contending in the suit that the duo had had threatened to arrest and detain him because of an advertorial he sponsored, in which he accused the former President of being behind PDP’s crisis.

Kashamu claimed he

has had to go into hiding for fear of being unlawfully incarcerated, and because his life had been threatened.

In a fundamental rights enforcement action, he sued the Inspector-General of Police; Director-General, Department of State Services, DSS; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; Gbenga Daniel, Mr. Kola Onadipe and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

Kashamu is praying the court to declare that the police, DSS and EFCC cannot lawfully arrest, detain, harass or threaten to arrest him on the basis of the pressure mounted by the respondents.

ticians like Agagu to chart the course for the complete reconciliation and subsequent electoral victory of the party in the South-west region.”

On his part, Senator Goje in a statement by his media aide, Ahmed Yaro, said: “It came to me as a shock, a very rude shock. Dr. Agagu was an absolute gentleman, quite brilliant, and very patriotic.

“When we ran the Power and Steel Ministry together, you could see his passion for the country. He was very dedicated and committed. It must have been these qualities that the people of Ondo State saw in him, and for which they elected him governor in 2003.

TUC in a message by its President and Secretary General, Bobboi Kaigama and Musa Lawal respectively, said they were saddened by the fact that we have had cause to condole five prominent Nigerian families in less than two months over the death of their loved ones who were snatched away in their prime by the cold hands of death.”

NMA, through a statement by its President, Dr. Osahon Enabulele, said “the circumstances of Agagu’s unfortunate death also reignite our fervent call on Nigerians to cultivate the right habit of consulting their licensed medical doctors/ dentists for periodic health check-ups in view of the benefits, which include reduction in the spine-chilling incidence of sudden deaths amongst Nigeria’s productive men and women.

Immortalising “As a way of immortalising this great son of Ondo State, we wish to most humbly request the Governor and Government of Ondo State to consider declaring a public holiday dedicated to free health check-up for citizens of Ondo State.

On his part, Senator Olajumoke said: “His death has come too soon at 65, and the PDP political family of Ondo State and Nigeria have lost a formidable member, an intellectual and a great tactician and organiser.

“During his tenure as governor, he left indelible marks in every local government and ward of Ondo State.

“May the good Lord ac-

cept Him in His bosom and give all of us, but in particular his dear wife, Funke and the children the fortitude to bear this loss.”

‘Scrupulous, brilliant’ Also the Director-General of National Sports Commission, Gbenga Elegbeleye, said: “It is sad that Dr. Agagu, a scrupulous and brilliant politician would pass on at a time the nation required his service most. I pray that the Almighty shall give his family and close associates the fortitude to bear the loss.”

A mega supermarket, Grocery Bazaar in the Ejigbo Local Council Development Area was last week opened to public following a demand for a conducive shopping center.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Council’s Chairman, Hon. Kehinde Bamgbetan expressed joy at the location of the market saying that “this will certainly bring about more development to the area” Bamgbetan expressed gratitude to management of Grocery Bazaar for employing youths in and around Ejigbo town.

The Council boss who was represented by Mrs. Oyinye Okoroji noted that the location of the supermarket has added value to the commercial of the town.

Speaking in similar vein, Managing Director of Grocery Bazaar, Mr. Sam Ejeh said that the Ejigbo branch is the second in three years adding that in ten years time the whole of the Mainland would have been taken over by Grocery Bazaar.

Meanwhile, Ondo State government has declared a seven-day mourning for the former governor, beginning from today.

Governor Mimiko in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Eni Akinsola ordered that condolence registers be opened at the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka, Akure, the state’s liaison offices in Lagos and Abuja and the headquarters of the 18 local government areas of the state.

The governor also called on indigenes and residents of Ondo State to remember the Agagu family in their prayers.

12—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Vacate flood-prone areas now, Delta Commissioner warns farmers …as coastal erosion washes away houses in Patani

BY AUSTIN OGWUDA

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SABA—DELTA State Commissioner for Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Antonia Ashiedu, has warned farmers and traders currently residing within flood-prone areas in the state to vacate immediately in their interest to avoid being caught up in an imminent flood disaster.

Already, report from Abari community in Patani Local Government Area of the state, has it that coastal erosion has gradually started to wash away houses into the Forcados River as this year ’s rain gathers momentum.

Ashiedu gave the advice in Asaba, during the issuance of certificates to 108 cluster groups in Oshimili South Local Government Area of the state who benefited from the state government’s free-interest loan Micro Credit Programme, DMCP. She said that the advice became necessary because a good number of clients of the programme were affected in last year ’s national flood disaster, lamenting that some of them were either internally

displaced or lost their wares to the flooding.

It will be recalled that during a recent stakeholders forum on Territorial Approach To Climate Change, TACC, in

Asaba, while giving an overview of the Territorial Approach to Climate Change programme in Delta State, the Permanent Secretary/ Head, Climate Change Unit

in the state Ministry of Environment, Mrs. Felicia Adun, warned against impending danger, explaining in detail the vulnerability of Delta State to flood.

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HE Federal Government, weekend, charged Niger Delta states to take up the challenge of training and empowering youths and women in their states, insisting that the post-amnesty programme will be terminated in 2015.

This came on a day the Amnesty Office in the Presidency sent 186 ex-militants in the region to South Africa, United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland for educational and vocational programmes.

The government also said that of the over 30,000 ex-militants granted amnesty and put through non-violence training, over 16,893 had been trained locally and offshore in academics and vocation.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta Matters, Mr. Kingsley Kuku, who threw the challenge while sending off the ex-militants, said that the 2015 termination date of the post-amnesty programme was sacrosanct, adding that state governments in the region ought to take up the gauntlet by 2016.

He said “We urge state governments in the Niger Delta

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BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

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THANKSGIVING SERVICE: Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State (right) and the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, during the Itsekiri nation's thanksgiving service at Four Square Gospel Church, Aghofen, Ajamimogha, Warri, yesterday. Photo: Akpokona Omafuaire.

FG to N-Delta states: Take up challenge of youths, women empowerment ...says post-amnesty programme will terminate in 2015

BY KENNETH EHIGIATOR

Delta Central bye-election: APC hasn’t adopted any candidate —Ikimi

region to commence youth engagement and empowerment programme for people of their states. We do not want the amnesty programme to become an alternative government in this country.

“If Niger Delta states have the funds in place to empower their youths and women, then there would be no need to duplicate funds to carry out related programmes by other agencies of government carrying out interventionists programmes. By 2016, all states in the Niger Delta must take up the responsibility of designing programmes that will empower youths and women in their states.”

Kuku said that weekend’s batch of 186 delegates was the single largest to be sent for educational training in the United Kingdom, which he described as unique.

Of the 186 delegates that travelled weekend, 60 will undergo a 12month vocational

training in South Africa as emergency medical technicians, otherwise known as offshore medic, while the other 126 will undergo educa-

tional training in tertiary institutions in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

ENIN—NATIONAL Vice-Chairman, South South of All Progressives Congress, APC and former Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, weekend, described as misleading, reports that the party had adopted Mr Festus Keyamo as its candidate for the forthcoming bye election for the Delta Central senatorial seat in Delta State.

He pointed out that while APC regrets the sudden and untimely death of Senator Pius Ewherido, who was representing the senatorial district before his death, the senate and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, were yet to declare the seat vacant, therefore, it would be premature and misleading for anyone to claim that he had been adopted for the senatorial contest.

Chief Ikimi, in a resolution adopted after a meeting of the three legacy parties, said that Keyamo had not been adopted by the party.

Uduaghan bags Fellowship of Postgraduate Medical College

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ATIONAL Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria will award an Honourary Fellowship of the College to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State, at its 31st Annual Convocation.

President of the College, Professor Victor Wakwe, in an in-

vitation sent to the governor, said that the ceremony comes up September 19 at the college’s premises at Ijanikin, Lagos.

Delta State Information Commissioner, Mr Chike Ogeah, in a statement, said: “The award comes as the medical commu-

nity has been acknowledging the governor’s pioneering efforts in boosting maternal and child health through a comprehensive coverage that gives free health services for pregnant women and free healthcare for newborns up to the age of five.”

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013—13

Ogoni communities reject Shell’s oil spill compensation offer

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OME Ogoni fishing com-munities in Bodo have rejected an offer of compensation by Shell Petroleum Development Company, for damage done to their sources of livelihood by oil spills from pipelines operated by the company, their lawyers have said.

Failure to reach a settlement means that Shell and about 15,000 members of the Bodo fishing communities in Rivers State, remains locked in litigation.

Their lawyers said that they would now go back to a British court to request a trial timetable.

The legal action is being closely watched by the oil industry and by environmentalists for precedents that could have an impact on other big pollution claims against oil majors.

“We haven’t reached agreement on compensation, which is disappointing,” a spokesman for Shell’s Nigeria unit said.

“Nonetheless, we’re pleased to have made progress in relation to cleanup,” he added, saying measures had been put in place to get remediation work done as soon as possible.

A source close to Shell and another source involved in the negotiations told Reuters that the company offered a

total compensation of N7.5 billion ($46.3 million).

Leigh Day, the British law firm representing the villagers, said the compensation offer amounted to approximately 1,100 pounds ($1,700) per individual impacted.

“The whole week has been deeply disappointing,” said Martyn Day of the London-based law firm, who has been in talks with Shell since

Monday in Nigeria’s oil hub, Port Harcourt.

“The settlement figures are totally derisory and insulting to these villagers,” he added.

The Nigerians filed a suit against Shell before the High Court in London in March 2012, seeking millions of dollars in compensation for two major oil spills in 2008, but both sides agreed to try and settle in compensation talks in Port Harcourt.

2015: Run for Senate, Ijaw groups urge Uduaghan

BY EMMA AMAIZE

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SABA—IJAW pressure groups in Delta State have called on the state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, to contest for the Delta South senatorial district seat in 2015.

The groups, operating under the aegis of Delta Ijaws Initiative for Uduaghan, DIIU, made the call when Alhaji Yusuf Eregbene, Mr Godwin Masah and other leaders, paid a courtesy visit to the Commissioner for Works, Delta State, Chief Solomon Funkekeme, in Asaba.

The pressure groups include Delta Ijaw Mandate, Ijaw Movement for

Power Shift, Delta Ijaw Core Support Group, Warri Ijaw Core Support Group, Warri Ijaw Youth Assembly, Concerned Elites of Burutu, Delta Ijaw in Politics for Good Governance and Delta Ijaws for President Jonathan’s Second Tenure, cutting across Burutu, Patani, Warri SouthWest and Warri South Local Government Areas.

The groups said: “The Uduaghan administration has achieved a lot in the state and in appreciation of his unparalleled developmental strides and purposeful leadership style, we want him to run for the Delta South senatorial seat, come 2015.”

New PDP loyalists in Bayelsa fault police clamp down on members

BY SAMUEL OYADONGHA

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ENAGOA—THE leader-ship of the Kawu Baraje-led new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, in Bayelsa State, yesterday, faulted the police clamp down on its members, saying that the group may be forced to seek redress in court to enforce its constitutional right to association.

Bayelsa Police Command had, on Friday, warned politicians and members of the newly formed group against acts capable of causing a breach of the peace and security in the state, declaring the emergence C M Y K

of the Karu Baraje-led PDP in the state as illegal.

Interim leader of the group and Security Adviser to the former state governor, Chief Richard Kpodo, in a telephone interview, yesterday in Yenagoa, said that the police order declaring the body illegal was a breach of their constitutional rights to freedom of association and speech.

Kpodoh said that despite the order, which he described as “frivolous,” loyalists of the new PDP were going ahead with the opening of a parallel secretariat of PDP in th state.

He said “It is only in Bayelsa State that the police have declared dis-

sident politicians wanted for what they believe in. In other places, the worse the police did was to close the office and not threaten to kill them.

“We are not intimidated by the police. We have not committed any offence, so we will go ahead with what we are doing and dare them to arrest us. Nigeria is not a lawless society.”

Kpodo dismissed insinuation that they were loyalists fighting the cause of former Governor Timipre Sylva, who was denied opportunity to seek a second term in office as governor of the state, saying, “contrary to this, we are people who are genuinely interest in what happens to the party.”

14—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

ASUP tasks FG on constitution of boards for 6 polytechnics

BY BARTHOLOMEW

MADUKWE AGOS—THE Aca demic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, yesterday, frowned on the non-constitution of Governing Councils for six federal polytechnics and demanded that it should be done without further delay.

It will be recalled that ASUP suspended its strike on July 16 for one month to allow the Federal Government fulfill its promises of constituting governing council of remaining six polytechnics, having constituted for others in the country.

Rising from a Zonal Executive Council, ZEC, meeting in Imo State between September 11 and 13, 2013, ASUP in a statement urged management of polytechnics to abide by 70/30 TETfund ratio for conferences in favour of academic staff.

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NDA alumni expresses faith in Nigeria’s unity

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BUJA—THE alumni association of EC8 of Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, has expressed faith in the corporate existence of the nation.

Rising from its inaugural meeting in Abuja last weekend, the association also spoke of the need for greater interaction among members and need for regular meeting.

It also commended the leadership and pioneering role of its interim chairman, Major Fred Anesah (rtd).

Among those who attended the inaugural meeting were former military administrator of Borno State, Col. Abdulmumuni Aminu (rtd); former military administrator of Imo State, Col. Tanko Zubairu (rtd) and Col. Aboyade Cole (rtd).

Others include former customs controller, Major Ibrahim Estu (rtd) and incumbent chairman, Major Fred Anesah.

Ebonyi suspends vice principal over alleged misconduct A

BY PETER OKUTU

B A K A L I K I — EBONYI State Government, weekend, suspended the Vice Principal of Girls Secondary School, Azuiyiokwu, Abakaliki, Mrs. Azu Awa, over alleged insubordination, misconduct and dereliction of duty.

State Commissioner for Education, Ndubuisi Chibueze-Agbo, who disclosed this at the end of a one day meeting with school principals and vice principals in the state, explained that the suspension of the affected vice principal was indefinite.

He reiterated that Mrs. Awa would remain suspended, pending outcome of the report of a disciplinary committee that would be set up to look into the alleged offences.

Agbo warned that government would not tolerate indiscipline or acts capable of truncating the transformation programmes of the state government in area of education.

He said: “Let me say it again that this government is well determined and focused in its efforts to reposition the education sector in the state and nothing is further from this. In pursuing this goal, we shall remain focused and resist any attempt to derail our cause.

“It is therefore, important that our teachers, head teachers, vice principals and principals who are critical stakeholders should sit up

War veterans warn members against impostors

BY TOMMYANADUAKA HE NATIONAL executive council of the Nigerian Civil War Veterans cautioned members of the public against those parading themselves as its national officers.

This came as the group announced appointment of coordinators/officers for the eleven states of Eastern and Midwest commands.

In a statement by national chairman, Col. Ubi Ikoi (rtd) and secretary, Col. Ray Chime (rtd), the group said Col Ubi Ikoi- led executive was its only recognised national executive, and advised the public to discard any other body.

The group listed those appointed to include Major Boniface Iroabuchi (rtd) for Abia State; Col Mathew Okon-Bassey, Akwa Ibom; Major Emmanuel Udemezue, Anambra; Major John Otiti, Bayelsa; and Col. J.C Achibong, Cross River.

Others are (rtd) Lt.Col. Abagha Egwu, Ebonyi, Col. Austin Chukwuka, Edo. Lt. Col.(Rev.) Anthony Aneke, Enugu, Major John Mozia-Delta and representative for Delta (rtd) Stf- Sgt Augustine Uwajeme (rtd).

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and be supportive of government.

“What we have done (suspension) is to reinforce our zero tolerance for mediocrity, lack of productivity and indiscipline in the system.”

He emphasized that the action of the government would serve as deterrent to others who might want to toe a similar path.

The commissioner also called on school heads in primary and secondary school systems to brace up to the challenges facing the

education sector in the state.

“The progress of any society depends on the vibrancy of its educational system. For us to make any meaningful development as a people with common destiny, we need to put our educational system in proper shape,” he added.

ELECTION: Enugu State governor, Mr. Sullivan Chime casting his vote, during the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Local Government primary election, at Udi local government headquarters, Udi, yesterday.

Consumers lament incessant power outages, arbitrary bills in Imo

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

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WERRI—ELECTRICITY consumers in parts of Imo State have again cried out over frequent power outages and arbitrary bills slammed on them by management of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN. Some electricity consumers who spoke to Vanguard in Owerri, expressed serious concern over the fact that meters were never read and that no serious effort was being made to distribute the pre-paid meters promised by government.

What appeared to be the most pathetic story was told by a 73year-old widow, Madam Dorothy Njoku, who lives in a two-room apartment along Chidomara

Street, Owerri, and makes use of two points of electricity.

“My last bill was N8,000. I don’t have air-conditioners, washing machines and other power consuming equipment. Where do they expect me to raise this huge money from? I am really tired of this ill-treatment,” Madam Njoku lamented.

She recalled with grief that she had severally taken her case to Owerri Business Manager for redress, adding that each time, she was given a firm promise that a marketer would be sent to probe her complaint, which never materialized.

Pastor Ejike Emereonye lamented that residents of World Bank Housing Estate appear to

be the worst hit. He pointed out that there was nothing on ground to show their suffering would end soon.

“Residents of World Bank Housing Estate are the worst hit in Owerri. The huge bills are constantly coming and we keep paying for services not rendered.

“Nobody thinks we are entitled to an apology. It is honestly, very sad,” Pastor Emereonye said.

Reacting also, Sir Emeka Ani expressed regret that PHCN management was not doing anything serious to address poor power supply and exorbitant bills.

Stop peddling falsehood to extort money from Ubah, politicians warned

BY ENYIM ENYIM NITSHA—THE All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, weekend, advised politicians who want to extract money from a wealthy business man and governorship candidate of Labour Party, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah to stop peddling ‘naked lies’ just to achieve their aim.

The reaction came barely two days after Ubah flagged off his campaign in the commercial city of Onitsha during which one man appeared to the public claiming to be the traditional ruler of Agulu,

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Governor Peter Obi’s home town while another claimed he was the chairman of Dunukofia local government chapter of APGA, among others.

Both Governor Obi and Dunukofia chapter chairman of APGA, Mr. Silvanus Igbokwe reacted at different fora at the weekend, lamenting that some people wantede to turn Anambra into an article of merchandise.

Obi said in a public function that if he had not watched the campaign launch live on television, he would have been misled

by people who called him, believing that the man who paraded himself in the rally was his traditional ruler.

The governor said: “Look at my traditional ruler here, many of you know him. He is not the one that I saw as my town’s ruler on television at the Labour Party rally.”

Also reacting, Igbokwe said the person, who claimed to be his local government chairman, was removed in 2009, following alleged misappropriation of party fund.

Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013—15

FG, States, LGs to share N524bn

BY EMMA UJAH, ABUJA BUREAU CHIEF

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BUJA—THE three tiers of government are to share the sum of N524.113 billion as statutory revenue which accrued to the Federal Account in the month of Augst anytime this week.

Commissioners of Finance from the states who were in Abuja last weekend to take necessary final decisions before the disbursement of the revenue, went home disappointed as the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee, FAAC, meeting had to be suspended over failure of the Federal government to put more money on the table from July collections.

Chairman of Finance Commissioners Forum, Mr. Timothy Odaah, explained after the meeting that it had to be suspended over unresolved issues about outstanding backlog of revenue not remitted to the Federation Account by agencies of the Federal Government.

His words: “It is of a general knowledge because we have some accumulated backlogs and we had by the month of June when we met and agreed that as far as August 2013 is concerned, all backlogs will be cleared but this was not done.”

The finance commissioners’ spokesman said it would be necessary for the state governors to meet President Goodluck Jonathan to iron out issues about the backlog of unremitted funds as, according to him, some of the issues are beyond the commissioners.

“On a very serious note, it is a matter we feel that our bosses, the state gov-

ernors and the President Goodluck Jonathan should look into. ‘’We were to meet the Minister of Finance as expected because there was a meeting we were to hold with her but due

to the schedule of her duty, we couldn’t, probably much more hint would have been given.”

The Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yarima Ngama, who is the Chairman of FAAC,

told journalists at a separate interview in Abuja, at the weekend, that he was working assiduously to clear the backlog, especially the shortfall of about N140 billion recorded in the

month of July.

According to him, the ministry of finance was to produce N40 billion which it had done and that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, was also working on remitting N75 billion.

CAN threatens El-Rufai over Oritsejafor's jet

BY CALEB AYANSINA

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Shema bags SERA award

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O V E R N O R IBRAHIM Shehu Shema of Katsina State is to receive an award from Social Enterprise Report and Awards, SERA, for being one of the best performing governors in the country for the year 2013 at an event scheduled to hold on Sept 21.

The organisers of the said Shema’s selection for the award was borne out of his transformational strides in Katsina State.

The governor is also expected to present the SERA Year Book on the occasion where Prof. Pat Utomi will deliver the keynote address.

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nPDP lawmakers meet today

BY EMMAN OVUAKPORIE

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BUJA—LEGISLA TORS in the new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, faction will meet today to fashion out the shape of proceedings

immediately both legislative houses resume tomorrow.

Vanguard gathered that one of the issues on the front burner is how to re-constitute the present leadership of both chambers.

According to a source, the present leadership is largely constituted by the old bloc PDP. The source, who preferred anonymity, said: “We are meeting to primarily set a new agenda for the 7th Assembly using

our large number which is hovering around 95 to 125 Representatives and 55 Senators. ”We equally have the strong voices of 137 All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Green Chamber who have vowed to support our cause without blinking an eye lid."

BUJA—THE Chris tians Association of Nigeria, CAN, yesterday, gave former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mallam Nasir ElRufai, seven days within which to make public the identity of the person that donated a private jet to its president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, or risk being exposed.

CAN, which described El-Rufai as a liability in the country’s political system, said if he was broke, he should beg Jonathan for a job, rather than engaging in blackmail.

El-Rufai, weekend, described Pastor Oritsejafor as the chief propagandist of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and one who lacked credibility.

But CAN in a statement in Abuja by the Head of TEKAN/ECWA Block in CAN, Rev. Emmanuel Dziggau and National Director (Research, Planning & Strategy), Elder Sunday Oibe, who gave El-Rufai the ultimatum, admonished former Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), to dissociate himself from people like El-Rufai, who would use him to gain political relevance.

The statement reads in part: “It is laughable for an individual like El-Rufai looking for relevance to be alluding to Ayo’s credibility. If Pastor Ayo doesn’t have credibility, who else have credibility in Nigeria of today? Is it El-Rufai? ”The fact that El-Rufai in his tweets abused our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, and Christians ignored him doesn’t give him the impetus to make unguarded comments about Pastor Ayo who is the leader of Christians in Nigeria."

16—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

SYMPATHISERS PAY CONDOLENCE VISITS TO AGAGU’S FAMILY From left, Mrs. Olufunke Agagu, widow; Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group, and Otunba Niyi Adebayo, former governor of Ekiti State, condole with the widow of late Dr. Olusegun Agagu, former governor of Ondo State, in her Glover Road, Ikoyi, Lagos residence. Photo: Bunmi Azeez

From left, Mrs. Solape Hammond, daughter of the deceased; Mrs. Omowumi Akisanya, daughter; Governor Olusegun Mimiko, Ondo State governor; Mrs. Olufunke Agagu, widow; Mrs. Olukemi Mimiko, Mr. Feyisayo Agagu, son of deceased, and Venerable Sam Odubena, former chaplain to late Dr. Olusegun Agagu.

Dr. Oba Otudeko (left) and Sir Pius Akinyelure.

Other sympathisers.

OBA ADEDOTUN GBADEBO & CHIEF IGBINEDION’S BIRTHDAYS

Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, Alake of Egbaland (middle); Chief Ernest Shonekan, former Head of Interim National Government (2nd right); Olori Dr. Tokunbo Gbadebo, Governor Ibikunle Amosun (3rd left), and clergymen, after the Special Thanksgiving Service to mark 70th birthday of Oba Gbadebo, at St. Peter’s Church, Ake Abeokuta. Photo: Wunmi Akinola

From left, Chief Igbinedion, celebrant; Lady Cherry Igbinedion, and Chief Lucky Igbinedion, former Edo State Governor, during a church service to mark the 79th birthday of Chief Igbinedion, at St. Gabriel The Archangel Catholic Church, Benin City. Photos: Barnabas Uzosike

From left, Oba Gboyega Dosunmu, Olowu of Owu; Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, Alake of Egbaland, and Chief Segun Osunkeye, Chairman of Nestle Plc. Photo: Wunmi Akinola

From left, Arch. Mike Onolememen, Minister of Works and Chief Anthony Anenih, PDP Board of Trustees Chairman.

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18 — Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 ISSUES around the lopsided appointments in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, have been long lasting, and also long-ignored, but they persist because they are not simple matters. They would not go away by being ignored.

For more than two years, groups have been drawing attention to the anomaly. It advertised messages that the North occupied 11 of INEC’s 16, the South has only five. National Commissioners heading INEC’s key committees are from the North. A nine-man Strategic Planning Committee has only two from the South.

Section 14(3) of the Constitution states, “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”

The Constitution created the Federal

INEC’s Lopsided Appointments Character Commission, FCC, to ensure implementation of fairness in the allocation of federal appointments. INEC does not have a coherent response to the petitions that have gone to the National Assembly.

INEC’s best defence is that its chairman Professor Attahiru Jega did not make the appointments. The other is that the appointees were civil servants posted to INEC. None of these reasons suffices for subverting the law and the silence of the two FCC committees of the National Assembly.

The responses are appalling. They are unacceptable. The issue should be addressed.

INEC is too strategic to be immersed in controversy. It should not be distracted by the issues that pre-dispose it to credibility challenges.

Is there a State today that cannot produce qualified officials from the same civil service poll INEC gets staff? How does INEC explain the lopsidedness in its top staff? Why would INEC chairman, secretary and officials manning major positions be from the same zone? Even if the officials are people of integrity, would that be reason enough to break the law?

Most other federal government agencies are in the same position. They should be addressed.

The resolution of the lopsided appointments INEC is critical to improving INEC’s rating ahead of the 2015 elections.

We may also ask what FCC really does. We expected that its radars would be scanning federal agencies for compliance with the law.

Aguments that the appointments at INEC have stood for years indict FCC and leaves the organisation with little option than to act in line with its constitutional responsibilities.

A healthy respect for the law would build healthy institutions.

OPINION Continued from pg 17

BY KINGSLEY EMEREUWA

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O the best of my knowledge and in true practice, the scheme has covered other areas like skills acquisition and technical training which are germaine to the growth and sustenance of a buoyant economy.

Until we are personally hit by the stark reality, it may not occur to us that there are no more apprentices for many of our skilled vocations like carpentry, automobile engineering and other allied professions. A friend lamented his frustrations in finding it hard to get a hand to assist him assemble an ordinary office table he bought from a showroom.

I recall when in our academic curriculum we had subjects like Technical Drawing, Introductory Technology and even Woodwork. There were days of the glory in public schools when our time tables were structured to enable us attend handcraft lessons in primary schools while the girls had their domestic classes. Those experiences did not turn all of us into George Stevensons or Bill Gates, but it afforded a route of self discovery to those who were not academically endowed to realise their potential within the ambit of formal technical training, and remained persons to reckon with. That was one of the beauties of those fa-

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Abia: Time to tell own story mous technical colleges. There is no argument again on the dearth of the once highly rated technical schools of record that produced self-made professionals after formal apprenticeship.

The decision of the state government to remain unrelenting in the provision of opportunities for citizens to acquire formal and non-formal training is one that would ensure no missing link in a stable economy. Perhaps not many are aware that as sound, popular and deft as he is politically, Jacob Zuma of South Africa did not go through formal education to attain his desired goal. And there are very many of them. Yes, Abia does not believe in singing its own praises like other states take delight in doing. And some times I ponder why. If it does, perhaps it would have created a swansong of what the present administration has done in the area of education.

I am aware that it is to the credit of the present administration that the moribund state scholarship board was revived and scholarship awards given to deserving indigenes of the state studying in various universities in the United States of America, United Kingdom and South Africa. The Mass

Literacy Programme of the administration has been sustained and many beneficiaries have emerged. The state government has undertaken quiet but constant and consistent rehabilitation of all the infrastructure in affected public primary schools in the state. In many cases, new befitting structures have been erected alongside the upgrade.

It might not be news, but it is pertinent to mention it that under many past administrators, Abia State, for 22 years, had no state library beyond the Divisional Library it inherited from the old Imo State squeezed obscurely in the ever-busy Bank Road Umuahia.

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oday, not even many residents are aware that the state government is constructing and has nearly completed a state-of-the-art ultramodern e-library that is located in a very serene and conducive area within the state capital most apt for research and study. Before now the State Universal Basic Education Board under a thoroughbred educationist, Sir Micah Onyebuchi, has been recipient of various awards and commendations for giant strides in the education sector yet no drums are rolled out.

Today statistics have revealed that 10.5million of the 31million “out-ofschool” children in sub-Sahara Africa are from Nigeria, with the North accounting for a whopping nine million and 1.2million classroom deficiency. Appeals have gone from major actors like Senate Committee chairman on Education, Uche Chukwumerije, who want stakeholders to show greater responsibility to the challenges by matching result with action in the quest for education for all by the year 2015. The problem is really endemic and the United Nations as represented by former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown believes the solution could start with the government paying a counterpart fund of $250million to meet up the $500million from international donors to give the Nigerian youth access to basic education.

For what it is really worth, this latest feat by the state as confirmed by Science and Mathematics Teachers is a clear indication that diligence and total commitment to a course have their reward. And the story should be told lest others will take the glor y.

Chimamandah Ngozi Adichie, in one of her presentations, charged Africans to learn to tell their own stories so that others would not distort their story for selfish actualisation.

* *Mr Emereuwa, a political analyst, wrote from Umuahia, Abia State

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Brass bands, starched uniforms: The road to the Army YES, that's all it took for young Godwin Alabi-Isama who had gone to see detachments of the Nigerian Army in their crisply starched uniforms march past to the beat of an accompanying brass band....a bloody civilian thus made up his mind on a career in the Army

A fresh account of the 1967-70 Nigerian Civil War, by a major actor, beginning with the question: Why the Army for a career? In this first instalment of our serial of this book, Brigadier-General Godwin Alabi-Isama tells his own story, in his own words of how he got attracted to the Army, the recruitment process, training here in Nigeria and abroad, and more. Enjoy his memoirs....

My Attraction To the Army

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Y attraction to the army was rather unusual because there was nothing military about it. It was not borne out of the usual big-talk of love for the fatherland to fight to save the country in the face of external aggression, or against centrifugal forces aiming at getting the country disintegrated. I was 19 years old in 1959 when I first saw the Army march past at Oke Bola in front of Ibadan Boys High School (IBHS).

I neither knew nor even suspected any potential threat to our country’s socio-political stability.

But with the benefit of hind-sight today, I can say that some important people may have known that real challenges confronted the nation and so did some senior military officers at that time.

Financial benefit was not part of my attraction to the army either. I had no idea what they paid soldiers, so the pay packet was not an incentive, more so because I was from an averagely comfortable family. In fact, I cannot think of any special military characteristics that would have influenced me into a ca-

reer in the armed forces other than their musical band, the well ironed uniform and the unison with which they marched — which, in retrospect might suggest a latent attraction to regimentation, pomp and pageantry. The command culture of the military and its characteristic aggressiveness, in their raw state, never appealed to me. What, therefore, could have attracted me to the Army?

It all began in 1959 when I was a student at Boys High School, OkeBola, Ibadan. I was a very good sportsman. In fact, I was the captain of my school soccer team.

Our school shared the same fence with Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo (Awo)’s residence and soldiers usually marched past in front of the Action Group leader ’s house.

Awo was Premier of the then Western Region, and the leader of a political party called The Action Group.

As a young boy, I did not read any political meaning into soldiers marching past Awo’s house. But from the sheer beauty of it, I developed likeness for the

O

ne day, as part of their sports activities, my school was invited to the 4th Battalion in Ibadan for an invitational relay race with other schools. Incidentally, during the sports event, the person who came first in the long jump, jumped only fifteen feet. Back then I used to do long jump at school, and I could jump eighteen feet with ease.

If the best long jump soldier could only do 15 feet, then I thought I had what it took to be in the Army. But my fascination for the Army heightened during their parade to collect their medals. It was something else.

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hey had a musical band playing; the soldiers were marching in unison, Left-Right, Left-Right. Their trousers and shirts were painstakingly ironed with standing edges looking as though they were razor blades that could cut through anything on its way; their shining, well-polished black shoes which reflected the sun, so overwhelmed me, I just opened my mouth in total amazement. This was all it took to make the military my profession.

They were simple reasons but they were and still remain as honest as they were simple. Up till today, these have remained my inspiration and likeness for the profession.

I then went to ask those standing around how I could join the army. At that time, life was very easy. As soon as one was in Class Four (fourth year) in the High School, Labour ministry officials would bring a Form from the Labour Office to schools for anyone interested to insert what type of work one would like to do. For me, my first choice of work was to be the House Master of St. Theresa’s College, the Girls’ college next to my school, on the same street at Oke Bola in Ibadan. Their

ALABI ISAMA ARCHIVES

zI was fascinated by the Army’s musical band....

ALABI ISAMA ARCHIVES

zI went to watch Army band in Nigeria

ALABI ISAMA ARCHIVES

zI went to watch Army Band in UK

,

Fresh accounts of a 40-yr old war

way they filed out in their parade. I just liked their organization, and their uniform.

Their trousers and shirts were painstakingly ironed with standing edges looking as though they were razor blades that could cut through anything

athletes were always at our school’s sports ground, for their sports training, practice, and competitions. My main motive for wanting to become a coach in a girl’s school was the love I had for sports, but others saw it differently and were amused. They wondered how a young man would want to be a House Master of a Girls’ school.

They thought it was sensual, but that was far away from my thoughts.

With time however, my

leaning towards the military became stronger as I matured in reasoning.

Sometime later, I completed the army form and waited for which of the results would come first.

Again, at that time I was not thinking of being an officer especially because my desire to go into army was natural, innocent, simple, and honest, devoid of any selfishness or egotism; and that remains my pride. I knew next to nothing about the offic-

ers’ corps. But in spite of my simple and honest thought of becoming just a soldier, fate, it would appear, had another plan for me.

Then I received a letter at school, with a warrant to obtain a railway ticket and report to Zaria for military recruitment. I obliged. As we assembled for the exercise, one Captain Stamper took a long look at me because he may have observed that somehow I was different from the others who seemed not to have been to school at all.

He then walked up to me, and asked: “Do you speak English?”

“Yes,” I answered and I told him all about my school, and that I was the Captain of my school soccer team, and I boast-

Vanguard,MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013—47

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z Bamigboye

zDanjuma

zPhilemon Shande

z Ayo Ariyo

zIgnatius Obeya

In England for training, thence to the Congo

,

eanwhile, all the man asked was if I could speak English.

He was, nevertheless, impressed. He took me to one office where another English officer was, who asked about my home town, and I said Ilorin, and I further told him that I was then writing my school certificate examinations in nine subjects. I added that I was writing my English paper that Thursday but that I had come (to Zaria) because I received a letter and warrant to report that day.

I added that I was told the Army would not negotiate date and time with me, to which they both laughed. He asked if I knew anything about becoming an “officer?” I asked for more explanation what that was all about and both of them laughed because I sounded amusing to the two gentlemen.

It was then that they told me to take a seat, and that I was qualified for an examination to be an officer, and in about 10 minutes the other officer with Capt Stamper came up with a railway warrant for me to travel to Apapa in Lagos, from Zaria to take an examination in a week’s time, and that if I passed, then I will be on my way to becoming an officer like them. Wow, that was unbelievable.

I looked at these two men again, so clean and bright. I thanked them, and went away. I subsequently met Capt Stamper at Kaduna during officer cadet training and he was very kind to me. He spoke with me

Military training

Having been enlisted into the army, our training began in earnest.

My classmates were Alani Akinrinade, Theophilus Danjuma, Samuel Ogbemudia, Ayo Ariyo, Chiabi (from the

Cameroon), Philemon Shande, Ignatius Obeya, David Bamigboye, Pius Eromobor, Simon Uwakwe, Ihedigbo, Ben Gbulie, S. P. Apolo, and Emmanuel Abisoye.

W

e got tutored and kitted at Zaria for a while and then at Kaduna NMTC. We were the first NMTC (Now Nigeria Defence Academy, NDA) Cadets in 1960, and from there 15 of us who passed the examinations went to Mons Officer Cadet School, Aldershot, in England. Of the many crucial principles emphasized during our training, I took particular notice of three which I may illustrate here: First, that the officer should see himself as the symbol of the

group he is leading such that his mere facial expression can make or raise the morale of his men and he must be dependable, which in turn, would determine the fortunes of any encounter with the enemy. Secondly, that tact is, in itself, a better act of valour. In other words, if the same or even better result could be achieved without pain, why fire the shot?

Yes, war must always be as a matter of last resort.

And thirdly, an officer must learn to accept situations as they are and see how to handle them as they arise. Hard thinking and improvising is needed rather than crying over spilled milk; that is, be independent, and use your initiative

Driving from Lagos to Kaduna to resume duty, we drove past my former school at Ibadan Boys High School (IBHS). I was in my well ironed uniform and well polished shoes, and wearing my new rank as an officer

ALABI ISAMA ARCHIVES

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almost every day, and asked how I was doing.

We had a soccer team at Kaduna during training at Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC). Capt Stamper was always happy to see me play; he was one of our instructors. I took the army examination in Geography, English, Mathematics and I passed.

That was where my military career actually started.

,

ed that we were the soccer champion of all schools in the entire Western Region.

zBoys who became generals: From left: Aniowun, Alabi-Isama, Akinrinade, and Ogbemudia standing.

all the time, for the benefit of the group; which the instructor called “interdependence”.

Meanwhile, a situation was brewing in the Congo which, as things unfolded, facilitated our training perhaps earlier than had been envisaged. Nationalism had assumed such proportion in Africa, particularly in the Congo, where whoever was white was a Belgian and had to be killed. And so to drastically reduce if not completely rule out the loss in death of the junior British officers that led the Nigerian contingent to the Congo, the Nigerian Army, as a matter of deliberate policy decided to Nigerianise the junior officer cadre in the Nigerian contingent sent to the Congo.

They organized a quick examination for us, before we knew it, the first crucial result was out and 10 out of 15 of us returned home to go to the Congo, while the remaining five went to Sandhurst Officer Cadet School, which is the premier Officer Cadet military training school in England. I definitely preferred going to Sandhurst than going to the

Congo, but to Congo I had to go; so we returned home to Nigeria.

I was back home in Nigeria within six months, and was transferred to 3rd Battalion at Kaduna.

While driving from Lagos to Kaduna to resume duty, we drove past my former school at Ibadan Boys High School (IBHS). I was in my well ironed uniform and well polished shoes, and wearing my new rank as an officer. Co-incidentally it was the Inter-House Sports Day of the school.

As a sports enthusiast and in appreciation of my alma mater, I diverted without an invitation, and even participated in the Old Boys’ Race. It was a great day, with all my orderlies saluting, and the whole school cheering, the principal and all the teachers and invited guests looking at me with such joy and all shouting “Captain Alabi, Captain Alabi,” I had just left them only a year and half ago. I must confess that at this point in time, being a young officer in the army was a new kind of social status which was becoming an elite sort of thing. Many people who saw me that day joined the army later.

They saw that it was a successful venture and not that of a drop-out or for the lower class of society, which had erroneously been the thought of many, particularly in the Southern part of the country. My example popularized the notion that there was prospect for school leavers to start a military career as an officer; not just a recruit.

That was the extra inspiration that I gave to others but received from none except perhaps Captain Stamper. Yemi Alabi and Akinlabi among others from IBHS asked me how to join the Army, and they finally did.

TOMORROW.....

READ about about how Godwin Alabi-Isama embarked on a recruitment tour of the country in 1962, and ended up recruiting into the Army some of the names that made headlines while they lived, while others alive continue to make headlines. They were yesterday's boys, today's big men. Enjoy how David Mark, AbdulKarim Adisa, Raji Rasaki, Tunde Ogbeha and many more alive or deceased became officers.

•The Tragedy of Victory is available in bookstores and amazon.com

48 — Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

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Vanguard, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013—51

NAHCON to airlift 76,000 Nigerian pilgrims in 152 flights

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AIDUGURI— (NAN) THE National Hajj Commission of Nigeria, NAHCON, yesterday, said it would air lift the 76,000 Nigerian pilgrims for the 2013 Hajj in 152 flights.

The commission’s Chairman, Malam Mohammad Bello, told newsmen in Maiduguri that five of the flights were also expected to take off from different parts of the country.

Bello said that the five flights were in addition to the inaugural flight that took off fromMaiduguri on Saturday.

He said: “We are expecting five other flights to take off from Lagos, Katsina, Sokoto and Ilorin, apart from the inaugural flight in Maiduguri on Saturday.

“The main purpose of this was to ensure that we air lift all our pilgrims to Saudi Arabia in good time for the Hajj.”

He said 50 per cent of Nigerian pilgrims would be transported directly to Medina from Nigeria this year.

Akinjide reaffirms commitment to Abuja infrastructural devt

BY HENRY UMORU BUJA—MINISTER of State, Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Olajumoke Akinjide, has reiterated the commitment of the FCT Administration to the development of the federal capital city, area councils and satellite towns.

The minister gave this assurance at the 2013 Town Planners’ Day of the FCT Chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NITP, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre.

In a statement by her Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Oluyinka Akintunde, the minister said, “The vision of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, is to nurture Abuja into one of the best 20 capital cities in the world by the year 2020, while its mission is to provide good infrastructure, services and administration that will stimulate the city’s growth.

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SEMINAR ON PEACE: From left: Mr. Elisha Buba Yero, Dan Inyan Kagoro, Mr. Luka Zamani and Elder Peter Buba Yero, at the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union seminar and workshop on peace and reconciliation, at the Women's Multipurpose Hall,Kaduna Photo: Olu Ajayi.

ASUU strike: Baraje led PDP begins 7 days fasting zGov Aliyu heads nPDP committee on teachers, FG's rift zDemands immediate unsealing of secretariats

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BY HENRY UMORU

BUJA—WORRIED by the prolonged strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, the Abubakar Kawu Baraje-led new Peoples Democratic Party, nPDP, has commenced a seven-day fasting and prayer starting from today.

To make it very effective, the new PDP has requested all its members worldwide to embark on the exercise, adding that the spiritual intervention was as a result of the concern of the Baraje-led PDP for the plight of parents and university students due to the continued closure of public universities following the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. It added that the move was designed to protest what it described as the Federal Government’s failure to keep the agreement it signed with the union in 2009.

Meanwhile, Alhaji Baraje has set up a four-man Committee with Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State as Chairman to advise the party on the best way to get the Federal Government’s negotiating committee and the leadership of ASUU to reach an agreement on the issues at stake and thus end this three-month-old strike.

Other members of the committee are Governor Murtala Nyako of Adamawa State, Chinwo Ike, President of UNIPORT Alumni, and Mr. Timi Frank, the nPDP National Youth Leader.

The group said: “We sincerely solicit the patience of Nigerians

while appealing to the Federal Government and the leadership of ASUU to end this imbroglio so that our children may go back to school instead of engaging in acts inimical to their future.

"The need for this has become urgent as reports reaching us indicate that many of these students have out of frustration and boredom turned to prostitution,

armed robbery and other vices due to the prolonged strike.

On its secretariat that was sealed by the police, Eze said: “To the glory of God, contrary to the prayers of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s faction of PDP, a Federal High Court in Abuja onSeptember 13, 2013, ruled that the Baraje faction of PDP should be allowed to operate without any further

harassment or inhibition as it is not breaking any known law. Justice E.S. Chukwu in his ruling held that there was no evidence before the court to show any tardiness on the part of Baraje’s faction as claimed by the Tukur-led faction, which requested it to stop the Baraje-led PDP from operating."

Benue govt requires N3bn to rehabilitate fortunate disaster; hence the “Some persons have quesflood victims tioned decision of the executive counthe wisdom in the de-

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BY PETER DURU

A K U R D I — BENUE State Government has said it will require N3 billion to combat the devastation and rehabilitate victims of last year’s flood in parts of the state.

Commissioner of Information, Justin Amase who made the revelation, yesterday, while fielding questions from newsmen in Makurdi said: “Though we got the sum of N500 million from the Federal Government to rehabilitate the flood victims, the amount was like a drop in the ocean.

"From available statistics, the state government would need close to N3 billion to tackle some of the challenges posed by the flood, that was what prompted the decision of the State Executive Council to invest the money in the provision of infrastructure and amenities in the devastated communities.

cision of the state government, but the truth is that if the government had decided to share the money among the vict i m s , none of t h e m would h a v e gotten m o r e t h a n N2,000.

“That would h a v e amounted to nothing to a people who lost valuables and property in that un-

cil to seek a better way of availing our people a reasonable form of palliative."

52 — Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

THERE is a touch of cruelty developing among political chief executives in Nigeria. I am referring to governors and presidents of Nigeria whom the Constitution gives the power to hire and fire political appointees. The governor or president begins by floating rumours of impending cabinet shakeups.

It is done in such a way as to seem a deliberate psychological torture.

In most cases, they do not act when the shakeup is expected. A good example of this was recently demonstrated by the Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha. He took his cabinet on an inspection of projects. Thereafter, he invited them to lunch. After a sumptuous meal accompanied with hefty swilling of choice drinks, he calmly informed them that their services were no longer required.

Food particles immediately soured in the mouths of Honourable Commissioners.

Bellies full of recently chewed expensive food churned and digestion processes were truncated. Why feed me first, then, sack me? That’s sadism!

What President Goodluck Jonathan did to his former ministers took on a note of playing skittles with the emotions of the men and women who represented him in the various ministries from June 2011 till date. Early in August 2013, the President was widely suspected to be about to dissolve the federal cabinet. That was shortly after the Nigerian Governors’

Weep not, Minister should have been obvious to the ministers (especially those nominated by the PDP rebels now masquerading as the “New” PDP) that this event was inevitable. The final straw was the breaking away to form a faction. Former Education Minister, Professor Ruqqayatu Rufai, Governor Sule Lamido’s nominee, seemed psychologically prepared. As soon as the President announced she was among those dropped, she calmly invited the media to her office and handed over to the Minister of State, Onyesom Wike.

However, her colleague in the Ministry of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafia, was overwhelmed by the news.

She wept “openly” as newspaper reports had it. I understand how she felt. It is possible for one to brace for bad news and yet still be devastated by its impact

,

I think the President has properly defined who his enemies are, and has started deploying for battle; the rebel camp in the ruling party will very likely begin to experience increasing isolation

Forum split over its controversial election.

With the crisis in Rivers State and five rebel Northern governors trooping to Port Harcourt on a solidarity visit to Governor Chibuike Amaechi, a sudden emergency cabinet meeting summoned by the President on a Thursday led to speculations that the long-awaited reshuffle would take place on that day.

Surprisingly, they all returned to their duty posts unscathed. There must have been a last minute change of mind by the President, who probably decided to act after the national convention of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It

,

when it comes.

It is not easy to, in a split second, transit from the high office of Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to almost “nothing”, if you catch my meaning. The perks of office of a Nigerian minister are enormous. Even for brave Professor Rufai, it will not be easy to move from minister towering above over 64 vicechancellors to a mere lecturer in Curriculum Studies taking briefs from the faculty head. But such is life.

Now, don’t be carried away by the antics of Information Minister, Labaran Maku, who said the reshuffle was not

politically motivated. This is why Nigerians see government as a big liar. It is all politics and nothing else. The President is first and foremost a politician. Politics was the platform that brought him to power. The rebellion in

President Jonathan

his party threatens to ensure he does not get re-elected in 2015. When a politician is threatened in this manner, he shifts his primary attention from governance to politics. When he reclaims his power base, he returns full attention to governance. That is the way of democratic systems.

If you examine the configurations, you will notice that ministers linked to persons and parts of the country participating in the attempt to deny GEJ a second term in office were affected.

Most affected were the North and West where the moves to upstage Jonathan are gathering traction. On the other hand, the South East, with almost one hundred per cent solidarity for the President, was untouched. Minimally affected were the South-South and the Middle Belt.

Those areas affected will be quickly replaced by politicians loyal to the par-

ty and the President. Not only will they be given appointments, they will also be favoured with the party’s state structures to contend with the All Peoples Congress, APC and the “new” PDP. I think the President has properly defined who his enemies are, and has started deploying for battle. The rebel camp in the ruling party will very likely begin to experience increasing isolation. Perhaps, by the end of September, those who have not found their ways back into the mainstream of the PDP may have to join Atiku Abubakar in his recently registered Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, or consider joining up with the APC. Eventually, there will only be one PDP going to the polls with other registered parties.

Please spare Jigawa this disaster There are reports that the President might bring former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Umar Ghali Na’Abba, into favour as a replacement for Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso in Kano.

It is a credible speculation because Kwankwaso is a notable loyalist of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a major stoker of the rebellion in PDP. Na’Abba will be glad to return to the war front against Obasanjo whom he once boldly told: “Mr President, look into the mirror.

Whoever you see there is the biggest problem with Nigeria!”

But I am greatly troubled by the speculation that former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Saminu Turaki, is being considered for recruitment to fight for the President against Governor Sule Lamido’s camp in Jigawa State. Turaki, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, ruled Jigawa for eight years and reduced it to the poorest state in the North. But after six years, Lamido has made Jigawa a showpiece of rapid development in the country.

I am hoping that the Governor is able to mend fences with the PDP of which he is a founding father and avoid the spectre of reversing the gains of the past six years in a political civil war against an Abuja-backed Turaki. Bringing Turaki back to power will be a great disservice to the people of the state which the Presidency must avoid.

OPINION

BY KINGSLEY EMEREUWA

T

HE old adage has it that the taste of the pudding is in the eating. Indeed such should be the apt description for the recent giant strides recorded by Abia State government in the education sector. Just recently, the state came out tops in science and mathematics exhibition ratings organised by the Science and Mathematics Teachers for primary schools in the country. The event held at Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Probably because it is Abia, it is most unlikely that the feat will not dominate public discourse, lest the state will be accorded its due and such ripple effect may likely alter the plan of detractors.

Be that as it may be, one glaring thing is that the feat has rekindled the confidence of stakeholders, especially in the education sector, moreso with the damage-control by stakeholders in the sector globally. It is equally a boost to the untiring efforts of the state governor to leave legacies in the state during his stewardship.

Before now, the fate of education in Abia was nothing to write home about. Even though it is not really an isolated case, but since the damage was not done by the present government, we can ignore and overlook it, yet we will not give the present government

Abia: Time to tell own story its due.

I was to stumble on the comment by one of the arm-chair critics who takes delight in casting aspersions on the state government and its officials.

This time around, his grouse was that the government was giving out vehicles to some jobless youths as a means of empowerment when states in the North made plans to sponsor their citizens for overseas training. But I know he was simply advertising ignorance.

It is not unlikely that his sentiments are buoyed by our traditional penchant to give preference to paper qualification without any adequate back-up in terms of practical and basic knowledge. At best our people are in dire pursuit of those “ core” professional disciplines not for anything else but the misconceived values the society has placed on them at its own detriment. Little regard is given to the salient but very vital areas that lubricate the wheels of the economy. We are also burdened with the class regimen of salutary academic degrees.

Whereas it is the obvious absence of the basic technical know-how that has plunged our country into the pitiable abyss of condemnable status of a consumer-society, we have often misplaced knowledge

with paper qualifications. We have even upped the stakes today to include complementary foreign degrees to announce our accomplishments just as those who do not understand the essence of vacation now use Western summer peak to show “they also belong”. That is the Nigerian slavery mentality though. Nevertheless, it is unarguable that avalanche of suspicious manpower or personnel without commensurate infrastructure is akin to a bishop without a diocese. It is at best no more in worth than the paper on which that so-called qualification is written. The onus is on government to provide the infrastructure upon which the other goals would be realised and anything outside that is like putting the cart before the horse.

Let us take the Abia example of empowerment. It is a cause that in my judgement has served the dual purpose of getting the direct impact of governance on the citizen via the channelling of resources towards the upliftment of the standard of living of the people. It has also resuscitated the near lost advantage of vocational and technical training which is

the sustaining force of the economy.

•Continues on page 18

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 —

W

ITHIN the Peoples

Democratic Party, PDP, events of the last two weeks have indeed brought out the worst among its leading lights. Some of them who have shared ideals and political camps for decades are now at both ends of the political divide, which was created by the August 31, 2013 factionalisation of the party. First, some elements within the Peoples Democratic Movement, PDM, believed to have been sponsored by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, clandestinely registered the political pressure group, which is an integral part of the PDP as a fullfledged political party. Then the aggrieved seven governors of the party, who had earlier walked out from the party’s Special National Convention of August 31 in Abuja, converged on Shehu Musa Yar ’Adua Centre, not too far away from the Eagle Square, venue of the PDP convention, to announce they were splitting from the mainstream PDP. To say that these are challenging times for statesmen within the party, is to state the obvious.

Two of them, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Chairman of the party ’s Board of Trustees, BoT, Chief Tony Anenih,

have since led the efforts to reconcile all sides and return the party to oneness. While the initial meeting brokered by Obasanjo did not produce much result, Anenih was caught in the crossfire for daring to state the obvious-that some of the G-7 governors leading the new faction have genuine grievances, which would be resolved and the party, thereafter would emerge stronger from what he described as a “minor” crisis.

Anenih had, in a statement in Abuja, urged leaders of the party and all others involved in the dispute to avoid making provocative statements that could jeopardise on-going efforts by the party leadership to mend the cracks. His statement was in apparent response to the bitter altercations between the party’s National Chairman and leaders of the ‘new PDP’. For instance, many consider Alhaji Bamanga Tukur’s reference to former Vice President Abubakar and leaders of the splinter group as impostors and prodigal sons, as harsh and improper, just as his threat to initiate the process for the recall of members of the National Assembly who identify with them.

Both parties had also initiated court proceedings against each other. While Tukur filed a suit before the Federal High Court in

,

Abuja seeking the committal of Alhaji Baraje, his deputy Dr. Sam Jaja, and their National Secretary, Olagunsoye Oyinlola to prison, Baraje, on the other hand, asked the court to commit Tukur to jail for contempt.

The like of Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, former Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, General I.B. Haru“ na (rtd) and former Senate President, Ameh Ebute, had frowned at Anenih’s statement which they described,unfortunately,as an indication that he was sympathetic to the aggrieved governors. In a statement by their group, Centre for Equality and Change, led by Clark, they made veiled reference to the governors’ threat to jeopardise the 2015 second term ambition of the President.

Can Nigeria break up?

BY SUNNY IKHIOYA

T

HE question of whether Nigeria can break up still lingers 53 years after our independence. I will start by answering the question first. Yes, Nigeria can break up if we choose to and are willing to pursue and execute policies that will lead to its break up. The choice is ours as a people.

Do we want to remain as one united country? What are the things required to keep us as one? Do we have them in place?

Our country –Nigeria- was programmed to fail from the beginning. It was created on faulty foundations of deceit along ethnic, religious, demographic and geographic positions. Our colonial masters, the British, started it with their conspiracy to set the North against the South with cooked census and demographic figures, crooked mappings and the likes.

Look critically at the map of Nigeria today, does it show equity and fairness with respect to regional allocations? That was the handiwork of our British colonial masters.

When Nigerians took over, they continued to build on these lies and faulty foundations.

That is why the issue of ethnicity is as fresh as it was at the inception of the country.

The country took off with the three major tribes-Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo. Nothing was done for the minorities and no interest was given to issues concerning their plights.

Everybody from up across the Niger is a Hausa man, while everybody down South, excluding the Yoruba West is an Igbo man.

That was the situation and such was the thinking of our political leaders, that the whole South-South with the exception of the Midwest was regarded as the East. That was why the Ibibio man was eased from office for Nnamdi Azikiwe to be Premier of the Eastern Region when the Yoruba’s rejected him. The consequence of the neglect of the minority by the majority tribes is what we are witnessing today, particularly along the

South-South region and some part of the Middle Belt and the North.

Can Nigeria divide? When we have not laid foundation for the conduct of a proper census, on which basis proper planning can be effected for future growth, how can we survive? Every census that has taken place in this country has been faulted. People see it as a way to gain control of politics at the centre, so every group tends to inflate their figure. Politics is all about population. Are we ready to get the correct population statistics in place, as it concerns every state, region, city and localities?

With an over bloated federal structure of 36 cabinet ministers plus the federal capital territory representative, how can we sustain and remain as a nation? The United States of America, with all of its outreaches, size and baggage does not have more than 18 cabinet ministers or secretaries as they are called over there. Surely our federal cabinet structure is over bloated. It can be reduced down to a reasonable level for real term effectiveness. The overhead at the centre is causing a big drain on the nation's resources; encouraging wastages, fraud and ineffective supervision of projects.

As a result of the rush to the centre, the constitutional true federalism is jettisoned. The Federal Government is seen playing the Big Brother because of the heavy resources allocated to it and states that fall out of favor with them are adequately sanctioned, like Obasanjo did to Tinubu’s Lagos State. Until true federalism is imposed, with the relative freedom of the states to pursue their programmes at their own pace and ability, the scramble for the centre will continue to cause disunity amongst the people.

Can Nigeria break up? Over 90 per cent of the nation's sustenance is dependent on only one resource- oil. The people of the oil producing states are complaining that oil production has caused serious despoliation

From that statement, it is obvious Clark and his group, were out to mischievously take undue advantage of the crisis to score some cheap political points. While it is a known fact that Clark has usually picked quarrels, most of them unnecessary,with virtually everyone he perceives as opposed to the 2015 ambition of Jonathan, to make such a reference to Anenih, dyed-in-the-wool Jonathan supporter, in whatever veiled manner, is uncharitable, to say the least. As one of the country’s most enduring political actors, Anenih has indeed paid his dues, standing heads above others in both principles and loyalty. His statements neither associate him with the demands of the G7 governors nor detract from his well-stated commitment to the interest of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015.

Even as an elder, it is proper therefore, to urge Clark to be more cautious in his statements; more importantly, he should give Anenih his due respect.

W

hen Anenih said some of the governors’ grievances were genuine, was he really saying something new? Not really. As the party ’s father figure, he owes it a duty to speak up in times like this and to seek reconciliation as impartially as possible. As chairman of the party’s BoT, he had, since resumption of that office in February led fact-finding delegation to PDP state governors on ways of achieving lasting peace in the party. He had also on two occasions-first, the PDP South-

,

BY KAYODE OJO

,

2015: Jonathan, Anenih, Clark and the PDP crisis

Anenih's statements neither associate him with the demands of the G7 governors nor detract from his well-stated commitment to the interest of President Goodluck Jonathan in 2015

Until true federalism is imposed, with the relative freedom of the states to pursue their programmes at their own pace and ability, the scramble for the centre will continue to cause disunity

,

to their land. Every other productive endeavour that the country had engaged in in the past, like agriculture, has been jettisoned.

The oil producing states are agitating for adequate compensation and if their demands are to be met, programmes and developments in other states will be affected.

Are we ready to look beyond oil for economic sustenance? The answer to this question is vital to issue of Nigeria’s unity as a country. It is important for all states of the federation to strive for self-sufficiency, through investments in their core areas: Agriculture, Mining, Tourism, Commerce and the likes.

Can Nigeria break up? Do we have a leader of vision, focus and selflessness? Leadership has contributed to the successes of nations like China, Singapore, Germany, America, to mention a few. A leader of courage, free from corruption, do we have such at the helm? A leader with free disposition, always for merit and who shuns ethnicity, do we have such? One that is ready to stick with the common good instead of the selfishness that has been associated with past leaders.

Can such be found in the land irrespective of his ethnic background? The day Nigeria decides to identify with such a leader, that day will our proper foundation as a nation state be laid.

A country that aspires for growth as a nation state, must put in place conducive envi-

3 53

South leaders’ meeting in Asaba on May 12, 2013 and second, the Unity Dinner at the Presidential Villa on May 30, 2013, disclosed in his speeches that some governors had genuine complaints against the leadership of the party and had insisted that such complaints were not sufficient to warrant any rebellion, especially since there were also complaints against the governors themselves.

Interestingly, Clark was at the Asaba meeting where Anenih made the speech.

The split in PDP should have been for the party’s leaders like Clark a sobering moment, pointing as it does to the threat it poses to the President’s second term ambition, a campaign of which he gets mentioned as the arrowhead. Whichever way one chooses to look at it, the events of the past two weeks hardly afford any committed PDP member time to play political brinksmanship.

The split signposts threat to the party and the country. Many were therefore rankled that the Clark group reduced such threat to a Jonathan 2015 affair; worse still, to disparage the very soul of the party-which Anenih represents-by making mischievous statements in seeking to score hollow political points.

Rather than denigrate the like of Atiku, Kwankwaso, Lamido, Wammakko, Nyako and company, Anenih had shown wisdom in his comments which were in pursuit of reconciliation.

* Mr Ojo, a political analyst, wrote from Lagos.

ronment for the peoples' safety. Do we have a police force that can contain all the multifaceted security problems besetting us?

Some have clamored for state police; will our politicians allow the state police to run according to the ideals of the police institution? Will the Federal Government allow the police force to run without undue stress on the police authorities? Can our police force operate without bias? A correct answer to these questions will determine whether Nigeria can remain one country or break up. Presently the animosity towards our police personnel is so high that people cannot trust them to pass vital information and that is why the Boko Haram sect has remained elusive till date.

The way our politicians are behaving, it is as if they enjoy a fractious situation for the country, in the way they bicker along ethnic and religious lines. Incidentally, when it comes to the issue of their bogus allowances, they will not fall out of line.

Like the centre, the running of the National Assembly is consuming so much of our national resources. The legislators should be thinking along the line of making their job a part time one and their remuneration based on the number of sittings. Will our greedy politicians agree to this arrangement? Their decisions will help us in determining whether the nation can break up or not.

The conditions for break up are too numerous. A country where citizens cannot move freely as they would have loved to, where the indigeneship and settler issue has been a recurring decimal and where foreign countries and elements have infested our rank and file for their own selfish interest.

Only our politicians and ruling class can save this country from break up. The choice is theirs.

*Mr Ikhioya, a commentator on national issues, wrote from Lagos

54 — Vanguard, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

UN receives chemical weapons report today T

HE United Nations security council will today receive the report of the inspection on the use oc chemical weapons in the civil war in Syria.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the week end that a report on last month’s deadly attack in Syria would be “overwhelming” in showing that chemical weapons were used.

Ban made the statement while giving comments that he thought were not to be quoted but were broadcast on an in-house television channel at U.N. headquarters in New York.

The secretary-general was referring to a report from the U.N. chief weapons inspector, Ake Sellstrom, who announced at the week end that his report would be brought to Ban over the weekend.

Sellstrom didn’t say when the report would be released to the public.

The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council - China,

France, Russia, the United States and the United Kingdom - will then try to iron out a U.N. document that codifies the road map that Kerry and Lavrov may present.

That point in the process will be difficult because the U.S. still wants a binding Security Council resolution that packs the punch of a threat of the use of force if the deal collapses and Russia still wants a non-binding statement from the Security Council.

But there is some movement. An agreement by Syria to join the Chemical Weapons Convention is wending its way through the legal offices of the U.N., and Kerry and Lavrov will meet at the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly later this month.

The U.N. chief’s deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said that Ban was not referring to the chemical weapons attack but to reports from the Human Rights Council and U.N.

U.N. inspectors’ mandate was to only establish if chemical weapons were used in last month’s attack outside Damascus.

Ban said that Assad will be brought to justice and “there will be, surely, the process of accountability

Kerry warns on use of force

U

S Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the US-Russia agreement on destroying Syria’s chemical weapons, but warned against “hollow words”.

Speaking from Israel, where Kerry was meeting Prime Minister Netanyahu, he said: “We cannot have hollow words in the conduct of international affairs.”

He also emphasised that the US government recognises just removing

•Ban Ki-moon High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay.

The secretary-general’s candor shifts the balance

because the U.N. has not accused Assad of war crimes during Syria’s two-and-a-half-year-long civil war and the recent

Assad hails US-Russia arms deal, Obama defends policy shift

S

YRIA’S government hailed as a “victory” a Russian-brokered deal that has averted U.S. strikes, while President Barack Obama defended a chemical weapons pact that the rebels fear has bolstered their enemy in the civil war.

President Bashar al-Assad’s jets and artillery hit rebel suburbs of the capital again on Sunday in an offensive that residents said began last week when US president Barack Obama delayed air strikes in the face of

•Obama

•Assad

opposition from Moscow and his own electorate.

Obama dismissed critics of his quick-changing

tactics on Syria for focusing on “style” not substance. And while thanking Putin for pressing his

Merkel's allies win in Bavaria, ahead of German poll

A

NGELA Merkel’s allies swept to victory in a state poll in Bavaria yesterday , winning enough support to regain the absolute majority they had lost in 2008 and boosting the chancellor and her conservatives a week before a German federal election.

The Christian Social Union (CSU), sister party of Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU), won 49 percent according to a TV exit poll. Their coalition partner, the Free Democrats (FDP), polled just 3 percent, crashing out of the state assembly.

It was a thumping victory for Bavaria state pre-

mier Horst Seehofer, who had assured Merkel ahead of the vote, “we’ll

put the ball on the penalty spot, you just have to kick it in.”

Colorado floods displace 900 persons

T

HE water-soaked US state of Colorado faced more rainfall on Sunday that threatened to slow the search for some 500 people unaccounted for after several days of massive flooding.

Among the hundreds missing, officials suggested many may simply not be able to call loved ones because of damage to cell phone towers or power outages.

“But we’re still bracing,” Colorado Governor John

when everything is over.”

The secretary-general said it was a “failure” that the U.N. couldn’t resolve the ongoing conflict, a statement that sent some shock waves around the corridors of U.N. headquarters.

Hickenlooper said.

“There are many, many homes that have been destroyed. A number have been collapsed and we haven’t been in them yet,” he told CNN. As of early Sunday, 500 people are unaccounted for, Hickenlooper added.

In addition, thousands have been evacuated after torrential downpours washed away roads and inundated communities, claiming at least four lives.

“client the Assad regime” to disarm, he chided Russia for questioning Assad’s guilt over the gas attack.

Responding to concerns, notably in Israel, that a display of American weakness toward Assad could encourage his Iranian backers to develop nuclear weapons, Obama said Tehran’s nuclear program was a “far larger issue” for him than Assad’s toxins.

“They shouldn’t draw a lesson, that we haven’t struck, to think we won’t strike Iran,” he told ABC television, disclosing he had exchanged letters with Iran’s new president. “On the other hand, what they should draw from this lesson is that there is the potential of resolving these issues diplomatically.”

Speaking of the U.S.Russian deal, Syrian minister Ali Haidar told Moscow’s RIA news agency: “These agreements ... are a victory for Syria, achieved thanks to our Russian friends.”

Though not close to Assad, Ali was the first Syrian official to react to Saturday’s accord in Geneva by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

the chemical weapons is “not all that the government seeks to do”.

Kerry, visiting Israel, responded to widespread doubts about the feasibility of the “the most farreaching chemical weapons removal ever” by insisting the plan could work. And he and Obama sought to reassure Israelis the decision to hold fire on Syria does not mean Iran can pursue nuclear weapons with impunity.

France ready to go after Assad

S

IDELINED from the US-Russia negotiations on chemical weapons, France is determined that demands for President Bashar al-Assad to be tried for war crimes do not drop off the rapidly shifting international agenda.

Publicly, France hailed Saturday’s deal in Geneva to eliminate Assad’s deadly chemical arsenal by mid-2014.

But privately there is disquiet in Paris about an accord that some fear could bestow renewed legitimacy on Assad, consolidate his grip on power and stall moves to bolster the opposition coalition that France has championed.

Diplomats say that was reflected in the double-

•Hollande edged statement issued

by Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in response to the Geneva deal.

Caught off balance by Russia’s chemical weapons initiative, France’s focus in the coming days and weeks will be securing the toughest possible terms for the UN resolution that will put the Geneva accord into force.

Iraqi bombings kill 21 people

C

AR and roadside bombs in Baghdad and predominantly Shi’ite provinces of Iraq yesterday killed at least 21 people , police sources said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility of Sunday ’s the attacks, which appeared coordinated, but Sunni Islamist insurgents, including an al Qaeda affiliate, have been regaining momentum in recent months.

More than two years of civil war in neighboring Syria have aggravated deep-rooted sectarian divisions in Iraq, fraying an uneasy government coa-

lition of Shi’ite, Sunni and ethnic Kurdish factions. The deadliest attacks were in the city of Hilla, where two parked car bombs exploded simultaneously near a busy market and a third blew up near a vehicle repair workshop killing nine people in total, police said.

“I was about to get my breakfast in a nearby restaurant when a huge explosion happened and smoke and dust filled the place. Before I had taken a step forward another explosion happened,” witness Abu Ahmed, who runs a grocery store, said.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 — 55

PDP writes INEC: Nwoye is our candidate

BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN, POLITICAL EDITOR

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has written the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, asking it not to tamper with its nomination of Mr. Tony Nwoye as its candidate in the forthcoming gubernatorial election in Anambra State.

In a letter to the commission dated Friday September 13, 2013 the PDP through its counsel, J.K. Gadzama, alerted the commission to reports in the media where it was alleged that Senator Andy Uba had been upheld as the party's candidate for the election upon the order of the courts.

In the letter, signed by Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama and Managing Partner, J.N Egwuonwu Esq., it was deposed that the judgment of the court ordering the parties to the dispute on the legitimacy of the Anambra State PDP executive should maintain the status quo, however, did not in any way infer that the nomination of Nwoye through the primary conducted by the party's National Executive Committee, NEC should be upturned.

Noting that the conduct of gubernatorial primaries is the exclusive function of the NEC of political parties as stipulated by Section 87 of the Electoral Act, the letter said that a change of leadership even if enforced on the party cannot alter the job procedurally done by the NEC which produced Nwoye as the party's candidate.

Integrity of the commission While appealing to Jega to maintain the integrity of the commission under his leadership, the PDP while referring to the order of the Federal High Court asking the parties in Anambra State to maintain the status quo, wrote: "Sadly, this order of court, most especially the third paragraph which states that the 1st and 2nd Defendants (the Peoples Democratic Party, and the Independent National Electoral Commission) should recognise and deal with the 1st Plaintiff (Ejike Ogbuebego) in all matters in Anambra State has been badly misconstrued and the position of the court deliberately and mischeviously misrepresented.

Some media houses even reported that the Court had upheld Andy Uba's nomination as the PDP Anambra State Gubernatorial Candidate when nothing of the sort transpired in court.

Maintaining that the court order "does not in any way relate

•Nwoye

•Uba

to the nomination and election of Hon. Tony Nwoye as the Gubernatorial Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State (which nomination and selection has not been invalidated or nullified by any court in Nigeria), rather it is with respect to who is the State Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State.

"The issue of who is the valid gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Anambra State does not in any way concern the state chairman of the party in Anambra State; rather it is a function of the National Executive Committee of the party," Gadzama wrote .

He made copious references to judicial pronouncements which he said were in accordance to

Section 87 (1)(4)(b)(i) of the Electoral Act as amended which he said "confirmed that only the National Executive Committee of the party has the power to conduct primaries for governorship elections in Nigeria."

"Therefore, the fact that the Court directed the party to recognise Ejike Oguebego and work with him in respect of its affairs in Anambra State does not translate to the recognition of Andy Uba who never participated in the primaries organised by the National Executive Committee of the party. Andy Uba cannot therefore by any form of ingenuity become the Anambra State PDP Gubernatorial Candidate when he was never an aspirant along with several others at the Primary Election that was transmitted by media houses in Nigeria and watched both nationally and globally.

"Your esteemed commission is therefore urged to and enjoined to tow the path of legality and accept the nomination form of Hon. Tony Nwoye who is the gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for

Anambra State, having won the primaries of August 24, 2013 organsied by the only appropriate National organ of the Party that has the constitutional and statutory powers to do so, to the exclusion of all other organs.

"This recognition is necessary to ensure that the polity is not unduly overheated as the Commission's silence on the issue has led to misconceptions, most notably the recent report by media houses that Dr. Andy Uba had been declared the Anambra State gubernatorial candidate by the Federal High Court.

"The Commission is therefore urged to recognise Hon. Tony Nwoye as the Anambra State Gubernatorial Candidate for the Peoples Democratic Party as required by law. His name has already been submitted to your Commission."

The letter was copied to the Secretary of INEC, Chairman Legal Services Committee of INEC, Director of Legal Services, INEC, Federal Commissioner, Political Party Monitoring INEC, Director Political Party Monitoring, INEC, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, national chairman of PDP and the Acting National Secretary of PDP among others.

Ubah kicks off campaign in style

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

T

HE Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah has kicked off his campaign at the famous Holy Trinity Cathedral field, Onitsha in style with a mission statement that his vision for Anambra State is bigger than whatever fears he had been made to face.

Addressing supporters, Ubah said he had gone through pains in the course of wanting to serve Anambra people. He insisted that he is not deterred because he is determined to take the state to a higher level.

He said: “My Bible tells me that anything that will be fruitful will be achieved through hard work. Many people have been boasting that they will stop me, but I believe in God to take care of every situation. I don’t want to over advertize myself, but I want to assure the people of this state that I am prepared for this race.

“I have no godfather, but I have God Almighty who has been directing our affairs. When other political parties are busy fighting each other, we are busy preparing for the election and with your support, we will reach our destination,” he said.

Ubah said he believed in the ability of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega to conduct free and fair election in November and urged the electorate to ensure

that their votes counted.

Essentially, he listed his priorities if elected governor to include provision of adequate security, building of super infrastructure, industrialization, job creation, youth empowerment and provision of quality health care services, among others.

National chairman of LP, Mr. Dan Nwanyanwu said Ubah is currently facing what Governor Olusegun Mimiko faced while he was campaigning in Ondo State, adding that those who are saying that they own President Goodluck Jonathan are not telling the truth because the president is also a very good

friend of LP. Nwanyanwu said: “Lagos State government deported Igbos and one of those who want to govern Anambra State said they are right in doing that. When LP forms government here in Anambra State, we won’t deport Yorubas, Hausas or anybody because they are all Nigerians.

When Governor Mimiko faced a similar situation in Ondo, he did not deport anybody, but he rather built a modern market for the Igbos where they are doing their business happily. That is the kind of thing LP government under Ubah will do.”

According to him, Ifeanyi Ubah is a self –made young man who

•Ubah has a lot of ideas on how to develop Anambra State and should therefore be given the opportunity to do so.

Waiting for the final list of candidates

BY VINCENT UJUMADU

T

OMORROW is the last day for the substitution of names of candidates by the various political parties for the November 16 election and there are indications that there might be surprises.

Such surprises are expected from the PDP and other smaller political parties that have been waiting to adopt some of the candidates that failed to make it during their party primaries.

Also, it was gathered weekend that the churches are deeply involved in the selection of deputies for some of the political

parties that have selected their candidates.

For instance, when a governorship candidate of a political party hinted of a name of a member of the Anglican Church, the Bishop in charge of

his Diocese invited the said deputy governorship aspirant for questioning.

The man’s name is among those that will be submitted to INEC tomorrow.

56 — VANGUARD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Jonathan has no pact with the North — Zwingina PDP crisis:

DR. Jonathan Silas Zwingina represented Adamawa South Constituency in the Senate between 1999 and 2007 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview, he said that the face-off between the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the rebelling governors within the party, was borne out of the urge by Tukur to fight the culture of impunity practised by some state governors. He also said that President Goodluck Jonathan had no agreement with the North over 2015, adding that the North has never formed a common front in any election. Excerpts:

T

HE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been embroiled in crisis for a while, is the umbrella already tearing apart?

The general impression in the media is that the party is on fire but what is happening in the party is normal for any big party like the PDP. The party is a place of common interest but usually there are also different understanding of that common interest and of course, you have those who do not care about common interest. So, conflicts will automatically arise from those with common interest and those with the selfish interest.

When you have a large group like the PDP, you will have some groups and these groups maybe based on zones or states, so those differences may look like conflicts but they are not necessarily conflicts.

I can tell you that when key issues like defence of the PDP in elections are involved, we all come together and we will win the elections.

When big issues are not involved, we go back and resolve the small issues

•Zwingina

which may differ from place to place, person to person, group to group. I think the kind of picture being painted is not really fair.

I can tell you that the PDP crisis is nothing compared to that of APGA and this is a small party with only two states. It is not even compared to that of former CPC which only has one state.

Nobody is talking about those ones.

Anyway, we do not expect the media to leave us and be talking about those small parties, so we can forgive that concentration on us by the media but the truth is that, we are not in anyway under fire.

If you say the crisis in the PDP is a media creation, what about the struggle for supremacy between some aggrieved PDP governors and the party leadership?

The governors fit into my categorisation of some interests that are legitimate in any political formation in any country.

Political formation So really, there is nothing going on other than some of the governors identifying certain interests that bring them closer, but they are also part of the Governors' Forum.

So you can see that they may have some things that concern them and they are going round to consult with former leaders in order to increase the intensity of their pressure.

For me, it is a pressure group trying to apply

•Zwingina pressure on the party in order to get the concessions that they want and these are legitimate interests and legitimate requests. Some of them may be a bit highhanded, like they say they want their states to be left to them but they are reluctant to surrender the federation to the President.

So, these kind of inconsistencies are not defensible.Nevertheless, it is their legitimate right and anybody that wants to stake his right for certain interests that he wants, can articulate it. Their own voices were not enough, so they decided to add some elderly voices.

As long as they are loyal to the party and what they are doing is civil and also within the rules of the constitution, they will eventually abide by the rules of the party when decisions are being made. You can articulate good pressure but once a decision has been made, your duty is to obey and carry out the decision.

So, I believe that we should

not castigate them or throw them away, we should let them know we have heard them but in any democratic setting, the minority will have their say but the majority have their way.

Once the majority have their way, the minority is duty bound to follow that way. So

,

BY GBENGA OKE

talking about. It is a matter of how some people define their interest and I don’t think we can have a big party like this and not have different interests. The interest may not be over what is happening today, the interest may be how to achieve the objectives and at the end of the day, those

So, the Jonathan presidency has nothing to do with divisions in the North, it has always been there and it will continue to be there

whatever they had, they know they have been heard. I do not feel any panic about their going round, I only felt that after going round, they will come back to the National Chairman who is in charge of the party.

How do you view comments that these problems erupting within the PDP are unconnected to the fall-out of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) election?

It is still the interest we are

,

that have more people will win, that is what democracy is all about. Everybody will have their say.

Since inception of Bamanga Tukur, as chairman of the PDP, has been at loggerheads with many members of the party including his own state Gover nor, Murtala Nyako. What has been responsible for this?

I think the press is to be blamed for this. I don’t think

Continued on page 57

VANGUARD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 — 57

Jonathan has no pact with the North — Zwingina it is fair to welcome a new chairman of a party with speculations which is what some sections of the press did and it is being driven by some interests and those interests are linked with some governors who we also know.

So, we should not assume that when there is a problem between the chairman and the governor, the chairman is wrong.

Bamanga Tukur is an elder and he is the father of the entire party and it will be very difficult for him to take a position that offends the constitution of the party, he won’t do it at his age.

So we have to look at the antecedents of those complaining, what we have found out is that there has been culture of impunity going on in virtually all the states and this chairman has insisted that as far as he is concerned, there is no room for impunity and some people are uncomfortable with that and are complaining.

The media should see whether that is a fair position to take and you can see the chairman’s pedigree is such that governors cannot bully him or manipulate him by age or political standing.

He deserves their respect because they have known him as an elder for a long time. So, some of them have not even gone to him with a request, they just assume he won’t do what they want.

Before they approach him, some of them sent advance blackmail hoping to bamboozle him to accept what is obviously not fair.

Crux of the matter If you know Alhaji Bamanga Tukur very well, you will know that such things will not jell with him. That to me is really the crux of the matter, I may be right or wrong.

He does not want the culture of impunity to continue and most of the governors support him; majority of them support what he wants and his programmes, but there are few who are uncomfortable and they love this atmosphere of impunity that they have imposed on their state.

They want to extend the impunity to the federal level.

That is the source of the conflict and nothing else, it is the territory of impunity that we are quarrelling about, people are used to impunity and they want to generalise

•Zwingina it and there are people at the federal level that prefer due process because that is the philosophy of the party.

The president is too big and powerful and they cannot challenge him, so they challenge the loyalists of the President and pick on the chairman all the time and none of them has come out openly to say this is where Bamanga is wrong or this is the rule he has violated, I have not seen that.

The only thing they say is that they cannot work with the chairman, why? No answer.

But the impression has been that the Presidency has been using the chairman to settle some political scores in some states. How do you react to that?

What is wrong with a PDP chairman taking orders from the President? What do you expect the PDP chairman to do when he has a President?

To go and fight him?

You are a PDP chairman, you fought hard and put a president in place, so the next thing to do is to fight him? You work with him, you support him, guide him.

If you have advice, you give him and not in the media but privately. I heard one of the governors saying he has no confidence because he does

what Mr presidents wants, so should he do what the president does not want and that particular governor did it loudly as if there is some pride in it.

Should the national chairman of the party, that has formed the government, bring conflict into the set up? No, he is supposed to bring harmony to support the President.

How do they expect the chairman to be in opposition to the president? It is so with the President is only when the President is going out of the line of the party. So why should the party complain?

Why should the party become opposition to the president, why should the party listen to governors who want to be opposition?

Opposition governors I think some sections of the media should desist from the way they worship governors.

All these situations you call interests are unconnected with 2015 elections as well...

(Cuts in) Well, I have no idea because I am not among them.

Whether you accept it or not these various interests are geared towards 2015 and you

cannot deny that being an insider and a major player in this government.

Some of the issues may affect 2015 and some may not. When people talk about 2015 elections and mention the President, I wonder because there are many people interested in 2015.

Chairman of l o c a l government, governors, N a t i o n a l A s s e m b l y members, House of Assemblies and the President, they all have elections in 2015, so 2015 is not all about the President, it is about all those who want to run for election, so several people have interest and they have shown legitimate interest.

There is nothing wrong in any governor having interest in 2015, the thing is, the interest should be guided by the role set up by the party, not the governors developing a different role for themselves.

The ambition of President Jonathan to contest another term in office come 2015 seems to be causing division among Northerners. What do you think is responsible for this development?

,

Continued from page 56

Kano was PRP, Kaduna was PRP. So I want to be reminded about the period that the North was really united that is now being divided by the Jonathan presidency.

As a political scientist, I have not seen the period. If you are talking about 1979, it was evident that the North also got itself divided. Some states went to APP while others went to PDP. So, the North is a conglomeration of various interests. Even the people talking like Professor Ango Abdullahi, whom I respect so much, has his views and I have also seen Engineer Abba Gana, who is a highly respectable gentleman from Borno State, sharing his own view, and Martins Onoja as well.

Divergent views They all have divergent views from that of Ango Abdullahi.

All these respectable elders are from the North and they have different opinions. So I do not know the united North people are talking about now.

However, I would like to see that united North people are talking about one day but history has shown that we have never had a common front in the Northern region of Nigeria.

So, the Jonathan presidency has nothing to do with divisions in the North, it has always been there and it will continue to be there.

But not only in the North, it is everywhere in the region and I am sure that there will be some people in Bayelsa

There is nothing wrong in any governor having interest in 2015, the thing is, the interest should be guided by the role set up by the party, not the governors developing a different role for themselves Let me tell you, the North has never been united. Not even in the days of Sarduana; we have never been united.

It is just that people have refused to look at the facts.

During the days of Sarduana, we had the NPC, there was also other parties in the North.

The UMBC in the MiddleBelt was not part of NPC and in the Second Republic, the NPN came and you will be surprised that Sokoto State itself was GNPP and not NPN, Borno and Gongola were GNPP, so I don’t know which unity they are talking about.

,

State, who do not like the President as well and it is not only PDP that exists in Bayelsa.

So what is this pact that the Jonathan presidency had with the North that is causing this crisis?

I don’t know about any agreement because I have not seen any. I am not saying there is none but I am saying I have not seen any and I don’t want to go beyond that.

And if there is any agreement, let them show us now and what the commitments were.

58 — Vanguard Vanguard,,

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

YOUR LUCK TODAY

By Joshua Adeyemo Phone 08056180139 CANCER; Here is a day when things are meant to go according to your plans and record success. Yong-at-heart may be in for a romantic day. You just have to take the initiative.

LEO; This is your day; although there will be some challenges within your base of operation, eventual success will be yours. Be more family minded.

VIRGO; Even if friends have failed to live up to expectation in the recent days you will need to leave the past behind you and forge ahead. Lovers are fairly favoured.

LIBRA; Recent challenges notwithstanding pleasant surprises are possible. The more financially ambitious you are today the better for your cause.

SCORPIO; Better opportunities indicated for those of you willing to be as self assertive as possible, and it could turn out to be a happy day to be remembered by real lovers.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

By Richard Eromosele

I

LISTENED to a motor mechanic being interviewed in a radio programme sometime ago and this was what he said: “I went to a would be customer in his house sometime ago, and immediately I

Do you see yourself less? got to his compound and he saw me in my Jaguar car he shouted ‘mogbe” meaning simply ‘I am in trouble’ in apparent reference to how he would pay a big man

mechanic”. And this attitude runs through every of our national life. We expect the mechanic to be a wretched person, living a miserable life.

That should not be so.

TERROR MUDA in “Never say goodbye”

Are you a mechanic? Are you a trader?

Or you are a housewife? You are not less human than the lawyer, the engineer, the accountant etc.

Think about it!

By Lanre Kehinde

SAGITTARIUS; Although you will need to keep your secrets for the next few days that is not to say you should not pursue your financial interest. Take care of your health.

CAPRICORN; Don’t wait till tomorrow before you make an important move because good luck and success are closer to you today than you image. Be hopeful.

AQUARIUS; Tomorrow will prove more rewarding financially but you will have good opportunity to do things rightly within your working arena. Be loving.

PISCES; Some of you who are travelling purposely for love are in for rewarding day. All of you will need to take your social life more seriously.

ARIES; Professional advice may be needed over your finances but if you are sure of what you are doing you can go ahead. Be more family minded; TAURUS; Unusual co-operation may come your way today but if you are carried away by this the whole thing may change tomorrow. Respect your spouse.

KAPTAIN AFRIKA

in

“Pretty Lunatic”

By Andy Akman

GEMINI; Better than yesterday. Happenings within your working arena will not give you cause to worry but situation may change tomorrow. Your finance are favoured.

ASTROLOGICAL COUNSELLING Send yyour our dat th ttoo the As tr ological datee and place of bir birth Astr trological Counselling, PP.M.B .M.B 1100 00 7, Apapa, Lagos 007,

What’s my birthday ruler?

According to the date I was born I should be a Libran by my star but most of the time when I read horoscopes written by both yourself and foreign Astrologers Scorpio always applicable to me, why?

Kindly tell me how the planets lined up when I was born and the day of the week I was born but don’t publish my date of birth.

Sobowale, Otta.

Dear Sobowale, You were born on a Sunday meaning that mighty Sun rules your birthday. You were wrong to have taken Libra as your Sun sign because the Sun was placed in early degree of Scorpio together with many other heavenly bodies. Then with the Moon in Libra when you were born will equally be influential in your characteristics build up but, you are mainly a Scorpio born person.

You are both an intelligent and emotional person.

And as there was no planet at home when you were born, too many ideas will always struggle for prominent place in your mind, thus decision making is difficult but most times, your intelligence comes to the rescue.

Certainly, you appear to other as a gentle person who can be mistaken for soft fellow but your inner-self is the personality with a steel like will power.

You are the consistent type who may find it difficult to change once you have made up your mind as indicated by distribution of the planets as written out in paragraph two of this exercise.

One major challenge you have been battling for a very long time is constant worries, some times, necessarily and the other time, uncalled for, as indicated by conjunction Mercury and Saturn formed when you were born.

Placement of your natal Sun (basic self head) and Moon (your sub-conscious self) in Scorpio and Libra respectively are indications of your being mainly Scorpio born person and partly in Libran. And that is to say basic characteristics of both Scorpio and Libra are highly pronounced in you.

Then, you are spiritually gifted; if you don’t develop it is another thing.

VIRGINIA

HOME & ABROAD

dadadekola@yahoo.com

By Lawrence Akapa

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013—59

2015 PRESIDENCY: nPDP drops demand for Jonathan to go Continues from page 9 “Very unfortunately, the easiest way to gain prominence today is to attack the President and the leadership of his party, not on issues of governance or on alternative direction of governance but on the pedestrian that borders on sheer mudslinging.

“While the inconsequential makes the banner, the essentials and the substantial in the consistent though quiet transformation of the nation are tucked away in obscure riders. The media are critical building block of democracy and the Nigerian media have stood firm across the decades. It must not relent.

“In all these, our firm support for the President as the leader and symbol of our party in government remains total. We shall neither waver nor allow narrow sentiments stand in the way of the absolute resolve of our great party to better the lots of all Nigerians.”

2015: Dokpesi intensifies lobby of Northern leaders for Jonathan In a related development, there were indications, last night, that the special emissary raised by President Jonathan to woo opposition politicians in the North to his side, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, had made some progress in that regard.

The media executive and businessman, it was learnt, had been on a solo mission to win opposition northern politicians for the President’s re-election, having been saddled with the arduous assignment

by Jonathan last month.

The decision to recruit Dokpesi into the mobilisation of dissenting Northern political leaders for Jonathan is said to have been taken by the Presidency because of the perceived widespread respect said to be enjoyed by the businessman in the region.

Vanguard gathered that the Presidency opted for a neutral person to drive the campaign since the initial meeting between one of his aides and some chieftains of the Northern Elders’ Forum, NEF, in

Abuja did not produce the expected result.

The leaders of the NEF led by its scribe, Prof Ango Abdullahi, were said to had questioned the aide, whom he had worked with during former President Obasanjo’s regime, what pedigree he had to summon him for a meeting on behalf of his boss, a development that led to a deadlock.

But learning from that spat, the Presidency dispatched Dokpesi to meet with those in the north known to be opposed to the second term ambition of President Jonathan in 2015.

Dokpesi met with some of the northern politicians in Kano and Jigawa states before breaking off for an overseas trip and is expected to continue to dialogue with the politicians and key

Oranyan belongs to Oyo, not Ife, Alaafin insists

BY OLA AJAYI

I

BADAN—THE feud between Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade over the celebration of Oranyan festival was re-ignited, weekend, as Alaafin said Oranyan was never in any of the four royal lineages of Ile-Ife. The two leading towns in Yorubaland have been at daggers drawn over which of them has the ancestry right to celebrate Oranyan.

Oba Adeyemi argued that there was no other place central to the celebration of Oranyan festival than his kingdom, Oyo. “Oranyan, the subject of controversy, once ruled in Oyo and that made him a direct offspring of the legend as against Ile-Ife”, Alaafin said.

Oba Adeyemi, who spoke at the grand finale of the 2013 edition of the festival, contended that there was no way the people of Ile-Ife could claim Oranyan as the Oyo people would do.

He noted that it amounted to

sheer falsification of facts for Ile-Ife to claim that Oranyan ever ruled in the ancient town.

Alaafin, however, maintained that other facts that rubbished such claim of Ile Ife was “the disclosure that Oranyan was the second king of Ile-Ife while in another breath, he was said to be the fourth king”, Oba Adeyemi added.

The monarch stated further “without mischief, none of the four ruling houses in Ile-Ife could claim to have been the descendant of Oranyan.

“Whereas, in our case in the ancient Oyo town, Oranyan was our progenitor as one of our founding fathers” the monarch clarified.

Oba Adeyemi said as many places as want to celebrate the legend are welcomed and allowed.

This, he said, would not in anyway diminish from the fact that he was the founder of Oyo Kingdom.

northern stakeholders whose support is germane to Jonathan’s re-election.

One of the northern politicians, who met with Dokpesi, described their meeting as ‘cordial and frank’ but added that they were cautious as they did not trust the motive of the dialogue.

“It is a good thing that the President has begun to speak with the critical stakeholders in the North,” the respected northern politician said. He added that, “the meeting between Dokpesi and some of our people is a step in the right direction and goes on to support our position that the move is even overdue”.

Another northern politician said: “What the High Chief is trying to do in the north for Jonathan is what his aides should have been doing long ago. Unfortunately, some of them began to abuse us once Jonathan was elected into office in 2011."

nPDP National Treasurer resigns

A

BUJA— THE National Treasurer of the ‘New’ Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Tanko Isiaku Gwamna, has resigned from the faction’s National Working Committee.

This resignation is contained in a press statement he issued in Abuja yesterday.

Gwamna said he resigned after a careful study of the unfolding events in the polity, and a deep reflection of the consequences of such impasse on the party.

“This decision was arrived at after a careful study of the unfolding events in the polity and a deep sober reflection of the consequences of the outcome of such impasse on our party,” he said.

I 've no hand in sale of Enugu Disco — DAME JONATHAN

BY BEN AGANDE

A

BUJA—THE office of the First Lady has denied reports in an online publication that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, was behind the crisis in the sale of Enugu Distribution Company, saying it is ‘speculative journalism at its worst’ and should be ignored.

Reacting to the publication that the First Lady, and the Vice President were behind the Enugu Disco Sale Fiasco”, the Director of Information in the First Lady’s office, Ayo Adesugba said there is no truth in the story.

She said: “We state categorically that there is no truth or veracity whatsoever in these aforementioned statements. The First Lady is not interested and has no link whatsoever to the sale, or bending of rules, if any, for the sale of any public enterprise.

The article is not only speculative and uncharitable but also extremely unfair and provocative.”

She added: “The report runs counter to the basic ethics of journalism by failing to be fair and balanced.

“We wish to reiterate that there is no truth in the report.

The First Lady’s attention is firmly focused on her philanthropic roles through her NGOs and on promoting peace in her capacity as the President of the African First Ladies Peace Mission.

“Dame Patience is also working with commitment to ensure greater online security for Nigerian children in her capacity as the International Telecommunication Union, ITU, Child Online Protection Champion”, she said.

In-fighting tears NLC apart

BY VICTOR AHIUMAYOUNG

I

NDICATIONS have emerged that jamboree trips by the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and infighting within the National Administrative Council, NAC, are tearing the NLC apart.

It was gathered that none of the NLC's three deputy presidents attended the last two National Administrative Council, NAC, and National Executive Council, NEC, meetings in what an insider claimed was part of the protests against the leadership style of the president.

It was alleged that a threeman clique has taken over the leadership of NLC for personal aggrandizement.

Just last week, when five officials of the National Union of Banks, Insurance and Financial Employees, NUBIFIE, were languishing in Ikoyi prisons, following their arrest by Police over a petition by the Diamond Bank in connection with the July 10, picketing of the bank, the President of NLC, the acting General Secretary and three other members of NAC were in United States of America attending the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations, AFLCIO, delegates conference.

There was no acting President, while the accountant was made an acting General Secretary of congress. The statement issued over the arrest and detention of the NUBIFIE officials confirmed this development.

According to sources, the sad thing was not that AFLCIO had never attended NLC conference, NLC was said to have written to the American organisation to increase its number of participants to the conference.

On the increasing infighting in NLC, the source said: “The dilemma in NLC is such that you have a group of leaders that are not strong, leaders who have lost their union positions. As you already know that you cannot serve as a leader in the NLC if you are not a union leader. Most NAC members in the NLC, their tenure as leaders in their respective unions have either expired or they are postponing delegates conference to remain in the Congress."

60—Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Vanguard CLASSIFIED

GCUOBA ANNUAL DINNER: From left, Chairman of the occasion, Amb. Shehu Malami, presenting award to Major –General David Ejoor while President-General, World Wide, Chief Joseph Akpieyi looks on, during the Annual Dinner of Government College, Ughelli, GCUOBA, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Photo : Gbemiga Olamikan.

Steer clear of Delta Central senatorial bye-election, Omo-Agege warns guber aspirants

BY FESTUS AHON

U

G H E L L I — THOSE aspiring to contest the 2015 governorship election in Delta State, from Delta North and South senatorial districts and their Isoko compatriots have been warned to steer clear of the forthcoming

Delta Central senatorial by-election.

Sounding the warning separately in Uvwie and Orerokpe, headquarters of Uvwie and Okpe Local Government Areas of the state, while addressing executives and leaders of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Obarisi

Keyamo emerges consensus APC candidate for Delta Central senatorial bye-election ....It’s a lie —Emerhor

BY DAPO AKINREFON

R

IGHTS activist, Mr Festus Keyamo, has emerged the consensus candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, to contest the Delta Central senatorial bye-election.

In a communique, APC leader in Ethiope West Local Government Area, Chief Victor Sota, noted that as owners of the party, their decision to adopt Keyamo as a consensus candidate was binding on members of the legacy parties in

Delta Central.

But reacting, one of the aspirants, Mr. Otega Emerhor, told Vanguard that APC in Delta State had not adopted any candidate.

He said: “Keyamo only assembled his supporters in his house in the name of legacy parties and thereafter, claimed their endorsement. APC is still setting up structures that will lead to the emergence of a candidate. This attempt to create division in Delta APC has been brought to the attention of APC party hierarchy.”

Ovie Omo-Agege said that it was the business of the Urhobo to decide who their next senator would be and urged them to concentrate on their 2015 governorship ambition.

Omo-Agege said that for the first time in the political history of Nigeria, the Urhobo had no member in the Federal Executive Council, FEC, where the common resources of the country was being shared, adding that if elected as a senator, he would ensure that the Urhobo take their pride of place at the federal level.

Acknowledging the good work late Senator Pius Ewherido did at the Senate, he said that the Urhobo nation needed to send him (Omo-Agege), to fill the vacuum created by Ewherido’s death in the Senate.

Noting that it was trying time for the Urhobo nation, the former Secretary to the Delta State Government said that he would fight for the rights of the Urhobo nation working in consultation with the leadership of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU.

NDDC boss seeks govs’ support to boost education in N-Delta noted that President

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM ENIN—THE Acting Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Dr. Christiana Atako, has called for better cooperation between the Commission and governors in the Niger Delta region in the area of education advance-

B

C M Y K

ment for youths of the region.

Atako, who made the appeal in Benin City, Edo State, weekend, during the commissioning of projects executed by the commission in the state, which include primary schools, boreholes, roads, 149 solar power street light and hostel at the University of Benin,

Goodluck Jonathan had shown commitment towards ensuring that Niger Delta youths were educated by making funds available for the commission in that regard, adding that the commission would achieve more if governors in the region give maximum support to the commission.

OKORO—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Oghenefejiro Marvella Okoro, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Oghenefejiro Marvella Igbudu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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ANUNWA—I, formerly known and addressed as Paul Ikechukwu Anunwa, now wish to be known and addressed as Paul I k e c h u k w u Nwatakwocha. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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JACK—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Jack Opakirite Festus, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Opakirite Vincent Agu. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

A K O G W U — I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Elizabeth Akogwu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ogwuche Elizabeth Enechojo. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

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Minet Nigeria Ltd and general public please take note.

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First Bank of Nigeria Plc and general public please take note.

DUAKA—I, formerly known and addressed as Miss Duaka Chioma Elizabeth, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Iloegbunam Chioma Elizabeth. All former documents remain valid. General public take note.

A S U Q U O — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Unwanaobong Ignatius Asuquo, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Unwanaobong Faith Atakoru. All former documents remain valid. General public please take note.

Confirmation Of Name This is to confirm that the name Dr Francis Chukwuka Mafiana, refers to one and the same person as Dr Francis Chukwuka Fidelis, now wish to be known and addressed as Dr Francis Chukwuka Fidelis. All former documents remain valid.

General public please take note.

ADETUNJI—I, Adetunji Odunayo Seun, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ojewole Odunayo Seun, all former documents remain valid. General public take note.

Ajayi

E B I R E WA N L U — I , formerly known and addressed as Miss Esther Eiwanfo Ebirewanlu, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ozah Eiwanfo Esther. All former documents remain valid. General public and Lovac Speculari, Lagos, should please note.

AJAYI—I,

Adebukola Ibijoke, now wish to be known and addressed as Mrs. Ojuko Adebukola Ibijoke, all former documents remain valid. General public take note.

ADVERT HOTLINE 01- 8737025

Vanguard, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 — 61

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62 —

Vanguard, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2013

Ronaldo becomes world’s best-paid •Signs over • 90m Real deal footballer •says United is in the past C

RISTIANO Ronaldo has put pen to paper on a new mega five-year deal at Real Madrid worth £76million (over • 90m) making him the world’s best-paid footballer and says he wants to end his career in Madrid.

Ronaldo signed the deal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Sunday with club president Florentino Perez the day after he scored in Madrid’s 2-2 draw with Villarreal.

The package will see him earn almost twice as much a season as Gareth Bale and is a calculated move aimed at soothing Ronaldo’s bruised ego after he lost the mantle of the world’s most expensive player to the £86m

•puts him £850,000-a-year ahead of PSG’s Zlatan

Welshman.

Under the new deal, Real will pay Ronaldo £15m a year after tax and before bonuses. Bale is on £8.3m a season and Ronaldo’s new deal would put him £850,000a-year ahead of Paris Saint-Germain’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

‘I’m really happy here,’ he said. ‘I’ll be here five more years. I just want to win trophies for this club.

‘I appreciate the fans like me a lot to be here.

I’m happy, I want to give my best on the pitch.

‘I will be honest with you - everyone knows I was in Manchester for six years. Manchester is in the past.'

•Ronaldo

•What Mikel screamed at Clattenburg

F

Masterful Mayweather tames Alvarez LOYD Mayweather

F

produced another night of magic in the desert to brush aside the muscular young challenge from Mexican prodigy Saul Alvarez.

Not everyone appreciates genius at work and one of the judges gave the kid called Canelo a draw.

That was an insult to the finest boxer of his generation, who may come to be seen as one of the best of all time, the pound-forpound Money man.

Las Vegas is Mayweather’s adopted home town but the majority of the 17,000 in the MGM Grand Garden Arena were Mexicans, here to support their man and celebrate their country’s Independence Day celebrations.

EPL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

G 4 4 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4

W 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

D 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 2 1

L 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 3 2 2 3

F 8 4 3 8 6 4 3 3 3 2 2 4 3 3 2 5 4 3 1 3

A 5 1 0 3 2 2 2 5 2 1 2 5 5 5 5 6 6 5 4 8

Pts 9 9 9 7 7 7 7 7 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 1

4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 3 4

4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1 2 0 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 1 1 0

0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 2 4

14 14 10 8 6 5 4 2 5 3 4 3 4 4 3 8 5 2 2 2

4 4 5 4 3 4 3 8 4 4 6 4 6 7 6 11 8 4 4 9

12 12 10 10 8 6 5 5 5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 0

Dortmund 5 Bayern Munich 5 Bayer 5 Hannover 96 5 Mainz 05 5 FC Augsburg 5 Hoffenheim 5 Hertha BSC 5 Schalke 04 5 VfB Stuttgart 5 Mönchengladbach5 Wolfsburg 5 Eintracht 5 Werder 5 Hamburger SV 5 Nürnberg 5 SC Freiburg 5 Eintracht Bra. 5

5 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 0

0 1 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 2 1

0 0 1 2 2 2 1 2 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 4

15 9 11 8 8 5 14 9 7 10 11 7 7 3 10 5 7 2

4 2 6 7 8 7 13 6 9 8 10 7 9 8 15 8 11 10

15 13 12 9 9 9 8 7 7 6 6 6 6 6 4 3 2 1

4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 0 1 0 0

1 0 2 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0 3 0 1 1 3 0 3 2

0 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 1 3 3 3 2 4 2 3

9 7 8 8 4 6 5 5 5 7 3 8 6 3 4 3 3 4 3 3

2 3 3 4 3 7 4 4 5 8 4 4 8 5 7 7 5 7 7 7

13 12 11 10 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 6 6 6 4 4 3 3 3 2

Arsenal Tottenham Liverpool Man City Man United Chelsea Stoke City Newcastle Everton West Ham Southampton Cardiff City Fulham Norwich City Hull City Tigers Aston Villa Crystal Palace Swansea City West Brom Sunderland

La Liga

‘I’m going to break your legs’

Trouble: John Obi Mikel stormed into Mark Clattenburg’s room.

Tables

ORMER referee Mark Halsey has lifted the lid on John Obi Mikel’s infamous race row by claiming the Chelsea midfielder yelled ‘I’m going to break your legs’ at Mark Clattenburg.

‘My information was that Mikel stormed into Mark’s dressing room when he was told about the remark after the game, shouting: “I’m going to break your legs. You called me a f****** monkey”.

‘He tried to land a punch on Mark but was pulled away by a combination of the Di Matteo

and assistant Eddie Newton and Mark’s three officials, fourth official Mike Jones and assistants Mick McDonough and Simon Long.

‘Even before Mark had left Stamford Bridge that night, the press were knocking on the door of his home. The problem was that he could say nothing in his defence as part of legal advice and clauses in our contracts.’

He added: ‘I took matters in my own hands and rang Sir Alex asking him to speak out. He agreed and used his Friday press conference to say he could not conceive of Mark saying such things. It helped the situation a great deal.’

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Barcelona Atlético Madrid Villarreal Real Madrid Espanyol Athletic Real Sociedad Levante Celta Vigo Granada Getafe CF Valladolid Valencia Rayo Elche Almería Sevilla Real Betis Málaga Osasuna

Bundesliga 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

French Ligue 1

DEVASTATING: Floyd Mayweather Jr. (right) lands a left to the head of Canelo Alvarez during their WBC/WBA 154-pound title fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 14. Mayweather won on decision Photo: AFP

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Monaco ASSE Paris SG Marseille Stade Reims OGC Nice Nantes Rennes Bastia Evian Lille Lyon Montpellier Lorient Guingamp Bordeaux Ajaccio Valenciennes Toulouse Sochaux

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Vanguard, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 — 63

Confed Cup: Enyimba trample on Wolves •Uduaghan congratulates 'em

BY ONOCHIE ANIBEZE

CHAMPIONS... Jubilant Enyimba FC of Aba players celebrate with their trophy after beating Warri Wolves at the Federation Cup final yesterday. in Lagos . everything right. His game should earn him an Eagles call-up.

Osadieye Joseph put Wolves ahead again in the 78th minute and the Warri fans started singing, thinking that the cup would go to Warri. They thought history was about to be made. It was only in the late 1960s that a team from Warri got to the

Eagles Continues from BP qualifying group and having secured seeding status based on their FIFA rankings, the African champions, who are in the first pot comprising Ivory Coast, Ghana, Algeria and Tunisia, are poised to face any of the other five teams consisting of the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, Teranga Lions of Senegal, Etalon of Burkina Faso, Pharaohs of Egypt and Walya Warriors of Ethiopia As a seeded team, the Eagles have the advantage of playing the secC M Y K

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

1

E

N Y I M B A International of Aba yesterday won the 68 th edition of the Federation Cup final held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

It was a dramatic final, full of suspense and action. Warri Wolves led twice but Enyimba came back twice and eventually won the deciding penalty shootout 5-4.

It was a game that Enyimba showed a lot of experience and character. It was not only the football on the pitch that was exciting. The side attraction of the fans was exceptional, entertaining and engaging. It enlivened the stadium and made the final a memorable and classy one. The fans were exceptional. They were indeed a great attraction in the game but Enyimba fans silenced their Warri counterparts in terms of drumming up support for their team. They were a class apart.

Najeme Musa scored the opener for Wolves in the 22nd minute and in the 62 nd minute, Enyimba equalised through Bright Efiome, who was clearly the man of the match. He was a right full back, who attacked well and did

Okoku meets Elegbeleye over F/Eagles scholarship

ond leg of playoffs at home. The matches are scheduled to be played in the periods October of 11-15 and November 15-19, 2013 Coach Stephen Keshi has said that the Eagles were ready to play the best side of the lot and given their improvement in their last two games against Malawi and Burkina Faso and the return of Nations Cup top scorer winner, Emmanuel Emenike and Liverpool forward Victor Moses, the Nigerians look in good stead to actualise their World Cup ambitions.

final of the FA Cup. Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan was to reward the players handsomely.

FA Chairman Amaju Pinnick had promised N1m per goal. Clement Temile, a 1984 Nations Cup golden boot winner, who now lives in Europe, was around on Saturday to give the players motivational talk and told them that all the great football they played in the past never got them this far and that it was their time to make a change.

And it appeared Wolves were coasting home but all the dream was put on hold by the 83rd minute stunning equaliser by Ugwu Nwadiegwu, which was a free kick.

It gave life to Enyimba again and the game ended 2-2. In the resultant penalty shootout, Azubuike Egwueke, an Eagles player, who is captain of Warri Wolves and who on Saturday had promised to lift the cup, was unfortunately the only person who lost his kick and that ended Wolves

chase for a diadem.

Meanwhile, Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan has congratulated Enyimba for their defeat. While hailing Enyimba’s fighting spirit, Uduaghan also commended Warri Wolves for their performance.

Uduaghan added that “ in Delta we win most and loose some.

Congrats to both finalists”.

984 Africa Cup of Nations winner, Paul Okoku has met with the Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye over the redemption of the scholarship pledge made by the Federal Government to the 1983 Flying Eagles squad to the FIFA U-20 World Cup I Mexico.

But 30 years down the line, the pledge has yet to be redeemed, a situation that compelled Okoku, who was the vice-captain of the team, to travel from his US base to Nigeria to meet with top officials of the National Sports Commission over the lingering issue.

Speaking on his meeting with the D.G of the NSC, Okoku said “It was a good meeting with Hon. Elegbeleye. The man is a real sportsman.

Nigerian Wrestlers may miss 2013 World Championships

BY SOLOMON NWOKE

N

IGERIAN Flagbearers to this year’s edition of the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary, are on the verge of missing the World Wrestling Championships holding in Budapest Hungary from the 16th-22nd of September, 2013 due to non-

Okagbare: NOC hails Uduaghan

P

RESIDENT of Ni geria Olympic Committee, Engineer Sani M. Ndanusa has hailed Governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan for his giant role in the making of a world athletics star in the person of Blessing Okagbare.

Ndanusa was reacting to the state reception accorded the Delta state-born athlete by the Governor where she was showered with N2.5 million, a plot of land, S120,000 yearly grant to support her

He is a good person and I am hopeful that things will come out well because we played for this country and were promised something but sadly, that pledge is yet to be fulfilled.

“Hon. Elegbeleye told me that he was going to present our case to the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdulahhi and ultimately President Goodluck Jonathan and that for me was enough hope that this government has a listening ear. Hon. E l e g b e l e y e ’ s appointment is a good decision by the President and I am sure that our sports will improve with such people around to work with the Sports Minister ”, added Okoku, who commended Mary Onyali fo5r facilitating the fruitful meeting with the NSC D.G.

preparations for the Olympics in Brazil.

“I’m overwhelmed by the support of Governor of Delta State on our Blessing Okagbare. The Governor has over time shown his love for sports generally by the infrastructures and incentives he doles out to Delta State athletes. His encouragement has been constant and the achievements of the athletes have been huge. I implore other Governors to borrow a leaf from Governor Uduaghan.

issuance of travel Visas by the Slovakian Embassy.

Speaking in a telephone chat from Abuja, the President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF), Dr Daniel Igali, painted a scenario of a frustrated man as he spoke about the inability of the Wrestlers to secure visas.

Dr. Igali lamented that the team, made up of three wrestlers, two coaches, a physiotherapist and secretary were due to leave for Budapest by the 14th, Saturday. He said, “So far, Adekuroye Odunayo competing in the 51 kg division has already missed the possibility of competing because her weight control is on Tuesday 17th, September”. However, Dr. Igali said their last hope is to secure a visa today (Monday 16th September), which would enable the other two members of the team, Blessing Oborududu (63kg) and Ifeoma Iheanacho (67kg) whose weight controls are on Wednesday and Thursday respectively with a slim possibility to compete.

VANGUARD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 , 2013

Top Stories on Page 62 •Ronaldo becomes world's best-paid footballer

•Masterful Mayweather tames Alvarez •I'm going to break your leg — Mikel

Utaka outshines Yakubu

P

Eagles know World Cup foe today

BY JOHN EGBOKHAN

Continues on Page 63

Landing at will: Mayweather had little trouble connecting with Alvarez as he eased to victory in Las Vegas

minute.

The younger Utaka now has 10 goals to his credit in the league and his team Beijing Guoan are third with 40 points from 24 matches, while Yakubu’s Guangzhou R&F are fifth with 32 points from 24 matches.

Aiyegbeni was substituted in the 42nd minute

by Rostyn Graffiths.

Obafemi back with a bang

N

F

OR the Super Ea gles, the road to the 2014 FIFA World Cup gets clearer today as they get to know the country they will confront in a two-legged playoffs to qualify for the Brazil showpiece.

The draw for round three of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the African zone which holds in Cairo this morning, sees the 10 qualified teams playing a two-legged match to determine the five teams from the continent to go to Brazil for the tournament.

Eagles topped their

ETER Utaka out shone compatriot Yakubu Aiyegbeni in a China Super League match when his brace helped Beijing Guoan beat Guangzhou R&F 60.

Utaka scored to give his side a 4-0 lead in the 70th minute, before he completed his brace with the sixth goal in the 90th

IGERIA striker O b a f e m i Martins has returned to action for MLS club Seattle Sounders after injury layoff with a goal.

Martins opened scoring for Seattle in the third minute to help his team record a 2-0 win over Real Salt Lake FC on Saturday.

Seattle Sounders now top the MLS Western Conference table with 49 points from 27 matches.

The former Levante and Rubin Kazan of Russia striker now has eight goals and three assists to his credit this season.

Last week, Martins returned to action against Chicago Fire after four weeks on the sidelines.

The powerful forward had not played since suffering an ankle injury on August 10.

•Obafemi

Confed Cup: Enyimba trample on Wolves — P.63 QUICK CROSSWORD

Sudoku TODAY'S

PUZZLE

YESTER DAY'S YESTERDAY'S

ANSWERS

ACROSS 1 Difficult (4) 4 Whim (3) 6 Skirmish (4) 8 Column (6) 9 Steal (6) 10 Plaything (3) 12 Fruit (5) 14 Beach (5) 15 Avoid (5) 18 Distributed (6) 20 Beam (6) 24 Creed (5) 26 Representative (5) 28 Cleanse (5) 30 Still (3) 32 Edit (6) 33 Siren (6) 34 Gala (4) 35 Manage (3) 36 Team (4)

DOWN 2 Farewell (5) 3 Liberate (7) 4 Stronghold (4) 5 Task (4) 6 Belief (5) 7 Contrary (7) 11 Peculiar (3) 12 Fuel (3) 13 Welcome (3) 16 Append (3) 17 Ovum (3) 19 Cleanliness (7) 21 Devil (3) 22 Harsh (7) 23 Cereal (3) 25 Poem (3) 27 Din (5) 29 Avarice (5) 30 Annum (4) 31 Slender (4)

YESTERDAY'S SOLUTIONS ACROSS: 2, Angle 7, Agile 8, Befit 10, Tutor 12, Nap 13, Beget 15, Kestrel 17, Reared 19, Fur 20, Retreat 23, Wage 25, Lone 26, Express 30, Tea 31, Homage 34, Retract 37, Loyal 38, Roe 39, Total 40, Aroma 41, Cavil 42, Steer

How to Play Sudoku

DOWN: 1, Agree 2, Alter 3, Neuter 4, Look 5, Central 6, Viper 9, Far 11, Refresh 13, Brawn 14, Gauge 16, Sue 18, Detract 21, Today 22, Jewel 24, Extreme 27, Pea 28, Solace 29, Merry 32, Molar 33, Gamin 35, Too 36, Tout

TWO WEEKS TO LIVE

P

lace a number (1-9) in each blank cell. (No line can have two of the same number).

Each row (nine lines from left to right), column, (also nine lines from top to bottom) and 3 X 3 block within a bold block (nine blocks) contains number from 1 through 9. This means that no number can appear twice in any block, column or row.

No mathematics is involved – no adding, subtraction, division or multiplication, just plain logic and your imagination.

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