Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero shot by Vanguard Media Limited

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2012: Lagos attains 89 percent budget performance · ‘Our appeal now is for the people to voluntarily pay tax. If you give us the tools we will deliver’

AGOS State government has announced a performance of 89 percent for the 2012 budget, the highest since the inception of the administration in 2007. Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) disclosed this when he spoke with newsmen after the first session of the 3-Day Executive Council/Permanent Secretaries Retreat being held at the Orchid Hotels and Events Centre, Lekki with the theme, ‘’Enhancing Effective and Efficient Service Delivery in Lagos State.” Fashola, who said the improvement was the fulfillment of the promise he made during the third budget review to do better in the fourth quarter, attributed the increase in performance to availability of resources and hard work. Advancing reasons for the feat, the governor said, “It was due partly to the fact that it was when we closed on our bond; we had more money to finance our projects. It was also attributable substantially to much more rigorous work in ensuring that the projects were made ready, that they got to implementation promptly within the last quarter with contractors moving to site. “Now, you must also realize that last year ’s budget was the highest budget we have ever had, so it is not only highest in performance, it is also highest in quantum. We have been going round in the last two weeks doing spot checks on what have been done. So, the evidence of how the budget performed that we are seeing now on paper is what we have seen in reality. “We have seen construction of housing projects at various stages of implementation, from Epe to Ejinrin to Agbowa, to Sango-Tedo, Mushin, Ilupeju, Igando and so on and so forth. Of course we have seen the progress we are making on the Light Rail project, road construction from Mile 12 to Ikorodu, the Waterworks at Adiyan now in progress and so many other areas where we clearly

saw progress including the Health sector, the School of Nursing in Alimosho and the Maternal and Childcare Centre in Amuwo-Odofin. So the direct impact of the budget is clearly visible and demonstrable. “It is no longer the capacity to perform. We have demonstrated that the more money we have the more performance of the budget and the more impact it will make on the lives of our people. So this is just an appeal now for people to voluntarily pay their taxes. That is the tool of government. If you give us the tool, we will deliver ”.

Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, shot Continued from page 1 of the Kano metropolis where he had gone to attend a Qur’anic graduation ceremony. The Emir, said to be hypertensive by palace sources, was hit by a bullet on his right hand. His blood pressure shot up immediately after. Physicians were invited to attend to him at the palace and the prognosis was that he needed a more superior medical attention as he was said to have relapsed into a very high hypertensive mode. He was flown abroad yesterday night. One of his sons, Sanusi Ado Bayero, was also badly hit by bullets. He was also believed to have been flown abroad with his father. The Emir ’s driver and three guards were not as lucky as they were killed in the attack which was said to have left the monarch’s two sons injured. The wounded sons were identified as Turakin Kano and Ciroman Kano. Unconfirmed sources also said the caretaker chairman of a local council was killed in the attack. No group claimed responsibility, at press time, for the attack on the 19th Emir of Kano in whose domain the Islamist group, Boko Haram, has carried out terror attacks in the past months.

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From left: Vice President Namadi Sambo; former President Olusegun Obasanjo; Mrs. Bola Obasanjo; former President of Ghana, John Kufuor and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State during the celebration of Obasanjo as an outstanding Nigerian statesman and national icon in Ogun State, yesterday. Photo by Wunmi Akinola.

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Yesterday’s incident was the first major attack in the city after the coordinated attacks launched by the Islamist group in Kano on January 20, 2012. Narrating the attack on Bayero, a security source said the guards in the entourage of the emir had, in line with tradition, fired their dane guns to signal the monarch’s exit after the programme when the gunmen detonated a bomb, adding that the bang triggered pandemonium. ”The blast was followed by sporadic gunshots on the convoy by four gunmen operating on

motorbike”. The source said Bayero’s official vehicle was shelled by the attackers, adding that “it was divine intervention that saved the day”. According to the source, “the casualty on the part of the royal guards was high because of their display of gallantry in the face of terror. Despite the danger, they massed round the emir until he was rescued to the back up car and ferried away from the spot”. Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State confirmed the death of four people in the attack, naming them as the three royal guards and

Bayero’s driver. The Joint Task Force, JTF, spokesman in the city, Capt Ikediche Iweha, confirmed the terror attack on the monarch, adding that “the emir survived and he is hale and hearty ”. Iweha stated that JTF had since taken over the scene of attack to track down the perpetrators of the distardly act, adding that details would be made available soon as the “mop up operation” was over. In the meantime, uneasy calm pervaded the entire city following the attack as businesses hurriedly closed and vehicular movement was light on major streets.

JONATHAN’S LAMENTATION AT POLICE COLLEGE

‘Why are you treating people like poultry...’ *Presidency to buy into Channels/Police restoration programme BY JIDE AJAN I

PPARENTLY embarrassed by what he saw at Nigeria’s Police College, on last Friday, President Goodluck Jonathan could not but lament openly, asking why people were being subjected to a treatment fit for chickens in the poultry. The unscheduled visit by Jonathan was a rare one and it afforded the nation’s number one citizen the opportunity to see first hand, the very sorry state of the institution built some 73 years ago. A very dependable source privy to the visit quoted the exact words of Mr. President. An obviously miffed Jonathan could not but ask: “Why are you treating people like poultry chicken”? The visit, which was as a result of a promotional documentary being aired on Channels TV and which the president had seen, lasted less than one hour. Sunday Vanguard learnt that when the documentary first aired and Jonathan saw it, “he could not believe what he was seeing”. It was gathered that the Presidency could not understand why the television network could be allowed to publicise the rot that had gone on in the institution for so long.

In fact, Sunday Vanguard learnt that some mischief was already being woven around the documentary until it was made clear to the president that the network was in partnership with the police authorities. Jonathan was made to understand that the reason for the publicity, bad as it may appear, “is to sensitise corporate bodies to the massive needs of the institution, such that when the Channels’ Forum is held on Tuesday as scheduled, there would have been enough sensitization exercise. Also, information suggests that, contrary to the impression that some people had tried to create, which was that the documentary was meant to embarrass the Jonathan administration, “it was actually meant to be a supportive engagement”. In fact, according to the process of engagement being instituted for the partnership, corporate bodies would not be expected to make financial donations. Rather, interested partners would pick a project (either rehabilitation of the hostels or construction of buildings) and fund it directly for the benefit of the institution. Sunday Vanguard was told that “it was after the president was made aware of the modus operadi of the Channels/Police partnership that he decided to

pay the surprise visit.” Already, there are strong indications that the Presidency would buy into the partnership. “The president would be very supportive of any activity or sets of activities that would ensure a worthy restoration of the institution”, a Presidency source said yesterday. Asked about the initial feeling of embarrassment, the Presidency source quipped: “I do not think that is the attitude of Mr. President. “Mind you, that institution has been there for some 73 years. President Jonathan just got to office some two and a half years ago; the incumbent Inspector General of Police is just about a year and a half in office too. Would it be wise to blame these two individuals for something that had gone on for that long. Mr. President is the first in recent history to visit the place; the incumbent IG has deemed it fit to accept to partner with the television network and, but for that, the massive interest it has generated may not have happened”. Sunday Vanguard learnt that while Jonathan was airborne en route Abidjan, the Cote D’Ivoire capital, for the ECOWAS meeting on the Mali crisis, he was said to have caught the sight of an obviously worried man.

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We are not boycotting Edo LG polls— PDP

2 Mali-bound soldiers killed in Kogi ambush BY BOLUWAJI OBAHOPO

NKNOWN gunmen, suspected to be BokoHaram members, yesterday, attacked a convoy of two buses conveying soldiers from some military formations in the southern part of the country to Kaduna, killing two soldiers and wounding several others. The convoy was believed to have come under attack by the gunmen using high capacity remote controlled, improvised

explosive devices, IEDs, bombs and hand held weapons at Abobo village, just outside Okene. The military personnel, it was learnt, was part of the military contingent heading for Kaduna for airlift to Mali where Nigerian troops are currently deployed, among others, to check Islamic fundamentalists threatening to take over the country. Kogi State commissioner of police, Alhaji Mohammed Musa Katsina, who confirmed the incident, said the convoy came under attack by some hoodlums, using weapons and

IEDs. He stated that the attack took place at about 6.30 am, yesterday, between two hills. He, however, said that he was not in a position to give details of the casualty as investigation was on. CP Kastina stated that the command recovered a high caliber undetonated bomb as well as some weapons from the scene of the incident. He described one of the IEDs as a remote anti-tank bomb. He stated that the convoy had been evacuated to a military formation in Lokoja and the area condoned off.

*Says Ihimekpen is on his own

BY SIMON EBEGBULEM

DO State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has disassociated itself from the s tatement made by Okharedia Ihimekpen that the party would boycott the April 20 local government election in the state, asserting that contrary to Ihemekpen’s comment the party has concluded plans to participate in the poll. Reacting to the comment made in some national dailies by Ihimekpen, who is the party ’s Director of Publicity and Strategy, the state

Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr .Matthew Urhoghide, disclosed that the party was not happy that it was not invited in the recent meeting called by the state Independent National Electoral Commission (EDSIEC), but said however that it had instructed interested candidates from the party to go ahead with the election. “Ihimekpen’s office is no longer in existence. He has no powers to speak on behalf of the party and he has been warned in the past to desist from such attitude. The truth is that as the biggest party in the country and the state, we cannot afford not to participate in any election,”Urhoghide stated.

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50 mystery bodies float on Anambra river •Government, police vow to unravel mystery BY VINCENT UJUMADU, AWKA

HE people of Amansea and their neighbours in Awka, the Anambra State capital, were, yesterday, shocked when they saw bodies floating on the Amansea River that empties into Anambra River from Agba Ogwudu River in Enugu State. Sunday Vanguard gathered that some people from the communities, who went to fetch water from the river in the morning, discovered the bodies floating slowly, with some wedged on the banks of the river. The people, it was gathered, after counting up to 50 bodies, alerted their traditional ruler, Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo, who mobilized his cabinet for an emergency meeting after which the state government and the state police command were contacted. The stench from the decomposing bodies could be picked from about one kilometer from the river and the development attracted many people to the area. When reporters arrived the scene, indigenes of the communities bordering the river were seen in groups discussing the development, even as they said that nobody from their various communities was missing. Governor Peter Obi, who was away from the state on official assignment, was immediately contacted and he directed members of the state executive council to move to the spot with a view to finding out the true situation of things. At the time of filing this report, most of the state commissioners and local government chairmen from some local government areas, as well as other top government officials, were at the scene and posing questions to the communities’ leaders to find out if anybody was missing in their areas. The state commissioner for local government, Mrs. Azuka Enemuo, who led the government delegation to the area, described the development as terrible. Enemuo said: “Since

our arrival, we have counted about 14 dead bodies floating on this river and we may not have seen the last. We were duly informed by the security agencies and we believe they will carry out investigations to tell us actually what transpired. “We have already contacted our neighboring Enugu State government to find out if the bodies came from that state. The state government must get to the root of this matter.” Igwe Kenneth Okonkwo said, apart from the mystery posed by the floating bodies, the worry of his people was that their main source of water supply may have been polluted. According to him, the river is the only source of water for the five communities of Amansea, Ebenebe, Ugbenu, Ugbene and Oba-Ofemili and the development had caused a lot of discomfort

to his people. Anambra State police command, through its spokesman, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka, told reporters that the police would carry out a thorough investigation with a view to unraveling the mystery behind the floating bodies. Meanwhile, Enugu State Police Commissioner, Mr. Musa Daura, said his command would probe the mystery surrounding the bodies. The commissioner, who visited the scene, yesterday, said he would join hands with his Anambra State counterpart to investigate the source of the corpses. According to him, the avalanche of dead bodies remained a mystery because he had not heard of any communal clash whether in Enugu or Anambra where many people were killed.

The Chairman of Ward A, Igbere, Bende LGA of Abia State, Mr. Joseph Chika presenting a PDP membership card to Dr. Orji Kalu on his readmission into PDP in Igbere.

Ondo commissioner denies slapping director with a Director in the servants in the state. But Tofowomo pointedly BY DAYO JOHNSON, AKURE

NDO State Commissioner for Transport, Nicholas Tofowomo, has denied ever disparaging the state civil service. Tofowomo, who allegedly had a misunderstanding

Ministry of Works last week, said he had a good working relationship with the workers in the state civil service and had high level of respect for them. The commissioner had reportedly slapped a Director in the Ministry of Works when they had altercation and that he subsequently berated civil

I have returned to PDP — Kalu •Abia chairman disputes claim BY ANAYO OKOLI,

ESPITE protests from Abia State government and the PDP in the state, the former governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, says he has returned to the party, insisting that nobody could stop him from returning. Kalu said he was readmitted in his Igbere Ward A after due process and issued with membership card number 9787945. The card was issued to him on January 16. Kalu said that all the founding members of the party across the country, who left for one reason or the other, have met and decided to return, take over and rebuild the party which he said has been hijacked by strangers. But in a swift reaction, the state chairman of the party, Chief Emma Nwaka, dismissed the former gover nor ’s claim, saying that he had not been re-admitted into the PDP in the state.

Nwaka claimed that the card issued to the Kalu by the ward leadership of the party was fake as, according to him, the entire executive of the party’s ward A and B in Igbere, Kalu’s home, resigned on January 10. He argued that if any person issued him a card it was fake. Nwaka also claimed that Igbere cards bear numbers which begin in the series of 95…, not 97…given to Kalu. Kalu dismissed Nwaka’s position as “laughable”, insisting that he has returned to the party and that his return conformed to the constitution of the party. He also warned Nwaka and other party leaders whom he accused of deceiving the people to be careful or face party’s disciplinary measures. “ I am back to PDP and there is no going back. I said that I will not come back to the party if Chief [Olusegun] Obasanjo is the BoT chairman. Now he is out,

I am back and other founding members of the party are coming back. We founded the party in 1978. And all the founding members have met and decided to come back and take over the party, and there is nothing holding us back. “ How can the whole executive of two wards resign? What was the reason they gave for resigning. They are deceiving the people and that deceit must stop. You cannot dissolve the ward executives and said they

resigned. Emma Nwaka should take time. He is not the owner of PDP. We have come back to take over our party”. “I am back to the state to fix it, not with propaganda. I am back to fix it and develop it. I am back to the party. It is either the right things are done or they face party disciplinary actions or live the party. All the founding members of PDP have met and decided to take over the party and move it forward”, Kalu said and to mobilize all the aggrieved members of the party to return to the party”.

denied the allegation while the Director issued a statement to dismiss the allegation that he was slapped by the commissioner. Addressing journalists in Akure following the allegation that he lambasted the state civil service, he said since he assumed office as a commissioner in the state, he had held civil servants in Ondo in high esteem as they had contributed to the achievements of his ministry. The commissioner therefore disassociated himself from a report which quoted him as castigating the civil servants in the state. He said he had no cause to abuse the state civil service as it had been established that he did not slap the said Director. According to him: “I read a report in a national daily which reported me to have castigated the state civil service, why should I do that? “ I have been having a good working relationship with the state civil service since and together we have been working for the development of the state”.

Police raid mercenaries hideout in Nasarawa, arrest 2 •60 rounds of ammunitions recovered BY ABEL DANIEL

ARELY a week after the clash between Fulani herdsmen and the Agatu ethnic group in Nasarawa State, the police stormed the camp of alleged mercenaries and arrested two. According to a press statement by the state police public relations

officer, ASP Michal Ada, the arrest was made in a forest near Sabon Kwara village in Jenkwe Development Area after a tip-off. The operation was led by the DPO Agyaragu, SP Lasaka Habila. The statement said the mercenaries, numbering about 200, took to their heels when the policemen arrived. One Sule Sale

and Likita Ja’afaru were arrested while one AK-47 rifle and 60 rounds of life ammunitions were r e c o v e r e d . Meanwhile, the state government has vowed to deal with any person or persons that may be involved in the killing and destruction of properties in the state under tribal or religious differences.

PAGE 8 —SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

BATTLE FOR OJUKWU'S WILL RAGES

Question marks surround Bianca’s inheritance – Ike Ojukwu *Says ex-Biafran leader disowned Dibe during his life time BY TONY EDIKE Dr. Patrick Ike Ojukwu, an obstetrician and gynaecologist, is a director of Ojukwu Transport Limited, a company founded by Sir, Louis Philip Odumegwu-Ojukwu to manage his numerous business interests before his demise in 1966 and a nephew of the late Biafran leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu. Dr. Ojukwu, in this interview, speaks on the controversy surrounding the Will/Codicil of the former Biafran leader, which is tearing the family apart. He believes that the Will read couldn’t have been written by the Ikemba Nnewi while joining issues with Sylvester Ojukwu (a.k.a. Dibe Ojukwu who claims to be the former Biafran leader’s son. Excerpts: OU must have read the Will and Codicil of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, which have been disputed by some of his children, especially Emeka Ojukwu Jnr and Sylvester Ojukwu. What is your take on this? Let me start by addressing mainly the issue related to Ojukwu Transport Limited, OTL, as a director and shareholder. My comments are based on the assumption that what I have read in the papers and internet are the same as that read at Probate Registry. In my view, the late Ikemba Nnewi had every right to write his Will the way he pleased. His dependants/children/ beneficiaries have every right to satisfy themselves that he wrote what he wanted without duress, of sound mind and that the signatures are his and that he knew what he was signing. Sylvester Ude (a.k.a Dibe Ojukwu) was never, to my knowledge, acknowledged by the late Ikemba as his son. Sylvester, I am certain, did not expect to be mentioned in Ikemba’s Will - valid or forged. He should refund company money in his possession whilst he can. What is your view on the Will as it relates to the Ojukwu Transport Company and the entire family? Emeka Ojukwu Jnr. is not mentioned as executor of the Will, contrary to earlier reports and it is very surprising, neither is any other child of Ikemba. Ojukwu saying in the purported Will that Bianca “shall take over my seat on the Board of OTL” is unbelievable because the Ikemba, whilst alive, even when ill, never sent Bianca as proxy or alternate to OTL Board meetings; he only requested her presence to assist in reading documents that required his signature due to his poor eyesight. The Ikemba’s acceptance letter to Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, Abuja as OTL director is dated 29 June 2010 after the said Will and Codicil were supposedly written. A late director/shareholder may name or recommend who will represent his shares. The Board of Directors and it alone, when certain laid down requirements are met,

women as executors of estates. The late Ikemba, aware of his shareholding in OTL, is very unlikely to use the words ‘direct’ and ‘demand’ in requests to the Board especially in a Will/Codicil. These issues and more I shall bring up at the OTL Board meeting having, earlier in the year, nominated Emeka Jnr and one of Bianca’s sons to the Board. It will be most unfortunate if the Dr Ike Ojukwu....it will be a fight to the finish to Ikemba’s wishes preserve his wishes and assets have been distorted. The decides who to appoint director. In the Will/Codicil I read tarnishes, insults past, directors, prior to appointment, and diminishes him - portraying him were required to render account of all as some ‘ woman wrapper ’, unaware properties they occupied/ of Nnewi custom, willing out his managed.The Board,obviously, will mother ’s interest in this property and have to be satisfied that any Will father ’s/company ’s interest in that presented is authentic and all property in his seventies; nothing challenges addressed. mentioned to charity or Biafran/veteran Ojukwu directing that Bianca “shall causes for a man who loved the people, retain my interest at 29 Queen’s Drive, in English that does not come close to Ikoyi, Lagos”, a company property, his prowess. He is also depicted as unoccupied and neglected for over 12 cowardly and unable to raise issues years and costing the company over with his brothers/directors in person N240 million in lost rent, is currently a court issue. Interest will have to be explained. Again, it is difficult to believe that the late Ikemba would spell hectare as ‘hecter ’ in the Will with his mastery of spoken and written English, French, Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba. Peace enduring sharing arrangement My late grandfather went by the name Louis Philip [LP] Ojukwu till he was knighted, then he elected to use his Igbo name Odumegwu. None of his children address or addressed him as Sir LP Ojukwu as shown in the Will, it is Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu. Also the Ikemba would not describe Nnewi Building as Nnewi ‘House’. He also did not call his brothers ‘half brothers’. It is a well known fact that Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu, in his Will read in 1966, clearly stated that he did not want company landed property/ houses sold. It is strange, to put it mildly, that the Ikemba would not bring up the ‘peace enduring sharing arrangement’ of company/family property with his brothers/cousins/ directors at the quarterly board meetings, even though many of the meetings were held at his residence whilst alive, a whole general of the whilst alive. Who are the ‘three sons peoples’ army! of the late Sir L.P.Ojukwu’? No Absolute insult mention of his cousin and director, The so-called lawyer said to be Engr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, to whom he responsible for the so-called ‘codicil’ had written a letter in the past making was quoted in one of the papers as very clear his (Ikemba’s) view on saying that the Ikemba’s house at

The Will/Codicil I read tarnishes, insults and diminishes him portraying him as some ‘woman wrapper’, unaware of Nnewi custom, willing out his mother’s interest in this property and father’s/ company’s interest in that property in his seventies

Nnewi was built with proceeds from toll booths the Ikemba was managing for the late Gen. Sani Abacha is an absolute insult to Dim, Igbos and Biafra. Can he prove that the houses in Enugu and Nnewi were not built with OTL company property rent money? If Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu, who made the money himself, had, in his own Will, put his 4th wife on the OTL Board in 1966 and given wives the same and not made any child an executor of his will, there probably would not be anything left for his sons to will out. The two surviving wives of Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu are the real victim-widows subsisting on allowances of less than N100,000 a month (combined),whilst one of his late son’s wives in addition to allegedly getting N10 million a month from the party and government in Anambra wants to retain family/company property (case in court), realizing a rent of at least N25 million a month, money that should go to the memorial hospital Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu promised to build at Nnewi for the masses, in addition to an ambassador’s salary - one individual! Washing ‘dirty’ linen in public is unavoidable sometimes. Justice shall be done. Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu’s money was earned the hard honest way and it will be a fight to the finish to preserve his wishes and assets. Those that describe graduate former commissioners/advisers or one who has studied medicine, specialised and worked for over 30 years as lazy because they fight for their rights are

dishonest. Sylvester, who claims to be Ojukwu’s legitimate first son, has raised an issue with the Ojukwu family that he was denied his birthrights. Why is the family not willing to accept Sylvester as one of their own? Because he is not. The late Ikemba was never married to his mother and never acknowledged him to anyone as his child. He told his people that Emeka Jnr. was his first son (Diokpala) and denied that Sylvester was his child. Ikemba drafted a letter disowning Sylvester and admonished the Obi that awarded Sylvester a chieftaincy title - all these whilst alive. My uncle the engineer, who played a major role in trying to bring the man into the family (against Ikemba’s wish), in whose boy’s quarter Sylvester used to stay in the 70s, who practically gave him the job to manage company property from 1995 to 2007 and to keep 30%, after Sylvester left the Police Force, now describes his support for Sylvester as a huge error. Sylvester to date has not rendered account of any kobo belonging to the company. He built some unauthorized batchers behind Nnewi Building and then turned around to say the company owes him N1.8 billion. The case is in court. The people in Nnewi are furious and impatient. But how come Ojukwu accepted Tenni (Aisha) who came the same way and

Continues on page 9

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 9 BY DEOLA ADENUGA Mr. Enobong Akpan Ikoiwak, President of Akwa Ibom Democratic Project and a native of Effoi in Eket Local Government Area, explains why his political organization, Akwa Ibom Democratic Project (AKDP), is leading the campaign against zoning in the 2015 governorship race in Akwa Ibom State, and points the way forward for Eket Senatorial District.

OU are from Eket Local Government Area; yet you have remained one of the strongest voices against zoning of the governorship position in Akwa Ibom State. Ironically, Eket Senatorial District where you belong is saying that it’s their turn to produce the governor in 2015 after the tenure of Chief Godswill Akpabio. Explain your position. Yes, I’m from Eket Local Government Area. But that shouldn’t becloud my senses to the extent that I cannot recognize truth and realities. The truth is that zoning has never been in place in Akwa Ibom. Let’s take the 2007 election that produced Governor Godswill Akpabio, for instance. Except I’m wrong here, zoning, by my own understanding, means giving exclusive right to a particular area at a particular period to produce the governor for our state. If such exclusive right was given in 2007 to Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District where Governor Godswill Akpabio is from, how come we had the likes of Nsima Ekere, Dr. Samuel Udonsak and Larry Esin, all of them from Eket Senatorial District, contesting the 2007 governorship primaries? In fact, it’s on record that Nsima Ekere who allegedly had the backing of the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Obong Ufot Ekaette, had a good showing in the 2007 governorship primaries. I am not against Eket Senatorial District producing a governor in Akwa Ibom; I am against mediocre and pretenders to the throne hiding under the cover of zoning to sneak into such exalted political office. Even as we are talking right now, we have yet to see notable governorship aspirants from Eket Senatorial District come out; all we hear is, “It is our turn! It

Akwa Ibom 2015: ‘My case against zoning’ is our turn! It is our turn!” Are you saying that there are no solid politicians within Eket Senatorial District that could have popular support for the 2015 governorship election? But that’s the question we should be asking the proponents of the so-called zoning? We talk too much and so loud about zoning as if Eket Senatorial District does not have politicians that can attract

The race for 2015 is going to expose a lot of political mistakes and inadequacies of Eket Senatorial District, one of which is politics of envy, bitterness, blackmail and ‘pull him down’ among politicians in the area

popular support across the entire Akwa Ibom State. I strongly feel that it would have even been a better approach, one that requires less energy and could eventually yield better results if the senatorial district had spent this much time marketing possible aspirants from its area, instead of talking about zoning every passing minute. The race for 2015 is going to expose a lot of political mistakes and inadequacies of Eket Senatorial District, one of which is politics of envy, bitterness, blackmail and ‘pull him down’ among politicians in the area. We cannot be ignorant of the fact that politicians within

Mr. Enobong Akpan Ikoiwak the senatorial district, especially in Eket Federal Constituency, for the past years, have been walking the path to selfdestruct, busy blackmailing and mounting political roadblocks against one another, all in the name of selfsurvival. The few good ones who don’t play it dirty seem so disconnected with the ordinary people, and are not also acceptable to most of the politicians in the area. So, the plain truth is that Eket Senatorial District has a leadership crisis at hand that needs to be resolved as quickly as possible. If the politicians in Eket Senatorial District were to be that united, if they were firm believers in the principle of zoning and if they had had their eyes on 2015 governorship race, they would have come out in one strong voice to persuade one of their own who is from Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Chief Frank Okon, from pursuing his governorship ambition as he is currently doing in the law court! If Frank Okon had

won Governor Akpabio through judicial pronouncement, would we still be talking about zoning today? Have you been under pressure by your people to drop your opposition to zoning? Initially, yes. But the pressure has greatly reduced because our people are beginning to understand both sides of the argument. The people of Eket, especially the youths, are too intelligent to be perpetually deceived by those who have betrayed their trust. Like I earlier said, 2015 politics is going to be some kind of referendum on the leadership we have in Eket Senatorial District. If you ask for my sincere opinion, I will tell you there is no stand-out leader in Eket. There is no mentor-figure for the youths to look up to. There is nobody to give direction; people are just thinking about themselves and their families alone. There is so much greed, so much distrust, so much disconnection between our elders and the youths. There is no nexus between our representatives and the people. Everyone lives for himself. Now tell me, how can we produce a governor under such situation. Leadership, as we all know, is a process. It is not something you attain overnight. Therefore, if the people that we have experimented with have truncated the process, what then is to be expected of the senatorial district? Our people are like sheep without shepherd. Therefore, let our elders go back to the drawing board and forget the issue of zoning. Let our people put their house in order so that when another opportunity comes they will be better prepared to take a shot at it. But as for 2015, the bitter truth is that we are not ready yet. Politics is a game of numbers. Without zoning, how can a small ethnic group like Oro produce the Governor of the State? I always love to use Larry Esin, from Oro, as one good example of a likeable politician because of the way he branded himself, coupled with his record of achievements while working with the then governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke. Larry Esin, before now, had a broadbased appeal that made him look okay as a potential for the governorship position of this state. And from my personal analysis, he was in good stead to help realize in the nearest future the Oro’s dream of producing a governor in Akwa Ibom State, if not because of his crossing over from one political party to another.

'Question marks surround Bianca’s inheritance' Members of the family, Nnewi and Igbos generally don’t like washing linen in public. When alive, Ikemba was involved in many lawsuits with his brothers/directors of OTL; we did not publicise it and he was not the most righteous in those cases, but

Continued from page 8 rejected Sylvester? Family and friends knew about this daughter. Ikemba accepted her as his and was not ashamed of her, her mother or their relationship. In Nigeria, it was his right to accept who he pleased regardless of resemblance, DNA or cheap popularity in Nnewi organizations or media. It is not by force. Why did you not see Sylvester granting interview when Ikemba was alive? Im no dey fear? I hope there is no bias against Ikemba or Igbos in the media. Can you imagine a grown chap showing up at Gen. Obasanjo, Danjuma or Babangida’s doorsteps and declares he/she is their child, resembles them and orders them to go for DNA, in Nigeria? This is not America. Okay you resemble him - so does the late Jonas Savimbi and his in-law, Prof Ukwu. Of course you can decide first child if you can’t negotiate it. Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu knew his children, accepted them without classification; so did the Ikemba. Sylvester is obsessed with ‘natural’ son here, ‘from the loin son’ there. I have said it before, chemical, biological, physical, geographical, gbanjo, away-match, guzo - were son is nonsense. Ikemba said he (Sylvester) was not his son, and if Sylvester really wants the beans spilled on Ojukwu family and legitimacy, he is going to further tarnish those he claims to be his parents. All Ikemba’s brothers mothers were properly married by Sir Odumegwu Ojukwu. I really feel for him, it is pathetic to watch a 56-year old grandfather gossiping about young women fighting in kitchen and lying and

, Bianca Ojukwu disgracing himself. He should have settled with Ikemba when he was alive. Very sad because when we were in secondary school (he was a year my junior, I believe his nickname then was ‘Yankee Doodle’), he was a humble, hardworking easy-going guy and we had no problems - it must be the trauma of rejection/denial by alleged parent and realization that he left it too late. What qualifies one to become a director of Ojukwu Transport Company? To become a director in OTL, I believe you have to possess a certain number of shares, no conviction/indictment for criminal act - the Board then votes to appoint. There are a number of cases in court between OTL and Sylvester who owes (allegedly) the company billions unaccounted money. He must account for the money. How do leaders of Ojukwu family feel over the disagreements since Ikemba’s demise?

Knowledge is power, information is invaluable. I believe sometimes washing linen in public is unavoidable if not outright good

some now glibly interpret the civil way those were handled as ‘they were afraid of Ikemba’ when he was alive a lie. He returned from exile in 1982, OTL properties were released in 1993, he accepted his appointment as OTL director in 2010. In a lawsuit filed in 1998 or thereabouts, Mr. Lotanna Ojukwu claimed that Ikemba collected N12 million arrears of rent on OTL properties (1967-1993) for himself, compensation from Lagos State Government/Knight Frank and Rutley. Knowledge is power, information is invaluable. I believe sometimes washing linen in public is unavoidable if not outright good. I have said it before that there is no ‘ war ’ in the

family - some people wish to claim what is not theirs and they shall not succeed by the grace of God. In Nnewi, we like to say ‘o nwero ife anya fulu gbaa nmee’. A lot has been written in the media about the status of Sylvester in the family and some believe he is not fairly treated. Is the family comfortable with this? If I were Emeka Jnr. I would sue any media organization or person that describes Sylvester as Ikemba’s first son. I had in the past posed 20 serious questions that the media should ask Sylvester. Okay he resembles Ikemba, so what? Many do, na resemble we go chop? This is a valid question Sylvester should answer: He should show his birth certificate; he says his poor teacher-mother raised him, when did he reconcile with Ikemba?; let him show any picture of him and his parents growing up; show any letter Ikemba wrote addressing him as ‘son’ or signing as ‘father/dad. Alhaji Mohammed Gambo was Inspector General of Police when Sylvester was forced to leave the police. What was his last transfer?, why?, did he go? if not why not?; whilst in the police, was he investigated for any crime/fraud? , results?; you people call him a billionaire - how much has he made from his law practice? He says Ikemba willed out property his grandmother gave him, what did he (Sylvester) do in the over 20 years after the death of his granny when Ikemba was alive? Ikemba did not marry his mother, accept, acknowledge or present him to the family as his son. He denied that Sylvester was his child. Is it by force? Even grandmas cannot single-handedly confer legitimacy. Name one person who can say that Ikemba said to them that Sylvester was his child. There are many that he told that Sylvester was not his child.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

Crazy convoys; mindless killers; way forward

Difference between a politicain and a statesman "Look at the orators in our republics; as long as they are poor, both state and people can only praise their uprightness; but once they are fattened on the public funds, they conceive a hatred for justice, plan intrigues against the people and attack the democracy."-Aristophanes HE Nigerian pol itician is indeed a unique breed, they break the mould hence it is unique breed. For field work analysis, I do believe they should be clearly labelled with a picture of before and after attaining the elevated position in the government and in any public domain. Hindsight is a good thing, it would have

helped to see what happens to them: they row fat, with rosy cheeks, expanding girth, and slow gait. We should consider not fattening this breed for their good. They grow so large physically and psychologically tha they become so deluded they rave in self-importance and grandiosity. A word of caution to all those responsible for their unhealthy political appointment, they get worse, they make broken promises, in fact they never mean what they say, they do not know how, it is the pathology of their ailment .To woo the citizens they offer sound bites and may give away a day's meal, a small bag of rice for your loyalty. Really do not in-

gos State for not getting out of the way of “His Excellency” – whose money was not used to build the road. Among Ohakim’s defenders were two former respected columnists; then employed by the governor. One asked why the woman was blocking “a whole governor”. I lost a great deal of regard for them after that. Let us leave aside the colloquialism about “ whole governor”, as if there are half gover-

For more than two weeks, GEJ has been holding meetings with PDP officials daily; each meeting reportedly lasting about three hours. That means each day one eighth or 12.5% of the time available to the Nigerian president goes into minding the business of the PDP. Obama spends less than 0.5% on party

nors. They forgot that Ohakim was governor of Imo not Lagos. Six months later, I was almost involved with Ohakim’s convoy on the Third Mainland Bridge, until an exit separated us. They did all they could to run me off my lane and I refused to move and I was prepared for the consequences. Later, Imo saw him in his true colours with

prosecution for crimes committed after they leave office. Where human lives have been lost, on account of reckless driving by governor’s convoys, I strongly believe that we will knock sense into heads that have taken leave of them if the Nigeria Police and the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, investigate and document all the facts about

dulge them, it is really unhealthy for their wellbeing as any strip of conscience they have left, they trade for an ostentatious lifestyle. They are like a magpie gathering other peoples' properties, wealth and quality of life. They grow grotesquely huge on their greed and on other peoples' misery while they play first families and lord of the manor. With their over inflated egos, they develop a contagious bad taste for gaucheness. Their transformation is only ever complete when they rewrite their past; no, they were never poor,

I really do apologise for those good politicians who are doing their utmost best to change this image, but the 90% of the politicians are giving the 10% good politicians a bad name. Hilary Clinton famously said that the difference between a politician and a statesman man is ; "the politician thinks only in terms of one election but the statesman, a generation".. For the sake of the health of our politicians do not feed them. If they cannot perform they should not be rewarded

to murderous extremes by people we thought were perfectly sane when we elected or selected them. The poor police drivers and escorts, attached to them, have become sacrificial lambs to the power-god and vainglory of top officials. So have innocent by-standers who have sometimes lost their lives when the men and women in official vehicles come barreling down the road as if the devils in hell are after them. Last year ended with the Governor of Kogi State adding to the growing list of officials who, annually, make sacrifices of other people’s lives to their own over-bloated egos. The picture of President Jonathan visiting the smiling Governor, now recuperating, drove me to fury. The man, the Chief Security Officer of his state, was at least an accessory to manslaughter – someone died because the Governor allowed the traffic laws to be disobeyed. That is a fact. He can afford to smile because he is alive to disobey the law again. But, the dead will never smile again and their families are still mourning. To me nothing a governor does can ever wash away the blood on his hands as a result of one of these accidents. Readers would recollect a few years ago, when former Governor Ikedi Ohakim of Imo State came to Lagos; and watched while his own crazy convoy assaulted a woman in La-

“There is a pleasure in being mad which none but mad men know”. Saul Bellow. (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p 147). O be or not to be?” Shakespeare, 15641616 asked. That, again, is still the question. Whether or not we shall allow officials and their crazy convoys to continue to run us off the roads and kill us with impunity, this year will tell. I have no sympathy for any governor who gets maimed or killed because his crazy convoy had an accident. Any official who wants to commit suicide is free to go; but they should not take us with them. They should demonstrate more sense than to go about racing at 150 kph, or more, on Nigeria’s bad roads as if they are on Formula I tracks in Dubai. If any man drives his car or allows his driver to race his car at 150 kph through a crowded road or a narrow road with several sharp bends, we will not hesitate to call him what he is –a lunatic. Why is it that the same man doing the same thing not a lunatic simply because one day he finds himself a Governor or Minister? Lunacy, after all, is a function of behavior – not status. That is the issue we must face with the deadly convoys carrying those who find themselves in transient positions of power in Nigeria today. For some reason, immunity and impunity have been carried

his crazy convoys. Today, no longer governor and is now subject to the same sort of insults he heaped on others while in power. That is the reward for lack of wisdom and foresight. A governor will leave after two terms; he goes sooner with one. Yet, from the first day, in office, they become social monsters on the roads which they once plied peacefully with other citizens. Officials breaking traffic rules, by driving, or encouraging their convoys to drive, dangerously, are, to me, not different from those stealing our funds. They both take from other citizens what belongs to the people. While the immunity clause in our 1999 constitution grants them immunity from prosecution, while in office; it does not prevent investigation and

For the sake of the health of our politicians do not feed them. If they cannot perform they should not be rewarded after all they are working

in fact they had this much wealth prior to taking office. They often protest and swear that they have always being civic minded, they took office solely to serve the people and not the other way round.

after all they are working. Stop indulging them and do give them access to the money jar. We all do them a favour if we refuse to give away our civic rights and not vote them in. That is excessive pay.

each accident. Thereafter, a case file should be opened against each official, who, after investigation, is found to have been guilty of reckless driving or of being an accessory to it. Unlike corruption cases, which call for a lot of evidence and where the defendants are protected by complaisant justices, traffic offences are tried faster and the culprit can be cooling his heels in jail while EFCC is trying to get him prosecuted for safecracking. Until a former governor or Minister lands in jail for dangerous driving, we will never stop the annual sacrifice of innocent lives by our mindless officials. PRIVATISATION OF ENUGU STATE “A drama of greed and good intentions”. PUNCH, January 8, 2013 p 48. That is perhaps the best summary of the situation in Enugu State. Surely, something must be wrong with us. Illiteracy is often cited as a possible cause of our under-development. But, that cannot be the case with Enugu State which boasts of some of the best educated people in Nigeria, Africa and the world. Certainly, at least 2,000 indigenes of that state must have traveled to the United States; several hundred thousands have relatives resident there. The Nigerian Presidential system was borrowed from that country; but we had proceeded to bastardise the presidential system by adopting a constitution fit only for the governance of slaves. The military, which handed us the ridiculous constitution, had virtually privatized the states to whoever is the governor. That explains why no governor in the United States can be away from his desk for two weeks,

"The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."--- Franklin D. Roosevelt In Kenya, President Kibaki has got a fight on his hands as the country's lawmakers awarded themselves an inflated retirement package they called a " send-off" package. So, why is this news worthy? This move is a change from what we expect from our sub Saharan lawmakers. Mr Kabaki,an 82 year old seasoned politician has nothing to prove as this is his last time in office; he was a former teacher and son of a peasant. As you know, someone once claimed to be shoeless and poor to ram home the fact that he is one of "us". I digress, the move was a last ditch attempt to curb the parliamentarians of an audacious abuse of office and their wanton greed to hold on to the last vestiges of power. I mean, not like they asked for heaven and earth, did they? Well, they asked for a lot this

without explanation, but the governor of Enugu State has been spirited away for more than six months and neither the rubber stamp State House of Assembly, nor Enugu professionals (especially lawyers) had made any attempt to reclaim the state from the clutches of an absentee governor. What a pity. With each passing day, one cannot help the feeling that the British should never have left in 1960. With the leaders we have, hope is almost lost. WHY JONATHAN’S GOVERNMENT IS SLOW 1. “Time is very democratic; everybody has an equal share. The President and the pauper both have twenty four hours to the day”. Anonymous. A few weeks ago, President Jonathan, after confessing that his government is slow attempted to excuse the tardiness. I had already observed in TIME MANAGEMENT FOR PRESIDENT JONATHAN that he wastes a lot of national time doing what other Presidents don’t do. He spends a lot of time daily on internal PDP politics. Since then I have been tracking how often Jonathan is reported to be holding meetings with party officials. For more than two weeks, GEJ has been holding meetings with PDP officials daily; each meeting reportedly lasting about three hours. That means each day one eighth or 12.5% of the time available to the Nigerian president goes into minding the business of the PDP. Obama spends less than 0.5% on party.

included a diplomatic passport, access to VIP lounge in any Kenyan airport and, for good measure, they want a police guard and for a right final send off, they requested a state funeral! They did not forget the president, nor the vice president and the prime minister did they sign them up for similar package. The Kenyan's salaries and remuneration Commission said it was unconstitutional for legislators to set their own pay under the constitution the country adopted in 2010. The Salaries Commission, through its chair, Sarah Serem has expressed its opposition to both Bills. The Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya chairman, Patrick Mtange, said the commission should be strengthened to enable it insulate tax payers from MPs excesses. Excesses? Yes, it is declared that it was highly inappropriate for the lawmakers to award itself so much.Of course they have not compared notes with their Nigerian counterparts.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 11

Senate should not probe Nigeria’s employment irregularities Affairs, Senator Dahiru Kuta publicly asserted that civil service jobs in Nigeria now go to those who can bribe their way through. Senator Kuta named 3 federal bodies involved in the reprehensible act. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps according to the Senator, has syndicates that extort and dupe innocent applicants. He added that while some people in the Federal Roads Safety Commission, were dismissed for conniving with applicants, the Nigeria Customs Service recruited some people through the back door. Another Senator, this time the witty Uche Chukwumerije using the Open Ballot strategy proved with ease that the allegations were true. All he did was to ask officials of the agencies at a public forum to raise their hands if they were not taking bribes before recruiting new employees into their organizations. Only an of-

ficial of one of the agencies raised his hand meaning that others admitted guilt. If added to the story that the Nigeria Immigration Service recently organized recruitment in a hide-out, then employment exercises in Nigeria aptly fall into what can be called a national culture of corruption. Whereas the attempted

AST week, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-governmental

recruitment had no other role to play until the management presents a list of successful candidates for approval. Instead, the exercise was detected and scuttled before it matured because one group was trying to outplay the other. It is a phenomenon which happens everywhere. First, some ethnic minded execu-

Now that corruption in employment exercises in Nigeria has dramatically assumed the form of the chorus of a melodious song in which everyone is a singer, it is time for our anti-corruption bodies to bark and bite across the board

secret recruitment at the Immigration Service is condemnable, supervisors of that service who exposed it may have had their own agenda. Ideally, the latter having given approval for

tives often patronize their primordial clime. Second, although a Chief Executive is supposed to be in charge of the day to day running of an organization, he is, for material gains, usually

PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

Repercussions of governmenton-holiday (2) prove facilities in public schools. It must be noted that the pace of industrial development under Okorocha is not as fast as it should be, considering the human and natural resources of the state, long years of arrested development in the industrial sector since the late Chief Sam Mbakwe left office in 1983, and the urgent need for employment and wealth creation in southeastern heartland. I do not know whether

F what use is free education when the quality of teaching and learning is severely compromised by poor funding and haphazard planning? Instead of free-educationin-the-ocean-of decay, Okorocha should have invested heavily in upgrading educational infrastructure and provision of better welfare packages and on-the-job training for teachers. Also, it is more cost-effective and rational for the state government to put in place well-structured scholarship schemes to take care of brilliant but indigent students from Imo State. Some people praise Governor Okorocha for giving school children in the state one hundred naira monthly. That is ridiculous and insulting: the “stipend” translates into three naira thirty three kobo per day. In Nigeria right now that amount is just too paltry to make any meaningful impact in anybody’s life. As a result it would have been better to use funds budgeted for the programme to im-

I implore the Governor to reach into himself, his inner self, and come up with imaginative transformational agenda for the state. In order to achieve concrete results, he should avoid sycophants whose stock-in-trade is deception for selfish reasons. Again, he must put the collective interests of Imo people first in all his undertakings, and avoid the temptation of diverting state funds for his private use. The long suffering people of my state are yearning for

It is absurd that Nigeria, a top exporter of crude oil, cannot provide enough refined petroleum products to meet domestic demand, let alone have surplus for export

Okorocha has a well-articulated pragmatic blueprint or roadmap for developing Imo State. But one thing is clear though: at the pace he is working at the moment, he cannot attain the level of governance achieved by Chief Mbakwe. That said,

good governance. If Rochas Okorocha is serious and determined to serve the people, he can make a lot of difference before his term of office expires in 2015. I believe that the best strategy is to identify a few critical areas for concentrated

subjected to routine supervision in Nigeria by the parent ministry. Third, there are politicians who perceive themselves as being in the most powerful arm of government and as such always seek to control everything in any organization- staff matters inclusive. Fourth, for the same reason of greed, there are part time board members who are at work for longer than the combined hours of even shift workers. Fifth, some people in regulatory bodies will not release approvals for recruitment to organizations until their own nominees whether qualified or not are included. The other day, the Head of Federal Civil Service Commission, Joan Ayo, described the existence of the Federal character Commission in the civil service as unnecessary. Not too long ago, in order that one does not block the juicy part of the other ’s schedule, the Civil Service Commission was at war with the then Head of the Civil Service of the federation over the introduction of promotion examinations for civil servants. Interestingly, when everyone is settled, any irregularity, be it on recruitment, posting, promotion or whatever does not matter. What is important is each person’s material gain. So, everyone is in the game-the executives of ministries, departments and agencies use the authority of their offices; the business class and desperate applicants use money from whatever source, while politicians top it up

with the use of influence. If so, is it not hypocritical for any group to position itself to probe the subject? We can only answer in the affirmative because to tolerate that is the same thing as to allow a thief to help search for a lost object. It is even more futile to allow the custodians of stolen goods to probe the theft. In earnest, it is most unfair for the nation to continue to use tax payers’ money to create a new scandal in the guise of probing another. Everyone knows that allegations of employment slots reserved for political leaders are not fairy tales; they are real. Indeed, there is the story of one organization which in the recent past spent huge sums on advertisement for the recruitment of staff, arranged for thousands of applicants to write the examination, got its officials to painstakingly mark the scripts only to be coerced to recruit those who did not write the examination at all, as is done in party primaries where victorious aspirants are occasionally dumped. It is wise to ask the Senate not to probe the subject as is being contemplated because the history of probes by the legislature in Nigeria has not been salutary. It is always either a case of diversionary tactics or one where a probe panel goes to equity with contaminated hands. Take the scandal at the Security and Exchange Commission for instance. What we hear daily is that the Director General has been found by the legislature to be unfit to hold

the office and that the organization would get a zero allocation as its budget until the President sacks its Chief Executive. Nothing is heard any more of the legislator who was heading a panel to probe the same organization in which he had allegedly perpetuated a myriad of improprieties! When will that aspect be probed and who should handle it? Certainly, it cannot be the legislature which has not been able to observe the basic principles of natural justice which bars a person from being a judge in his own cause. Similarly, probing employment racketeering cannot be left to those who use their political influence to impose candidates on organizations while they bamboozle the rest of us by condemning those who use money to get their people recruited. Instead, it is time for our anti-corruption agencies to investigate all actors. Here, Senator Chukwumerije can lend a helping hand by going to a joint session of the National Assembly with his Open Ballot apparatus to ask his colleagues to raise up their hands if they have not been neck deep in employment irregularities in organizations. He should then hand over the result, whether rigged or not, to the anti-corruption agencies. Oh yes, now that corruption in employment exercises in Nigeria has dramatically assumed the form of the chorus of a melodious song in which everyone is a singer, it is time for our anticorruption bodies to bark and bite across the board.

attention and maximum impact. The problems of Imo State are deep and hydraheaded - no human being can solve all of them in four years. Consequently, Okorocha should tackle headlong those ones that have the greatest probability of positive impact on the welfare of Imo people. There is no patina of doubt that in 2012 the country faced a lot of challenges, some of which President Goodluck Jonathan inherited from his predecessors while others were of his own making. To begin with, the President could have reduced the ridiculously high cost of governance at the federal level by drastically trimming down the size of his cabinet. Moreover, certain expenditures authorised by him, including the prohibitive amounts set aside for feeding and refreshments at the state house and for the purchase of new aircraft for the presidential fleet, portray the President as a profligate ruler insensitive to the sufferings of the masses, especially at a time when the country ’s economy has weakened considerably due to official corruption and myopic economic management. This year Mr. President avoided the fuel subsidy conundrum of January last year. Still, he ought to have pushed hard for serious reform of the petroleum industry to stem corruption, nepotism and other abuses in the system. It is absurd that Nigeria, a top exporter of crude oil, cannot provide enough refined petroleum products to meet do-

mestic demand, let alone have surplus for export. That said, inspire of the slipshod and shambolic manner the fuel subsidy scam was handled by the National Assembly, enough was revealed during the hearings which confirm that the petroleum sector is a cesspit of corruption. The heart-wrenching aspect of it all is that Jonathan’s administration is powerless to do anything about it, simply because prominent actors in the oil cabals are members of the ruling elite. Total removal of the fuel subsidy is justified because it would automatically eliminate elephantine scams in the management of the subsidy regime. However, it is very likely that the money which would accrue to government if the measure is implemented will be embezzled by corrupt politicians and their highly-connected accomplices. Thus, it is a lose-lose situation for ordinary Nigerians who over the years have benefited little from crude oil exports. I have said it before and I will say it again: President Jonathan and his crowd of ministers and advisers are very good in rhetoric and fingerpointing, whereas for ordinary Nigerians daily existence is becoming more and more difficult as thousands of families find it extremely difficult to procure basic necessities of life such as food, shelter, clothing, good education and affordable healthcare. Oftentimes we are told that Mr. President means well for Nigerians, that he is working hard to improve their lives, that disgruntled elements are sabotaging

his efforts towards rapid transformation of the country. Now, whenever I hear the President or any of his aides regurgitate such threadbare assertions or I read same in the newspapers, I feel thoroughly disappointed, for those are the same arguments military dictators used in the past to explain away their mediocre handling of the country. Let’s face it: President Jonathan is not doing as well as he should, partly because of his own personal shortcomings and partly because of the polluted moral and socio-political ecology prevalent in the country presently. It might be true that the President means well. But that is subjective: the main problem is whether he has the intellectual wherewithal and moral stamina to lead a politically fractious, economically fractured and morally decadent Nigeria. Without prejudice to whatever achievements he has made since he became President, I am convinced that Jonathan could have done better if there were no moral hunchbacks weighing him down. On the issue of corruption, for instance, a sizeable percentage of Nigerians think that he is incapacitated by a fundamental lack of Spartan discipline to deal with it decisively as he should. But then, Nigerians who bear the brunt of misgovernance are prevented by fear, ignorance and myopic egoism to do anything about it. Given this scenario, Nigeria’s future will be uncertain, terribly uncertain, in 2013. Concluded.

PAGE 12—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

"SUFFERING and SMILING; that's the name of the game! Isn't it?"

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

Premium Times on Saro-Wiwa: Putting the record straight Dear Sir,

N the Premium Times’ edition published in Port Harcourt on December 30, 2012 there was a report titled, “World Exclusive: Inside the secret Abacha memo approving execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, others”. In that report, members of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), Nigeria’s highest decision making body at the time, were mentioned but not clearly as if they either joined or asked Abacha to go ahead with the execution of the Ogoni Nine. One does not know the reason for the publication, but it suffices to observe that the report is a sectional overview of the late poet and activist, Mr. Ken Saro-Wiwa’s issue. Quite well, names of members of the PRC during Abacha regime had been listed out in the publication but it is not to say that they were in anyway the mind of the Commander-in-Chief. Or why at this time somebody would come up with such a document? Forgetting that there were challenges and those challenges, one way or the other, led to other things. Saro-Wiwa’s not an exception. I mean, the trial and sentence of Ken Saro-Wiwa and others was a challenge. And that was not all. The trial and sentence of General Olusegun Obasanjo was a challenge; General Oladipo Diya, himself, along with Major- General Tajudeen Olanrewaju and now late MajorGeneral AbdulKarim Adisa and others were tried and sentenced to death by the same Abacha regime and that in itself was a challenge. Only by mother luck the Generals and others escaped death. General Sani Abacha’s death in active service as Head of State and Commander-inChief of Nigerian Armed Forces was a

challenge; the death in detention, while on trial, of Chief MKO Abiola was a challenge. All these put together forced us to centre of gravity and we just have to find a way to stand up again. You don’t really need a memo to remind us of these challenges. Life itself is like riding a bicycle. If you want to balance, you have to keep on moving. Which led us to the emergence of General Olusegun Obasanjo (1999) till date of Dr. Goodluck Ebelle Jonathan. That in itself was a challenge moving us into the Niger Delta militancy that escalated to Alhaji Umar Musa

Yar ’Adua/Goodluck Jonathan government. Fortunately, with the use of amnesty and pardon as an instrument of conflict resolution, Yar’Adua was able to find a way to keep the nation moving. Now it’s Goodluck Jonathan/Sambo and they are also faced with challenge of Boko Harram insurgency. Whether the President is still going to continue like Yar ’Adua using conflict resolution as an instrument to tackle this insurgency remains a question that only him can answer. All the beneficiaries of Niger Delta amnesty from Yar’Adua time till date

have been integrated into the society using the instrumentality of the state and some of them are now pilots, engineers and so on. The late President, Alhaji Yar’Adua, should be commended for the high leadership sense he had displayed. In this respect, he stood out as a statesman. There are pardon issues on the list awaiting presidential pronouncement. True, President Jonathan was reported to have set up three committees one of them for amnesty/pardons and it is going to eight months now. We have not heard any thing from them. Onyekachi Ogechukwu, Onitsha, Anambra State.

Boko Haram: Time to dialogue with the sect Dear Sir,

HILE the effort of security forces in containing the menace of Boko Haram is praiseworthy, the government has not done enough to persuade the terrorists to give up their attacks Government should work with various moslem to ensure that the terrorists listen to them. Now the sect has regrouped making headway in the Kaduna area of North Central, the worst incident occurred at Jaji inside the Barracks. How they escaped the security checks nobody could tell, killing almost eleven people and injured about 30. I went to the scene and was horrified. To say that people capable of this were animals would be wrong. No animal would do such a thing. I went on to visit the casualties at the designated hospitals where the injured

were receiving intensive care. The carnage was truly terrible. I concluded that the only way to stop further attacks was to dialogue with the sect. Who and who would be main channels of communication. The need for external help has become imperative after last months appalling attack. A time has equally come to review the security situation in the country. The number of people involved in security checks should be widened and fresh people co-opted which would include retired members of the Police, Army, SSS, Navy, Air force, etc. It is unfortunate that the sect still finds Borno State safe to unleash mayhem. What is so difficult to provide adequate security to the people of the state, the government should provide security to that state no matter the cost of doing so. Confidence building measures ought to be announced to protect the people.

The sect's bitterness could have been ascertained and addressed, it is not true that their attacks are revenge due to their jailed colleagues serving various prison terms nationwide. They had stated times without number that the President was their top target for assassination and to install a new leader. This sounds absurd. If it ever happens, it will lead to endless riots throughout the nation. God forbid. Only a democratically elected President would find himself in Aso Rock. Government should be prepared in principle to sit down at a round table and dialogue with the sect's leaders, whether in foreign country or else where and dialogue to halt this carnage. If there is need to make concessions to achieve normalcy, why not. We are adding more fuel to the fire by publicly exaggerating the powers of our security network. Cletus Okereke is a public analyst.

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Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, like many other Nigerians, is worried about the challenge of insurgency staring the nation in the state. He is even more worried that one of the institutions under his supervision, the Immigration Service, has a role to play in curbing the insecurity posed by insurgents. In this interview, the minister speaks on the measures taken by government on insurgency and the other mandates of his ministry, especially on prison and the fire service. Excerpts:

C M Y K

our chest and say we did very well in 2012. Nigerian Security and Civil Defense has become a formidable security outfit, participating in special task forces and we have had record prosecution of oil bunkerers and vandals across it has the countr y, metamorphosed into a very formidable crime prevention agency. The corps has a unit that deals essentially with sniffer dogs, we have the antiterrorism squad. The armed squad section of the prisons is involved very actively in the

• •

Prison system being positioned for economic growth’ On job scam in Immigration Service: We will get to the root of the matter

can tell you it is a mix of all of them, but let me say here that there is no country in the world, no matter how tight their borders are, that can boast to be alien free. Given our oil wealth, it is not surprising that our brothers and sisters from across the borders, Niger

borders to completely control the influx of aliens. We also have the problem of inadequate staff, materials, operational vehicles; basically it’s a mix of problems and factors that are responsible for what we have on our hands today. Since I assumed office

Comrade Abba Moro....We are going beyond that to ensure that the number of aliens is dramatically reduced. joint effort to curb insurgency in various parts of the country. I think that as far as the mandate of the ministry is concerned in 2012, we have done very well. The newspapers are awash with stories of the repatriation of various categories of aliens, about 16,000 of them. That is as a result of our deliberate effort to segment this country into eight zones and charge them with the responsibility of identifying aliens and repatriating them or deporting them as the case may be. We are going beyond that to ensure that the number of aliens is dramatically reduced. You talked about insurgency. How have the agencies under your ministry been able to manage the problem? Is it because the borders are porous or we don’t have enough personnel to man them, or there is some complicity by certain Nigerians to allow aliens to come in? If you look at the presence of aliens in our country vis a vis the issues you have raised, I

S the Minister of Interior, how was it last year? How far did you go in terms of achieving your set agenda? Last year was a very fascinating year, a very challenging year. Last year ordinarily was supposed to be a period of some level of consolidation as far as the Ministry of Interior, and my activities are concerned. You will recall that i got appointed mid-2011, the budget was put together by my predecessor, so I couldn’t really explain that the budget of 2011 was my budget for implementation, that I could count my gains as such. But 2012 was a budget that was passed under my watch; therefore I can conveniently hold, and I can say it was fascinating because it was a period in which I tried to seriously align myself to the task of presiding over the Ministry of Interior, and supervising the activities of the various department and agencies. So, I can say in terms of infrastructural development, in terms of laying a foundation for the purpose of repositioning the ministry and its department and agencies, we had a very wonderful year. We attended to the welfare of the staff. The problem of promotion, we addressed holistically in both the prisons and Immigration in particular. Of course you also want to recall that we were able to release the verification report of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps that had been in the box for over 13 years. We went on to complete the main passport office in Sauka. This was a project that I said was at the heart of everything, because essentially when you talk about Immigration Service, the first thing that comes to your mind is migration of persons , especially Nigerians that have a penchant for travelling. The Civil Defense Training School Sauka is another project at the verge of completion and then the training school for the Fire Service, in Sheda, is at the verge of completion. On the issue of infrastructural development, I can also say that the command headquarters of our training college have been completed, in three states, Kebbi, Imo and Abia. The basic requirement of the ministry especially the parastatals is the training of the staff. Some of our staff are in various institutions, training schools undergoing various levels of training, especially in the face of the insurgency in the country and the need to update staff on new ideas, knowledge, especially in terms of evolving technologies. I think in that regard we can beat

We are tackling insurgency on all fronts – Moro, Interior Minister

We don’t have all the resource we require to manage our prisons and we are increasingly faced with the stark reality of our lack of competence to manage the prisons system as rehabilitation and correctional system

Republic, Chad Republic, Benin Republic and Ghana that are less endowed, would be attracted to seek greener pastures in Nigeria and coupled with the problem of porosity of our borders and the fact that in some places like Benin Republic you can hardly differentiate whether you are in Nigeria or in Benin Republic. It is a very difficult task where you don’t have physical demarcation of our

we have taken steps in conjunction with National Boundaries Commission to identify our borders. In the process we have been able to identify 84 regular borders and over 1497 irregular routes to Nigeria. What we do with our resources is to patrol and control movement around the 84 regular routes, and by the time we do that we believe that our concentration will be more effective containing

movement of people, goods and materials along the regular routes. Let me equally say that we are contemplating using the public private partnership model to see how we can construct graders around our borders, because if you go to most of our land borders, you hardly can define when you are in Nigeria and when you are out of Nigeria, and that is because of lack of physical structure that will separate Nigeria from the other country. In this financial year, with the arrangement we have put in place, construction work will start in some of these borders, and, of course, we are contemplating, given the resources available to us, that we should also complement the physical human effort patrolling our borders, we believe it will ensure a better border management. There is a policy you want to put in place on prisons? We don’t have all the resource we require to manage our prisons and we are increasingly faced with the stark reality of our lack of competence to manage the prisons system as rehabilitation and correctional system. The prisons are congested, we lack the capacity to build as many prisons as we should to be able to accommodate all our inmates; with the current insurgency that we have on our hands, you hardly can predict how many persons at a time that can enter the prison, and so increasingly we are faced with the problem of congestion. And you can’t just wake up overnight and begin to construct prisons and get them ready for inmates that you anticipate to come. So, we want to look out of the box to think about some possible ways that we can collaborate with members of the private sector, to ensure that we have adequate provision for our prison system. We started by engaging a private organization, Roboni Nigeria Limited, to resuscitate and expand our farm centres. We are at the verge of signing the agreement after a proper assessment of the current statutes and we are hoping that in more ways than one we will be contributing to the effective management of the prison system as correctional; if we resuscitate our existing

Contnues on page 15

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013,PAGE 15 Contnued from page 14

‘Prison system being positioned for economic growth’ Nigerian public as the direction we are going. There is this perception out there that there will not be a successful jail break without the connivance of warders. I don’t know if the Hon. Minister is looking at that possibility. Before I answer your question, let me do this clarification. I remember that one of this newspapers came up with some rating of ministers and others in government and when it came to the Minister of Interior, one of the reasons the minister has not performed, according to the paper, is that there have been incessant jail breaks; so I want to make a clarification here. Yes, we have had jail breaks in Shagamu, Ogwuashi -Uku, Oko, Benin, Port-Harcourt and then attempts here and there have been made, but I know that we also have had instances where attacks have been launched on our

farm centres, they will expand and create new ones; it is our belief that prisoners will be engaged in very productive activities because they are taught modern techniques on agriculture and therefore acquiring new skills and knowledge within the prison system we believe that, using the labour force in the prisons, there can be adequate food for our prisons and may be surplus to release to the larger Nigerian society and possibly for export, and then saving money. From this, we can also make money available to these prisoners when they finish their terms to be able to engage productively in the larger society. Doing this, the prison system will be contributing to the economic growth of this country. Given the dilapidation of most of these centres it is our belief that a partnership with the private sector will more or less increase the efficiency of the system given the penchant of the private sector for effective management of resources. The private sector will also enhance the capacity of the prison system, to help grow the system. This is also in line with the current thinking of government on the transformation agenda of engaging the private sector in the management of public assets for greater efficiency. We feed our inmates with N200 a day. This is grossly inadequate. We made a proposal for an increase in the feeding allowance of our prisoners. We hope that as we move on to the next level of the budgetary session, we should be able to include this proposal in our budget subsequently. Now at what point will government come in because by PPP, the private organization runs it; after some time, they hand over, or there is a sharing formula? No. There are various models of PPP, it is not a straight jacketed arrangement. It is not as if when it is PPP, therefore government hands over all its assets and liabilities to a private concern; it is something that is just within the level of contemplation. You will recall that as soon as I assumed office, I set up various committees to look at the Fire Service, to look at the Prison Service and of course the Immigration, to find ways of creating some synergy within the various sectors of the economy, with a view to providing a more effective service to our system, and so it is the result of one aspect of the recommendations of one of this committees and the discussion that followed therefrom, that people now started saying that the Ministry of Interior is going to hand over the prisons management to the private sector, no. By the time we work out the details of the level of participation of any private organization that shows interest, and looking at the legal ramifications of the exclusive mandate of the ministry to manage the prison system, we can come out with a working document that we can now present to the

involved, others are still under investigation and procedures are being followed to ascertain the level of involvement of some of these officers, and, of course they will get appropriate punishment. As a matter of fact, I have instructed that, hence forth, any officer who through act of negligence allows jail break will face the ultimate punishment of dismissal. We will no longer condone such situations, because, in many cases, you go to the places, they tell you that the officers who were supposed to be on duty were not there and jail break occurs; we have no option than to conclude that there was some level of conspiracy. Why will you not be there when you are paid to be there? Why will you post mere two armed guards to a whole prison, a place that you have over 300 inmates? So these are some lapses in our prisons system that we will

I am aware of the privilege that this appointment has given me. I don’t think I will bend backwards to compromise my integrity, by flagrantly violating laid down guidelines to subvert the constitution

prisons. Just like the general insecurity in the country where churches and markets have been attacked, our prisons have not been spared but unfortunately the undiscerning public are led into believing that everything that happened in the prisons that led to the escape of prisoners are jail breaks; it is simply not true. When hoodlums attacked the Koton karfi Prisons to free imaginary members that were there, technically, that certainly is not a jail break; when our prisons are attacked in Damaturu, or in Maiduguri, those are not jail breaks. Armed attacks on our prisons that lead to the unfortunate release of inmates and prisoners certainly cannot amount to jail breaks. Having said that, I agree with you that we have had instances of jail breaks, here and there like. In all the instances that you have mentioned, I can tell you that there is no way, without prejudice to the administrative procedure of investigation, that you can rule out internal complicity, and I have warned that prison officers and warders from where we have jail breaks will face sanctions according to the rules and regulations of Prison Service. I can assure you that while investigations have been completed in some instances and appropriate sanctions meted out to people

curb. I have directed the Comptroller General of Prisons to give me a comprehensive list of the number of armed squads that we have in the prisons, and to also give me an update on how they have been deployed, for me to know the adequacy or otherwise of our armed men that are supposed to guard our prisons. There were some observations I made last year when we went to some prisons. Korton-Karfi Prison was one of them. You see people who are not warders hanging in front of the prisons. There was this tree where you see civilians sitting, people you could not connect with the prison system. And in security, you say don’t allow strangers lurk around your premises. Don’t you think this is something your ministry should be thinking about how to stop? Yes, that is part of the problem; it is part of the inadequacies we talk about and that is an aspect I think the training and retraining and capacity building of our personnel will address. Outside that, I can also say that lack of physical perimeter fencing of some of our prisons is also responsible for this propensity of people to hang around our prisons. You used the Koton Karfi situation as an example, the day I visited the place immediately after the attack,

Abba Moro....I don’t want to prejudice the investigations going on our prison officers and policemen that were supposed to be guarding the place were sitting under the same tree that you were talking about, with friends and visitors milling around and engaging in lively conversations; my first reaction was ‘no wonder that the attack was very successful’. There is this problem that assumed the front seat recently, alleged employment scam, first in Civil Defense; second in Immigration. What are your findings? Is it true there was recruitment scam in the two bodies or not? Well, I don’t want to prejudice the investigations going on especially in the revelation of possible employment scam in Immigration. I have instituted a committee that would be inaugurated very soon to find out the veracity of the story on the recruitment exercise. I am equally aware that the House of Representatives, worried about the allegations, is also instituting an investigation into the matter. You are equally aware that when it became obvious that some controversy was generating around employment of officers men and women into the Immigration Service, I stepped in to cancel any possible exercise that must have taken place or that was taking place, and to say that we will be guided by the guidelines established by the board responsible for appointment, promotions, and discipline in the Immigration Service. Let me equally say that i have only been minister for a year and a half, the institution of the Immigration Service has existed over years as old as myself and so people have been coming into the Immigration Service. Just like any other parastatal, I think that the idea that certain sections of the country have dominated the service at the expense of others, people are employed who applied for employment, I am not sure that Nigerians and organizations have been inviting Nigerians from home to come and get employment, and so, if, for instance, advertisement is

made and people from Benue do not apply, you won’t employ them. In Nigeria? Yes, even as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in charge of Interior, supervising Immigration, if my people do not apply to be employed in Immigration, it is absurd to think that I am going to employ them. First, these are career institutions and somebody must choose which career he wants to pursue, so you don’t just go home because there are vacancies and announce to the world, ‘how many of you are from this particular place?’ I have been in public service for the past 25years, from one level of government to the other, from local government, classroom teaching , I have been around, and, as a student of political science, I am not unaware of the daunting problems that confront Nigeria: nepotism, tribalism, and the debilitating consequences of these tendencies in the life of the nation. I am aware of the privilege that this appointment has given me. I don’t think I will bend backwards to compromise my integrity, by flagrantly violating laid down guidelines to subvert the constitution. When the chips are down, I know how many persons I have facilitated their employment in this place and they are all out there: Nigerians from Delta, Kano, Niger, Kebbi, I can go on and on. Nigerians would like to know how much is the cost of the Nigerian international passport, and within what period would one collect, because there are syndicates around the Passport Office doing it and collecting money, even among Immigration officers? The Nigerian Immigration Service recently applied for an upward review of the procurement rate of the passport, and this is because of the desire to render efficient and effective service, because there has been this tendency for touting, where individuals who would want to procure passport pay as much as N20,000. C M Y K

PAGE 16—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013

Amid intrigues, kidnappers hold on to Bayelsa speaker’s mum By SAMUEL OYADONGHA, Yenagoa

HE abduction of the moth er of the Speaker of Bayelsa State House of Assembly, on Monday, has again brought to the fore the hazard faced by family members of political office holders as well as the near precarious security situation in the riverine enclave of the state where criminal elements are exploiting the terrain to perpetuate absurdities and the need to prevent the state from relapsing into its past infamy of sea piracy and kidnapping. A check by Sunday Vanguard showed a new pattern of kidnap in the last couple of months involving the abduction of ex-

patriates and Nigerians for ransom. At the last count, over 15 persons including Italians, Koreans and Dutch oil workers have been kidnapped. However, the latest incident involving the Speaker’s mother, Madam Betinah Okunwa Benson, is believed to be political and economically motivated. Though the kidnappers, it was learnt, have placed a N40m ransom to effect her release, security operatives were confident that the 78-year-old woman would soon be freed. Some persons have, according to security sources, been arrested and given the police vital information to fast track investigation. The abduction of the Speak-

er’s mother was reportedly carried out by heavily armed gunmen who stormed the riverside community in two speedboats at about 12.30a.m and disappeared into the mangrove creek with their victim. How the gunmen evaded the military checkpoints in the waterways where travelers are subjected to the humiliating experience of raising their hands up on approaching such spots is still a mystery. Community politics and breach of peace Informed sources confided in Sunday Vanguard that the incident may not be unconnected with the politics of the oil-rich community. The abduction was said to be

a build up to a high wire politics of who becomes the next chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC) of Korokorosei community. Sunday Vanguard learnt that one Iniyonkpoemi Benson, a younger brother of the Speaker, served as the CDC chairman from January, 2012 to December 31, 2012. By the constitution of the community, the source added, only a single tenure of one year is allowed for a serving CDC chairman and his executives, noting that as soon as the tenure expires after twelve months, another chairman and a team of executives are elected to take over. However the source alleged

that the Speaker influenced the elongation of his brother’s tenure to two years, a development that did not go down well with some people in the community. It was learnt that going by the community’s zoning formula, Ayakoromo compound would have produced the next CDC chairman after the expiration of Iniyonkpoemi Benson’s tenure on December 31, 2012. But rather than allow the smooth transition, rotating from one compound to another, an informed source told Sunday Vanguard that politics of tenure elongation was smuggled in, thereby causing disaffection among the natives. The Speaker’s mother, it was learnt, only recently returned to the community after a long stay at his son’s Assembly Quarters’ residence in Yenagoa. Elders, youths exonerate Speaker over tenure elongation crisis But a faction of the community sympathetic to the Speaker exonerated him from any complicity in the alleged tenure elongation, saying it was the decision of the entire community. The community Youth President, Mr. Ebidimie Alafa; the woman leader, Mrs. Florence Agama; and Chief J.B Bazighe, among others, said a meeting of stakeholders extended the tenure of the CDC executives, and that the Speaker played no role in the resolutions. They insisted that the decision to approve and extend the tenure of the incumbent CDC executives led by Iniokpoemi Friday Benson was taken at a town hall meeting with over 500 indigenes of the community present. According to them, the speaker attended the meeting as an indigene of the community and not as the Speaker of the House of Assembly.

Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife loses mother in-law

HIEF (Mrs) Juliana Ade banke Okunowo (a.k.a. Iya Eleja), the Iya-Ijo of St. Louis Catholic Church, Ijebu-Ife, Ogun State, is dead, aged 96. She passed on to eternal glory on Friday, 11 January. Funeral arrangements begin on Thursday, 24 January with Woro Dance to be followed by service of songs on Friday, 25, January at her residence, Itun Molipa Aiyegbami, Eyindi, Ijebu-Ife. Her remains will be buried at the Catholic cemetery, Eyindi, Ijebu-Ife on Saturday, 26 January after a funeral service at St. Louis Catholic Church, Eyindi Ijebu-Ife. She is survived by the wife of Ajalorun of Ijebu-Ife, Oba A.A. Oguntayo, Yinka; the Matron of Gbagada General Hospital, Lagos, Mrs Bunmi Laja; CEO, Fowobi Petroleum and Gas Limited and executive directors viz: Mrs Oluwadamilare Spence, Mrs Muyiwa Martins, Prince Olugbenga Oguntayo, Prince Olukayode Oguntayo and Prince Tosin Oguntayo. C M Y K

SUNDAY

Vanguard , JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 17 2013,PAGE

The Kayode Fayemi Interview

Why I’m not talking nd about 2 Term now, by Gov. Fayemi

*Speaks on the delivery of 33,000 lap tops for secondary school students *’Less that 100,000 people cannot take 90% of Ekiti funds’ *On constitution amendment: ‘We should focus on ties that bind us’

BY JIDE AJANI

overnor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State last October marked his two years in office. In this interview, Fayemi reflects on the challenges of the 24 months as the chief helmsman of his state. He also speaks on his endorsement for second term by his party, Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), based on the mid term report of his administration. On regional integration being championed by his party in the SouthWest, the governor says the ongoing constitution review ought to emphasise the needs that strengthen us as a nation. Though it was a chance meeting, the interview is still revealing. Excerpts: Two years on, what would you say you’ve seen so far that are markedly different from what you’d expected as challenges of governance? Well, substantially, there has not been anything that we are grappling with that are not your day- to- day issues that anyone in government is not grappling with. I think it is the clarity of your vision and the programmatic approach that determines what you’re able to do. The only areas I can say things have not turned out to be what I expect-

ed are in the areas of timing and sequencing. There are things that you have as your agenda that have image relevance. But, as you know, change is difficult. You need to sometimes shift the timing of your actions because of the reactions on the ground; sometimes you need to build a consensus around a particular issue but which is not in tandem with your vision because you want to hit the ground running and, by the

ourselves because we’ve met our targets on those issues that are very critical to us and we’re moving apace with the level of development we would like to see albeit slower in some areas and on time and on target in other areas…. And in some areas you are seen as being combative Of course and in some areas meeting the challenges of building consensus. Yes that is a major challenge

The needs we just talked about are Nigerian needs and they are needs which should strengthen our bond as a nation; but the reality is that change would not be wholesale but incremental time you build the consensus around that issue, it may not fit into your plan. But because we were clear and we had enough time to plan, we’ve been able to execute our agenda within the time frame. So, where are you now two years after? In terms of where we are, we are not in any way removed from the timetable we set for

– consensus building because when you have many people, it is not easy pulling in one direction and there are times you ask yourself if it is worth it banging my head against the wall and the people you’re doing it for sometimes do not appreciate. But as a historian and a student of philosophy, you can even be a detractor of what is good for you because of ignorance. No government can do de-

velopment to the people; you only do development with the people because if you don’t do it with the people, you cannot get the result you want. Therefore, you need a collective approach that everybody buys into. We can build a state that can succeed for the pride of all of us but, in politics, what is good for Governor Fayemi may make us look bad; so we refuse to see anything good in his government. How have you been able to balance your vision for the people and the expectations of a people who have become so used to a leadership that cannot be trusted? Your question is very very critical. The theme around our second year celebration relates to that question and it is about reclaiming the trust of the people because governments come and go and have failed to deliver. In our own case, we made promises that appeared very utopian; so it even made it more difficult for them to believe that we could deliver. We promised social security (which had never been done before in this country); we promised that we were going to put a laptop on the desk of every secondary school students; we promised that all roads in the state would be very motorable.

When we came in and they really started seeing that these things were being done, the trust of the people increased; and even when some of those things appeared far-fetched, people began to believe that Fayemi would not say what he’s not going to do and that is the essence of governance – fulfillment of the social contract within the limited resources. Where challenges occur, you level with the people immediately and explain to them what the challenges are. One of the basic thrusts of my work this year is to increase the level of community empowerment because the feedback we’re getting is that “ we like what you’re doing with our roads, schools and hospitals and the new look of the state capital, but we think you must balance physical development with human development and we want more direct empowerment of the populace”. But how do you relate with a populace that has developed and is very comfortable with a culture of entitlement? Good. We are dealing with a populace that has huge (some unrealistic) expectations from government and sees government as that institution that should dole money out. But it is supposed to be an institution that should engender an atmosphere that would allow for that creativity in every individual to blossom. For a social democratic party, this issue with labour continues to dog your administration. In tackling the challenge, some people believe that there could have been a better approach to the labour-related issues. The question now is, how do you manage a process that has your vision, expectations of the people as well as their demands which are sometimes not in sync? Fair question! You can always manage any process better. Upon reflection, there are things we could have done differently to achieve the same objective of improving the quality of teachers in the state. But there are also things that we have done clearly well. I’m not excusing government. My attitude is communication, engagement and empowerment and to ensure that those who would be the beneficiary of any process take hold of it

Continues on page 18

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Vanguard , JANU ARY 20, 2013 JANUARY

‘Less than 100,000 people cannot take 90% of Ekiti funds’

Continued from page 17 (that is the essence of governance) but let’s stick to the facts. What are the facts? e are saying to la bour that it is in the interest of labour as

a body to protect those who are legitimate workers and to get rid of those who are illegitimate, who are ghost workers taking advantage of the system to the detriment of the legitimate workers who we expect a level of productivity from. That is the crux of the issue with the local government workers; we insist on knowing the number of legitimate workers. Mind you, we have no problem with minimum wage but we do not want to pay those who are not workers and we expect labour to be the champion of that. It’s best to put some people in the local government system in places where they would be able to advance their careers – like teachers, health workers an co – instead of keeping them to stagnate on levels that would not advance their careers; and we’re saying go to places where your certificates would be deemed appropriate for promotion, career enhancement and improving their sense of self- worth. That is all. Thankfully, that is being successfully handled. What about the teachers’ crisis? I grew up in Ekiti and I know we had teachers with good quality. The education summit we organized when we came to office made recommendations. We’ve refurbished, we’ve rebuilt and we’ve renovated all schools in Ekiti within our first two years. We have provided the first 33,000 computers we promised and another18,000 on soft loans for teachers – in addition to the 33,000 for the students. We have 100,000 students in our secondary schools. Our promise during campaigns was that by 2014, we would have put a solar-powered laptop on the desks of all our students. We have also increased the grant that goes to every school per child and teachers are not owed any salaries in the state. Therefore, we have a legitimate right to demand of teachers – because if we do all these and the teachers for which we have done all these are not in sync with our agenda, it would be bandage on bullet wounds. We’re not doing well in Ekiti because we cannot be a state where 16% of students we present for WASCE pass only five credits. We have a history and if 70% pass we would be deemed to just be getting there. When we discovered that this was a problem not just of students, parents or government but of teachers, we had to do something. We’re not saying teachers are no good. It is just a specific request that we assess where the gaps are and let us help them to become better teachers through regular capacity building programmes and regular assessment of your ability to teach. They have come to

Gov Fayemi... Our success story is there for all to see

that realization but we are also dealing with a recalcitrant institution that is sometimes easy to take advantage of by those who have their own agenda but we must continue to engage because we want to produce better students who have careers in future that would help them escape a life of indolence and violence. You get N2.5billion every month from the federally allocated revenue. How do you strike a balance between recurrent expenditure and the need to deliver on campaign promises? Huge disparity between salaries you pay every month and what is left for development. To me, my attitude has always been the need to fulfill my pledges to my people and those pledges are not just recurrent. Although, the people who benefit from the recurrent expenditure are the most vocal and vociferous; in terms of population figures, they are very tiny and I have not allowed that to deter me. Our central programme permeates every family – social security, education, health infrastructure, the voluntary employment programme, rural electrification –they are the things that help create wealth. The money that is spent by those workers circulate within Ekiti State and helps to develop the state. However, what you hear from civil servants which is derisive is

that we are the priority because “Ekiti is a civil service state”. It is a derisory remark because I don’t want Ekiti to be a civil service state but a wealth creating state and how do you create wealth if the money goes into recurrent and not security or investment? On tourism, security, agriculture and so on, those are the things I’m putting money to without ignoring the civil servants but the greater challenge is that we cannot sustain that over a long time. Less than 100,000 people cannot take 90% of the resources and yet we expect develop-

their identity. And there is an economy of scale that can emerge from that collaboration. There are issues peculiar to Lagos (because of its nature) which are not available in Ekiti or Osun. But there are lessons we can learn for collaborative purposes. In the area of having a common agriculture policy, or a transportation hub by rail, or a common university framework and curriculum, there is no competition over that and, as a matter of fact, we have a template – the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria, DAWN – which explains the mode of engagement for collaboration. In the agriculture sector, for instance, the bulk of the food that comes down here is from the North and because of the issues of insecurity and the challenges faced by farmers in the North, certain things are now scarce in the market and we came to the conclusion that we can do better down here because the market here is a N3billion a day market. Lagos is being encouraged to take land in the sister states for agricultural purposes and work is going on in that direction – in fact Lagos has applied for land from all of us. Maybe we should pay more at-

idea whose time has come and all we need to do is put practical markers on the ground for people to see. Realistically, do you see this constitution being amended to accommodate the needs we’ve just discussed? The needs we just talked about are Nigerian needs and they are needs which should strengthen our bond as a nation but the reality is that change would not be wholesale but incremental. We are not going to get everything we want wholesale. Your party surprised many; some were even shocked when it declared that you would be presented for the 2014 election. For a party which prides itself as being well steeped in democratic ethos, that sends a wrong signal. Why the hastiness? We are just in mid term and we still have a lot of work to do. I’m concentrating on the work at hand. You can direct the question to the party but the party has its own ways of doing things. The party has not and did not by any means foreclose any race. The party said based on the evidence before it just two years into the administration, it is happy with the work its candidate has done. There are rules and those who may have an interest to run for governorship on the platform of the party have not been barred from contesting. There is a process that would be followed and I’m sure you have not heard me anywhere talk about second term. It is the work of our administration that the people will use to determine the votes we would get and I can assure you that the votes would be bipartisan. Those who would vote for us would on their own see that we have delivered and it would cut across party lines because what we are delivering is for every son and daughter of Ekiti State. We have said that this year would be a year of empowerment. The challenge is to turn a rural economy into a modern economy and we know that the opportunities are limitless for us. Our people have seen evidence. of delivery but we are determined to do more transparently.

Those who would vote for us would on their own see that we have delivered and it would cut across party lines because what we are delivering is for sons and daughters of Ekiti State ment. We must re-order our priorities such that those in the concretely productive sector of the economy, which is agriculture, receive adequate incentive from government so as to create a sustainable economy. Your party is spear-heading this integration policy in development but some people have doubts. In the long run, how do you see the process being managed for effectiveness. Regional integration is a development paradigm that we have engaged and that does not mean that people should lose

tention to the symbolic things that can give form rather that substance so that people would know that it is not just about lip service. What about the institutional and structural aspects of this paradigm because the constitution of Nigeria poses its own challenge? You are absolutely right because we cannot do this in isolation. If you have a constitution and a central government that undermines your process of integration..... It is not just the South West alone; the other zones too have their issues and it is an

SUND AY SUNDA

PROLOGUE

LEMENTARY lunacy – the idea that the insistent repetition of a process can lead to a completely different outcome! We can leave psychologists to determine if that form of lunacy is elementary or not. But it is pure lunacy. Nigerians who continue to wonder aloud why the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, with its regime of crises has not crumbled need not wonder at all. It will not. The ties that bind the leaders of the party are such that the party members and leaders can continue to suffer serial folly. The ties that bind the leaders (and even owners) of the party can be encapsulated thus: wealth, property and power. That is what binds them together. Mind you, some other political parties, too, do have them. To understand the mentality of PDP leaders (and by extension, the typical Nigerian politician) you need to understand their perception of wealth and power and the relationship that exists between both. It was Andrew Chua who wrote that “some have said that Wealth is Power. But it is equally well-known that Power brings Wealth. So what is the relationship between these two objects of desire? Which brings which? Which is the chicken and which is the egg? When we combine the definitions of Wealth and Power, we get the correct perspective to view these two subjects.

PDP CRISES

The ties that bind

*How quest for wealth and power hold politicians together

BY JIDE AJANI

Vanguard, JANU ARY 20, 2013, P AGE 19 JANUARY PA

The ties that bind them are wealth and power. The roots of the dog-eat-dog syndrome that manifests in every aspect of PDP’s modus operandi can be located in the quest for and retention of wealth and power

The truth is, Wealth is ONE TYPE of Power. Wealth itself can also be traded for other types of power. You can use wealth to influence those in positions of authority, through both legitimate lobbying and corruption. So the question of 'Do you want wealth or power?' is in itself faulty. Wealth is one type of power. It's like asking if you prefer apples or fruits. A better question would be 'Do you prefer Wealth or Authority?' Maybe this is what people really mean when they

ask the afore-mentioned famous question. Now we are correctly asking if you prefer apples or oranges. And of course, like choosing between two different species of fruits, the answer comes down to personal preference”. For those who own PDP, they want all. And any which way, the one brings the other. But which one first! Both; depending on the status at the point of entry. And because they want all, they

create all manner of confusion in their bid to get all. Even the simple matter of laid down procedure by their own hand is treated with scornful disdain. That is why the aggregate of litigations from internal crises of all the political parties in the country during the 2011 elections are just about half of what was generated by PDP’s shambling approach to the observance of its own rules. Today, intrigues and surfeit of distractive tendencies to good governance have become the hallmarks of PDP. Not that the other political parties conform to a modicum of decent conduct in their activities too, the one-chance problem Nigeria has found itself in, and which is the vehicle of PDP, is that just as both Olusegun Obasanjo and late Umaru Musa Yar ’Adua spent more time attempting to resolve intra-party crises, even President Goodluck Jonathan, too, now spend more time interfering via subterfuge in the affairs of an already shambolic party. But at every turn of the road when PDP’s detractors profess that the party would collapse, it bounces back in its own way. So, how do PDP leaders do it? The ties that bind them are wealth and power. The roots of the dog-eatdog syndrome that manifests in every aspect of PDP’s modus operandi can be located in the quest for and retention of wealth and power. From elbowing one another out of electoral contests, to breaking limbs and bruising heads, to inflicting maximum embarrassment, and allegations and threats of assassination and assassinations, leaders of PDP, nevertheless, still find common ground. And that is why every contestation for power is derisively termed a family affair. Members of that family run on the steroids of distrust for one another and treachery against same. Most of the leaders must of necessity swim or sink with the party; the few who have tried to break away have almost always become targets of anti-corruption agencies. A few have been killed mysteriously and not one of the murders has been resolved. The latest round of acrimony in the party, made worse by the crisis in its Adamawa State Chapter revolves round the issue of following due process of its own laid down rules which are obeyed in the breach rather than observance. Pray, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the party’s National Secretary, who was sacked by the courts penultimate Friday, emerged in a manner that was at once flawed and improper – at least that was what the court pronounced. By the same token, how did Bamangar Tukur, the chairman, emerge? How did President Jonathan become the party ’s candidate for the 2011 election? Though there are a few good men in that same conclave, those who own the party must have their way always. And that is why Nigeria is where Nigeria is – because those who own PDP and who have owned Nigeria since 1999 rely on the pursuit and retention of wealth and power. C M Y K

P AGE 20—SUND AY PA 20—SUNDA

Vanguard , JANU ARY 20, 2013 JANUARY

Confusion unlimited inside PDP *Cold water on Bamangar Tukur's reconciliation moves *How Adamawa congresses tore NWC apart BY HENRY UMORU

C M Y K

zObasanjo....The PDP at the moment is troubled and like a joke

zJonathan....The NWC members were summoned

z Oyinlola.... The Court sacked Oyinlola as the National Secretary

zTukur...Reconciliation has been a major headache

IF Bamangar Tukur, elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on March 27, 2012, had expected the high wire politics of the partyy to be anything near the Second Rewpublic politics of old Gongola State, he was gravely mistaken - thirty years ago, he was governor of the defunct Gongola State now Adawawa and Taraba States. Tukur who spoke at Wadata Plaza, National Secretariat of the party when he formally took over, had said, ‘’we have come to transform and build a great Party, not to play politics. We have come to help politicians play a decent politics, politics based on fairness and level playing field. We have come to be those neutral referees the PDP needs right now.’’ But the reconciliation move of the National Chairman has faced serious opposition by state governors who will not want those members especially their former political godfathers turned foes, to return to the fold. The PDP had a deluge of pre and post congress issues in some states including Ogun where the party is split between former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Governor Gbenga Daniel factions, while a raging crisis in Edo is between some members who are asking the Dan Orbih-led party to resign, alleging that he did not lead the party well, which they say is the reason why the PDP lost the gubernatorial election to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, last year. Reconciliation has been a major headache for Tukur as nothing has been achieved in this direction - PDP governors in Plateau, Kano, Abia, Enugu, Taraba, and leaders of the party in Ekiti and Anambra States are not comfortable with Tukur ’s move and are not prepared to key into the agenda of allowing some members who left the party to return. The PDP at the moment is troubled and like a joke, it started in the dormain of Tukur, Adamawa State, with the sack of the chapter's exco, led by Alhaji Umaru Mijinyawa Kugama, deemed loyal to the state governor, Admiral Murtala Nyako, rtd in October last year. Ambassador Umar Damagun nine-member caretaker Committee was immediately put in place to oversee the affairs of the party there. Emmanuel Tsamdu was

The governors had to come in with threats of sack of the present NWC and a Caretaker Committee put in place if the decision on Adamawa State was not reversed. Their decision was hinged in the issue of precedence, that if such an action was not taken, the leadership of the party could just sit down in Abuja and dissolve the state excos

appointed to serve as the Secretary with Mr. Eli Gamaliel; Barr. Dahir u Shehu; Alhaji. Sabo Mohammed; Mrs Grace Mamba; Mrs. Altine Inuwa; Adamu Wazirin Paka; and Mr. Samuel Zadok as members. The decision to sack the Adamawa State Executive was announced through a

statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, who said in October last year that the dissolved exco had "flagrantly disregarded and shown serial disobedience to the decisions of the NWC. ‘’On behalf of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our great party, the

National Working Committee hereby dissolves the Adamawa State Executive Committee of the PDP. "This is in exercise of Article 31, section 2(e) and 29, 2(b) of the 2012 amended constitution of our party and consequent on repeated breaches of the constitution by the Adamawa State chapter. A caretaker committee has been set up in its place." "Article 31(2) (e) specifically empowers the NWC thus: " where necessary, dissolve a State Executive Committee and appoint a caretaker committee to run the party until another Executive Committee is elected , provided that the period from the dissolution to the election of the new Executive shall not exceed 3 months." Metuh noted further that the dissolved exco conducted illegal local government elections and still went ahead to submit a list of candidates

to the State Independent National Electoral Commission without the approval of the NWC. He said, "this is contrary to the provisions of Section 50(1) of the constitution of the party which among others, states emphatically that the National Executive Committee which the NWC acts on behalf of in this respect, is the final authority for the formulation of guidelines and regulations for the nomination of candidates for election into public offices at all levels and conveying same to INEC or any other authority to whom it may concern. ‘’The NWC also referred to complaints and petitions from principal stakeholders of the party in Adamawa State on various unconstitutional acts of the dissolved state exco, especially the principle of zoning as enshrined in Article

Continues on page 21

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard , JANU ARY 20, 2013, P AGE 21 JANUARY PA

How Adamawa congresses tore NWC apart Continued from page 19

z Nyako.... The Adamawa problem became so heightened

decision by recalling the sacked Adamawa State Executive Committee. This decision was the anticlimax of the fight for supremacy for the soul of Adamawa PDP between Nyako and Tukur, but the reversal was done in a way that the National Chairman was not around - a decision concerning his state was taken in his absence but with the excuse that he was preparing for the meeting of the Board of Trustees, BoT where a new Chairman ought to have emerged. Even the Bot election which could not hold was because former President Obasanjo almost snatched the slot from under the nose of President Jonathan inside Aso Rock. The

7(3)(e) of the party constitution as well as several letters from INEC complaining of non compliance with relevant laws in the conduct of the Adamawa State congresses.’’ Barely twenty-four hours after the sack, the embattled Adamawa State governor took the next available flight to Abuja to beg Tukur and other members of the NWC for forgiveness having agreed that he erred. He met them at the PDP Presidential Campaign office, Legacy House, Maitama, Abuja. It was difficult for the party to reverse its decision for fear of not setting a very bad precedent or a case of not starting what it could not finish. The governor was also having problems in his home state with elders, stakeholders and leaders of the party. When Nyako’s pleas fell on deaf ears, he went to his colleagues, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, for help. The Chairman of NGF and Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Amaechi, led others to the National Secretariat, but still the leadership of the party was adamant and found it difficult to change the decision. The governors are the leaders of the party in their respective states with enormous powers to swing anything to their side - they were behind the emergence of Tukur and other members of the NWC as well as being responsible for their nomination. The governors had to come in with threats of sack of the present NWC and a Caretaker Committee put in place if the decision on Adamawa State was not reversed. Their decision was hinged in the issue of precedence, that if such an action was not taken, the leadership of the party could just sit down in Abuja and dissolve the state excos. President Goodluck Jonathan was said to have set up the Governor Sule Lamido Ad-hoc Committee on the resolution of the Adamawa State crisis. The Adamawa problem became so heightened because of allegations that Tukur was pushing to ensure that his son, Awwal, replaces Nyako, as the governor. Sunday Vanguard gathered that some members of the NWC had spoken and preached to as well as beg Tukur that he could play the game without overheating the party. But last week, for fear of being thrown out by the ‘Almighty Governors’ and the opposition not taking advantage of the logjam at a time of opposition merger plans, the leadership of the party, that could be termed the group of ten in the NWC, bowed to pressure from governors elected on the party’s platform and made a great U-Turn on its earlier

zAmaechi....Governors had to come in with threats of sack

2013 the members of the NWC acting under Article 29(3), and with ten members present out of the twelve, held an emergency NWC on this burning subject. The emergency NWC decided to announce the following: The NWC in its 325th meeting of Wednesday 12th December 2012 had rescinded the dissolution of the PDP Adamawa State Executive. ‘’The NWC had earlier dissolved the Adamawa State Executive under Article 29(2)(b) wherein we acted on behalf of Article 31(2)(e) powers of the NEC. But it is instructive to note that the Ward and Local government executives of Adamawa State were never dissolved. ‘’Infact at its 314th meeting of 29th August 2012 the NWC had upheld the March 2012

Even the slot of Speaker, House of Representatives, reserved for the South West, was taken by North West in a high wire game of politics which left President Jonathan and former President Obasanjo scratching their heads in utter embarrassment

intrigues that attended the me eting forced a

postponement. Announcing the decision of the party to rescind its decision on Adamawa State, the PDP Deputy National Chairman, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja however described the congress held in the state as null and void and that it never got the backing of the NWC. Also present at the briefing were the National Secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola; National Legal Adviser, Victor Kwon; National Woman Leader, Ambassador Kema Chikwe; National Youth leader, Garba Umar Chiza; National Auditor, Chief Bode Mustapha; National Organising Secretar y, Abubakar Mustapha; National Treasurer, Bala K aoje; National Financial Secretary, Elder Bolaji Akpan Anani and National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh. The only NWC members absent were the National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur and the Deputy National Secretary, Solomon Onwe. Jaja at the briefing said, ‘’Today the 8th day of January

ward and local government executives except for one LGA which was later ratified. The NWC is therefore surprised, shocked and embarrassed to read in the Newspapers of the purported ward, local government and state congresses said to be on going in Adamawa State. ‘’ For the records, the National Working Committee, hereby dissociate the Party leadership from the purported congresses which were neither authorized by the NWC nor monitored and/or supervised by the National Secretariat. In the history of the PDP only the National Secretariat of the PDP conducts state congresses. ‘’Based upon th e above

therefore the NWC hereby declare the purported congresses null, void and of no effect whatsoever. ‘’Consequently we hereby declare that the only state executive committee constitutionally recognized by this Party is the Mijinyawa Kugama Executive lawfully e lected in March 2012 and

endorsed by the National Convention.’’ Contrary to the issues raised that the Adamawa Congresses were never authorised by the national leadership of the party, Sunday Vanguard gathered that Bamanga Tukur and Oyinlola jointly signed a letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, notifying the Commission of party congresses in Adamawa State. The letter which was dated December 5, 2012 read ‘’in keeping with the provisions of Section 87 of the Electoral Act 2010, we write to inform the INEC that the National Working Committee, NWC of our Great Party has approved the conduct of the following Party Congresses in Adamawa State, sequel to the upcoming Party Congresses in the State. Ward Congresses, December 27,2012; LGA Congresses, January 3, 2013; State Congress, January 8, 2013.’’ There was another letter signed by the National Organising Secretar y, Abubakar Mustapha, dated December 6, 2012, and addressed to the PDP Caretaker Committee, Adamawa State Chapter of the approval of a time-table for the congresses on the above dates with Appeals on State Congress fixed for January 10, 2013. Relying on these decisions, Tukur described the decision and action by the ten members of the NWC to reinstate the sacked Exco as stabbing him on the back and a total betrayal of trust from those who were privy to the action and who even signed. As the problem continued, there was no longer trust as members avoided one another. Members even snubbed one another. The NWC members were summoned to As Rock Presidential Villa by the president, but he was said to have asked them at the meeting to go and work together for the interest of the party and the nation. Rather than drive in the same bus with the Chairman to Villa for the meeting, others left the same time at 11.02am and Tukur later drove out of the Secretariat at 1.18pm, probably to Villa for same meeting. Just as they were recovering from this, the Court sacked Oyinlola as the National Secretary. Tukur savouring the scent of

a pound of flesh, immediately asked the Deputy Secretary, Solomon Onwe, to take over in an acting capacity. The exit of Oyinlola, which may be temporary following the appeal by the PDP, will affect the political equation of the party because the South West may be schemed out of the position like in the case of South East when it lost the position of National Chairman following the removal of Prince Vincent Ogbulafor from Abia State, and Dr. Ezekwesilie Nwodo from Enugu State, who were replaced by the immediate past Minister of Defence, Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed from Kebbi State, North West and the same tenure later completed by Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Kwara, North Central. With the movement of Baraje, who was then the National Secretary to the top to replace Bello Mohammed, who was until then Acting National Chairman, was the Deputy National Chairman – even the slot of Speaker, House of Representatives, reserved for the South West, was taken by North West in a high wire game of politics which left President Jonathan and former President Obasanjo scratching their heads in utter embarrassment. But the people of the zone are insisting that they should complete the tenure of Oyinlola if he would not be reinstated. Chief Ebenezer Babatope, who is also from Osun State and a major contender for the position before he was forced to step down for Oyinlola, is waiting in the wings. It will be recalled that when Audu Ogbeh, Benue, North Central left as PDP National Chairman, Ahmadu Ali, Kogi also from the same zone completed the tenure, just as when the former National Secretar y, Chief Ojo Maduekwe, from Abia State, South East, became a Minister, late Bernard Eze from Enugu State stepped in and also when John Odey, Cross River, South South, was the National Publicity Secretary and later made the Minister of Information, Lady Ime Udom, Akwa Ibom, South South stepped in and completed the term. As the party awaits the outcome of the appeal as that would determine the next line of action of the party and whether permanent peace will return to the PDP family, and also as we await the outcome of Tukur ’s meeting with former President and exchairman, Board of Trustees, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; Chief Ebenezer Babatope; former Minister of Justice,

Chief Richard Akinjide; Senator Bode Olajumoke; former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George; General Olatunji Olurin; Chief Dapo Sarumi; Professor Tunde Adeniran, Engr. Segun Oni; Otunba Oyewole Fashawej Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun; Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo, Chief Yekeen Adeojo, Chief Lekan Balogun, and Chief Joju Fadiro, tension is still in the air.

PAGE 22—SUNDAY VANGUARD , JANUARY 20, 2013

Dear Rebecca

I hate him kissing me! Dear Rebecca

’m a 14-year -old girl in need of your help. I have a boyfriend I met when I was 13 years old and things have been going on well until recently. He keeps asking for sex which I refuse him. Whenever he kisses me, I feel disgusted. Aunty, tell me what I should do. Mary, Lagos REPL Y REPLY

’m sure you know what my answer would be. At fourteen, you should merely be on greeting terms with boys, not even stopping to chat with them, unless they are your relations or it is a class room situation and you are discussing your studies. As from 16, you can have boys as friends so that you can get to study and understand them. You can chat with them about studies and general things happening around you. No romance . You are mere pals with these boys who must be focused and responsible, and are known to your parents. You meet in open places to exchange books, magazines, clean cds and dvds,etc. When you are above 18 and are in a higher institution, you can have romantic relationships with boys known to your parents and approved by them. Body contact

should be limited to holding hands, hugs, and the occasional kiss. Don’t go necking with any boy in a car or corner, as this can lead to heavy petting and sex, which could lead to unwanted pregnancy and likely abortion, as well as venereal diseases. Don’t talk of everlasting love and marriage, and don’t stop these boys from having other girls. Asking for and accepting gifts and money would embolden a boy to ask for sex as a way of getting his money back. A girl who asks for money from boys cheapens herself. If you move with responsible boys or girls who have good morals, you will be able to keep your virginity until you get married. When you’re in love with the right person at the right time, you would enjoy body contact and his kiss. At present, you’re still a child and not a at all ready for a romantic relationship. Don’t try to imitate the children in western countries who start dating at the age of eleven or twelve with the consent of their parents. This is totally wrong as these kids are propelled into an adult world too early and they can’t handle it. Hence they rely on drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol, to help them cope. Enjoy your youth , doing the innocent things which makes being young a pleasure . Postpone dating and romance and all the heartache they can bring one.

Don’t try to imitate the children in western countries who start dating at the age of eleven or twelve with the consent of their parents. This is totally wrong as these kids are propelled into an adult world too early and they can’t handle it

am a boy of twenty one. I have some problems bothering me. I have many girls as friends. Each time I attempt singling one out for an intimate relationship, the friendship becomes ruined. I admire girls a lot and don’t really mind any embarrassment from them. But after the initial greeting and introduction how do I go about making my intentions clear to the girl? I have never had any sexual relationship with any girl. Now this happen to be my greatest desire. I got so desperate to a have a sex that I even went to a prostitute. It didn’t take

Dying for intimacy! up to five minutes before she sent me off that I don’t know how to make love. In addition I do have sudden erection even when I am not thinking about sex. Is it normal? What can be the cause? Do you think I may have contacted any disease from the prostitute? How do I check myself? Is it possible for me to impregnant a girl for the first time? In your opinion would you say that I am still a virgin? I am dying to have sex. Please help. Sanya, Ikeja.

REPL Y REPLY

es, you can make a girl pregnant the first time you make love. This is why you must use the condom every time you make love, until you have a wife. The condom will also help reduce the risk of contracting venereal diseases. No, self-respect girl would want a man who goes about asking for sex. So leave these girls alone and next time around, go for friendship only. Girls were not created for men to satisfy their sexual urge as they

like. I advise that you stop thinking of sex all the time and feeling deprived. You will continue to look desperately for a sex partner if you don’t take your mind off the matter. It would not be the lack of sex that would make you ill, It would be your constant longing. Life holds more interesting things than sex which is only a few minutes pleasure. What about your studies or career? What about hobbies- music, sport, reading, voluntary work, or helping around the house? When you are gainfully employed you would not depend on sex to make you feel good. When you have developed good friendship with a girl tell her you like her and wait for her reaction. If she says nothing, but continues with friendship, go easy and do not immediately ask for sex. Some girls do not want sex before marriage,and some don’t mind if they really fancy a man. They may even give you hints that they want to make love. Wait for those signals. Meanwhile get a good book about body development, growing up, and sex. You would learn more about love and sex. This would make you develop a healthy attitude about these things.

Can’t decide which man I prefer! Dear Rebecca

am a 19-year-old virgin, seeking ad mission into the university. I’m from a rich and disciplined christian family. For eight months now, I’ve been in a relationship with a 28-year-old selffinancing final year student who has never bought me a gift. I’m not too bothered by this as he probably can’t afford it, but a girl likes a surprise gift or outing, to make a relationship enjoyable. I never allowed him sex, even though he kept asking. This made me feel selfish , mean and heartless. My feelings of guilt for not allowing him sex made me break up with him and I fell in love with another guy who is

a 25-year-old final year student. He is also demanding for sex, and he is really pursuing me . Now, I’m back with the first guy but the second guy wants me at all costs. Aunty, who should I choose? The first guy or the second who likes to have his way. But how can I make both men understand that there can b true love without sex? Confused girlfriend Lagos REPL Y REPLY

oor you! How stressed you must be about these demands for sex when your top priority in life now should be gaining admission into a higher institution of learning so that you can prepare for

a profession. At 19, a girl who has completed her studies could be ready for a romantic relationship and marriage, but that’s not your case. You have some way to go before you are ready. So, don’t waste time and energy worrying about whether you should allow a boyfriend sex or not, or wondering which of the two them you should have as boyfriend. That is not your portion now. Yours is to have boys as friends just like you have girls . There should be no special boy. This would give you the opportunity to get to study and understand the boys

and know the type you would like to date and marry later in life. Boys normally demand sex from girls whether they are in love with them or not, and some could do or say anything to achieve their aim. A sensible girl would refuse firmly and would not allow any setting (like meeting in a room alone or secret places) that could lead to sex. When a determined boy gets you alone in the room , sex can happen, either with you weakening and bending to his pressure, or he forcing you (rape) . Afterward, he may apologize, but you would have lost a very precious thing; your virginity2012

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

SUNDAY

Vanguard ,

JANUARY 20, 2013,

PAGE 23

Infidelity: A case of chop-and- wipe mouth?

NE thing about sinking your teeth into the forbidden fruit is you never know when to stop. It is a fearful prospect. You are married, probably with a few kids. The loveof-your-life is no longer as stany – eyed about you as he used to be. He has other irons in the fire. How to keep his family off the bread-line, how to hold down his highly competitive job. On top of which there are a few temptations he just couldn’t resist himself. You are bored. Apart from the excitement of getting dressed for the office, there is virtually nothing to tickle your fancy when you get home. Hubby is scarcely there and when he eventually shows, he bolts down his dinner, makes a play of showing interest in what the kids were up to during the day, then crawls into bed, snoring his head off in minutes! At least this was the situation that Tina found herself some months back. Then she dropped her bombshell: “I’ve met up with my ex,” she said excitedly, her eyes sparkling, “and we’ve had awesome sex, twice now!” Just like that? “I get so much romance and affection from him than the man I ended up mar-

rying” she defended herself. Just turned 40, her husband is two years older. They’d been married for 14 years and have three children. “I hooked up with my ex through Facebook,” she went on with this forbidden-fruit story. “He also has three children but has never been married. His kids live with their mothers so it was easy to meet up at his flat. The first time 1 stepped foot in the flat, my heart was pounding, I’d never been unfaithful before and there was this fear 1 might get caught. My ex didn’t look much different after all these years and as soon as 1 sailed through the door, he made a grab for me, kissing me passionately.

he past years ceased to exist. It was magical as 1 was transported back to the days when we couldn’t get enough of each other. Ignoring the drinks and snacks he had ready on the dining table, we just went for the sex - and it was as good as ever. “I would have married him ifl hadn’t met my husband. I chose my husband because 1 knew he would be a better provider. 1 didn’t particularly love him, but 1

have groWn to. You may say it is just lust with my ex but 1 feel a connection with him and 1 want to be like a wife to him. 1 wish we’d never broken up. My husband works long hours and he doesn’t give spontaneous sex like my ex. He’s not even romantic. My ex is still not financially well off, so there’s no way 1 would leave my husband for him. But 1 crave a man who shares romantic moments with me and my ex does. 1 just might juggle the two of them so I get financial security with my husband and hot sex with my ex!”

ow naive can you get. Unfortunately,

when a woman gets so much hot ants in her pants, counselling her is a waste of time until she bums her fingers. The normal ups and downs of married life had obviously led her to idealise an ex who gave her a very exciting break from her dull marriage. Tina knew on which side her bread was buttered. If she left her husband for her ex, she would soon realise that life on the breadline could be really frustrating - especially with her kids and his. Has she tried talking to her workaholic of a husband? She didn’t give me a convincing answer. She was still high on her new found ex!

When I next saw her, she still had the glow. “I feel like Jezebel!” She confided. Now what?! “My husband must have suspected I was up to no good when I was no longer interested in luring him to bed. If he wanted sex, it was on my terms and most times, I told him I was tired. He’d played that game a few times himself. Let’s see how he liked it! One evening, after I’d had a particularly hot session with my ex, I hurried home and couldn’t have a wash before my husband showed up. “It was obvious he wanted sex. Well, let him stew in his own juice. I wasted a lot of time coming to the bedroom convinced he would be snoring his head of. But he wasn’t. He was making a prefers of reading the dailies. I got into bed and pretended to be really tired. He was having none of it as he began with his predictably crude love-play. When I protested we should wait till the next day, he was adamant. I’d postponed about thrice now, he grumbled, and before I kmew it, he’d yanked up my nightdress and has his head between my thighs. Oh my goodness, I thought, alanned. I’d just made love with an-

other man and there was my husband giving me a blow job? Did he suspect anything? Obviously he didn’t and I had to do my best to give him the type of sex he craved ... “

stomach and dropping the head. Repeat consecutively 4 to 5 times. While you sit on the heels lean forward and support the head on the

fists, placed one on the other. Never you neglect the condition of your spine. Keep it supple and flexible - always.

he actually felt a bit contrite by what happened. Just how long did she think she could go on with this charade? I urged her not to settle for things the way they were at home. Instead of turning into an ex who’s had three children by two women and had never married, she should try and turn her husband into her lover. Tough as it may sound, she should stop seeing her ex so she could give her husband a chance. He need5 to know there is a crisis in their marriage and they both need to work to save it. Tina just shrugged. She’s tried but would her husband listen? I know it’s a matter of time before she comes down from her euphoric state with a thud! Maybe when her previous irresponsible ex finds a new play thing or when one of the mothers-on-hischildren comes calling to embrace him when that eventually happens, she’ll get nothing but Itold-you-so from me!

08052201867(Text Only)

Winding down after work

VEN the journey home has contrib uted its share in the overall tiredness of the work day. What with all the anxiety over the slow-moving traffic. Once home you probably go straight to the kitchen for a snack or collapse into a chair for some television viewing. You are just too tired. Now, just as there is the need to start off the day with energy-releasing exercises so there is the need to wind down after work. A fruit to assuage hunger while dinner gets ready is okay. What will not do is a poor combination of food groups which will only put even more stress on your back and exhaust you even more. Another thing, digestion is not helped when eating is done while one is nervous or excited. We must always try to induce a feeling of calmness in ourselves before settling down for a meal. For some people a little vigorous exercise does the C M Y K

good job of dispelling work-time worries and providing a new burst of energy. For those not in the mood for energetic workouts, some stretches like the plough pose, the headto-knee pose which rely mainly on the forces of gravity - such that all you do is assume the posture, take it easy and breathe. No one is asking you to be a Jumping Jack Flash for fifteen minutes. A little mercy on your fatigued body. But I tell you what. You will be sweetly surprised to find out that simple mild stretching exercises like those mentioned are improving the way you look and feel. And the practice of the dead man’s pose, for say fifteen minutes after these exercises will spell astonishing repose of body and mind. The practice of proper winding down will even set up the body for a good night’s sleep. Or you will find you are not too tired

to tango as the case may be! What stretching does for you * Stress relief: In a difficult situation your body resorts to the ‘fight of flight’ response, contracting muscles in readiness. The situation gets over but you forget to relax the muscles. Gradually, this tenseness to stress becomes the norm so that you do not even notice that you are tense. With tension there is a restriction in movement and a loss of youthful agility. * More energy: In contraction muscles cost you a lot of energy. Once you learn to replace contraction with relaxation of your muscles you save energy for better things. * Improve your digestion: Your internal organs are held in place by muscles. When your muscles are well-toned, they provide better support thereby assisting the functioning of all vital organs.

* Better your body tone: Muscles work in antagonistic pains, when one is contracted the other is relaxed. When a muscle is always tensed the antagonist becomes flaccid and bulgy resulting in undesirable physical distortions such as a bulging belly and thighs and sagging bottom. Relax tensed muscles and the flaccid ones will have a chance to tone-up and your overall body tone will improve. * Return of youth grace: With a toning up of weak muscles and getting rid of extraneous muscle tension there is an improvement in the alignment of your skeletal system. This improved posture means you move with a lot more grace and ease. Here is a ‘hump’ and ‘dip’ exercise for the small of the back. Kneel down with the hand on the floor without moving the body forward or backward, breathe in dipping the waist till the small of the back is hollow and at the same time raise your head. Breathing out raise the waist drawing in the

*The Triangle

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

P AGE 24 —SUNDAY

Vanguard , JANUARY 20 ,

2013

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk

08056180152,

SMS only

Must you love him to death?

HY do some women hangon to a bad marriage to the point of having a nervous breakdown? Why, after the apparent death of the “conjugal bliss” they’d hoped for, do they hang on with their nails in spite of alternatives of a more peaceful life? When I got the phone call from an aunt and a good friend that her daughter was in a hospital close to where I live, I heaved a sigh of relief. A stunner and a very intelligent lady in her youth sheld had a high profile wedding to a then ‘ yuppyl. Years after trying for a child and suffering a few miscarriages in the process, she’d wallowed in depression. The husband was initially very sympathetic l but when she became schizophrenic, held had enough. First, it was his mother she tagged a witch, then hers until later, every relative that called did so with sinister motives! tn her desperation to find the peace that was eluding herl she became an active member of an evangelical church and became a ranting ‘prayer warrior’ and an ‘evangelist’. Only her own version of biblical readings were twisted and it became apparent that drastic measures must be taken to bring her back to a semblance of sanity. tt was with a heavy heartl indeedl that I walked into the private room she occupied at the hospital and saw the wreck she now was. I wept I hadn’t done that in a long time. She pleaded that the psychiatric doctor who was then counselling her should discharge her immediately to my care. She’d pleaded before I came in to be saved from the clutches of the wicked people that came to imprison her at the

hospital, with the hope of eventually killing her, and the poor doctor had told her she could only be released to the care of a relation. I came in at the wrong time as she cried her eyes out I should take her awayTwo days later, in spite of being watched like a hawk sheld sneaked out of the premises of the hospital and hopped onto an okada, a contraption she’d never got on before in her life until then. She was obviously frightened of riding pillion on a bike with lots of cars zooming past that she fell off the okada as it gathered. speed. The poor car driver behind the okada couldn’t help running over her. End of her. End of the demons that tormented her for most of her married life. She wasn’t even in her forties. As mourners trooped in to sympathise with her familYI blames were unashamedly heaped on her husband who’d found happiness in the arms of another woman who’d bore him the child his dead wife couldn’t. Her younger sister was very bitter and angry - not with her erstwhile brother-in-law, but with a sister who failed to listen to her all the time she pleaded for her to leave her marriage. “She became a sort of martyr,n she said sadly. “Even when she realized she had no marriage, she stuck with it. A very intelligent woman with a lecturing experience suddenly resigned her lecturing job to go into a business she knew nothing about. She went from one dry religious fast to the other until she became skin and bones. It always broke my heart to see her in this state. “When I got married and started having chil-

OUR column to express your loving thoughts in words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel. Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: “LOVE NOTES"

Change

Change is a nature of life,and that is what makes it

dren, my husband suddenly discovered the joy of extramarital affairs. My sister ’s experience had taught me I should always look out for number one and that was why when I became too unhappy to cope, I left my husband and embarked on a relationship with my boss. He took care of my two children and became the husband I never had. When my husband discovered I hadn’t turned into a basket case after I left, that in spite of his not being responsible for the children, they went to the best schools and were actually doing well, he came crawling back. I was amused when I saw my mother-in-Iavv, who was once against me, now confess that my husband’s friends who’d encouraged him to turn into a wild boy, were bringing different ‘take-aways’ to our flat instead of paying for a motel. Whilst their marriages were intact, her son’s was in tatters. She wept that I should please come back to take control of my matrimonial home. “I told her I would think about it but had no intention of doing that. But when I saw how contrite my husband was, and how

my parents and friends were for me going back because my husband had genuinely changed, I had a word with my boss about it. In the end, he agreed I should give my marriage a second chance but that if my husband misbehaved again, that would be the end of my marriage. I wish my sister had had the common sense to leave whilst she still had her sanity with her ”, Shortly after her funeral, a group of girls were gossiping about a colleague whose wife just left him for a much older man who already had two wives. “The poor blighter is now heart-broken and badmouths his wife all the time,” said Linda, a member of the group. “Instead af admitting his faults and making a new life for himself, he regales new girlfriends with tales of how and he will to his ex-wife, only for her to run away with an elderly relation who was always pretending to be brokering peace whenever they fell out. That he didn’t know the man was secretly luring his wife away from him.

the only constant thing in ones life,so you have to challenge the changes,not to change the challenges,be strong brave ones! Chris Onunaku, dekris4real@gmail.com 08032988826/08184844015.

What love is not

love is not kissing and tonguing love is not caressing and touching of sensitive parts love is necking and pecking love is not all about using and burning love is not just a feeling and liking love is not fantasying and day dreaming

The more he complained, the more disinterested these girls were until news got around that girls should avoid him like a plague as he was nothing but a moaner.” As another lady joined the group, she was introduced. A much older woman,’ innocently asked if she was related to a society man we all knew as her surname was similar to his. She was his first wife, one of the girls quickly offered before I opened my mouth and put my foot in it! My eyes widened as I took in her decrepit state. “ Yes, I was the mother of his first two children”. She volunteered, looking a bit neurotic. She then launched into all she did for the bloke when they were abroad and how her sacrifices came to naught as he replaced her with a younger model as soon as they both got back to Nigeria. On and on she went, and I switched off. The most unfortunate fact is that a lot of us see a bad relationship as it unfolds but hope that we can make the impossible to happen. Instead of wallowing in self pity and asking: “Why is this happening to me?” the sane thing to do is to accept that bad things definitely happen to good people. Once that is done, you put your destiny in your hands by clawing your way out of the abyss. It’s not easy. In fact, it could be damn difficult. But, it is possible and a better alternative to hanging in there when there is no longer anything to hang on to. True, not all of us can be like the likes of Tina Turner who walked out of her union with Ike without a time to her name but her incredible talent, only to become the multimillionaire she is today; whilst Ike died a drug

addict and a bum. But we all have our share of fighting spirit. So, if any bad thing happens, be it to the wife or to the husband, the best thing to do is to wake up to your problem and deal with it. Being a survivor is really up to you. Who tells the kKids daddy is leaving? Telling your children that mummy and daddy are no longer going to be together is probably one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. According to Paula Hail, author ot’Help Your Children Cope With Your Divorce, these are some ofthe tips to help children cope with divorce: Choose your time: Try to tell your children when they don’t have any other worries and their routine is as normal. Don’t speak to them before you’re ready to go public. Asking your child to keep your break-up a secret will put them in difficult position and make them feel isolated. But don’t wait until the last minute to explain that one of you is moving out. By telling children before hand, they can start to come to terms with the situation and ask any questions they may have. Pick up a time when you can offer them support and comfort: Try ” waiting until the weekend or half term so that they have time to take in what’s happened before going back to school. If you have more than one child, tell them together. This way, they know they have been given the same information and can help support each other over the following weeks. Who should tell them: It’s best if you can break the news together, that will create the impression that you both love them and will be involved in looking after them.

about nothing love is not banging and having making fun love is not romancing and having sex but is a sacrifice from the deepest part of your heart. Venix---08032275666

No need pretending

It's no good pretending that any relationship has a future if your record collections disagree violently or if your favorite films wouldn't even speak to each other if they met at a party Pasola Fred Obinna pasola2007@yahoo.co.uk +2348057161505,+233260947966

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 25

Joseph Yobo’s love for less privileged children

*Yobo...very much at home with kids BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

f there is anything that is close to the heart of Super Eagles Captain, Joseph Yobo apart from playing football, it is spending time with and caring for children who are facing varying degree of challenges, ranging from medical to financial. The high pitch preparations for the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) and other commitments could not deter Yobo from embarking on a charity project during the Christmas and New Year holidays. There were numerous pressing family commitments but Yobo took time off his busy schedule to fulfill one of his heart’s desires by visiting three Hospices that cater to different select groups, albeit children, bearing a variety of gifts/donations that are relevant to their varied needs. At a time most Nigerians were enjoying the festive season, Super Eagles Captain, spent quality time with the less privileged and put smile on their faces. On 29th December, Yobo and his team embarked on a humanitarian mission, visiting three charity homes in the Lagos metropolis in continuation of his innate selfless and philanthropic gestures. This would not be his first time of executing philanthropic projects which usually go un-reported because of his penchant for doing things quietly with little or no fuss. But this particular C M Y K

Yobo was overwhelmed with the condition of the children and their individual circumstances visit was not going to go unreported because of the timing and the personality of the man who stands like a rock of Gibraltar at the heart of the Super Eagles defence. He started off the day with a visit to the Hearts of Gold Children’s Hospice at Surulere for orphans and children with disabilities. From there, he moved to Ebute Metta - the House of Mercy for destitute and child-beggars. He later rounded off with a final visit to Jakande area of Lekki - the

*Yobo...a rare philanthropist

Fair Life Africa Foundation for teenage boys rescued off the streets. He ended each visit with a private meeting with the founders. Yobo was overwhelmed with the condition of the children and their individual circumstances. He empathised with the inmates of the Centres while recalling his own not-sorosy childhood. Yobo praised the professionalism, commitment and dedication of the Managers of the Hospices. “I really appreciate what you are doing here and I am praying that God will reward all your efforts. I thank God for my life because I could have been one of these kids. This is my first time of coming here but it won’t be my last time”. Yobo was very much at home with the kids. He knew and felt what they were going through. He also had humble beginnings and that has translated well over the years into his evidently humble nature. He was a ‘natural’ with the

kids. He had such a good time playing with them while also highlighting the essence of striving for a bright future and becoming ‘somebody’ in life. Throughout the visit and true to Yobo’s style, he continuously emphasized the fact that his visit was not about the donations or gifts but about spending quality time with the children, so that they too can have a sense of belonging and feel loved. ”It is always good to know that someone cares”, he said. His wife and son would have accompanied him on the charity visits save for ongoing lectures at the University she currently attends. Yobo noted that year 2012 was a wonderful year for his family. So, despite various charitable gestures covertly embarked upon during the year, this one is to appreciate God’s extreme faithfulness throughout the year and give back to the needy and helpless. The varying nature of the primary target and purpose of the three chosen charities, best sum up the kind of person Joseph Yobo is; a patriotic Nigerian, philanthropic to the core. His non-tribalistic benevolent nature cuts across board. At the House of Mercy, he was particularly touched by the level of abject poverty that prevailed in that slum-like, but large community, wondering how the little kids in particular survived in such a downtrodden condition. He urged Nigerians to support the less privileged and the needy. ”Nothing is too small when

you’re helping people”, he said. Although, his charity visit had nothing to with football, Yobo could not escape the barrage of questions that sport journalists fired at him. This was understandable as the African Cup of Nations get underway in South Africa later in January with Yobo being the Captain of the Super Eagles team campaigning for honour in the competition. He summed it up thus: “Preparations are going on well for the Nations Cup. Nothing is ever perfect, even in our marriage; we will have little challenges and difficulties here and there but we will handle them and we are going as far as we can in the competition. We are all ready and the technical crew is doing a good job.” Yobo, who has been in the mainstream of the Super Eagles team since the 2002 World Cup in Japan/Korea, does appreciate being considered worthy enough for the national team. He said: “I am grateful to be part of the Nigerian national team. I thank God for my career; I have been in the national team now for over a decade. I am going to the Nations Cup fully prepared. I am leaving everything in the hands of God who has never failed me”.

ollowing his departure from Everton, the En glish Premiership team he played for for over six years, Yobo headed for Turkey and pitched his tent with Fernabache, a top Turkish club. A lot of Yobo’s fans and other Nigerians were apprehensive over the suitability of Turkey for his career and his national team position. But the exSharks of Port Harcourt player has proved to be a bulwark in the heart of Fernabache’s defence. “I am happy in Fernabache; I am very much at home there. I also thank Everton for giving me the opportunity”, he said. Joseph Yobo has been described by sports analysts as one of the most humble, disciplined and focused Super Eagles Captain in recent times. Never has any story been written of him having a face-off with club, national team managers or the Football Federation. “He is a player who is very much at peace with himself and others; he does not take for granted the opportunity to play for Nigeria; rather, he sees it as a rare privilege and he does everything to live up to expectation”, says a top Nigerian Football Federation official.

PAGE 26—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

By Samuel Oyadongha,

Yenagoa

EARS rolled down her cheeks as she gazed at the photograph in front of her.She struggled to clean the tears with her wrapper. Ceaseless tears have been the lot of Madam Timipah Okoba’s for the past 10 years when her only child, Tonye Berepubo, was cut down in his prime by gunshots fired during a fracas involving members of an Ijaw youth group which was then factionalised. The tragic killing occurred about noon, on January 14, 2003 at the Agip Estate in Port Harcourt when some gun wielding youths launched attack on members of the group from another zone. The late Tonye’s mother was all alone, immersed in her thoughts, in her yet to be completed apartment situated in the lowland Kpansia suburb of Yenagoa which was violated by recent floods when Sunday Vanguard called. “Who will bury me when I die? Tonye, who would have buried me, is no more.Where do I start from?” She sobbed, gazing at the photo of her late son. Two other women believed to be family friends,who were present, were moved to tears. For this disconsolate woman, who hails from Gbarantoru in Ekpetiama Kingdom in old Yenagoa local government area of Bayelsa State, it has been 10 years of agonizing pain. Sadly, her cry for justice over the killing of her only child has not been answered.

10 years after, woman still in search of the murderer of her only child

zMadam Timipah Okoba If grief could bring the dead back, her late son would have returned to life. The deceased, then aged 27, was a student of business administration of Rivers State University of Science and Technology .He must have dreamt of graduating and securing a good job to take care of his mother but that dream was shattered by the shots fired by the messengers of death. Amidst sobs, the bereaved mother wondered why, in spite of the fact that her son was gruesomely killed in

broad day light, the police were unable to fish out his killers. She lamented that even the Ijaw group, which crisis led to the death of her son, had turned its back on her in her hour of need as none of its leaders deemed it necessary to find out how she had fared. She recalled how in her attempt to get justice she had written petitions to the Inspector General of Police on the need to compel the Rivers Po-

*The late Tonye lice Command to cause investigation into the fracas which claimed the life of her son with a view to fishing out his

killers.All efforts came to nought. “I have written petitions to the Inspector General of Police and they told me the matter was under investigation. For two years, his body was in the mortuary but nothing came out of the said investigation. At a point, there were threats on my lawyers, so I felt instead of one boy, more bigger people will die; let me forget it and bury him. That was how the matter ended since I didn’t have the resources and connection to pursue the matter,” she said. “It is more painful that nobody was arrested over an incident that happened in broad daylight. Perhaps if I were an influential person, the police would have unmasked the killers of my son and justice would have been done.” According to her, she would have been less troubled if only her late son had left behind a child that would bear his name. “I would have been consoled if Tonye had left behind a child. Though a girl was pregnant for him, she aborted the pregnancy when the unfortunate incident occurred. I sold all I had to hurriedly put up a structure just to ensure that she will have somewhere to stay and I also told her I will do everything for the unborn baby so as to preserve my son’s legacy but she chose to follow the advice of her people,” Madam Okoba lamented. “I have resigned to fate knowing vengeance is of God.”

Voodoo banking: Two pastors to spend 10 yrs in jail BY GAB EJUWA

wo clergymen, Pastor Glory Okeoghene Abrefera and Reverend Vincent Okpogho, have been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment with a fine of N8 million for operating voodoo banking in Warri, targetted at defrauding unsuspecting depositors of over N1 billion. Delivering judgement in the case which spanned over two years, Justice Ibrahim Buba said the clerics were convicted on a two-count charge of operating a bank without a valid license, contrary to sections two (2) and 49 (1) of the

zIbrahim Lamorde, EFCC boss

Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act. Buba explained that the Mustard Seed Micro Investment Limited was convicted on two counts and fined N2 million on each of them while

the two clergymen, both directors of the firm, were to spend 10 years behind bars in addition to N2 million fine on each of the counts against them. However, their jail term were to run concorrently. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) prosecuted the case. The activities of the voodoo banking operators came to fore following a petition by Chief Tuoyo Awani, Pa Fregene, Manei Johnson and others, alerting the authorities and the general public over their activities. According to Awani, the activities of the bank became suspicious when it became

clear to some of the despitors that the bank could not give accurate amount of deposits at its disposal. The petitioner said the depositors were cajoled into believing that the “bank” was operated by “men of God”. He, however, advised Nigerians to be wary of dubious characters, particularly those who operate under the guise of “men of God” in order to avoid losing their money. Awani expressed optimism that despositors may not lose all as the court had appointed liquidators to oversee what remains of Mustard See Micro Investment Limited with a view to repaying them.

Mr. John Okoriko, counsel to the convicted clergymen, said the company was not run as a bank. Okoriko said throughout the legal battle none of the prosecution witnesses testified that they opened an account with Mustard Seeds Micro Ltd nor used cheque books, drafts and other banking documents during the period. But counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Gbolahan Latona, commended the judge for a brilliant and well-researched judgment, saying the verdict would go down as a watershed in the history of the judiciary and enrich the judicial process.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 27

Death in car boot

....The horrifying killing of a Dep Gov’s aide

When the vehicle was recovered the next day, the inside was littered with blood and this generated fear about his safety

BY CHIDI NKWOPARA

mo State is becoming increasingly unsafe. Crimi nals perpetrate their sordid activities at will. Peo ple hardly sleep with their two eyes closed. Hypertension is becoming a major health problem in the state because everybody is apprehensive about who will be the next victim of kidnappers or assassins. Even those who move about with armed security personnel are not safe. The near sordid tale of the former Speaker of Imo State House of Assembly, Chief Godfrey Dikeocha, tells the story of how lax security in the state is. Dikeocha was kidnapped by hoodlums from his Uvuru Mbaise country home and held in captivity for months before he was released by his captors. His release did not come until the royal fathers in Mbaise came together, invoked the spirits of their ancestors and pronounced curses on whosoever was keeping the former lawmaker. Some two days after, Dikeocha was freed. Similarly, the Principal Secretary to Imo State Deputy Governor, Mr. Emenike Ihekwoaba, an architect, was kidnapped more than five months ago. He was still in captivity at press time, despite the payment of ransom by the man’s family.Fears are being expressed about his safety. The fears about Ihekwoaba are genuine because many families of kidnap victims paid ransom to supposed kidnappers only to learn later that their loved ones had been murdered before the demand for ransom. There are equally cases of assassination in the state. Some are unresolved. The latest is the murder of the Imo State Deputy Governor’s Protocol Officer, Mr. Laz Anyanwu. Reports say some hoodlums stormed his residence in the night of penultimate Friday and was declared missing Saturday, January 12. According to the first information report, the first thing the hoodlums did on arrival was to shoot Anyanwu’s

*Anyawu...riddle over murder two Alsatian dogs in his compound. It was gathered that Laz, as close friends loved to call him, was shocked to hear gunshots in the compound and came out to find out what it was. The hoodlums immediate pounced on him and took him away. Another version of the story had it that on his arrival at home, he noticed some strange movements and immediately released his Alsatian dogs. But the visitors turned violent and shot the two dogs in his presence. Apparently satisfied that their major obstacle had been taken care, they went after Laz, put him in the boot of his own car and sped off. His agony and eventual death started from this point. Sunday Vanguard gathered that when the vehicle was recovered the next day, the inside was littered with blood and this generated fear about his safety. His mutilated body was later found at Orodo, Mbaitoli local council area of Imo State. Reacting to this gory incident, the Deputy Governor, Sir Jude Agbaso, described Laz as “a dear friend and very close to my heart”, adding

that “besides being my Director of Protocol, he was probably the best protocol person in this state”. Continuing, Agbaso said: “His death represents an irreparable loss to me, my family, office and state. I am still in shock but I know this gentle and yet courageous soul will rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen”. Laz was an indigene of Obodo Amaimo, Ikeduru local council area. He attended Saint Peter Claver Seminary, Okpala, and Abia State University, Uturu. As a protocol person, he served under former military and civilian governors before he was posted to the state House of Assembly as Chief Protocol Officer. He was later posted to Haji/Egbema local government area as Director of Administration and General Services, DAGS. He held the position until he was recalled to Government House to manage the Deputy Governor’s protocol affairs. The people of Obodo Amaimo have been lamenting his demise. His family home, a storey building situated along the Inyishi-Amaimo-Ugirike Road, could not be accessed, especially as it looked very desolate at the time Sunday Vanguard called. He was many things to the people. Some called him “a dazzling star,a philanthropist of the first order, a socialite, a good mixer that always allowed his people to feel his impact positively”. They are saddened that the community has lost what they called “a rare gem”. Meanwhile, the state police command is yet to make any arrest in connection with the murder. Confirming this to newsmen in Owerri, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Vitalis Onugu, however, said they were on top of the situation and working hard to unravel the apparent riddle. He called on the citizenry to volunteer any useful information that would lead to the arrest of the killers of Laz Anyanwu

My husband derives pleasure making love after beating me —Housewife BY ADEOLA ADENUGA

e derives pleasure in beating me and then force me to bed after ”, says a housewife, Abosede Balogun. In her evidence in chief at an Orile Agege Grade ‘B’ Customary Court, Lagos where she pleaded for the dissolution of her 15year-old marriage to Jamiu Balogun, she alleged desertion and frequent beating. The 32- year- old woman, of 3, Owolewa Street, Orile-Agege, said her husband behaves like animal, adding that he used to beat her severely whenever she asked for feeding allowance. ”He also abandoned my children and I,

and came back after one year,”she said. The mother of three told the court that Jamiu came back only to take the children and not to make peace. ”He promised to take the children away from me, because another woman he married could not give him children.”I can’t release my children to a tout,a smoker and a womaniser.I don’t want them to take after their father. I plead with the court to grant me the custody of the children,” she said The 40 year old man, who lives at 3, Salimotu Street, Orile-Agege, denied the allegations. He said, “I have always loved and cared for my family, I am a responsible father though I might be troublesome. ”I

never deserted her. I only ran for her trouble for a while. I don’t beat her always, I only do whenever she curses me,”he said. Balogun, a driver with Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA, also told the court that he still loved his wife and did not support the dissolution because he did not want his children to suffer. Meanwhile, the Court President, Mr Joseph Adewusi, told the couple to maintain the peace and adjourned the case till Jan. 24 for further hearing.

28 — SUNDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

OGD holds 7th annual Ne wY ear thanksgiving New Year

he former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, held the 7th edition of his annual New Year thanksgiving at the Abraham’s Tabernacle Church, Sagamu, Ogun State last Sunday. Yet again, the occasion provided a rallying point for top dignitaries in the country. Those present include Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Dr Onaolapo Soleye, Chief GOK Ajayi, Chief Mrs Stella Okoli (CEO of Emzor Pharmaceuticals), Dr R.O Ositelu, Chief Femi Coker, Chief Gani Adams, Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi, Chief Mrs Lola Abiola Edewor, and serving members of the national assembly and traditional rulers, political and Christian leaders from across the country. Photos by Lamidi Bamidele.

Otunba Gbenga Daniel and his wife ,Yeye Funke Daniel, dancing

From left; Chief Reuben Fasoranti; Bashorun Sehinde Aragbofa; Chief Korede Duyile and Chief Femi Okunrounmu

Honour or Bisi Ak ande @ 7 4 Honourss ffor Akande 74

From left, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Malam Nuhu Ribadu; Bisi Akande; celebrant; his wife, Omowumi; the Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Adedotun and the Owa Obokun of Ijesaland, Oba (Dr) Gabriel Adekunle Aromolran

From left, State of Osun Deputy Governor, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori; her Boss, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; former Presidential Candidate of ACN, Malam Nuhu Ribadu and Chairman, ACN, Chief Bisi Akande C M Y K

la-Orangun in Osun state took the centre stage of attention on Wednesday when the former Governor of Osun State and current National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Chief Bisi Akande, celebrated his 74 th birthday. The occasion which was witnessed by the Governor of the State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, former ACN presidential candidate, Nuhu Ribadu, royal fathers and top politicians saw the celebrant being presented with an Award of Excellence as a Pacesetter by the state’s chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

Gov. Rauf Aregbesola of State ; his Deputy, Mrs Titi Laoye-Tomori, receiving an Award from the State Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR), Prince Wale Oyekanmi,

From Right; Chief ayo Adebanjo; Chief Onaolapo Soleye; Oba Isiaka Olajide Ajede and his Olori, Salimot

From Right; Mr Sarafa Ishola, former Minister of Mines and Steel; Otunba Remi OduboteOgunkoya and Chief (Mrs) Sade Balogun

Events in Abeokuta

THE inauguration of new president for OGSPA held at the association’s secretariat in Abeokuta some days ago. Also, the Hijira celebration took place at M.K.O. Abiola Stadium. Photos by Wumi Akinola

INAUGURATION:New President Alhaji and Alhaja Wasiu Popoola and outgoing President Alhaji and Alhaja Salimon Abiodun

Wedding

Mr and Mrs Okpokpo Martin Udo pose after their wedding in Lagos.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013 —29

When Sea Map Group MD’s daughter wedded

hief Peter Obih, Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer of Sea Map Group entertained family and friends when his daughter, Adaobi Obih, signed off her maiden name to dashing Juvanuel Uche Ezembaukwu. The couple exchanged the matrimonial vows before Ministers of God at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Awka-Etiti, Anambra State. Many important personalities graced the occasion. Notable, are the top names from the maritime sector.

The couple, with Senator Chris Ngige and a guest

The couple, Mr and Mrs Uche Ezembaukwu with bride’s parents, Chief and Lolo Peter Obih and her siblings Cross section of bride’s father’s friends

R-L: Chidi Anyagbu, Director, Chisco Motors, Mr. Mike Umeh, Vice Chairman, NFF and a guest

The couple, in a group photograph with top members of ANCLA , with Prince Olayiwole Shittu, National President and Chairman, BOT, Henry Njoku

Cross section of more guests at the reception

Oghara A gbar ha-Ot or honour evbi, 2 o ther Agbar gbarha-Ot ha-Otor honourss Obiuw Obiuwe other therss

ghara Community in Agbarha-Otor honoured three of their illustrious children some weeks ago. The honourees were Engr. Christabel Oke Obiuwevbi, an Executive Assistant to Delta State Deputy Governor,Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi, Commisioner representing Ughelli North in DESOPADEC and Hon Lucky Okogbeni. The ceremony which was well attended by personalities from the private and public sectors.

Delta State Dep. Chief of Staff ,Hon . Lucky Avwromre, representing The Dep. Gov. of Delta state, Congratulating Engr Christabel Oke Obiuwevbi.

Engr. Christabel Oke Obiuwevbi making a speech

Engr Christabel Oke Obiuwevbi and Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi In a dancing mood

Chief Micheal Efio, President General of Ogharha Agbarha-Otor Community Presenting a Portrait to the celebrant

HRM Matthew Edirin Egbi (m),the Okobaro of Ujevwen Kingdom,Chief and Mrs Ominimini (l) Chief Khalin Ofomukoro,Dr Ebenezer Okorodudu,Engr. Christabel Oke Obiuwevbi,Prof. S.Iboje and others

PAGE 30 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013,PAGE 31

PAGE 32 — SUNDAY VANGUARD,JANUARY 20, 2013

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A homeless generation? A

FTER receiving a thunderous applause for the very inspiring/ moving sermon he had just delivered, it was time for this man of God to bless members of his church for the new year. “Now, steady yourself and concentrate on the release of these blessings. Catch them as they come, and as they relate to your situation. Are you ready?” “Yeah, Pastor! Ride on Pastor!” yelled back the teeming young people in the congregation. In an authoritative and convincing manner, he began to pray; favour, vehicles, houses, good health, good jobs, lucrative contracts, holiness, open doors, etc. into their lives amidst thunderous ‘Amen!’ “Your miracle is on the way! Don’t fail to come give the Lord glory in your testimonies soon,” he concluded. With God, of course everything is possible, but as I reflected on those prayer points later, I wondered how many of them, especially the visible ones, would come true for the majority of the people in their life time; given their current circumstances, and the conditions that prevail in our dear country. The first that came to mind was ‘housing’. Just how realistic is it for the majority of Nigerians, the masses especially, to own their own houses? The chances are very slim. Having a roof which is actually yours over your head, is the ardent desire of many human beings. It is a global desire which has been in man since the world was created. Land and houses are so important to us in this country that disputes about them, form the bulk of cases in the courts at any given time, and some people are prepared to kill if their ownership is challenged in any way. Shelter is part of human rights. Any government worth its salt would make it a priority to make owning their own houses easy for the citizens. One may not agree with every decision that General Obasanjo made while he was president of this country, but deciding that the houses in Satellite Town Lagos, which government had built for the use of members of the 1978/79 Constituent Assembly, be balloted for sale at very affordable costs to federal civil servants according to their respective States of origin, was quite laudable. I know a few families who, to this day, are still grateful to him for that gesture, because they had a house of their own in Lagos to retire to. The category of house (4 bedroom, three bedroom, and two bedroom) you balloted for depended on your salary grade, and a mortgage was arranged with the Federal Mortgage Bank, so that payments were easily affordable.. This made it possible for low salaried civil servants – clerks, drivers, cleaners, messengers, etc. to own their own houses; a thing they never dreamed possible. Some sold theirs and relocated to their home towns, while some let theirs out, and returned home. Whatever the case, the house became part of the deal for a better retirement for them, particularly these days when the

C M Y K

View-Point

Helen Ovbiagele Woman Editor

This government should seriously address the scarcity and soaring prices, and bring the costs of cement and other building materials down immediately, even if it means lowering drastically, the costs of importation.

government owes many of them, their monthly pensions. Some have not yet been paid their benefits, many years after they retired. The sales of the Festac Village houses came before those of the Satellite Town houses, but it was open to all citizens, and high prices meant that the detached houses and the duplexes went to the rich, while the low earners got the ‘republic’ flats. Still, this was some relief to many. Since then, various state governments have embarked on housing projects, but these houses get priced out of the reach of the poor. The private developers, with an eye on huge profits, are building for the very rich. Some of their houses have been priced so high that buyers can not be readily found. Developers say that high costs of land in choice places, and the rocketing prices of building materials are responsible for high prices. Even if you buy a piece of land, it may take you several years, or even forever to erect a house there because of the high costs of building materials. So, your dream of being a house-owner may not be possible unless the government takes serious steps to bring down the costs of cement and other building materials, which we’re told are expensive because of high costs of production and

importation. High costs of building a house means high rents for tenants; and that’s in a country where unemployment is high! I was perplexed when I read ‘Glut, idle plants hit cement industry. Dangote lays off 2,500 workers at Gboko cement plant; Lafarge WAPCO cement contemplates downsizing’. It’s a pity that such a large number of people had to lose their jobs, but shouldn’t the glut lead to a drastic fall in the cost of cement? ‘Hopes of the nations’ industrial re-birth, through cement manufacturing sub-sector, may have dimmed, as lingering product glut, occasioned by unbridled importation of the commodity and high cost operations have assailed local production lines,’ says the news item. ‘Already, the Gboko, Benue State plant of Dangote Cement PLC, has shut down, with over 2,500 workers temporarily laid off, as the company awaits improved business environment to recommence operations. Other plants that may soon shut down their production lines are Obajana and Ibeshe in Kogi and Ogun States respectively, belonging to Dangote Cement, and Lafarge WAPCO Cement Nigeria Plc’s

Ewekoro II in Ogun State.’ The piece said that the President of Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN), Joseph Makoju,was reported to have said, ‘In the last six months we manufacturers of cement in Nigeria have been storing tonnes of cement and clinkers in our warehouses since there has been significant drop in demand of cement and no market to sell our products.’ He said the association was not responsible for the artificial increase in cement prices in the country, adding that in the past four years, cement manufacturers have not increased the x-factory price of cement. Oh dear! This is all very confusing for the layman, isn’t it? On the one hand, there’s is so much cement materials stored away because there are no buyers, and workers are being temporarily laid off; on the other hand, the prices of cement have soared because of seeming scarcity! This government should seriously address the scarcity and soaring prices, and bring the costs of cement and other building materials down immediately, even if it means lowering drastically, the costs of importation. The fact that our rulers can afford to build houses effortlessly, doesn’t mean that they should remain insensitive to the nightmare the rest of us are facing.

LONDON FASHION WEEK celebrityredcarpet.co.uk

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 33

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Politics is a compelling neccessity —Comfort Idika-Ogunye Comfort Idika-Ogunye, is a gender activist, social analyst and the Executive Director, Female Leadership Forum (FLF). A professional lawyer who was called to the bar in 1999, she was the first female National president of National Association of Nigeria Students (NASS). In this chat, she talks about how the average Nigerian woman has fared so far in politics in the last 52 years of Nigeria’s independence, factors limiting women’s participation in politics, and why women need to re-strategize and start mobilizing towards 2015 general election.

*Comfort Idika

BY ESTHER ONYEGBULA Recently we celebrated our 52 years of independence how has Nigerian women fared in politics? am very sad and disturbed that we have not achieved much in the past 52 years. On my own assessment of how far we have gone in 50 years of independence, I will say we have gone some way but not very far in the area of women’s participation in politics and in governance. With Nigerian women’s 7% participation in governance, our participation is quite low, compared with some other countries. It is said that Nigeria has included among one of the worst countries that women can live in. We must improve on some of this indicators and benchmarks. There has been this clamour for 35% affirmative action for women both in appointive and elective position. In the process of reworking our constitution, we hope to see affirmative action that is entrenched and guarantee for women. Our women will have specific quotas and once women can have that, it means that we are giving them some kind of push that will encourage them to actually move into the public space. Without doing that it means that women will still continue to struggle against all the patriarchal hinges we have in our political culture and practice. In the next couple of years what do you expect from this administration? We hope to see more commitment to women’s drive for empowerment and political inclusion. We want to see more women involved in politics and

governance. We want to see more girls get good education. We want to see Medicare for women. We want to see a well managed maternal and child care delivery system in this country, from the primary health institutions to the secondary and tertiary. We also want to see better security, because security of life is very fundamental. There is no security anywhere. Women thrive and live better in a secure environment. With people been displaced by flood, and the whole issues around terrorism, women and children are becoming more vulnerable. Do you think this is another window of opportunity for our leaders to address all this issues? Nigeria at 52 has opened a new vista for Nigeria to take itself very seriously and for our leaders to address the whole issue of deficit in governance. We are very worried about the issue surrounding corruption. We want to see leaders who are more accountable. Nigeria is making so much from oil but we are not seeing its positive impact on our lives. Why should poverty increase? Why are more people falling into the poverty margin? Dividends of good governance is when more people come out of poverty, people traveling on motor able roads, regular supply of electricity, good and safe water, employment for youths. In the absence of these it means that government is not making impact. Is education still hindering women from actively participating in politics?

In some parts of the country, female enrollment in school is still very low, while in others, the record is high. We hope this will be sustained. The appalling mass failure in WAEC, GCE and NECO is an issue begging to be addressed urgently. What is the use of having people in school when they cannot pass basic examination? What are the limiting factors affecting women? Our political system is patriarchal in nature, and most of the parties are established by men who merely tolerate the women. Also a lot of the women do not have the financial capacity to operate in most of these political parties, because our political system has been highly monetized.

We hope to see more commitment to women’s drive for empowerment and political inclusion. We want to see more women involved in politics and governance. Culture and religion are also limiting factors, as most times, they emphasis that women should be seen and not heard; a lot of them often translate this role into the political arena. Democracy is about all, and should be an all inclusive process and everyone should be able to have a say in the democratic culture which creates an avenue for self expression. Would adequate women representation in politics have any effect or make any difference in the polity? Women participation in Nigeria politics is an issue of great importance. The intention of most women to

participate in politics is basically to support their female folk, this is their substantive responsibility. We need to give the women a chance to show their worth. Only a woman understands how a woman feels. Let’s support all women in politics to help them overcome their challenges. With 2015 fast approaching what would you advise women with political ambition to do? They need to begin underground work like mobilization. We should not go and sit down and wait till six months to the elections in 2015 before we begin to mobilize. We need to know the political parties that are strong enough to get our votes as women and what favourable women related policies are entrenched in their parties’ constitutions. How did your journey into becoming an activist begin? I have always been an activist right from school and I see politics as a compelling necessity, a terrain that is not strange. Right now I am strategizing how to get involved into active politics so that I will be able play more marginal role. I am working towards 2015. My focus is on grass root politics. I am more interested in working within the party structures. What is female leadership forum all about? It was founded in 1996 when I was elected President National Association of Nigerian Students. During my tenure as president, I found out that only a few girls where interested or involved in campus politics. Some of them didn’t like the nature of campus politics because of the language, and numerous aluta activities like going to address rallies. It was then I realized what we needed was a platform. That was what motivated me to establish the FLF in1996. Then we brought a few girls who were interested in campus politics, encouraged them, build them, and enhance their leadership skills. Ten years down the road Female leadership forum transformed into a full fledged non governmental organization that is committed to leadership development for young women. C M Y K

PAGE 34 — SUNDAY

Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

‘As a serving Attorney General,I spent four days in jail amid jeers by inmates’ BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY

n 23 January, 2012, Edo State residents were shocked to learn that the then Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Osagie Obayuwana, had been sent to prison by a Federal High Court, Benin-City judge. Obayuwana’s sentence and his subsequent movement to the Sapele Road Prison in a Black-maria was dramatic, as over twenty five stern looking Mobile Policemen, suspected to have been deployed from Abuja, cordoned the court premises. He ran into trouble for alleged contempt of court, but the former AG claimed he didn’t receive any court order in the case between a firm and Edo State government over the management of Bendel Brewery. Obayuwana was particularly shocked because the matter for which he was being sentenced happened nine years before the Oshiomhole administration he was serving assumed office. He petitioned the National Judicial Council (NJC) over the matter. However, a year after the incident, the former AG is sad that he was yet to get justice from the NJC. Consequently, he wrote a fresh petition dated 2 March, 2013 to the Chief Justice of the Federation, pleading that his petition be treated. Obayuwana accused Justice Adamu Hobon, who sentenced him, of abuse of judicial powers.The erstwhile Attorney General bared his mind to Sunday Vanguard on his case against the judge who, it was learnt, has now been transferred out of Benin-City. Excerpts: It is one year since you were sent to prison by a Federal High Court judge. Can we know the response from the NJC to your petition? The situation is the way it has been; you will recall that we appealed against the conviction and, at the level of the Court of Appeal, matters go rather slowly, but that matter is coming up sometime in March. But, beyond that appeal, administratively, we lodged a petition against Justice Hobon at the National Judicial Council (NJC) where we raised the issue of his inability to appreciate the distinction between contempt, alleged contempt infacie curiae and contempt expacie curiae. A judge should be able to appreciate the difference between both. I raised issues over Justice Hobon’s inability to appreciate that distinction, and that being the cause for which he sent me, as a serving Attorney General, to prison custody. Beyond that, a C M Y K

Dr Osagie Obayuwana...Imprisoned for contempt I wasn’t aware of matter that was purely civil in nature, we found out now when we got the record of proceedings that, instead of my office as Attorney General appearing , my name as a person was being reflected. And what was the civil suit number was now presented as a charge number, which does not make sense. The body of the proceedings of those particular days do not tally with the headings and the suit and charge number. We drew the attention of the NJC to those anomalies which were grossly compounding and amounted

the NJC, but we are dealing with institutions and I am of the opinion that these issues are sufficiently serious that they ought to be accorded some measure of urgency and importance. Recently, I sent a reminder letter to my Lord the Chief Justice of the Federation and chairman of the NJC, to bring our Lordship attention to the continuing pendency of this matter. But other than that, we are still where we were, I feel seriously aggrieved, I feel unfairly treated, I think I deserve that justice be done as far as the issues I

So, out of the blues, the court summoned me as Attorney General, saying Edo State government ought to have complied with the order of the court nine years earlier by handing over the management of Bendel Brewery to Churchgate to abuse of judicial powers on his part. So, it is somewhat saddening that almost a year after, there has been no development on my petition. About two weeks after the petition was sent, I got a letter to confirm that the NJC had received the petition because they sent a copy to him(judge) and asked him to comment, the letter directing him to comment was sent to me. I can understand that there has been a lot of national issues requiring the attention of

raised are concerned. Journey to prison A week earlier, we went to court. That day, I got a hearing notice to come to court in that matter, it was a matter between Edo State government and Churchgate, having to do with the management of Bendel Brewery. The company, at one time, was solely owned by the state government but, at some point, the Churchgate company

invested in it and, by virtue of the majority share that they claimed they owned in the company, they started to manage the company, but there were issues as to whether Churchgate had actually paid for its shares and what they were doing with the company. These were issues that took place about nine years earlier when Governor Lucky Igbinedion was in office, before I got into office, before the Oshiomhole administration came into power. I think operatives of Edo State government had forcibly taken over the management of Bendel Brewery from Churchgate. Churchgate went to court to seek an order to have the management of the company restored to them. So it was a question of Edo State government complying with the order. There were appeals; in fact, as I am talking to you now, the matter is pending at the Supreme Court. So, out of the blues, the court summoned me as Attorney General, saying Edo State government ought to have complied with the order of the court nine years earlier by handing over the management of Bendel Brewery to Churchgate. But that particular day, what the court issue was about was a hearing notice not a summon. Unfortunately, I had an official engagement, the governor and I and

Continues on page 35

SUNDAY

Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013,PAGE 35

‘As a serving Attorney General,I spent four days in jail amid jeers by inmates’ Continued from page 34 some other commissioners were to meet with the Secretary to the Federal Government in Abuja to iron out certain issues between the state government and the Federal Government. I got the notice late; so there was no way I could meet that court obligation that day. So, the hearing notice was not issued to me in person but to the office of the Attorney General; so I asked the Solicitor General to go to court and represent me, which she did. And she explained that I had an official engagement that took me out of town. So, the matter was adjourned to the following week. So, I went to court that very day, and explained to his Lordship that official matters took me out of town ,and that was why I could not come to court and I apologized. He was the one that brought my attention to the pendency of that order, that he was not happy that, for nine years, an order had been made and the state government was yet to comply with it. So, I told him that that order had not been served on me, but I did know that there were moves to settle the matter out of court. I had attended a meeting where the governor and Chairman, Board of Directors of Churchgate held meetings to find an amicable settlement to the matter. How the whole idea of employing contempt proceedings and all of that still beats me hollow. So I explained to the Lordship that the order had not been served on me, perhaps he should give me more time to look more closely into it. Perhaps we should see how we hasten the process of amicable resolution since the parties had started talking. But I was shocked when he said that he had proof before him that that order was served on a clerk in the Ministry of Justice and that, as far as he was concerned, the office of the Attorney General is an institution, where a court process is served on any staff of the Ministry, that was good enough. I also explained to his Lordship that I did not want to doubt what he was saying that the proof of service had been served on a clerk, but, quite honestly, that could not be a basis for the taking away of my personal liberty when, as a matter of fact, they were talking about issues that took place nine years before I got into office. So, I was surprised when the judge made an order that I should be remanded in prison custody until I purged myself of contempt. All the lawyers in court were shocked and they appealed to him, that, ‘given the facts of the case, you are not dealing with the case of a counsel who was rude

Dr Obayuwana....I was booked down as an inmate

Dr Osagie Obayuwana....The bail I enjoyed, which I still enjoy, came from the Court of Appeal, Benin-City. to the court or engaged himself in contempt infacie curiae’. There had been no motion served on me to have me charged for contempt; even before then, no Form 48, no Form 49 and all of that. Even on that particular day, there had been no charge read to me and my pleas taken and things like that. All attempts by the lawyers in court to draw his attention to these issues fell on deaf ears.

that there was nothing I was going to say in court that would have made a difference. It was like his Lordship had made up his mind on what he was going to do on that day. So I had cause to be fearful for my life because I later discovered that the policemen at the court were not from Edo, they were brought in from Abuja. It was alleged that he had asked the

Of course with the Attorney General there in prison, words had gone round and I became an object of laughter by my fellow inmates. But when the situation got worse, I was moved to a specialist hospital, that was where my blood samples and urine were taken And before I knew it, he asked his call duty policeman to come and sit next to me as if he imagined I will flee from court. So, the policeman sat by me until he finished other matters on the cause list. And I was marched downstairs. What surprised me was that by the time I got downstairs, there were about twenty five policemen who obviously had been mobilized before hand to take me to prison custody which suggested to me

then Commissioner of Police in Edo State to provide him with policemen to enforce that order, but the man declined; maybe that angered him, so he mobilized policemen from Abuja to come and bundle me to jail. The Order of Remand that he made was not directed to the police, it was directed to the prison authorities. So, I had to say no,’ I will not go with the policemen but if the prison authorities come with their official

vehicle which was popularly call the Black-maria, I will go with them’. It took like an hour before the Black-maria came to take other accused persons to prison and that was how I was bundled to Benin Prison at Sapele Road. I spent four days in prison custody until a bail application was filed on my behalf at the Court of Appeal. Then we filed a substantive appeal against the conviction which is pending and then the administrative petition which I filed before the NJC. As the then AG of the state then, were you given preferential treatment while in prison and how did you feel being with condemned criminals? Firstly, I was subjected to the normal procedures that inmates are subjected to. They took my finger print, took my photograph, all kinds of records, I was booked down as an inmate. But by this time, a period before then had been stressful for me, with all the trips I took to Abuja and then the shock of what happened. It was clear to them that my health had deteroriated. They checked my blood pressure, they were alarmed that it had gone astronomically high. So, they kept me opposite the condemned criminals cell. Each time I had visitors, I had to walk through the court yard and I was discussing with my lawyers in the presence of warders and other inmates. Of course with the Attorney General there in prison, words had gone round and I became an object of laughter by my fellow inmates. But when the situation got worse, I was moved to a specialist hospital, that was where my blood samples and urine were taken. Meanwhile my lawyers were filing papers. Actually the chairman of the Body of Attorney General, Eyitayo Jegede, came all the way from Akure to meet with his Lordship and, based on that intervention, he granted conditional bail giving me a period within which I must comply with the order. That was what led to my being released after four days. But, in terms of substantive bail, that was now not conditional since we had appealed against this thing, the bail I enjoyed, which I still enjoy, came from the Court of Appeal, Benin-City. Denial of liberty Terrible as it was, of being denying me of my liberty, certainly this was not the first time I was being denied of my liberty on the account of our agitation on the pro-democracy platform, particularly in the days of military dictatorship in Nigeria. I had been detained under Decree 2 under circumstances that were not justifiable. By and large, I was not overly worried, because I know that people like Mandela and others spent longer periods in prison. But it was a little bit odd that by virtue of the office I occupied I could be denied of my liberty for something that took place at a time I was not in office; under circumstances that the issue was not even brought to my attention and all the attempts I made to explain this was totally ignored.

PAGE 36 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013

Cash-less policy: ‘The move to cut cheque clearing cycle’ BY

UDEME

Proactive Technologies Limited, an indigenous technology company, has signed partnership agreement with Sybrin Z.A., a leading software technology company in Africa, to be its marketing and technology partner in deploying Sybrin Automated Cheque Truncation Solution as well as other cost-saving, efficiencyenhancing solutions to Nigerian banks. The General Manager, Proactive Technologies, Mr. Roland Obe, speaks on the innovation to deliver world class imaging and truncation solutions to support the cashless monetary policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in the country. E learnt that Proactive Tech nologies Limited has just signed a partnership agreement with Sybrin Z.A, a leading software technology company in Africa , to provide cheque truncation solutions to Nigerian banks. What are the economic benefits these solutions will bring? To start with, the CBN, in August 2007, launched the Payments System Vision 2020 (PSV2020) aimed at revamping the payment system. The process commenced with the unveiling of the PSV2020 strategy document, which benchmarks the Nigerian Payments System for global best practice. A core aspect of the initiatives, apart from ebanking, which include Automated Teller Machines ATMs), Point of sell (PoS) and other cashless initiatives, is a significant reduction in the clearing periods for cheques by the banks to T+1. In line with this policy, the apex bank started cheque truncation scheme in August 2012, in a closely monitored environment. The monetary authority carried out systems audit certification test on all banks to confirm their readiness for the scheme in Nigeria . The findings were that conditions were appropriate for the cheque truncation scheme to begin in Lagos State . This implies that, under cheque truncation, the clearing cycle will reduce by one day, such that a customer can deposit a cheque early on Monday and value is obtained on Wednesday as against Thursday under the former clearing cycle. As the banks have gradually acclimatised to the cheque truncation process, where cheques are currently being truncated and the images transmitted and man-

Mr. Roland Obe....Many financial institutions have moved away from older proprietary systems onto Sybrin, aged from each bank’s clearing centres, several of the more forward-looking banks are getting set to decentralise the cheque truncation processes to their branches. This will further reduce the pressure on the clearing centres and engender the true gains of truncation, as cheques will now be truncated right from

STORIES CLEMENT

over truncation technology in Africa . In fact, they were the first to deploy truncation technology in Africa, in Malawi . The drive by CBN and Nigerian banks to delight banking customers with T+1 cheque processing means that Nigerian banks can now enjoy Sybrin’s superb technology on world class imaging and trun-

Aside from that, several companies today claim to have expertise in imaging and truncation technology, while only very few stand out in Africa and beyond

the branches as a front office (teller based) and/or back office activity.” Are you negotiating with any Nigerian bank already? Yes. Some of the banks leading their peers in the quest for decentralised truncation include FBN, Skye Bank, UBA, UBN and a few other financial institutions. How did Proactive Technologies secure the partnership agreement with Sybrin Z.A.? We have our strategies as a technology company. Aside from that, several companies today claim to have expertise in imaging and truncation technology, while only very few stand out in Africa and beyond. The strongest of such companies in Africa is Sybrin, who have been in the business for over 21 years, innovating and virtually taking

cation solutions. Sybrin and Proactive Technologies are at different levels of discussions, ranging from negotiation to implementation with several financial institutions. For instance, we have in our team, Mr. Daniel Parreira, Sybrin’s Sales manager in charge of Nigeria and Africa , Mr. Pieter Du Toit, the New Business Executive. What are other solutions that Sybrin Z.A. are known for? Over the past 20 years, Sybrin Z.A. has established itself as the leading software technology company in the provision of automated cheque truncation and other payment solutions amongst Africa ’s leading banks, clearing houses and corporations. Their solutions include automated frontoffice image-based voucher processing (cheque truncation), Imaging and workflow,

Mobile banking, Document Management and Statement solutions. Some of Sybrin’s key clients are Barclays (PanAfrica), Bankserv (South African Clearing House), The Electronic Cheque Clearing House (ECCH) in Malawi , The Zambia Electronic Clearing House (ZECHL), The Kenya Bankers Association ACH (KBA) and other leading financial institutions across Africa . Therefore, with the establishment of branches across Africa , we have gained leverage in, and the ability to explore new markets across the continent and beyond. Sybrin is undoubtedly the most powerful and flexible, value for money solution platform available, offering unrivalled scalability and modular functionality and perform-

ance. Many financial institutions have moved away from older proprietary systems onto Sybrin, hence Sybrin’s success across Africa over the years. Although Sybrin offers complementary hardware, its solutions are hardware and platform independent and fill any gaps or short comings in existing solutions. To further enlighten people about the solutions, Sybrin road-show/launching is scheduled for 28th January at Federal Palace Hotel, in Lagos,Key Managers of banks’ Operations, e-Banking, Clearing and IT will be there to see the features and benefits of Sybrin. Expected also are directors of NIBSS and CBN. Sybrin’s Nigerian partner, Proactive Technologies, is a globally competitive company with key focus on partnering with public and private sector organisations to deliver technology solutions, which includes payment system solutions, renewable energy and automation. Its core competencies include Consultancy, turnkey project implementation and integration.

Arepo: Marketers fear petrol scarcity

NLESS the Federal Government takes urgent steps to ensure sufficient stock and effective supply of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) commonly known as petrol to the areas connected to the system 2B axis, scarcity of fuel may cripple economic activities in the areas. The reason being that scarcity of petrol that has lingered since the last quarter of 2012 may worsen with the closure of Arepo pipeline by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), due to the recent explosion of the pipeline caused by vandals. The pipeline, which is the major source of product to Mosimi, the headquarters of system 2B in Shagamu, while from Mosimi, the product is pumped to Ibadan, from there to Ilorin, and from Mosimi again to Ore and Lagos, has become the major target of attacks by oil thieves. In the last quarter of 2012, the pipeline was ruptured by vandals and the damage caused serious fuel scarcity, which affected Lagos , Ogun, Oyo, Kwara and neighbouring states. Last weekend’s explosion of the pipeline caused by vandals, which claimed several lives, was a renewed attack on the facility, only a month after it was fixed to ensure effective supply of product. When Sunday Vanguard visited the scene of the explosion, it was observed that aside from the exact spot

where the pipeline was ruptured, the fire spread to other areas within the vicinity. Some engineers from NNPC last year lost their lives while trying to fix the vandalised pipeline. While the governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun, alleged that the frequent vandalisation of the facility was due to negligence on the part of NNPC, most oil marketers who spoke with our correspondent explained that the major challenge facing Arepo pipeline is lack of adequate security. When contacted, Western Zonal Chairman, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Alhaji Tokunbo Korodo, said, “The major problem about the whole thing is lack of security. Government must put measures in place to ensure that the pipeline is well protected. Also, anyone arrested in connection with pipeline vandalism must be made to face the wrath of the law. There is no reason Arepo pipeline should not be secured. Unless government wants to tell us that they have surrendered the security of our lives and properties to the hands of hoodlums, such that ordinary pipeline can not be protected. If government cannot secure ordinary pipeline, what happens to the lives of the citizens? We have Army, Navy and Police that government can mobilise to secure the facility.” Continues on page 37

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 37

Customs seizes unregistered drugs BY NKWOPARA

CHIDI

HE Operations Unit of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Zone C, has intercepted unregistered pharmaceutical drugs and other drugs described as “offensive” and worth millions of Naira. The drugs, which were intercepted by officers of the Unit that were on patrol along the ever

busy Owerri-Onitsha dual carriage way, were not registered by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC. Confirming this development in an interview, the Zonal Comptroller of Customs, Mr. Mohammed M. Biu, said the seized items included 52 cartons of varying tablet drugs, nine cartons of banned analgin injection, 132 assorted energy drinks, 13 cartons of

Cerelac baby milk. While saying that his command has handed over the seized items to NAFDAC “in accordance with the spirit of interagencies cooperation, Mr. Biu however counseled that all hands must be on deck to ensure that Nigeria is not transformed into a dumping ground of banned and harmful products. “The NCS would continue to collaborate with all relevant agencies in the fight against illegal

and unauthorized importation of goods, sale and consumption of contraband goods in the country. I appeal to the citizenry to alert my office whenever the situation calls for such action”, Biu pleaded. Receiving the seized items on behalf of the NAFDAC boss, Dr. Paul Orhii, the Owerri Unit Head of NAFDAC, Mr. Victor Mmamel, commended NCS for their commitment to contain the damnable activities of smugglers and assured that NAFDAC would continue t appreciate this.

Arepo: Marketers fear petrol scarcity Continued from page 36 Also speaking at the scene of the explosion, a journalist said, “I have a plot of land located at Journalists Estate, within Arepo village, but I am afraid of developing the land because of the nearness of the pipeline to the site. In 2008, a major tragedy that would have taken the lives of

some of my colleagues living in the area was averted by the timely intervention of NNPC officials. The same vandals ruptured the pipeline and fuel was gushing out until the whole place was flooded with fuel. We contacted NNPC officials who urgently sent their officials with a truck to suck the fuel’.

PAGE 38—SUNDAY

Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

.... CRIME AND NATIONAL SECURITY

EXCLUSIVE: POLICE REPORT 1

Late Olaitan Oyerinde...who killed him?

Governor Adams Oshiomhole... aggrieved

IG, M .D Abubakar...promised to set up a committee to look at the investigative report

Who killed Oshiomhole’s private secretary? BY Emma Amaize,

Regional Editor, South-South

ith case file CR:3000/ X/FHQ/ABJ/FSARS/ VOL.T1/90, dated August 1, 2012, in respect of the matter of the killing of Olaitan Oyerinde, wherein it was reported that a total of 16 witnesses and 18 suspects were interrogated, including Mrs. Funke Oyerinde, Sunday Vanguard presents you a report whose investigation spanned four weeks of rigorous work. It is about the bungling of an investigation, the reasons of which are yet to be properly explained because of the massive incongruity in the report of the investigation. It will shock you.

Raging controversy

The controversy is not about to end. Just last week, between Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State and Inspector General of Police, M D Abubakar, there was another spat. It is now eight months since suspected bandits shot dead the late Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, former Principal Private Secretary to Oshiomhole, at his No. 65, 2nd Ugbor Road residence in Benin City.

zHow zWho

investigation was bungled framed Ugolor and why?

The weapon that was (claimed to have been) used for the murder was used for armed robbery earlier, recovered by the police and under police custody at the time my secretary was murdered. So, the man who murdered my secretary was in police custody, the gun used was in police custody and these are the findings of the police Five gangsters, who banged into his apartment, apparently, to steal dollars, clinically shot Oyerinde dead, at about 02.00 hours, May 4, 2012. Nearly three months after, precisely July 27, 2012, a bosom friend of the slain secretary, and Executive Director of the Africa Network for Environmental and Economic Justice, Rev. David Ugolor, was arrested by the Nigeria Police (Federal Criminal Investigative Department) in connection with the murder. The reason was that one of the suspects in police custody

confessed they were hired to assassinate Oyerinde by one “David”. Rev. Ugolor was picked up and quizzed by the Police. Three days after police seized Ugolor, the Department of State Service, DSS, paraded yet another set of suspects, who gave vivid and graphic description of how they killed Oyerinde. It was one robbery operation gone aslew. A month after the spectacle, September 1, 2012, the police charged all the nine suspects in their custody, including those arrested by SSS, before

a Magistrate Court in Benin City. Ugolor was among the suspects. They were all remanded at Oko Prison, near Benin City, awaiting the advice of the Directorate of Public Prosecution, DPP, Edo State. A duplicate case file in respect of the case was sent from the Oredo Magistrate Court via a letter, dated September 5, reference number, MOR/21/ 242.

Ugolor has no case to answer— DPP

The DPP legal advice with reference number, 01/s.6712/ 15, addressed the Deputy Inspector General of Police, “D” Department (FCID), Force Headquarters, Abuja, came on October 29, 2012. Also, the SSS, upon the request of the DPP, forwarded a duplicate case file on its investigation. The legal advice on the case, FHQ/ABJ/X/SARS/540/2012: Inspector General of Police versus Garba Usman Maisamari, Danjuma Musa, Muritala Usman, Moses Asamah Okoro, Auta Umaru Ali, Uma-

ru Adamu, alias Duna, Rev David Ugolor, Wilfred Iserhienrhien, Hassan Aliyu Babete and Idris Abdulhamid was signed for DPP, Edo State, by one Ade Irehovbude Esq. It reads: “This office advises that a prima facie case of conspiracy to commit armed robbery and murder is made out against Garba Usman Maisamari, Auta Umaru Ali, Moses Asmah Okoro and Usman Adamu, who all confessed to the crime. “A prima facie case of receiving robbed property is made out against Hassan Aliyu Babete and Idris Abdulhamid, who both also made confessional statements. “Whilst Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman, admitted to the crime, we are constrained to observe that the Investigation Report suggests clearly that the said Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman had been in the custody of the Edo State Police Command since 24/04/ 2012 in respect of a case of unlawful possession of cartridges before the suspects were taken over (by) the FCID, interrogated and reportedly confessed to the incident that took place on 4th of May, 2012.

Continues on page 39 C M Y K

SUNDAY

Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 39

Two different suspects paraded by the DSS and police...

‘How investigation was bungled’ Continued from page 38 This is evidently incongruous”, the DPP observed. “With respect to Rev David Ugolor, the allegations against him hinge entirely on the confessional statement of Garba Usman Maisaimari. It is trite law that in the absence of independent evidence, the confession of an accused person is not admissible evidence against a co-accused. Accordingly, as the record stands today, no prima facie case is made out against him. He should be released if still in custody”, the advice concluded.

A case of missing links

The DPP pointed out that in the police investigative report, dated August 1, 2012, it was stated that “one locally made cut to size single barrel gun with one cartridge confirmed by the suspects to have been used in the armed robbery operation at No 65, 2nd Ugbor Road, GRA, Benin City, was traced to Esigie Police Station and retrieved. The Ministry of Justice, therefore, wondered, how the said exhibit, recovered April 24, 2012 by the Esigie Police Division could have been used during the robbery incident that took place on May 4, 2012, 10 days after. Exact words of the DPP, “Another incongruity, could a weapon recovered and in possession of the police be confirmed by suspects to have been used for the commission of the offence?” For the avoidance of doubt, the DPP challenged the police to react to the duplicate case file on the same matter, handed over to it by the DSS with suspects different from those arrested by the police. Following the legal advice, Ugolor regained freedom, but

the police have not publicly reacted to the DPP challenge on the DSS investigation.

Oshiomhole explodes

This was the state of affairs until, last week, when Governor Oshiomhole, at the inauguration of a ‘Code of Conduct’ for officers and men of Nigeria Police in Abuja, called to question the alleged muddled investigation into the murder of his private

The governor condemned the police for arresting and detaining an innocent human rights activist, rather than going after the culprits, who were eventually arrested by the DSS. His words: “Mr. IG, I must say I am aggrieved; I am aggrieved over the murder of my private secretary and the way the investigation was trivialized. I am saying this knowing that the Vice President is

This is alleged to be a weapon used during the robbery incident that took place on 4th May, 2012. Another incongruity, Could a weapon recovered and in possession of the Police be confirmed by suspects to have been used for the commission of the offence secretary. However, shortly after the Police and SSS came up with contradictory claims on the killers of Oyerinde, some months ago, the governor issued a public statement in which he denounced the investigation by the DIG and his team. In Abuja, right before the Inspector General of Police, the irate governor called for the sack of the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Force Criminal Investigations Department, Peter Gana, for a shoddy job. He noted that the Deputy Commissioner of Police who was sent to investigate the case should ordinarily not be wearing a police uniform and urged President Goodluck Jonathan to intervene in the matter.

here representing Mr. President. “My secretary was murdered in cold blood and you dispatched a DIG to supervise that investigation. A DIG is a sufficiently senior officer, next in rank to the IGP. “They came to Benin and did what Fela (Ransome-Kuti) would have called police magic. In the end, they went for a civil rights activist and charged him with the offence of murder.” The governor alleged that the DIG conspired with other officers involved in the investigation to shield the killers of Oyerinde, noting that for this ignoble act, they were no longer fit to wear police uniform. “The DIG Force CID has a case to answer in which case he cannot wear his police uniform. He must be dismissed, the Deputy Commissioner of

Police that he used, who claimed that they have done a thorough job, has no business wearing police uniform. “The weapon that was (claimed to have been) used for the murder was used for armed robbery earlier, recovered by the police and under police custody at the time my secretary was murdered. “So, the man who murdered my secretary was in police custody, the gun used was in police custody and these are the findings of the police. “The only conclusion that can be reached is that the police ordered the murder of my private secretary. The officer wrote this in black and white. “I ask you (IG) to read it. He wrote that he has done a thorough job under a very skillful DIG in charge of Force CID and the sky is their limit. I am asking the Vice President to report to the President that if they do not find the killers of Olaitan, he cannot expect the people of Edo State and all those who know Olaitan, to have confidence in the security agencies. I feel terrible that as a governor, I can’t get justice. If I can’t get justice, then an average Nigerian cannot expect justice and we can’t have justice if we can’t tell the truth.”

Police dismiss gov’s outburst

Responding to Oshiomhole’s tirade, IGP Abubakar, an officer and a gentleman, described Oshiomhole’s position as unfounded, saying only the court could pronounce on the killers. He, however, promised to set up a committee to look at the investigative report of the Federal Criminal Investigation Department.

Why Oshiomhole is acidic

Few days after the investigations carried out by the DSS and Police were noted, August, last year, Governor Oshiomhole called on President Goodluck Jonathan to set up a highpowered panel of inquiry to look into the contradictions. However, neither the Federal Government nor the police authorities paid heed to his call. In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Peter Okhiria, the Edo State Government noted, “The attention of Governor Adams Oshiomhole has been drawn to the contradictory claims by two federal security agencies, namely, the State Security Services and the Police Force over the killing of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, his Principal private Secretary.

NEXT WEEK

Excerpts from the casefile:

On page 7 of the 93page report, the police said, “The interrogation yielded amazing result as both of them confessed that the armed robbery operation of 4th May, 2012 at No 65, 2nd Ugbor road, GRA, Benin City, which led to the death of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde was carried out by them …” The police in the report noted that the two suspects in question Danjuma Musa and Muritala Usman - “have been in Edo Command custody for unlawful possession of cartridges since 24/05/2012…” BUT THE MURDER OF OYERINDE OCCURED ON MAY 4, 2012

PAGE 40â&#x20AC;&#x201D;SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

BY HUGO ODIOGOR, FOREIGN AFFAIRS EDITOR, WITH AGENCY REPORTS

The Turmoil The turmoil in Mali began in March 2012, when the army mutinied and junior officers seized control of the government. The soldiers were demanding that the government should be tough on the Tuareg rebels but the coup was globally denounced. Mali was thrown into turmoil thereafter. This allowed separatist ethnic Tuareg rebels and Islamist hardliners to overrun the ungoverned northern desert and declared the republic of Azzawd. The Tuareg imposed strict C M Y K

Nigerian soldiers on intervention mission to Mali.

Mali, Al-Qeada's safe haven explodes Islamic law and destroyed Muslim religious sites they deemed idolatrous in the fabled city of Timbuktu. Ansar Dine, one of three Islamist rebel groups that control northern Mali, is known to enjoy the support of Algeria. There have been fears of a Mali becoming a terrorist haven in West Africa just as Al-Shabab has used Somali as its operational base in East Africa. The Theater oF War Although the United Nations endorsed the use of force to dislodge the Jihadists from Mali, there was a slight delay in providing funds to mobilise West African troops to Mali. This gave the rebels the impetus to advance from their held territories in the north, Diabaly, about 30 miles into government-controlled territory. The French air campaign, was aimed at uprooting the Islamist militant groups, most prominent among them being AQIM, from their strongholds in northern Mali. Over the weekend, fighter jets from France attacked targets deep in territories controlled by Islamist groups, notably the large city of Gao. The French also targeted sites along the border with Mauritania, as well as Kidal, a remote trading post near Algeria. The Islamist rebellion grew stronger with the end of the conflict in Libya in 2011, as militants and looted weapons from Libya made their way into Mali. The heavily armed insurgents have been putting pressure on the Malian army, which has lost control of the country's northern regions.

ATCHERS of the unfolding drama in Mali, where reports emerged at the weekend that the leader of Boko Haram Islamic Sect was shot and injured in a combat with members of joint task force, may be having a second thought about their misgivings of Nigeria's decision to participate in the West African military intervention in the drought and poverty stricken Sahel country. But prospects of the emergence of an Afghanistan-style regime in Northern Mali, when the Tuareg insurgents declared the republic of Azzawad last year, meant that Nigeria and indeed the entire West African sub region was under threat from Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, AQIM, but more importantly, a vital supply link for the Boko Haram insurgents in Norther parts of Nigeria. These are the unfolding scenario in the theater of war that Mali has become, where French troops moved into air and ground offensive against the rebellious Tuareg tribesmen and their Al Qaeda allies last week. The contingent of airforce and infantry men from Nigeria arrived Mali on Wednesday as part of the 2,000 strong ECOWAS military team that the UN endorsed to put down the republic of Azzawad and return normalcy to Mali. French President Francois Hollande said last that his country began air campaign and deployment of ground troops that began to prevent al-Qaeda from turning Mali into a sanctuary for plotting and staging and exporting terror into distant Western capitals. On Tuesday, President Hollande, said the goal of the operation was â&#x20AC;&#x153;to ensure that when we leave, when we end our intervention, Mali is safe, has legitimate authorities, an electoral process and there are no more terrorists threatening its territory.â&#x20AC;?

soldiers, but ruled out any potential combat engagement.

Obama administration has endorsed the French airstrikes in Mali which it described as a critical part of a larger Western campaign against al Qaeda and its offshoots

War logistics West African countries, led by Nigeria, Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso Benin and Ivory Coast, have pledged to dispatch about 2,000 soldiers to Mali. The strength of the West African troops is expected to reach 3300. They are to join French forces in the air and ground offensive against Islamist militants in the desert north. France has raised its force to 1400 soldiers and sent additional combat helicopters to back special forces fighting alongside Malian soldiers. The Obama administration has endorsed the French airstrikes in Mali which it described as a critical part of a larger Western campaign against al Qaeda and its offshoots. Giving reasons for the US role in Mali, Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, said, "We're concerned that anytime al Qaeda establishes a base of operations, while they may not have any immediate plans to attack the United States and Europe, ultimately that remains their objective," referring to the expansion in Mali by AQIM. "It is for that reason we have to take steps now to ensure AQIM does not

get that kind of traction. U.S. and allies have stepped up pressure against al Qaeda fighters, such as in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, the organization has sought out havens elsewhere". Panetta said U.S. was helping France with transport, communication and intelligence-gathering capabilities, while the U.K., Belgium and Denmark and Germany were providing transport assistance. American officials said US has begun sharing intelligence and providing logistical support to French warplanes in Mali. The U.S. plans to send surveillance drones for possible action in Mali. But the US has ruled out any combat engagement. Germany has sent two military transport planes to Bamako to assist in transporting regional troops from the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS). The aircrafts were to pick up medical supplies in France. On Thursday, the European Union said it would accelerate the deployment of its own mission to train Malian

The Algerian Hostage crisis Algeria, which has traditionally opposed to intervention, allowed French combat aircraft to fly through its airspace to reach targets in Mali. But the situation took a dangerous turn when dozens of foreigners were taken hostage by an Algerian militant group. Reports said 12 captured foreigners were killed in an Algerian military operation. In another development, a French national was taken hostage in Somalia, while another French national was killed in a failed rescue mission all in Somalia. It should also be pointed out that the tracing of Boko Haram leader to Mali demonstrates how diffused the terrorist network in Africa operates. Ansar Dine, the Islamist group in Mali, has denied any link to the hostage situation in neighbouring Algeria. Malian Foreign Minister Tieman Coulibaly said the hostage-taking revealed the "true face" of jihadist fighters in the region. According to him, "Their project is purely criminal. There is nothing political about it. It's a criminal enterprise that they want to establish in a part of the world and subject us all to". Nigeria's former Foreign Affairs Minister, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, and the Director General of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, Prof. Bola Akinterinwa, are of view that US and other Western countries should not be putting money down for Africans to go and die in their battle while they mobilise to go and fight for Europeans and Americans.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 41

DESOPADEC warns contractors over jobs BY FESTUS AHON

OMMISSIONER representing Ughelli North and Ethiope East Local Government Areas on the board of the Delta State Areas Oil Prod ucing

Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Chief Ominimini Obiuwebvi, yesterday, vowed that the commission would not hesitate to sack any contracting firm found not executing jobs awarded to it to specification. He said the commission Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ikechukwu Aduba, and Sir Ken Okolugbo among would not also condone others during Okolugbo's presentation of Patrol Vans to the Ukwuani Division of the Police project abandonment, and vigilance groups in the area.

reiterating the resolve of the commission to revoke abandoned contracts and rearward them to competent contractors. He held that the era of tying down projects that would be beneficial to the people was over. Fielding questions from newsmen shortly after the Orogun Council of Chiefs paid him a congratulatory visit, following his appointment into the commission’s board, Obiuwebvi assured that the commission would ensure that ongoing viable projects were completed to reduce job abandonment. Saying that only projects executed to specification would be accepted by the commission, he maintained that inferior contractors would not be condoned by the commission. “Contractors should be seen as having the required equipment and personnel,” he said. Earlier, the Orogun Council of Chiefs in a statement issued during the visit, expressed gratitude to the State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan for deeming it fit to appoint Obiuwebvi into the commission’s board.

Bubor wades into Delta Central HOSTCOM leadership tussle

HE national leadership of Host Communities of Nigeria Oil and Gas

(HOSTCOM) led by Chief Alfred M. Bubor, has insisted that Chief Moses Irimisose is the constitutionally recognized Chairman of HOSTCOM, Delta Central. Chief Bubor, while addressing the press and members of HOSTCOM, Delta Central led by Chief Irimisose, warned that any other group parading itself as executives of Delta Central HOSTCOM is not recognized by the constitution of the body, declaring the four local government chapters’ executives inaugurated without Irimisose’s approval as illegal. He further maintained that HOSTCOM was created to develop the oil and gas producing communities, adding that any person or group using the name of HOSTCOM to cause trouble and threaten the existing peace in Delta State would be reported to security agencies.

His word: “As the national chairman of HOSTCOM, and vice chairman of the Board of Trustee of HOSTCOM, I hereby declare that Chief Irimisose is the legally and accredited Chairman of HOSTCOM, Delta central

C M Y K

PAGE 42—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013

BY JIDE AJANI AND IKECHUKWU NNOCHIRI

C M Y K

Aloma-Mariam-Mukhtar, CJN: Promises reformation

Senator Yar’Adua... Any respite in sight?

WONDER JUDGMENT ON CPC’s CASE

High Court Judge builds something on nothing Over-rules Supreme Court

State Assembly and Governorship Elections in Katsina State. According to the timetable contained in that letter, all primary elections for Katsina State would conclude on 13th January, 2011 and submission of the list of successful candidates to INEC to be made the following day (January 14, 2011). The CPC also notified INEC of the constitution of a committee under Col Jibril Mohammed Hassan (Rtd), saddled with the responsibility of organizing the Primary Elections. That election took place on that day (13th January, 2011) and Hon Aminu Masari and others vying for various National and State Assembly offices emerged victorious. On January 14th 2011, the CPC National Congresses Committee under Dr Lanre Tejousho submitted names of winners of the primary elections to INEC after ratification of the list by the NEC and Board of Trustees of the Party. Nevertheless, dissatisfied with the process with the nomination process, 43 candidates

t the time famous British Jurist, Lord Denning, held that “Something cannot be built on nothing,” little did he know that what male judges all over the world have failed to do within the past centuries could be achieved by a female High Court Judge in Nigeria. Not only has the recent judgment that was delivered by Justice Gladys Olotu of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court raised concerns regarding the jurisprudence of avalanche of judgments that are churned out by various courts in the land, but has further poked the supremacy of Supreme Court verdicts in the face. No matter, Justice Olotu has consistently conducted herself with dignity. The grave concern, however, is that her judgment introduces more fog into the matter. Without prejudice to the issue at hand, it is equally imperative to point out that judges are not aliens; they are human beings and ought not to be seen as demigods that are divinely insulated from the choky air of corruption that has made politics to remain a dirty game! If cases are basically decided on the basis of peculiar facts and evidences adduced before a court of competent jurisdiction, where then lay the role of politics in resolution of legal disputes, especially election related cases? The politics manifests when a lower court, acting outside its judicial mandate, tailors its judgment in such a way that rather than settle or answer legal question, further fans the embers of controversy. Justice must not be done, but must be seen to have been done! Now, here is the background of the issues and recent high court judgment that has once again stirred the hornets’ nest. Section 85(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 requires every registered Political Party to give a 21-day notice to INEC (“the Commission”) of its intention to conduct any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under the Act (Electoral Act 2010). In compliance with this provision, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) National Headquarters, wrote a letter to INEC on Dec 24th 2010 giving notice to the commission of its intention to conduct primary Elections for April 2011 National Assembly,

No matter, Justice Olotu has consistently conducted herself with dignity. The grave concern here, however, is that her judgment introduces more fog into the matter

of the party in the state, led by one Senator Lado Danmarke, dragged INEC, the party and its chairman, Prince Tony Momoh before a federal high court in Abuja, contending that they were the legally elected candidates of the party in the state.

On February 15, 2011, trial justice Abdul Kafarati granted the relief sought by the plaintiffs and okayed them for the April polls. Following Kafarati’s judgment, CPC leadership went before the appellate court and upturned the lower court’s judgment. In its notice of appeal filed on March 1, 2011, CPC anchored its suit on 8 grounds, among which were for the higher court to determine whether: a) the trial court was right in holding that the 1st to 43rd respondents have sufficiently proved that they are candidates of the CPC in Katsina State; b) a miscarriage of justice has not been occasioned by the wrong conclusion of the trial court; c) the trial court was right in granting all declaratory and injunctive reliefs sought by the Respondents regard being had to Sec 87 of the Electoral Act and the CPC constitution, d) the failure of the trial court to consider issues for determination raised by the appellants did not occasion a miscarriage

of justice. Delivering its judgment on April 20, 2011, the Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja agreed with all the arguments of the CPC and consequently set aside the judgment of the Federal High Court. In a unanimous decision delivered by Justices Mohammed Lawal Garba who presided, Jimi Olukayode Bada and Regina Obiageli Nwodo (Mrs), the court held that by the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) and the 1999 Constitution (as amended) the party at the National Level was the only organ empowered to organize primary elections and not any of its branches and therefore the Katsina State Chairman of the CPC “cannot usurp the powers conferred on the National Executive committee....and any such act...without any evidence he was delegated to so act is outside statutory provisions and such act is invalid.” The appeal Court equally noted that: “the trial court (Federal High Court) was wrong in relying on the primary elections of January 15, 2011, to hold that the 1st to 43rd respondents have sufficiently proved that they are the candidates of the CPC in Katsina State for the April 2011 general election. “The decision of the trial court (Federal High Court) was not based on the overwhelming documentary evidence that the January, 13, 2011 primaries were sanctioned by the Board of Trust-

Conitnues on page 43

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 43

Conitnued from page 42

C M Y K

Prince Tony Momoh, CPC Chairman

WONDER JUDGMENT ON CPC’s CASE

High Court Judge builds something on nothing be members of and sponsored by a political party. “In the instant case, the jurisdiction in question is statutory and very limited in scope. On the face of the claim it would appear that the courts have jurisdiction under section 87 (4) (b) (ii), (c) (ii) and (9) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). If the right being

ees of the appellants”. Besides, the appellate court held that the issue of who should be candidate of a political Party at an election is a party matter which should be determined by the rules of its constitution and provisions of the Electoral Act. “The court will normally be involved where the provisions in the electoral Act or the Party’s constitution has not been complied to”, they concluded. Expectedly, the faction that previously secured favourable judgment at the high court level proceeded to the Supreme Court in an appeal marked SC/ 157/2011. At the Supreme Court, there were three main issues for determination bearing in mind that it is the final court of the land. It was specifically invited to determine all the issues argued at the lower courts; i.e. the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal. It was consensus expectation that the apex court could decide that the trial Judge at the Federal High Court (Justice Abdul Kaferati) was right in his Judgment that Sen Yakubu Lado Danmarke & others were validly and legally nominated by the CPC as its candidates for the 2011 Elections for various constituencies in Katsina State. Or, to uphold the judgment of the Court of Appeal or out rightly dismiss the appeal on any grounds; this would have meant that Sen Yakubu Lado Danmarke & others have lost their appeal and therefore were not the validly nominated candidates of the CPC in the 2011 Elections. More so, the apex court had the latitude to decide to dismiss the appeal on the grounds that the Federal High Court, the Court of Appeal and itself lacked jurisdiction to entertain the matter as the nomination of candidates is the exclusive preserve of a political party (and NOT a court of law). By implication, that would mean that the list of names submitted by the CPC on January, 2011 and duly received by INEC remained valid and legal. Expectedly, in its Judgment delivered on December 16, 2011, read by Justice Walter Nkannu Onnoghen (JSC) and unanimously agreed to by Justice Dahiru Mustapha (CJN), Justice John Afolabi Fabiyi (JSC), Justice Mary Odili (JSC) and Justice Olufunlola Oyelola Adekeye (JSC), the Supreme Court took the last option. It clearly stated that the Federal High Court ought not to have assumed jurisdiction when Yakubu Lado Danmarke brought the matter to it for lack of jurisdiction. According to the apex court panel, courts do not have right to nominate candidates for or on behalf of political parties, as that is one of the cardinal responsibilities of political parties as enshrined in the constitutions which stipulates that candidates to all elections must

They contended that there was no consequential order against them, a move that still begs the question as to whether something can be built on nothing! Meanwhile, in a judgment she delivered on January 11, Justice Olotu, said she had the jurisdiction to not only entertain the suit but to adjudicate on the issues—which by extension, means taking the legal baton to continue the race from the point where a 7-man panel of the Supreme Court got tired - more like continuing a 4 X 100metre relay after the tape had been breasted and the return time rec o r d e d . In her judgment, she held that INEC lacked the constitutional powers to withdraw Certificate of Return issued to any person affirmed as the winner of an electoral contest by its returning officer - even though the Supreme Court had pronounced that the actions of the High Court relied on in the first instance was a needless absurdity. Justice Olotu maintained that going by Section 68(1) and 75(1) of the Electoral Act 2010, the electoral body cannot revise

suite no. FHC/ABJ/CS/126/2011 and appeal nos. CA/A/133/2011, SC/157/2011 and SC/334/2011 are hereby struck out for lack of jurisdiction,” the apex court h e l d . Sequel to that judgment, INEC decided to withdraw the Certificate of Election Return earlier issued to two Senators and 8 members of the House of

Justice Olotu held that the court has jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit, maintaining that the action was not hypothetical, academic and constituting an abuse of court process as claimed by the Defendants

claim by the appellant and in dispute between the parties arose from the primaries of 15th January 2011 alone. Once there arises a dispute as to which of the two primaries a right of candidature on the parties to represent a political party in an election, the matter is taken outside the purview of Section 87(4)(b)(ii),(c)(ii)(9) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). ”In conclusion, I hold the view that the courts have no jurisdiction to determine the matter in dispute. Consequently,

Representatives who were the “others” in the Yakubu Lado Danmarke & others case. It also promptly issued new Certificates of Return to members of the other faction of the CPC who had the support of the party leadership. Not deterred, the faction that lost out in the political tussle, went back to the high court to challenge the action of the electoral body on the premise that the apex court did not categorically order that their Certificate should be withdrawn.

its action when a certificate of return is issued to a winner of an election, without an order of a tribunal or a competent court of jurisdiction. Besides, the Judge held that INEC acted ultra-vires its powers by withdrawing the certificates of return and subsequently re-issued fresh ones to other candidates. The plaintiffs had prayed the court to nullify the Certificates of Return that INEC issued to Senator Abubakar Sadiq Yar ’adua, Senator Abubakar Hadi Sirika and eight other members of the House of Representatives, as well as, order that the lawmakers vacate their seats in the National Assembly f o r t h w i t h . Listed as defendants in the suit were INEC, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Clerk of the National Assembly, CPC and ten members of the National Assembly. Meantime, Justice Olotu said INEC was bereft of the powers to cancel, nullify, review, withdraw, void, invalidate either directly or indirectly, the Certificates of Return validly issued to the Plaintiffs consequent upon their winning elections to represent their respective Federal Constituencies and Senatorial Districts in Katsina State, without an order of the court first sought and obtained.

According to her, “the Plaintiffs are the candidates that contested and won the April 9, 2011 general elections into the National Assembly to represent their various Federal Constituencies and Senatorial Districts of Katsina state and certificates of return were issued to them within seven days of the declaration of the election results as provided by the Electoral Act and not the 5th to 14th Defendants.” The Plaintiffs had asked the court for a declaration that the sealed Certificates of Return issued to them upon their winning election into the National Assembly are still valid and that they are entitled to immediately repossess their seats in the National assembly to represent their respective Federal Constituencies and Senatorial District without hindrance from the 2nd (Senate President), 3rd (Speaker) or 4th (Clerk of the National Assembly) Defendants or any other person.” In an affidavit in support of the originating summon, they averred that INEC purportedly withdrew their certificates of return and fresh ones were issued to the 5th to 14th Defendants without any order of any court of competent jurisdiction. They further told the court that pursuant upon fresh certificates of return, the Defendants were sworn-in to take their various seats in the National Assembly without any court order to that effect, pointing further that the Defendants to whom fresh certificates of return were issued did not participate in the April 9th 2011 elections. However, an a Preliminary Objection, the Defendants argued that the matter was a post election issue which they said ought to be handled by the election petition tribunal and not the federal high court. The defendants also challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear and determine the suit, contending that section 68(1) of the Electoral Act automatically terminated the seats which the Plaintiffs allegedly occupied in the National Assembly. Nevertheless, Justice Olotu held that the court has jurisdiction to hear and determine the suit, maintaining that the action was not hypothetical, academic and constituting an abuse of court process as claimed by the Defendants in their preliminary o b j e c t i o n s . Now that the judgment has been delivered, the question is what is INEC going to do? What will the Supreme Court d o ? Was the Supreme Court’s ouster judgment not enough to render every act from the very first trial a nullity? What will the leadership of the National Assembly do? Her judgment says INEC was wrong to have withdrawn the Certificates of Return because the electoral body does not have the right, powers or legal stamina to withdraw the c e r t i f i c a t e s . Now, would INEC be right to withdraw same from those it reissued them to? The world is watching!

PAGE 44—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013

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PAGE 46—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 47

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Second term: Aregbesola’s works speak for him overriding goal of promoting the wellbeing of the people through sound socio-economic and political policies with BY ABIODUN OLADEJO effective managerial ability. VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF The past two years in Osun State has wet the appetite of the people with the Early appeal on 2014 presence of a navigator with a rapid gubernatrial election in ability for assuaging the monumental Osun State. errors and defects that he inherited. If DMUND Burke, the the last two years is compared to the century Irish previous seven and half years 18 th statesman and of colossal waste by the PDP in Osun philosopher, said that “All it takes for State, our people are today more betterevil men to seize society and corrupt off with monumental developments it is for good people to sit back and do springing up in all the nooks and nothing.” Nothing could be clearer and crannies of the state. Suffice is to say more apt to describe Governor Rauf Ar- that the ACN governments in Southegbesola’s insistence that politics and West, in general, are running peoplegovernance are intertwined, oriented programmes. In fact, Asiwaju conceptually mixed like a cocktail, and Bola Tinubu, ACN National Leader, that structurally, they both constitute a should be commended for having the contrivance of wisdom to satisfy microscope to locate brilliant minds and to robustly assemble crops of genuine people’s needs. But history has shown that to be on democrats like Ogbeni Aregbesola and ACN governors the side of the masses, especially in other working assiduously in their various Africa, does not come naturally to many politicians. Notwithstanding the slow formations. In Osun State, education has been process of extricating humanity from given a frontal boost and dilapidated the dungeon of harmful men, the structures are being pulled struggle must continue down and being replaced to protect the masses by ultra-modern model must continue. In reThe past two years primary and secondary sponding positively to schools. School fees in all his innate calling to in Osun State has the higher institutions in always fight for the wet the appetite of the state have been goodness of the common slashed so that education the people with the man, when the evil men will not be the preserve of were spreading presence of a the rich. This revolution in their contagious and navigator with a this sector culminated in venomous virus of do-orthe Senate Committee on rapid ability for die politics with the sole Education saluting the aim of capturing the assuaging the government’s model of already endangered people monumental errors initiating sound education of Nigeria during and recommended it for Obasanjo’s rule, and defects that other states. While Governor Aregbesola rehe inherited marking the first anniverfused to be cowed or insary of Osun Youth Emtimidated. He stood up powerment Service and aligned to the ( O ’ Y E S ) , saying of the late Patrick Lumumba of Congo Democratic Republic that, Aregbesola described the youth as “the between liberty and slavery, there is no reality of the day, promise of tomorrow, great agents of change and essential compromise. Aregbesola has displayed raw blocks of nation building”. No wonder, determination to succeed despite many his efforts in empowering the youths by tribulations. Today, his pedigree as a training them in small scale enterprisdodged fighter cannot be flawed. He is es, absorbing them into teaching, civil a fantastic democratic strategist that is service and into the medical profession tested and trusted. He has among other things have been labelled demonstrated his belief in the fact that, as unparalleled. The governor’s democratic values and as Martin Luther King Jr. said, freedom approach is never voluntarily given by the his to infrastructural developments cannot oppressors but must be demanded by the oppressed. This was substantially be over-emphasized. Construction of reflected in his political journey in Osun roads that will network all the nooks and State as it took him several months be- crannies of the state are currently onfore he could retrieve his stolen man- going; agriculture, which is the date through the appeal court from the economic main-stay of the state, is now thousands People’s Democratic Party (PDP). For being modernized as of land are those who are sensitive to a motto of of hectares abundance for all and not for an already cleared for food, poultry and for infinitesimal few, one can see from Ar- other agro-based purposes; information egbesola’s visionary astuteness that he technology is not left out so as to connect is rebelling against the miniature all parts of the state with the rest of the progress recorded in our polity since world. The government is eagerly proindependence, and in the State of Osun moting technological advancement. For since creation. He is concerned that the affordable medical care, hospitals and people’s confidence in the project called health centres have been refurbished and more are being built in Nigeria has been shaken. Since he assumed office as the every locality of the state, while elderly Governor of the State of Osun under the people have started to get financial aid platform of Action Congress of Nigeria and free medical support. To Aregbesola, our calamities are man(ACN), Aregbesola has been busy trying to expose the rots, while successfully made. It is therefore unacceptable for our tying the loose ends of socio-economic people to be wallowing in abject poverengineering in the state with a view to ty when all ingredients are there to put saving the people from smiles on their faces. Ogbeni deserves kudos for his giant economic straggling. He has embraced strides and a second term. Since the the needed peace and stability and invoked a novel spirit and era of power of the people is stronger than the workaholic government as against the people in power, this an early appeal to past PDP administration that was the people of State of Osun to return this hedonistic in nature and performing governor come 2014. The totally enmeshed in acts of flippancy. governor must be encouraged to shine Governor Aregbesola believes that gov- the light further and toe the noble path. ernance is fundamentally designed as · Oladejo, a chieftain of ACN, writes a serious business with the from Vienna, Austria.

VIEWPOINT

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 49

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PFN picks Oritsejafor's replacement...as Uma Ukpai hosts confab BY SAM EYOBOKA

OME Tuesday, February 5, 2013, the opening ceremony of the 12th national biennial conference of the umbrella body of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN, will take place at the Uyo Sports Stadium, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital. It will be hosted by one of the founding fathers of the Fellowship and apparently one of the biggest financiers, Rev. (Dr.) Uma Ukpai of Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Ministries. Despite his hefty contributions to the body, Evang. Ukpai has thus far refused to assume its leadership. It will be recalled that the seed that blossomed to today's oak tree was sown in 1985 following the Greater Lagos Crusade of Dr. Uma Ukpai and Reinhard Bonnke’s Christ for All Nations' Crusade of the same year, with Rev. James Abayomi Boyejo as the founding president of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, PFN. Boyejo's term ended in 1992 and he was followed by Pastor Enoch Adeboye who in turn handed the batton of leadership to late Archbishop Benson Idahosa in 1995. Bishop Mike Okonkwo emerged president in 1998 and handed over to Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor in 2005 who will now hand over to another leader at the Uyo biennial confer-

ence. The objective of the Fellowship include: To uphold one another in prayer, co - ordinate prayer meetings in the country as Pentecostal networks; To support and encourage one another in the task of missions and evangelism; To promote Christian fellowship and co-operation among Pentecostals throughout the country; To provide means of consultation and cooperation among the members and related agencies; To share mutual concerns and insights relating to any crucial spiritual and temporal issues of the Church; and to administer relief in times of crises.

This enables the PFN to participate in the worldwide humanitarian services, giving information and co-operation when necessary among others. The 2013 biennial conference, the 12th in the 27-year history of the charismatic body of Christians is very crucial because at the end of deliberations on Friday, February 8, a new president to replace the CAN president, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor must emerge to pilot the affairs of the Fellowship to the next level. Pastor Oritsejafor had indicated his willingness to relinquish the post of

PFN president as soon as he emerged president of CAN, the apex body of all Christians in the country in July 2010, as a result of increased activities and commitments, but he was prevailed upon to complete his tenure to promote unity within the body. There have been speculations that the current National Secretary, Pastor Wale Adefarasin, National Vice President, South West, Bishop Francis Wale Oke and his counterpart for South South, Rev. Felix Omobude are among those who have indicated interest in the job. Election into the office which may shock many watchers of the Fellowship is expected to climax this

year’s biennial conference. Mindful of current security challenges in the country and the possible consequencies of the crises in Mali and Algeria, the Fellowship may opt for a vibrant replacement in the mould of the outgoing President Oritsejafor, which is why some people want the Fellowship opt for someone who can confront the Boko Haram menace headlong and be able to complete the national secretariat project started by Oritsejafor. The outgoing administration had secured a land in Ajao Estate and had began construction work on a secretariat for the 27-year old Fellowship and will require somebody to run with the vision. The 12th biennial conference which will be the third to be held outside Lagos, has as its theme; “A People With A Mandate,” is expected to be addressed by several guest speakers including Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Bishop Mike Okonkwo, Bishop David Oyedepo, Rev. Uma Ukpai, Archbishop Margret Benson-Idahosa among others. The opening ceremony is expected to attract several dignitaries from different walks of life including the governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Godswill Akpabio among others as the conference draws delegates from all parts of the federation.

Don't lose hope, Cleric tells Nigerians By AMAKA ABAYOMI

ENERAL Overseer of Dominion Faith International Church, Ipaja, Lagos, Rev. David Olatona, has urged Nigerians not to lose hope as they pursue their aspirations in 2013. Addressing newsmen ahead of the 2013 edition of the church annual programme tagged; ‘A night with the King’ scheduled for Friday at the church auditorium, the cleric said Nigerians will see the favour of God in 2013 if they put their faith and hope in God. “We should see God as our only helper as no man can help you except God. Enough of disappointment from man. Put your trust in God because He only has the key to your success,” he said. Olatona said he foresees a brighter future for Nigeria as God is ready to take the country to greater heights. “Nigeria will regain its greatness and God will silence all the storm in 2013,” he said, adding that Bishop Mike Okonkwo of TREM will minister.

SUMMIT 2013

NSIGHT Christian Centre, 191, Ijegun Road, Lagos holds a summit aimed at empowering people. It features financial management; Sound health, Start business; Grace & mercy. Theme: WISDOM. Time: 9.00 a.m. prompt. Ministering: Pastor Prince Ufford and Pastor (Mrs.) Judith Ese Ufford.

Adeboye urges Nigerians to be optimistic …KSA re-affirms commitment to God’s work By OLAYINKA LATONA

ENERAL Overseer of Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has again urged Nigerians to be optimistic about the nation, arguing that ingratitude leads to rejection by God. Pastor Adeboye made the call during a New Year special thanks-

giving service held at the church’s national headquarters in Ebute Metta, Lagos. Enumerating the importance of appreciation, he said: “It is important to remember God’s goodness because it helps one to testify and witness what God has done. It helps to get more blessings from God, face the future with confidence, it helps to stay holy and not offend God’s grace and it brings

irreversible blessings”. After the thanksgiving service, the special assistant to the General Overseer, Pastor Johnson Odesola advised Nigerians not to run down the country and its leaders with their mouths, adding that Nigerians ought to be grateful to God for the abundant resources He had deposited in the land. In his words: “We should have a better

attitude towards our country because other countries also have all kinds of problems, but when you listen to their citizens, they do not run down their nations or their leaders. God has promised us as a country and for all these to manifest, Nigerians should speak positive about the country and our leaders there is no country in the world that did not have its own challenges; but when it

comes to the area of speaking for their countries they don’t water down their nations. We should believe in Nigeria, believe in its prosperity and I believe that God will reposition us and our glory will be restored." Juju Music maestro, King Sunny Ade was not only present to appreciate the goodness of the Lord in his life and his band but also used the occasion to express gratitude to God for His mercies and for making him see the day, adding

that God is in love with him. “I have nothing to say than to come and thank my God for what he has been doing for me, my family and my band members. This is the beginning of a new era and KSA and RCCG are partners in progress in the work of God. RCCG has a lot to do in my life. I want the whole world to know that and I am proud to be a member of the church. I have been thanking God and I will continue to do that,” said Sunny Ade.

PAGE 50--- SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013

Nigeria needs to be pitied —Rev. Nwaogu

CHRISTIANS DON’T LIKE JESUS

N many respects, the bible is a book of prophecies. God says in the scriptures: “Don't forget the many times I clearly told you what was going to happen in the future. For I am God---I only---and there is no other like me who can tell you what is going to happen. All I say will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.” (Isaiah 46:9-10). Even some of the historical situations presented in the scriptures are prophetic. Therefore, they are fulfilled again and again. For example, the persecution of Isaac by his brother Ishmael is reenacted in the persecution of Joseph by his brothers, and repeated in the persecution of David by his brothers, and again replicated in the persecution of Jesus by his brothers. Furthermore, the process continues today in the persecution of true believers by pretender Christians.

Prophetic Christians

ince the true believer is created in the image and likeness of Christ, our identity is in the Word of God. All we need to do is search the scriptures in order to determine what manner of men we are and what the future holds. This is because the bible does not merely predict the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It also foretells the birth, growth and development of the church of Christ. It is the prophetic revelation about Christians that is of particular interest here. The scriptures indicate that Christians will not like Christ. The church in the wilderness rejected Moses. The Israelites rejected the prophets. The Jews rejected Jesus. Christians will reject the word of God. God said to Ezekiel: “I am sending you to the people of Israel with my messages. I am not sending you to some faroff foreign land where you can't understand the language---no, not to tribes with strange,

We may say we love the Lord because he is our Saviour, but the truth is we don’t like him difficult tongues. (If I did, they would listen!) I am sending you to the people of Israel, and they won't listen to you any more than they listen to me! For the whole lot of them are hard, impudent, and stubborn.” (Ezekiel 3:47). Indeed, the scriptures detail not so much how Jesus is hated by men, as how he is hated by his own people. John says: “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11). That statement is prophetic. Today, Christians are supposedly the people of God; so the scripture now applies to us. It means Christians will not receive Christ. Jesus himself observes that: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” (Matthew 13:57).

Christian animosity

ost Christians don’t like the Jesus of the bible. We may say we love the Lord because he is our Saviour, but the truth is we don’t like him. “Why don’t you like me?” asks God? “What did I do to drive you away?” “What iniquity did you find in me that turned you against me?” (Jeremiah 2:5). “Hear, O you mountains, the LORD'S complaint, and you strong foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a complaint against his people, and he will contend with Israel. ‘O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.’” (Micah 6:2-3). Moses says God created man in his own image. However, George Bernard Shaw was right when he said: “We have decided to return the favor.” We have created God in our own image. God says again prophetically: “These things you have done, and I kept silent; you thought that I was altogether like you.” (Psalm 50:21).

Christians don’t really like the God that is revealed in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we contradict him at every turn. We don’t want the God who insists we should love our enemies. (Matthew 5:44-45). We prefer a God who sends the fire of the Holy Ghost to destroy our enemies. We don’t want the God who says those who use the sword will be killed by the sword. (Matthew 26:52). We prefer a God who will be on our side when we go to war. We do not like the God who says we should turn the other cheek. (Luke 6:29). We prefer the God who gives an eye for an eye. We don’t want the God who desires mercy. (Matthew 9:13). We prefer a God who exacts infinite punishment on limited sin.

he God revealed in Christ is far too demanding for us. He wants everything we have. (Luke 14:33). But Christians prefer a God that only requires a tithe. We don’t like the God in Christ who regards men and women as equals. We prefer the Mountain of Fire and Miracles God who legislates that women must not wear trousers. We don’t like the God in Christ who says we should bless those who curse us. (Matthew 5:44). We prefer the God of David Oyedepo who curses his opponents. Christians don’t like the Jesus who was born in poor and humble circumstances. We prefer the Jesus of our mega-pastors who fly around in jet-planes and even establish own airlines. We don’t like the Jesus who did not go to school and get a formal education. (John 7:15-16). We prefer the Jesus of Chris Oyakhilome who boasts of his PhD. We prefer the God who establishes church universities where good money is made by collecting high fees.

New improved

Jesus

ndeed, the real Jesus of Nazareth has become so offensive to Christians that we have created a new improved Jesus more to our liking. This new Jesus is no longer poor, meek and lowly. But according to some, including such eminent evangelists as Oral Roberts and John Avanzini, he is a rich man who wears “designer clothes.” Jesse Duplantis and others even claim the donkey Jesus rode in humility into Jerusalem was a brand-new “Continental Donkey;” thereby ascribing to it the same status as today’s Cadillac. Jesus has been given a spiritual makeover. He is no longer physically ugly according to prophecy: “He has no form or comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” (Isaiah 53:2). The modern-day Jesus is very handsome. He is not even Middle-Eastern any longer: he is European and blueeyed. In effect, we have fulfilled the prophecy which says of the true Jesus: “He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from him; he was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isaiah 53:3). But even more than the fact that we don’t like Jesus personally, we certainly don’t like his doctrine. We don’t like his insistence that we must deny ourselves and take up our cross in order to follow him. (Matthew 16:24). We don’t like his requirement that we have to lose our life in order to save it. (Mark 8:35). We don’t heed his warning that we should not be worldly but should be hated by the world. (John 15:18-20). We don’t obey his injunction not to have any other father but God. (Matthew 23:9). We don’t agree with him that it is impossible for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. (Matthew 19:24).

BISHOP of Praise Centre Ministries, Rt. Rev. Stafford Nwaogu, spoke on a number of national issues. In this no-holds-barred interview with CHIDI NKWOPARA, in Owerri, the cleric said that Nigeria needed to be pitied. Excerpts.... What is your assessment of Nigeria 52 years after? Patriotic Nigerians are not very pleased with the way things are moving in this country in the past 52 years of independence. It is very worrisome that crime and criminality has risen to high heavens. Apart from this, corruption has remained the root cause of our under-development. We are also con*Rev. Stafford Nwaogu tending with bad governance in the land. Has your previous views on mass poverty in the land changed? It has not changed. Honestly, my heart bleeds each time I think about Nigeria and welfare of Nigerians. I wish I had a better way of describing the sorry situation of the citizenry. We have a greater percentage of the hapless and helpless poor in our country today. Honestly, a huge percentage of Nigerians are living in abject poverty in the midst of plenty. We lack basic infrastructure and most often than not, it is responsible for the continuing brain drain amongst the intellectuals. Where do our leaders come into the ugly picture? I blame our leaders for the negative direction our dear country has continued to glide to. They have earned reproach for the country. It is a matter for regret that corruption has made every Nigerian a big suspect, especially in foreign lands. The ideal is that every person is supposed to be inno-cent until proved other-wise but ours is the rev-erse. The mere sight of a Nigerian passport at any entry point to foreign lands connotes everything but good tidings for the Nigerian. This sad situation has led to gross dehumanization and undue harassment of Nigerians in other nations. You may not fully appreciate what I am saying until you travel out of Nigeria. Would you say our religious leaders have failed Nigeria? I will find it extremely difficult to exonerate religious leaders in our situation. Almost every Nigerian is corrupt. Corruption has made Nigeria lose her position in sports, sanity, health, education and other sectors of the economy. Today, Nigerians travel to smaller countries like Ghana and Gambia to acquire education and treat minor ailments. The level of backwardness accounts for why, after spending billions of Naira, Nigeria could not win even a bronze medal in the last 2012 London Olympics. The para-lympians however made the country proud. What do you say about the security situation in Nigeria? People are now living in fear today because of the strange of happenings in our land. If it is not ritual killing, we constantly face armed robbers and kidnappers. Apart from the Boko Haram insurgents that have been killing and maiming innocent citizens, even in places of worship, we now face the rage of ocean surge. Nowhere is safe and it appears our leaders are not too sure of what to do to stem the ugly trend. Say more about Boko Haram please These are people that take pleasure in destroying precious lives and property. Christianity preaches that we should leave vengeance to God. That is largely why we have not had reprisal attacks spreading across the country. Nobody or group has the monopoly of violence. Protagonists and sponsors of the dreaded fundamentalist sect must be told in clear terms that there is an elastic limit to everything. Those who have ears to hear should please hear as a word is enough for the wise.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013, PAGE 51 chimeena@yahoo.com 08026350360

Good books generate constructive criticisms —Promise A

By PRISCA SAM-DURU BOOK WORLD

Ogochukwu Promise (Phd) is a Fiction writer, playwright, poet and essayist. She is the founder and coordinator of The Lumina Foundation which instituted the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in Africa. She also edits and publishes the literary magazine, The Lumina, as well as The Promise Magazine. As a multiple Award winner, Ogochukwu who initiated the Get-Africa-Reading Project and runs a mobile library, expresses herself also in abstract painting. She is an Azikiwe Fellow as well as a Fellow of Stiftung Kulturfunds and the Iowa International Writing Program.

ENERAL assessment of the literature industry in 2012 We have witnessed the steady growth of literature, prodigious talents and the authors’ use of appropriate genres to express themselves. I do not care much about the growth in quantity as I do about the quality of work produced. There has been a remarkable improvement in which we

take pride. I am happy that our writers are not relenting in the pursuit of excellence. They appear quite ready to give their very best, to recreate life in its complex, yet striking forms. You could see that our writers are reading more, learning more, bringing their knowledge and experiences to bear in their work, thereby imbuing each work with courage and meaning.

Ogochukwu Promise Of course there is still a lot to be done in providing the enabling environment for the writer to enhancing her art, sharpen her skills, continue to learn and give nothing short of an excellent craft which truly rewards the reader

handsomely. It is hoped also that there will be more book buyers and readers, that the writer gets appreciated in ways that truly support literature, to mirror the society, improve lifestyles and move the entire social system upward.

Onicha Ugbo through the Ages BY HUGO ODIOGOR B OO K REVIEW BOO OOK

ECONSTRUCTION of social and historical account of African traditional societies is an enterprise that ought to be thriving in an environment that has over the centuries groaned under the perfidy of discovering themselves through the eye of writers outside their cultural experience, but more importantly, at a time when studying history as an academic discipline has been outlawed. Onicha Ugbo through the centuries, including the authentic origin of Umu- Eze Chime by Dr. Chudi Okwechime can be described as an attempt to knit oral historical account with research into the history, culture, etymology and sociological facts about the people of Onicha-Ugbo within a larger demographic matrix of Umu-Eze Chime in Western part of River Niger, in Delta State. The author, Dr. Chudi Okwechime, who teaches Mass Communication at Delta State University OgwashiUku, took his departure from his General Studies Course work as an undergraduate at University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where the dearth of information on a research work on “The Traditional Social History of a Nigeria Community, ” using

Onicha Ugbo through the centuries, (including the authentic origin of UmuEze Chime ) 2nd Edition, Chudi Okwechime, Prime Legacies Limited, 2012.

his own community, Onicha Ugbo, as a focal point. The book is 290 pages, which is divided into eight parts, ranging from introduction, the origin of people, the main features of its economy, the social organisation and political system, life circle, philosophy and religion, the growth of Christianity and education and annual ceremonies, especially, the Ine Festival to be concluded with typical programme of the annual ceremonies, appendices, bibliography, maps and charts. Again, the author ’s view on the integration of Agba village into the greater Onicha Ugbo town is illuminating, but the process is bound to leave a bitter taste in the mouth. The author tried to extricate the people of Onicha Ugbo from the imperial dominance of the Bini Kingdom and Nri hegemony which straddled the

minority groups in the west of the River Niger, who are still in search of their socio-cultural and political identity. The first part of the book therefore takes the reader through the location and physical environment of Onicha-Ugbo, the main villages that make up the town, their world view, sociological matrix, food, music, dance leadership and political structure, the religious rites and cultural totems, economic preoccupation, dressing, food, music and dance. This is a significant piece of cultural information of the traits that the town share with the other social units that trace their origins to Eze-Chime, in Delta North Senatorial District. Part two of the book can be described as the historical odyssey of Onicha Ugbo people and the inter-related towns of Obior, Onicha Uku, Onicha-Olona, Issele-Ukwu Issele-Mpitime, Issele Azagba, Ezi, Obomkpa, OnichaUkwuani and Aboh. The other towns are in Anambra state especially, Onicha-Ado, Obosi and Ogbaru. It is a historical account of the various stages of migration that took place from the 14th to 20th century. The author observed that traditional account of the origins of earliest settlers of Onicha-Ugbo and their brethren, the Umu Eze-Chime, are many and varied, and over time, the several versions have been diluted and polluted for reasons of political expediency, (P.17). Consequently, there are too many theories of the first settlement of the earliest ancestors of the clan and the real identity of Chime. There is unresolved conflict on whether he was a Bini man or an Igbo migrant into the ancient Bini Kingdom.

bout quality of writing presently coming out of Nigeria I do not think those who won Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature last year did so because they were living abroad. Don’t forget that those who live here have also won these prizes. Having said that, I think that paying attention to the overall quality of the book matters a great deal as well as the profundity and wealth of its content and the uniqueness and tidiness of its packaging. A shoddily written and published book would hardly appeal to anyone. Besides, it is always good to put one’s best foot forward in everyt h i n g . The controversies ignited by Prof Chinua Achebe’s There was a Country. I think it is a book that should be read carefully before drawing conclusions of any kind as it reflects very strong opinions and experiences; an account about a volatile period in the history of a people. It is a book that could be misread, misunderstood and mismanaged. Scarcity of There Was A Country and Nation’s reading Culture. One of the good things that can happen to a book is for it to generate constructive criticisms, reviews, very honest assessments which arguably help the book, its author and the readers. By becoming curious, going out there to buy and read the book and form personal opinions, people are generally becoming aware, minds are assiduously put to work as they get to determine what they accept or vehemently oppose. I wish a lot more books from our authors would get a lot more attention and rave reviews. In my opinion, critics are after all among the best friends and foes any author would wish for. hat is a great book. Great books never fail to leave something of their greatness in the hearts and minds of people who read them. Books that are thoughtfully, painstakingly and skillfully written; books that tell poignant truths about the state of our affairs, motivating us, enlightening us with the depth of their meaning, wealth of their language – full of grace, candour and meaning are worthy of being pored over.

PAGE 52—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013

music. Along the line Jahman had turned me into a columnist by encouraging me to write a weekly short story based on my growing up years in Obalende. That was how “Obalende: A Nation in Motion” became a Sunday story that started running in the Guardian. Long after I rested “Obalende: A Mation in Motion” Jahman convinced me to start another humor column in Guardian on Sunday to support his appointment as Editor of Guardian on Sunday. After a lot of arguments I agreed to write the column “Heartwritis”.

Jahman Anikulapo: Culture archivist @ 50

ahman Oladejo Anikulapo, the outgoing Editor of Guardian on Sunday joined the golden club of those who have lived for five decades on January 16, 2013. This tireless man who, as an undergraduate of Theatre Arts in the University of Ibadan acted in Professor Femi Osofisan’s play, “A Restless run of a locust” is not just an enigma. He is a restless ubiquitous man with a sense of mission and passion for humanity. Though his obvious forte are journalism, the arts and culture, the Agege born and bread “adire” (tie and dye dresses) loving dark complexioned man, has his strength embedded in humanism. His greatest strength lies in elevating and celebrating humanity. His daily quest is for everyone to discover his or her talents and pursue it to the nadir of good success. For the man popularly called Jahman, every man or woman has a right to be distinguished through the exhibition of his or her talents. This explains why Jahman and his soul mate, Toyin Akinosho, a trained Geologist, have, over the past two decades, devoted their lives and financial resources into the celebration of arts and culture through the Committee For Relevant Arts (CORA). Jahman has left no stone unturned in the pursuit of his passion for the elevation of humanity through arts and culture. He is one man who, though appears soft spoken, is erudite and fearless in expressing his convictions. This of course, has made him, on several occasions, appear as either an enemy who must be crushed or an irritating nuisance to some Government and Public Officials. As this scion of the Ben Tomoloju led tribe of arts journalism and cultural advocacy joins the club of those who celebrate the golden age of fifty years on earth he must be exposed. For over two decades, Jahman has not only exposed the ignorance and arrogance of those in government. He has also exposed some of us who have been close to him to unnecessary risks. It is either you are a victim of his cerebral criticisms or you are a victim

of his relentless arts and cultural activism. I stand to be counted among the beneficiaries and willing “victims” of this lemon grass tea loving Nigerian. First, Jahman, is always the first person to discourage anyone from relocating abroad. He rightly believes that we “cannot all jump the ship” and allow charlatans to shipwreck the project called Nigeria. It is for this reason that he proudly adorns his “adire” or any made in Nigeria fabric everywhere he has been over the past two decades. For Nigerians who he knows who have relocated abroad, Jahman ensures that he puts pressure on them to contribute to the “Nigerian Project” especially through arts and culture. Over the years, Jahman has insisted, whenever I told him I was traveling abroad, to “capture the arts and culture of the place for us”. Even when you tell Jahman that you are traveling from Lagos to Ajaokuta he extracts a promise from you “get me a live story or an interview from the place”. When you resist him, then he throws in his subtle “ whitemail”, “okay, capture your experience through a

BY WALE ADEDURO TRIBUTE

Jahman Sciences I just passed through the Students Union Building to connect the Arts Theatre. This late afternoon, I met one of the most dark complexioned young man. He smiled at me. We exchanged greetings. Then he asked if I was a “jambite” (new student). I gladly told him my story. Little did I know that I was entrapping myself. By the time our discussion ended, I was already sitting in front of “Baba Adelugba” as we used to call Professor Dapo Adelugba then. Baba Adelugba convinced me to

Unfortunately, this globally acknowledged selfless and tireless arts and culture advocate has been ignored by several levels of government in Nigeria

travelogue”. Therefore, with Jahman, you are always on duty either as a writer, reporter or interviewer.

t has never been a dull moment since I met this man in the front of the Arts Theatre at the University of Ibadan in October 1985. I was an undergraduate of Political Science in the University then but my preference had been to study Dramatic Arts at University of Ife. Therefore, I excited myself by going to the Arts Theatre daily to buy snacks (the kind that Professor Dapo Adelugba preferred). For me this was convenient because I was, at that time, squatting in Tedder Hall. So, leaving the Faculty of Social

immediately register for the Extra Mural Theatre Arts Programme. I explained to Jahman that I would not be able to cope combining an Evening Programme with my undergraduate Programme in Political Science. But the man I saw as “Black boy” insisted that I was brilliant enough. In fact, he quickly encouraged me that I should, after the Programme, proceed with the Diploma in Theatre Arts! Of course that was the beginning of my entry into the world of thespians. From that moment, I lost interest in Political Science but for one of my uncles Dr Olu Akinkoye, a senior lecturer in the department of Sociology, who encouraged me to manage my

time better. For him, if I excelled by making a Second Class Upper Division degree in Political Science, it would be easy to convince people in future that I did not abandon social sciences because I could not cope. That counsel has been a prophecy fulfilled. “Wale, this is a betrayal!” Jahman was disappointed that I accepted a job offer at Zenith Bank Plc in July 1990. To him, I was betraying the arts by taking up a bank job. So, he extracted a promise from me: “I will always be there when the arts need me”. I paid for that promise five years later. In late 1995 Jahman informed me. “MUSON Centre is looking for a Marketing Manager” He was convinced that I was the most qualified person for the job because of my training in arts, Political Science, Management and Banking. “And you will be representing the arts community there”. That was why, for Jahman’s sake, I quitted my bank job I took a pay cut to become the Marketing Manager of MUSON Centre. The very week I resumed, Jahman came to congratulate me. When he was leaving, he gave me an agenda: “To open up MUSON Centre for the arts community!” He felt the founders of Musical Society of Nigeria were too Eurocentric with their passion for Classical Music. We needed to broaden the focus. He made a commitment there and then. Guardian Arts desk would publicise all the concerts provided I worked towards getting the arts community into MUSON Centre. Of course, one thing led to the other and MUSON Centre started encouraging the arts and artistes beyond classical

n the performing arts, when Jahman could not succeed in taking me back to the stage, he made me an unofficial script and drama critic. He would always insist on my doing a critique of drama presentations because “the world wants to hear you!” Of course, I had to oblige him on several occasions because that was the only way to be free from this unrelenting man of arts and culture advocacy. One aspect that most people may not easily notice about Jahman is that he loves children and youths with a passion. He is a man who is always concerned about our future. That is why he is at the fore front of the “Bring Back The Book” project and other initiatives that will encourage our children to grow intellectually and culturally. Unfortunately, this globally acknowledged selfless and tireless arts and culture advocate has been ignored by several levels of government in Nigeria. People who have not contributed ten percent of what Jahman has used his resources to achieve in Nigeria have received state and national awards. Jahman is an asset for any government that truly wants to transform the arts and culture of Nigeria. Though he is not a transactional personality, his transcendental credentials should qualify him to be recognised as a positive force for arts and cultural development. However, if Nigeria vacillates in harnessing the potentials and treasures in Jahman, the world out there, from Ghana to Germany that daily beckons at him may get his attention. Jahman Oladejo Anikulapo, at fifty, is another Professor Wole Soyinka who Nigeria cannot afford to allow to be disillusioned about the Nigerian project. Jahmo, my brother and friend, as you begin the second half of your sojourn on earth, let us get closer to the God who has kept us together. The finishing line is still far. You now need more spiritual strength for the journey ahead. Choboi!

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013 —53

PAGE 54 -- SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013 ryone will be gunning for us. We’re not outsiders any more, but the team to beat. “A lot of sides have the trophy in their sights, which means every game will be a battle and we will have to be on our

da should feel very much at home when the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations gets under way, having spent the last five years with South African club Lamontville Golden Arrows, who are based in Durban.

What makes Chipolopolo thick- Musonda *Says South Africa is like home for them

HIGHLY respected member of a close-knit Zambia squad, Joseph Musonda embodies the faith and self-belief of the Copper Bullets better than anyone. With just days to go before they begin their CAF Africa Cup of Nations defence in South Africa, the vastly experienced centre-half is convinced they can put some uncertain recent performances behind them and shine on the big stage again. While team-mate and close friend Jacob Mulenga feels the reigning champions will be firmly in the spotlight when the tournament kicks off this weekend, Musonda has no doubt they can take the pressure in their stride. “This Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa will be like playing at home for us,” the 35year-old central defend-

er, who has been capped 73 times by his country, told FIFA.com. “We’re used to playing here and we’ll have lots of our fans cheering us on too. “We don’t feel stressed and we’re all pulling together, which makes us strong,” continued the veteran, reflecting the serene, unruffled approach favoured by the team’s French coach Herve Renard. “We are united and ready to fight for each other. We don’t want to put needless pressure on our shoulders.” Surprise African champions at Gabon and Equatorial Guinea 2012, after defeating the highly fancied Côte d’Ivoire on penalties in the final, Zambia start their bid to retain the continental crown on Monday. The faith and togetherness that took them to that unexpected triumph are still very much in

evidence, even if recent results have been less than impressive. The Copper Bullets have failed to score in their last four games, giving genuine cause for concern to their fans. Taking stock of their lacklustre warm-up displays, Musonda, a member of the side that conquered Africa last year, said: “The team has barely changed over the last year but we’re making more mistakes, as our last few games have shown. We need to put that right and that’s what we have been looking to do in the build-up. We have been pushing ourselves harder in training and we will be ready for the first game.” “We are working even harder this time than we did in preparing for last year ’s competition,” he said, before explaining the reasons why: “Eve-

toes. We are ready for the fight though, and the coaching staff keep pushing us to achieve, which is just what we need.” A two-time Zambian league champion with Nkana Football Club in 1999 and 2001, Muson-

It was only four months ago that Musonda returned to action after sustaining an injury early on in last year’s continental final against the Ivorians in the Gabonese capital of Libreville. Little wonder, then, that he is anxious for Zambia’s

THIOPIA hold the dubious record of being runners-up in the Africa Cup of Nations without winning a game or even scoring a goal. That came at the inaugural tournament, held in 1957, after the Confederation of African Football was established by the Egyptian, Ethiopian, South African and Sudanese Football Associations. Ethiopia received a bye into the final after South Africa were disqualified for refusing to send a multi-racial team, and the Walya Antelopes were then beaten 4-0 by Egypt in Khartoum. Now, 31 years after their last appearance in the Finals, one of the founding fathers of the African game are back and aiming to make a big impact in South Africa. “We are the pioneers, but we went backwards,” says the president of the Ethiopian Football Federation (EFF), Sahilu Gebremariam. “Now the whole nation is inspired again. “Football is the most loved sport in Ethiopia. Being good at athletics builds our international image, but wherever you go - in schools, villages, or in the street - football is the most popular sport.” The inspiration has come from a national side built on hard work and a team ethic. Ethiopia, who won the Cup of Nations in 1962, are ranked 110th in the world and 31st in Africa, and they qualified for South Africa by edging out both Benin and Su-

Ethiopia set to make impact, 31 years after

dan on away goals in qualification. Head coach Sewnet Bishaw has been in charge since November 2011, but former national manager Iffy Onuora, who led the team between July 2010 and April 2011, says the signs of improvement were evident during his reign. “I’m proud that I instilled some professionalism during my time there,” said the former Huddersfield, Gillingham and Swindon striker. “I’m strong on organisation and team dynamics, and talking to the players it was clearly very different from what they were used to. “I believe they saw the

benefits and enjoyed it. Having seen the players close up, I felt there was raw talent to work with.” The talent is almost all home based, from the club sides Dedebit, Defence and Saint George. Just one professional plays his club football outside Ethiopia - star striker Saladin Said plays in the Egyptian Premier League. Onuora believes Ethiopia’s relative anonymity can help them spring a surprise in a group that contains holders Zambia, as well as Nigeria and Burkina Faso. “Adane Gir ma is a

brave striker who attacks crosses well, in the manner of a young Alan Shearer,” said Onuora. “Alula Girma is a quality full-back who wouldn’t look out of place in a Championship side in England and Shimelis Bekele is a little magician on the pitch in the manner of a classic number 10. He can play wide or behind a striker, and can see a pass in the manner that Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla can.” The players, having become national heroes through qualifying, do not want their journey to end in the group stage.

“We know Nigeria and Zambia are strong opponents, but they should not forget we qualified by beating Sudan, who played at the 2012 Cup of Nations,” said 27year-old striker Adane Girma. “In the past, we had problems in beating opponents in away matches. Now this is history psychologically we have shown encouraging improvements, and as a result we also have a chance to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.” Ethiopia have never qualified for football’s biggest global tournament, but that is now a realistic prospect - just four years after the team

title defence to begin: “I can’t wait to get out there. This competition is a very special one for me and we have confidence in ourselves.” Head coach Renard shares that faith in his side: “There are a lot of experts who don’t think we can win the title and they don’t want to stick their necks out. It’s easier for them to say that Zambia will never win the Africa Cup of Nations again.” “It’s vital we start the competition with a win, like last year,” added the Frenchman, in reference to his side’s tournament opener, expressing a view shared by his dependable central defender: “We have to win the match against Ethiopia. That’s essential.” Musonda has been working hard for the challenge ahead, linking up with the rest of the squad at the start of their pre-tournament schedule on 27 December. Though their preparations ended with a goalless draw against Norway last Saturday, the Zambian stalwart is not concerned, his confidence unshaken in the recipe that brought them success in 2012. “This squad is a family,” he concluded. And in Musonda, the Zambians have a father figure they can look up to. were excluded from World Cup qualifying because the national football federation was sanctioned by Fifa for their non-compliance of a roadmap for progress. “We now have a more modern way of managing our federation,” says EFF president Gebremariam. “All communities have come together. We currently don’t have any football idols, but it is the collective team spirit that is important. In the future we will create some stars.” Onuora, born in Scotland and the scorer of more than 100 goals in English league football, has written a book on his time in charge, and will be keenly following the team’s progress in South Africa. “Every League Two club in England would comfortably have better facilities than the Ethiopian national team in terms of pitch, ground staff, training facilities and kit,” the 45-year-old Onuora added. “But I began to love that aspect of it. The ability to build a team out of nothing more than the raw material, the ability of the players, became my driving force. “I had in mind the Cup of Nations in 2012, and more realistically 2013, and beyond that the World Cup. I believed we could do it.” Onuora may have departed, but the Walya Antelopes have done it. The 1962 champions are back on the big stage and ready to draw on the pioneering spirit of their footballing forefathers.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 20, 2013 -- PAGE 55

Goodluck, Keshi, Eagles Recall of federation secretaries is for performance assessment, says Ekeji

HE Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr Patrick Ekeji, has said that the re-call of secretaries of National Sports Federations was for performance evaluation. Ekeji, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said the aim was also to review the process and structure that produced the executive boards of the federations. He said the recall was necessary to pave way for reconstituting of the federations’ boards, stressing, however, that the instrument of existence would be made public as soon as the minister gave approval. Ekeji said the recall would not happen until elections into the new boards of the federations were conducted. “This is to avoid creating vacuum because assuming all of them come back, who holds forth at the federation level. “But it’s obvious that there is need to re-tool and re-do sports administration to arrive at the ways and means that will give us the expected results.

STRONG AT 70... The Medical Director of Unity Hospitals Group in Lagos, Dr. Michael Obafunso turned 70 years recently and a golf tournament was orghanised in his honour at the Ikeja Golf Club Lagos. The septuagenarian celebrant (left) chats with the Owa of Oke Oro of Ekiti State, HRM Oba Afolabi Babade on the golf course.

“We have agreed at the management level that we just cannot take all of these sports the way it’s been done all of these years. “I have always known that the way we have been doing it is not what it should be but I had too many challenges; too many people around me who before I came to this position couldn’t see tomorrow. “Its obvious there are lapses and so what we need do is re-tool them, then concentrate on those

sports where we believe will yield results when given enough support,” Ekeji said. The DG revealed that arrangements were being made to keep the secretaries busy when they eventually returned to the commission either at the headquarters or at the zonal offices. “For instance, if you bring them to headquarters, what will they be doing and if you send them to the zones, do we have enough funds to keep them positively busy?

NPL starting from the scratch, sports minister declares BY BEN EFE

PORTS Minister Bolaji Abdulahi disclosed at the Lagos Sports Writers Association of Nigeria, SWAN Forum in Lagos at the weekend that the Nigeria Premier League will start from the scratch after the tumultuous regimes of Davidson Owumi and Rumson Baribote. He disclosed that the vexed issue of sponsorship, which became like an albatross on the neck of successive administrators of the league has been laid to rest and Nigeria football fans can look forward to a new beginning. “First of all I want to express the confidence that I have in the interim management committee. They are men who have distinguished themselves in their different callings. “The Interim Management Committee has plans to take the league to a different level. Literally speaking they are starting from the scratch,” said Mr. Abdullahi.

He announced that mobile network firm, Globacom that has continually loomed large over NPL with regards to sponsorship rights have agreed to withdraw all litigations from the law courts concerning the sponsorship rights. However, Globacom will own

the right to title sponsorship for the next three years. Mr. Abdullahi disclosed that he had to intervene in the matter to ensure that the league resumes as soon as possible as Nigerian players were bearing the brunt of the delay in the start of the league.

Bafana draw 0-0 with Cape Verde •Continued from BP head coach, Gordon Igesund made to strengthen his midfield as he took off Crystal Palace midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi for Lerato Chabangu but Cape Verde remained impregnable with both teams continuing the struggle to serve up any quality football. Bafana Bafana defence was caught napping in the 73rd minute when Heldon sneaked in with a diving header but goalkeeper Khune saved the day as he scrambled across his goal line to tip it away. From this stage, the game became a ding dong affair with the host pushing des-

perately to score but the underdogs kept them at bay with stout defending that made the vuvuzela blowing South African fans screaming ahhhhs and ooohs. Referee Djamel Haimoudi added extra four minutes but Bafana Bafana could still not make hay as Cape Verde, who recorded more shots, 10 to South Africa’s two, held on strongly. Even Bongani Khumalo’s header two minutes from time went off target before the final whistle sounded to record a disappointing start for the hosts who want a second Nations Cup victory on home soil after their 1996 experience.

OMORROW Stephen Keshi will lead out the new Super Eagles he is re building against Burkina Faso in their first game of the 29th Africa Nations Cup in South Africa. However, I am not one of the Nigerians who want the Super Eagles to win the competition at all cost but I definitely wish they put up a respectable performance. The joy of most Nigerians, including me is the boldness of Keshi to include home-based players, six in total, in his final squad for the competition. A decision that has buoyed the interest of the local players in the league which has more or less remained comatose since the crisis which has seen Davidson Owumu and Rumson Baribote in and out of the saddle of the Nigeria Premier League, NPL. One Nigerian who has however, remained sceptical about the inclusion of homebased players and has continuously criticised Keshi over it is former Eagles player, Jonathan Akpoborie, himself a product of youth football from the grass-root here. The NFF gave Keshi a semi final mandate but some fans are alrady saying they see the team going into the final and winning the competition. That may be askng for too much from a team just being assembled with more than half of them making their debut in South Africa. The team should be supported in prayers and allowed to continue to grow into a formidable team with time irrespective of their achievement in this Nations Cup. If they go on to win the competition, that would be a big surprise and a big boost in their quest to pick a ticket for the 2014 World cup in Brazil.

Globacom and Nigerian league O

NCE again the issue of Globacom sponsoring the Nigerian league has been brought to the front bunner after the Interim Management Committee set in motion modalitites to kick start the league which ran into a hitch following the poor management style of the Baribote-led Board. While dismissing Baribote’s allegation that he was instrumental to his removal as the NPL boss, the sports minister/Chairman, National Sports Commission, NSC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi disclosed that Total Promotions which was working as proxy for MTN actually won the sponsorship bid. When news filtered into media houses during the week that the sponsorship of the league has been handed over to Globacom, yours sincerely was disturbed and wanted to know why the NPL is going back to its vomit. The opportunity came last Friday when the minister was guest of Lagos SWAN at its secretariat at the National Stadium and he was asked what the system has against MTN, which has been interested in sponsoring the league and giving it a face lift. The summary of his reply was that he wanted MTN to sponsor the league since they actually won the bid trhough Total Promotions before they were frustrated out but the outfit said they were no longer interested but would prefer another area of the country’s sports if the opportunity knocks. Who won’t feel frustrated with the way Globacom has been going about the whole thing. This will be the third time Globacom is being given the chance and should it bungle it again, it should not be allowed to come back for it no matter how juicy its offer may look. With the insistense of Keshi that players from the local league must always be part of his plan for the Super Eagles, the league needs a serious sponsorship package with sound administraive machinery to keep it going and produce more players for the national team.

USA has always cheated

ANY years ago, Nigerian sprinster, Chidi Imoh alleged that USA athletes used performance enhancing drugs and therefore there was no way himself and other African athletes who depended more on their raw energy to run could catch up with the Americans. He said that he knew this very well as he was not only close to them but was once a room-mate of the world’s sensation then, Carl Lewis. Instead of Nigerians trying to investigate or call to be investigated, his allegation, they called him a lazy runner who was only making excuses for his failure at major championships. Americans were master of it all, only those who posed problems to their dominance, were singled out for disgraced. That was what happened to Ben Johnson of Canada who dusted Lewis to the gold at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. His record was unbelievable and the Americans went for him and exposed him. Big time Americans were never caught except of course they exposed themselves or a repented former drug user spills the beans. That was the case with Marion Jones whose albatross was her boy friend CJ Hunter who exposed her after they fell out. In the case of the Sydney 200 Olympics quartet, the truth came out after one of them confessed that he used performance enhancing drug and the gold had to be withdrawn and given to the rightful owners, the Nigerian quartet led by the late Sunday Bada. If Lance Amrstrong had not come out of retirement to disturb some of his teammates who also wanted the limelight, may be he would still have remained a legend because the American system which cannot deny knowledge of the whole drug saga would not expose any of their athletes. They are all involved and they know they always cheat to keep beating the rest of the world.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 20, 2013 this (Friday) afternoon. Then the president of the federation came. There were guarantees and the certainty that things will change. We are trustful and that is why we are back in training,” Le Roy was quoted as saying by Radio France International (RFI) on their website. Defender Larrys Mabiala said the row had been taxing on the team.

Congo DR players end strike

EMOCRATIC Republic of Congo players have returned to training ahead of the African Nations Cup after a two-day strike following a row with the country’s football federation over bonus payments. The players refused to train on Thursday and Friday in an

attempt to get the promised money pushed through before they begin their campaign in South Africa on Sunday. Manager Claude Le Roy said he had spoken with the head of the Congo federation and the players were satisfied with the latest guarantees. “I spent time on the phone

Results

•ECSTACY... Super Eagles players celebrating a goal. Coach Stephen Keshi has said his team should not be underestimated in their quest for the trophy at the Africa Nations Cup in South Africa.

Liverpool Man City Newcastle Swansea

5 2 1 3

Norwich Fulham Reading Stoke

0 0 2 1

NATIONS CUP:

Don’t underestimate my Eagles, Keshi warns S

UPER Eagles coach Stephen Keshi has dis closed that his young team at the 2013 Nations Cup in South Africa will surprise those who have no faith in the Eagles to deliver at the competition. Keshi, who has been to the

Nations Cup as head coach twice with Togo and Mali but crashed out at the first round argued that his players have potentials and they can hold their own. Keshi replaced Samson Siasia as coach in November 2011

Disappointing start for Bafana Bafana, draw 0-0 with Cape Verde BY PATRICK OMORODION with Agency reports

HE opening match of the 29th Africa Cup of Nations between host, South Africa and giant-killers, Cape Verde started on a slow pace on a wet pitch after the rain that preceded the opening ceremony which lacked the lustre of the 2010 World Cup. Cape Verde, who are coming into the African football party for the first time were a little bit withdrawn at the early stages of the first half, not too sure of what the Bafana Bafana would throw at them. However, their confidence grew as the match

wore on and their best chance fell on midfielder Luis Platini, but he failed to hit target, as he poorly scuffed his shot wide. The West Africans again hit a long distance effort high, wide and not too handsome, with Nhuck Heldon guilty this time of ballooning a free-kick well over Itumeleng Khune’s crossbar. With Cape Verde not giving Bafana Bafana room to express themselves, the host began to pump long balls up the pitch rather than play through their midfield as the game edged to a barren first half. On resumption, South Africa

and immediately embarked on rebuilding a once proud team who, in 1994, were ranked fifth in the world by FIFA. “I will always say names don’t play football and that is why we are now working with players who will help us do well. If these players are in the league at home, so be it,” he said. Nigeria under Keshi have 1

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won six matches and drawn six in 14 games with their two losses being against Egypt and Peru. Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel has backed Keshi to make history as a coach. “Keshi has already won this tournament as a player and I believe he can make history as a coach, too, by winning it,” said

Mikel, stressing, “We have some great individuals and if we can bring all our qualities together and play as a team, we can make his dream come true.” The Eagles may not be one of the favourites in South Africa after they failed to qualify for last year’s competition in Equatorial Guinea/Gabon, but Keshi says his team have great potential to do well. “Many don’t know how good this team are. I see potential in them and they can go places,” said the coach, who qualified Togo for the 2006 World Cup. TODAY’S MATCHES Ghana v Congo DR Mali v Niger

ACROSS 1. House of Reps Speaker (8) 5. Assistant (4) 7. Praise (5) 9 10 8. Upright (4) 9. Lantern (4) 12 11. Tradition (6) 13. Lagos masquerade (3) 15. Exclamation (2) 17 18 19 16. Pig’s nose (5) 18. Agent (3) 23 20. Glitters (6) 24. Forward (5) 25. Nigerian state (6) 25 26 27. Boring tool (3) 29. Ghanaian fabric (5) 31. Perform (2) 31 32 33 32. Oshiomhole’s state (3) 34. U.S. currency (6) 35 36. Vow (4) 38. Musical quality (4) 38 39. Inclination (5) 40. Eager (4) 41. Damages (8) 5

4pm 7pm

DOWN 1. Sample (5) 2. Niger state town (4) 3. Observe (5) 4. Lecture (6) 5. Everyone (3) 6. Use (6) 10. Inquires (4) 12. Carpet (3) 14. Colour (6) 15. Resistance unit (3) 17. Coax (4) 19. Rollicked (6) 21. Hatchet (3) 22. Satisfied (4) 23. Nigerian state (3) 26. Cry of derision (3) 27 . African country (6) 28. Endure (4) 29. Child (3) 30. Spoke (6) 31. Adorn (5) 33. Baking chambers (5) 35. Asterisk (4) 37. Possessed (3)

•Continues on page 55

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