Sultan warns Jonathan, Buhari by Vanguard Media Limited

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Sultan warns Jonathan, Buhari •‘Presidency not do-or-die’ A

HEAD of the general elections, scheduled to begin on Saturday, March 28, 2015, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ ad Abubakar, yesterday, warned the gladiators, especially President Goodluck Jonathan and Major General Muhammadu Buhari against taking the election as do-or-die affair. Jonathan, the incumbent president, is running on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while Buhari is the presidential candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). The elections, initially slated to hold on February 14 and 28, generated heat in the polity before they were rescheduled for March 28 and April 11. The Sultan spoke on a day Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State urged politicians to defend the nation’s democracy. Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State also urged elder statesmen and national leaders to speak out against issues that could provoke violence during the general elections. Abubakar told Jonathan,

Buhari and other contestants in the general elections that winners of polls had been predestined by God, wondering why some of them view elections as a do-or-die affair. “While they struggle for electoral success, they should also consider the well-being of the country after elections,” the leader of the Muslim community in Nigeria and also the President, Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), stated. The Sultan spoke when the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Johnson Olawumi, paid preelection advocacy visit to his palace in Sokoto. He called on security agencies to protect corps members and other personnel that will be involved in the conduct of the general elections. Speaking, yesterday, while delivering the keynote address at a National Integration Roundtable Summit organised by the International Summit Group Nigeria, Uduaghan stressed the need to protect democracy in the country. The Delta governor enjoined politicians,

THOUGHT FOR TODAY DISCUSSION AND DECISION (4) By Richard Eromonsele

...Yes,which is your choice?You have two basic choices before you__deciding to succeed or deciding to fail,deciding to live or deciding to die.You decides to succeed when inspite of every negative information you chose to move on,unperturbed and unstoppable.When the whether appeared not to be favourable, you chose to adapt to it and succeed.When inspite of your uninspiring background,you chose to stand up and be counted,then and there you have decided to succeed.Learn to take a decision,good,bad,it doesn,t really matter.As you you make decision _taking a very important feature of your life, very soon decision making will become a way of life for you.In addition, most of your decisions will be right.And having decided,action your decisions.Most of life failures today are caused by our refusal to impliment our decisions.So,don,t just discuss and decide,_discuss,decide and act.

regardless of their party affiliation to avoid action that could negatively affect the nation’s democratic process. His words: “Let me also admonish political gladiators on the need to safeguard the nation’s nascent democracy we are currently enjoying and ensure that Nigeria does not disintegrate as predicted by some prophets of doom. “Let us continue work together to promote the welfare of our people. Posterity will judge us if we fail in our duties to meet the needs of our people. “I must point out that the challenges of incessant disagreement between ethnic and religious groups have become quite discouraging.” Meanwhile, Fashola has asked leaders to speak up against issues that could provoke violence during the coming elections, saying, by keeping quiet, they were inadvertently assisting those bent on perpetrating electoral fraud in disrupting the process altogether. Speaking at the Lagos House, Ikeja, when he hosted members of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development Council of the Wise, led by former Nigeria’s Permanent

•Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, and wife, Dr. Nwanneka Ekweremadu, acknowledge cheers from teeming supporters during a senatorial campaign tour of Udi, Udi LGA, Enugu at the weekend. Photo: Office of the DSP

CAMPAIGN: L-R: Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu, deputy governorship candidate, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Sokoto APC guber candidate, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and DG of the state campaign organisation, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, at a sensitisation meeting with women and youth groups in Sokoto, yesterday.

Representative at the United Nations, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the governor said the time had come when all lovers of the country, but particularly elder statesmen, whose voices

could be heard globally, should speak out and condemn statements capable of disrupting the electoral process. Citing the international community to buttress his point, he explained that

the community will not necessarily become conciliators only but would also apportion responsibility where it was fitting and apportion blame where it was fitting.

Buhari certificate saga: Tension in APC camp over court case T

HERE is tension in the opposition All Progressives Congress as a Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Abdu Kafarati, has given an order for accelerated hearing in a suit brought by a nong o v e r n m e n t a l organisation, Global Center for Conscious Living Against Corruption, asking for an order of mandamus to compel the Inspector General of Police to investigate allegations of forgery and perjury against the party ’s presidential candidate, Gen Muhammadu Buhari. In the suit number FHC/ ABJ/CS/172/2015, filed by Professor Andrew Chukwuemerie, SAN, the plaintiffs are seeking the order of the court to order police investigation into the “alleged acquisition and possession of the West African School Certificate by Gen. Muhammad Buhari at Provincial Secondary School, Katsina in view of non-production of the said School Certificate of certified true copy

thereof ”. The court originating summons, supported by a 31-paragraph affidavit, sworn to by Joy Odoh, averred that the Inspector-General of Police has an obligation under the Nigerian Constitution to investigate allegations of forgery and lying on oath made against the APC presidential candidate and that the police had refused to do so despite repeated demands. One of the exhibits attached to the originating summons by the plaintiff is a copy of a letter written by the Test Department of the National Office of the West African Examinations Council in Ghana which states that Buhari’s name and records were not in its examinations archive thus suggesting that he was never a candidate for the examination set by the body. The plaintiffs contended that Buhari lied on oath and ought to be tried for perjury when he declared in an affidavit submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission

that his Secondary School Certificate was with the Military Board, a claim denied by the Board. The group said the allegations of forgery and perjury were too weighty to be ignored by the police “ which has a constitutional duty to investigate all allegations bordering on crime in the interest of justice and that all efforts made to make the police perform its duties have proved futile”. Meanwhile, subsequent upon an application by the plaintiffs counsel, the court gave an order for accelerated hearing and

directed the InspectorGeneral of Police to enter his defence within seven days. The plaintiffs are also asking the court to determine whether by virtue of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Police Act, the Inspector General of Police is not duty bound to investigate the allegations especially when the APC candidate has not submitted either an original copy or a certified true copy of his secondary school certificate to INEC as required by law.

Obanikoro floors opponents again

ON Justice Kazeem Alogba of the High Court of Lagos State has dismissed the suit seeking to disqualify Senator Musiliu Obanikoro from being elected into public office on account of dual citizenship. The court, while upholding the arguments of counsel to Obanikoro and PDP, Dr. Yemi Oke and Mr. Gbenga Ojo, ruled that the suit was incompetent on the

grounds that the documents relied upon were uncertified public documents, which are, by law, inadmissible. Counsel had also opposed the suit on the grounds that, by virtue of Section 28 of the Constitution, Nigerian citizens by birth cannot be disqualified from being elected into public office on account if dual citizenship. No order was made as to cost.

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One feared dead as Aguleri/ Umuoba Anam fight over land By Vincent Ujumadu, Awka

His Grace, The Most Rev. (Dr.) Daniel Okoh, flanked by the College of Bishops and other dignitaries at the dedication of the Women Development Centre, Asaba, Delta State.

N what appears to be an emerging reoccurrence of the infamous Aguleri / Umuleri war between 1999 and 2002 in which hundreds of lives were lost, a clash between Aguleri and the neighbouring Umuoba Anam, on Friday, over a stretch of land close to the Anambra River has led to the loss of one person,

while 10 persons sustained various degrees of injuries. When Sunday Vanguard visited the area yesterday, it was observed that four houses, including the building housing the World Bank –assisted Anambra State FADAMA 111 Project, were burnt down, while the magnificent building housing Aguleri Micro Finance Bank was torched. Also, all the dredging

One in five newborn deaths in Nigeria could be prevented, environment by people who says WaterAid had washed their hands stated. By Funmi Olasupo

ne in five newborn deaths in Nigeria O could be prevented with safe

water, sanitation and clean hands,WaterAid Nigeria’s Country Representatives, Dr. Micheal Ojo, has said. Ojo, who stated this at the launch of the organisation’s ‘Healthy Start’ campaign to commemorate the 2015 World Water Day in Abuja,

emphasised that water, sanitation and hygiene are intricately linked and a lack of access to these basic services contributes to high mortality and morbidity rates especially amongst children. According to him, for one in five babies who die in their first month in the developing world, if being washed in clean water and cared for in a clean

could have prevented their untimely deaths. “It has been shown that a baby’s chances of dying in the first month of life is cut by half if a mother and her birth attendant both wash their hands before handling the baby. Yet, in Nigeria, almost a third (29%) of hospitals and clinics did not have access to clean water and the same percentage did not have safe toilets,” he

“The campaign launches significantly not just in the run up to World Water Day but also as a World Health Organization report released in the last few days reveals that nearly half of hospitals and clinics in Africa do not have access to clean water.” Dr. Ojo also called on decision leaders and policy makers to consider this saying, that survival rates and health outcomes are

improved for children by integrating water, sanitation and hygiene within their policies, activities and rhetoric. Also speaking, Director, Community Health Service, Emmanuel Odu stated that where clean water, sanitation and good hygiene are lacking, improvements in health and nutrition are slow to start and hard to sustain, the cost in terms of ill-health and deaths are intolerably high especially for babies and children. According to him, World Water Day is a United Nations designated global day for action to illustrate the importance of water in our lives. “In 2010, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution recognising the human right to water and sanitation as “essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life,” he said. Although the rights to water and sanitation have been ratified by the NigerianGovernment, these rights are not recognised in any legal framework of the country such as the Constitution.

equipment, estimated to be over N50 million belonging to JCECAN Global Link Nigeria Ltd, as well as welding machines, rubber floaters deep black hosts, batteries, 150 plastic chairs and 30 canopies for hiring, were set ablaze. One of the victims, Mr. Chibuko Ifediegwu, whose injury was said to be severe, was on admission at the Borommew Hospital, Onitsha. Truck loads of policemen were seen guarding the area while the state commissioner of police, Mr. Hosea Karma, met with the traditional rulers of the two communities imploring them to call their youths to order. A youth leader in Umuoba Anam, Mr. Sam Ifeatu, who narrated the incident to Sunday Vanguard, said trouble started when somebody from Aguleri, simply called Obi, rechanneled filthy water from the town to the river spot where his people usually take their bath and collect water for their domestic use, instead of channeling it through the Aguleri end. According to him, when the people complained, the said Obi threatened them and this led to a confrontation between youths of the two communities during which guns were freely used. However, a community leader in Aguleri and a member of the Igwe Aguleri cabinet, Chief Ralph Igwa, said Umuoba Anam had no claim to any parcel of land in the area as the place they are presently residing was given to them by Aguleri people.

NURTW leader defends Tinubu By Dayo Johnson, Akure

leader of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Alhaji Amoda Bello, weekend, kicked against the “campaign of calumny” by some Afenifere leaders against the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu. Bello, speaking with newsmen in Akure, said Tinubu is an “undisputed leader of the Yoruba”. According to him, the leader of the APC is a progressive who means well for the Yoruba and would not sell the race. Bello pointed out that whatever political step taken by the former Lagos State governor “ is in the interest of the Yoruba and will

be beneficial to them”. He urged the Afenifere leaders to accept Tinubu as a Yoruba leader who share the same political ideologies with the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

FGGC Sagamu Alumni USA Holds Reunion

nited States chapter of Federal Government Girls College (FGGC), Sagamu Alumni, a-not-forprofit organization incorporated in the US, holds its yearly reunion next month. A statement issued by Abimbola Art-Alade, on behalf of the FSAI Board of Directors, said the reunion, slated for April 25, will hold at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 7

R-L: Group Managing Director, Arco Group Plc, Alfred Okoigun;CEO, Siemens Nigeria, Ms Nyeche Tifase, and lCPC Federal Commisioner, Mr. lsa Ozi Salami, during a dinner hosted by Arco Group for delegates to the Nigeria Oil & Gas Conference (NOG 2015) in Abuja. Photo by Abiodun Ajala

From left: Asiwaju Fola Osibo, Vice Chairman, Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB), Mrs. Biola Agbaje, Chairman, FNSB, Halleluyah Samuel, Winner of the Annual Sport Competition, Chairman Sport Committee and Member of Council FNSB, Major Kehinde Danmole and Representative of Lagos State commissioner for Education, Mrs. Eniola Abogunde, at the 20th Annual Inter-House Sports Competition of the Federal Nigeria Society for the Blind (FNSB) held at Yaba College of Technology Sport Centre. Photo by Lamidi Bamidele

PDP, APC trade words on Al-Qaeda, pirate radio, Buhari’s wife By Emmanuel Aziken and Henry Umoru

IRECTOR of Media and Publicity of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organaisation (PDPPCO), Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has insisted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should answer the question posed to them on whether their presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, can guarantee that not one dollar of Al-Qaeda, ISIS or ISIL (terrorist groups) money has been used to support his presidential campaign. Fani-Kayode, in a

response to the court threat by the spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation (APCPCO), Malam Garba Shehu, on the question, said it was a pity that supposed educated persons could not make a distinction between a question and an assertion. Meanwhile, APC dismissed the PDPPCO allegation that it floated a pirate radio, saying it was designed to frame up the opposition party’s leaders for arrest. “It is a pity that these people are not well educated. They cannot even make a distinction between a question and

an assertion. Rather than asking me to retract or withdraw the question, they should just answer it and stop misbehaving”, Fani-Kayode said in a statement, yesterday. “If they are waiting for a retraction to our questions, they will wait forever. Hell will freeze over before we retract any question that we have put. We will not retract any question rather we will continue to put more uncomfortable questions to them until they provide answers by saying yes or no. “We have made no assertion, we have simply asked a set of legitimate, responsible, sensitive and important questions, and

we have every right to do so.” In another statement, yesterday, the PDPPCO told off wife of the APC presidential candidate, Aisha Buhari, describing her advice to the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, that she (First Lady) would not be sent to jail if her husband, General Muhammadu Buhari, wins the presidential poll, as unneeded. Fani-Kayode, in response to Aisha Buhari’s attack on the First Lady in Benin, said the entire PDP presidential campaign did not appreciate her counsel because the First Lady has not committed any offence.

PDP group, ACPN disagree on card readers By Henry Umoru and Gabriel Ewepu

HEAD of the general elections, slated for March 28 and April 11, a group, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Integrity Vanguard, said it would be an invitation to anarchy if the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, goes ahead with the use of smart card reader machines for accreditation in the polls. Meanwhile, the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) has thrown its weight behind the use of the machines. In a statement by the National Coordinator, PDP Integrity Vanguard and pioneer National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Senator Aniete Okon, and Chief Sergeant Awuse, they warned that Jega’s move to use the card reader machines was an intention to undermine the forthcoming elections against the backdrop that many eligible voters would

be disenfranchised. In the statement titled, “Jega and his card reader, an invitation to anarchy”, Okon and Awuse said, “The PDP Integrity Vanguard restates its commitment to democracy and democratic values. Our cause is to ensure that no Nigerian is unduly disenfranchised while making sure that only the votes that should count end up being counted. The organization rejects in totality the use of card readers and Incident Forms and insists that INEC must, in the interest of all that is true, noble and equitable, revert to the updated voter register. To do otherwise will be to cast doubts on its ability to deliver a free and fair election in the same manner as it did in 2011. “The Independent National Electoral Commission continues to undertake ominous measures indicating an intention to undermine Nigeria’s forthcoming elections. The PDP Integrity Vanguard, once

again raises an alarm on the demonstrable resolve of Nigeria’s electoral arbiter INEC to unduly disenfranchise Nigerians. Indeed, it is clear that INEC is either crassly incompetent or deliberately undoing the current democratic dispensation.” In its own position on

the issue, ACPN National Chairman, Engr. Olu Okunrinboye, during a press conference held at the party ’s national secretariat in Abuja, yesterday, emphasized that the use of the card reader machines will improve the electoral process, thereby allowing INEC to conduct free, fair

According to FaniKayode, “We take note of what Hajia Aisha Buhari has said. But we don’t appreciate her counsel and neither do we need any advice from her because the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, has not done anything wrong. “What we can tell her for now is that she should keep enjoying the limelight that she is presently enjoying which is alien to her. This is because within a few days, post March 28 presidential election, she will go back to where she came from and, once again, she will be confined to the kitchen and will be made to do some sort of things that Buhari believes women should do.” Yesterday, the APC denied ownership of any radio station, as it accused the Federal Government of plotting to arrest its national leaders by framing them up through such a linkage. Party spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, at a press conference in Lagos, called on the international

6 shot dead at drinking spots in P-Harcourt By Jimitota Onoyume

OUR persons were shot dead, yesterday night, at a drinking spot close to Amadi-Ama roundabout, Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, while two others were killed on Gada street in Ogbunabali community, Port Harcourt on Thursday night in a similar situation. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Muhammad, said she was aware of only the four that died

at the drinking spot, yesterday, adding that the incident on Gada Street had not been reported to the police. According to eye witnesses, those shot dead were there drinking when some gunmen alighted from a vehicle and opened fire on them. In the Gada area incident, the two killed were reportedly in a makeshift restaurant eating at about 10pm that Thursday when unknown gunmen stormed the place, killing them on the spot.

The police said the shooting had the trapping of cult killing. Meanwhile, Professor Otonti Nduka has condemned political killings in Port Harcourt, saying politicians should help achieve violent free elections in the state. The professor emeritus, who is the Chairman, Otonti Nduka Foundation for Values Education, a non- governmental organisation, said the violence associated with politics in the state was disturbing.

community to take note of what he claimed was the desperation of the Jonathan administration to win election by putting its national leaders out of circulation in the crucial week of the election. Mohammed, nevertheless gave kudos to APC informers within the PDP whom he said had put national interest above financial and other partisan interests. Defending his assertion, Mohammed pointed at other allegations made by the party which he said either came to pass or were derailed by the revelations. He cited the allegation of the postponement of the election, the reopening of investigations of a link between a party chieftain and the murder of Chief Funsho Williams and the rejection of thecardreaderbythePeoples Democratic Party, PDP among others. Giving notice of the new plan, he said: “Without mincing words, we are aware that a RED ALERT has been sent to the EFCC to arrest the National Leader of our party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on trumped-up charges anytime from now. “In addition, anyone who is suspected of being a financier of the APC is to be arrested, all in efforts to decapitate the main opposition party which is undoubtedly cruising to victory in the forthcoming elections. “And as part of the offensive against the APC in the days ahead, there is a plan to freeze the accounts of companies, individuals and organisations believed to be financing the party, with the ultimate objective of crippling the party so it won’t be able to sustain its activities, like paying its agents on Election Day and other logistics.”

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Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

PRESIDENCY PRESIDENCY::

Why the North should wait till 2019 — Ikimi •‘How APC agenda to foist Buhari, Tinubu ticket on Nigeria failed’ •Says the calculations of the opposition party on S/West, N/West flawed BY WALE AKINOLA

hief Tom Ikimi, the National Chairman of the Third Republic National Republican Convention (NRC), was part of the process that gave birth to the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), but now in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In this interview, Ikimi speaks on his exit from the APC. He also explains why the North should wait till 2019 to return to power at the federal level while pointing out the flaws in the assumption that the APC will win the forthcoming polls overwhelmingly in the South-west and North-west geo-political zones. NIGERIA HAS NEVER BEEN ON EDGE THE WAY IT IS SINCE 1993 AND NEVER SO POLITICALLY DIVIDED ON ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS LINES. HOW DID WE GET TO THIS FRIGHTENING STATE? Following the overthrow of the Shehu Shagari democratically elected government in 1983 by General Muhamadu Buhari, we had ten long years of military rule before the annulled June 12, 1993 election took place. The build-up to that election, contested by two popular national political parties, the NRC and SDP, saw three northern-born popular presidential candidates, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, MallamAdamuCiroma, and AlhajiUmaruShinkafi among others summarily disqualified and taken into detention. In the circumstance, while it may be convenient to characterize the June 12, 1993 election as the freest and fairest, behind that facade rested deep tribal resentment, mostly from the North, of what had occurred. In some other parts of the country, mainly in the South West, protesters, not necessarily confined to the leadership of the SDP, found the Abiola cause a convenient platform on which to organize overt resistance. In the midst of all this restiveness erupted among southern minority elements, particularly in the Niger Delta area, mostly for reasons of apparent grievances. They commenced challenging what they described as a reckless plundering of the natural resources from their native soil - oil. The coincidence of the sudden deaths of General Abacha and Chief MKO Abiola did not put the firestorms sparked by these crisis to rest. The emergence of General Obasanjo, on the platform of the PDP in 1999, by virtue of an arrangement conceived and executed by his top military colleagues did not really fulfill the intention of the inventors to assuage the anger of the South West whose leading political figures distanced

themselves from Obasanjo’s candidature. Unfortunately the OBJ personal agenda, which included a plot to position himself for an indefinite presidential reign, rather than work to unite the country, created massive asssault on the peace and orderly progress of the new democratic structure. OBJ was virtually forced out of office. He departed with a vengeance, ceding power to an ailing successor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, from northern Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan assumed the presidency in the midst of escalating unrest and crisis in his indigenous area, the Niger Delta. Simultaneously, parts of Northern Nigeria was gradually being crisscrossed by Muslim religious fundamentalist, who took advantage of Nigeria’s extensive, porous borders with neighboring Niger ,Chad and Cameroons. The sectarian-fomented crisis in North Africa and parts of the Middle East started sipping through to Nigeria. Although President Jonathan successfully brought the Niger Delta crisis to an end, political fortune hunters as well as mischief makers inside and outside the PDP invoked the tribal card as a means of challenging the President’s legitimate second term bid. In the circumstance, the genuine effort by some of us to unite the opposition in order to produce a strong alternative political platform, which should ensure a balanced polity with adequate checks and balances was suddenly hijacked by a crop of desperate political contractors. WHAT SHOULD WE BE DOING TO BRING DOWN TENSION IN THE POLITY AND SEND A SIGNAL THAT THIS ELECTION IS NOT A DO-ORDIE AFFAIR? The nation is currently gripped in the reality of the struggle for the presidency. This has generated a heat of its own. Otherwise, tension in the polity basically the product of intra party differences, has been simmering all along. That was not an end product of the quest for the presidency. The lack of consolidated internal party democracy is the bane of all the parties in various degrees of complexities. Party primaries conducted by the two leading political parties have not been the best examples and INEC monitoring of the primaries was ineffective. The PDP, despite its long tenure as the party in power, has suffered fundamental stress emanating not only from the sudden adjustments to its national leadership but also the loss of cohesion in the ranks of its governors. A number of governors, who left the party, are now engaged in do-or-die battles for survival. Similarly, the APC, recently born out of a successful amalgamation of

Those who hijacked the APC dwelt on that erroneous assumption based on the archaic 1960 theory that a Yoruba South West and a Hausa-Fulani North West Nigeria alliance will produce electoral victory major opposition parties, has not been able to retain its appeal or freshness following its leadership hijack by some desperate individuals as well as its final contamination by the influx of the break away PDP governors. While those who lost out in their party primaries are gradually coming to terms with the reality, at this point in time, only the prospects of a free and fair election conducted by an unbiased umpire can bring down the tension. Nigeria is a vast and vibrant nation and, with the rather high stakes in the 2015 elections, the crucial role of the media no longer rests with the print press only but also with the influence of radio and television as well as an increasing viral social media. With the proliferation of smart phones in the country, estimated at about one hundred million, the social media has emerged as a key factor in molding the disposition of our people. Therefore, moderating the dissemination of volatile materials will help in bringing down the tension. The peace pact, recently signed by the presidential candidates as well as some governorship candidates in some states, seems to be a mere public relations exercise as the frequency of its breach by some elements make nonsense of the high profile launches. THE LATEST BID FOR THE PRESIDENCY APPEARS TO HAVE RUPTURED THE NORTH/SOUTH SOUTH POLITICAL FRIENDSHIP THAT DATES BACK TO THE FIRST REPUBLIC. WHAT WENT WRONG? In October 1963, Nigeria proclaimed itself a Federal Republic. Parliamentary elections were held in the country in December 1964. The election saw most parties run as part of alliances. The NNA, Nigerian National Alliance, was led by the

•Tom Ikimi NPC, the Northern Peoples Congress, whose national stature was only guaranteed by a formation that included southern minority parties. These were the Nigerian National Democratic Party, the Midwest Democratic Front, the Dynamic Party and the Niger Delta Congress, led by Chief Harold Biriye. Harold Biriye led some southern minority leaders principally from Degema, Ogoni, Brass and Western Ijaw divisions. The friendship between the southern minorities and northern Nigeria was bolstered by the role of Melford Okilo of the Niger Delta Congress, who was appointed Parliamentary Secretary by Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. He became the leader of the NPN in Rivers State. He was elected governor of Rivers State in 1979. He mobilized the region to support the emergence of Alhaji Aliyu Usman Shagari as the NPN President of Nigeria. This record speaks eloquently of a long standing friendship between the South-South, particularly southern minority and northern Nigeria. Nigeria celebrated one hundred years of the amalgamation of northern and southern Nigeria last year but, since independence in 1960 and the political party elections from 1963, the struggle for ultimate leadership of the country between the North and the South has remained a hard nut to crack. The situation has been complicated not only by the multiplicity of ethnic groups on both sides but the emergence of Islam as the dominant religion in northern Nigeria and Christianity as the dominant religion in southern Nigeria. The formation of alliances has been one way of ensuring that a balance is retained. However, the PDP, which has retained national power over the past 16 years, operates a system of rotating the presidency between the North and South of Nigeria on a two terms eight year basis. This arrangement never envisaged a President dying in office and so the passing of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua after two years in office has presented controversies over putting back the rotation principle on track. I am sure the North would certainly be comfortable with the SouthSouth as their long standing reliable ally. In the circumstance, it would make for national peace for President Jonathan from South-Southern to complete his two elected terms so that the presidency may revert to the North in 2019 when hopefully they will field a healthy nationally acceptable candidate. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF NIGERIA THAT THE OPPOSITION HAS BEEN SO ORGANIZED SO MUCH SO THAT THE INCUMBENT IS NOT SURE OF

BEING RETURNED. WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE SCENARIO? This claim has turned out now to be more apparent than real and is, indeed, not an accurate portrayal of the history of strong opposition organization in the political history of Nigeria. In the late 1960s, two major parties, UPGA and NNA, emerged through the amalgamation of political parties with similar political and ideological tendencies and partly skewed towards the sectionalist arrangements of the period. These were the NNA, formed by the amalgamation of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) and the South West based Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), led by the Premier Chief S.L. Akintola. On the other hand, the other big and strong party, which was the opposition party, was UPGA. This was an amalgamation of The National Council Of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC), the Action Group, the Northern Elements Progressive Union (NEPU) and the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC). In the Second Republic, although the NPN was the ascendant party, the UPN was a formidable opposition party but was hobbled by its narrow sectional base. The Third Republic featured the SDP and the NRC as two national formidable political parties. I was honored to serve as the pioneer Chairman of the NRC. I have always desired a balanced polity in which the opposition is strong enough to be an alternative platform ready to assume the role of government. This would assure effective checks and balance in the polity. My experience in the days of the SDP and NRC gave me remarkable insight into this option. I eagerly pursued, with some dedicated colleagues, the creation of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The entry of the APC into the nation’s political firmament was received across the nation and beyond with great joy and happiness. We proclaimed a new party with a clarion call of CHANGE as we strongly believed that we had created a party that would pursue democratic principles with an emphatic culture of internal party democracy. I thought we had finally broken loose the shackles of tribal, regional and religious politics unlike the NNA of 1960s that was founded on the premise of securing national electoral power through a coalition of fundamentally ethnic-based parties involving the intrinsically “North for northerners”, Hausadominated NPC and the essentially schismatic Yoruba party, the NNDP. That assumption which seemed feasible under the regionalist Independence Constitution was that

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SUNDAY

Continued from Page 8 this sectionalist alliance as a formidable political party would win federal power. Those who hijacked the APC dwelt on that erroneous assumption based on the archaic 1960 theory that a Yoruba South West and a HausaFulani North West Nigeria alliance will produce electoral victory. The APC democratic credentials were put to test in its very first convention where the self-styled “leader of the party” successfully plotted and executed the installation of cronies as the party’s National Executive. In a desperate effort to build a team that was solely designed to unseat President Goodluck Jonathan, PDP break away governors were recruited. It should be noted, as it is already evident, that the assumption of automatic and unanimous votes from the two zones, the North West and South West, for the APC is not realizable. Today, the hold of the APC over the South West has been dented in states such as Ekiti and Ondo; its hold has crashed in Ogun State - due to the soaring profile of the SDP and PDP in that state; in Oyo - due to the PDP and ACCORD, while in Lagos, a major break through has been secured by the PDP, not only because of the very diverse electorate, the charismatic PDP governorship candidate - Jimi Agbaje, but the total rejection of the Lion of Bourdillon. President Jonathan has an airtight support in the South-South and South-East where Buhari would not secure the mandatory 25%. President Jonathan will secure more than 60% of the votes in the North Central and not lass than 50% in the North East and North West. His return as President of Nigeria for a second term is assured. OPINIONS ARE DIVIDED ON THE REASONS OF SECURITY ADDUCED FOR SHIFTING THE POLLS FOR WHICH GOV’T IS BEING BLAMED WHEREAS MANY BELIEVE INEC WAS NOT READY. WHAT DO YOU THINK? While various opinions being peddled around speculating on the rationale for shifting of the polls, the compelling facts that eventually rendered February 14 unsuitable were quite simply the obvious security situation, and INEC’s unpreparedness. Both these reasons were plainly valid. The security situation in the north eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe was such that if elections had been held, large numbers of Nigerians would have been disenfranchised. In this context, which ever party lost could use the fact of low voter participation to generate interminable post-election crisis that the country does not need. Conducting the elections in those States with swathes of territories still disrupted by Boko Haram would have been a very daring undertaking and definitely not in the interest of election personnel. Therefore the decision to shift the election dates and vigorously address security has achieved two objectives. First was to demonstrate President Jonathan’s determination to enfranchise voters wherever they may be located. This is significant because some of these areas are assumed to be opposition zones. Secondly, the decisive, speedy and stunning victories of the Nigerian forces have resulted in the liberation of virtually all of the north eastern territories previously under Boko Haram. This liberated condition automatically provides the opportunity for the voters in these areas to exercise their franchise that would not have been possible if the elections had been held in February. With regards to INEC, I found it very strange that the Chairman of

•Tom Ikimi

‘Ho w APC agenda tto o ffoist oist ‘How Buhari, Tinubu ticket on Nigeria failed’ INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, failed to disclose to the public the actual reason he postponed the elections. In his presentation to the Council of State a few days before he made the postponement announcement, he had admitted that a number of critical elements for free, fair and credible elections were not yet in place. As at the 7th of February, the date of his world press conference, of the 68.8 million Nigerians registered to vote, only 45.8 million had collected their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs). This meant that a total of 23 million (33.8%) registered voters had not yet collected their PVCs. It was obvious that it was not logistically possible for INEC to complete the distribution of the said 23 million cards in the one week left before the elections. If INEC had proceeded with elections on the 14th of February, 23 million registered voters would have been disenfranchised. The skewed distribution of cards affected states that were not necessarily PDP states. The issue of card readers, which INEC proposed to use, is a new device based on a new technology that had never been demonstrated or tested in situ in any Nigerian locality or previous elections. The first tests only recently carried out three weeks after the 14th of February recorded massive failure. For some unknown reasons, Jega is determined to throw Nigeria into unprecedented confusion with this ill designed contraption otherwise referred to as card readers on the 28th of March... HOW DO YOU SEE THE PRESIDENTIAL POLL PLAYING OUT BETWEEN JONATHAN AND BUHARI BASED ON YOUR PERCEPTION OF THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. THE PLATFORMS BOTH ARE CONTESTING ON ARE STRONG. BEYOND THAT, JONATHAN HAS THE POWER OF INCUMBENCY. BUT BUHARI IS ALSO POSITIONED AS THE RARE ANTICORRUPTION CRUSADER WE NEED. I would say that earlier on my belief that President Jonathan has a good strong chance of winning the election derived from perception. I am now firmly convinced that, in fact, he will

With regards to INEC, I found it very strange that the Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, failed to disclose to the public the actual reason he postponed the elections win the election resoundingly. This is based on the strength of rousing public awareness that woke to his spectacular accomplishments under his Transformation Agenda covering several strategic spheres including education, agriculture, aviation, roads and railway, industry such as motor car manufacturing, power and the economy. He as President is leader of a broad based party which is not owned by any individual but a party that is well rooted across the entire nation with more than 70% of the local councilors being PDP members. Jonathan, educated to PhD level, is of the prevailing generation and in sync with the new Nigeria. General Muhamadu Buhari, contesting the presidency for the fourth time, was in office as Head of State some 32 years ago when he dethroned the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari.He is remembered as the ruthless military leader who seized power and would not entertain anyone discuss any plan to return the country to civil democratic rule. Politicians remember him, how aggressively he hunted down key politicians across the length and breadth of the country. This hunt was selective as he manipulated the escape of selected tribal friends. He was the author of the infamous Decree 2, an instrument used to muzzle the press. Tunde Thompson and Nduka Irabor, among others were imprisoned. Death sentences were

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 9

recklessly passed on civilians through the instrumentality of a hurriedly enacted decree back dated! Plea for mercy from inside and outside Nigeria on some of the condemned civilians, including a woman, was ignored. He ordered the selective trial of politicians for alleged corruption and jailed those from a part of the country to ridiculous terms of hundreds of years each. Buhari has failed to make the presidency three times. After the 2011 elections, he wept publicly and announced that he was not going to present himself again in contest for the presidency. It is true that over the past 16 years, he has managed to acquire a good crowd of die hard followers from a number of his homeland constituencies. Political contractors from southern Nigeria, particularly from a South West state, cashing in on the North-South political rivalry, the religious issue and the insecurity in north eastern Nigeria, have virtually recruited the general and persuaded him to recant on his 2011 proclamation not to contest again. These political contractors see Buhari’s candidature as the convenient route for them to grab Nigeria. Those parading Buhari, singing a song of CHANGE, have now been challenged by many to define the change they are really talking about and whether they are talking of moving Nigeria from the digital age of today back to the analog age of 1983. The media is now awash with the Transformation projects executed by President Jonathan and many are arguing that those successful projects are indeed the change that you can see. The GMB handlers, who advised the general to steer clear of an open debate with Jonathan, have tried hard to formulate a platform for their man creating a false image of him as an anti-corruption man. This is pure balderdash!! My first assignment as adviser to government in 1994/95 was to prepare the memo on which basis the PTF - Petroleum Trust Fund-was created. As Chairman of this juicy portfolio over which the general enjoyed unfettered control, the PTF was funded with a total of around 180 billion Naira between 1994 and 1999. The general failed to curb stinking corruption in the organization but authorized more than 70% of the funds to be spent in his own part of the country. An Interim Management Committee, headed by his own kinsman, Haroun Adamu, discovered that over 25 billion Naira was stolen under GMB watch in PTF. I suppose this fact is recorded in the OBJ watch since he set up the Haroun Adamu Interim Chairmanship. GMB cannot claim to be an example of anticorruption. As Federal Commissioner for Petroleum Resources, it was discovered that $2.8 billion of Nigeria’s oil money was withdrawn from the Midland Bank London and the funds lodged into an account in a bank where it generated interest amounting then to over 400 million pounds which vanished into private pockets. The entire anti-corruption and integrity campaign has collapsed and the final nail on the coffin of that campaign was the airing of The LionOf Bourdillon. As for the issue of security as it pertains to the menace of Boko Haram ravaging the North East, it is now also clear who really were supporters of the Muslim fundamentalist attacks on Nigeria but mischievously turned around to blame President Jonathan. President Jonathan was left to equip a military, army, air force and navy, over night. He has done a yeoman’s job that during the last four weeks the insurgents have been virtually cleared from Nigerian soil. The overwhelming opinion across the country at this time has swung in

favor of President Jonathan and it is obvious that the overall peace and stability of Nigeria will be guaranteed by his election. DO YOU REGRET LEAVING THE APC, WHICH HAS, TODAY, BECOME THE MOST FORMIDABLE OPPOSITION EVER TO THE RULING PDP? It was an experience of great joy and satisfaction for me to host and lead the process that gave birth in February 2013, at my Abuja residence, to the All Progressive Congress (APC) with the successful unification of the major opposition parties - ACN, ANPP, CPC and a part of APGA. Several failed attempts had been made by various people since 1999, to strengthen the opposition by uniting a number of the opposition parties. This had not been successful for a number of reasons prominent among which was always personal interest and ambition. Consequently, most well known leaders, particularly in the ranks of the former ACN, never thought it would be possible to achieve the unification. As soon as it became apparent that we would succeed, a number of them, notably the current self proclaimed leader of the party moved in to seize control of the party and has since employed every means to retain his hold. It became clear to me that an agenda was brewing as the main objective of the new party. This included a move to install General Muhamadu Buhari as President with Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Vice President notwithstanding the facts that both men are Muslims with credentials I do not agree with. Most of my colleagues in the top leadership of the party also became aware of this trend. They merely grumbled about it but seemed not able to muster the courage to openly fight against it. The first National Convention was an abysmal failure. The event was a mere charade at which a cabal succeeded in installing a group of cronies as the party National Executive. Core leaders of the legacy parties found themselves trapped in this arrangement, which turned out to be the construction of a framework dedicated to just one objective, which was to bring down President Goodluck Jonathan and install Buhari and Tinubu. Notwithstanding Tinubu’s failure to make the ticket recently for this election, I am convinced that Professor Osinbajo has only been brought in as a stepping-stone and much has been spoken about this already. I observed the negotiations between ACN and CPC in 2011 at which Tinubu insisted that Pastor Bakare, who was already picked as running mate to Buhari by CPC, should provide an undated letter of resignation as Vice President. The pastor refused and so the negotiations broke down. My quest for an alternative political platform in the country was not motivated towards fulfilling any personal ambition to contest for executive power but I hold firmly that it is in the best interest of our country to have a credible structure of two strong political parties that would guarantee the necessary checks and balances in the system. Notwithstanding the negative trends exhibited by the APC at this time, I believe a robust political contest has, at last, arrived. But this is not the time to cede government to a desperate upstart commanding a vengeful army of flatterers all with a mission of stampeding an illusory enemy. In conclusion, I have no regrets at all leaving the APC as I have always viewed a political party as a congregation of like-minded persons who become welded together in a close-knit brotherhood in a manner beyond mere friendship. I find the APC now a collection of strange bedfellows of very ambitious people of diverse interests all constantly plotting against each other.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

BEFORE YOUR STATE GOVERNOR RUNS AWAY – 1

about the empty purses and huge debts they will inherit. In December, an ethnic “brother” to Okonjo-Iweala, sent me a message, calling me a Prophet of Doom who hates Igbos – as if Igbos alone will suffer when the calamity occurs. As it turned out, I was even slightly off the mark. By the end of 2014, all the states of Nigeria, my own Lagos State included, owed their staff salaries, arrears of allowances etc. To cap the dreary situation, thousands of civil servants, including Federal workers, spent Christmas without their salaries – despite assurances from the Finance Minister. To the best of my knowledge Igbos were not exempted from that punishment. But, today, everybody is singing our song. Afenifere Renewal Group is only the latest among the new converts to the doctrine I have been preaching since 2013 – while Nigerians were treated to empty assuranc-

es by the Federal Government. In that same PUNCH edition, ECOBANK was quoted, on page 10, as saying: “The plunge in oil prices exposes banks to refinancing and re-pricing risks, stemming from the

“One would not be a prophet of doom to say there is high probability that two-third of states in Nigeria might not be able to pay salaries in 2015.” Wale Oshun, National Chairman, Afenifere Renewal Group, January 1, 2015, in PUNCH, p 21. lessed are politi cians when out of power. They reveal all the things which those in power labor to hide from us. Since December 2013, I had warned My Fellow Nigerians, about the inevitable collapse of crude oil prices and its consequences. Obviously, nobody listened. In May 2014, out of sheer frustration, associated with talking to the deaf, I wrote a column titled SO YOU WANT TO BE GOVERNOR IN 2015. In it, Nigerians were told that states, and even the Federal government, might not be able to pay salaries by 2015. Those wanting to be governors were warned

the lions’ share of banks loans and with crude and gas prices plummeting globally the risk of default increases everyday. One or two banks might actually fail again. It is against that background that the fate of Governors is being considered right now. From Area Boys sniffing around some state capitals, and watching closely, there is the possibility that some state governors, who had secured dual citizenship in some countries, might actually abscond before May 29, 2015. The reasons are not difficult to understand. And, it is all related to the price of crude oil. One does not need to be

If a state owed its staff three or four months salary, by December 2014, when the average price of crude was over ninety dollars ($90) per barrel, how would it be able to pay now that the January 2015 price is fifty-seven dollars ($57) and falling?

fact that oil and gas clients are the biggest source of non-interest bearing foreign currency deposits.” What the bank said is bad news enough; what it failed to reveal is the more troubling aspect. Oil and gas companies have secured

an economist to understand the points being made here. A sound understanding of elementary school arithmetic will be sufficient. If a state owed its staff three or four months salary, by December 2014, when the average price of crude was

over ninety dollars ($90) per barrel, how would it be able to pay now that the January 2015 price is fiftyseven dollars ($57) and falling? Furthermore, except for July, the revenue from crude oil in 2014 fell below budget every month. By October, it was as low as 45 per cent of budget and went steadily down till December. The Federal Government had augmented the revenue by drawing down the Excess Crude Account, ECA, until it came down to $4.5 billion in October – when $2 billion was again peeled off to help all the tiers of government. At the moment, there is little money left in the ECA to cushion the impact of dwindling oil revenue. In 2015 there will be no ECA cushion. Meanwhile, every state has incurred huge debts, deductions for loan repayment are made up-front by the Central Bank before the states are handed the balance. I worked out a model to predict how much the average state will receive for its own January 2015 allocation and it comes out to 42% of what they received in January last year. That is hardly sufficient to cover the expenses of running the Governor’s Office, Mansion, paying his Special Assistants, the House of Representatives, and, if he has a jet, paying for jet maintenance.

Given that plausible scenario, it is difficult to imagine where the funds to pay staff salaries will come from. The governors might run away. To be continued….. ADVICE FOR GOVERNOR FAYOSE “He who sets out on revenge must first dig two graves.” (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS, VBQ, p 215). I campaigned against you; but I was also one of the first to admit that you won the election fairly. Ekiti people have made their choice for a governor to lead ALL of them for the next four years. You have one of the five most difficult states, in Nigeria, to govern in the next four years. Already, you know what you inherited financially. The situation will get a lot worse before it gets better. You will have a tough time maintaining your level of popularity — even if you are sharply focused on governance and how to manage severe austerity. You can only make your own challenges more difficult to overcome by dissipating your energies on seeking revenge. Forget revenge; it is corrosive and it will only make it impossible to obtain the collective support you need to get Ekiti State through this most difficult period ahead. I wish you God’s guidance.

‘Jonathan will make history with implementation of CONFAB report’ BY UDEME CLEMENT

Following approval of the National Conference report for immediate implementation by President Goodluck Jonathan, and subsequent release of N38.6billion for road projects, various groups and well-meaning Nigerians are expressing their readiness to vote for him to secure a second term in office. The Chairman, Akwa Ibom Lawyers Forum in Lagos, Barrister Silas Udoh, speaks on the plans by his group to support him for a second term in office, as campaigns for the 2015 presidential election gathers momentum. Can you tell us what your Forum stands for and why you are supporting Jonathan for 2015 presidential election? To begin with, Akwa Ibom Lawyers Forum in Lagos is a group made up of lawyers from different parts of Akwa Ibom State. As professionals, we understand what the constitution as well as the law of the land says about election processes. Our ultimate goal is to work together to support the unity of Nigeria and national development. Our decision to support

•

Silas Udoh

the President was reached by the Forum after an exhaustive deliberation on Jonathan’s effort to move the country forward despite the challenges. We also look at his commitments to ensure the unity of Nigeria by ensuring that the nation remains one united entity notwithstanding the diversity of ethnic groups. Constitutionally, the President deserves a second term in office. Going beyond his constitutional right to seek reelection, we should look at his developmental programmes for the country and give him a chance to consolidate on major projects. His approval of the CONFAB’s report for full implementation is a great achievement of

Jonathan, which would remain indelible in the history of Nigeria. Today, it is on records that Jonathan is the first Nigerian president who summoned the courage to convene the National Conference, what other administrations could not do. He successfully privatised the power sector and handed over the assets of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to private sectors, though the sector is still challenges. That was not all, he further demonstrated his commitment to re-fertilise the sector through approval of huge intervention funds to support the private investors even after privatisation. In that capacity, we are already mobilising all our members within and outside the State to support Jonathan by voting overwhelmingly for him to return for a second term. Political analysts are of the opinion that the President should have implemented these policies since 2011, instead of waiting till this particular moment. What is your take on this? When we are assessing the President, we must take cognisance of the due process in government, because in imple-

Today, it is on records that Jonathan is the first Nigerian president who summoned the courage to convene the National Conference, what other administrations could not do menting policies and national programmes, due process must be followed. Jonathan does not work in isolation. To ensure national interest, inputs from people across the country and other departments of government must be taken into consideration. In fairness to Jonathan’s administration, the transformation of the agricultural sector of the economy, resuscitation of the railway system, investment in education sector, modernisation of the airports across the country, introduction of SURE-P to empower women and youths are among important projects that he should be allowed to consolidate on. The government recently slashed the collateral

requirements on the N220billion intervention fund for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) from the initial 75per cent to 50 percent, even as 20 percent of the fund is reserved for entrepreneurs with disability, which is a good initiative geared towards stimulating industrial growth. In 2014, Jonathan also launched $50 million Venture Capital Fund, known as the YouWin Small and Medium Enterprise Fund. With these programmes, we are calling on all Nigerians to support policy continuity and sustainable development. Your Forum is also mobilising for Deacon Udom Emmanuel as

the governor of Akwa Ibom State. What informed you decision? Like I said earlier, what we want is continuity and good governance. Our support for Udom is due to his outstanding record of transparent and measurable progress in corporate governance, as such, we strongly believe that he would move the State forward for greater prosperity. Also, Udom has good records of proven commitment to economic growth and sustained profitability. With his years of experience in the private and public sectors, he stands in the best position to govern the State well, protects the peoples’ right and culture.

Tompolo gets commendation over support for Jonathan

he youths of Gbaram atu kingdom, in Warri South West local government area, Delta State, have commended Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, over his effort toward the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan, come March 28. Comrade Timi Oluba, a youth leader who gave the commendation on behalf of Gbaramatu youths in Warri, also appealed to Nigerians to cast their votes for the President. Oluba,while thanking the

Federal Government on behalf of the youths, said the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tompolo, was a welcome development, assuring that they would ensure the success of the project in Gbaramatu kingdom. He also commended Tompolo for his contributions to the development of Gbaramatu kingdom, saying “ we shall continue to support him in his effort towards bringing more development to the area”.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 11

before, the Commission held an interactive session with traditional rulers from the South West geopolitical zone to brainstorm on how to check the specter of electoral violence in Nigeria. We were of the opinion that the assignment was for the law

OT many Nigeri ans have in the last 4 years criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as much as this columnist. A few of the issues which influenced the posture can be recalled for ease of reference. First, Prof Attahiru Jega, chairman of the commission at his screening by the Senate, hinted that under him there would be massive voter education, aimed at bringing about attitudinal change among the citizenry. We thought the National Orientation Agency and the media would handle the assignment better. On November 11, 2010, INEC was reported to have told the fifth Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) summit in Lagos that it had adopted the option for resolving political and pre-election disputes. We were not persuaded that it is INEC and not the Judiciary that should develop grey hairs over the settlement of election disputes. The week

If the truth must be told, it is only fair that at this turning point of our electoral history, all well meaning Nigerians should give a helping hand to Jega and his electoral body

enforcement agencies. While appreciating that as the man who has ultimate responsibility for the outcome of elections, Jega ought to avoid being disorganized by other relevant societal institutions, there was still the need to remind INEC that it has more than enough of its own part of election duties to worry about Another area of concern

PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos, , 08116759758

Deconstructing Buharimania (3)

yed in the wood Bu harimaniacs seem oblivious of the fragility and dangers of APC's excessive reliance on Gen. Muhammadu Buhari's reputation for electoral success. No matter how incorruptible a presidential candidate might be, democratic governance is a complex undertaking that requires coordinated efforts from various individuals at different levels of authoritative decision-making to make a meaningful impact. Thus, it is disingenuous for the opposition seeking to wrest power from an entrenched ruling party to put all its eggs in one basket, so to speak, because democracy is a team effort, not a one-man show. As a corollary, incorruptibility in leadership is good but insufficient: it must be rooted in clear vision, creative imagination and cool passion for wise management of human and natural resources to achieve positive economic and social transformation. Anticorruption orientation without bold innovative ideas about sound economic management will not take us far on the road to poverty alleviation for suffering Nigerians. Still on the issue of corruption, Buharimaniacs manifest a disappointing degree of naiveté about what it takes to reduce corruption to manageable proportions in the country, which makes me wonder whether they genuinely understand the magnitude of the problem. They still nostalgically cling

was the late arrival of election personnel and materials for every election; be it nationwide or in only one state or indeed in just a single constituency. This happened during the governorship elections held in Edo and Ondo States. For the gov-

to the jackboot approach Gen Buhari used against Second Republic politicians. Initially, I also thought that the method was appropriate, but now I am not so sure. With advancement in Information and Telecommunication Technologies, the mechanics of corruption have become so sophisticated to the extent that only rigorous forensic investigations by experts spanning several months or years can reveal both the perpetrators of corruption and the quantum of public funds they stole. In otherwords, given the subtle mutations in corruption, a "strongman" like Gen. Buhari who probably would rely on the outdated strategy he used in the mid1980s cannot achieve much. What is needed now is creative synergy between institutions set up to combat corruption and the men and women who run those institutions: a hundred Buharis cannot tackle corruption unless there are smart institutions powered by ICTs to complement their efforts. Even so, have Buharimaniacs really thought about how Gen. Buhari without cognate democratic experience would fight corruption effectively if corrupt politicians and judicial officers respectively dominate the National Assembly and the courts? When he becomes President, how will Buhari deal with the cabal of agbata ekee politicians propping him up presently? The simplistic belief that Buhari would deal with corrupt APC chieftains when he as-

ernorship election in Anambra State for instance, election materials were allegedly late to even a polling unit behind the INEC office-the operational base of the commission in Awka, the state capital. The case of the Oguta election of June, 2013 was more scandalous because although it was held in only 4 wards for just one seat in the Imo sumes office ignores Nuhu Ribadu's warning that "when you fight corruption, it will fight you back." It is difficult to imagine corrupt APC kingpins folding their hands and doing nothing while Buhari moves against them or dismantles their avenues for corrupt enrichment - they certainly would resist him. As a result, if Gen. Buhari becomes President and puts his purported anticorruption reputation into operation, he definitely would meet a brick wall with prominent APC beneficiaries of corruption supporting him now. I foresee serious confrontation between him and the band of corrupt politicians in his party. It is unfortunate but not surprising that Gen. Buhari, whose party is campaigning on the platform of change, has not spelt out in concrete details how he hopes to achieve the items in his party's manifesto or, more accurately, wish list. This could be due to his inadequate scientific knowledge of the fine details and technicalities required to get the job done or to the tacit assumption that things "would sort themselves out with time." In fact, the speech he delivered at Chatham House on Thursday, February 26, creates the impression that the retired general has not thought through systematically how he would confront the challenges of governance as a civilian President: it is filled with general statements of hopes and aspirations without specific details about how at least one of the items in his to-do list can be actualised. Moreover, some of his claims contradicted what he said earlier at different occasions. For example, he acknowledged that democratic transition in Africa is problematic; yet, he and his party leaders have

the opinion of some Senators could rubbish their image. Which image? Is that how to treat the head of an agency which Section 158 of our Constitution says ‘shall not be subject to the direction or control of any other authority or person’? The whole smokescreen ended up with a misconceived directive by the Senate to Jega to do his job and talk less. To start with, it is ridiculous to suggest that the task of speaking on behalf of INEC is not a major function of its Chief Spokesman. Secondly, it patronizes the obsolete colonial viewpoint that every public officer is expected to be seen but not heard. Luckily Jega was not to be swayed by such contraptions because for him not to speak is a greater danger. This is because to make strategic plans for elections is wasted if the people for whom they were made are not adequately briefed on them especially those recurring issues which made us fail before. Again, although the legislature knew that the nation wanted e-voting, it deliberately used Section 52 of the Electoral Act to prohibit its use for elections. The nation wanted Jega to computerize our electoral system and he did. At a time when several government agencies organized biometrics, INEC expended N65 only per person while the police charged N3, 500, that is, no less than 5 times the cost of that of INEC. The Federal Road

Safety Commission (FRSC) turned out to be the highest bidder; charging more than twice that of the police for its own artistic biometrics arrangement. Yet, they all did the same thingrecording names, facerecognition, fingerprints etc. By introducing continuous biometric registration of only persons who were hitherto not registered, INEC has put a halt to the old practice of putting citizens through a re-registration exercise each time an election is near, To improve the integrity of the voting process, INEC produced permanent voters cards (PVC) with embedded chips. To avoid multiple voting and the possibility of any person using another person’s voter’s card, INEC brought in the card reader. The device is expected to recognize a PVC as one validly issued by the commission for the polling unit in which it is presented. It is also to verify that the holder of the PVC is the true owner before such holder can vote. The on-going argument that elections should not hold until all PVCs have been collected is puerile because it assumes that all PVC owners are alive or around or willing to pick their cards. If the truth must be told, it is only fair that at this turning point of our electoral histor y, all well meaning Nigerians should give a helping hand to Jega and his electoral body.

severally threatened anarchy and forming a parallel government if the upcoming elections did not favour their party. On the Boko Haram insurgency, Gen. Buhari promised to deal with the problem decisively if elected President and commander-in-chief; but he was the same person that recommended amnesty for the Islamic terrorists and sharply criticised President Jonath-

attitude lurking somewhere in his subconscious. So, despite the insincere claims of Buhari's supporters in this regard, it is simply unrealistic, based on what is scientifically known about the psychology of entrenchment with advancing age, to think that Gen. Buhari is completely free from his dictatorial proclivities. As the saying goes, a leopard does not change its spots overnight, which means that Gen. Buhari would still manifest authoritarian tendencies if elected President.

support his quest for re-election, and he deserves plaudits for absorbing the campaigns of calumny with humility, grace and philosophical equanimity. As a corollary, Buharimaniacs believe strongly that anyone who does not support Gen. Buhari must have been bribed or is looking for political appointment! Only those fanatically supporting Buhari are clean and morally upright. All that is nonsense; it is symptomatic of intolerance of the ISIS kind, constipated imagination and intellectual kwashiorkor. Faceless scallywags have insulted me for preferring Jonathan to Buhari. But why should any rational person expect everyone to support Jonathan or Buhari exclusively? In a complicated matter like choosing a President, must everyone prefer the same candidate? Why do Buharimaniacs insult and hate those who question Gen. Buhari's suitability for President at this time considering his age, errors of judgement and dictatorial antecedents? Part of the answer is the kind of cult following Buhari attracts to himself; another is APC's single-minded agenda of dislodging PDP from power at all cost. Buhari and his cohorts are so focused on victory, so intoxicated by sloganeering and adulation from crowds at campaign rallies that they have neglected the imperative of formulating realistic and implementable programme that would effectively differentiate APC from the ruling PDP. For me, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, inspite of his mistakes, is preferable to Gen. Buhari for the position of President; no amount of vicious obloquy will make me change my mind on this. Concluded.

It’s time to support INEC

State House of Assembly, many voters became restive after waiting in vain for several hours for the election process to commence. We also criticized INEC for spending over 4 years to produce permanent voters’ cards. Most importantly, recognizing that the bane of elections in Nigeria is the use of inaccurate statistics occasioned by poorly prepared list of voters, we called on INEC severally to do something about introducing technological innovations that could sanitize the electoral process. In essence, using adversarial journalism to deal with INEC was to keep her on her toes because if she got it right, many other things will become right In less than a week from today, the 2015 general elections will hopefully be held. It is uncharitable to continue to adopt a faultfinding approach that may derail the process. Besides, there is so much that INEC has accomplished particularly in the last 2 years to make every patriot at this point endeavour to give her some kudos. To start with, government, especially the legislative arm has not been quite helpful. Let us recall how the legislature kept summoning Jega to answer frivolous charges. For example, on October 13 2010 the media reported a senate summons to Jega to appear before it to defend his comments about the likelihood of a delayed election process which in

Anti-corruption orientation without bold innovative ideas about sound economic management will not take us far on the road to poverty alleviation for suffering Nigerians

an's government for attacking them militarily. He claims that he is a former military dictator who has now become a democrat willing to govern according to constitutional norms, but his incendiary remarks epitomised in the threat that if what happened during the 2011 elections should happen again "dogs and baboons would be soaked in blood" paint a different picture altogether. It is contrary to well-known principles of psychology that a rigid seventy-three years old retired soldier and devout Muslim who had imbibed the command-and-obey mentality of the military can completely metamorphose into a democrat without residues of the former

Let me gradually close this discourse by calling attention to the shameful, slothful, and hate-filled attitude of Buharimaniacs to President Jonathan and to anyone who questions the hyperbolic myth that one man, Gen. Buhari, can bring about the kind of positive change Nigeria needs at this time without restructuring the lopsided federation we have now. Clearly, there is no doubt that Jonathan has made several mistakes for which I have criticised him over the years in this column. I still stand by those criticisms. But Buharimaniacs take criticism to an absurd level when they claim that Jonathan has achieved nothing since he became President; that a man who rose from the obscurity of a nobody to become President is clueless, weak, and unintelligent. The campaign of calumny against Mr. President is so severe that I cannot but be thoroughly disgusted by the incapacity of Buharimaniacs to see any of his positive attributes or acknowledge his achievements in agriculture, infrastructure, power sector reforms, education, minimisation of the phenomenon of federal ghost workers, political reengineering and so on. That is the major reason why I

PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015

he wise man says: “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” (Proverbs 10:22). However, trouble is often the instrument of God’s blessing. I used to own the largest chain of video shops in Lagos. In early 1990, I got the entire business computerized. Nevertheless, I lived in constant fear that suddenly, without warning; the system would break down, leading to loss of valuable data and income. One day, the very thing I feared came upon me: the system broke down. Worst of all, it happened in my most profitable shop in Victoria Island . I tried all the different “fixes” prescribed by the program manual, but to no avail. After a while, somebody put on a children’s Christian video and, at the end of my wits, I just stood there staring vacuously at the film.

Don’t worry

Suddenly, my attention was drawn to precisely what I was watching. There was a man dancing around with a bunch of kids, and the song they were singing went something like this: “Don't worry, about a thing; everything is gonna be all right. I say don't worry, about a thing; everything is gonna be all right.” Then they ended the song with this telling line: “This is my message to you oh oh.” I got the message all right. I told my staff to continue with manual rentals. “God,” I declared, “has solved this problem.” While they looked at me

incredulously, I waltzed out of the shop and went home. The next morning, I woke up singing the same song: “Don't worry about a thing. Everything is gonna be all right.” I walked into my study and opened a drawer. In it was written on a piece of paper a command in my own handwriting. It said “del VRJR.dat.” I could not, for the life of me, remember when and why I wrote that. The Lord said to me: “Femi, go and type that into your system in the shop and then re-index your files.” When I did it, the problem was solved. This happened again a second time just like the first time. There was another major problem with the program in the Victoria Island shop. Immediately I got there, somebody mysteriously put on the same Christian video telling me not to worry about a thing. In no time, the wisdom of God came again and the problem was solved.

Silent treatment

Nevertheless, I continued to live in fear of the possibility of computer breakdown in VideoNet. Whenever any of my staff phoned or came to see me, I would

God creates success out of failures. He creates life out of death. He creates wealth out of poverty. He brings joy out of sadness brace myself for bad news. Then one day, bad news came again from my Victoria Island outfit. Something happened and the entire data disappeared. I went there and did all I could, but to no avail. I waited patiently for someone to put on the miracle video, but no one did. After a while I went home, still expecting to hear from the Lord; but he said nothing. After two days, the Lord finally spoke. “Femi,” he said, “I am not going to recover the data for you. The data is lost. You are going to have to start all over again by re-entering all the tapes and customers.” So I asked the Lord: “Will you help me to do that?” “I am glad you asked me,” he replied. “Yes, I will help you.” The Lord gave me the wisdom whereby I re-entered all the data in the shop with a team of seven people within two days. I

imported data from other shops, gave them identifiable prefixes, and used them as the foundation for entering over ten thousand tapes. I operated at a level of wisdom I knew was not mine. In two days, the system was up and running. The Lord then provided the wisdom by which we were able to recover the late charges; in spite of the lost data. From that day forward, I was never anxious again about the possibility of system failure in my video shops. Much later, the Lord gave me the wisdom simply to install back-up systems, but I never had to use them. The point I am making here is that the Lord used the adversity of system failure to cure me of the fear of system failure. In spite of earlier assurances not to worry, I continued to worry. So the Lord allowed the system to fail instead of safeguarding it from fail-

gardless of the fact that they were facing on coming traffic. The wisdom of my decision to call it a day was validated as the said men in the buses proceeded to unleash mayhem on innocents as they began a protest that lasted hours. I watched the news from the safety of my sofa and wondered who was pulling the strings. I am getting increasingly exasperated by the sheer gullibility or stupidity of the down trodden who are willing to be manipulated by a minority political and morally bankrupt class of fat cats who don't care who lives or dies! When are we going to get it that there is a them and the rest of us are just extras? If I were to describe the situation in Nigeria as of this pre-election period, I would say it was a cliff hanger; it's tense and dangerous! The collection of voter cards was an issue not long ago but I am seriously wondering if most of us will

be able to use it if the violence being threatened is unleashed come March 28th. Between the hate speeches, accusations, counter accusations, slander and sometimes even crazy behaviour by the lead actors in this tragic episode in Nigeria's history, most of us have lost hope or confidence in the candidates that say one thing and do the opposite. It is highly improbable that those who promise progress in exchange for our votes are not responsible for the violence that have become a permanent feature of their campaigns. A couple of weeks ago, I was unfortunate enough to get caught in a convoy of one of the leading parties, they were on their way to the National Stadium and I was petrified to say the least. After the colourful and branded Party buses had passed, another set of open-top lorries and pickups surrounded us, they were full of openly armed men who very ag-

Them and the rest of us

signed are bogus and both parties plan to go to dastardly lengths to assure their victory and any right thinking Nigerian should reassess the viability of this do or die candidates. It will take Nigerians to destroy Nigeria and I pray to God Almighty that any youth who has decided to be a political thug, any soldier or police man puts the love of country first before they let themselves be used as pawns to destroy our motherland. The world is watching us teeter on the brink of an abyss and it doesn't look like a majority of those caught in election fever quite appreciate that life as we all know it may never be the same if we allow the machinations of a minority destroy all we know and hold dear. It has taken the upcoming elections to get a defence of our citizens from terror so I guess thats a plus of some sorts. That we have had to recruit dogs of war is frightening as our leaders don't quite comprehend that war dogs are available for hire by whoever is willing to pay. The politics of the day runs on the life blood of money, votes and influence are for sale and the power hungry are buying. What those who are willing to sell forget is that they will discover, like Esau, that a birthright once sold cannot be regained. So here I am, here we go again, on a political carousel where the same people have stayed on the horses

for decades and refuse to get off. The country has not reaped the benefits of all its resources yet the plundering continues while the masses continue to suffer. The tragedy is not the corruption of the politicians, that's truly sad but it's not really a tragedy. The real tragedy is the obvious fact that the masses who hold the power to demand change wont; they are quite content to eat the scraps thrown at them at election times and cause mayhem. For money, they willingly risk loosing life and limb while the politicians play their games and rob us of the wealth that is rightfully ours. The religious leaders who should at least have a moral compass have become court jesters as they struggle for relevance and wealth at the expense of their followers! I envy the Arab states and their unity of purpose, they got rid of despots like Mubarak, all his stolen money didn't help him, they took back their power. They may be struggling to find their feet but they stood up and collectively rejected despotism and I have a feeling they will eventually get to their political and economic promised land. They knew and accepted what Nigerians won't; in a culture of corruption and authoritarianism there is always a them and there are the rest of us. We must fight to preserve Nigeria for the rest of us.

GOD BLESSES US WITH TROUBLE

gressive and loud. That experience rattled other road users and I wasn't surprised to hear that people were attacked and robbed later on in the day. What I found most annoying was that the two leading parties chose the same day and the same

ANIPULATION is a trait of hu manity that is despicable; the compulsion we all seem to have to do whatever it takes to bend people and twist situations and circumstances to our favour. I sit here under what feels like house arrest and wonder what the future holds for the Nigerian nation! in the past one week, I have had to turn and go back home on three separate occasions, three days out of five, because the roads were taken over by the mayhem of the coming elections. On day one, a Monday, after close to three hours in which I covered about 2 kilometres at the bottom of 3rd mainland bridge, my very road wise driver took a detour that had undulating bumps and valleys to get us on on the other side of the bridge. The sight that embraced us was a retinue of a dozen or more coaster buses filled with very armed men, driving fast and furiously re-

One of the best things that ever happened to me was that I was shot by armed robbers. It was in the middle of the attack that I heard from the Lord for the very first time in my life. That attack laid the foundation for my present walk with God and my ability to hear and know his voice. Therefore, I can say like the Psalmist: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might know the Lord.” (Psalm 119:71). What does it take to know God? To know God, we have to suffer. Nothing brings about the perfecting of the believer in the knowledge of God like suffering. How can I know God is a healer if I don’t fall sick? How can I know he is “the great provider” if I am never broke? How can I know he is my deliverer unless I have a crisis? “Many are

the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” (Psalm 34:19). The believer should know that God creates success out of failures. He creates life out of death. He creates wealth out of poverty. He brings joy out of sadness. Everything about the kingdom of God is worked out in contradictions by faith. God does not just want us to read the scriptures. God wants us to experience the scriptures. God is determined to give us a testimony. If the bible were to be written today, would you be in it? Do you want to know the Lord and the power of his resurrection? Then be prepared to be a Lazarus. You have to be killed and then rise from the dead. They have to write you off and then hear about your promotion. Like Joseph, they have to throw you down a well, sell you off as a slave, send you to prison and you still emerge as Prime Minister. Trials and tribulations help us to develop godly character. We are never the same after we go through them. They move us into greater reliance and dependence on God. In the process, we lose those things in us that are not the planting of the Lord. Therefore James counsels believers: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4).

The tragedy is not the corruption of the politicians, that's truly sad but it's not really a tragedy. The real tragedy is the obvious fact that the masses who hold the power to demand change wont

route, to campaign knowing their supporters would clash. At the end of that day, there were casualties on both sides, the extras were wasted while no harm came to any of the contestants and their cronies.

There are rumours that the non-violence pledges

ure. Thereby, I discovered that system failure is not the end of a video shop. Therefore, I stopped being afraid. God does not kill the Goliaths in our lives. But he teaches us to overcome them by trusting in him.

Blessing of trouble

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 15

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PAGE 16, SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015

CHUR CH SERVICE IN HONOUR OF THE LA TE RO TIMI AZUBUIKE OBAIGBEN A CHURCH LATE ROTIMI OBAIGBENA

Photos by Nath Onojake

Faces at the c hur vice in service hurcc h ser honour of the Late Rotimi Azubuike Obaigbena, at St Andrew's Anglican Church,Owa Oyibu, Delt Deltaa SStt at atee •From left: Prince Nduka Obaigbena, brother of the deceased and Publisher, ThisDay Newspapers; Mrs Isioma Ukwa; and Prince Benjamin Obaigbena

•From left: Mr.Sam Amuka, Publisher, Vanguard Newspapers; Prince Nduka Obiagbena, and Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State

•Mr. Eniola Bello, MD ThisDay Newspapers (right) and Mr. Feyi Smith.

•Dame Comfort Obi (left) and Dan Akpovwa, Publisher, Abuja Enquirer

•From left: Kenin Obaigbena, Eka Obaigbena, Efe Obaigbena and Hamra Obaigbena, daughters of Mr Nduka Obaigbena.

•From right: Ruth Osime; Ijeoma Nwogwugwu, Editor, ThisDay; and Biola Otufale

•Mr. Chike Ogeah, Commissioner for Information, Delta State, (left); and Dame Comfort Obi

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 17

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PAGE 18, SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

I still ha havven’t go gott it right, esses Oritse Femi conf confesses By TOFARATI IGE

ven though he has a couple of hit tracks doing well out there, and performs at some of the biggest shows in the country, “Double Wahala” crooner, Oritse Femi believes he is still nowhere near his best yet. In his words, “To me, I think I still haven’t gotten it right...I haven’t gotten to my climax. If you can remember, I once told you that I’m going to be a great person, and not just in music alone, but in every good way, and I’m still working towards that.” Hinting that he will be releasing an album soon, the brown-haired singer said, “I will be dropping my album any time from now, and it is titled, “Money Stops Nonsense (MSN).” Oritse Femi who was recently hosted by weekly entertainment and networking event, Industry Nite, expressed his gratitude to fans and colleagues for turning out in large numbers to support him. In his words, “It’s amazing, and I feel really great that this much people came out to support me. This is the type of thing I’ve been expecting and praying for all my life and career...” On his perceived humility, the Ajegunlebred artiste stated, “Well, I always try to be myself in everything that I do. I also try as much as possible to keep away f r o m trouble. You

Saheed Osupa

leads Glo’s Oke ‘Badan music fiesta N

have to be careful of what you do in life so that you can leave a good legacy.” Introducing the new MSN signee, Oluwaseun, Oritse Femi said, “We’ve got one artiste on MSN now, and his name is Oluwaseun. All I can say is that you should watch out for this young dude. He’s a Babcock University undergraduate, and I have been keeping him under wraps b e f o r e because I wanted him to conclude h i s education, and now, he has just a b o u t t h r e e months left f o r him to graduate. I signed him on because I think he is a dynamic and unique artiste. He is also like a younger brother to me.”

•Oritse Femi

I have three things no other artiste has — Reekado Banks

By TOFARATI IGE

•Reekado Banks

C M Y K

E was declared the ‘Rookie of the Year’ at the Headies 2014 in December, and months after, Mavin Records signee, Reekado Banks has proven that he is indeed a rookie who can deliver the cookies. His latest song, “Katapot” is currently enjoying favourable airplay, and he has also featured in collaborations with other artistes. Responding to a question on what he has that he thinks no other artiste has, he said, ‘“I don’t know what they have that I don’t have, but I know I have three things going for me: I work hard; I believe in God, and I listen to people’s advices, so that’s what keeps me going.’ On the inspiration behind his latest song, ‘Katapot,’ “It’s not like I was telling my personal story, I was just trying to create a love song for my

fans. It wasn’t for me; it’s for the people.” Gushing about his romance with the Don Jazzy-led Mavin, he said”To me, Mavin Records is the biggest record label in Africa. It’s been really amazing, and it’s like a family thing, and I really enjoy being part of them.” As a boss, “Don Jazzy is an enigma...he’s ‘bad.’ He knows what he’s doing.” On the greatest thing he has learnt from the talented beatmaker, he said, ‘His humility...it’s just amazing.’ Speaking on his short-term plans. Banks said, “An album is not in the works for me now; it’ll be released probably early next year. For now, expect different singles and collabos from me. I’ve been working with a couple of people recently and I’m enjoying the experience.’

ational telecommunications operator and sponsor of the Oke ‘Badan Festival, Globacom, last weekend held a music fiesta in Ibadan, Oyo State, to add excitement to the two-week ceremony. The fiesta which attracted a massive crowd of fun-lovers to the Trans Amusement Park, Agbowo, Ibadan, where the event was held had popular Fuji artiste, Saheed Osupa, as the lead performer. There were also popular disc jockey, DJ Top, and ace comedian Gbenga Adeyinka who spiced up the show. It proved to be a memorable night of fun and laughter as Saheed Osupa lived up to his reputation as one of the best fuji artistes around as he serenaded the audience with his popular songs, leaving them screaming for more. Several guests expressed their excitement after the show. Mojisola Arogundade, who resides in Ibadan gave kudos to Globacom for its support for Oke ‘Badan and especially for the musical event which she described as a breath of fresh air in the town. “With Globacom’s sponsorship, the profile of Oke’ Badan as a tourist event has been boosted. I also appreciate that the festival brings sons and daughters of the land together to discuss our future as a people”, she noted. Also, Kabir Adepoju, another indigene of Ibadan, stated that Globacom had shown its commitment to the welfare of Nigerians by not only making its products and services available, but also by providing an atmosphere of fun for Nigerian youths and the youngat-heart through the sponsorship of cultural festivals.Twenty-four–year old Olalekan Akinkunmi, won the singing competition and was accorded the privilege of performing alongside the main artiste, Saheed Osupa. Oloye Lekan Alabi, the Alaasa of Ibadanland, said at the event that, “The musical fiesta is the icing on the cake of the sponsorship as it brings both the young and the young at heart together to hobnob, dance and be merry ”. He said he was impressed with Globacom for the initiatives that it had added to the festival.

•Saheed Osupa

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 19 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

Kehinde Oshadipe drops tribu te song ffor or tribute her late ttwin win sister

ehinde Oshadipe, the twin sister of the late Taiwo Oshadipe of the Oshadipe Twins has released a tribute song for her late twin sister and member of the Oshadipe Twins. Taiwo Oshadipe passed on to glory on October 3, 2014 after a brief illness. Titled: `My Reflection’ and produced by Ace producer, Wole Oni, the emotion laden track describes the ordeal of losing a loved one who holds a special place in one’s heart. The Oshadipe Twin describes Taiwo as her reflection indeed, the only close friend she had known all her life and someone who was always sincerely validating or debunking her choices. She said Taiwo showed love to everyone that crossed her path and would go any length to bring smile upon someone’s face. She admitted Taiwo’s sudden passage has created a huge vacuum in their musical career but she is resolute to live the dreams they both shared. She admits this to be a huge task but she expressed hope in God that she will be strengthened to take the brand Oshadipe twins to a greater heights. She expressed gratitude to veteran and contemporary artistes, media houses and the general public for their condolences and outpouring of love during the gloomy days. Kehinde said living the Oshadipe Twins dream is paramount to her and assured their fans of good quality music from her in due course.

Kw akw anso, TTobb obb Kwakw akwanso, obbyy Anumaka honoured

t was encomium galore amidst funfair when the Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwakwanso and Chief Tobby Anumaka, a distinguished philantropist and chieftain of APC in Imo State, were honored with Excellence Awards at a well celebrated 11th Excellence Recognition Awards of Global Excellence Magazine on March 15, 2015 in Lagos. The event which attracted lots of dignitaries from all walks of life was designed to honor distinguished personality in the public and private sector as a way of encouraging them to do more.While the Governor of Kano was honored with Governor of the Year in the country, stylish Chief Anumaka who is equally the CEO of SKYDROP Nigeria was bestowed with a Special Recognition in Business and Politics having rose to a respectable business height in Oil and Gas as well as being a grassroots politician from Imo State. Other awardees of the day include, Sen. Iyiola Omisore, Dr Taiwo Afolabi of Sifax Group, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, among others

Burna Bo oc ks Abuja on Johnn Boyy rroc ocks Johnnyy Walk er podium alker T

he Johnnie Walker Black Podium, the nation’s boldest, most unique party experience, takes on Abuja

this weekend, with performances by some of the country’s top artists at Club XO. At XO on Saturday, March 21, The Johnnie Walker Black Podium will welcome reggaedancehall master Burna Boy, joined by City FM’s SenseiUche as well as breath-taking contortionist act, D&R, dancers, a saxophonist and Abuja’s Cool FM DJ Ttb. Having released his most recent hit, “Check & Balance” late last year, Burna

Boy travelled to South Africa earlier this year where he worked with the country’s top hip hop star, D.A. Les. Contortionist group, D&R. He dazzled the crowd at the Johnnie Walker Black Podium event in Lagos last weekend. “This is the first time we are taking a big Black Podium event outside of Lagos so it’s Abuja’s turn to take the next step up. Black Podium blends the most popular artistes and performers, so Abuja can look forward to a a truly distinctive and rich experience,” says Liz Ashdown, Head of Marketing, Spirits and RTD at Diageo Brands Nigeria.

Abuja Bank club battles Lagos counterpart over trademark issue

opular Abuja club, The Bank, has disclosed its readiness to take legal action against a Lagos club purportedly calling itself The Bank. The Bank, which is co-owned by popular event Manager, Mallam Yankee and PR expert, Uyi Ogbebor has remained one of the few clubs that light up Abuja on weekends and during special holidays. In a press statement issued by the club owners and made available to press men on Wednesday evening, the owners disassociated their club from any other club in Nigeria, with the name- The Bank, especially ‘The Bank’ currently operating in Lagos. The terse statement also said it amounts to trademark infringement for a club that was just established to begin to refer to itself as The Bank, throwing all copyright laws to the wind. It warned that should the said club continue to call itself by the same name The Bank- Abuja is known worldwide, it won’t hesitate to embark on a full legal action. The statement reads further; “Our lawyers are studying the situation and any moment from now, we will take our final decision. They will advise us appropriately. However, we wish to restate that no other club has the right to take up our incorporated name. We have sole right to the name of our club, and anyone doing so, is only infringing on our rights. C M Y K

PAGE 20, SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

My grouse with journalists, politicians and the elections

— Odunlade Adekola Odunlade Jonathan Adekola is today a man of relevance in the Yoruba sector of Nollywood. Tall, highly amiable and friendly, Odun, as he is fondly called, by his closest fans, entered into the film industry ….and sees himself being fulfilled doing theatre in Nigeria. However, we caught up with him at a location in Abeokuta, Ogun State, and he has this to say about the forthcoming elections and how the administration should assist the film makers against the activities of pirates. Excerpts: By Bashir Adefaka and Aderonke Adeyeri How did it start? I started acting when I was very young in Abeokuta, Ogun State. It all began in the church. My friend, Tunde and I, used to present a two cast play during our church anniversary. Along the line, I was introduced to one theatre group with whom I joined in 1996. And I have been in the business from that time till today. We tend to hear many controversial stories about you. What do you think is responsible? I think the media should take responsibility of that. Some journalists do often forget the ethics of their profession due to some factors. But I will appeal to them to always investigate any story before they publish. This is important, because even journalists themselves have their own private lives. I can mention few of them that drink, smoke and even womanise. People don’t know about it because nobody can write about it. And they cannot write against themselves? They can’t write against themselves. They drink, smoke, womanise and do all those things they write about. But why do you think journalists are the cause of these scam reports? Don’t you think some people within your circle are giving these stories to the press and the press publish them relying on the fact that you have the right of reply ? I don’t know if I get your question right, that journalists don’t drink, smoke... I am saying you seem to be blaming journalists for what you consider misrepresentation about you...? (Cuts in) Jesus Christ! They have not written anything bad about me. They have written many stories C M Y K

about me even when they don’t ask me and none of them has been a bad story. However, whether they write bad or good about me, I always see it as normal thing because if you are dead today, they won’t write anything about you any more. It is either, like you said, people go to them and give them such scam stories or they on their own cook up stories. But I don’t care. There should be an arrangement by a body of journalists in Nigeria to stop the reporting of scams about us and even about other people. The body should remind the media practitioners that only by being positive about the job will earn them good lives and for the good of the society too. It should also be spelt out that it is not compulsory that you bring people down before you are known or before you make it in life. Or does it make sense that you should kill some people because you want to rise up (laughs)?. Economists say whatever affects environment affects the business. The business that determines how every business thrives in Nigeria currently is that of politics. What is the role of actors in nation building and in the electioneering process? Many parties are using us for campaigns. But I will just say to the

However, we have been crying and lamenting about the activities of pirates who deny us from reaping the fruits of our labour.

roles as actors. The only thing that will give us joy is when our politicians begin to perform up to our expectation. Now, as a contributor to the national economy, what are your expectations from whoever emerges to form the next government among the politicians and what contribution will you make to ensure the new government succeed? The politicians need entertainers, they need actors to campaign for them. When they get there, they should not forget us. They should call and ask us questions as per what we need and what we can do to contribute positively to the nation. The collaboration they are doing with us now should go beyond election period to after election. Film making entails different stages which I know is not an easy job. But the industry has not been able to overcome piracy. Is this part of what you will like put in place before the government after election? Politicians are the ones in power and all we can do is to continue to pray for them. But we can also let them know that people who are in power today will be remembered only for their performances in future. However, we have been crying and Odunlade Jonathan lamenting about the Adekola activities of pirates who deny us from reaping the fruits of our labour. The government needs to intervene. This is the major politicians that we are all problem confronting us as film human beings and we see producers in Nigeria and zero what is happening. tolerance for corruption will go a Whoever is in position of long way in solving this problem. authority should try to make this country as good Finally, how many films have as one of those countries you produced? we all aspire to travel to . (Laughs) They are many but I can just mention few: Sunday Dagboru, Advertising and Omo Adugbo, these will hit the campaigning for market soon; Alani Pamolekun, politicians? Fayebora, Maakofun e, We are only playing our

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 21

Reasons good w omen are women still single BY ONOZURE DANIA

o you know why good ladies are still single? It’s because a lot of ladies act like a bitch. I’m not trying to use that term in a general and disrespectful way. I am using it in a very specific and factual way. You have so many women who walk around with this nasty, stuck up attitude and they have the nerve to wonder why they struggle with finding the right man. Some of them even cover it up by proclaiming to be a “diva”, too “classy”, or that they are just speaking their mind. In reality they just act like a bitch.

Some people might say, well I see plenty of women like that married or in relationships. Don’t be fooled, she was not completely showing that side in the beginning. Why? Because she is a smart bitch! Either way, being a negative person is not going to help you find love. Most of the men may still go after you for an affair but if you learn to fix that attitude then you will start to attract the right kind of man in your life. Ladies who blames men for everything will remain single. You cannot refuse to make yourself accountable for your actions and then blame everything on the

07035299928

•Bright 17 average height and

Networking/ Sponsorship •Tayo, a Lawyer & Publisher

in Lagos wants to link up with writers who have written good manuscripts that can be published into a book. 08025907089 •Sophia, 21, and a student, needs someone to sponsor her education. 08166169799 •Chi, needs a God fearing man or woman who can sponsor her master’s degree programme. 08039518985 • Matthew, 31, a graduate, from Delta state, needs financial assistance for his business. 08121133784 Friends Searching Female •Mildred, 25 and resides in Delta state, needs a male friend, aged 38-70. 07062180215, 08135091943 Searching Male

•Kel, 32, educated, modest,

simple, cute, neat and resides in PH, needs a nice and beautiful lady, aged 35 and above for matured friendship. 08038761330 •Paradise, 22, a graduate and from Delta state, needs beautiful friends in Delta state especially twin friends who are fun and good to chat with, aged 18-26. 08158389610 •Joel, from Delta state, needs female friends, aged 15 and above.08176416184 or 07017191608 •Edu, needs a female friend aged 19 above, who is a student. 08171209846 • Kelvin, 24 , fair in complexion and resides in Warri, needs a female friend.

fair in complexion, needs a female friend, aged 16-19. 07033444521 Lovers Searching Female •Blossom, 25, nice, beautiful and a student, needs, a tall, fair in complexion and matured man, aged 35-50, who can be of financial help to her. 08064141769 •Annabel, 31, extremely beautiful and flawless with a sexy curvy behind needs a man aged 50 and above to call her man. 08181073394 •A lady, 24 and God fearing, needs a God fearing, loving and financially buoyant man, for a relationship that will lead to marriage. 08164929628 •Esther,27, fat, busty and from Ekiti state, needs a man, who is educated, employed, Matured and ready for marriage,aged34-36, preferably from Delta or Benin, for a serious Relationship, that could lead to marriage. 08148960144 •Anabel, sexy, beautiful and a student, needs a man, aged 35 and above, for a relationship. 07063570565 •Loveth, 18, needs a dark in complexion and a businessman, aged 25-30, for a serious relationship. 09034147100 ,07030348003 •Bimpe, 33, resides in Abuja, needs a nice, caring, responsible and employed man, for a serious relationship. 08077836079, 08106685905 •Matilda, 25 and resides in Edo state, needs a man, for a serious relationship, aged 3860. 07050266599, 07087389553 Searching Male

man, insisting that it is his fault. Once he acts right, then you will have no problem falling in line too. First of all, I agree that men have contributed so much to the issues in relationships and women in general. Men do have a responsibility to step up and do better. The thing is, if women are not willing to “step up” as well, then men will continue to have an issue and women will continue to find themselves on their own. If you are not prepared to look in the mirror then you will never realize the flaws you have and that needs improvement. So next time you want to put it all on men, check

•Gozie, resides in Onitsha, needs a very good lady, for a serious relationship, that will lead to marriage. 08163793639 •Paul, needs a lady, aged 2527, who is a navy officer, from Delta state, for a serious relationship.07065286859, 08115021996 •Ideka, 35, a businessman, needs a lady, of good character and understanding, for a relationship that will lead to marriage. 08154172645 • Adetoro, 48, fair in complexion, 5.7ft tall, God fearing, gentle, a good Christian and a businessman, from Osun State but resides in Lagos, needs an employed or business lady, aged 38-45. 08080613211 • Douglas, 26, from Delta state, needs a beautiful slim lady from Delta, aged 20-25, for serious relationship that can lead to marriage. 08157437399, 08036780884 • Harry, 38, businessman reside in Benin City, needs a busty and attractive lady for arelationship. 08095755876 •Michael lonely needs a girl aged 21 -26.08064514545, 07064442499 • Desmond 22, resides in Abuja needs a rich lady, aged 35-60, who resides within Abuja for a serious relationship 08116784710 •Princewill,24, a graduate from Imo state, needs a matured lady for a serious relationship. 08039596233 •Gaius, needs a good and responsible lady, for a relationship.08055601158 • A guy, friendly and outgoing, needs a matured lady for a romantic relationship, aged 35-

DISCLAIMER! Dear readers, please note that we neither operate, nor are we an affiliate of any match–making agency in or outside the country. Any reader who transacts business with any one claiming to be our agent does so at his/her own risk. Our mission is only to provide a platform for social networking. Also note that neither Vanguard, nor Yetunde Arebi will be liable for any error in the publication of requests which may result in any form of embarrassment to any member of the public. We therefore request that text must be sent through at least one of the numbers for contact. This notice is necessary to enable us serve you better in our refreshingly different style. You can send your requests to 33055. For enquiries, text or call 08026651636

yourself and accept that you have a choice to do better and truly be one of the good women out there. Do you always think that your looks will carry you through life? The thing is, ok you are beautiful and have a nice body, great! But the problem is, if a man talks to you and finds out that there is nothing else to you then why would he bother wanting to make you his woman. He will still want an affair with you; an affair is always an option for a man, that’s it. Men may be more superficial than women but most of them still want a woman who has some kind of personality. Make yourself a better rounded fun individual and more men will want to make you their own. Many single women reading this remain single or in dead-

end relationships because you have been hurt in your past. This hurt can be from a previous relationship, previous situation with a man or sexual abuse. Some of the first six reasons I listed are just manifestations of that same hurt you are holding on to. You now operate with walls up to protect you but it is those same walls that continue to block the blessings you deserve to receive. I understand how difficult it can be to move on from these things, but if you are ever to move in the right direction as well as into a new healthy relationship, you must begin with forgiveness. Start the process of letting the pain go and watch how things improve.

40.07031818602, 09095194472 •Swatch, 24, average height, handsome, energetic and resides in Lagos, needs a beautiful lady, aged 17-20 for a relationship.08121829814, 08035722715 •Emma, resides in Lagos, need a lady for sexual relationship. 08084187421 •Victor, 32, a graduate and a minister of the gospel, needs a lady who is focus, for a serious relationship.07052258689, 08030879213 •Ken,38, dark in complexion, tall and athletic, needs a very fat lady, who is ready to settle down. 08095933671, 08070312891, 08134779281, 08034167158 •Ben, 29, handsome and dark in complexion, needs a lady, aged 26-32, for a relationship. 08022828999 •Chris, 29, tall, handsome and resides in Lagos, needs a girl for a very serious relationship age 18-26.07033420947 • Richie, 22 and a student, needs a lady for a serious relationship.08130773107

Abuja, needs a sugar mummy in Abuja for serious relationship. 07085298040 •Ufuoma, 33 and resides in Warri, Delta state, needs a sugar mummy in Warri, Lagos or Abuja.08021050892 • Ossy, 38 and resides in Lagos, needs a sugar mummy. 08180206995, 08033820740 •Tammy, 22, tall, handsome and a student, needs a rich sugar mummy who will take care of him.08165945785, 08177170352 • Michael, 23, resides in Lagos, needs a lovely sugar mummy, aged 3342.08064329139 • John, 32, needs a sugar m u m m y. 0 8 0 5 0 7 1 7 9 5 9 , 08050717957 •Apex 30, a graduate, needs a fat, sexy and caring sugar mummy for a relationship. 08135284492 • Oyenke, 37, 6 ft tall, from Bayelsa state, needs a sexy sugar mummy. 08130829843 •Tj, 25, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy. 07038591108 •Sunny, 29 and from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy, aged 35-40.08184819753 • Destiny, tall, dark in complexion and from Delta state, needs a wealthy and healthy sugar mummy who will take care of him. 07037910228 • Magnus, employed and resides in Calabar, needs a sugar mummy. 07039088298 or face book magnus enang • Ken, 25, average height, good looking and lovely, needs a caring sugar mummy. 08036423324 • Kenney, 27, fair in complexion and handsome, needs a sugar mummy. 07035767013 • Mike, a graduate, gentle, strong, good looking, God fearing, nice and sexy, from Delta state, needs a sugar mummy.08037881482 •Roland, 28, a student, needs a sugar mummy, who can take care of him.08101541128 •Daniel, dark in complexion and resides in Warri, needs a responsible, God fearing, caring and matured sugar mummy, for a relationship, aged 35 and above. 08082230344

Sugar Cares Searching Female •Nancy, 22 and a graduate, needs a sugar daddy that can take care of her. 08166245147 Searching Male •Juliet, 25, chocolate, very beautiful with nice feminine feature who needs a wealthy caring sugar daddy aged 55 and above for love and friendship. 08172805722 •Princess, 24, sexy, pretty and very bursty young girl needs a kind and generous sugar daddy for a hot sexual relationship. 08102362446 •Mehtevas, 22, tall, fair in complexion, an undergraduate and resides in Owerri, needs a caring sugar mummy. 08059332493, BB Pin 247F8DFE • Mon, humble, educated, employed and from Delta state, needs an honest sugar mummy, who is a politician and financially ok from Delta state, aged 40 and above. 08037426191 •Hope, 24, fair in complexion, good looking and resides in

PAGE 22— SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

Email: vanguardwoman@gmail.com

continue with such ideas in their minds. So that is the whole idea of beginning to reorientate them, disabuse their minds of some of these issues. Somebody’s mother became a judge, she said that she is happy and excited that her mother is a judge because her mother will be richer as people will give her more bribe.

We are out to fight societal decay through youth empowerment – Ifaturoti Mrs. Oluseyi Ifaturoti, former Managing Director of Crystalife Assurance Limited is the Promoter, Steps to Greatness Foundation. She speaks on what the foundation is out to achieve and other issues. Excerpt. By ROSEMARY ONUOHA

ow did Steps to Greatness Foundation come about? The Steps to Greatness Foundation was registered in October, 2013. I realised that registering a foundation was more tedious than a company. The process took a while because they did their checks, we published the name of the foundation in the newspapers, as well as the names of the chairman, members, for them to verify and they leave it for a period of time to see if anybody will come forward and lay claim to the name, before they finally approved. But we thank God we eventually got it and started working with the youth. We have a family standard of transparency, integrity and not a life of corruption. We realized that there is so much moral decay in the system, so, we were prompted to come up with the Steps to Greatness Foundation. A major area of prompt for starting this foundation was during the time that I was the President of the Professional Insurance Ladies Association, (PILA). We had this seminar where Prof. Grace AleleWilliams came and said that she was giving us a responsibility. She said that there was so much moral decay in the system, and was not happy seeing girls who are supposed to be university students on the street. She gave us the charge saying, although she is old and there is not much she can do now, we should go ahead and fight the decay in the system. That is the background into steps to greatness foundation. What is the foundation out

to achieve? The Foundation is out to empower youth because if you are saying to them, ‘don’t do corruption, don’t do this or that’, you need to empower them, mentor them, role model them, inculcate in them the right attitude and ethics so that they begin to see things the right way. When they see role models of people in this country that have not stolen, abused office and have succeeded in their line of businesses, they get motivated. When they see people who have attained greatness out of excellent values, not people who have attained greatness based on doing the wrong things, they get motivated. Not people who made money out of stolen goods, illegal means, abuse of office, abuse of the finances in their offices, beating the process, beating the system and all of that. We are saying that there can still be people, who either professionals or trade people, carpenters, mechanics, when they do it well, they still have the future, opportunity to be great. Do you have specific targets? Whatever one is doing, one has to start from somewhere. Some of the things that were overwhelming each time we taught about the foundation kept on looking bigger but the journey of a thousand miles start with one step. We have started talking to schools, interacting with schools and asking for audience. A lot of schools are partnering with us. We have sessions with these children; we have seminars with them about leadership. Some of these children that we are still talking to quite a number of them are ‘privileged,’ but we know that

Mrs. Oluseyi Ifaturoti

they are the ones that are even not privileged. The whole idea is to create forums at different sections of Lagos. We can take this part of Lagos now, another time, we take the mainland, and we take them like that and begin to reach out to them. We are calling for youth to join us to answer questions about their age, level of education and where they are now. For those that have finished education, their background, what challenges they are having, what do they aspire to be. The whole idea is that when we

There are series of empowerment programmes which government tends to be promoting. Sometimes government is just paying lip service with these programmes. But we have people here that need those things.

aggregate all of this information, immediately we create a data. What category of youth are you focusing on? Nigeria defines a youth to be someone below the age of 40 years. So anyone who falls within that capacity and is having issues falls into the category of youth, but how do you bunch them together? That is why the issue of schools comes in. Everybody knows what internet is now, even the less privileged. So we are using the internet to reach out to everybody. As many as they are that call themselves youth is free to access our website, www.stepstogreatnessfoundation.com. Our foundation is not just about a youth being less privileged, there is also the issue of corruption, moral decadence within the system, the issue of sexuality, so there are so many issues that have to do with ethics of a youth. It is a total thing. We will be having seminars in various sectors. But first, we must have a means of having data, which is why our website is supposed to help us pull as many of them as possible. Youths are getting more aware of their rights and their future. The reason we are starting from Lekki area is because some of their parents are very corrupt. Some of them believe that you can only live a corrupt life. And if these are the ones going to lead us tomorrow, we should not let them

Do you have plans for single parents? We didn’t put that into package. But one of the things we mentioned is that some of them that got derailed along the line should be allowed to fall back in. Our objectives talks about those of them that are dropouts and how to help them fall back in line. The thing is that we don’t have all the answers here, but when we gather them, we will be able to interface with people who are already set up to render such services. We have a bunch of data about people who are on the streets and are willing to get back on line. Some women that are dropouts are the ones who endup with prostitution. Some of these young girls that got into prostitution say it is because they didn’t have opportunity to go to school, they have a thousand and one reasons, but those reasons are not enough to justify them being there. Any plans to set up small businesses for the less privileged that might need it? We know that some of them will learn trades and these are areas where we will gather data. There are series of empowerment programmes which government tends to be promoting. Sometimes government is just paying lip service with these programmes. But we have people here that need those things. If you really say you are, then we are a foundation, non governmental, non partisan, non political, non religious, we are just here to make sure that these youth have something to hold on. These youth have a future in the scheme of things. If Nigeria is set for greatness, we should begin to set our youth in the right path where they can benefit and if you look at the demography of this nation, a bigger percentage falls within the lower age and it means that we are fresh. This is unlike in some European countries they have more of the population in the older generation because they are not giving birth to children the way we are.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 23

08112662589

When the mistress has an edge over the wife

VERY woman has this dream of when she meets the “other woman” in her husband’s life. She sees this “other woman” as plain dull and with an interesting background – a woman who would be pathetically grateful for any male attention. A woman she, the wife, would look down on with pity, convinced that her husband would be insane to leave her for cheap thrills like this one. She’s kidding herself, of course! The other woman is often ravishingly attractive and eager to give the wife at home a stiff competition. Ifi said she never really met her husband’s women until recently. All she’d come to rely on whenever he was having affairs were the tell-tale signs – His reluctance to make love, his going to cocktails and dinners without her and his distant look whenever she discussed anything important with him. Ifi would be the first to tell you that Levi, her husband, did not get to the top today by being ‘straight’. He’d always bragged that he knew a great deal about human nature and had found out early in life how easy it was to arouse greet. It’s amazing the number of palmgreasing he’d been able to

get away with – the fat commissions he’d pulled over the years showed just how successful he’d exploit the greed in his contacts. A very ruthless businessman, he’s always stopped any opposition in its track. Ifi and Levi live in one of the reserved areas in Ikeja, but Levi has a consultancy office on Victoria Island. Ifi was in Lagos early this year to do some shopping for one of the kids’ forthcoming birthday, and since she didn’t bring her car, she thought she would cage a lift from her husband. The shopping centre she visited was a few minutes walk from his office. “Levi shares the same floor with his younger brother who is also a partner in his firm”, Ifi told me. “Onome, his brother, is really Levi’s right hand man and I thought I would say hello to him first. The top of the door to his office is glass, and what I saw in that room made me dizzy with shock. At the desk sat this lovely lady, vaguely, I remembered Levi telling me about a year ago that they’d just employed a brilliant company secretary. And there she sat, a beautiful lady in her thirties. She had class, I would say that for her. Levi was with her – sitting in Onome’s chair.

Where was Onome? I discretely disappeared to give the love-birds the privacy they needed. The intimacy between this woman and my husband was obvious. As I hesitated, his fingers played teasingly on the front of her blouse. I drew back swiftly and rushed down the corridor to the ladies. “My first reaction was to go home in a taxi but why should I? Levi, was afterall, my husband. With head held high, I marched back to Levi’s office and waited for him there. His secretary had this funny look on her

face as she hurried to go call my husband. Levi carried off his surprise very well when he saw me. I explained why I was there and he told me he’d gone to discuss the forthcoming official party with the new company secretary. In the past, I’d always been responsible for catering for guests at such parties which usually took place in our spacious living room. But it seemed now that this whiz-kid company secretary had organised a buffet affair in private room at a Chinese restaurant. My blood boiled with indignation but I said nothing. On

the day of this buffet thing, I was determined to fight fire with fire. At 46, and with four children, my figure had gone a bit but I made the most of what I had. If I was going to be face-to-face with my husband’s mistress, I was going to make it a grand performance. “What a silly fool I was! Ellen, the company secretary was dressed simply but very expensively. And she looked more smashing close-up. I must also say that Levi behaved pretty well at the buffet. He introduced her as the best executive the company had and Ellen greeted me with just the right touch of friendliness and formality due to the boss’s wife. The fact that my husband didn’t show the slightest sign of discomfort made me wonder how many ex-girl friends I’d met in the past. As Ellen turned to leave, I discovered her hair was also magnificently groomed. She was wafting a sweet cloud of Prada perfume. It seemed she’d doused herself in the stuff while I just dabbed mine behind the ears. Don’t these husbands have any shame? Fancy buying his wife and mistress the same brand of

perfume! The office staff made an unusual fuss of her and I realised she was serious competition. What does a wife do when she is receiving a kick in the crutch? Rush to a lawyer? What if it’s the husband who wants a divorce, would she want one? My short answer was, of course ‘no’! My whole life had revolved round Levi and I didn’t like the idea of being a woman alone, though there were no telltale signs he wanted to replace his wife with the mistress. I was just feeling too vulnerable. “Guiltily, I realised that there were a lot of things he could find wrong with me. I drank a bit to much and had taken little interest in his affairs since we moved to our own house in Ikeja. He didn’t fit in with my new friends and, more often than not, he brought work home instead of talking to me. It took a long time but I changed. Only last week, he came home straight from the office, had his dinner and a nap. I stole a glance at him as he napped on the sofa. His balding head was a bit awry and his tie and shoes were off. But he was all mine!”

08052201867(Text Only)

Tackling your health challenges with the right exercises

OMETHING I read once ran thus: Of all the creatures in the world, the human being has the least sense of body management.” At first I was in doubt. I thought, “we have come up with all sorts of medication to heal diseases of all kinds; we have created all sorts of dishes to make each meal a bit of a return to paradise; we have all types of clothing to help us live through the changes in weather. So, what could we be doing wrong to merit such a sweeping indictment. ‘As I read on, I gradually began to understand what the writer meant. We eat wrongly, we breathe wrongly and we also don’t seem to realise that the body has a mind of its own and that allowing the body’s own mind to be in charge could signal the beginning of the end to most of our afflictions. Mastering the art of deep breathing, for instance, can make us overcome respiratory problems such as asthma. The right type of exercise will see us quickly through a running nose or congested sinuses. Even persistent headaches can be C M Y K

overcomed with the right exercise and breathing technique. It may come as a surprise to many that learning to relax properly leads to a reduction in cholesterol levels, heart rate and blood pressure. This is suggestive that the body can put thungs right on its own. We only must help it along, adhering to the right habits and eschewing the wrong ones. Remember that a thousand and one things can go wrong with the body of a youngster as well as that of an adult if the living habits lack proper direction. For example, the body of a young person who refrains from exercise or the healthful games his peers engage in will soon find that he lacks the stamina and the sheer joy

of living as expressed by his active friends. In the same way a grown-up who spends his days with a belly full of wine and flesh will soon find he can’t keep pace with his colleagues after just a few months of such inordinate indulgence. But then health soon radiates from a person as he attempts to mend his ways. The way to great health is self-commitment. Once the resolution has been made and stuck to with tenacity of purpose it’s only a matter of time when the body will begin to show marked improvement. Here are some postures to improve lung capacity in-

crease strength and flexibility. LEG RAISE (against the wall) Technique: Lie flat on your back and raise both legs up against the wall. Interlace the fingers and place the back of the head on the hands. Now breathe out completely and begin to inhale slowly but deeply. First let in the breath by extending the belly to the fullest. Then, still breathing in expand the sides and breathe in yet some more and then breathe in further more to fill the upper chest by drawing a heavy sigh. Hold the breath for about 5 or 10 seconds and begin to breathe out slowly letting out the air in the upper chest, the mid-section and finally contracting the abdomen expel all the breath you can. An inhalation, retention and exhalation

make up one round of deep breathing. Benefits: This exercise aerates the lungs properly and helps asthma and other respiratory problems. HEAD TO KNEE Technique: Sit down with the feet stretched out in front of you and close together. Now raise both hands overhead and gently lowering the trunk and hands as far down as you can and then return to the upright position with the hands still overhead and then go back down again. Do this for a couple more times to limber the back and hamstrings for the full head to knee pose. In the final stage of the posture, you form a ring with the forefinger and thumb around the corresponding big toes with the forehead resting on the knees and the elbows touching the floor. For beginners it may be impossible to assume the full posture so it will do to hold as far down the legs as you can and lower the trunk the fartherest down you can

bling up’ lends gentle massage to the digestive organs improving the way the body handles nourishment. In the women-folk this posture is said to help & painful periods and eventually stop it completely. It’s also a great exercise for long distance runners as the hamstrings are where the long distance runner is most likely to develop muscle pulls. THE TRIANGLE Technique: Stand with the feet wide apart and turn to the left as you bend the left knee. Keep the right knee locked with the right leg in a diagonal position and the hands overhead with the palms clasped. Keep the trunk, neck and head very straight. Maintain the pose for 10 or 15 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Benefits: the Triangle pose tones up the leg muscles shedding excess fat there. This posture also helps you hold your body in a more upright posture always.

go. Duration: Stay in the position for about 10 seconds and gradually STARTED go up to a minute or two. Physical Therapy Centre Lie down on your back when you’re @ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, through to allow the cirVictoria Island Lagos. culation to stabilise. 9.00am — 10.00am The head to knee on Saturdays tones up the muscles of the back, the arms and hamstrings. The ‘dou-

Yoga Classes

Head-To-Knee Pose

P AGE 24 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22 , 2015

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 08056180152, SMS only

She got her own back at the man who virtually left her at the altar

HAT madness possesses any one to leave their partners virtually at the altar – is it cowardice? Make your blood boil, doesn’t it? Why wait until the last minute to upset the apple cart when you could do it early enough to spare your victim shame and embarrassment? When Saidat came back to the country over 10 years ago, it was to make preparations for her impending marriage. She’d met Banji through a mutual friend. According to her, “Hariet, my friend had always expressed the wish I would get on with her first cousin Banji, who was just over 30 then. The family was anxious for him to get married and since I was in-between boyfriends, I didn’t see any harm in meeting him. “We took things slowly at first, but about a year later, we decided to tie the knot. Banji insisted we went back home for the ceremony proper and I agreed with him. Both my parents are dead, so I stayed with an auntie I wasn’t very close to when I arrived Nigeria. She was nice enough but I wanted to get things over with so I could go back to my job in London. Banji was to come a few days for the traditional engagement ceremony but he called to let us know he’d missed the flight. His family was to go ahead with the ceremony and he would be in time for the wedding which was a week after. Two days to the traditional engagement he called and as I babbled on excitedly about the preparations, it took a while for what Joe was saying to sink in – the wedding was off, he

said. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get married after all. He hung up before I could ask him any questions and he refused to pick up my desperate calls. “When I called Hariet who was to come with him for the wedding, she was still in shock. She felt so embarrassed that, if she hadn’t brought us together, she wouldn’t be facing such humiliation, and bring me such shame. Frantically, I cancelled all the wedding arrangements, then cried my eyes out for weeks. I had to sell my beautiful wedding dress to a bridal shop. Back in London, I learnt Banji had gone off on holiday somewhere. As far as I was concerned, he could be dead. A friend of mine outside London helped me secure a better job and I gladly moved away, hoping to make a fresh start. But it was hard. My self confidence had taken a nose-dive, my trust and hope had all been shattered beyond repairs. Or so I thought until another friend dragged me to a prayer meeting and I met Moses. He started chatting me up and because of him, I attended more meetings. It was fun too and I saw him only as a friend. Then I noticed he was the dependable type who would never let me down. I decided to snatch this second chance at happiness. Within months we got married in the church that arranged the prayer meetings. Nothing elaborate this time – just close friends and church members but with no apprehension that anything would go wrong. Eight happy years slipped by then Hariet called to invite me to her younger

sister’s wedding. I knew I would run into Banji, but I couldn’t punish my friend for his fickleness, so I accepted her invitation. Since Moses would be busy at work, he offered to look after our three children while I went up to London for the wedding. “I stayed with another friend as Hariet’s house was full. It was a lovely wedding and I was tucking into a delicious meal when I felt a tap on my shoulder. `Hi Sadiat, remember me?’ For a moment I looked at the man now standing before me. He was balding, paunchy and puffy cheeked. He had on a flowing agbada. It was Banji! `You look smashing’, he said, wide eyed, looking me up and down. Unfortunately, I couldn’t return the compliment but we chatted for long enough time for me to remember, he could be good company. He offered to take me home and confessed his romance had hit the

skid. When I got to where I was staying, he offered to see me in, and after a few drinks I found myself making love with him. He was like a lustfuelled teenager. `Leave Moses and let’s start all over again’, he begged. `I still love you. I was a fool to let you …’ We talk ed well into the

night. He still stayed in his flat and I told him if I were coming back to him, we wouldn’t live in a flat that held so many bad memories. He agreed. The following week, we phoned and sent text messages. I even found time to spend an afternoon with him in London. I had to lie to my boss I had a doctor’s appointment. The sex was amazing and he told me he was close to clinching the deal to a three-bedroom flat. “Shortly after, he texted that he’d paid the deposit on the flat and we could move in the following week when he would have bought some furni-

And in between our mind To keep the lonely soul alert For in you, true love I find As this emotion shall not depart

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"

LOVE CANDLE

It echoes from behind With whispers across the heart

In this affair you and I depend When both our effort we commend And strongly defend When truly, we do not pretend. Our world is a shining light Love candle, so good and bright Shining to keep us through the night And all day to greater heights

Sunday Ogbaoyibo 07032615563

ture. I replied I would break the news of my leaving my husband to him the following Sunday, then join him at the new flat. The whole of the Sunday I spent in bed, making passionate love to my husband, my saviour who virtually gave me back my life. I should never have cheated on him with Banji but I’d seen my chance of giving Banjia dose of his medicine and didn’t want to pass it up. Now he was well and truly dumped. I switched off my phone and later changed the number. To this day, I don’t know whether he ever did move into his new love nest and I don’t give a damn! From time to time, I laughed mischievously to myself for days. It felt very very good to leave the spineless fool high and dry. Just as he did me. Now I can concentrate on the beautiful family I have and hope that Banji picks up the pieces of his shattered life … just as I did mine.” Revenge could be sweet, but what if you never had the opportunity? Only recently a close friend called to tell me she was going to be a surrogate ‘mother’ of the bride. One of her daughter’s friends just arrived from abroad preparatory to her getting married. The traditional engagement ceremony took place in the brideto-be’s home town outside Lagos after which the bride’s in-law brought her back to my friend’s house with all the traditional goodies the bride got as gifts. A few weeks later, my

friend called again. ‘Would you still believe Bose (the bride-to-be) is still in my house?”, she fumed. ‘The stupid man he was supposed to have married, has told her he wasn’t sure of how he really felt about the wedding – he has developed cold feet’. “So what do you intend to do?”, I asked. “What can I do?” I’ve told Bose to relocate to her `in-laws house outside Lagos with the hope they might be able to track their son down and make him do the decent thing. Can you ever imagine the nerve of these young men we’re rearing these days? Why encourage the poor girl to come from abroad only for her to be left high and dry ...” The taste of the pudding! (Humour) A man went to the doctor ’s to find out if anything could be done for his baldness. “Well we could try some hair creams or a transplant”, suggested the doctor, `but it’s not 100% guaranteed”. “No, no”, said the man in despair. “I’ve tried creams already and I can’t afford a transplant”. “Hmm”, the doctor thought for a moment and then said, “Okay, I do have one other cure, but I warn you, it’s a bit unusual. “Oh, anything, anything”, pleaded the man. “Okay, you need to put some female secretions on the bald patch”. “Thank you”, said the man. “I’ll give it a try, but I can’t help noticing that you have quite a bald patch yourself ”. “That’s true”,.agreed the doctor, “but have you also noticed my wonderful moustache?”

sunlightworld82@gmail.com

SPIRIT OF LOVE Love is a spirit, it is associated with the wind of life. You never know when it possesses you. It's a silent wind which blows into the heart and mind without the aids of handwork and campaigns, it flows freely into the heart and mind. The spirit of love is just like a white( innocent) dove, which flies and stops at the heart of those that know what it takes and what the meaning of love...

OGBONNA CHARLES CHIDUBEM 08169186581

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 25

*Suspects arrested alongside woman BY OLA AJAYI, IBADAN

wing to the myths attached to cemetery, several people dread going there. But, a playwright said, “Many birds dread water, but the duck sleeps in it”. For five suspects, including a 25 year-old pregnant woman, Saki Adediran, paraded by the Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Muhammed Katsina, they relished in punishing the dead. They dug deep into graves and brought buried bodies to a slaughter slab where they used knives to decimate them into parts and sell to prospective buyers who, in turn, used the parts for money-making rituals. They must have been committing this heinous crime for some time and, since they had murdered sleep, the ghosts of those they had troubled did not allow them to rest until they were caught. The suspects arrested in connection with the alleged crime were Abati Kolade, Tayo Akinrinola, Ramon Korede, Mojeed Adediran and Saki Adediran. While narrating how they were caught, CP Katsina said, “Following a petition referred to the State Intelligence Bureau by the Commissioner of Police, the operatives of the bureau began a discreet investigation into the criminal activities taking place at Muslim cemetery located around Lifefort International School, Apete, Ibadan where graves, numbering about six, had been excavated by unknown perpetrators. Through a painstaking, coordinated investigation and a clue left behind by the perpetrators, the operatives arrested five suspects who confessed to the alleged crime. Among the suspects arrested is a female who confessed to C M Y K

I bought human skull for N4,000 — Pregnant woman, suspected of dealing in human par ts parts •Serial rapist: How I drugged women, sexually assaulted them the crime and disclosed that she usually bought human skull at the rate of ¦ 4,000”. The woman human parts dealer suspect, Saki Adediran, spoke to Sunday Vanguard, saying, “Korede, one of the suspects, always buys charms from me. One day, he told me he had ‘biscuit’ or menumo (human head). I bought it and gave him N4,000. We have been doing it for quite sometime”. When asked to disclose the identity of the person she sold the human skull she bought for N4,000 to, she refused to talk. One of the other suspects, Akinrinola, who did not show remorse, was reluctant to talk until the officer who investigated his case showed up. The suspect said, “One man took two of us to the cemetery around 9pm. When we got there, we started exhuming the bodies that still had the gall intact. But, we checked all of those we exhumed, we did not get any gall.” Other questions put to him were not answered. Paraded with the suspected human parts dealers were members of a gang of armed robbers who allegedly specialized in snatching

posh cars. The CP hinted that the command, working on a “robust intelligence”, detailed the state Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS to conduct diligent investigation leading to the recovery of assorted cars either snatched from the owners at gun point or stolen from where they were parked. The posh cars were recovered from different locations including Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Kwara and Kano states. The vehicles included one unregistered black Toyota Corolla car,one Honda Accord saloon car, one wine Ford car with Reg.No. KSF 342 CY, two Honda Accord cars, with Reg. No. EPE 814 CD and ABJ 777 AY. About 24 vehicles, 63 motorcycles, NITEL cables, among others, were allegedly recovered. The command also recovered about 3,000 rounds of live ammunition. The ammunition was recovered around Idi-Iroko community, Soka area of Ibadan when a team of detectives was dispatched to the area. “The hoodlums, on noticing the presence of the policemen in the area, jumped off their motorcycle

When asked to disclose the identity of the person she sold the human skull she bought for N4,000 to, she refused to talk and fled into the bush. When the area was thoroughly searched, 1,000 rounds of 7.6mm live ammunition were recovered along side the motorcycle with reg.No. LAGOS QJ 201 AKD,”Katsina said. The police also arrested alleged cross-border robber, Opuoro John, for snatching exotic vehicles at gunpoint. “The cross-border robbery suspect, accompanied by other suspected members of the gang now at large, attempted to transport a stolen vehicle to Benin Republic where a notorious receiver, simply identified as Alhaji Sokoto, was waiting to receive it. Opuoro John ‘m’, who was said to have attempted to bribe the police, was arrested. Investigation revealed that the vehicle was snatched at

gun-point in Delta State. Efforts have been put in place to apprehend the fleeing robbery suspects and their accomplices”, the police boss said. Saying he actually intended to take the vehicle to the neighbouring African country, the suspect, Opuoro, said, “One Alhaji Sokoto called me that I should bring this black car to him as he had concluded arrangements with the Customs where he bought it from. When I was going on the way, it was dark and I decided to park by the road side very close to a police check point with the intention that I would continue my journey the following morning. As I opened the car, some policemen came to me and demanded the particulars of the car which I could not produce”. In another development, operatives of SARS left no stone unturned in a case of armed robbery transferred to the squad from Divisional Police Headquarters, Iseyin. SARS recorded a breakthrough as it recovered 14 motorcycles suspected to have been stolen. Other items recovered from the suspects include one triple barrel locally made short gun, one live cartridge and two expended cartridges. One Ibrahim Ajibola, a.k.a Scorpion ‘m’, and one Johnson Bolaji ‘m’ were arrested in connection with the case. An alleged serial rapist, Isah Buruku, a Fulani, who the police said had been on their wanted list for armed robbery, demonstrated how he drugged his victims before raping them repeatedly. The police said he would disguise as a commercial driver and, after picking his victims who are mostly women, would drive them to an isolated area where he would mix all types of drugs together to make the victims fall asleep. He demonstrated how he mixed the drugs with drinks.

PAGE 26—SUNDAY

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

MY STER Y DEA TH IN BENIN MYSTER STERY DEATH

My son had premonition he may not leave police custody alive —Bereaved mum BY SIMON EBEGBULEM, Benin City

T was like a war situation on Monday in Benin City, when thousands of youths stormed the streets, including the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in GRA, Benin City, protesting the mysterious death of a 26-yearold man, Chibuike Edeh, allegedly in the hands of the police attached to the Area Command, Sapele Road, Benin City. The deceased, who was a staff of Protea Hotel, in Benin City, had been accused by the management of the hotel of stealing N42,000 from a guest. Consequently, he was handed over to the police and detained penultimate Friday. The family of the deceased was contacted by the hotel management on the issue the following morning and they went to the police station to see their son. Chibuike was said to have informed the family that he was innocent but that the police were trying to coerce him to confess to the crime. However, the IPO reportedly assured that he will be released if the family was able to get the N42,000 purportedly stolen. The family went in search of the money only to come back in the afternoon with the money and was told that the deceased had been released. Ironically, the deceased, who had been working in the hotel for over two years, was said to have returned three thousand dollars a guest misplaced, to the management of the hotel in November last year. That is why many residents of Benin are shocked that this same man could die because of alleged stolen N42,000. While searching for their son, a good Samaritan called from the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) to inform the family that the body was deposited at the hospital mortuary and labeled ‘unknown’. The news of his death sparked protest in Benin City, particularly when the family rushed to UBTH to discover that it was the body of their son that was deposited there. The mother of the deceased, Christiana Edeh, who cried for help from Governor Adams Oshiomhole and other well-meaning Nigerians, regretted that the police tortured her son to death. The younger brother

Governor Adams Oshiomhole consoling Christiana Edeh, mother of the deceased. Inset: Chibuike of the deceased, IK, narrated their ordeal to Sunday Vanguard: “My brother went to work on Friday. That evening, the CSO of the hotel called the house to say we should come. So we ran to the hotel. When we got there, they said Chibuike stole money belonging to a customer. They said they had taken him to the Police Area Command along Sapele Road. We proceeded to the police station and we saw Chibuike and the IPO. We asked Chibuike what happened, he told us he did not take any money but that the police were torturing him to confess to what he did not do. We asked the IPO what we should do, he said we must pay the N42,000 before he will be released. This was Saturday morning. So we rallied round for the money and when we got to the police station, we did not see the IPO, but we saw one police woman. We told her we wanted to see Chibuike but she told us that Chibuike had been signed out. We asked her who bailed him because the money they said we should bring was with us. They said we should leave the place. We now thought maybe he went back to the hotel after his release. So we proceeded to the hotel but when we got there, we were told that Chibuike was still with the police. We went back to the

police station but nobody was interested in listening to us. It was later that somebody called us from UBTH to say they saw the body of Chibuike and it was labeled unknown. That is why we all came out here today to appeal to the Comrade Governor to help us tell the Commissioner of Police to produce the policemen that killed our brother. We don’t know where to cry to. Police station is supposed to be the safest place for people but that was where our brother was killed”. Chibuike’s mum also told his story: “After I gave him food at the police station that Satuirday, they said we should go back home as the IPO handling the case was not around. But around 3pm, my children went back there, but they said they could not find Chibuike’s name on the board whereas I saw it when I went there that morning. They even told me to buy some items for my son and I bought those things. He wore boxers and white top. There was no injury on his body that Saturday morning when I saw him. I called Chibuike out and asked him what happened, he told me that he did not take any money. My son even pleaded with me that we should take him home as we may not meet him alive by the time we were due to come back. And that was exactly what happened to him. I am appealing to human rights activists

and Governor Oshiomhole to come to our aid. They should help us because we are poor people to ask the Police Commissioner what killed our son. Ever since this incident, the Police Commissioner has not bothered to speak to us, all efforts to see him were denied us”. In search of the truth The angry protesters grounded activities at the hotel as staff and guests took to their heels. The mother of the deceased sat in front of the hotel while some youths took over the hotel. The presence of policemen deployed to the hotel could not deter them as they volunteered their lives in search of the truth. Reacting, Edo State police spokesman, Joseph Edoigiawe, explained that “though we are still investigating the matter, what happened was that the boy confessed to stealing the money and, while trying to take him to where he said he kept the money, he tried to escape. Unfortunately, a car hit him”. Told that they were marks that looked like to pressing iron burns at the back of the deceased and a broken neck which may have occurred during torture, the police PRO said he will not be able to explain further until further investigation was carried out. While the protest intensified, efforts made to see the new Commissioner of Police, Mr Samuel Adegbuyi, proved abortive as he refused to speak with journalists on the issue. Sunday Vanguard observed that the deceased body was battered like one who died while being tortured. On Tuesday, the protesters stormed the Edo State Government House where they were addressed by Oshiomhole. The governor called on the state Commissioner of Police to thoroughly investigate the circumstance leading to the death of Chibuike. Reacting also, the Executive Director of the African Network for Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Rev. David Ugolor, said: “I think there is need to call for an independent investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the death of the young man. This is very important against the back ground of previous cases which include the UNIBEN student that was murdered by the police, the Uteh five that the police claimed were armed robbers and killed whereas they were farmers. The police are saying that he was hit by a car when he went to show them where he kept the money. Assuming that is true, does it mean the person that hit the boy was not arrested by the police? How come the police did not rush the boy to hospital and it was now somebody else who saw the dead body at UBTH”

10,000 benef it fr om medical outreac benefit from outreachh in Ondo BY DAYO JOHNSON, Akure “ONDO State government, in conjunction with federal medical bodies, has conducted a free medical outreach for over 10,000 people.“Speaking at the flag off of the programme, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Aderotimi Adelola, said the Federal Government, through the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), is bridging gaps identified in the HIV/AIDS response in Nigeria.“Adelola noted that this is in line with President Goodluck Jonathan's

Comprehensive Response Plan (PCRP) to ensure that about five million Nigerians across the 36states know their status and with the vision of the state government to provide HIV related services to the people where they live, work and play.“The SSG said the four day programme could be likened to a mobile hospital where free medical consultation, free medical tests, drugs are dispensed thereby serving as a platform for residents.“" We wholeheartedly welcome this much needed intervention which was borne out of the

unequivocal commitment of the government to not only ensure an HIV and AIDS competent society but ultimately an AIDS free one,”he stated.“The SSG noted that the state's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic is evident with consistent mobile HIV counselling and testing and continuous upgrade of health facilities in Ondo to increase access to treatment, care and support services to people infected by the virus.“Adelola pointed out that government will support the control of the spread of HIV and mitigate its impact on the general public.“Also speaking,

the leader of the federal medical bodies, Dr Essential Udauk, expressed satisfaction with the turn out of the people for the exercise.“A medical expert from Institute of Human Virology, Dr Ngozi Elema, said the first phase of the exercise had come up in some states including Ondo, saying the second phase was taken to the state because of the turnout of the people during the first phase.“Beneficiaries were also tested and counselled on blood pressure, sugar level among others.“

NDDC gets 7-day ultimatum to clear air on alleged diversion of jobs BY JIMITOTA ONOYUME Youths of Niger Delta have handed a seven-day ultimatum to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to clear allegations of fraud in the award of water hyacinth contracts to youths in the region. Speaking in Port Harcourt under the aegis of Aggrieved Niger Delta Youths, leader of the group, Prince AmatariBipeledei, said a top official of the commission had hijacked the jobs meant for youths of the region. Bipeledei said the water hyacinth job was an initiative of the Federal Government to reduce poverty among youths in the region, adding that about 98 percent of those who applied for the job had not been given award letters, “The management of NDDC should immediately call the top official to order. About 98 percent of those who applied for the job are yet to get their award letters yet we hear some persons have been given the job through the back door ”, he said. The youths said the NDDC should immediately publish the names of those who applied, those given the job and the criteria used in awarding the jobs in two national papers within seven days, stressing that they would not hesitate to disrupt activities in the commission if it failed. The youth leader, who said some persons were frustrating Federal Government’s youth empowerment program in the NDDC, said those behind the alleged act should desist from such so as not to provoke youths in the region.

Domino’s celebrates Surulere Restaurant Domino’s Pizza Nigeria celebrates its Surulere Restaurant with mega sales week from March 23 – 26. In a release by its Marketing Coordinator, Ufuoma Ogeleka, the brand is committed to being the number one pizza restaurant in Nigeria and to dispel the wrong assumption that Domino’s is an expensive brand, by providing an opportunity to every resident, worker in Surulere and its immediate environs to have a taste of their quality.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 27

Sapele council staff to lose 7 month salaries as Igbuya, others drag LG to court

BY OBOH AGBONKHESE.

e is very articulate and confident. Combine this with the passion of someone that would want to change every thing for good overnight, if it

were in his power: what you get is Sir Kenny Okolugbo, who knocked down this reporter’s recording device in the heat of making a point (‘Oh God,’ he laughs. ‘This is the second time it is happening to me.’). He spoke about his experience representing Ndokwa/ Ukwuani on the board of DESOPADEC and what President Goodluck Jonathan’s men are doing wrong. You joined active politics quite early. What has it cost you? I was barely 30 in 2003 when I got into politics. However, the real test was in 2011, when I joined the Presidential Campaign Council, while my son was barely six months old. I did over 140 shuttles round the country. That denied me the pleasure of my young wife and little boy. When I was about settling down, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan appointed me a commissioner on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC. I was sworn in November 15, 2012. Again, I had no time for my second son, who was then about three months old. My family couldn’t move with me, as my wife had started school in Lagos. So they don’t see me as often as they should. Now that I am on the home stretch,

maybe I will pick a year off to concentrate on my family. However, my early contact with politics has placed me above my peers as I have learned a lot from relating with older people. It has also brought me close to the real Nigerians, which is helping me today. So you should have an insight of what is playing out in Delta State’s political space. Ogboru, to be fair to him, offered me the House of Representatives ticket when I was barely 30. I see him as a man with a passion to serve the people. But I must say the situation in 2003 is different from what we have today. Now, it looks like an obsession for him to become governor. Governor Uduaghan has touched every facet of life. If I have commissioned 50 projects so far, with many more still in the works, imagine what my colleagues have done. Uduaghan has not been to any of my project commissioning, but he made them possible. Someone, who was jobless, got a tricycle. He called me recently to say he was getting married. There are other 99 Keke beneficiaries. That 100 lives changed for good with one of many projects, is emotional. If the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, government is performing, then they should allow us continue. Ogboru should look at things from an objective perspective. Yes,

•Kenny Okolugbo

Sabot eur andalisation of power Saboteur eurss engineer vvandalisation plants gas pipelines — Sir Okolugbo •Says Jonathan being blackmailed he has a cult followership in Urhoboland. But Deltans should begin to see him now as an opportunist rather than the reformer we saw in 2003. The Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, crisis isn’t far-fetched. If you have two sons, I don’t think it is right to adopt one. Well, it’s a blessing in disguise for us in PDP. Why is it difficult to appreciate the PDP-led Federal Government as a performing one? A lot of Nigerians have been blinded by propaganda against President Goodluck Jonathan’s achievements and I put the blame on the people around him. Jonathan’s government is being blackmailed, against the background of his gentle mien. They are holding him to ransom. With the benefit of hindsight, I give kudos to our campaign team of 2011. The present team is doing well. But they must step up the discourse. In 2011, we didn’t do propaganda. I worked directly with Dr. Mike Omeri, the Director of Strategy and Planning of the

Presidential Campaign Council. We toured the country, bearing facts. Today, there is so much for Nigerians to see and judge for themselves. Our aviation sector has achieved the CAT 1 status. Nigerians can now fly directly to New York, Atlanta, Houston and so on. The coastal roads are being taken care of. The East-West Road will be delivered by December and BeninOre Road is a major miracle; Lokoja-Auchi-Benin Road dualisation is on. Then look at the revolutionary Freedom of Information, FoI, Act. Even the upgrading of our electoral system is another plus. Today AMCON buy back bad debts and banks are revived before selling; so Nigerians’ monies are safe. Jonathan’s government it was that told Nigerians that subsidy was a pipeline for milking the country dry. Dealers move petroleum products, collect subsidy and still sell at exorbitant price to Nigerians. That is when they are not diverting the products to Cotonou, Chad, Niger, Cameroon

and so on. But Nigerians were deceived into protesting subsidy removal. Today even the opposition states and their local governments are enjoying SURE-P. Today, we have functioning power plants and more are in the works. So power generation should be growing. But for selfish reasons, saboteurs engineer the vandalisation of gas pipelines feeding power plants. Then power drops and the Federal Government is blamed. We have to be objective and optimistic instead standing truth on its head, which is what the opposition is doing. They will only succeed in fighting among themselves, while PDP wins. The damage to this country took a long time, so the change we want cannot be overnight. You have so many nicknames. The one I find engaging is Mr. Project. It was given to me by the colleague representing Urhobo, Chief Christopher Ominimini, when I commissioned 15 projects in six weeks and the name just went viral.

Enugu House in N11b loan controversy BY CHINENYE OZOR

empers are rising in Enugu State following the allegation that some members of the House of Assembly approved a loan of N11 billion purportedly for payment to contractors on some state government contracts. In a petition signed on behalf of Concerned Citizens of the state by one Barrister Caleb Omekagu, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, stopped the loan. Meanwhile, the petition said undettered lawmakers have allegedly fixed, for hearing, a fresh motion for Tuesday to authorize an Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) with a first generation bank in Enugu on the loan. The petition, titled, Breach of Trust by the Enugu State House of Assembly, alleged: “Last year, at about the month of November, Enugu State House of Assembly, in collusion with some faceless

persons, vaguely referred to as “Enugu Contractors”, passed a loan authorization of about N11 billion purportedly for the payment of unestablished obligations of Enugu State Government to some unknown contractors. “The pursuit of the motion and passage within such a time frame attracted the attention of Enugu State people whose worry is on the rationale of a House of Assembly whose time was nearing its end to engage in such loan approval. The only possible explanation is to mortgage Enugu State by the House of Assembly and ensure the sustenance for her members after public service from the public treasury at the expense of people. “Information available to us is that Enugu State House of Assembly, in collaboration with some people, had drawn down about N3b from the said authorization from a first generation bank before the Debt Management Office of the Federation and Central

Bank of Nigeria (CBN) stopped the illegality. “On March 19, 2015, the Enugu State House of Assembly circulated among themselves, having been stopped by the CBN, prepared, fixed for hearing a fresh motion on Tuesday, March 24 of N11billion to approve an Irrevocable Standing Payment Order (ISPO) with the same bank. “As in the authorization of last year, this motion for ISPO lacks the following information and procedure: There is no official request by the governor of Enugu State, or any other member of the executive arm of government intimating the House of Assembly of the financial needs of Enugu State upon which an ISPO can be made. The circulated motion, slated for hearing and passage on Tuesday March 24, does not indicate who the beneficiaries (of ISPO) are. “The justification for the ISPO has not been established and not contained in the prepared

and circulated motion slated by the Enugu State House of Assembly for March 24.

The contracts for which the motion for ISPO is intended are not known and not yet made public. The value of the contracts are not known and yet the House of Assembly intends to approve the ISPO on Tuesday, March 24. This means that the ISPO can be elastic and unlimited. “The amount of money paid to the contractor(s) is not known and the basis the House of Assembly intends to pass an ISPO for a balance not determined. How will the House of Assembly and Enugu State Government pay back any loan in the face of dwindling national revenue? “It is, therefore, clear from the foregoing that the Enugu State House of Assembly is bent on mortgaging the future of Enugu State”.

Staff of Sapele local government council, Delta State have expressed fears that they may not be paid salaries for about seven months if the local government goes ahead to pay the furniture, transport and salaries running into over N200m being sought by two ex-chairmen of the council, Hon Monday Igbuya, Godwin, Atose and others in court. The local government staff, who said they had been receiving half salaries for over three months because of paucity of funds, said it was improper for the ex-chairmen and their former councillors to make such huge demand on the council at this time. Igbuya, Atose and others, in separate suits filed at the High Court, Sapele, demanded payment of furniture, transport allowance and salaries totalling over N200m from the local government. They pleaded with the court to issue a garnishee order for the payment of the debt. Igbuya,Julius Egbedi, and 13 others, in suit number: S/M/126/ 2014, said the court should issue the order on the garnishees who are the banks where the local government council has accounts and the debtor, Sapele local government, to pay the debt. A similar suit with the number S/ M/125/2014 was filed by Atose, a former chairman of the council and 19 others. Justice G.E. Gbemre ordered the garnishees to appear before the court on April 2 to explain why the garnishee order should not be granted. A source in the accounts department of the council, who spoke to newsmen under strict anonymity, said the implication of the action of the applicant was that if the garnishee order was granted, the council would not be able to pay salaries and entitlement of staff of the council for close to seven months. The source said the local government has been receiving between N40m and N50m with a wage bill of over N50m monthly, adding that the poor state of the finances of the council was responsible for why workers had been receiving half salaries for some months now. Continuing, some of the workers, who did not want their names in print, said if the garnishee order sought by the applicants was granted, it meant that even the half salaries workers have been getting would not be paid as the council would need allocation of several months to pay the debt.

Ndokwa launch sensitization campaign for PDP CHAIRMAN of Ndokwa Elders and Leaders Council, Dr Godwin Iwegbue, the council has launched a sensitization campaign targeted at bringing back aggrieved members to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, ahead of the March 28 and April 11 elections. Flagging off the campaign in EmuUno, Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state, where he addressed a large crowd of women and youths, Iwegbue said the campaign was also to win more voters for the PDP. Noting that the PDP was the only party that has good plans for the Delta and Nigeria at this critical stage of the country’s transformation to true democracy and nationhood, he appealed to eligible voters in Ndokwa to take advantage of the extension of the deadline for the collection of PVCs to pick theirs.

PAGE28 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

By EMEKA AGINAM Plans to combat piracy iracy is indeed a huge concern as it affects not just MultiChoice as Pay TV operators, but also the nation’s economy in the long run. We are partners in the anti-piracy war with the Nigerian Copyrights Commission, whose major mandate is to curb piracy across Nigeria. One of the ways in which we are addressing the issue is by introducing more secure decoders. We recently embarked on a nation-wide decoder phase out campaign that enabled customers a free swop of their legacy non-secure decoders, for more secure ones.

Plans to boost African movie industry MultiChoice has invested billions of Naira in digital entertainment in Nigeria, and a good deal of this investment has been in the support of original African programming, and by extension; Nollywood. As a business in Nigeria, we operate always bearing in mind that the socio-economic environment can be impacted. By supporting Nollywood and making Nigerian movies popular both in Nigeria and beyond, we provide a platform for the Nollywood business to bloom and grow. This will in turn provide jobs and increase the bottomline in this genre. Also in a bid to positively impact the movie industry in Nigeria, we offer training and skills transfer through various workshops. Our hope is to help build entrepreneurs, leaders, shapers and thinkers of tomorrow. Why the introduction of AMVCA

worldwide, and place our African stars alongside their peers in other continents.

How we are combating piracy in PayTV ecosystem, MultiChoice MD Piracy in the payTV market is still on the increase, causing more economic harm than good despite regulations. The issue does not only affect MultiChoice as Pay TV operator, but also the nation’s economy in the long run. John Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria, in this interview with Emeka Aginam, highlighted ways to address the ugly trend. He said that one of the ways introduced by Multi Choice to address the issue is the introduction of more secure decoders. Excerpt: In 2013 MultiChoice acknowledged the role its subscribers have played in making the M-Net/Africa Magic channels a success by introducing the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards. The AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs) gives audiences a voice to say what they like while at the same time,honouring the role they have played in making the African film and television industry what it is today Through these awards MultiChoice Africa not only acknowledges the contribution of its subscribers but provides exposure that acknowledges excellence in the industry. What AfricaMagic Viewers Choice Awards represent for MultiChoice MultiChoice is committed to the economic and social upliftment of the continent. The

What to watch in the coming moths DStv Now is our most recent innovation, and it embodies our Anywhere’ ‘Anytime, proposition. It is an application that enables our premium subscribers watch television on the go, through the internet. They can watch live TV, view the TV Guide and enjoy DStv Catch Up content at their convenience on their mobile phones and tablets. One of the most exciting things about DStv Now is that even when you travel outside the country, you can still catch up with your favourite programs on the go.

•John Ugbe

AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards is therefore a natural inclusion to the company ’s social investment portfolio. The AfricaMagic Viewers’ Choice Awards provides a platform to nurture and showcase indigenous talent. The AMVCA and the significant investment made by MultiChoice through M-Net is a show of our commitment to the development of skills, talent and social

We are partners in the anti-piracy war with the Nigerian Copyrights Commission

cohesion in the continent. Aspirations for the award going forward In the past two years, we have been able to establish the AMVCAs as a platform for recognising the efforts of our actors, actresses, producers, directors and everyone in the movie and television production industries across Africa. It is our way of raising the bar and encouraging improved standards in movie production. This commitment is already paying off as more categories are emerging. For instance for the first time ever, the Best New Media - Online Video has joined the list of categories, showcasing the emergence of a new generation of African storytellers. Ultimately, we hope the AMVCA achieves the same level of regard as the Oscars

Huawei boosts Ghana’s Surfline network with $40 second LTE phase BY EMEKA AGINAM & SOPHIA ESUMIKE

hana’s wireless broadband and related services provider, Surfline at the weekend received fresh boost from the Chinese telecoms firm, Huawei Technologies for the roll-out the second phase of long term evolution (LTE)/4G in the country. The announcement follows Surfline’s successful launch last August, which enabled it to raise the bar on both new and existing operators through their ommitment to bring international standards to Ghana. The partnership agreement was sealed at the just concluded Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona, Spain between the representatives of the two companies at a world press conference that attracted international technology journalists. According to Surfline, this partnership will see the deployment of LTE throughout the country. The expansion, according to the partnership agreement is planned to cover major cities including Takoradi, Kumasi, Cape Coast, Tamale, Ho, among others. It also included all key municipalities within the country. Accordingly, the expansion, Furfline

said is expected to to reach a targeted subscriber base of 500,000 by the end of 2016. Once com pleted Surfline is expected to boost 700 cell sites, making it one of the world’s largest independent LTE networks. Speaking during the signing ceremony at the Huawei stand, Surfline Executive Chairman, John Taylor said that, “We see Huawei as a true partner in our deployment to the rest of the country.”, he said. According to Taylor, the partnership with

Huawei will ensure that the company goes further in its plans to deploy the 4G network for the rest of the country. Also speaking, the Managing Director of Huawei, West African region, Peng Song said with optimism that, “As a strong LTE player in Africa – Surfline has already made big progress in a very short time by attracting a lot of subscribers. “Today we are happy to have been chosen as your partner to work together with Surfline in your phase two. We are confident that we can work ogether with Surfline.”

He assured that Huawei will continue to change the lives of Africans with innovative technology in the digital economy. “Africa is an important market for Huawei. We will continue to deploy our state of the art technologies to the African IT companies. We have recorded success stories in Africa and the rest of the work”he said.It would be recalled that From left: Surfline Executive Chairman, John Taylor and Huawei had outlined its the Managing Director, Huawei, West African region, vision for 5G at 2015 Peng Song during the signing of the agreement at the MWC held in arcelona, just concluded MWC 2015 Spain.

BoICT to honor Obiano as digital Governor of the year

overnor Willie Obiano of Anambra State has been listed to be honoured as the Most Outstanding Governor in usage of ICT for Development, especially for using Drone Technology for Mapping Purposes; Crime Fighting; and use of ICT in education at this year’s Beacon of ICT (BoICT) distinguished lecture/awards series. Governor Obiano is being honoured for making Anambra State First Choice Investment Destination and a hub for industrialisation and commercial activities. The governor who marked a year in office recently has used ICT to make the state socially stable, business-friendly environment that now attract both indigenes and foreigners to seek wealth-creating opportunities. Ken Nwogbo, the Chief Executive Officer of Communication Week Media, organisers of the event said that

the lectures and awards series is widely regarded as the most prestigious annual event available in the ICT industry in Nigeria. The award will be conferred on the governor at this year’s Beacon of ICT lecture and award ceremony slated for next month in Lagos. According to Nwogbo, the governor was adjudged the best after polling 50,327 votes out of the 109,000 votes cast in Most Outstanding Governor in usage of ICT for Development, category. He added that the votes cast from December 1, 2014 to March 15, 2015 is a testament to the governor’s talents, innovations, contributions and commitments to the growth of the state. “We are very happy that Nigerians have recognized Governor Obiano’s hard work, sincerity and dedication towards the development of Anambra state” Nwogbo said. The keynote address of the award will be delivered by Biodun Omoniyi, Managing Director/ CEO, VDT Communications, and will be speaking on the theme “What Next for Nigerian

Telecommunications?

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 29

Bur son-Mar st eller Burson-Mar son-Marst steller eller,, CMC Connect merge in style Ndokwa leaders adopt Jonathan, others urson-Marsteller, a

L-R: Mr. John Momoh, Chairman, Channels Incorporated and Special Guest of Honour; Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, CEO of CMC Connect Burson-Marsteller, Nigeria; Mrs. Robyn de Villiers, Chairman/CEO Burson-Marsteller, Africa, and Mr. Akin Opeodu, Board Chairman, CMC Connect Limited

leading global public relations and communications firm, has launched CMC Connect BursonMarsteller in Nigeria. Mr Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, Founder CMC Connect Group made the announcement of CMC Connect’s full affiliation with Burson-Marsteller and the unveiling of the new brand identity of CMC Connect BursonMarsteller at The Bridge House, corporate headquarters of CMC Connect Group in Ikeja, GRA, Lagos recently. Photos by Lamidi Bamidele show the moments

PDP Ndokwa Leaders Forum gathered at UtagbaUno, Ndokwa-West, Delta State residence of Rear Admiral Mike Onah to discuss issues ahead of the general elections. The leaders, at the end of the day adopted President Goodluck Jonathan for President,Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, for Governor Delta State, Mr.Peter Nwaboshi for Delta North Senate as well as all PDP House Of Reps and House of Assembly members in Delta North .

R-L: Mr.Peter Nwaboshi, PDP Delta North Senate Candidate and Rear Admiral Mike Ojinika Onah (Rtd)

From left; Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya, CEO of CMC Connect Burson-Marsteller, Nigeria; Mr. John Momoh, Chairman, Channels Incorporated and Special Guest of Honour, presenting a special recognition award to Mr. Akin Opeodu, Board Chairman, CMC Connect Limited.

Mrs. Robyn de Villiers, Chairman/CEO Burson-Marsteller, Africa, (left) and Mrs. Bunmi Oke, Immediate past President, Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and MD of 141 Advertising (right).

L-R: Chief Fidelis Tilijie, PDP stalwart, Ndokwa Nation and Rear Admiral Mike Ojinika Onah (Rtd)

Ric h cultural displa ast e & TTell’ ell’ activ ation Rich displayy at ‘Legend TTast aste activation

he Legend Taste & Tell Activation held over the weekend in Lagos and Benin with rich cultural displays from the Eyo masquerade of Lagos and a Benin cultural troupe. Below are pictures of the event held in Cyclic Centre, Surulere & PlayHouse Benin.

Rear Admiral Mike Ojinika Onah [rtd] Addressing PDP Faithful

AT Dunamis Int ernational Gospel International Centre Midweek Service L-R: Emmanuel Agu, Marketing Manager, Lager and Stout, Nigerian Breweries Plc, Femi Olaniyi, winner of brand new television set and ace comedian, De Don. Benin cultural troupe

Eyo masquerade of Lagos on display.

Benin cultural troupe on show

Benin cultural dancers in action

Resident Pastor, Ezekiel Pius of Dunamis International Gospel Centre (DIGC), Abuja (r), Pastor Mike Francen, Guest Pastor from the USA (m) and Mrs Beckie Pius (L)

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Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

GENERAL ELECTIONS

The lie they told against the Church, by Archbishop Ladigbolu *‘Wh oruba are divided on National Conf erence R epor t’ *‘Whyy Y Yoruba Conference Repor eport’ Mr. Ola Ajayi, Ibadan

rchbishop Ayo Ladigbolu is a voice to reckon with in the South-West. Since he retired from the Methodist Church Nigeria, 10 years ago, he has contributed to the progress of the zone. In this interview, the notable Yoruba leader speaks on issues in the polity. To start with, the general elections are fast approaching after the initial postponement. How do assess the role of the electoral body, INEC? I believe that INEC has done fairly well because, for the first time ever in the history of the country, INEC is providing us with permanent voter cards so that each Nigerian, who is registered as a voter, has a clear identity. The card entitles him to elect his or her representatives To me, that is a major achievement. I am sure that INEC has taken advantage of the shift in the dates of the elections to ensure that Nigerians who would have been disenfranchised due to the poor distribution of the PVCs now have the opportunity to collect the cards. So far, I am sure they have completed the training of the adhoc staff and, barring unforeseen circumstances, the elections should hold on the dates that have now been set. Taking this your approval into cognizance, how then can you describe the call by some people that Prof. Attahiru Jega should resign? Resign? What for? I am not sure anybody should be saying that. But, if anybody is saying it, then it means they are standing face to face with reality of the gravity of such disaster because if for any reason, he should resign now, having come this far, then it is like somebody is staging a coup. If he should resign, then

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•Ayo ladigbolu

he would bring INEC into disrepute. He would disrupt all the arrangements that have been made for the elections. Only God knows what reactions of Nigerians will be to that. So, I am not in support of any call for Prof. Jega to resign because, as far as I am concerned, he has done his best in preparing for the elections and we should allow him to carry through. Being so passionate on the progress of the Yoruba, how do you rate the disposition of President Jonathan to the zone in the last four years particularly on the distribution of political offices? You will notice that a group to which I belong, Yoruba Unity Forum, was among those that openly confronted President Jonathan and we listed about 30 ways in which the Yoruba had been marginalized by his administration and the so many ways we have been pushed to nowhere especially at the centre in Abuja because, as you can see, that is still there. That imbalance has not been corrected. The President is number one, the vice president is number two, the Senate President is number three, after that comes the Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position that had been zoned to the SouthWest but which, for different political and other reasons,

We know the President is trying but, I will still say I cannot give a pass mark in terms of how the Yoruba race has been treated and the positions given to us in this administration

eluded us. So, we are not there as far as the administration of Nigeria, at this moment, is concerned. That is the most glaring example of the marginalization that the Yoruba race has suffered under this President. There are several other examples. I know the President has tried to respond to our raising up of this matter, our open protest. We published the details in the papers. In response to that, the Chairman of Federal Road Management Agency, FERMA, a distinguished Yoruba person, has been recently appointed. We know the President is trying but, I will still say I cannot give a pass mark in terms of how the Yoruba race has been treated and the positions given to us in this administration. In spite of the low score

you gave President Jonathan in the distribution of political offices, some Yoruba leaders, including you, were at a post-National Conference Summit where they endorsed his candidacy. Cuts in…Yes, there was this National Confab Summit. I was specifically invited to that summit and given the assignment of praying as a clergyman. As a representative of the Church, I have a duty and responsibility to accept that kind of invitation to pray for the summit and for its deliberations which I very happily did. But, you will note, if you were there, that I told the summit that, as a clergyman, I could not be partisan, that I could not support or endorse any person

or any party because of my responsibility to a universal Church where members belong to different political parties and affiliations. But, as a Yoruba man, if any Yoruba event is taking place and the conveners feel like I should be a participant, I will attend, be it APC, PDP, Labour, Accord or SDP, but it does not mean an endorsement of any party or any person. Looking at your contribution to the progress of Yoruba, you have granted many interviews and one is able to deduce that you have passion for Yoruba issues. Now, how do you feel now that it was the Afenifere that first made that pronouncement that it had endorsed President Jonathan? What do you have to say about the said endorsement? I will like to decline any judgmental comment on the opinion of other Nigerians because people have reasons for any choice they make and, in the case of Papa Adebanjo, for example, he did state all the reasons he and his own group endorsed President Jonathan. I did not hear him hammering only on the fact of his incarceration and the incarceration of other Afenifere or Unity Party of

Continues on page 31

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Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 31

particular party, how come they will get that kind of ridiculous amount to allege or accuse anybody to have given to anybody or any organisation or any group to campaign for or against anybody. I don’t believe that story.

Continued from Page 30 Nigeria leaders including the late Ambrose Ali, Onabanjo and others. He stated other points which I am not going to reiterate for him so as not to be speaking for him. But, he has the freedom of choice; as an elder statesman, he is free to choose whoever he pleases. But he is not the only Nigerian who will determine who becomes our President. So, let him choose whoever he pleases and others too have their own freedom of choice but I don’t want to criticise his statement at that particular summit. Still on that summit, there was this general comment at the summit that President Jonathan, who initiated the National Conference, will implement its recommendations. Do you think he has that power as President, without him going through the legislature, to do as those people claimed at the summit. Well, there is need for clarification and people need to hear this. At the very beginning of the issue of National Confab, I happened to be one of those leaders who agitated and I know that even the national leader of the APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, was also one of us. Chief Bisi Akande was also one of the agitators. Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi and I were, perhaps, the only two clergy men there then among them and we were all Afenifere and eventually, it became various other things including NADECO. But the idea of National Conference has been an idea in which the Yoruba have been in the forefront. But, unfortunately, at the time that the President announced the convocation of that confab, there was a political divide and I believe that, on principle, it will be difficult for those people I had mentioned to now say they were going along with what the opposition party was sponsoring. So, their position, to me, was clearly understandable. But, I know that it doesn’t mean they do not believe in the product of the National Conference. So, it’s going to be difficult for anybody to assume that if X party wins and because it did not or its leaders did not support the convocation of the National Conference and that they did not send delegates, then they are incapable of implementing the decisions and recommendations of that

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• Archbishop Ladigbolu ... National Confab Report politicised

‘ Why Yoruba are divided on National Confab Report’ conference. People are already making that kind of mistake but then you can also see the argument on the other side; people are now saying this President initiated this thing, so his administration would be more passionate about implementing its recommendations and that is if he has the support of the National Assembly. I was at an event where the President spoke and he was realistic enough to say people should vote so that there will be enough of their representatives in the National Assembly who will help to implement the recommendations of the National Conference. That’s the reality; so, if some politicians want to score points by looking at whatever it is to their own advantage and the Jonathan group is hammering on the National Conference as the aspiration of the Yoruba race, that’s politics as far as I am concerned and so let it be. There is this allegation that N6billion bribe was given to some Christian leaders as bribe to mobilise for the President’s re-election. You

I don’t know how they will share that kind of money and a bit of it will not come to me or to people I know represent the Church in one way or the other. What do you say concerning this allegation? In the very first place, I do not believe that anybody in this country, in his right senses, could have given as much as six or seven billion naira to CAN to campaign against a presidential candidate. I do not, and I am saying that as Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, I do not believe that story is true. Only one person so far who claims to be a pastor has

peddled that story and has insisted on the authenticity. The leadership of CAN has denied it. Let me tell you, if such an amount of money had been given to CAN, at least I will have a share of it and I didn’t. I don’t know how they will share that kind of money and a bit of it will not come to me or to people I know. At least, as far as Oyo State and South-West CAN are concerned, there is nobody who has any trace of that kind of money. If CAN is not a campaign agent of a

I had this belief too before but what now again sparked some kind of doubt was when Pastor Enoch Adeboye said the pastors that received the money should talk. I believe if he had not heard something, he would not have talked like that. The man that made the allegation said it again that he was sure that about six billion Naira or seven billion Naira was given to the Church. Nigerians are very fond of cooking up stories. But, if you decide to buy it, then you are free to do so and, if you are uninterested, then you can ignore it, and that’s really what I will say. But, the fact that a prominent Church leader said if anybody had claimed that kind of money, let him speak up, it is a way of saying nobody that I know has taken it, but if anybody has done, let him speak up. That, to me, is not an affirmation that anything happened. I still stand by my own position and until I have proof that such a thing happened, I am there unmoved. Lastly, do you believe in regionalism? Well, regionalism! Yes, to an extent. I will say we are still in regions, even the six zonal arrangement that we have at the moment is a form of regionalism because we are saying we have not forgotten the old Western Region with all the South-West states together because that’s where they used to belong and the people in that area know best the needs of their people, the needs of their area and that’s one thing the APC did they call it regional integration; it was a sensible programme to bring all the states in the South-West together, to think together, because we are homogeneous to think together about what is going to be best for us within this arrangement called Nigeria. Regions will still be regions and because you speak the same language, you have the same culture, you have the same basic needs and aspirations and you can work together better to foster the interest of your area, of your region, then you can contribute something together to the national pot where everything will be melted together and shared by all Nigerians. I believe in that kind of positive regionalism but I do not believe in a tribal segregationalist kind of regionalism, that’s the difference.

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Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

BY NED NWOKO

any Nigerians regard US as a friend and partner in progress in regional, continental and global affairs. The interest of Washington in the growth and development of democracy in Nigeria is therefore taken as given and welcomed. The US has shown more than cursory interest in Nigeria’s election process. It has been involved in series of training for election officials, provision of election logistics and holding workshops for journalists on coverage of elections. It is one country that will send large personnel to monitor the election in Nigeria. It diplomats have been holding series of meetings with officials of the Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). These are indeed welcomed and acceptable. Nevertheless, it is fair to say that President Goodluck Jonathan has demonstrated to all Nigerians and indeed to the world that he is not determined to hold power at all costs. He has also show little interest in influencing election results to favour his own People’s Democratic Party (PDP). In fact, his own election in 2011 was adjudged to be the most credible and less controversial of such excercises in the country, because he was determined to ensure that voter’s sovereignty was upheld. The Jonathan administration has provided the opposition parties greater latitude to operate more than any administration in the history of Nigeria. There are no political prisoners in Nigeria and nobody is being prosecuted for his political beliefs. There are no cases of political assassinations in Nigeria under the Jonathan administration as was the case with the garrisome democracy that the country passed through before 2007. It is on record that Jonathan signed into law the Electoral Act 2010. The INEC has not been hindered in its function or denied of funding. The Freedom of Information Act was signed in 2011, to strengthen the democratic processes and to promote greater transparency in Nigeria. The FOI had been in the cooler for 11 years, but it’s coming into existence has given the media and members of the civil society greater access to information. Under the Jonathan administration, judiciary has not been brought under any pressure to perform its statutory functions in civil and electoral matters. VICTIMS OF VILE PROPAGANDA This background is important in order to understand the gravity of the vile propaganda of the fifth columnists in Nigeria and foreign collaborators in relation to the activities of the leading opposition party in Nigeria, All Progressives Congress, APC, and the United States whose agenda seem larger than holding a credible election in Nigeria come March 28 and April 11, 2015. That is the disposition of US government and its diplomats to the political development in Nigeria. It is now obvious that the Americans are interested in regime change in Nigeria pushing through the APC to achieve its goal of coming to power through the back door. C M Y K

Ned Nwoko

Nigeria and the regime change agenda It is surprising that the US would have welcomed an election where 31% of the registered voters were disenfranchised. We believe in the sovereignty of the voter and also believe that democracy is beyond voting at elections but giving Nigerians the capacity to improve on the human condition. We believe in change that brings goals. The administration of Jonathan obviously incurred the wrath of the US when it signed into law the Same-Sex Prohibition Act against all pressure from Washington and its allies, who claimed that the bill was in violation of the Fundamental Human Rights of the LGBT community in Nigeria. Since then the relationship between the Jonathan administration and the US government has been on a nose dive. It was not a coincidence that leading American politicians have become highly critical of the Jonathan administration. Mrs. Hillary Clinton, who, as Secretary of State, was full of praises for the administration when she visited Nigeria in 2012, became a bitter critic of the same administration in 2014. Senator John McCain, Mr. John Kerry and President Barrack Obama have all shown hostile attitude to the administration of Jonathan. Even the US President, Barrack Obama, who advocated, in Ghana, that what Africa requires is not strong men but strong institutions, has become drawn into the idea that what Nigeria needs in the 21st century is a former military dictator as a transformed democrat.

It is surprising that the US would have welcomed an election where 31% of the registered voters were disenfranchised For the US and its allies, change means regime change disguised in the façade of promoting democracy. The US is interested in replacing a liberal democracy with a jackboot dictator with horrible human rights record simply because General Muhammadu Buhari has been projected as the strong man who will fight corruption. Key issues listed in the BiNational Commission between Nigeria and the US were put on hold. The US has a more fundamental interest in pushing for a regime change agenda regardless of the fact that Buhari has gory human rights records as a former military dictator and the presidential candidate of the APC which has promised to fight corruption and insecurity better than the ruling PDP. OIL DIPLOMACY Since 2010, when the Federal

Government signed agreement with the Chinese to build three refineries in Lagos, Kebbi and Bayelsa states, the US has been very uncomfortable with Nigeria opening up the oil sector for the Chinese to come in. The proposed refineries were expected to produce 900, 000 bpd to double the existing 450, 000 from the poorly functioning refineries in the country. More irksome to the US is the decision of the Jonathan administration to allow the state-run Chinese National Offshore Oil Corp to participate in the exploring of 29 offshore oil fields which the West dominated IOCs have been dragging their foot on entering into agreement with Nigeria. The Chinese are expected to commit about $50 billion investment into this venture. The Federal Government has initiated series of reforms that are aimed at strengthening the participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas sector. The US is uncomfortable with the participation of China in the Nigeria oil and gas sector as it has often tried to fend off competition from the Asian nation. The American civil society, which had predicted the breakup of Nigeria in 2015, has been active in feeding the US government and public with jaundiced information on developments in Nigeria. It is a known fact that once the US and its allies begin to cry more than the bereaved, there must be something more fundamental. These have veritable weapons to fight the GEJ administration and they have latched on the mantra of change by the APC, to embark on massive campaign of disinformation on the accomplishments of the administration. MEDIA PROPAGANDA We have seen the campaign of calumny waged against the Jonathan administration by Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, Prof. Charles Soludo, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, which are attempts to discredit the Jonathan administration before the local and international community. Encouraged by the local propaganda by the opposition party and the local media, there has been a sustained negative media exposure on Nigeria. There has been massive negative publication of events in Nigeria to discredit the administration and make it unpopular within and outside the country, using powerful channels like the New York Times, the Economist, CNN and other western media. The abduction of over 200 girls from Government Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State Nigeria. provided them with the cannon to fire the GEJ administration. The western media latched on the incident to give Boko Haram the maximum international publicity it desired. Nigeria was forced to openly request for military assistance and expertise in intelligence gathering in order to rescue the girls. This turned out to be a diplomatic ground standing; several countries that offered assistance and co-operation were prevailed upon to sit back, perhaps only France and the West African countries of Benin, Niger, Cameroon and Chad, that

launched multinational military action, have been helpful. The African Union has offered commitment of 7, 500 foot soldiers, to combat a local terror group that is part of the global coalition of jihadist terror network. Meanwhile, several of our servicemen and women, have been lost in the combat, villages razed, thousands displaced, yet, what the opposition party, APC, and international collaborators have done is to promote the cause of Boko Harm to shut down Nigeria.. Boko Haram is not a convention fighting group and its theatre of operation is not defined territorially. The group has struck soft targets with ease because of its mode of operation. It is a diffused insurgency organization whose terror tactics is to strike when least expected. The complexity of fighting Boko Haram is such that the group has ideological sympathies within and outside government, within the military services, local communities, etc. This, therefore, requires a massive patriotic support for the troops in conflict theatre, Federal Government has been portrayed as ineffective as the opposition party tried to capitalize on the state of insecurity to advance its political interest. Even the US which has not succeeded in downgrading the fighting capacity of ISIS in the Middle East in the last 10 months has remained patently critical of the efforts to contain Boko Haram. Washington has hidden under the guise of respect for the human rights of Boko Haram to refuse to sell military hardware to Nigeria, to fight the group. It prevailed on its allies to halt the sale of weapons to Nigeria. The West African nation had to turn to Russia, China and India to source for arms to reverse the advances of Boko Harm. Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States, Prof. Adefuye, did not hide Nigeria’s disappointment when he addressed the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington last year, criticizing the Obama administration for relying on the option of the US civil society groups to formulate its policy on Nigeria.

ANTI CORRUPTION AND REGIME CHANGE CAMPAIGN Every act of sabotage in fighting Boko Haram has been narrowed down to corruption. The opposition party has been presented as having the magic wand to smash the terror group in 24 hours and kill corruption in seven days just like creation was accomplished in seven days. It is natural that Nigerians should expect such magical performance and accept an avowed humanrights abuser and an antidemocratic despot like Buhari, as the man to lead Nigeria in the 21st century. The recent Transparency International Report has shown that the GEJ administration has performed better than the Obasanjo and Buhari administrations in terms of fighting corruption.

*Nwoko is a former member of House of Representatives and a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

SUNDAY

BY STEVE AZAIKI

his has been one election campaign during which we have ridiculed our leaders, contenders, and ourselves before the whole world. At times, it has appeared as if the international community was the electorate that needed to be wooed by political actors who tarbrushed one another in a campaign unprecedented by the fury of hate speech, insults, and emptiness of issues. Even where attempts were made at focusing on issues, “the how” of remedial or corrective action was often missing. The 2015 elections will go down in history for the election campaigns that exacerbated our national image problem through deliberate distortion and exaggeration. The world has taken in those messages—and the world has reinforced its negative perceptions of us. Diplomats accredited to Nigeria have certainly had a field day, simply compiling, and dispatching to their home governments, the worst about us and our leading political actors who vilified one another through statements, caricatures, advertisements, documentaries, and articles. So, out there in the international community, we have created—or compounded—a mountain of problems for ourselves, and this is particularly so for whoever is sworn in as President on May 29, this year. Since we had laid ourselves so bare, diplomats began interfering in our local politics, issuing statements that are offensive to diplomatic practice and protocol. It was hardly surprising, therefore, when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, summoned the diplomatic corps in February, this year, and issued a rebuke against the interference of accredited envoys in Nigeria’s domestic affairs and politics. He warned that thenceforth there must be strict adherence to the acknowledged channels of communication and scope of diplomatic interaction. It is to be noted that, ever since, diplomats have been restrained. However, neither Nigeria, nor some members of the international community, can deny the fact that diplomatic tensions have brewed in recent times over the posturing of some countries with regard to their expectations of the outcome of the elections. Thus, rather than neutrality, which is healthy for diplomatic relations, some countries have barely disguised their preferred victor(s) in the elections, which was why the diplomats of such countries threw caution to the wind and began meddling in our

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Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 35

Some urgent tasks after the elections

•Steve Azaiki domestic politics. It is obvious, therefore, that even without an open diplomatic row, the 2015 general elections have affected—but not necessarily straining—our relationship with some countries, including our traditional allies. Repairing, and normalising, those relationships is one of the most urgent tasks to be undertaken in the aftermath of the elections, no matter who emerges victor. Simultaneous with the diplomatic shuttle that this task calls for, is national public relations engagement in important capitals abroad, although in the latter endeavour one does not envisage the usual ineffectual image laundering campaign that lines the pockets of a few consultants, who by their advice and activities do little to enhance our national image. Yet, it must be recognised that restoring warmer ties with our traditional allies and other friendly countries, as well as boosting our national image which has, as stated above, taken a battering on account of the acrimonious election campaigns, would be greatly facilitated by the credibility and legitimacy of the elections. I was recently in Moscow, and currently I am in Washington D.C. From my interactions with key influencers in these capitals, I can report that there is concern about the credibility of the elections delivered in an

Still, of all the urgent tasks to be undertaken after the elections, perhaps the most crucial is the management of the outcome of the elections atmosphere of relative peace. To the extent that the world sees that the outcome of the elections is a true reflection of the intention and will of the electorate, to that extent the elections will rank high in credibility. The Federal Government must continue to ensure that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lives up to its name of being an independent electoral management body. So far, INEC has not complained of being starved of funds, which is one way it could be manipulated and its programme of activities negatively affected. It has not complained of interference in its work by the Executive branch. As the evidence has shown

lately, there is also no proof that President Goodluck Jonathan, or any of his aides, has been teleguiding Prof. Attahiru Jega, chairman of INEC, or the Commission as a body. Suspicion was rife earlier when the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), suggested that a shift in the original dates of the elections (February 14 and 28) would be inevitable. The suspicion grew even further when the INEC Chairman was summoned to the Council of State meeting, which then advised the Commission to take into cognisance the totality of concerns about going ahead with the elections as earlier scheduled for February. This was in addition to the firm point made by the high command of the military that they would be unavailable to provide security if the elections went ahead as planned. Those who vilified the military for proposing a six-week shift to enable the troops flush out Boko Haram in the North-East have since been eating their words in the light of the unprecedented successes the Nigerian military have recorded against the terrorists who are being wiped out from the local government areas where they previously held territory. In the same vein, advocates of the February dates for the elections have since relapsed into silence in the face of the unacceptable reality that some 25 million eligible voters risked being disenfranchised, because they had not received their permanent voter’s cards. The lingering issue of whether or not to use the smart card reader, and how effective the device might be in enhancing the integrity of the elections, are matters that should bother all stakeholders. Still, of all the urgent tasks to be undertaken after the elections, perhaps the most crucial is the management of the outcome of the elections. This is particularly so with regard to the presidential election scheduled for March 28, 2015. None of the leading candidates has entered the race with the intention of losing. But there can be only one winner. President Jonathan has said he will accept the outcome of the election, being the decision of the electorate

freely and fairly expressed in a peaceful atmosphere. His campaign has reiterated his 2011 slogan that neither his ambition nor that of any politician is worth the blood of any Nigerian. By his utterances, and body language, it is deducible that the incumbent President expects that the will of the voter will prevail, and that where that does not favour him, he would pack and leave, paving the way for a new

helmsman on May 29. Whether the same disposition is true of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is doubtful, they appear to contemplate nothing else but victory. While that attitude may be their electoral battle strategy, it nevertheless conveys the distinct impression that the opposition sees the presidential election as a zero-sum game. This is the basis for understanding and evaluating their earlier, and perhaps subsisting, threat of forming a parallel government in the event of an unfavourable election outcome. The threat of constituting a parallel government is also the threat of making the country ungovernable, a variant of which the country has been grappling with since after the 2011 elections, when ethnic jingoists felt that the North should have had the Presidency rather than Jonathan. It is also clear to those who can read between the lines that recent suggestions of an Interim Government are a forewarning of ungovernability in the event that the opposition does not win the Presidency. An Interim Government is anathema to the 1999 Constitution as amended. How persons are to be elected into various offices are spelt out in black-and-white in the Constitution and other relevant laws, including the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. An Interim Government, as President Jonathan has rightly observed, is treasonable. Yet, the very fact that it is still being canvassed in a variety of not-so-ingenious ways might be a hint of what to expect in the aftermath of the elections. This is why managing the post-election period is an urgent task not to be trifled with. On January 14, this year, leaders of the political parties and their presidential candidates in the 2015 elections signed the Abuja Peace Accord. Witnessed by two prominent international citizens—Nigeria’s Chief Emeka Anyaoku (former Secretary General of the Commonwealth), and Ghana’s Mr Kofi Annan (former Secretary General of the United Nations)— the Abuja Accord was intended to moderate the heat generated during electioneering. There have since been accusations and counter-accusations, between the two leading parties, as to who is committed to, or who is violating the terms of the Accord. Nevertheless, it was heartwarming that the country overcame the controversy and tinderbox of the postponement of the original scheduled dates of the elections. What worked on that occasion? What might work even better when the votes have been cast, counted, and the results announced? Answers to these questions, I think, are some of the building blocks towards erecting a bulwark against a backlash in the aftermath of the elections. ·Azaiki is resident in Washington D.C.

PAGE 36—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

ALLEGED $20B MISSING OIL MONEY

Sanusi evasive, got his facts wrong — Petroleum Minister Diezani Allison-Madueke *‘Pitfalls in the N1 0billion je y’ N10billion jett hire ssttor ory’ *Says *Sa ys audit cleared NNPC *On corruption in subsidy sys irms with one sstrok trok e of the pen systtem: I remo removved 92 ffirms troke Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, in this interview, speaks on issues in the oil and gas sector including the subsidy regime, local content, the alleged billions missing oil revenues, and the controversial N10billion allegedly spent by her to hire planes. On Kerosene Subsidy here was a presidential directive to withdraw subsidy on kerosene. It is possible that the Minister of Petroleum at that time went to discuss with the President and may have been able to convince him on the need to stay action on the directive. but he (Minister) overlooked regularizing in terms of getting the President to rescind the order. So, if anybody flouted the presidential order, it must have been the Minister of Petroleum at that time. But since the directive was not gazetted and was not announced it was not a law; it was mainly a directive on paper because there are procedures that a directive must follow to become a law and become implementable. I don’t know why people keep referring to this. Anyway, another president came and appointed his own cabinet and moved on. Now, because of the confusion created by this situation, marketers who, prior to that time were bringing in kerosene, pulled back. The reason was that if they brought in kerosene at the international landing cost and sold at our subsidized rate and didn’t get paid the difference, they will go bankrupt. So, there was immense confusion and, I think, it was at that time that the NNPC had to step in and started supplying. That was before I became Minister of Petroleum. This was where the problem of deduction of subsidy claims at source started. The issue of deduction at source has also been severally argued as to whether NNPC has the right to cover all those particular expenses from crude oil sales proceeds. That was the situation with subsidy at that time. When we came out in January 2012 to try to regularize the system by removing subsidy on petroleum products, of course we all knew what happened.

Efforts to Rid the Subsidy System of Corruption So, based on all that, subsidy on

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Diezani Allison-Madueke....The issue of deduction at source has also been severally argued

petroleum products continued up to this point. It is a sore point because, in all honesty, just like PMS, it is a very difficult issue to handle. It becomes even more difficult when revenues are falling because of the price of the crude. It is very difficult to pay vast amounts on subsidy which we don’t believe is getting to the bottom line users of the PMS, but which is instead making middlemen fat. But we wanted to remove the subsidy.We wanted to deregulate too because we discovered that there was corruption in the subsidy system which had

We wanted to remove the subsidy.We wanted to deregulate too because we discovered that there was corruption in the subsidy system which had gone so bad that we were not able to move products

gone so bad that we were not able to move products seamlessly from one point to another. There was arbitrary price increase in some areas and products were selling above the regulated price thereby making nonsense of the subsidy scheme. Then there was round tripping, terrible incidence of round tripping. It got to the point that I even had to get the permission of Mr. President to invite the EFCC to come and look at the books and help us figure out what was happening because the level of PMS import we were getting clearly showed that some-

thing was wrong. That was in 2011. At some point, the round tripping was extended to kerosene which was being diverted and sold as aviation fuel. Marketers would take their allotment of kerosene and sell it as aviation fuel which is more expensive. You know the kerosene that is imported into Nigeria is of the same specification as aviation fuel. That is why it is called Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK). It was not profitable to import what is really the base level of normal Household Kerosene (HHK). These were some of the problems we had. As I said earlier, we had written to the EFCC and didn’t get any response, that meant no solution. In November 2011, even before we tried deregulating, I removed 92 marketers with one stroke of the pen from the PPPRA books, these were throughput marketers who didn’t have tank farms, who didn’t have any real investment in the sector. We took this action because the level of investment into tank farm is so huge that if you can do it, you won’t want to get involved in any shady deal. Besides, such investment entitles you to carry out throughput for other marketers and they will pay you to do that. By law, that is acceptable. That law wasn’t made in our time, it was there before we came in. So it was clear to us that the problem of round tripping was coming from those who didn’t have hard investments in the sector. And there were 92 of them in our books which we flushed out. That was when I brought in Reginald Stanley to head the PPPRA. The fellow I brought in before didn’t seem to have helped in sorting out the issue because it looked like it was getting worse. I asked Stanley to try and reform the petrol importation and subsidy system to bring the subsidy bill down. I told him that after stabilizing things, we could bring some of the throughput marketers back, those who pass certain expectations, because it is in our laws, it is not as if throughput marketing in itself is illegal. So I signed them off, 92 marketers in one day. It was after I dropped them that the level of subsidy dropped significantly. Strides in Local Content We have been able to domicile

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SUNDAY Vanguard Vanguard,, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 37

CORRUPTION IN SUBSIDY SYSTEM:

‘I removed 92 firms with one stroke of the pen’ ple came up with the allegation and made it look like I was the first person in the history of petroleum industry in Nigeria or NNPC who started using jet for operations. I don’t even know how the N10bn came about! For N10bn, one can buy two brand new Challenger jets and add a third one (second class). I don’t know how they came about such outrageous figures! But like I said before, it is all calculated to make me look bad. Actually, when the issue came up, I didn’t talk; lawyers advised that I shouldn’t talk at that particular point in time; it was only after the case had been heard by the court, which was not too long ago, that I could actually say something and address the issue.

Continued from Page 36 some of the jobs in the sector that used to be carried out overseas within the country thereby creating jobs for many Nigeria youth. Manufacturing of small parts for the oil and gas sector is now being done in-country which was not the case before now. It is not just the manufacturing but the quality of the goods is such that we now have prospects of producing for other multinationals outside the country. This has helped to create a lot of direct jobs over this period of time and hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs. It was a thing of joy for me when I visited places like the burnt down Okrika Jetty a couple of years ago to commission the products loading arm that was rebuilt only to discover that companies like Lee Engineering, which did the construction of the project from A to Z, was 100% Nigerian, all the engineers are Nigerians. We are very proud that this sort of thing could happen at this point in time. Now, these are major steps in the oil and gas sector because it is highly capital intensive, highly technological. We have been able to achieve this because we understand that, until you get the industry down so that it can touch what I consider the real economy, until you begin to commercialize it, oil & gas always seem to be up there, a sort of mysterious sector for the very wealthy, extremely wealthy. The multinationals have access to billions and billions of dollars, but we are beginning to pull it down so that ordinary people who can gather together the financial wherewithal can also be players in the sector. Like I said, not all of these are highly capitalintensive, there are many other areas that are quie minor in terms of capital outlay. Many people are coming in now. And this was the intent from the onset: to demystify this sector. On the Nigerian content side, I think we have done very well and we will continue to try to do even better. Gas Infrastructure Development During this period too, we started looking at what we could do to develop our gas resources. We have to pull out gas issues from the PIB and specific gas projects from the Gas Master Plan to implement to fast track gas to power, gas to industry and, of course, to ensure that value is added to the economy. On Alleged N10bn Expenditure on Jet Hire Since NNPC came into being, it has always owned corporate jets. The reason it has to acquire jets is simple: if you have trillions of Naira worth of assets across the country that you oversee, and you have oversight over major multinationals who are in joint venture operations with you and all those multinationals that you oversee have their own jets, how are supposed to oversight these assets and those partnerships and responsibilities? As a regu-

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Diezani Allison-Madueke

Despite the fact that the Makarfi Committee declared that no money was missing, the opposition kept insisting that $20bn was missing and they were calling us names. That was how the external auditors were called in to look into the whole issue, a situation, I believe, was a very sad indictment on the distinguished Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria lator, are you supposed to borrow jets from the companies you are supposed to oversight for trips to inspect their facilities? As we speak, NNPC should actually own at least two major long distance helicopters for offshore activities. I’m ashamed to say that if I have to go on an inspection of Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) facility, I have to borrow a ride from ExxonMobil or Total or Agip. I don’t think that kind of thing happens anywhere in the world, not even in small Angola! Now, when I came in as Minister of Petroleum Resources, NNPC did not have any jet on ground because the one it had was about 30 years old and I recall that Ajumogobia, when he was going, had advised that I should not, for my life, enter that jet and that he almost died in it when the thing dropped out of the air one day. So, when I came in, I was informed that they had just acquired another jet which, for some reasons was parked somewhere abroad. When they eventually brought it back to Nigeria, it ended up in Kaduna in Kasim Shetima’s airline hanger. I didn’t even know him at that time. But, one day, Shetima came to meet me and suggested very strongly that I should ask NNPC to sell that jet because it had been idle for too long and may had developed problems. He also

raised issues about that particular model of aircraft and that it has been known to have certain issues. So, I called in the GMD and reiterated the issues and suggested to him to sell off the jet. NNPC later came back with reasons why they wouldn’t sell. I said well, its their property and I didn’t bother about it again. But in truth, there were problems with the plane in terms of maintenance. That was how we came about leasing this other jet. We had looked at our books and done our own homework, we discovered that Shell had sold all their own planes. Shell actually had a fleet when I was there, they even built a private terminal in Lagos airport and rebuilt the entire ter minal in PortHarcourt Airforce Base which they were also using. But they sold all their planes because they saw that, in this age and time, unless you are in the business of aviation, it was actually cheaper and more cost effective to lease. So, I said let us just lease first because I couldn’t just even go to the Federal Executive Council for them to approve $30m to go and buy a jet. So based on what we consider as the tradition in the industry now all over the world, we went for a lease arrangement with the same company that Shell and other multinationals were using. But out of the blues, some peo-

Pipeline Vandalism, Sabo tage and Protection There was actually a pipeline protection contract for some militants. When the contract ended, which was almost two years ago, we did not renew it. Even the militants abused me for refusing to renew it. And I did that because they did not live up to expectation, they did not meet up with the terms of the contract. We have to review it; in fact, we have extended it to include Ondo and Lagos because the pipelines run through the two states and they were not involved in the beginning. But it has taken sometime because the people we are dealing with are people you have to handle with care. I believe that the groups that we have put on the table are groups that will actually deliver. But we are still having a look at it because we cannot afford to get it wrong, we want to be sure that we are engaging with the right groups in the various communities. So, we are still on it, I have not renewed the pipeline protection contract with any group. But, apart from that, the NSA is working on an electronic pipeline surveillance project. It has not been discussed in much details with us because it is a security issue, but I was fully aware at the time it was being put together. It is my expectation that they will be deploying those things anytime from now. Allegations of Missing Oil Revenues and PwC Audit Report When the former CBN governor came up with the allegation that about $49.8bn of crude oil sales proceeds were not remitted by NNPC, we swung into action with all the relevant agencies to reconcile the figures. When we reconciled the figures down to $10.8bn and some agencies were having a different figure of $12bn, we insisted that the reconciliation must continue because there was still an anomaly; we said we must get down to the bottom of the matter to find out what is really amiss. I called the former CBN governor on a particular day, I was abroad for a meeting and we met there and I said, “Governor, I think you and I really need to sit down and thrash out this matter, let us drill down to find out if there was really a gap and what could be the source

of the gap”. He said he was very upset and that NNPC wants to finish his reputation and that all sorts of things were being written about him at home and abroad. I said, “Well, I don’t think you can blame NNPC but whatever you feel, let us finish the reconciliation and get to the bottom of things”. He said “ok, ok, ok. We had arranged to meet after my return to Nigeria which was in two days’ time. I came back only to hear that earlier on that day he had submitted another report to the National Assembly saying $20bn was the actual amount missing. At that point I said to my people, “We have a problem here, there is clearly a hostile situation in place”. A few days later, we appeared before the Senator Makarfi Commttee to defend ourselves over the fresh allegation of unremitted $20bn. We put our papers forward, the Makarfi Committee then went through all the evidence supplied by all the relevant agencies and found that there was no missing $20bn. Despite the fact that the Makarfi Committee declared that no money was missing, the opposition kept insisting that $20bn was missing and they were calling us names. That was how the external auditors were called in to look into the whole issue, a situation, I believe, was a very sad indictment on the distinguished Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Because, I don’t think that if a Senate Committee in America makes a finding, it will be disparaged in that manner. What PwC has come out with is that NPDC should remit the balance of the book value of the assets transferred to it which stands at $1.48bn to the Federation Account. Under normal circumstances, when you transfer oil blocks to NNPC or its subsidiary as a governmentowned corporation, they are not supposed to pay you, what they are supposed to do is to send all revenues above operating cost to the Federation Account. But, in this case, DPR wanted to apply a different method and it quoted what it considered the book value of those assets for NPDC to pay. The implication is that if NNPC pays the book value for the assets, the assets will become its own, and then they can run it competitively just like independent multinationals do. There was now reconciliation problem between NNPC and DPR because DPR quoted a certain amount for the assets value while NNPC said that was not actually the book value of the assets. But they still paid the first two tranches when the reconciliation was transacted in 2012. Then the audit came into play at that point in time. What PwC has recommended is that to follow due process, that book value is to be paid to the Federation Account as DPR mandated. But the truth is that as far as NNPC is concerned, the book value of the assets, as quoted by the DPR, is still under contention. That is why NNPC insists that it was not indicted in the PwC audit report. Whatever the case, however they do it, NNPC will pay the amount, but that does not mean that it was indicted.

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so much in agriculture and other sectors of the economy. This is the time for all Nigerians to join hands together with the President to build a united nation and a strong economy.”

‘The gains of 50 percent slash in electricity tariff’ The reduction in high electricity tariff is a major step that government has taken at present. I am aware that government is also doing so much in trying to increase electricity generation and distribution in the country by giving financial support to the private investors

One-of-Nigerias-NIPP (Inset: Mr. Bassey James) BY UDEME CLEMENT

HE 50 percent reduction in electricity tariff by the Federal Government is generating reactions. While some people say government’s intervention came when consumers, especially manufacturers, had suffered losses due to sky-rocketing tariff amid erratic power supply, others believe government acted in the nick of time to prevent the industrial sector from collapse. In a chat with Sunday Vanguard in Lagos, an entrepreneur and Chancellor, Akpabio

Centre for Leadership Development, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), set up for entrepreneurial development and capacity building in Nigeria, Mr. Bassey James, said that the 50 per cent slash in power tariff is a well thought-out initiative by government to boost industrial growth. According to him, “Government’s decision to slash power tariff is a clear demonstration of it plan to build local capacity. This implies that government is looking inward to stimulate tangible growth in the manufacturing sector of the economy. The

good thing is that government is putting measures in place to revamp manufacturing industries across the country. The policy in electricity reduction now is a deliberate attempt by government to enhance entrepreneurial development and wealth creation in the economy ”. He added, “With the current cut in electricity tariff many industries would expand their operations. The reason being that, they would now channel their income into exploring new window of investments, instead of paying high electricity bills. I commend President Goodluck Jonathan and his economic

team for taking this pragmatic step to move the economy forward. I am calling on all Nigerians to support Jonathan for policy continuty in Nigeria. Also, the operators of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country would benefit a lot because this is an opportunity for more SMEs to spring up in different parts of the country.” He went on, “This is a laudable policy for all consumers of electricity, in particular the entrepreneurs. The efforts of the current administration in growing non-oil export sectors is for people to understand that Nigeria can build an economy without dependent on crude oil revenue. Already government is investing

On what impact the reduction in electricity tariff can make, as power supply currently is not constant, he said, “The reduction in high electricity tariff is a major step that government has taken at present. I am aware that government is also doing so much in trying to increase electricity generation and distribution in the country by giving financial support to the private investors running the power plants. Most recently, Jonathan, commissioned the Olorunsogo power project in Ogun State, designed to add 750Mega Watts (MW) of electricity to the current capacity. The Ogun power plant is the third in the series of 10 power stations to be commissioned under the current administration. Similar projects were launched in Kogi and Ondo States all in a bid to ensure sufficient power supply in the country. Responding to the recent launch of G-WIN project by Jonathan, he explained, “The G-Win project is designed to empower women and girls across the country. I am aware that the project has international recognition from both the African Development Bank and the World Bank. You can recall that government initially launched the Youth Enterprise With Innovation in Nigeria (YouWin) programme designed to create 80.000 jobs for entrepreneurs between the ages 18 and 45. So, the G-WIN programme is a follow-up to YouWin scheme”.

Falling oil price: Pathway to diversification BY PETER POPOOLA

raining Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin; member, Forum for Inclusive Nigerian Development (FIND) One of the key indicators for measuring overall development in the world is the Human Development Index (HDI). This is a composite index based on three indicators: longevity, as measured by life expectancy; education attainment, as measured by a combination of adult literacy and the combined gross primary, secondary and tertiary enrolment ratio; and standard of living, as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) per capita. The HDI is used to rate and rank all the countries of the world, from 1 to 187 countries that are assessed every year. The 2014 Human Development Report (HDR) of Organization Institute for Statistics and the World Bank presents Nigeria’s HDI value for 2013 as 0.504 which is in the low human development category positioning the country at 152 out of 187 countries and territories. This is shocking giving the fact that Nigeria generates huge revenues from the oil sector. Following the first discovery of crude oil at Olobiri in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, drums were rolled out as an elated people rejoiced over the opportunities it would bring to their community and the nation as a whole.

These expectations were justified as Nigeria’s crude oil production capacity increased to as much as 2.5 million barrels per day, making the nation Africa’s largest producer of oil and the sixth largest oil producing country in the world. Unfortunately, since the discovery of crude oil in Nigeria, the economy became heavily dependent on the oil sector for foreign exchange earnings and revenue. “Why would a country richly blessed with oil and other natural resources remain in poverty” one would ask? The simple answer among other reasons would be that Nigeria lacked the capacity to add value to its crude oil. The extraction and exploitation of the oil involved capital-intensive techniques (in terms of machineries, hi-tech and skills) which Nigeria did not have at the time when oil was first discovered and exploited in the late 1950s and beyond. As a result of this, foreign investors dominated the oil sector and the huge earnings generated from the oil sector were repatriated by the foreigners to their countries. Thus, leaving Nigeria with meagre resources for development purposes. . Nigeria’s current status can be likened to the Dutch Disease Syndrome. The Dutch Disease Syndrome is a situation whereby the sector that was initially a major source of economic growth (Ag-

The proceeds of the booming oil sector presented a false picture of abundance (“national cake”) resulting in a near total neglect of other sectors, particularly the agricultural sector which had the potential for tacking unemployment and poverty being experienced in the country

riculture in the case of Nigeria) starts declining in performance due to the discovery of a natural resource. This disease resulted in a big problem because the booming oil sector had low employment rates as many Nigerians lacked the skills and competences required for the various processes involved in oil production and refinery. Moreover, the proceeds of the booming oil sector presented a false picture of abundance (“national cake”) resulting in a near total neglect of other sectors, particularly the agricultural sector

which had the potential for tacking unemployment and poverty being experienced in the country. In the 1960s and up to the early 1970s, Nigeria’s agriculture flourished. The country was one of the world’s highest producers of palm oil, cocoa, and groundnut. However, overtime agriculture which contributed immensely to the Nigerian economy and in particular the GDP remained neglected for crude oil. The sector before its neglect provided food for the increasing population and supplied adequate raw materials (and labour input) to a growing industrial sector; a major source of employment for about 70% of its population; generation of foreign exchange earnings; and provision of market for the products of the industrial sector. In recent times, more attention is being drawn to the agricultural sector through the Value Chain Approach. This approach involves addressing the major constraints faced by farmers and producers, processors, traders and other businesses at multiple levels and points along a given value chain. This will inevitably include a wide range of activities such as ensuring access to good quality inputs, facilitating access to cheaper and quality in-

puts, strengthening the delivery of business and financial services, enabling the flow of information, facilitating improved market access through value added products, and so on. Evidence of this is the reduction of food import bills, price stability of food in the country, despite fall in oil price and devaluation of Naira. This puts the agricultural sector in the front burner as a key area to consider in the economy for diversification as the sector has proven to be able to engage 70% of the population in employment which the oil and gas sector was unable to achieve. The quality of education is another issue for diversification. Education for Rural People is definitely an effective means of strengthening human and social capital for entrepreneurship, agro-food business management and for addressing the basic needs of small farmers, the rural workers and marginalized groups. However, it is imperative that education at all levels be relevant to the livelihood options of the people, otherwise it will not enable people to manage and improve their production options and secure social development and peace building in our communities. Otherwise, education will simply be a passport for emi-

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 39

Telecom: Time to declare it as Critical National Infrastructure BY MIMI UCHEAGWU

luwakemi Babatunde is a fish trader based in Epe, a small town about 40 Kilometers from mainland Lagos. She’s been in the fish trade for ages, having learnt the ropes from her mother who was also a fish trader, with clients in diverse places that included Lekki and Ajah in Lagos. Babatunde says that today, things are radically different from what they were in the old days. She has just finished using her smartphone, one of the low-end (read cheaper) models which she got from the online retailer, Jumia. Using a particular app on the phone she has been able to compare average prices of fish over the last one week in three major markets in Lagos and decided which of the markets to head to with her wares, tomorrow. Her daughter who is in school, Babatunde says, introduced her to the app a few weeks ago. “Bose told me I needed to use a different phone from the one I was using. She helped me to order for this new phone through Jumia and I have found out that it can help with aspects of my business that my other phone could not,” she says, referring to her old feature phone. In the old days, she says, traders would go to any of the markets on the basis of trial and error. “Sometimes, you got a good price but at other times you would be forced to either sell at a loss or risk carrying your fish back to Epe with you.” For instance, because there was no means with which to forewarn traders like herself, sometimes you got to a market to discover late in the day that there is a glut of supply by which time moving to another market is out of the question on account of the logistic nightmare moving around Lagos entails. These days, you were more certain of getting good returns on your sales and in a particular market and you faced a much lesser likelihood of selling at a loss or returning to your base with unsold and ready-to-rot fish. Babatunde’s scenario is a sampler of the manner in which telecommunications continues to impact life in different ways across the country. The app on the phone for instance was developed by a brilliant young recent university graduate who had prior to his new career as an applications developer, reportedly searched in vain for a paid job. Today, the young man’s talent and creativity is not only earning him a decent living but in the

• Mrs. Omobola Johnson process adding value to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Jumia itself, from which Babatunde obtained her smartphone, typifies yet another recent phenomenon, the emergence of online retailing in Nigeria. Jumia and Konga are the two biggest online retailers in that space and together are driving what is in effect, a paradigm shift in the way and manner Nigerians transact retailing business. Interestingly, research has shown that for the most part, Nigerians access these online retailers from their mobile phones. At other times, they access them from their tablets or computers. Jumia and Konga are, today, blossoming businesses, riding the wave of opportunities that have been unleashed by the continuing evolution of the telecom industry. For instance, until recently, making voice calls and sending text messages were the predominant activities in which millions of subscribers to the telecom networks were engaged. The telecom industry has since evolved to a new standard which it calls third generation and fourth generation (3G and 4G). At this level, they provide mobile broadband services which other members of the telecom ecosystem creatively deploy to consumers in the form of mobile TV, music streaming, online retail, and lots more. While Jumia and Konga are easily the most notable of the online retailers, providing a most welcome service to a growing of Nigerians and empowering hundreds with a livelihood in the process, there are dozens of similar online retailers and indeed a fast blossoming online ecosystem, in the country, providing a livelihood to thousands of people and driving economic development. In the absence of a national land line or government owned transmission backbone of any

consequence, the telecom networks even though privatelyowned have become the defacto communications networks for practically everyone and every private- or public-sector operative in Nigeria. It is difficult to imagine how Nigeria would cope in a situation in which all of the telecom networks collapsed even for one day. Government operatives would be incommunicado. Financial transactions would become impossible as banks rely on the telecom networks considerably to facilitate transactions. Security would be threatened as lack of communication would severely impinge on the ability of the defence apparatchik to commune with itself. The potential accompanying chain reaction to all of this is best imagined. It is perhaps in realizing the potential impact of an inability to communicate even for one hour, that the military rulers of old, decreed that all of the infrastructure belonging to the then state-owned telecommunications network, NITEL, be designated as critical national infrastructure. The implication of this at the time was that no-one, not even the state governments could interfere with NITEL’s installations. That declaration sent a strong message to those who were wont to vandalize NITEL’s equipment and facilities. Indeed the military followed this declaration up by imposing severe punishment on those found to have stolen or vandalized NITEL’s equipment. It is safe to assume that this demonstration of a strong willingness to safeguard these critical equipment must have put off a huge chunk of those who may have been inclined to toy with NITEL’s equipment, anywhere in Nigeria. Of course, state governments, local government councils and federal agencies and parastatals

Falling oil price: Pathway to diversification Continued from page 38 gration from rural areas, which quite often is the case. Let me conclude this article with a famous Chinese proverb, “If you want one year of prosperity, grow grain. If you want 10 years of prosperity, grow trees. If you want 100 years of prosper-

ity, grow people.” Human capital development is specifically the major approach China is following on its steady rise to becoming a global economic powerhouse. This approach has to be replicated in Nigeria, particularly, with a special focus on the rural communities who up till now have the nation’s biggest, neglected and silent majority. This can be achieved through

interdisciplinary alliances and partnerships among those working in agriculture and rural development as well as education sectors. *Popoola is Senior Managerment Development Officer, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Ilorin; and member, Forum for Inclusive Nigerian Development (FIND).

It is difficult to imagine how Nigeria would cope in a situation in which all of the telecom networks collapsed even for one day. Government operatives would be incommunicado steered clear of NITEL installations. In today ’s Nigeria, telecom companies have erected infrastructure to the tune of billions of dollars and far in excess of the facilities of the defunct NITEL. For instance, there are more than 26,000 kilometres of fibre-optic cables laid across the country by two of the networks, MTN and Glo. There are more than 25,000 base transceiver stations installed across the country. Typically, each of those base stations would be accompanied by two generators, a diesel tank and other specialized equipment. The huge investment, notwithstanding, the country experiences regular spells of poor quality of service on the networks. Clearly, in the face of steadily growing demand, there is an imperative for continuously aggressive investment in the telecom sector. It therefore becomes a huge paradox when these infrastructure, despite their strategic significance are left completely unprotected by way of any deliberate policy or legislation by the central government. Today, the telecom industry infrastructure is reportedly reeling from the effect of sustained equipment vandalism. Often in the process, telecom industry operatives lose their lives. Pyramid Research, an ICT research consultancy has determined that there are at least 500 instances at which fibre optic transmission cables are wilfully destroyed, every month. Vandals have also been known to storm telecom installations with heavy duty equipment and cart away the generators and diesel tanks on site. Across many states, telecom infrastructure have come to be seen as some form of cash cow to be selectively targeted for the pur-

poses of raising money for government. For instance, while only state governments are statutorily empowered to charge Building Permit fees, many local government councils now demand of telecom companies, erection permits, installation permits, telecom building permits and hordes of other spurious charges which are basically illegal. In many states whereas tenement rates ought to be not more than N15,000 per building, telcos are typically slammed with charges in excess of N300,000 as tenement rates. The Department of Petroleum Resources has also since begun demanding Petroleum Dump Rate tax from telecom companies on account of diesel tanks installed in their base stations and with which they fuel their generators. The National Inland Water Authority is also demanding right of way payment in hundreds of millions of Naira, for transmission cables that are laid across bridges on federal highways. In other cases, telecom companies are requested to pay right of way fees on federal-governmentowned roads by the federal government and again by state and local government, for the same stretch of road. The list is endless. Government establishments have been known to unilaterally shut down telecom installations on the guise of not having paid some of these spurious and contestable taxes. When such installations are arbitrarily shut down as has happened several times in the past, quality of service on the telecom networks, takes a nosedive. Little wonder therefore, that the Nigerian Communications Commission has since issued a warning to its peer government agencies to desist from indiscriminate sealing of telecom installations. It is safe to assume that the endresult of the multiplicity of these attempts at milking telecom companies also manifests in the increasingly extended timelines for deploying their networks especially as overall cost of deployment becomes impossible to predict with taxes right, left and centre. Designating telecom infrastructure as critical national infrastructure under the exclusive oversight of the federal government, will help to send a strong message to the various organs of government on the strategic importance of these facilities. It will send a message to potential vandals that there are possible dire consequences to their intrusion and very likely stave off some attacks. But very importantly, it will be a protective bulwark for the telecom companies against the myriad distractions with which they have to contend in the task of providing what has been proven to be a prime driver of economic development: telecommunication services. Perhaps equally critical is the fact that it will help to provide these companies with clearer bases for business forecasting and enable them plan better for growth and expansion especially at a time when there is an urgent imperative for continuing investment in the telecom sector. *Ucheagwu works with XLR8, a communication consultancy based in Lagos .

PAGE 40—SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015

The changing nature of leadership Time we moved the dogma

OR centuries we have been obsessed with leaders and with identifying the characteristics required for effective leadership. A core issue for some time has been, whether or not leadership should focus on personality or behaviour. This in turn has implications in terms of strategies for developing leadership capabilities. Is leadership a natural born set of skills? If a leader possesses superior knowledge in his or her field coupled with academically acquired set of business skills and ‘common sense’, what ingredients are missing that set the exceptional leader apart from the pack? Is there really an emotional intelligence that complements and accentuates the leader ’s tools chest? The world’s top corporations share a key element in their success: a keen understanding of the value of top notch leadership. Until recently the concept of leadership was shrouded in a great deal of mystique leading to the common perception that somehow, certain individuals were just singled out for leadership. In other words, leaders were born to lead and the trick was to discover these “born leaders”. Fortunately today an enhanced understanding of educational and developmental psychology has helped to unravel many myths and suppositions about leadership. However, the value of potential cannot be overlooked. Together, potential and training are a powerful combination in developing the inspirational leadership necessary to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing corporate world. A solid educational background is usually considered essential, although some corporate stars have come from surprising backgrounds. An example is Thomas Watson Jr of IBM who struggled to complete a high school education but nevertheless has achieved corporate stardom. It also may be difficult to pick out students with the qualities for top leadership from test results alone. Factors such as participation in extramural activities such as sports, journalism, drama and music may provide clues about student’

Creative, innovative and inspirational leadership is too precious a commodity and one that is increasingly recognized as the key to success achievements in non-academic areas. Such activities provide opportunities for learning about negotiation, teamwork and motivation. In today ’s competitive business environment inadequate leaders cannot be tolerated. Creative, innovative and inspirational leadership is too precious a commodity and one that is increasingly recognized as the key to success. According to conventional wisdom in psychology, leadership is about influencing people to contribute to group goals. Although the preferred way to exert influence has changed with the times— command and control during the predictable days of industry, a more engaging and humanistic approach for the networked knowledge economy—the core assumption remains that leaders affect organizational performance by inspiring, supporting, and motivating followers through interpersonal influence. By all accounts, Steven Jobs, the late CEO of Apple Inc., was a difficult person—intense, brutally candid, obsessively controlling, perfectionistic, volatile, and supremely arrogant. Jobs was known to reduce subordinates to tears, take credit for their ideas, curse them in public, throw epic tantrums, and yell at Board members. He even parked his Mercedes in handicapped spaces. Jobs divided the world into stark black-andwhite categories; people, projects, and ideas were either “insanely great” or “total shit,” and sometimes both in the same day. No one accused him of having high emotional intelli-

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Jr

iolence and politics seem to go hand in hand, at least in Nigeria, it does. People have come to expect mayhem and disorder in the run up to any election and the youths are paid to carry out these dastardly activities by the politicians. Our youths, for a good part of the life of a government, are starved of genuine opportunities; no employment, no education or training. And then come campaign time; the politicians sprinkle slush money and they unleash the beasts; rent a yob, area boys and thugs. These yobs are given money and weapons to intimidate the opposition and ordinary citizens. They create fear and fan terror so that people are prevented from performing their constitutional obligations. None of the political parties are innocent and there is no need for any party to pretend that they do not parttake in this deplorable acts. It is the modus operandi of politics in Nigeria. After the election, these hoodlums now have weapons and notoriety to pillage and extort from homes and businesses until the next political campaign when they can repeat the whole horror again. Adewale Maja-Pearce, writer and columnist said; “Politics in Nigeria has always been thuggish, right from 1960, the year of independence from Britain, and the socalled Area Boy scourge is a merely a symptom of a larger national unemployment crisis, where young men with few opportunities view politicians as a meal ticket”. The finger of blame should be placed at the paymasters’ feet; All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and these yobs will raise merry hell for a price that the politicians are willing to pay. Maja-Pearce said that “too many young men hanging around, waiting for some action. All you have to do is go and meet them and pay them and they will do what you want, and you can’t blame the youths... They want to eat.” So you see, once the Pandora box is open, it is hard to wish it back in. Our politicians capitalise on this and they pay these yobs to create an atmosphere of intimidation and dread. The world and its councils are aware and have anticipated this pattern of behaviour.The United States vice president, Mr. Joe Biden, like a referee has had a telephone conversation with President Goodluck Jonathan and his All Progressives Congress (APC) counterpart, Gen. Muhamadu Buhari, and has appealed to both to make the coming election violence free. In his separate conversa-

• Osadebamwen Osawe

gence, strong leader-member exchange relationships, or a considerate approach. Jobs simply did not fit the psychological profile of a good leader. Nonetheless, under his leadership, Apple became a highly profitable and deeply admired company. Jobs cofounded Apple in 1976 but was forced out in 1985 and was replaced by John Scully, a former PepsiCo executive, because the Board believed Scully’s more composed and conventional style was needed to lead the business from an exciting start-up to a mature corporation. The leadership transition failed, and Jobs was brought back in 1997 when Apple’s stock was trading around $10 a share, the same price as when he departed. When Jobs announced his retirement 14 years later on August 24, 2011, Apple’s closing price was $376 a share, making it one of the most dramatic turnarounds of all time. How are we to resolve the incongruity between the fact that Jobs’ abrasive interpersonal style was the antithesis of the standard psychological model of effective leadership, yet under his leadership Apple was phenomenally successful? Although it can be a complex challenge to isolate the reasons for the success or failure of a leader, we believe that the resolution to the Apple paradox is that leadership concerns more than interpersonal relations. In addition to being harsh and temperamental, Jobs was also a prolific inventor (his name is on over 100 patents) and a true visionary (he revolutionized six industries). He was deeply involved in the business (Jobs weighed in on design, technology, portfolio, and customer decisions) and recruited some of the best talent in the world. His judgment on matters ranging from the biggest strategic questions to the tiniest design detail was widely admired as shrewd, prescient, and almost always correct. And his ability to focus himself, the Apple staff, and resources to execute with relentless discipline was legendary. Researchers distinguished leadership in an organization from leadership of an organization. Leadership in an organization concerned interpersonal, face-to-face relations, whereas leadership of an organization concerned solving organizational problems such as adapting to environmental change or achieving internal control with systems of coordination and integration. The vast majority of leadership research concerned interpersonal influence, but argued that it was actually less common in real organizational life and less consequential compared to influencing strategy and operating systems. • Osawe is a human resource practitioner

If the fear and intimidation continues, it may deter some people from voting, which is principally what their brand of intimidation was set out to achieve

tion with both men, he stated that the US was greatly concerned over indications that the elections might be filled with violence due to inflammatory statements coming from both the ruling and the major opposition parties in the country. He did commend the two leaders for signing an accord committed to a nonviolent election. And he affirmed the total support of the government of his country for Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure the elections are free, fair and credible. Whatever happened to the pre-election pep talk, should we take it that they have let the peace go that quickly and are ready to play dirty? So this last Monday display in Lagos has been condemned by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, in particular the harassment of innocent citizens after the Oodua People’s Congress and loyalists of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) went on a rampage on the streets of Lagos. And he is right to do so. He said of the yobs that “they also showed the difference between us when the supporters of the PDP and President Jonathan came out. ‘On March 7, just about a week ago, the APC held a solidarity walk in Lagos. Did anybody attack you on that day? ‘So, yesterday, they held their own, and instead of canvassing for your votes, they were showing you knives and cutlasses,’ and he maintained that the hate speeches by certain politicians is capable of undermining the country’s electoral process and democracy. The governor continued that “the only way to hold politicians accountable is not only to be held responsible for what is done by them, but what is also done on their behalf,’’ and he advised candidates of political parties at all levels to dissociate themselves from hate speeches. I am not sure that they will heed his advice that when thugs begin to terrorise people on the street, that the candidates will actively disown the actions of such persons. Not in Nigeria.

So in the meantime, All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of carrying his re-election desperation to a new height by allowing thugs to be unleashed on Lagos residents during a sponsored Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) protest against the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega. APC’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, alleged that the president’s supporters, led by the OPC, took to major roads in the city during rush hour traffic to unleash mayhem on the citizens, create massive gridlock that prevented many workers from reaching their places of work as well as destroy any APC campaign posters they could lay their hands on. Whatever the case, if the fear and intimidation continues, it may deter some people from voting, which is principally what their brand of intimidation was set out to achieve. It is up to well-meaning Nigerians to maintain their determination to prevent and minimise the mayhem from disrupting their constitutional right to vote.

15 April - we remember the girls “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” Kalu Ndukwe Kalu It is good news that the coalition of armed forces from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have made steady incursion and launched a joint offensive against BH. Last Monday, the military said it had recaptured Bama, the second city of Borno State, as it prepares a final push against the extremists. This is good news as it has been confirmed that over 1.5 million people have been displaced as a result of the insurgency and 10,000 people were killed in the uprising last year. So if the areas have been cleared of the insurgence, where are the Chibok girls? It is almost a year since 276 girls were snatched before dawn from the government boarding school in Chibok. Though, about a dozen escaped in the first couple of days, 219 remain missing. And despite the lack of news on the girls, Goodluck Jonathan, has repeated vows to bring the girls back. He promised, “I am more hopeful now than before on the Chibok girls’.’ Well, he remains optimistic, “I believe that the story of the Chibok girls will be better”, And yet the army has confirmed recently that they were nowhere near rescuing the girls. We can only imagine the trauma that the relatives and friends of these young ladies are going through.

SUND AY SUNDA

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 41

Broken NLC! •Intrigues as faction outwits riv al tto o elect President rival •My pact with workers — Ajaero, factional leader By Victor Ahiuma-Young

NDICATIONS have emerged on failed plots to scuttle the factional special delegates conference by the 23 aggrieved affiliates of Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, that has produced Comrade Joe Ajaero of the National Union of Electricity Employees, NUEE, as President. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the Ayuba Wabba faction had briefed its lawyers to stop the conference earlier scheduled for yesterday through the court. But the 23 aggrieved unions, on getting wind of the plot to use court to scuttle the conference, decided to bring it backward to last Thursday. It was gathered that when the special delegates conference of Thursday was brought to the knowledge of the Wabba faction in Abuja, its leaders dismissed it as an ordinary meeting based on the information it got from informants. When it became obvious that it was not an ordinary meeting, but a special delegates conference, it was too late to do anything.One of the leaders of the 23 aggrieved unions said, “We were aware of their plots to scuttle our conference with court injunction or any other methods. But while they were working towards Friday and Saturday as we earlier planned, we decided to bring it backward to Thursday.” More facts on March 12 election Meanwhile, more facts have emerged on how the March 12 rescheduled election, held at Eagle Square, Abuja, was allegedly manipulated. A close look at the result announced for the presidential election in which Mr. Ayuba Wabba, of Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria, MHWUN, was declared as the new President of NLC, was higher than the number of delegates accredited. The NLC Election Returning Officer and pioneer General Secretary of Congress, Aliyu Dangiwa, had, penultimate Saturday, announced that Wabba scored 1,695 votes to defeat Ajaero who scored 1,400 votes. This result was confirmed by the advertorial the NLC General Secretary placed in some newspapers on Monday, March 16. The Chairman of the Credentials Committee that conducted the election, Dr. Isa Fagge, told Sunday Vanguard that 3,005 delegates and

not 3,119, as earlier advertised by the NLC secretariat, were accredited to vote, saying two unions did not turn for the election. According to him, 10 votes were voided with the agreement of both Wabba and Ajaero’s agents. The General Secretary of the NLC, who was also the Secretary of the Credentials Committee, Dr. Peter Ozo-Eson, corroborated the Chairman on the number of voided votes and accredited delegates, but insisted the declared result, as announced by the Returning Officer at the venue of the election and published by him in some national dailies, was the outcome of the election. Sunday Vanguard investigation revealed that there is discrepancy between the result announced for the candidates and the number of delegates accredited for the election. By simple arithmetic, if you void 10 votes from 3,005 accredited delegates, you have 2,995 remaining. If you add the 1,695 votes credited to Wabba with the 1,400 votes credited to Ajaero, it gives you 3,095 votes. If you minus 2,995 from 3,095, you will have 100 votes as surplus. The question then is, where did the 100 votes come from? Similarly, it was alleged that before the agent of Joe Ajaero was attacked and taken to hospital, he had recorded 1,538 votes for Ajaero and 1,460 for Wabba. Giving details of what transpired before the alleged attack, the agent, Mr. Okorodudu Benson, told Sunday Vanguard: “After the voting process was completed, at the point of collation, I noticed that some ballot papers were stuffed into the wrong boxes despite the fact that all the ballot boxes were conspicuously tagged. I raised objection that any ballot paper found in a wrong ballot box should be invalidated. The first person who responded was John Odah, immediate past General Secretary of Congress, who was not a member of the Credentials Committee, but was busy handling ballot papers. He said my observation was senseless. This led to serious argument; at the end, the Chairman of the Credentials Committee summoned a meeting of some principal officers and came up with a verdict that the ballot papers be accepted irrespective of the box they were found. He added that though this was a violation of the election guidelines, all contestants

•Comrade Ayuba Wabba would benefit from it. “At the end of the first sorting of ballots, 300 ballot papers meant for the position of Deputy President were collated from wrong boxes, 299 ballot papers meant for the positions of Auditors were found in wrong boxes, while 28 ballot papers for the Office of President were found collated from wrong boxes. I then stood up again to register my displeasure and insisted that on the ballot papers for the office of the President found in other boxes, I will not accept them because I am the returning agent for Joe Ajaero. At this point, Omar told the Credentials Committee Chairman that he had the right to demand for the replacement of any agent who was stubborn. I was then asked to sit down while John Odah was asked to leave as he was not a member of the committee. “Having completed the process of separating the ballot papers, when it came to sorting the ballots for the Office of the Pesident, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar carried the ballot box and placed it on the table and called on the Credentials Committee Chairman to bring the key to open the box. I then asked why this drama because the box was already opened with the side of glass holding the staple broken off. Despite my observation, Omar asked him to go ahead as, according to him, there was no more time and that the security operatives were threatening to drive everyone out of the venue once it was 6 pm. All these happened in the full glare of media personnel who supposedly had their cameras on. We did the sorting of the ballots with the aid of two young men introduced to us as NLC corps members. “At the end of the sorting, I recorded a total of 3,009 votes with seven blank ballot and four other ballot papers that were invalidated bringing it to 11 the number of invalidated votes. Ajaero had a

total of 1,538 votes, while Wabba had 1,460 votes. The agent of Wabba immediately shook my hands and congratulated me. At this juncture, the Chairman of

•Comrade Joe Ajaero the Credentials Committee asked Wabba’s agent what was wrong with him and he immediately switched over to Hausa language. While this communication in Hausa language continued between the two, Omar rushed down and spoke to the Chairman in Hausa language. The next thing he said in English Language was that we should not count the ballots and that any form of documentation we had done was illegal. He directed the Chairman to withdraw all our jottings from us. I protested to the knowledge of media and security personnel around us that I was not releasing the piece of paper where I took note of the sorting. Omar left in annoyance.

But the 23 aggrieved unions, on getting wind of the plot to use court to scuttle the conference, decided to bring it backward to last Thursday

“The next thing I noticed was power outage at the venue of election. Immediately thereafter, a piece of cloth was hauled at my face. When power was restored, I was choking and battling to breath. I staggered from my seat and fell down. As I fell, I heard someone calling for the release of security dogs and the horse, while some were shouting for ambulance. The events that followed were later narrated to me as I became unconscious and did not know how I was rushed to hospital by policemen. I was however shocked on how policemen carried me on the front page of Vanguard of March 17, 2015. It was obvious that their mission was not to revive me, but to get rid of me because the photograph speaks for itself. There is no way you can carry a man who collapsed the way they carried me.”

Ajaero’s acceptance In the meantime, Ajaero, after being sworn-in as a factional leader of the NLC, reeled out his plans for workers, saying the powers and influence of the Congress, in terms of the defense of workers rights and being the vanguard of the poor and the oppressed in our country, have been at the lowest level in the last four years under the leadership of Comrade Abdulwaheed Umar .

PAGE 42— SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

AMID MISSING PERSONS CASES

Abuja residents damn consequences, go for lift, cheap transport BY FAVOUR NNABUGWU

espite stories of missing persons in Abuja, free riders have continued to damn the consequences by patronizing private cars and even vehicles that do not have number plates. Notwithstanding warnings by security agencies and transport unions that passengers should board buses and taxis at the motor parks, there seems to be no end in sight for habitual free riders in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) even as hundreds of people are being declared missing, robbed and kidnapped in Abuja almost on a daily basis. Each day, there are hundreds of people waiting by the road side in search of a lift or cheap transport to their destinations rather than going to the motor parks to board vehicles. They prefer to sit in the comfort of a small car, not mining the motive of the driver. It has become an addiction for many others who hitch hike in private cars on long journeys. From Kubwa to Garki, Secretariat, Maitama and Area 1, their choice is not limited to small cars. They also ride in jeeps and all manner of posh buses. Meanwhile, those vehicles constantly stop to pick some of them for free or at low fares. Among those indulging in the habit are working class men and women, even when

they could afford the fares at the motor parks. The situation is worse at weekends when the road side is filled with all manner of people intending to hitch hike. Some of them target certain vehicles while others go for just any vehicle that stops for them. Sunday Vanguard investigations showed that elegantly-dressed ladies and some men in fine attires do not go for just any car; they go for the finest of them all. A man dressed in faded jeans and a cap, who identified himself as Samuel, told Sunday Vanguard that he preferred standing on the highway to boarding a bus at the motor park. Giving his reasons, he said the parks are, most of the time, rowdy for his liking. “I prefer standing here (Galadima Bus-stop) to get a lift. The fare is cheaper. I may not spend more than N100 to get to town but, at the parks, they will tell you it is N150 to N200 depending on the number of passengers they wish to load at a go”, Samuel explained, “Also, when when I want to go on a distance journey, I pay less whenever l get a lift. But if I was to board a bus from the commercial park, I would pay more than thrice the fare. That is too expensive”. For women, the younger ones get rides easily while older women endure the scorching sun.

Vehicle owners like developers, consultants, public servants make brisk business in the city, even as some agencies’ drivers are also not left out in the business. Many private car owners leave their homes early in the morning to engage in transport services within the FCT and also on their way from office, picking passengers along their routes. Sunday Vanguard learnt that many of the drivers

apprentice tailor in A.Y.A, Abuja, said the fear of being kidnapped made her selective about the kind of help she gets on the expressway. Udeji explained that she is not always in a hurry to hop into any vehicle except she is convinced about the disposition of the driver and the passengers in it. She said, “I don’t just enter any vehicle. Even when men offer me lift, I refuse if I notice any untoward behaviour. I take my time to observe the faces of the people in the vehicles.”

Sunday Vanguard investigations showed that elegantly-dressed ladies and some men in fine attires do not go for just any car; they go for the finest of them all engaged in the business make between N12,000 and N40,000 a month depending on the size of the vehicle from which they augment the cost of fuel, feeding and miscellaneous expenses. Mr Lanre Orebiyi, a public servant, told Abuja Bulletin that it is not all about the money, arguing that it is wicked for any driver to drive empty when people are standing in the sun waiting to board vehicle. Ms Florence Udeji, an

“I know it’s not safe, but I don’t mind. I know nothing will happen to me. There are kidnappers out there, but I won’t board their vehicles.” A young girl, Angeline Okonkwo, said she doesn’t like stressing herself, hence, if getting a car by the roadside than going to the park could save her the hassle, why not? “I have the money to board a commercial bus but I won’t go there. Those buses take forever to get filled up”, she

said, despite the fact that it could take her, sometimes, more than one hour for to hitch hike in a vehicle. When asked if she thought about her safety, she said, “One can get kidnapped anywhere. There are kidnappers everywhere. I know nothing bad will happen to me. God is my protector”. Mr Tope Olamide, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Wuse 2 under bridge, said the union was doing its best to encourage people to board buses at designated parks. He said, “People believe that boarding private vehicles is cheaper, but it’s not safe. The amount we charge from Lagos to Ibadan is reasonable and we have the contact details of all our drivers. Passengers who board free rides don’t have any idea of who the driver is, so the driver can take advantage of their ignorance. “We have been making announcements about this issue via the media. We enlighten people about the disadvantages of boarding private cars and tell them that the benefits of travelling with commercial buses outweigh disadvantages. Anyone who wants to travel today must have planned for it. “What stops them from planning for the amount of money they would spend for the trip? Though we haven’t had cases of people being kidnapped here, I know there are people who have been declared missing on the expressway”. Over the years, the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s Transport Secretariat has continually evolved transport policies hinged on its vision statement of “provision of an effective and efficient transportation system in the Federal Capital Territory through proactive planning, effective monitoring, safe accident-free and infrastructural development in consonance with the Abuja Transportation Master Plan to meet the expectations of public.” However, despite all measures put in place by successive FCT administrators to checkmate the problem of inadequate means of transportation like the purchase of cars for taxi services, the banning of the green commercial transportation mini buses, popularly known as ‘Araba’, and the introduction of high capacity buses in preparation for the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), commuters in the capital city are still lamenting over what they described as “inadequate means of transportation.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 43

BENUE KILLING FIELDS

We are no longer safe

—Residents

•T ales of horror: Child snatc hed from mother’s bac k •Tales snatched back found dead, blind man hacked to death •20,000 displaced BY PETER DURU, Makurdi

his is certainly not the best of times for the people of Benue State following communal conflicts and the recent bloodbath at Egba village, in Agatu local government area of the state. In the Egba incident, suspected Fulani mercenaries launched an early morning attack on the community last Sunday, killing over 100 persons. The attackers, who sneaked into the community from Loko, in neighbouring Nasarawa State, also burnt down houses, huts, economic trees and natural fish ponds located in the community. That gruesome killing of the indigenous people, including women, children and the elderly, has elicited worldwide outcry and condemnation. At press time, Sunday Vanguard gathered that the crisis has created over 20,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) who live in makeshift camps without food. Egba has also been deserted by the natives most of whom moved to Obagaji, the local government headquarters. The crisis between the Benue farmers and the marauding herdsmen had been a protracted one that defied attempts by the state government to stem. When the crisis was building up

They massacred our people without restraint. In fact, we had one of our women whose twoyear-old child was snatched from her back and later found dead; and a blind man who was also hacked with an axe

about two years ago, the state government and its Nasarawa counterpart entered into a peace deal in order to check cross border fighting after it was discovered that most of the arms-trotting herders streamed into Benue communities from Nasarawa. Even at the heat of the crisis, which left some parts of the state in ruins and deserted, the Benue government also set up peace committees in both the Tiv and Idoma speaking areas of the state. The committees worked with the police and were mandated to initiative and sign peace treaties with the leadership of the Maiyatti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigerian. MACBAN, in order to stop the recurring crisis. It was on that basis that those that were sacked from their homes and villages summoned the courage to return. Unfortunately the hope of finding lasting resolution to the crisis seemed to have hit the rocks especially following the spate of persistent attacks on communities in Logo local government area and the Agatu butchery.

The highly underdeveloped Agatu, which borders both Kogi and Nasarawa states has suddenly become the killing fields of the North Central. Hardly does a month pass without the area recording killings in unrestrained battles between the natives and herders who, before the recent massacre, were alleged to have forcefully occupied parts of the local government area. They were also accused of grazing on fertile farmlands and fish ponds, the natives sources of livelihood. This accounts largely for the bloody conflicts in that part of the state and the resultant casualty figures particularly in the Egba massacre. Though the Fulani and the natives of Agatu have overtime been having intermittent skirmishes, since May 2013, the crisis has taken a frightening dimension though many reasons have been advanced by reliable sources as being responsible for last Sunday ’s siege and carnage at Egba. Sunday Vanguard gathered that the massacre may have been a reprisal attack on the community by the herders. Speaking on the killings, the Benue State Secretary of MACBAN, Garus Gololo, who decried the attack, urged the parties to sheathe their swords. Gololo said he learnt that the attack may have been a reprisal for the alleged killing of some herdsmen at Loko by suspected Agatu young men.

In his reaction, the paramount ruler of Idoma land, Ovhi’ Idoma Ikoyi Obekpa, who lamented the carnage unleashed on his subjects, urged law enforcement authorities to fish out the masterminds and bring them to justice. In his account of what happened in the besieged community, member of the Benue State House of Assembly representing Agatu State Constituency, Mr. Sule Audu, said the crisis, which started in the early hours of Sunday, left many, including women and children, dead. Audu said, “Some of our courageous boys who hid to see the insurgents said they wore military uniforms with protective jackets. “They massacred our people without restraint. In fact, we had one of our women whose two-year-old child was snatched from her back and later found dead; and a blind man who was also hacked with an axe. “My concern is that, our people are no longer safe; because Egba is just about two kilometres from Obagaji, the local government headquarters which is also not safe. “Our problem is that the people come through Nasarawa and we wonder how they are able to do that without security agents there getting to know. “At the moment, we have over 20,000 displaced persons scattered in Agatu, they are experiencing total hardship. We are pleading with public spirited organisations and the UNICEF to assist the people who are mostly women and children. “The crisis has also affected economic and social activities in Agatu, because, at the moment, no school is open, fishing, which is the major preoccupation of our people, is not being carried out, the place is completely devastated.” The lawmaker urged the Federal Government to set up a military formation in the area to check the killings and wanton destruction of property. In his reaction, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP deputy governorship candidate, Mr. John Ngbede, a native of the affected area, who visited the scene of the attack with the state police commissioner, Mr. Hyacinth Dagala, lamented the killings and destruction. Ngbede, who also appealed to the Federal Government to lend a helping hand to the community and victims, renewed his call for the establishment of a military barracks in the area to stem attacks in the area. Speaking on the matter, Governor Gabriel Suswam said the Benue farmers/ Fulani herdsmen crisis had become a recurrent decimal in the state. Suswam insisted that those behind the carnage in parts of Benue were not the normal Fulani herdsmen but insurgents behind the crisis in the North east.

PAGE 44—SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

•President Goodluck Jonathan

•Olu of Warri

What Olu of Warri told President Jonathan — Ekpoko, Secretary, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South CHAIRMAN of the Warri Study Group, WSG, the intellectual wing of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality in Delta State and Secretary, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, ILoT, Mr. Edward Ekpoko, spoke to Sunday Vanguard, in Warri, on what transpired at the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, in Asaba and up- to- theminute positon of the ethnic group on the ground breaking ceremony of the Delta Gas City.

OLLOWING the warning by the Warri Study Group that if President Goodluck Jonathan failed to do the ground breaking of the $16 Delta Gas City before the presidential election, he would lose not just Itsekiri votes, but votes of other Niger-Deltans, the President hearkened to the call. Is this not arm-twisting by the Itsekiri and how do the Itsekiri feel about his change of heart? I will not use the word arm twisting. The President has not been arm twisted by the Itsekiri, he has been arm twisted by justice. It is the justice and equity in the whole thing that has arm twisted him. It is not a question of Itsekiri arm twisting him and that has always been our position.

This is a very simple matter, government acquired land for the Export Processing Zone, EPZ, project, from whom did government acquire land? You acquired land from Itsekiri people … now somebody rose because he is a militant and said if you come for the groundbreaking without including us, heavens will fall, then the groundbreaking exercise is either cancelled or suspended. How do the Itsekiri now feel about him having agreed to do their wish? In my statement when the groundbreaking ceremony was postponed, I said that he stood the risk of losing not only Itsekiri votes, but the votes of other Niger Deltans and, indeed, Nigerians. However, that he is going to do it is a different thing. As we speak now, it has not been done, so the Itsekiri are still watching; but let us get it clear, there are a lot of issues that still bother Itsekiri. The Itsekiri appear to have been short-changed politically; for instance, it is the turn of the Itsekiri to produce the senator for Delta South. The governor and the PDP people, I do not know how they did it, it has now eluded the Itsekiri and it is wrong. And let us get this clear, it is wrong when the governor says that he had to sacrifice it for peace to reign. The seat of senator is not a personal property of the governor for him to say that

he is making personal sacrifice, it is a seat that belongs to the Ijaw, the Itsekiri and the Isoko and, going by the rotational arrangement, it is the turn of the Itsekiris, so what explanation has he to give Itsekiri people? It is not a personal seat to him for him to say that he is sacrificing it. Before he did that, did he consult the Itsekiri people? President Jonathan was in Warri in January to consult with the Olu of Warri. Last

President Jonathan on the other hand. The governor of Delta State was present at the meeting and all that was discussed was the EPZ and the issue on the table was when will the President be coming to perform the ground breaking ceremony having earlier on told His Royal Majesty in January that the election then was very close and he would not be able to do it, but sometime in March, after the elections, he would do it. But, that

Before the meeting came to an end, the Olu told the President that he was going to tell his people that the assurance he gave him was that he was going to perform the ground breaking ceremony before the elections and the President said yes month, he was in Asaba where he met again with an Itsekiri delegation, led by the Olu of Warri. Reports said the meeting was blustery, fiery and all that. What really transpired at the meeting? I was present at the meeting, so I can speak authoritatively on all that transpired. There was nothing blustering about the meeting. The meeting was between the Olu of Warri and Itsekiri representatives on the one hand and

somehow, the polls were shifted and the March which he promised cannot be shifted, so the March has come. These were the issues presented before Mr. President. And he told us that he was going to meet with the governor that night and they will reach the relevant stakeholders and that a date will be communicated to us. Before the meeting came to an end, the Olu told the President that he was going to tell his people that the assurance he

gave him was that he was going to perform the ground breaking ceremony before the elections and the President said yes. No notice of acquisition land for Deep Sea Port But I learnt later, there was another meeting with the youths, which involved Chief Ayiri Emami, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, among others. I was not in that meeting… and let us get one thing clear too; at the meeting between the Olu and the President, the issue of the Deep Sea Port, whether they want to call it Gbaramatu or otherwise, never came up and I think that such a matter should have come up in the first meeting which the Olu attended because he is the overlord of the Itsekiri people. However, to my knowledge, government has not published any notice of acquisition of land for that project, which is why I have not spoken on the issue. If government publishes that it wants to acquire land for so and so project for this and that purpose, if we see that Itsekiri land is involved, we will protest, we will register our interest at the appropriate time. The government acquired land from the Itsekiri people, so the Ijaw of Burutu local government have no stake there. And I think in a civilized society, when you think your land is the one acquired and you have not been duly compensated or government has not handled it well, the law court is there, go there and challenge it. Why must people resort to violence or threat to violence? Okeringhogho is an Itsekiri town, where they built the Maritime University; judgment is there in favour of Omadino people that it is their land, but the Omadino people did pick arms because it is their land and that they have court judgment and all that. They did not threaten violence. President Jonathan came and performed the ground breaking, that is the civilized way of doing things, that is not to say they are not taking steps to challenge it. So when is the official date for the ground breaking? We have not been formally communicated as to the date of the groundbreaking ceremony.

SUNDAY

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 45

Nigerians have made up their minds to vote out Jonathan

his father, I don’t think that is good enough. That is why we have to advise him, it is just an advise. Even in any society, you have both the bad and good people, from all tribes, but that bad should come from a particular group especially those who are looking for food, those who are living on insults on others, but not from those who are elected, even though we have now seen, on tape, the kind of election we had in Ekiti State. Unfortunately, Ekiti State is one of the highly respected even in the South because of the level of education it has. I am sure they must be thoroughly embarrassed by such statements and definitely it will not help the PDP.

— Kwankwaso By Bilesanmi Olalekan

overnor Rabiu

Kwakwanso of Kano State was in Lagos last week for consultation with the Arewa community even as he used the opportunity to receive an award from the Global Excellence magazine. In an interview at the departure lounge of the Lagos airport, Kwakwanso said the smear campaign against his party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, can only further help the APC in the coming elections, because, according to him, “There are some who have already made up their minds, no amount of smear campaign that would change the minds of Nigerians”. You are coordinating three states in the North for your party, APC, regarding the March 28 election. What would you say are your party’s chances in these states? The issue of change now has gone so deep and wide to the extent that no one man, no matter how influential, can change the tide. People are yearning for change at all levels, and, therefore, I have no doubt in my mind that, at least, the states that I know best, that is the northern states, I believe APC will capture them. Including Jigawa where Lamido holds sway? Yes, including Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Plateau, Nasarawa, all the states, 19 of them. There is something perhaps you know that some of us don’t know which gives this kind of confidence, what could this be? We live with the people and we have seen the tide. I don’t know much about the South, but I know very much what is happening in the North. And, therefore, I am very confident that on the 28th of this month, Nigerians will come out enmasse, both South and North, to vote for change and that is APC. This is the change that is going on in this country. Don’t you think, with the

C M Y K

negative reports being churned out daily on your presidential candidate, there is the probability that the followership will be reducing? You know the thing about this issue is that there are some people who have already made up their minds, no amount of smear campaign, that would change the minds of Nigerians. Therefore, I believe it is a matter of time that Nigerians would come to vote for APC at all levels including General Buhari who, I believe, is capable and competent enough to lead this country. How true is the talk that Nigerians may be having a repeat Yar ’ Adua/Jonathan scenario in the Buhari/ Osinbajo ticket where a healthy vice would take over from a sickly President? I believe those propounding such theory are not God. It is only God that gives life and takes it. I have not seen Buhari medical report or that of Jonathan. But on the surface, one would think Buhari is healthier than Jonathan. But what worries many people is that some leaders are making such negative statements against the North, even including the First Lady when she was talking of protecting children and throwing them away. I don’t think that is healthy, especially now that we are talking about a game of numbers because that is what politics is. That is why I believe that what they are saying from that end is actually helping the APC to win more votes especially in the North. I think all wellmeaning Nigerians who believe we are one country will think the First Lady, as we call her, is speaking like the last lady. She was quoted to have said that President Jonathan is constitutionally entitled to eight years and so they would have to finish the eight years. I think she is right. The Constitution says eight years of two terms. Now, they have spent six years already there. They may claim they have just spent four

•Gov Kwakwanso

The issue of change now has gone so deep and wide to the extent that no one man, no matter how influential, can change the tide years, they may even claim two years but I know they were not sworn on 29 May, 2011, but May 2010. But again, they can claim any number of years, but I think Nigerians know the truth. six years, I think, is enough for a good governor or President to perform. And by the 28th of this month, Nigerians will pass judgment as whether he has performed or not. You said change is every where, and yet there are some defections here and there from the APC, and more importantly in Kano. There will continue to be defections. Ghali Naaba and some others just defected from PDP to APC. How does this make you feel? You should tell me, after all, you raised the issue of defection. There are many things unknown to you, people are defecting every now and then, but it is only the popular ones defecting you know because they are being advertised. We are receiving them in thousands every day. Notwithstanding the

change your party seems to be championing, some people believe there is really no difference between your party and the PDP? I think what Nigerians are saying is that this government has failed, let us try another one. Let us try another people that have not been tested. Let us test APC, and I am sure Nigerians will be impressed by the performance of the party. Are you impressed by the successes recorded so far in tackling the insurgency? I think it is all about political will which was not in place before. Now, I think there is the political will for whatever reason. Again, let us wait and see, because they are making progress and we are happy. They are supporting our military because it is key to the survival of our nation. I want to appeal to the service chiefs not allow themselves to be used by any political party. They should be neutral. They should fight for the country, not for any political party.

Until recently, you have not been known to be chastising people publicly, but you did to Governor Fayose. Why? I was just expressing my mind. Governors should mind their words. Governors should be role models. Governors should respect the institutions, and, when somebody is not doing that, I think one should advise him, especially those of us who have been in the game much longer than him and those who conversant with traditions and cultures in this country, we always respect our elders, including the Yoruba. But for somebody, especially at that level, to come out to be making reckless statements about the North and somebody old enough to be

With the kind of social programmes like that of empowerment which has hundreds of thousands beneficiaries in the state, coupled with the different infrastructures going on there, one wonders you source for the funds such that it does not affect salaries? On the issues of salaries, we had to plug all sorts of wastage, on the issue of over-head, we had to make a lot of savings such that the cost of running government was taken to the barest minimum, and, therefore, we have money to do other projects. I think with good management, government, even at the national level, should be able to replicate some of the projects we are doing . By the grace of God, our incoming government in Kano under our party, APC, will build on that. Nigerians, especially people from Kano, are in love with APC because they have seen our performance, because people have benefited across the state and they will continue to benefit. Are you fulfilled as a politician? I am very contented. I am happy. I served Kano State government as a civil servant for 16 years. I retired in 1991, joined politics. I was Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives. I was elected delegate of the Constitutional Conference 1994/95. I was governor 1999-2003. I was Minister of Defence for about four years. I was a representative of the Northwest on the NNDC Board, and now, I am governor of Kano. And, I am contesting to become a senator so that we can give our own contributions in the National Assembly. I think I am a happy and contented person.

The aura of influence and affluence and even the paraphernalia of office is not reflected in your personality. People have access to you. That is one of the ways of saving the tax payers money. That is one of the ways of meeting people. I am going to Kano on commercial flight. I use them (commercial flight) except they are not available, so, therefore, it gives me an opportunity at the airport like this to meet people who ordinarily I would not have

PAGE 46—SUNDAY

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

Buhari does not meet the Nor th’s leader ship criteria —Sen Adeyemi BY JOHNBOSCO AGBAKWURU

enator Smart Adeyemi is Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory and represents Kogi South in the parliament. In this interview, he says it is not yet the turn of the North to produce the President. He also says that General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, is not the candidate of the North, pointing out that he lacks the qualities of the late Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello, who held sway as the Northern Region Premier in the first republic. Excerpts: With the delay in the general elections, the military seems to have overcome Boko Haram in the North-east. Do you think that should be the end of this campaign? First, let me commend the Federal Government for its determination. Let me equally say that, maybe as a senator, I have some information which an ordinary Nigeria will not have. This insurgency took us this long to conquer because, out of the conspiracy against Nigeria until about four months ago, the arms required were not made available to us. We had the money but we were not allowed to acquire them. When you have that kind of situation, you cant fight a war . The United States began to sell arms to Nigeria not quite two months now. Now what I am saying in essence is that the problem of fighting the insurgency over the years was as a result of the inability of Nigeria to acquire those arms and, don’t forget, until this administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, there were no attempts by the administrations before him to acquire military hardware required to fight this kind of insurgency. There was the fear of equipping the armed forces which will make them capable of carrying out coup against civilian administrations in time past. So, all the years, we have neglected the military. The C M Y K

infrastructural facilities for their well being were at the zero level and the training required for sophisticated weapons was not just there. So, now that we have acquired the weapons, we have seen the same military that we used to know, Nigerian military that participated in international campaigns and they came back with merits, with commendations. Now that we have almost won the war, the question is, what next? Well, there is still the second war that we must win. The second war to win in the North-east; is to win the war against poverty. We must improve the infrastructural facilities in the North-east; we must equally put in place the master plan that will galvanize the socioeconomic development of the region, we must do all that we can to improve the well being of the whole of Nigerians and the Northeast. There is the need for us to come out with a robust master plan that will assimilate those who were victims of the insurgency, compensation for those who have lost families put in place, industries established to galvanize socio-economic activities and engage people. These are the issues we must start thinking about. We thank God that we are winning the war. I commend the military. I commend President Goodluck Jonathan for his determination to see an end to this war. Jonathan is re-contesting because there are more challenges to be resolved and one major achievement of this administration is the fact that now we are seeing the government winning the war against insurgency. You have been consistent in your support for the reelection of President Goodluck Jonathan while you seem to maintain a deep seated patriotism for the North. Now, since a northerner is the candidate of the man opposition party, if truly you are patriotic to the North, why are you supporting a Southerner for the position of President? General Muhammadu Buhari is not a candidate of the North.

*Sen Adeyemi

Jonathan is re-contesting because there are more challenges to be resolved and one major achievement of this administration is the fact that now we are seeing the government winning the war against insurgency The fact that he emerged as a flag bearer doesn’t make him the candidate of the North. Buhari emerged as a result of the coming together of aggrieved people in the PDP who formed APC. If the North wanted to have a candidate, Buhari cannot be the candidate because the North will be looking forward to having somebody who will be a replica of the Sardauna of Sokoto. Buhari does not fit into the shoes of the Sarduana because he lacks the qualities of a leader for the northern region. Buhari emerged as a result of people who are manipulating the political system in Nigeria. People believe that if Buhari is allowed to come, they will be able to use him because of his age. By the time you have someone who is over 70, he is out of this generation, he doesn’t know what is happening. At my age, there are things I don’t know about the world that my children tell me even as a senator today not to talk of Buhari who is a father to me. The North will not be seen to be making progress to adopt Buhari as a candidate. Are you saying that we have not been able to raise new generation of leaders after Buhari when he was a head of state? Buhari, to me, is being used by those who want him knowing fully well that age is not on his side and, perhaps, as it is being said, that his state of health is not strong enough to carry the office of president. So, they want us to experience another crisis which may come if you have a president who is not strong,

a president that cannot meet his obligations. When that happens we will have a situation where the vice will become the de facto president. That is not good for our system, that is not good for our diversity as a people. If the North is to produce a president, it will look at the 19 states and bring somebody it feels will deliver; somebody that all of us will rally round and be proud to say this is a leader and not a man with the kind of background of Buhari. Buhari’s background is not challenging enough, Buhari’s background is not a background that is good for democracy. Buhari emerged as a leader through military dictatorship. Buhari truncated the democratic government in place, he owes Nigerians apology for some of the atrocities his military government committed. Now for you to have another military government is to remind us of that era when people were whipped on the street. Buhari’s government was draconian, it was a government that oppressed the people, it was a government that showed no human face, it was a government that messed up our tertiary institutions, traditional rulers were maltreated. Buhari government came and oppressed us to the point of death. I do not see how I can support that kind of a man who has not apologized to the Nigerian people How will the second term of

Jonathan benefit the North? It will benefit the North because Jonathan will complete some of the projects he is embarking on that affect the North. If you go to Lagos today, you will see the expansion of Lagos/Ibadan express way, they are now making it four lanes. The implication is that the bulk of the movement of goods between the North and South will pay the North because more than three quarter of the trucks and trailers we have in Nigeria today are owned by northerners. Look at the number of universities that the administration has established, look at the number of power stations that are under construction in the North. Look at the number of roads in the North that are under construction. A lot is at stake for us in the North if Jonathan does not come back. But, more importantly, let us look at it from the political point of view; if you don’t have Jonathan, the question will now be, what is the position of the Niger Delta because Goodluck represents the South-South zone? After Goodluck, you cannot have another president from the South-South zone in the next 50 years except with the hand of God in it. After Jonathan, the mantle of leadership will crossover to the North, so, whenever it goes to the North, it is for the North to decide, we will have northerners running virtually in all the political parties. Don’t equally forget that the most diverse region in Nigeria is the North. Now, we have political reforms, National Conference where suggestions were made for creation of more states and local governments, restructuring of this country. The asset of any government is the people, the North has the highest population. So if we have Jonathan back, he is going to implement reports of the National Conference which may give us more states. I support creation of more states because I believe it is going to galvanize socio-economic activities, it is going to create more job opportunities and it is going to probably reduce corruption because you share what you have. It is not a must that states must operate on the same frequency. If your state can

afford 50 commissioners and my state can afford only five, let my state govern itself with only five commissioners, but what is important is you have the opportunity of developing at your own speed; that was the way it was in the region before. If we have Goodluck back, it pays us because we will now have a candidate from the North after him, four years cannot kill the North, we will now have a candidate that will now run full fledge eight years from the northern region. It will amount to still birth to ask Goodluck not to complete his tenure.

SUNDAY

BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU

hough his meeting with media executives provoked some thoughts and flashed back to the frosty brushes he had with them under a draconian law, the outcome, however, showcased genuine remorse and commitment to uphold media freedom. The inside story of the meeting between the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress, APC, General Muhammadu Buhari, and the media practitioners, held in Abuja, Tuesday. Whether the idea was his or that he was drafted into it, it was a fantastic move. And to some extent, it paid off. His meeting with the proprietors, editors and senior members of the media, last week, was, indeed, a worthy venture that may have, according to many people, mended broken fences. Before now, certain undercurrents emanating from the issue were the albatross hanging on his neck, the baggage factly militating against his presidential ambition. Many people who lived through his days as military Head of State between December 31,1983 and August 27,1985 hated some of his actions. Among them were journalists. In a move to get things right some 30 years ago, General Muhammadu Buhari, then Nigeria’s military ruler, got it wrong. He was one Head of State who thought he had the magic wand to effect attitudinal change in Nigerian. And so, it didn’t matter whether he went dictatorial to achieve his aim; Though many people are wont to say he to effect dealt a blow to corruption with his dictatorial actions, there is the school of thought that believes criticism was far less an entertainer in his military junta. And so, Buhari promulgated what was then seen as the most draconian decree in the world (Decree 4 of 1984) to gag the press. The fall out of that misadventure was the jailing of two editors from The Guardian Newspapers, Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson. The general had his reasons though, but the the truth remained that, that unhealthy development injured the wall of the relationship between Buhari and the media. But Buhari has since retired from the military, removed his khaki and robed himself in the civilian robe. His perspectives have also changed just as the military exuberance and the dictatorial tendencies in him are gone. Feelers show that Buhari’s despotic stance had cost him the presidency since 2003. First, he ran under the defunct All Nigerians Peoples Party, ANPP, in 2003. He also faced the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in the 2007 presidential election and later formed the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, in 2010 under which he contested for president in 2011 and lost to incumbent President Goodluck C M Y K

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 47

Buhari’s regrets and fencemending with the media speech. Page 1 of 2 any of you are aware of Decree 4 of 1984, which was heavily criticized. I have said elsewhere that I cannot change the past. “But I can change the present and the future. Dictatorship goes with military rule as do edicts such as Decree 4. However, I am a former—former, note the emphasis on the word ‘former’— military ruler and now a converted democrat, who is ready to operate under democratic norms.”

•Buhari

Jonathan. The general, now flying the flag of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as its presidential candidate for the imminent general elections, all things being equal, has since admitted being a convert in the democratic experience. He said he has internalized the democratic pathos and ethos, promising that, if voted in as the next president of Nigeria, his actions and inactions shall be within the confines of the Constitution. This was his pledge to the world at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, popularly called Chatham House, London, on Thursday, February 26. Face to face with media practitioners In an effort to bury the confrontations of the past and broker peace between him and the media whose services and expertise he would definitely need should he win the election, Buhari ,on Tuesday, March 17, met with media proprietors under the umbrella of Nigeria Proprietors Association of Nigeria , NPAN, editors and the representatives of the private and public broadcast media in Nigeria. In the interactive session, held at the Sheraton Hotels, Abuja ,which produced media chief executives such as Chairman of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr Sam Amuka, his counterpart from ThisDay Newspapers, Mr. Nduka Obaigbena, amongst others, Buhari promised to uphold media freedom and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Commending the media for their efforts in upholding the

tenets of democracy, the presidential hopeful, in what appeared like a re-echo of his promises at the Chantham House, admitted that he is now a democratic convert, saying that what transpired during his days as the military Head of State belonged to the past. He said: “I want to use the opportunity to say a special thank you to the Nigerian media for the role you have played in advancing our country’s democracy thus far, and especially for being a platform through which Nigerians’ cry for change was articulated all around the world. “On newspaper pages, TV screens and radio waves, the alarming depth of corruption and impunity in our country, the terrifying level of insecurity, and the grim state of our economy were kept constantly before the world’s eyes, making it impossible for the current government to doctor the truth, despite their meanest efforts. “I urge you to not relent in your role as watchdogs, to continue to be the voice of the people. The health of Nigeria’s democracy rests partly on you. Without a robust and thriving media, the masses would have no voice. The electorate would also not have sufficient information to make sound decisions, such as deciding to vote out a clueless government and vote in change”. “I want to give you my full assurances that in this democratic dispensation, I will ensure that the Nigerian constitution is upheld. This includes respect for the media, respect for the right to free expression and freedom of

Drama over jail sentences Trust the media. Even if the practitioners have forgiven Buhari, a part of it would always recall the dark ages. There is, therefore, no gainsaying of the fact that the meeting afforded the members of the media executives an opportunity to touch the grey areas and they did. Hardly had Buhari concluded his address when the meeting entered into question and answer session. It was Obaigbena who, like the gadfly, fired the first question to Buhari, asking if he was prepared to offer an apology for jailing the two Guardian journalists in 1984. The question quieted the room as many waited to hear what would be Buhari’s response. But his campaign Director-General, Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Chibuike Ameachi, swifty got up. Amaechi immediately reached for the microphone and repeated Buhari’s earlier words, saying, “I think the general has answered the question when he said ‘I cannot change the past, but I can change the present and the future’.” The response prompted subdued reactions from the audience. While some thought Amaechi would have allowed Buhari to answer the question himself if even he had to repeat what he had said earlier, others felt that the question was mischievous in the light of the fact that Buhari has literally regretted his actions and called for reconciliation. But whatever it was, everyone swallowed hard as the issue was never revisited while the meeting lasted. Perhaps, two other issues that were catchy at the session were whether Buhari would form a national government if he wins the polls and why he shunned the presidential debate with Jonathan. On the formation of a unity government, he said: “This is an issue which cannot be decided by a presidential candidate. It is a serious party issue that must be subjected to thorough discussion. Just because I have earned the presidential candidature by winning the primaries doesn’t mean I will impose my personal opinion on an issue as this. The party hierarchy must participate in important national decisions.”

Giving reasons for not appearing at the presidential debate, Buhari said there was nothing to debate about with the PDP which he said has misgoverned Nigeria for 16 years. “To be fair to me, and to Mr President, after 16 years of PDP, and six years of his time, is there anything to debate about? To be fair? Very seriously you know the condition we are in with our experiences no matter who you are. So what should I debate there? I will give you the latest, when INEC submitted a comprehensive document on the 14th of February election to the National Council of State, a number of us made comments. “INEC did a good job and they put it on record because, after submitting a document, you can’t withdraw it, of what they have been doing, from 2011 to date including training of personnel, acquiring election materials, how they have been distributing them, how they secured them. “In fact, when I was commenting I commented on page eleven, paragraph 2 and 3 and they were they are ready to conduct elections because then they achieved about 60 percent of distribution of these materials. In the previous elections, it was never better than 45 percent, even then they were prepared but then somehow, the military told them they could guarantee their security unless six weeks were given. Mercifully for Nigeria, those six weeks are within the constitutional perimeter in conducting the elections. “So INEC did not hesitate to recommend that they should be allowed to give the military the six weeks. But the reason used has exposed the inefficiency of the leadership because then there were 14 local governments that were in the hands of Boko Haram. Ten in Borno, two in Yobe, and two in Adamawa. So if some common sense is to be used to adduce our position on security, if the Nigerian military cannot secure Nigerian 14 councils out of 774 local governments in six years, how can they do it in six weeks? We are watching. “There are about ten more days to go in the six weeks. Let’s see whether, in spite of the help of our generous neighbors, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, whether the remaining local governments can be secured. For the presidential debate, you have a lot of persuasion to do to convince me”. Last line For an institution that suffered fate in the hands of a former dictator under an obnoxious law, it would be somewhat difficult to forget. But from the feelers at the meeting, it does appear that someone has shown a remorse and someone has also forgiven. Given Buhari’s elaborate promise at home and abroad to stick to democratic ideals upon his declaration as president, many analysts reckon that it follows to give him a chance to, at least, prove himself of being a born-again democrat. But will this happen? Saturday, March 28 has the answer.

PAGE 48—SUNDAY

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

The attitude of the opposition parties to govt calls for concern

Alhaji Gani Galadima

—Galadima, ACPN presidential candidate

•‘Why Saraki’s children are not in the party founded by their father’ BY LEVINUS NWA B U G H I O G U Penultimate Saturday was a very busy day for the presidential candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, ACPN, Alhaji Gani Galadima. From the palace of Magaji Ilorin, Kwara State, Alhaji Dauda Fagba, where a special prayer session was held by top Islamic clerics for him, he proceeded to Erin-Ile in Oyun Local Government Area of the state in continuation of his campaigns. He paid a courtesy call on the traditional ruler of Erin-Ile. Galadima later had a session with journalists who went round with him. Excerpts: You kicked off your campaign with a prayer session in Magaji Ilorin’s palace. Why did you choose to take that step? There is a portion of the Q”uran that says prayer is the tool of success. In Ilorin where I come from we don’t worship any other thing besides God. People from all over the world come to Ilorin for special prayer. And, honestly speaking, what my people have done is the highest honour they can give to me: that is to prepare me for the challenges ahead. This prayer came up on the 7th of March whereas the earlier dates fixed for the elections were 14th and 28th of Febr uary. Why are you just starting your campaign now? We didn’t just start our campaign. We have travelled the length and breadth of this country; only that we were not making noise because we didn’t have the resources to pull the kind of crowds that PDP and APC gathered in their campaigns because we don’t have access to the state or federal resources. PDP is in government. They are controlling the Federal Government and about 18 states. Similarly, the APC controls several states. So the two parties have access to state resources but we don’t have. And you know where you do not have, you have to cut your coat according to your size. So we have been working with in the limit of our resources. Now back to the prayer, it was held today because for some time I have not been around because of the national assignment that I have been saddled with. I haven’t been in Ilorin in the last three months and my people have C M Y K

missed me so much. There have been several calls for this prayer and I think today presented itself because I am in Ilorin and they thought they should further prepare me and that is the reason the people of my community put the prayer together. You said you have been campaigning. What are the pragrammes you have sold to the people? The program we are presenting to the electorate is simple; everybody knows the problems of this country. There is the problem of insecurity. There is the problem of hunger. Millions of Nigerian youths, graduates and school leavers are roaming the streets with nothing to do. It is not that God has not blessed this country. Nigeria is a country blessed with milk and honey. We have so many resources. It is just that over the years, our leaders haven’t done enough to create jobs. Before independence, the main stay of Nigeria’s economy was agriculture. There was groundnut pyramid in the North. In the South, there was cocoa, coffee, rubber and other mineral resources all over the country that are untapped. But successive governments in this country have not done enough to create jobs. There is unstable electricity which has led to factories relocating to neighbouring countries. Go to Oghere industrial layout, most of the factories have been turned to churches. I mentioned it earlier in our campaign to the people today that I worked at Global Soap and Detergents Industry as a labourer when I was a fresh graduate. But now Global Soap and Detergents Industry has closed down because of unstable electricity and the fact that they had to power their machines with diesel which cost so much. So, when it became too expensive people prefer to import to producing things in Nigeria. That is what led to joblessness and the thrust of our campaign is to deregulate to allow the private sector to drive the economy and create jobs. In other climes, government doesn’t have business with businesses and you know the position of Nigeria government business. They don’t consider it as their own as it is done in China and other parts of the world. Look at the magic we are witnessing in the telecomm sector. It is

The program we are presenting to the electorate is simple; everybody knows the problems of this country. There is the problem of insecurity because the industry is not controlled by anybody and, as such, there was a direct foreign investment into Nigeria. If they can do this in other sectors of the economy, Nigeria will be better for it and jobs will be created. You were quoted as saying that your policy in the energy sector will be such that will control or discourage importation of fuel and generators set? How do you mean? There are so many opportunities for Nigeria to tap from but we are not looking at these sectors. Our successive governments took delight in the importation of petroleum products which is not beneficial to our economy. We have plenty

crude, export it and import the end products. Are we losing or gaining? From the crude that we sell, China realises more than 100 products from it; you can now imagine if Nigeria is able to refine its petroleum locally the number of jobs that would be created in the chemical industry, in the drug industry, in fertilizer and other sectors that use the by-product. The problem we have is that we are not helping ourselves and our people and it is because the government doesn’t consider it as their responsibility to assist the people. Go to the creeks, there are local refiners. Why can’t we encourage them to refine for us? Rome wasn’t built in a day. China didn’t start in a day; even America didn’t start in a day. There is a way we can produce the petroleum products that we consume locally. You are r unning for the highest office in the land. But it does appear that your party, APCN, is not well known across the country. If really you have travelled round the country campaigning, can you tell us the level of your acceptability by the Nigerian people who are going to vote for you. If you have not, why? Our party is known all over the country. We have presence in the 36 states in the country including the FCT. We have participated in the previous elections in this country. Our party participated in Anambra governorship election and we came fifth. We participated in the Ondo governorship election and we also came fifth. We participated in the Ekiti governorship election and we came fourth. In Osun, we came fourth. The point is that, before this time, efforts have not been made by former leaders of this party to really do something. Now, we are contesting election

in 24 states of the federation. So, do you say a party that is contesting election in 24 states is not known? We are contesting governorship in 18 states. Is that not enough? Let’s now talk about your state politics. Your party was founded by the late Dr. Olusola Saraki. But it appears his children are not following his legacy. They have all ditched the party for APC and PDP. Do you think they have betrayed both of you? Honestly, I have never felt being betrayed because political party is a matter of choice and every Nigerian has the right to belong to any political party he or she wishes. When our great leader, Dr. Abubakar Olushola Saraki, was alive, he was in ACPN while the eldest son was in PDP. In 1999, we were with him in APP but his son was in the PDP. So, it is a matter of choice. Whether the family or the children are in the party or not is immaterial. What is important is that the political party is a platform. It is not a family party. It is a Nigerian party and thank God that Dr. Abubakar Olushola Saraki was been able to lay the foundation for the party to be kept afloat and we are building on that. May we know how many candidates you fielded in the elections? We are fielding candidates for the senatorial and House of Representatives elections. In the governorship election, we are fielding candidates in Kwara, Lagos, Oyo, Sokoto, Kano states and so on and so forth. So you can see that the membership of our party cuts across Nigeria. Some people have the

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SUNDAY

Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 49

I’ll be governor for all Deltans — Okowa •’My track record makes

me the frontrunner’

BY CHARLES KUMOLU

he Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, in this interview, offers insight into his political trajectory and vision for the state. Okowa, who displays his mastery of the peculiar concerns of those he seeks to govern, is confident of emerging the fourth civilian governor of the state. You have had town hall meetings across the 20 local government areas out of the 25 in the state. Can we know how successful they were? Having gone to 20 local government areas out of the 25 local government areas, I can say that we have gotten a huge success far beyond what I did expect from the beginning. And the whole concept came about from the realisation that we need to do more on our previous campaign. During the local government rallies, people gathered to listen to us without having the opportunity of responding to what we had to say. The town hall meetings offered us the opportunity of knowing the challenges they are going through in the electioneering process. In all the meetings there were at least 200 to 300 people who were selected by the people themselves. The selection cut across the various strata of the society; it was not just limited to the political class. The various levels of community leadership including women and youth groups were represented. It has been quite enriching because it gave us the opportunity of knowing what their challenges are. Through that discourse we have been able to understand their feelings and we gave the assurance that we will address all their concerns. I think we left every one of those local governments we visited better informed and better understood. We now have a more reconciled people and a united family. I am not talking about the political family alone, but the entire populace in those places. I think that is something that should be held regularly beyond our electoral victory. In specific terms, can you tell us some of the peculiar challenges you discovered during the course of these meetings? We found out that some people were aggrieved as a result of the processes leading to the primaries. They were of the opinion that things could have been done better, and this was not necessarily about the governorship race. So we needed to have a better interface with those who lost the primaries. One thing we have learnt during the town hall meetings is that the youth don’t wish to be seen as insignificant in the scheme of things. Issues also came from the women who complained that they work very hard during the elections but they were usually

forgotten at the end of the elections. They said they needed women to be more participatory in the postelection period. I agree with them and I think that more women need to be engaged in the process of governance. That was also a very clear issue. There were a lot of issues bordering on the neglect of some communities. That is an issue that needs to be tackled because if we want to be fair and just, we should be able to address their complaints. Some people have talked about infrastructural development in the cities and the need to extend it to the rural communities. I know that a lot has been done in Delta especially in the rural areas but we used the opportunity to reassure the people about our commitment to a holistic development programme. We will try to be fair to all. There were lots of issues, but the key issue for me is that the youth want to engage in politics and they also want assurance of a better future for them. They demanded that they be empowered through employment and any means the government considers meaningful. We are looking forward to putting processes in place to achieve that. It also gave us the opportunity of telling the youth on the importance of being responsible and staying peaceful. Prior to the town hall meetings, your campaign across the state was adjudged to be impressive in every way. What does it feel like considering the intrigues that characterised the build up to the primaries that produced you as the PDP candidate? I have been a politician for a very long period. So the intrigues that characterised the process were very normal. There was nothing unusual about it because everybody going into the race plans to win. Eventually the grace of God made my emergence possible. And having won the primaries election there was need for true reconciliation. The first step was to get the backing of the governor to enable us have that reconciliation and he immediately provided the platform for us to do that within two days after the primaries were held. On December 10, 2014, we were able to have a meeting with the aspirants who contested with me. Of the 23 of us, about 14 were at the meeting. It was a very useful meeting where we spoke to ourselves on a number of issues. From that moment we were able to cement the relationship. Everything we agreed on, worked out successfully. We agreed to have a Campaign Council with a membership that comprises the governor, his deputy, state party chairman and all the aspirants that contested with me. That actually brought a lot of confidence into the entire campaign machinery. And since then we have had robust outings and I think we have done very well. Our structures are present

•Senator Ifeanyi Okowa

The state has witnessed massive infrastructural development in the last 16 years. A lot of progress has been made but government as you know is a continuum

in every ward in the state and the results we are getting are encouraging and enriching. If you look at the political composition of the state, you will find out that it is only the PDP that has structures, physical and human, in every ward in the state. Others are waiting for manna to fall from heaven because they are just grandstanding and waiting for an endorsement. They are actually not into serious campaigning and that it not the way politics works. We will remain steadfast in our campaign till the last day and we believe that we will win massively. How were you able to get some of these aspirants into working for you and how significant has their contribution been? I think the greatest point is the fact that the primaries was actually adjudged to be free and fair. That was what enabled us to come together to work for the party even though it means working for me to be governor. But it is all about the PDP. I am just the face of the party going into the general election. The night after the primaries, I walked up to the governor and thanked him for allowing a free and fair contest. If we did not have a free and fair process, it would have been difficult to convince those who lost to participate in the process. That was the strongest point that united us because everybody acknowledged that the process was free and fair. The other reason is that they all genuinely love the PDP. The governor was also instrumental to the unity because he created a platform for us to sit together and talk within 48 hours. And the contestants were also statesmanlike in their conduct because within 24 hours after the election all of them actually called to congratulate me, which meant that they accepted the result. Even during the days leading up to the primaries, we were in touch with one another. We did not see it as a do or die affair. Most of us were still

chatting on phone and, even those we did not chat with, any time we met at events or programmes we had good fellowship together. The process was such that we did not have to resort to abusing ourselves. We still saw ourselves as brothers and sisters. So, there was no loss of friendship at any point in time and that made it quite easy for us to come together after the primaries . Beyond some of these things you said about the incumbent governor, can you point at other significant contributions he made towards the robust outings you have so far had? He established the initial platforms for the meetings that we had. From these meetings we were able to move forward. That was quite significant. In our first campaign rally where flags were given to all the candidates of the party, he was there to lead the process. We left there and went to his local government. In some other functions he was with us. I recall that his wife also joined us at some of the campaigns. And these are quite significant contributions. He has also supported the campaign in the best ways that he could. But the fact is that he has assisted in creating an enabling environment for us to move forward in our campaign. The important thing is being able to get everybody on board. Our family is now a well-blended family. The governor is the coordinator of the PDP presidential campaign, and he is campaigning for the President and myself. We have all tried to bring a synergy into the process of campaign. So, it is one happy PDP family here in Delta. Give us an insight into your SMART Agenda for Deltans and what is the disposition of the people towards your manifesto of prosperity for all? We have actually spoken to the people about what we stand for and we know that there is a lot of expectation from the people. We have adopted a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to development encapsulated in our five-point agenda with the acronym S.M.A.R.T. The state has witnessed massive infrastructural development in the last 16 years. A lot of progress has been made but government as you know is a continuum. One of the greatest challenges of our day is the issue of youth unemployment which is a global issue. Within the African context, families are not able to create the needed wealth for a sustainable family economy. That is a major challenge because if we don’t deal with that we are going to run into big trouble as a society. And if we don’t address issues relating to the restive youth population, it will remain a ticking time bomb. That is why we are going to prioritize wealth generation and job creation as a government. It is our first priority. To create wealth and maintain the current peace that we enjoy in Delta state, we are committed to agricultural reform and accelerated industrialisation. Over 60 per cent of our people are still engaged in farming, so we must assist them to develop and grow in such a manner that they can prosper in whatever form of farming they engage in. We will find a way to support them to expand beyond where they are. What that means is that we have to rework the agricultural process by restructuring the Agricultural Development Programme, ADP. It

Continues on page 50 C M Y K

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Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

’My track record makes me the frontrunner’ Continued from page 49 will be structured to provide extension services with the purpose of stimulating and increasing production. A key component of our agricultural programme is to develop industrial estates that will encourage more of agro processing industries because this will also help stimulate agricultural production in the state. Once our farmers know that there is ready market for their produce, that they will not be exposed to the vagaries of fluctuating market prices and lack of storage, they will produce more and be empowered economically in the process. We already have the Warri Industrial Business Park that is just being constructed. It is our hope to take it to a stage of full completion. We also plan to build more industrial estates that will be geared towards the agri-sector. In industrial estate, government will provide the necessary infrastructure such as roads, light, and water. Once a company knows it doesn’t have to worry about these amenities it has all the needed incentive to come and establish in a place. With this enabling environment it is more likely that industries will have the needed incentive to be cited in Delta. Another critical aspect of our manifesto is the refocusing and strengthening of our technical education. At some point in time in this country, technical education was greatly encouraged. Even during the military we embraced technical education but unfortunately we missed our way in this regard at some point in our political evolution. It is so bad that today Nigerians have to import people from other countries to do

their plumbing, electrical, and construction work. That should not happen in a country where there are millions of unemployed youths. We need to re-engineer technical education as soon as possible though it is not something that can happen overnight. Some of our schools will be redeveloped and the curricula will be sharpened to provide more technical education. The current administration has done so well in terms of health, making Delta state the best performing state in that respect. There are three key programmes that have helped in this regard. They include; the rural healthcare programme (a programme implemented to offer free health care services to the poorer section of the society), free maternal healthcare programme that is allowed at government hospitals and the free under-five treatment programme. These programmes are very enabling and we intend to continue them. We also want to introduce, from the beginning, a legislation that will enable Deltans benefit from community health insurance scheme under the Universal Health Insurance Policy. That is the way to go because it will make our families spend less on healthcare. The primary healthcare centres will also be developed. We are also mindful of the fact that we have to develop our urban centres and regenerate our environment. Through our urban renewal programme at least one city or settlement in each of the ten federal constituencies. We shall also embark on beautification of our cities taking into cognizance cultural uniqueness, environmental improvement, and the general atmosphere of such towns/cities to

If someone aspires to govern a state, he will need to be a governor of all ethnic nationalities within that state. So, when you begin to drum your support based from one ethnic nationality to the exclusion of the other four ethnic groups, it portends some level of danger and it is not right

discourage rural-urban migration. It is our hope to have enough funds for all these through improved Internally Generated Revenue. We are also hoping that the economy grows beyond what it is now. But all the same when we come on board we will review our IGR approach to generate more. Before the commencement of your campaign, there were fears that a particular section of the state, the Urhobo may not support you. What is the situation now? They may not have been disposed to my candidacy because at the time of the campaign everybody said different things to get the votes of

the party delegates. Before the primaries I did go to the Urhobo Progress Union and explained to them what my background is and my unshakeable commitment to be the governor of all Deltans. I did reassure them that I was going to be a fair and equitable governor. I am not a stranger to all the ethnic groupings in the state. I have been with them and they know me. And I have a track that can be relied upon. They acknowledged that I am suitable for the job. They also told me that they would rather wish to have their son as governor but that if I emerged, they would support me. I remember that conversation very well. We did have that kind of explanation before we started hearing dissenting opinions. Since the primaries were free and fair it is the responsibility of every one to support me. The aspirant they supported, Olorogun David Edevbie has been working for my success. The Urhobos are my friends and brothers. I don’t have any cause to believe that even those who speak about Urhobo son becoming governor hate me. That is just their view, and I cannot deny them their right to air their views. But I know majority of the Urhobos are favourably disposed to my candidacy and that showed itself in our rallies. It has also become very evident in the interactive sessions we are having. So, I believe that a larger proportion of them are still backing my candidacy. I have no cause to truly complain because the result would speak at the end of the day. I have respect for all the ethnic groups in Delta and it is my wish that we grow as one happy Delta family because that is the only way we can grow and inspire hope in our children. I also believe that even

those who are insisting that it must be their son are committed to the peaceful coexistence of the state. They may some other reasons for choosing the cause they have chosen. We need everybody on board to develop the Delta of our dream. The current and emerging electoral map has projected you ahead of other candidates in this race. But your major opponents appear to be riding on the strength of endorsement. Are you concerned about that? As a politician I will say that I am concerned to the extent that I believe that my brother who may be placing his hope on ethnic endorsement is not leading Delta in the right cause. I want to see a peaceful and united Delta. And if someone aspires to govern a state, he will need to be a governor of all ethnic nationalities within that state. So, when you begin to drum your support based from one ethnic nationality to the exclusion of the other four ethnic groups, it portends some level of danger and it is not right. And I think if all that they are only interested in is getting the Urhobo votes, the best option would have been to run for the senate and obviously not for the governorship of the state because they will probably make a very good representation at the senate. I actually reach out to very part of the state because I want their votes because I know that I want to be governor of all. It is when you run a proper campaign that you will get the confidence of the people through their votes. You cannot be a good governor of the people when you don’t care about their votes. If I don’t care about the Ijaw why should I wish to be their governor? Same applies to other ethnic groups. I don’t think it is the right trend but I also do know that it is usually unlikely that anyone can emerge governor through that kind of strategy.

‘Why Saraki’s children are not in the party founded by their father’ Continued from page 48 impression that some smaller parties are loyal to either APC or PDP. Many even believe that before the election, some candidates might step down for Jonathan or Buhari. Where do you stand? What you are saying is not impossible in politics because sometimes when you feel you can’t make it alone, there is nothing wrong if you call other parties to come and join you for you to be able win an election. In fact, as I speak with you, we have been approached by some n o n - g o v e r n m e n t a l organisations seeking our support for President Jonathan to able to win election. National Unity Group invited us. They gave reasons they wanted us to support the re-election bid of Jonathan. So, it is not impossible. Even in other climes it is done. It is done in Britain and America. Even in Nigeria, it has been done in the past. In 1979, it was a coalition of the NPN and the NPP that formed the National Assembly for the NPN to get the required seats in the House of Reps and the Senate to form the government. So, if a bigger party approaches any other party for support, of course, there is nothing wrong with it. So, if such offer comes to you now, will you step down? No, the ACPN will not step down for anybody. Even though we are not stepping down, that does not becloud our judgement to be able to say the facts about C M Y K

the government. As an opposition party, we want a perfect government, a perfect society. We want things to be right but if a government performs well in the some sectors of the country, there is nothing wrong in saying it. Today, while the prayer was going on, I asked them to pray for Jonathan because he can’t do everything alone. In some sectors, he has been able to record some successes and even the Quran enjoins us to prayer for our leaders. Whether we are in PDP, ACPN, APC, Jonathan is our president. Some of the worries of the opposition parties, especially the ones outside government, often times is intimidation by the bigger, ruling parties. Some times, they feel victimised also. Will you say your party has experienced such in the build up to the elections? It has been so far, so good. We have not experienced that. Hostility in the present dispensation is between PDP and APC because they don’t see us as a big partner. As you can see, In Kwara State we move freely without being disturbed and, in our campaign, we never spoke about anybody. We address issues. One incident occurred in Erin-Ile while you went to the house of the traditional r uler. Can you tell us why your entourage couldn’t meet with the oba eventually? What happened was that there was a clash in the programmes.

As an opposition party, we want a perfect government, a perfect society. We want things to be right but if a government performs well in some sectors of the country, there is nothing wrong in saying it

In our itinerary, we planned to pay respect to the Elerin. But a few minutes to the time we got there, there was information that APC was in the palace. That is why the Elerin sent the information to us that our visit to him should be postponed. We will still visit him because our candidate for that federal constituency is from there. And it will not be proper in our society for you to enter a community without paying respect to the traditional ruler. In January, the presidential candidates signed a peace pact. Going by the happenings, would you say, the pact has been breached?

The accord is being breached by APC and PDP because of desperation. APC is desperate to go into Aso Rock and PDP doesn’t want to quit. So in such a situation there is a clash of interest and they have also added bitterness which is not good for our democracy. The two parties do not see each other as coming to serve Nigeria. Politics is not a do- or-die affair. That our party is contesting for the presidency is not a do-or-die affair. If the Nigerian people say it is not yet time for your party, we will accept and congratulate whoever wins the election and also work with the government. It is only in Nigeria that opposition parties just criticise government anyhow, putting their own interest above that of the nation. In other countries, if you must criticise the country, after pin-pointing the areas where the government is not doing enough, you will offer suggestions so that the government can move forward. The PDP government led by Jonathan is our government and it is the responsibility of all Nigerians to support the president. In specific terms, can you tell us your party ’s manifesto? It is in our manifesto that the economy should be deregulated and proceeds used to subsidise other cognitive sectors like the agriculture that has been abandoned for quite some time now. A lot of jobs can be created for teeming Nigerian youths in the agric sector. This can only be achieved if government

allows the rural areas to drive the economy because all the resources of the country are in the rural areas and the rural areas are bedevilled with a lot of problems like infrastructure, no electricity, no good roads, no water and, because of this, young school leavers now leave the rural areas enmasse to seek greener pastures in the cities that are not available. If you can provide good roads, electricity, water; if the same life that can be enjoyed in the cities can be enjoyed in the rural areas, movement of people from the rural areas to the city will be stopped. What is your take on the introduction of card readers for the elections and the rate of PVCs collection so far? The use of card reader for the election is a good thing and it is desirable but the point is this; is it allowed by the relevant Act. What the Electoral Act says in Section 52 is that no electronic devices should be used for election for the time being in Nigeria. And even if INEC is coming with the card reader and other devices; has it done adequate voter’s education? Are the people aware of the importance of the card reader? And it is not only the card reader that is generating so much controversy. There are other issues that have not been explained. As the National Chairman of my party, in the last meeting we had with INEC, we argued over other things in addition to the card reader. people say yes, we want you to

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SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 53

Former legislators advise Jega on effective use of card reader BY OLAYINKA AJAYI

Presidential election: Fallacy of the EURASIA poll BY GODWIN SOGOLO On Sunday, March 15, newspapers were awash with an obviously syndicated news report of an opinion poll purportedly conducted by Eurasia Group, predicting victory for General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The publication, carried by the Nation Newspaper, two days after, attributed the report to one Philippe de Pontet, a spokesman of Eurasia Group, an outfit described by the paper as “the world’s largest political risk consultancy firm”. Reading through the publication, there can be no doubt that it fits more into the mould of an opinion article than the report of an election poll. An opinion poll, by definition, is a forecast of the future outcome of an event, using variable indices. It is supposed to be scientific in nature to the extent that it must be rule-governed. In other words, given a cluster of existing facts, the poll points to a predictable outcome that is bound to follow. But, because polls are about social events, consequent upon human conditions, they tend to be adulterated by certain personal views and judgements. The problem with the socalled Eurasia poll, as reported, is that it contains no evidence of any poll actually conducted. Apart from the figures of 60% for Buhari and 40% for Jonathan, and some phony statistics of survey attributed to the Center for Public Policy Alternatives, Afrobarometer and 1PS0S/ Eurasia Group, there is nothing to suggest the methodology applied, coverage, sample range, where or when the survey was conducted. Rather, the report, from top to bottom, is the expressed opinion of an individual. More disastrous for the Eurasia Group, the report is a curious replication of the political manifesto of the APC, almost suggesting that Mr. Philippe de Pontet is a spokesman of the party, rather than of a research group. He betrayed the bogusness of the so-called survey, when he confessed at the beginning of the report that “we had long viewed Goodluck Jonathan as a favourite to win the re-election” until “a number of factors now lead us to believe the edge has swung in Buhari’s favour”. So, extraneous “factors”, rather than the results of a survey gave Buhari the victory! How did the factors give rise to a result of 60% for Buhari and 40% for Jonathan? From the publication, the “factors” turn out to be the very campaign points of the APC. One of them, for instance, is President Jonathan’s incumbency and financial advantage which, according to the Eurasia Group, have been “blunted by the intensity of support for Buhari, lacklustre grassroots campaigning by the PDP and new anti-rigging measures by the Electoral Commission. New permanent

voting cards and card readers will sharply reduce the level of rigging seen in 2011, when Jonathan beat Buhari in landslide.” These are points commonly made by APC chieftains, at campaign rallies, during television and radio talk-shows, on social media and in drinking parlours. The bias of the Eurasia Group was difficult to conceal in the publication. It conveniently referred to polls conducted by organizations such as the Center for Public Policy Alternatives and Afrobarometer which favoured Buhari. Not only did the Group find merit in what it described as the IPSOS/Eurasia model for predicting elections, according to which “incumbents have a hard time winning re-election when their approval ratings are below 40%”. The Group confessed ignorance of Jonathan’s current rating but ingeniously reasoned that since it was 50% at the end of last year, “he is below 40% now”, in which case, he is bound to lose the election. Warped Logic! A large part of the Eurasia report is a rehash of APC’s mastra of combating insecurity and corruption, if voted into power. Like the APC, the so-called poll was reported to have scored President Jonathan low in his efforts at confronting insurgency in the North East, despite the remarkable successes of the security forces. The poll also had it that the President “is not fighting corruption” and that Buhari was better equipped for this important task. Not surprisingly, the report of the poll also under-valued the various achievements of the Jonathan administration. Wait a minute! Are we discussing the report of an opinion poll or the campaign material of an arm of a political party? The last part of the report in question contains the manifesto of the APC and what General Buhari intends to do, if voted into power – his economic reforms, anti-corruption measures, ways of tackling insecurity in the North East and Niger Delta. The report of the Eurasia poll

follows a familiar pattern associated with the APC. The party has a well organised propaganda machinery that defies facts and reality. Its activities and successes are more in the social media, rumour mills and gossip circles than in the real world. The Eurasia Group is not alone; General Buhari and the APC have been declared winners by many other poll organisers, with or without the conduct of actual exercises. And, who cares as long as the party followers are happy! They are free to imagine, dream or hallucinate about an APC Government that would be inaugurated on 29th May, 2015. The fact which the APC propaganda machinery, including fabricated polls of the Eurasia types, cannot wipe out, is that President Jonathan’s scorecard will always speak for him. While the APC will continue its dream of “change”, Jonathan’s performance is there in concrete terms for all to see. He has in the past for years transformed the lives of Nigerians, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, roads, transportation, education, youth and women empowerment, job creation, etc. The phenomenon of self-deception is a dangerous malaise. It usually starts with a little dose of lies and grows, incrementally, until the victim begins to believe his or her own lies. A large number of APC members are beginning to believe in their own propaganda. Poll reports such as the one published by the Eurasia Group only worsen their predicament. The APC situation reminds one of the Yoruba proverb or adage of a farmer who planted five heaps of yam but kept lying that he planted ten heaps. At harvest time, when he had reaped the five heaps, he would have to look for a story to tell. As the deluded APC members celebrate their expected victory, all I can say is to remind them of the traditional caution that we must not count our chickens before they are hatched.

frontline Politician and one of the emerging opinion leaders in the Ijaw axis of Delta State, Mr. Tony Okirika, has urged the people of the state to vote massively for the state PDP gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and his running mate, Mr Kingsly Otuaro. Okirika, who made the call while chatting with newsmen, commended Okowa for picking Otuaro as his running mate. He described the duo as a good pair for the governance of Delta and commended the state PDP leadership for also accepting the choice of Otuaro as running mate. Expressing optimism that Okowa would triumph in the general elections, he said the

Emerhor returns from foreign trip, vows to rescue Delta All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, arrived Murtala MUhammed International Airport, from a trip to the United States last week where he bagged the honorary citizenship of the State of Georgia. His Director of Media and Political Communication, Dr Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, in a statement, said Emerhor will head for Delta to immediately commence his last phase of campaign which will enable the people of the state in all the three senatorial districts meet with him in several town hall meetings. He quoted Emerhor as saying that President Goodluck Jonathan will not survive the “misfortune which has bedeviled the PDP campaign organisation occasioned by the reckless statements of its Director of Media and Publicity, Chief Fani-Kayode”, noting that “the political rascality of the PDP with the worthless and provocative political statements by Dame Patience Jonathan has finally exposed the politics of hate and attacks on the person of Gen Buhari”. Emerhor said Buhari will sweep the

polls on March 28 as a result of the massive support from Nigerians and the daily decamping of PDP members to the APC. The governorship candidate, according to Oghenesivbe, has authorised the release of his updated profile and political manifesto to enable Deltans at home and in the Diaspora appreciate his intentions towards the socio-economic remodeling of Delta State, if elected. He is optimistic that the APC will sweep the polls in a manner that will shock the PDP due to the frustrations and anger of Nigerians over the 16 years of massive corruption and misrule so far exhibited by the ruling PDP at the state and national levels. Emerhor, was accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Rita Emerhor, to the US to discuss partnerships that will foster development in Delta as part of his 10point agenda to create jobs and promote commerce and industry, better health-care and education. He discussed plans with potential partners to establish industries that will create jobs, entrepreneurship and other opportunities of development that will benefit all stakeholders in Delta.

•Sogolo, Professor of Philosophy, retired from the University of Ibadan.

Okowa, Otuaro tested and trusted campaign tour of the PDP guber —PDP chieftain candidate was successful. He

A joint forum of senators and House of Representatives members from the 1st - 4th republics has called on Prof. Atahiru Jega, INEC Chairman, to ensure effective use of card reader in order not to disenfranchise electorate from the forthcoming general elections. In a release signed by its national leader, Sen. Joseph Wayas, the forum commended the federal government and the security agencies on the fight against the Boko Harram nsurgency in the North- East, calling on Nigerians to support the Armed Forces in their fight. Dr. Wayas, however, stated that, “the call for an interim government as being suggested by some people is unconstitutional, as it is not

provided for in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”. In the same vein, he called on leaders of political parties to comply with the provisions of their party constitution and avoid actions both in their utterances and conduct of their party affairs in order not to overheat the polity. “Political leaders should act as elder statesmen and avoid actions and utterances that may cause breach of the peace and truncate our democracy. Campaign of candidates at this moment should be based on issues and not mudslinging, ethnicity or religion”, Wayas said. He advised President Goodluck Jonathan, Muhammed Buhari and their supprters to respect the peace accord signed by both candidates in Abuja.

described Okowa as a grass-roots politician with the capacity to deliver dividends of democracy.Calling on Deltans to vote en-masse for Okowa, President Goodluck Jonathan and all PDP candidates in the March 28 and April 11 elections, Okirika said Okowa and Otuaro were tested and trusted persons with good understanding of the wishes and aspirations of Deltans. “For over 20 years, Okowa has devoted his life to service right from the local government level through to the state where he served as commissioner in a couple of ministries as well as being the Secretary to the State Government to the federal level where he is a serving senator.

APC governorship candidate in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and wife, Chief (Mrs). Maggie Rita Emerhor were honoured with the Award of Citizen of the State of Georgia, for their outstanding contributions to Humanitarian Service and Corporate Governance in Africa. Emerhor (centre) displays his Award.

Edo North senator, aide defect to SDP BY ABDULWAHAB ABDULAH “The senator representing Edo North, Senator Domingo Obende, and his senior legislative aide, Hon.Hassan Enakhele, have led thousands of All Progressives Congress, APC, members to defect to the Social Democratic Party, SDP. The ceremony, which took place in South–Ibie Kingdom in Etsako West LGA, was witnessed by SDP leaders across Edo North led by the BoT Chairman, Alhaji Usman Shagady, and Hon. Abubabakar Momoh, the Etsako House of

Representatives member who is also the SDP senatorial candidate in the district. ?Speaking after receiving the SDP membership card, Enakhele, a former House of Assembly aspirant of the APC, poured encomiums on Momoh for his able representation of Etsako federal constituency at the National Assembly. He noted that the people of Edo North were looking up to him to replicate his achievements across the area and also provide leadership for the people after the exit of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in office.

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Vanguard , MARCH 22, 2015

Prologue

CONFAB REPORT IMPLEMENTATION

Jonathan’s Moment of History? BY JIDE AJANI igerian history, like the N history of the United States of America, which Nigeria mirrors in extant constitutionalism, is full of historical epochs of regional tensions and the conflicts of powerful political interests. On many occasions when the interests of the power blocs, which were in control in Nigeria, sought to break the union to attain their goals as free agents, conferences have often been used to broker a rapprochement, which often left asymmetrical power relations after the conferees had concluded their deliberations. The pre-independence conference of 1957/1958, at Lancaster House, for instance, left the nationalist agitators for independence in an asymmetrical power position, where the colonial forces enacted a constitutional arrangement that left much of the control of governance at the behest of the center, with the regions straining under its yoke. This led to regional tensions with the power centers continuously seeking the overbearing power at the center to control other regions and their developmental aspirations. Although engagements were to become fiercer! During such periods in Nigerian history, the moderating voice of skilled administrators, who had a helicopter view of the big picture, always guided the discourse to moderating outcomes. After independence, for instance, the sagacious moderating voice of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and several other statements led to the constitutional amendments of 1963 which deconcentrated the constitutional arrangement of the independence constitution leading to the 1963 republican constitution. The agreements between the Nigerian interest blocs for the moderating intervention of the 1963 constitutional arrangements led to faster growth and development, and would have endured if the unitarist tendencies that sought to overly control regional politics did not sour the republican understanding of 1963 as they used proxies in turf political battles to infiltrate the different regions. The impact of the latter regression on the political development of Nigeria was worsened by General Ironsi’s unitarist enactment which deepened the natural suspicions of control that preceded the military crisis of 1966. It led to developments of discombobulating

proportions. To see the parallels of these developments in American political history, when the American constitution was in the making, nationalist voices strained the process with regional interests. It took the moderating voices of John Dickinson, and other American statesmen to broker clever rapprochements that led to a more workable American federal union. Dickinson, who entered the Pennsylvania State House in May 1787, as Delaware’s delegate to the Constitutional Convention, was one of the most knowledgeable and experienced statesmen to attend the Grand Convention. His contributions to the convention were monumental - it was he who first proposed that the Senate be elected by the state legislatures; and he influenced the manner of electing American presidents. That was not all. More significantly, his was the voice of moderation and prudence throughout the Convention which produced a middle ground constitution that minimized the influences of the extreme nationalists on both sides of the American political divide. His voice strengthened other pro-ratification exponents, such as George Washington, Benjamin Rush, Tench Coxe, David Ramsey and others, who, in their separate endeavors built upon the thematic frame of the necessity of a union, an energetic but limited government and the civic virtues. In the same way, as the forces which strained the Nigerian state following first the annulment of the June 12 election and then later the unfortunate demise of the late President Yar’adua in office led to deeper cries of regional loyalties, many voices for division and administrative fission of the state grew. In some instances they were supported with actual violent actions with the sprouting of many tribal organizations and proxies. In the din of these developments, the cry for a national conference or dialogue was reborn. Many feared its consequences while some intensified these fears with sabre rattling. In the end after intense political and social debates and upheavals, President Goodluck Jonathan repressed the regional fears by convoking a broad based national conference. Like the Federalist Papers and the Fabius Letters which preceded the making of the American constitution, the convocation

speech of the President at the national conference touched upon the common interests of all parties, and the need for a federal union, the strengths and gains it confers on all rather than for a few. This was enunciated in paragraph after paragraph of the speech, a better more inclusive union, but even more important a more enduring union. In inaugurating the conference President Jonathan showed courage in braving an issue fraught with uncertainties, in stressing on inclusiveness and union, despite the many maligning and sectional goading and carping of individuals, he showed uncommon grace under pressure, but his most enduring attribution which will forever be emblematic of his place in Nigerian history is in finding the political will to implement the resolutions as drafted by the conferees, and in recommending same to the legislature. The conference report, which is the output of the many days of difficult negotiations and speech-making by the conferees did not come easily, not to the conferees or the jarred sensibilities of the already distraught Nigerian citizens. The conferees glared and flared at one another, they jeered and cheered at speeches, and positions, but in the end they came up with a significant document of national understanding to inform future constitutional, policy and statutory engagements, a middle ground between extremes, a major step-forward from the constitutional foraging which produced several mangled constitutions produced through military fiats and civilian “panel-beating”. Just like Martin Luther king Jnr’s speech seeking common ground, they found common understanding in the national aspirational values for policing, local governments, the agenda for exclusive and concurrent listing, the unbundling of the processes of conducting elections, monitoring political parties and punishing electoral offences, they encoded better ways to deliver on technical issues such as banking, agriculture, science and technology, power and energy, health and education amongst others and gave directional resolutions on common sense approaches to implement their suggestions. The over 600 Resolutions of the CONFAB which were reached by the 492 Delegates

through consensus touched most, if not all the, critical issues that had been listed as encumbrances to Nigeria’s rapid development and attainment of nationhood. Among several other things, the Resolutions included: the practice of true federalism; devolution of powers; creation of additional states; adoption of modified presidential system of government that integrates the parliamentary and presidential systems; creation of State and Community Police; the introduction of independent candidates for election and in the economic domain; solid minerals that had been the exclusive preserve of the federal government since independence, would now move to the concurrent list. States can now create employment and develop at their own pace. With all that, it liberates everybody, it opens up the political space. These letters suggest a definitive national road-map, mid-wifed by a just and wise man, Justice Kutigi, ably supported by Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, carefully chosen by President Jonathan as someone who was a co-traveller in the national calling for moderation. This moment of courage will serve President Jonathan well in Nigerian history. It is said that good leaders build great physical structures for nations, but great leaders build a good society from a nation. Many will lead Nigeria and in their time they will build great structural edifices, but only a few will lead and have the insight and courage to create enduring legislative frameworks that will guide generations. By taking these steps from agenda setting to inauguration, and later policy formulation to policy approval and implementation with regard to the national conference, President Jonathan has taken the important steps which differentiate good leaders from great leaders in the future reckoning of the history of Nigerian leaders. Whoever is sworn-in on May 29, 2015, must push the engagement further with alacrity. Curiously, and for whatever interests were meant to be served, some of those who had shouted the most about the need for restructuring boycotted this noble cause. That is why Nigerians must choose a president in whom they believe the guarantee for real change would not just be a mantra for winning votes.

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Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 55

BY HENRY UMORU WITH his determination to expand the space for political and social discourse, to determine the future of Nigeria and to create a new political direction for Nigeria, President Goodluck Jonathan announced the setting up of the Presidential Advisory Committee, saddled with, among others, the responsibility of fashioning out modalities for a National Conference where Nigerians would brainstorm on the future of the country as well as proffer solutions to knotty national issues. Senator Femi Okurounmu was the Chairman of the 13- member body which laid the foundation for the conference. At the end of its three-month brainstorming, travelling round the country, the Okurounmu Committee, in January 2014, submitted its 69-page report. The decision to have the conference was unfolded during the President’s independence anniversary broadcast where he, among other national issues raised, said: “In demonstration of my avowed belief in the positive power of dialogue in charting the way forward, I have decided to set up an advisory committee whose mandate is to establish the modalities for a national dialogue or conference. The committee will also design a framework and come up with recommendations, as to the form, structure and mechanism of the process.” Prior to the conference, there were the 1987 Constituent Assembly, organised by the military government of President Ibrahim Babangida, and the 1995 Constitutional Conference by the Abacha regime but which did not produce any tangible result. The most recent was the National Political Reform Conference of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration. The conference ended, but not well as the report that emanated from it was thrown out by the Senate against the backdrop of the section which sought to extend the term limit for elected government officials, tagged, “Third Term Agenda.” Matching his words with action, barely two months after the submission of the report by the Okuruonmu Committee, Jonathan nominated a former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Idris Kutigi, as the Chairman of the National Conference and his deputy, a former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi. Consequently, the president rolled out 492 names as delegates. On March 17, 2014, at the National Judicial Institute, NJI, Jonathan inaugurated the National Conference. The delegates were drawn from different sections of the society. They include: Elder Statesmen (37), military and security (18), traditional rulers (13), retired civil servants (13), Organised Labour (24), Organised Private Sector (8), youths (18), women (24), political parties (10), Christian and Muslim leaders (12), Civil Society Organisations (24) and Nigerians in the Diaspora ((8). Others were People Living with Disability (6), Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (2), Nigeria Guild of Editors (2), Nigeria Union of Journalists (2), Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (2), sociopolitical/cultural and ethnic nationality groups (90), professional bodies (13), national academies (13), judiciary (6), former political office holders (24), Federal Government (20), state governments and FCT (109) and former council chairmen (6). Government at both the state and federal levels nominated most of the delegates. While the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Accord Party, Labour Party, LP and

The road to a restructured Nigeria •Rotational presidency, new states, anti-corruption courts on the cards All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, had representatives,the main opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), pooh-poohed the idea of a National Conference and did not send any representative. Some of the big names who were delegates include the South-south leader, Chief Edwin Clark; Dr. Tunji Braithwaite; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie; Chief Nosakhare Ishekure,the Chief Priest of Benin Kingdom; Mrs Patricia Ogbonnaya; Prof. Jubril Aminu; Chief Richard Akinjide; Chief Olu Falae; Erelu Olusola Obada; Gani Adams; General Ike Nwachukwu; Achike Udenwa; Chief Olusegun Osoba; Nduka Obaigbena; Chief Raymond Dokpesi; Senator Jim Nwobodo; Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN; Senator Azu Agboti; Chief Peter Odili; King Alfred Diete Spiff; Prof. Jerry Gana; Gen. Jonathan Temlong; Alhaji Ahmadu Adamu Muazu; Arc. Ibrahim Bunu; General A. B. Mamman; General Alani Akinrinade (rtd; former Senate Presidents Adolphus Wabara, Iyorchia Ayu; Ken Nnamani; Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN; Femi Falana; Commodore Olabode George, rtd; General Zamani Lekwot (rtd); Gen Jerry T. Useni (rtd); Sen Daisy Danjuma, Charles Edosomwan, SAN; Ambassador Hassan Adamu; Umar Ghali Naaba; Iyom Josephine Anenih; Mohammed Umara Kumalia; Lt. Gen. Jerry Useni; Prof. Iyorchia Ayu; Bashir Dalhatu; Gen. Salihu Ibrahim; Amb. Ibrahim Gambari; Air Vice Marshal Mutari Mohammed; Emir of Askira and Alhaji Abdullahi Ibn Muhammed. The Committees were as follows: Delegates commenced the assignment with 20 committees set up

by the leadership of the conference Devolution of powers, national security; environment; politics and governance; political restructuring and forms of government; social sector; transportation; science technology and development; agriculture; civil society, labour and sports; public service; foreign policy and diaspora matters; political parties and electoral matters; land tenure and national boundaries; economy, trade and investment; energy; religion; public finance and revenue; immigration and related matters as well as that of law, judiciary, human rights and legal reform. After weeks of brainstorming, with memoranda from the public, summoning of ministers, heads of parastatals, government agencies, among others, delegates, through the committees, churned out reports. The recommendations were subjected to debates, voting, approval and adoption, with the conference, at the end of the day, dealing with very thorny issues. After intrigues and compromises, delegates came out with a 22-volume report and adopted about 600 resolutions. The conference itself was a test of leadership on the part of Kutigi and Akinyemi. The first major challenge they handled was the adoption of 70% majority vote benchmark as the issue almost marred the exercise. The bone of contention was whether voting pattern should be by two third, three quarter or 75% of delegates. Debates were robust and almost resulted in fighting, but Kutigi and Akinyemi had firm control of plenary; they did not give room for critics to achieve their mischief on the rumoured secret agenda on the

Leadership of the conference was able to handle the North - South divide by ignoring distractive points of order when voting on reports and recommendations commenced and it did not also give room for reversal of decisions reached

conference. Even when a delegate, Ishaq Modibbo Kawu, raised a point of order that there were publications that Akinyemi was lobbying northern delegates to smuggle in a new Constitution, in their transparent manner, Kutigi asked his deputy to explain his own side of the story. They understood the fact that they were leading people of different ages and backgrounds. One issue that proved contentious at the conference was the 13 percent derivation. The conference could not agree on the increase of the derivation fund accruable to oil producing states. The issue was referred to the president to resolve through a technical committee to be set up for that purpose. Before the delegates arrived at the conclusion that a technical committee be set up, it could not be resolved by the delegates even with the intervention of the Elder Statesmen Committee. The elder statesmen came up with harmonised position of 18 percent derivation resource control as against the present 13. 5 percent for exploration and development of all mineral resources, not solid minerals as against the present 4.5 percent and 5 percent federal revenue for rehabilitation, stabilisation of and construction of areas affected by insurgency in the North East. They had also recommended, as part of the consensus, that 50 percent of money allocated to each state on derivation must go directly to the communities from which the mineral resources are extracted. Leadership of the conference was able to handle the North - South divide by ignoring distractive points of order when voting on reports and recommendations commenced and it did not also give room for reversal of decisions reached. The National Conference initially had a time frame of three months, but there was an additional one month as it could not round off its work on schedule. It concluded committee sittings and plenary sessions in mid-July after which delegates went on a short break to enable the conference’s secretariat compile the report. After 151 days of serious work, the conference, which started March 17, ended on Thursday, August 21, 2014. The main report, which is in two volumes with volume one made up of 528 pages, volume two, 906 pages, had the Draft Constitution made up of 357 pages while the bill is 47 pages. Initially, the 357-page Draft Constitution, as produced by the Secretariat, did not go down well with northern delegates who described it as a plot to introduce a Third Term Agenda. At the end of the day, however, all issues were resolved through consensus. After receiving the report, President Goodluck Jonathan, in September 2014, approved the composition of a Presidential Committee, with the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, SAN, as Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, as Secretary. The committee was saddled with the responsibility of studying and

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Continued from page 55 drawing up the implementation strategy. Its terms of reference include studying the report of the National Conference; articulating the recommendations therein and developing appropriate strategies for its implementation and advising the Federal Government on all matters necessary for the effective implementation. As a follow up to this, the Federal Executive Council, FEC, last Wednesday, approved the main report of the National Conference. The Presidency, while describing the council’s approval as the first leg of concrete steps aimed at implementing the conference report, however recalled that, apart from the report, the National Conference had recommended to government how to implement the resolutions. According to Anyim, what FEC did was to approve that those modalities be adopted in implementing the report, just as he stressed that recommendations and resolutions which require constitution amendment and enactment of new laws would be forwarded to the National Assembly for promulgation into law, adding that he had been asked to compile, vet and make such recommendations available to the President for onward transmission to the National Assembly for enactment into law. The SGF explained that agencies’ policy matters in the report shall be referred to the affected agencies and the tier of government concerned for action. With the action of President Jonathan, analysts say he has shamed doubting Thomases who have concluded that the report would go the same way of previous conferences. Restructured Nigeria •The National Conference recommended, among others, that anybody aspiring to become the country’s President must be a degree holder. •It approved the rotation of Presidency between the North and South and governorship among three senatorial districts of each state. •Creation of 18 new states: The conference recommended the creation of 18 new states (three per geo-political zone). The proposed states are Aba State to be created from Abia State; Adada State from Enugu State; Amana State from Adamawa State; Anioma State from the present Delta State; Appa State from Benue State and Edu State from Niger State. Others are Etiti from the present South-Eastern Nigeria; Ghari to be created from the present Kano State; Gurara out of Kaduna State; Kanji from Kebbi and Niger states; Katagum from Bauchi State and Ijebu from Ogun State. Other expected new states are New Oyo from Oyo State, Akana-Anim from Anambra and Imo states; Ogoja out of Cross River State; Oil Rivers out of Akwa Ibom State; Ose from Ondo State and Savanna from the present Borno State. Apart from the 18 proposed states, the conference also recommended one new state for the South East to make the zone have equal number of states with the other zones except the North West which has seven. •It also recommended that states willing to merge can also do so based on certain conditions. •The conference voted in favour of drastic reduction of number ministers to 18 from the six geo- political zones of the country and not more than 30% of his ministers from outside the Legislature. Reduce Cost of governance by pruning the number of political

•Members of National Confab with President Goodluck Jonathan and VP Namadi Sambo

es, otational presidency,, new ssttat ates, Rot ational presidency anti-corruption cour ts on the car ds courts cards appointees and using staff of ministries where necessary. Presently, there are about 42 ministers with one coming from each of the 36 states of the country and one each from the six geo-political zones of the country. • The conference resolved that the Minister of Finance should be be presenting annual budget to the National Assembly instead of the President as it is currently obtainable. Under the new arrangement, both the President and the ministers would be expected to appear before the National Assembly to render account of their stewardship on quarterly basis. •Local Government will no longer be the third tier of government. The federal and states are now to be the only tiers of government. States can now create as many local governments they want. The Joint State/Local Government Account be scrapped and in its place the establishment of a State RMAFC with representatives of LG and a Chairman nominated by the Governor. The Constitution should fix the tenure for Local Government Councils at three years. •Conference recommended for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commission, SIECs. •That the sharing of the funds to the Federation Account among the three tiers of government should be done in the following manner: Federal Government – 42.5%, State Governments – 35% and Local Governments - 22.5%. •Recommended the Modified Presidential System, a home-made model of government that effectively combines the presidential and parliamentary systems of government. •Recommended that the presidential power should rotate between the North and the South and among the six geo-political zones while the governorship will rotate among the three senatorial districts in a state. With this, all the three senatorial districts would now have the opportunity of producing Governors as against the present arrangement in some states where it is close to a taboo for some senatorial districts of a Senatorial to think of it, while that of the local government chairmen shall to be rotated within the local government area. It thus means that while the Governorship would rotate among the three Senatorial Districts in the states; Local

Government Chairmanship would rotate within the Wards of the local government area. •Delegates also agreed that the President and his deputy should run on a joint ticket, thereby rejecting the Committee’s recommendation that the President should pick his deputy among the members of the National Assembly after he must have won an election. •The conference agreed with the existing Bi-cameral legislature, but all elected members of the legislative arms of all the tiers of government should serve on part-time basis •Recommended that the immunity clause should be removed if the offences attract criminal charges to encourage accountability by those managing the economy. •On independent candidacy, it recommended that every Nigerian who meets the specified condition in the Electoral Act should be free to contest elections as an independent candidate. •The creation of the Office of the Accountant General (Director-General) of the Federation as a distinct and separate office from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federal Government. The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation shall oversee the accruals of revenue into and disbursement from the Federation Account as and when due; and shall administer these funds as required by the Constitution, while the office of the Accountant General of the Federal Government shall oversee the accounts of the Federal Government. •Special Courts to handle corruption cases should be established in the light of undue prolongation in the trials and prosecution of corruption cases in the regular courts. A non-conviction-based asset forfeiture law should be enacted with broad provisions to deal with all issues of proceeds of crimes by the anti-graft agencies and the courts. • That the Land Tenure Act should remain in the Constitution but be amended to take care of those concerns, particularly on compensation in Section 29 (4) of the Act to read “land owners should determine the price and value of their land based on open market value •That the old National Anthem be re- introduced. •The Conference recommended that there will be no government sponsorship of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages to the holy lands. It also resolved that churches and mosques should begin to pay tax to

Presidential power should rotate between the North and the South and among the six geopolitical zones while the governorship will rotate among the three senatorial districts in a state

government. •It was also agreed that hence forth anybody arraigned before the court by EFCC, ICPC and by any law enforcement agencies, the accused person will be regarded as guilty, unlike the present situation where he is innocent until proven guilty. •On the issue of state police, as controversial as it appears to be, a decision was taken that those who want it should have it. •The conference agreed that there will no sponsoring of Christian and Muslim pilgrimages to the holy lands, just as it resolved that churches and mosques will now pay tax to government. •There is succour for people living with disabilities as delegates voted that government at all levels should grant allowance to them which will be equivalent of government workers on grade level 06 as that would enable them employ aides to assist them carry out domestic activities. •Recommendation on the creation of a separate Foreign Service Commission was unanimously accepted by delegates. •The long standing agitation for the creation of a Mayoral status for the Federal Capital City was approved. •Two additional area councils were approved in addition to the existing six area councils with strong warning that all compensations be paid. •It was also approved that where the President dies in office, or he is incapacitated, impeached or where he resigns, the Vice President shall operate in acting capacity for a period of 90 days during which an election to the same office would be conducted. According to the delegates, the decision became imperative against the backdrop that each zone was expected to run the full course of the constitutionally allowed tenure without undue disruption; and it was also agreed that based on the adopted zoning formula, when a president leaves under any of the circumstances stated above, another president would be elected from the same zone where the previous one came from. •Delegates also voted unanimously for life imprisonment for those who engage in the sale of fake drugs in the country. •Another strong position taken by the delegates was that public schools taken over by various state governments across the country forty two years ago would henceforth be returned to the religious missions which were the original owners. •Conference adopted a recommendation to confer financial autonomy on State Houses of Assembly as a way of freeing them from direct control by the executive. It was also voted that for functionality, local government should be politically and economically independent. •Conference also voted for the complete abolition of the concept of plea bargain by the Federal government, just as they frowned at the level of delay of cases in the nation’s courts as this will enable criminal and corruption cases to run their full course in contrast to the present situation where people accused of corruption are set free after parting with a fraction of their looted public funds.

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 57 japhdave@yahoo.com 08066625505

Theatre is dead in Nigeria — Prof Bayo Oduneye By JAPHET ALAKAM THEATRE

e studied it, practised it and trained many in the field. In fact it was on the basis of his exploits in the theatre industry that he was appointed the first Artistic Director of the National Troupes of Nigeria, a position he held until he retired. Pa Oduneye is now 80, but he is still talking and drumming theatre and that was why he said “Theatre is my life, I will live and die with it.” Prof. Bayo Oduneye, he saw it all in theatre and is still a reservoir of knowledge and that was why the new Artistic Director of the NTN, Mr. Akin Adejuwon, led a delegation comprising some members of Management, staff, some select journalists and the entire artistes body of the National Troupe of Nigeria (NTN) paid a courtesy visit to the former Artistic Director of the NTN in his country home in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State. The visit which was long overdue, was in fulfilment of an earlier promise Adejuwon made upon assumption of duty as AD in September 2014, to visit the former Artistic Director who led

•The old and new, first Artistic Director of National Troupe, Prof. Bayo Oduneye welcoming the new Artistic Director, Akin Adejuwon to his house

the NTN from November 1991 to August 2000 was remarkable in the sense that it afforded the new NTN boss the opportunity to tap from the rich knowledge of the former. In a short remark, the AD Mr. Adejuwon who thanked the former AD and theatre legend for accepting to play host to the delegation, thanked God for granting Professor

Oduneye longevity. “We also thank God for the wonderful work you left at the National Troupe, which I found and which inspired me when I got there. If I didn’t build on that I would be lying futile. I thank you for your selfless service,” he said, while apologizing for not embarking on the visit before

now. The AD thanked Prof. Oduneye for his vision and for his immeasurable contributions to the development of the National Troupe. On his part, Prof. Oduneye thanked the delegation for the visit and expressed the hope that the Troupe will continue to

Kudos, as AjapaWorld launches Financial Literacy Club By JAPHET ALAKAM LITERACY

After its successes in the area of reading literacy, promotion of culture and entertainment, The Ajapa World, a household name in Nigeria made famous by its book, How Ajapa Broke His Shell, a popular Nigerian folklore retold by Akin Braithwaite has finally introduced the Ajapaworld Financial Literacy Club to all public primary schools in Lagos State. Ajapaworld is a social enterprise, founded in 2003 by Akin Braithwaite, a Nigerian and a father who enjoyed the telling of Nigerian folktales and believes it is a shame that we are losing our grip on our heritage. The company specialises in activities and programs aimed at developing children and youth. The event which was held at the SUPEB office in Lagos was attended by students, teachers, parents, bank representatives and friends of the Ajapa world. Speaking during the unveiling at a press conference on children’s financial inclusion, the president, Akin Braithwaite stated that, the Ajapa is about improving children’s lives through edu-tainment, that is eduction, culture and entertainment and since inception it has touched the lives of many children and even parents through its educational publications and entertainment offerings rooted in the local folklore here Ajapa, the wise tortoise who gets into a

•The Ajapa mascot entertaining the pupils

series of mischievous scenarios but uses his wit to get out of them. He disclosed that the move is in continuation of its resolve to improve the life of the children. “We have partnered with UNICEF over a number of years in the area of read-

AjapaWorld is about improving children’s lives through edutainment, that is education, culture and entertainment

ing literacy and this year we extended that partnership to Financial Literacy, after obtaining approval from the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUPEB, to roll out the Ajapaworld Financial Literacy Club to all public primary schools in Lagos State.” Continuing, he stated that the goal of the club is to develop children and youth into productive economic citizens at an early age so that they can be contributors to the growth and wellbeing of society and not grow up into dependent beggarly adults. And as part of the global money week, Ajapa world in partnership with SUPEB is set to roll out the club to over 1,000 public schools in the state. They have already trained teachers in five selected pilot schools from five local government areas and over 300 children

have already been inducted. The club will teach the children through activity based learning on how to engage children, youth and their communities to learn how money works, including saving, creating livelihoods, gaining employment, and becoming an entrepreneur. Earlier in her remarks, the executive chairman of SUPEB, Bolahu Daodu who agreed that there is a need to cultivate the attitude of saving money from the early age said, “it is a noble idea , a logical one that will educate the children specifically on how to do it in life as far as money is concerned. I commen Ajapaworld for the initiative and urged parents and guardians to also put it into practice and join the club.” Finally, the audience welcomed the Ajapa Mascot that unveiled the Ajapa Tortoise bank and some students demonstrated how it works by putting their money into the bank. Some parents present applauded the innovation which they said have changed the spending lifestyle of their children.

grow from strength to strength under the leadership of Mr. Akin Adejuwon. Describing artistes as special breed, he said: “We artistes are special, specially created by God. Whether we are artistes, dramatist or dancer, we are smart. That’s why those who don’t belong gradually excuse themselves.” Worried by the turn of events in the Nigerian theatre , Pa Oduneye stated that “theatre is dead in Nigeria. According to him, its unfortunate, Theatre was alive in the 1970s, part of the ‘80s and gradually in ‘90s. But funds was a very big problem, unless we get funds, we can’t match theatre in those days. Theatre, generally, in Nigeria, is dead for lack of funds. Also, the actors have turned it into something else. However, the federal government needs to come in and do something that will enhance everything about the theatre.” On the way forward, he urged Nigerian artistes to use this period of electioneering and come together, present their needs to the presidential candidates in the forthcoming general election as a bargain to support any of them with a firm commitment to help their cause. In appreciation of the way and manner Pa Oduneye received them, members of the Troupe rendered some folks songs in honour of the former Artistic Director.

Ukala delivers 20 15 NAL 2015 lecture Professor Sam Chinedu Ukala, the winner of the 2014 LNG sponsored Nigeria Prize for Literature is billed to deliver this year’s Nigerian Academy of Letters (NAL) lecture on Tuesday 24 March 2015. NAL is the foremost conclave of distinguished professors of the Humanities in Nigeria and the annual lecture is part of its engagement with Nigeria which is usually delivered by a professor of high acclaim. Professor Ukala’s lecture is titled ‘’Is the Nigerian Critic Still Timid?’’ One of Nigeria’s celebrated dramatists Ukala has also distinguished himself as a theorist, theatre director and an erudite university don. His most recent play Iredi War won the 2014 Nigeria Prize for Literature. The lecture which kicks off at 11am will hold in the 1000 capacity ETF Auditorium at the permanent site of the Delta State University, Abraka. The event will be attended by NAL fellows and members, the university community and the general public. Ukala began his career as a university teacher at the then Bendel State University now Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma in 1985 after completing a doctorate in theatre studies at the University of Ibadan. He transferred his services to the Delta State University, Abraka in 2001 and he was at various times the Head of the Theatre Arts Department, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Provost of the Asaba campus of the university.

Minister Sam launches album

he launch of March by 5pm at the Redeemed of Iboro Samuel, Christian Church of God, Corner-

(aka Minister Sam), stone Parish, Okota, Isolo. According to Minister Sam, the altagged "INFLUENCE RELOADED musical album bum contains 14 songs inspired by takes place on Sunday 29th, the God almighty to lift the souls of God’s children.

Page 58 — SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

VIEWPOINT By Richard Grenell VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF A country at a tipping point

ITH the polls closed in Israel, international election observers now turn their attention to the Nigerian elections on March 28. The choice for the leader of Africa’s most populous country pits Goodluck Jonathan from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against Mohammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC). The decision by the roughly 73 million registered Nigerian voters could have a profound impact on the future of Africa. But Western foreign policy observers pre-occupied with the rise of ISIS in the Middle East should wake up to the reality unfolding in Nigeria. Opposition candidate General Buhari wants Sharia law throughout Nigeria. In

VIEWPOINT By Michael Tidi VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF A unifying factor in Delta State

ON. (Mrs.) Omawumi Beautrice Udoh is currently the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, flag-bearer for Warri South 1 constituency. She has been a member of the Delta State House of Assembly, representing Warri South 1 constituency for three consecutive terms, and in that period, I believe she has creditably acquitted herself, having robustly delivered on her mandate. I contested against Hon. Omawumi Udoh in the 2011 polls and was subsequently estranged from her for an extended period of time. In the course of that interval, I had the opportunity of working as an aide to the Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, FNSE, Speaker Emeritus of the Delta State House of Assembly and was thus provided with the vantage position of being able to familiarise myself with the inner workings of the House against the background of the onerous

VIEWPOINT By Enyioma Kalu VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF A manifesto of hope

OWER, in any democratic setting, belongs to the people. With the governorship election slated for April 11, 2015, the Abia electorate, once again, have a choice of remaining with the old order that has held down the state or make a clean break from the system. No doubt, the system has enthroned the culture of stunted development that have characterized the state in the last eight years. It is a system that is represented by the Abia State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as it sees and interprets any agenda at change as an affront. But how long would this unprincipled system last? As the bell for the April governorship poll chimes in Abia,

Nigeria on the brink fact, he wants it everywhere. “I will continue to show openly and inside me the total commitment to the Sharia movement that is sweeping all over Nigeria,” Mr. Buhari said. “God willing, we will not stop the agitation for the total implementation of the Sharia in the country.” Agitation? Is this an indication that Mr. Buhari supports violence because the end goal of the terrorist attacks throughout Nigeria and Africa is an Islamic state? It is a legitimate question that should be asked by leaders of the Obama administration. Boko Haram has pledged its allegiance and support to ISIS. The northern Nigerian based Islamic terrorist group wants Sharia law throughout Nigeria and beyond. They are also actively

terrorizing Chad, Niger and Cameroon with their goal of an Islamic state. Mr. Buhari has also spoken sympathetically about members of the terrorist group Boko Haram, has cautioned against a rush to judgement on its members and has personally been selected by the terrorist group to lead its negotiations with the Government of Nigeria. Mr. Buhari’s election as Nigeria’s head of state would be a disaster for Africa. It would also signal trouble for the West’s fight against ISIS and terrorism throughout the Middle East. Islamic radicals have Africa on their target list and young Nigerians are reported to be interested in ISIS’ messages. Nigeria is at a tipping point. Tunisia, where the Arab Spring

uprisings began, saw a deadly Islamic terrorist attack at a popular museum killing 23 people this week. ISIS attacked a hospital in Libya within the last few days and Boko Haram killed 54 people with 4 suicide bombers in Nigeria last week. The West, and specifically the Obama Administration, needs to wake up to the growing problem. The French government has been fighting ISIS in Africa for the past two years, starting in Mali but with little help from the Obama Administration. As terrorism grows in yet another region of the globe, American and Western officials should realize they are not stopping the advancements of Islamic radicals. Al-Qaida is not dead and ISIS is not a JV team.

In Support of Omawumi Udoh challenges parliamentarians face in delivering on their legislative mandates. The experience had the effect of leading me to a conclusion I initially found to be quite unpalatable but which I have come to embrace in respect of hard facts. Indeed, had I been able to be similarly aware of Udoh’s work for Warri South 1 constituency and Delta State at large, I very likely would not have contested against her in the first place. I believe that an incumbent seeking another term should only be contested against where such incumbent is not delivering on his or her mandate. I do not believe that an aspirant is entitled to oppose an incumbent unless the incumbent’s performance falls short of expectations or is otherwise inconsistent with the demands of his or her office. Seeking power for its own sake therefore amounts to unwarranted disruption of continuity and playing to the gallery. Hon. Omawumi Udoh is presently Chief Whip of the Delta

State House of Assembly. In this capacity as a principal officer of the House, she has not only creditably acquitted herself in the discharge of her legislative functions but has also brought sterling experience and added inestimable value to the position. Having sponsored an impressive array of Bills, including Delta State Waste Management Bill, Delta State Ecology Bill, Delta State Sickle Cell Bill, Delta State Micro-Finance Bill as well as Delta State Estate Regulatory Authority Bill, her productivity in the area of legislative representation remains both astounding and creative. These show her grassroots orientation and unwavering dedication to the welfare of the masses. At this period of transition, in which a new Governor to take over from the amiable Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, CON, is in the making, it is my humble opinion that for the purpose of consolidating on the gains so far recorded, it would greatly benefit

Warri South 1 constituency to return a tried and trusted hand to the Delta State House of Assembly. I believe this is hardly the time for experimentation in which a rookie, who would end up learning on the job, would be ideal in representing such a diverse constituency. There remain glaring challenges peculiar to Warri South 1 constituency. It is by no means an entirely urban constituency and its rural areas must be factored into the overall development of this very important and iconic constituency. Apart from consolidating on the subsisting framework for peace already delivered by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, interethnic harmony must remain our priority in our beloved city and its environs. Senior citizens, men, women, youths and our blessed children must all be carried along as we continue to key into our vision of a constituency of peace, equity, justice and brotherly love.

Moment of decision for Ndi-Abia the echoes for a change ring even louder for the electorate. This is what Dr. Alex Otti, governorship candidate of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), stands for. Before taking the dive for the governorship, Otti had, on account of his sound pedigree in human and material resource management, taken a comprehensive inventory of the level of rot in the system and had come to the conclusion that reengineering Abia would not be a tea party. It is on that basis that he has come up with an encompassing manifesto that will address the issues confronting the state. Realising the socio-economic importance of Aba in the life of an average Abian and indeed, Igbo man, he has pledged creation of a ministry for the city with the aim

of repositioning it and giving it a status comparable to its counterparts in other parts of the world. Also, he intends to build three flyover bridges in Abayi, Port Harcourt Road and Ogbor Hill, Aba to decongest traffic in the city, as well as create alternative routes for those going to Port Harcourt, Calabar and Enugu, saving them precious time as they go about their businesses. Enyimba Hotel, he also said, will be turned into twin towers, not just an architectural masterpiece, but a major revenue earner as was originally envisioned by late Dr. Sam Mbakwe who built it. What may perhaps rank among the most ambitious projects in the new Aba would be the plan to lead the construction of a drug mart within the city in line with the

national drug distribution guideline. There are also plans to build an industrial cluster, where young people can meaningfully engage their creativity, create a better life for themselves and more vibrant economy for Abia. Otti, in thinking of the industrial clusters, is mindful of the fact that time has come for the state to look beyond oil. But aware of the huge financial requirements the engagement entails, he has secured assurances of the International Development Finance Institution which has already indicated interest in taking up the Industrial Cluster project to the tune of $100 in. Also, numerous other Nigerian entrepreneurs have shown their interest in investing in Abia State, if only such a focused leader is at the helm of affairs. The manifesto

The recent moves by the White House against Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu signal a willingness by President Obama and his team to intervene in foreign elections. The sitting President Goodluck Jonathan has committed to defeating Boko Haram and overseeing a free and fair election. The Nigerian economy has been growing faster than South Africa’s. Imagine what Nigeria could do for Africa if it was also free of Boko Haram’s violence. The Obama Administration should be doing more to ensure Africa’s most populous country doesn’t slip away. •Grenell is a former spokesman for four United States Ambassadors to the United Nations, most recently Ambassador Zal Khalilzad. The article was published in Washington Times Warri must remain properly managed as it gradually grows into its deserved destiny as one of the pre-eminent metropolitan hubs on the West African coast. Happily, Hon. Omawumi Udoh shares this dream and vision of a truly modern and harmonious constituency of peaceful coexistence and continuous improvement. It is in this context of unwavering commitment to the fortunes of this historical city and its pristine environs that Hon. Omawumi Udoh remains our best bet for quality representation. Having carried both the upland and riverine communities of her complex constituency along in her legislative career thus far, it is my conviction that Hon Omawumi Udoh remains a unifying factor who deserves to be returned to the House in other to consolidate on the progress recorded thus far. I therefore urge the entire Warri South 1 constituent to rally around her for another term in office by voting massively for the PDP come, April 11. •TIDI, member, Media/ Publicity Committee, Delta State PDP Campaign Organization, lives in Warri. also aims at qualitative education for every child resident in Abia as a priority for the Otti-led government. The document also places premium on healthcare delivery, in which it envisages a not- so-distant future where Abia State will be at the centre of medical tourism in Nigeria and the West African sub-region. There are concrete plans to build real, worldclass hospitals, to be located in each senatorial zone of the state. His agenda is to educate the youth so that they not only have a chance at employment, but are also employable, and help them unleash their creative abilities for the betterment of all. Not even critics of the APGA candidate have faulted him on his character and courage to accomplish the contents of the document. This is why many see him as the best choice for Abia on April 11. •Kalu, a public affairs commentator, writes from Aba, Abia State

SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015,

Buhari, the game changer VIEWPOINT By Yomi Obaditan

istory will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people”, Martin Luther King, Jr., who made the statement, must have had Nigeria in mind. This is due to what has been going on as we approach the eleventh hour of the rescheduled elections. The ruling party at the centre threw caution to the wind, calling for the opposite of normal political behaviour at every point in time. For instance, INEC’s newlyintroduced card readers, that smaller countries in West Africa have utilised successfully, were opposed by PDP. They attempted the removal of the head of the electoral umpire at the dying minute. They fear opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari so much so that about 11 cases were filed in court to ensure he is disqualified from the race. PDP forgot to sell their programmes to the electorate; all you see are anti-Buhari messages. Some media shot themselves on the foot by taking sides with the party that has been in the saddle for over 15 years, and has succeeded in ruining the economy; the monetary authorities have reduced our currency to mere tissue paper, as one dollar now goes for N250. Foreign investors are scared away due to insurgency. Local industries have gone comatose. Others ran to neighbouring countries for better operating environment. Power is another albatross on the neck of this administration. The more billion of dollars expended, the less power is made available for the people. The ruling party prefers importation of industrial generators to enrich themselves than to provide stable power for industrial development. The youths went through hard time under this administration; for over two years, tertiary institutions were shut due to industrial action. Professor Festus Iyayi of University of Benin was killed by the convoy of one of the PDP governors. While existing universities are mere

VIEWPOINT By Joe Iniodu VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Reaping the dividends of democracy

HIEF Tony Chukwu hails from Mbano, Imo State. He has been a member of PDP from its founding days and one of the acknowledged king makers in his state and an influential Igbo son. He is an accomplished businessman by any account and an illustrious son that has brought pride and fortune to his people. This is the reason his views were sought at the PDP presidential rally held at the new Akwa Ibom International Stadium also referred to as “Nest of Champions” on January 30. Chukwu was one of the committed party faithful that came to Akwa Ibom to show solidarity to Jonathan in the upcoming election and to share with others his knowledge of the

glorified secondary schools, Jonathan’s political universities were established without proper funding. Unemployment dented the image of this administration. The Abuja Olympic-sized stadium was filled beyond capacity on the day of a recruitment nation wide. At the end of the exercise, 17 innocent Nigerians lost their lives. The Federal Government suddenly realised they must compensate their relatives less than a week to the general elections. The economic climate that is responsible for the closure of industries can never create jobs for the jobless. The oil sector that can create more jobs through gas production and other petroleum byproducts became moribund due to corruption and impunity. States can no longer pay workers due “ to stealing of crude oil by vandals. On daily basis, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State alleges that the nation loses billion of dollars despite the presence of security agents and ex-militia leaders . Aregbesola concluded that “except we vote out Jonathan, our economy will be ruined totally”. Many sins of Jonathan Jonathan was carried away by the aura of office for six years. In one fell swoop, he purchased nine presidential planes, an act the United States of America cannot venture. Despite the condemnation, the National Assembly failed in its oversight function to reverse the purchase. The presidential seat at Aso Rock consumed billions of Naira in renovation and in the building of new office for the First Lady. Nollywood members that chorus the re-election of Jonathan got largesse in billions that may not be repaid. 94 hectares of land were allocated to Mr. President, while floods were ravaging Bayelsans annually. Even now that the nation is undergoing austerity measure, the budget for feeding at the Presidency is about 40 per cent above that of previous years. The Excess Crude Oil Fund was frittered away while countries such as South Africa, Angola, Saudi Arabia, and Ghana used the same for developmental projects. Instead of investing funds, we were

The ruling party has taken Nigerians for granted and boasted that they would remain in power for 60 years. But the Buhari candidature of All Progressives Congress (APC) has changed the self-confidence of the PDP borrowing from the World Bank, China and other nations. The borrowing is not because we actually need the loans, but because our leaders and their economic advisers were bereaved of the economic expertise to do the needful. A monoeconomy that takes into currency devaluation in a critical economic downturn will likely result into inflation. Perhaps, that explains the reason our currency is now N250 to $1. The fall in the world oil price exposed the false economic growth. In a periodic election, the President has a four-year term to justify the mandate given to him. His score card should be able to earn him another term. But what we have witnessed does not justify nor guarantee reelection. Like Ronald Reagan once challenged Americans to ask the incumbency what impact they have made in the lives of the people in the past four years. So, are Nigerains asking Jonathan what impact has he made in the lives of an average Nigerian in the last six years? Perhaps, the PDP and the presidency’s failure to make any significant change for the six years, led them into bank-rolling elections with hard currency through nocturnal visitation to the traditional rulers, some of which cannot mobilise even their polling unit to cast votes for any candidate.

The Yoruba that have suddenly become a new bride being courted by Jonathan suffered neglect and ridicule for six years. The traditional rulers in South West may collect as much money as they were offered, but the democratical nature of the people cannot be monetised, and the people cannot be hoodwinked by money-bag politicians on the eve of election. One of the campaign managers of Jonathan’s reelection once described the president as man that “ breaks his own words consistently; a man who has abdicated his responsibility, destroyed his own political party, divided his own country, alienated his friends, humiliated his own people, brought ridicule to his faith..betrayed his own governors, scorns the international community and breaks his solemn oath to protect and defend the Nigerian people.” His manager concluded; “ He (president) is the problem we have in our country today and until he resigns, is impeached, or is voted out of power, nothing will change and Nigeria will continue to go from bad to worse.” Buhari, the Game Changer For about three times, Buhari has contested and failed. The ruling party has taken Nigerians for granted and boasted that they would remain in power for 60 years. But the Buhari candidature of All Progressives Congress (APC) has changed the self-confidence of the PDP. Having seen the obvious signal of defeat, and realised that they were about to sink into the long awaited Waterloo, they tried all their tricks; from blackmail to threat of death, from the employment of security agents to total removal of the head of the electoral umpire. The inevitable is about to happen and a new era about to emerge. Buhari’s moving train is unstoppable. The political landscape is witnessing a new dawn. The factors that propels the victory of Buhari are numerous, but sure and certain. First, Nigeria needs a total change and a departure from the present “suffering and smiling”. The only hope lies in the hands of the man, Buhari. Secondly, corruption incorporated has almost bankrupt the nation. All economic wealth have been hijacked by the few groups who are in the corridors of power. It requires all urgency to recover the loots for national utilisation. Thirdly, the insecurity of lives and property which is the sole responsibility of any serious

Tony Chukwu and the PDP doctrine president’s achievements. My inquiry from him of his knowledge of Uyo before and now and the venue of the rally, Uyo International Stadium, elicited a response ladened with excitement. He said that he has been coming to Uyo for the past 30 years but that Uyo has changed fundamentally in the last seven-years. He noted that Akpabio has cast himself as a man of mission and vision, maintaining that Akwa Ibom people are very lucky to have such a governor. He was particularly impressed with the stadium christened the “Nest of Champions” stating that even if this was the only thing Akpabio achieved, he still would have acquitted himself as delivering on the dividends of democracy. He advised other

governors especially the incoming ones to take a cue from Akpabio. He said that having participated in campaign rallies and moving from state to state, he has observed genuine affection of the people for Jonathan, noting that they would vote for him for who he is. The business magnate argued that the Jonathan’s administration is the only administration since independence that has not recorded any political killing despite the fact the President is the most criticised. On the rating of Jonathan in the South-East in the forthcoming election, the PDP chieftain said that the President would record 100 percent in the zone. He explained that the President deserves the support of the SouthEast for his many achievements

including the Second Niger Bridge. According to him, in the area of road infrastructure, Jonathan’s administration met only 4,500 kilometres of asphalted road out of the nation’s 30,000 kilometres road network. He said going by the records, Jonathan has constructed 20,000 additional kilometres in just four years and gearing to construct the remaining 10,000 kilometres. In the area of power, Chukwu said the Jonathan administration met 2,500 deliverable mega watts, but today it has 4,500 and rearing to 5000. He further stated that all the National Integrated Power Project Jonathan inherited has been completed but because those who conceived them did not provide gas infrastructure, there have been some deficiencies in

Page 59

government has been unattainable and beyond the capacity of the present regime. Like Charles De Gaulle was the answer to France moment of challenge, Buhari is the answer to Nigeria’ security challenge. The APC and Buhari promised to utilise recovered stolen wealth to provide good infrastructure, free health services, good education, and social welfare for the needy. The PDP has nothing to offer but to resort into shenanigans. Governor Ayodele Fayose claimed that his 74-year old mother lives with diaper may be true, but it is not a general lifestyles of the aged. Buhari is as fit as a fiddle. But assuming without conceding that Buhari may not be hundred per cent healthy, Fayose’s ignoramus can be pardoned by reference to Wilson Churchill that ran his administration while on wheelchair successfully. It is mental fitness that determines the capability of a statesman to govern. How do we explain the fitness of a 56-year old president that almost sink the ship of the state? Fayose and Femi FaniKayode are birds of a feather. Both men have charges of corruption hanging on their necks. Why will they not fear the candidature of Buhari? The guilty are afraid. The Jonathan administration has divided the nation, playing ethnic cards against other groups. The Niger-Delta militias are threatening other ethnic groups with war if Jonathan is not returned to power. An insult to the nation, where a minority is threatening the three majority groups and the Presidency maintaining tacitun. The threat has attracted the attention of great leaders from within and outside the continent of Africa pacifying all the parties involved in the coming election. Yet, the wife of the president, Mrs. Dame Jonathan, told the audience at Lokoja political campaign rally to stone “ anybody that chant change”. Despite the outrage that follows the unguarded uttrance, the president has not deemed it fit to call his wife to order, neither did he apologise to the nation. Certainly, the duo are on their way back to Otuoke come May 29, 2015 when the people must have spoken with their votes. Buhari will then be the man that will pour oil into the wounds of the divided nation, gearing effort towards restoration of the nation’s lost glory and uniting the nation for better tomorrow.

the deliverable wattage. He submitted that the Jonathan administration has constructed 13,000 kilometres of gas pipeline across the nation, stating that in the next few months, the nation would generate 8,000 megawatts of electricity. He said a further boost to the oil and gas sector is the Onne Port which is today considered as the most sophisticated oil and gas port in West Africa. He advised Nigerians to vote for Jonathan for steady power supply that would accrue from these well heeled plans. He said in the area of agriculture and food security, the administration has acquitted itself creditably as food importation bills have crashed from over N1.6trillion to about N640milion. Chukwu advised Nigerians that only a vote for Jonathan can guarantee the reaping of democracy dividends. •Iniodu is a public affairs analyst.

PAGE 60 – SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015

El Clasico important but not decisive — Enrique

ARCELONA boss Luis Enrique has insisted that his side’s crucial top of the table clash with Real Madrid tonight will not be the sole determining factor in the La Liga title race. The Catalans lead Madrid by a point and are favourites to extend that advantage on home soil after a run of 17 wins in 18 games in all competitions. However, with Barca still set to face the likes of Spanish champions Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla in the final 10 games of the season, Enrique believes there will be more twists and turns to come after this weekend. “Independent of the result I don’t think it will be decisive,” Enrique said on Saturday. “There are still 10 games to go and there are too many difficult games for both teams, so it is not

Van Gaal psyche United players for hostile Anfield

Clash of Titans... Lionel Messi outwits Ronaldo during a contest. Who will seize the day at the Nou Camp tonight? decisive but important.” By contrast, Madrid come into the game having lost five of their 16 games in 2015 to relinquish pole

position in the title race. However, Enrique believes the array of talent on show for both sides means there can be no

clear favourite on the night. “Generally, we have to think that in this type of game there aren’t favourites.”

ANCHESTER United manager Louis van Gaal has put his players through ‘referee training’ to help his them keep their emotions in check for the Premier League topfour showdown with Liverpool at Anfield. The Dutchman has a reputation as a disciplinarian who keeps his players on a tight leash but has seen emotions boil over in big games this season with Chris Smalling sent off against Manchester City and Angel Di Maria seeing red against Arsenal in the FA Cup. With Anfield proving a traditionally hostile environment for visiting United sides and only two points separating the teams in the battle for a top-four finish, Van Gaal was keen to lay down the law. “I have been the referee on the training pitch and I have

whistled when they have to control their aggression, for example, to prepare already for the atmosphere,” the Dutchman told reporters on Friday. “Control of emotion is also a talent.” The United boss has been heavily criticised for his side’s frequently negative playing style this season, but there were few complaints after last weekend’s emphatic 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur. For all the talk of long-ball tactics and a move away from United’s traditions of attacking football, Van Gaal seems to have stumbled across a formula that could yet appease the purists. Despite still focusing heavily on the ruggedly physical attributes of Marouane Fellaini, there was plenty of attacking verve on show against Spurs. Yet it will count for nothing, Van Gaal said, unless they can build on that performance at Anfield.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 61

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, MARCH 22, 2015, PAGE 63

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SUNDAY Vanguard, MARCH 22, 2015

Cranes delegation hits Uyo tomorrow T HE delegation of Senior National Team of Uganda to Wednesday’s international friendly date with the Super Eagles will arrive in Nigeria on Monday, thenff.com can confirm. Players and officials on the delegation will

fly into the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport aboard an Ethiopian Airline aircraft, and then connect to Uyo aboard an Aero Contractors flight.

F/Eagles gun for glory Kick off: 8:30 pm T

HE junior national foot ball team, the Flying Eagles are set to win a seventh African Youth Championship crown at the expense of hosts Senegal today at the 45,000-capacity Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium in Dakar. Today’s match will be the ninth time Nigeria will feature in the final of the AYC, while host country Senegal will be playing their firstever final. This game will be a rematch of the opening game of this competition which Nigeria won 3-1. The Flying Eagles are aiming for a seventh AYC title having won it in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005 and 2011. “We will not go back to Nigeria without the cup,” declared coach Manu Garba, who has kept faith with several players from the team he led to win the FIFA U17 World Cup in the

United Arab Emirates two years ago. The Flying Eagles have been the toast of fans at Senegal 2015 – they are unbeaten in four matches and have scored the highest number of goals to average 2.75 goals a match. Striker Taiwo Awoniyi, 17, has been one of the stars of this competition after grabbing three goals with the likes of skipper Musa Muhammed, Ifeanyi Matthew, Obinna Nwobodo and goalkeeper Joshua Enaholo also catching the eye. However, Senegal, who will be cheered on by what is expected to be a sold-out crowd, cannot be discounted despite losing to their more illustrious opponents on the opening day. They have shown remarkable character by bouncing back from that loss to reach their first-ever AYC final.

The Cranes, who gave Ghana’s Black Stars a scare in the qualifying race for the 30th Africa Cup of Nations and had a chance to make the finals until they lost their last match in the race to Guinea, will be aiming for a first –ever victory on Nigerian soil.

Ideye pulls out of Eagles’ friendlies

ROWN Ideye is a major doubt for the international friendlies against Uganda Cranes and Bafana Bafana of South Africa, after West Brom coach Tony Pulis ruled that Ideye is injured and needs two weeks to recover. Ideye, has not played for the Super Eagles for two years. He was billed to make a comeback on March 26 against Uganda in Uyo and then on March 29 against the South African team. “Browny (Brown Ideye) has been playing with an injury, he has trained regularly with it the last three to four days and he was in contention to play but he felt it again yesterday,” he said.

Senegal on revenge mission

ENEGAL have said they wish to avenge a 3-1 opening day loss to Nigeria’s Flying Eagles in Sunday’s final of the African Youth Championship in Dakar. “It will be revenge and I can assure you it will be a great celebration for us,” said Senegal U20 skipper Roger Gomis. “We have achieved our first objective (qualifying for

the World Cup), and now we want to get our target which is to win the cup and make the people of Senegal happy, who have supported us all through this campaign. “After our defeat against Nigeria, we have corrected some of the mistakes and we now have the chance to face this same side again in the final.”

WIZARDRY ... Taiwo Awoniyi dribbles past a Ghanian defenfer in the semifinal. Nigeria won 2-0.

Amoo sees tough tie against Zambia N

IGERIA’s Under-23 Olympic team assistant coach, Fatai Amoo, has

said his side are bracing up for the toughest challenge in the All Africa

CROSS WORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1.Nobel-winning Archbishop (7-4) 5.Sailor (3) 7.Consumed (5) 8.Domesticates (5) 9.Ovum (3) 10.Electricity counting gadgets (6) 13.Highlander (4) 15.Poem (3) 17.One that contests (9) 20.Nigerian tribe (5) 22.Cereal (5) 24.Demoted (9) 27.Pig’s pen (3) 29.No one (4) 30.Sulks (6) 33.Away (3) 35.Presses (5) 36.Till (5) 37. Swine (3) 38. “The Man Who Saw Tomorrow” (11)

•Ideye

DOWN 1.Sleeping vision (5) 2.Possessor (5) 3.Tax (4) 4.Depressing (9) 5.Argentinian dance (5) 6.Wash lightly (5) 11.Greek letter (3) 12.Distress call (1-1-1) 14.English boy’s name (5) 16.Obstacle (3) 17.Bovine animal (3) 18.Mindfulness (9) 19.Alarm (5) 21.Help (3) 23.Village house (3) 25.Gnome (3) 26.Vast age (3) 27.Condescend (5) 28.Youthful (5) 31.Circular (5) 32.Trades (5) 34.Old Russian King (4)

Games (AAG) qualifying race from Zambia. The nation’s campaigners will confront the Southern African foes in the AAG final round clash today at

RESULTS Man City Aston Villa Newcastle S/thampton Stoke Tottenham West Ham Atletico

3 0 1 2 1 4 1 2

West Brom Swansea Arsenal Burnley Crystal Palace Leicester Sunderland Gatafe

0 1 2 0 2 3 0 0

Today’s Matches Liverpool v Man Utd 2:30pm Hull v Chelsea 5:00pm QPR v Everton 5:00pm Barcelona v R/Madrid 9:00pm

See solution on page 5

AYC Ghana Senegal

v Mali 5:30pm v Nigeria 8:30pm

the Abuja National Stadium. Amoo said his side have worked on the deficiencies noted in the last game against Gabon in Abuja with the sole aim of achieving a resounding victory against the visitors. “The clash against Zambia is most likely to be the toughest qualifying match so far when you consider the almost flawless youth development programmes of Southern African states. “Zambia have shown a lot of seriousness in their preparations for this crucial encounter, a clear indication that they want to be in Congo Brazzaville, the encounter is certain to be crunchy and difficult.”

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