Stolen PVC being returned-INEC by Vanguard Media Limited

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•President Goodluck Jonathan acknowledging cheers from supporters at the PDP presidential campaign rally in Maiduguri, yesterday.

External forces stalled Chibok girls rescue — Jonathan By Ben Agande, Abuja

RESIDENT Good luck Jonathan has blamed the non-rescue of the abducted Chibok girls on external forces, promising that his administration would do everything possible to end the Boko Haram insurgency in a matter of months. The president spoke, yesterday, at the palace of the Shehu Of Borno where he had gone to pay homage to the traditional ruler. According to him, after ending the Boko Haram insurgency, his administration would rebuild the affected areas. Jonathan stated that, with the use of initiatives like Victim Support Fund, Presidential Initiative for North-east and Safe School Initiative as well as increased budgetary allocation, his administration will rebuild and redesign Borno State in such a way that children will have

access to education and better future. “We feel the pain of Borno people. I personally feel more pained when people accuse me of of being involved in the problem for some political advantage. I have said it many times that my ambition is not worth the blood of any Nigerian. And I don’t think any president or human being can do what they accuse me of doing,’’ the pres-

We’ll end looting in Lagos, says Agbaje P

EOPLES Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, Mr Jimi Agbaje, vowed, yesterday, to end what he called the looting trend in the state. Agbaje, who rode on a commercial motorbike, popularly known as Okada,

THOUGHT FOR TODAY WRITE DOWN YOUR VISION —3 By Richard Eromonsele

The Holy writ admonished us to write down our vision. What are your visions for the year? Write them down. The human memory is very short. That is why what he fails to write down he easily forgets. No matter how brilliant you are, you are likely to forget except you commit them to paper. And having written them down, make sure you peruse them regularly, preferably, every morning. Find out what you need to add and or what you need to remove… D

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ident said. “The Boko Haram problem is what I thought we would have ended long ago but may be external influence or interest is affecting us. I am assuring you however that it won’t take us more than a few months to end this insurgency and restore peace in Borno. “Our people must return to their communities. Insha Allahu, we will get our Chibok girls back’’.

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to attend a mammoth rally held at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex, Lagos, said he would enthrone decent and more humane governance if elected as governor. He said: “For so long, the APC leaders have been deceiving the people of Lagos. When election is coming, they will reduce school fees; when you vote them in, they’ll increase the fees. Before election, they will embrace Okada riders only to make their lives hell thereafter. They will reduce the cost of land approval before election and increase it after. This is deceit. “As we know, the APC broom cannot sweep the mess they ’ve created in Lagos. Always say amen to their prayer for change because we have had enough. “They have been oppressing traders, discriminating against non-indigenes and they want continuity. The time has come to make change in Lagos and re-elect Jonathan to consolidate the gains of democracy that we have had under him’’. While urging voters to give Agbaje a chance and re-elect President Goodluck Jonathan, the organiser of the rally and General Overseer of the Restoration Praise Ministry for Africa, Archbishop Samson Mustapha Benjamin, said: “When you talk about democracy, you talk about freedom of speech, job creation, freedom of worship and association, as well as peaceful coexistence, these are the things that President Jonathan stand for. And that is why Nigerians will vote him back to power’’.

L-R: A former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; a former presidential aspirant, All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr. Nda Isaiah; National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; vicepresidential candidate, Mr. Yemi Osinbajo; and presidential candidate, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, during a rally held at the Ekiti Parapo Square, Ado-Ekiti... yesterday. Photo: Joe Akintola, Photo Editor

Nigeria will never change if PDP wins — Buhari By Dayo Johnson & Gbenga Ariyibi

HE presidential can didate of the APC, Gen Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, warned that if the ruling People Democratic Party (PDP) should win the February 14 election, the country will “never again witness change”. He spoke in Akure, the Ondo State capital, during his rally. Buhari said Nigerians should boot out the ruling party because it has nothing to offer. He pointed out that the PDP government has lost out in the fight against insecurity, unemployment and economic downturn. “This is the time for change. The APC government will give employment, deal with corruption and invest the money to develop education, build, equip schools and train teachers’’, the presidential candidate

said. “ We will also look into the problems of the armed forces, trail and equip them’’. Buhari appealed to the APC supporters to go and collect their PVCs in order for them to be able to vote out the PDP in the election. The National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Oyegun, said he was impressed with the turn out and “ declared Ondo an APC state. National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, said what the APC is out to do is “ a common sense revolution”, adding that Nigerian has been in bondage for over 60 years. Tinubu said the ruling government has failed in all its promises to Nigerians and should be shown the way out on February 14. He said: “What we have been seeing is transaction not transformation’’. Earlier in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, Buhari, has vowed to tackle the problem of unem-

ployment for the youth, security and corruption just like other APC leaders asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to postpone the February polls. Accompanied by his deputy, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, and other APC leaders, Buhari urged his supporters and admirers to take the pain and obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from INEC before the date of the election,saying that was the only was they could demonstrate their love for him if they truly wanted change. At the rally, which witnessed the presence of Hon Opeyemi Bamidele of Labour Party and the defection of the former Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Sola Ajigbolamu and his supporters from PDP to the APC, Buhari said he had understudied the country and came up with a blueprint on how to move the nation forward.

Fashola accuses FG of diverting SURE-P money By Olasunkanmi Akoni & Monsur Olowoopejo

OVERNOR Baba tunde Fashola of Lagos State, yesterday, accused the Federal Government of diverting Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, SURE-P, money for the funding of the campaigns of President Gooodluck Jonathan. Fashola made the allegation at the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally in Badagry area of the state. The governor, who took a swipe at the Federal Government for disappointing Nigerians, added: “The money they took for Sure-P is in Sure Pocket, that’s what SureP means. It has nothing to do with the people.” He accused the Federal Government of non-challant attitude, stressing that at a time they ought to have been committed to serving the people. “They were busy doing TAN rallies. They started the campaign one year ago , they were doing Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) rallies instead of serving you. “They were spending Sure-

P money in TAN. If they had used that money to build health centres, highways and prosper your life, the story will be different,’’ Fashola said. “The person that is campaigning one year ago is now saying no, let us postpone the elections. The game has changed. He has to defend his record. There is no longer sympathy votes. Six years

ago, he had no shoes, he has shoes now and we see what he has done with the shoes. He has forgotten the people who voted for him.” Fashola explained that all over the world, when cities and states build municipal rails the Federal Government support them. “It is only in Nigeria that the Jonathan led government failed to support states that embarked on rail projects,” he stated.

Economy: Don’t be harbinger of negative stories, Omokri tells APC By Abiodun Alade

HE Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on New Media, Reno Omokri, has urged the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, not to be harbinger of negative stories about the country. He noted that it is regrettable that while the APC is always the first to propagate negative and sad stories about Nigeria, the party is always reluctant to admit and celebrate good news about the country. Omokri was reacting to the recent rating of Nigeria as the third fastest-growing economy by international Cable News Network, CNN. “This present rating is not a fluke. Do not forget that the UNCTAD said that Nigeria has the 4th highest rate of return in the world, that the International Food Policy Research Institute said that hunger in Nigeria is reducing, that the World Bank said that poverty in Nigeria is down by 2%, that Transparency International said that corruption in Nigeria had reduced.”

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Village head, 29 others feared dead in Borno Boko Haram attack BY NDAHI MARAMA, MAIDUGURI

t least 30 people, in cluding the village head, were, on Friday evening, feared dead when some suspected insurgents attacked Kambari village in Kinduga Local Government Area of Borno State. Konduga is north east and about 40 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital which witnessed series of deadly attacks in the past. The attack, according to sources, came less than 24 hours before President Goodluck Jonathan launched his re-election campaign in Maiduguri. “The terrorists attacked Kambari village, which is few kilometres to Maiduguri, around 5:00 am. They killed 30 people including our village head and set the

entire hamlet ablaze,” said a resident, Mallam Abubakar Usman, who escaped and fled to Maiduguri. “We suspected that the insurgents after fruitless efforts to enter Maiduguri

through Konduga, without success, eventually took a different route and attacked Kambari,” Usman narrated. Another woman from the village who did not want her name mentioned hint-

ed the fear that “the terrorists also went away with some women they considered good looking.’’ When contacted for confirmation, Borno State Police Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Gideon Jubrin, said, “I have not been to office for the past two days. I am not and aware of such, but I will make enquiries and get back to you before going to press”.

‘Tompolo a political stabilizer in Delta’

jaw Kene Patriots for Okowa has described one of their patrons, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, as stabilizing factor in the politics of Delta State, just as the urged Deltans to vote for Senator Okowa, the gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in the state, come February 28. In a statement, Comrades Moses Unuavworho and Kenny E. Zuokemepade, president and secretary of the

group respectively, said the role Tompolo played during the PDP governorship primary that saw Okowa clinched the ticket showed he is a man who believes in equity and fair play. According to the group, “Tompolo was aware that a governor of Delta North extraction would promote equity, justice, peace and balance in Delta State hence he pitched tent with Senator Okowa and canvassed for Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, as Okowa’s Deputy, for the

Ijaws who are yet to produce a Secretary to State Government (SSG) let alone Deputy Governor in the state”. The group added that despite the anger vented at him from aggrieved quarters, Tompolo kept his familiar humble path in search for peace and understanding. He embarked on political shuttles to Urhobo land via its traditional rulers beginning from the Uvwie Monarh and respectfully appealed to them for understanding.

Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia and Christmas decorations in Lagos,by Patrick Dele Cole

XFORD Street London Christ mas decorations are world famous. The decorations are mainly put up by the shops in the street. It an annual event bringing in millions of people to watch and more importantly to buy goods on the street for the Christmas and New Year festivities. New York also has a tradition of Christmas decorations on 42nd street and the ice rink on Fifth Avenue. In parts of Houston – public spirited individuals decorate their houses every year. It is now a tradition, prices are given, and the decoration encourages goodneighbourly backyard barbecues and great camaraderie. Sydney in Australia is steeped in Christmas decoration tradition especially highlighting their famous Sydney Theatre (Opera House) and the Sydney Bridge. Because Sydney is 12 hours ahead of the GMT, it is one of the earliest Christmas and New Year nights that is seen from this end of the world. Beijin, Hongkong,Shangai follow with spectacular decorations and extraordinary fire works displays; those fire works are designed to make us remember that gun powder and fireworks were first invented in Japan and China before being carried by Marco Polo to Italy. (Ice Cream and spaghetti were also invented in China). How about Nigeria? Some states take Christmas very seriously. This year AkwaIbom, outdid itself by producing the world’s largest choir of some 9900 people. In Cross River December, since the days of Donald Duke, was for Christmas. It is now so popular that people all over Nigeria go to Calabar for holidays in December. The people are gracious and welcoming. Many turn unused rooms in their homes to bed and breakfast accommodation. Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Imo, Rivers to name a few. Lagos since Governor Fashola has gone far to show the spirit of Yuletide and New Year. He has decorated various parts of Lagos – although the Marina and the Bar Beach have taken the prize.

I must, however, praise the efforts of Jim Ovia and Zenith Bank. They have claimed exclusive proprietary right in bringing world class decorations and lights to Ajose Adeogun in Victoria Island. Every year Zenith gets better and this year was definitely the best. Lagosians flocked to Ajose Adeogun to see the decorations causing human traffic jams – people taking photos and generallyhaving a rocking good time. The lights were amply supported by the lovely lights put on by Lagos state on the Bar Beach, with stands and stages for concert shows (I believe in collaborationwith Nigerian Breweries). Christmas and New Year festivities afford one more opportunity for the state and business to come together to make the city even more beautiful. It was sad to see so many big businesses and banks show little interest in the beautification of Lagos during this season. Some may have been deterred because of religious doubts – this howevely is a cope out this, however, is a cop-out. It was the end of the year when every one wishes every one else a happy new year. The most obvious failure of corporate responsibility was the business in the second half after the round about at Adetokunboh Adamola Street Victoria Island, Lagos. On one side of the street the giants of Lagos business did not put up one bulb for the season of festivities. Not one bulb. And they are building a new Atlantic City near by!! Something should have pricked their conscience into action. I know the owners well and have been friends with them for over 50 years. Their generosity knows no bounds and is legendary. Friends should be able to tell oneanother the truth and on this issue, either by oversight or lack of their usualsensitivity these extremely generous and good Nigerians missed the boat. Shameful As for the other banks companies on the other side of the road, night clubs other hotels, UBA, schools, the BUA group etc please get together and next year make us proud. Meanwhile heartfelt thanks to Jim Ovia and Zenith Bank.

GPM seeks visionary leaders

political group, the Grassroot Progressive Movement has said that it is willing to work with visionary leaders in Lagos ahead of, and after the general elections. In a statement, spokesman of the group, Pastor Oyedepo said that his group “is a forum of intelligent, well-educated citizens of more than 5,000 membership across Alimosho Local Government.”

Oyedepo added that his group is interested in transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs, equality, integrity, and justice, and youth empowerment. Further, he added that the mission of GPM is to help restructure Nigeria leadership to achieve a just and equitable society, and prompt religious, interethnic, as well as intra-ethnic harmony.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 7

Insurgency: INEC considers capturing less than 10% of registered voters to represent constituencies •As stakeholders kick By Emman Ovuakporie

ORE facts emerged yesterday as to why the forthcoming general elections should not hold as less than 10percent of Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, were captured by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in the three troubled states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe. Sunday Vanguard findings revealed that in a state like Borno, only five local governments could be accessed by INEC while the rest are fortresses that nobody could reach to distribute Permanent Voters Cards, PVCs, not to talk of conducting elections. The IDPs located in the metropolitan areas of the three troubled states are directly under the control of their state governors while the larger number of IDPs are located in places that they can’t be reached. In a desperate move on January 14, the House of Representatives made an amendment to 2010 Electoral Act to accommodate IDPs in the forthcoming

elections which was speedily passed. In adopting the amendment, the House agreed to the insertion of a fresh Sec-

tion 26 (1) that caters for the voting rights of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) during future elections in the country.

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) has pointedly accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of sponsoring attacks on President Goodluck Jonathan in Katsina and Bauchi as part of its plan to demonize the opposition and force a postponement of next month’s general elections. In a statement issued in

Elechi’s absence at PDP rallies proves alliance with opposition – Ex-Governor Egwu BY PETER OKUTU

ORMER gover nor of Ebonyi State and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, senatorial candidate for Ebonyi North in the next month’s elections, Dr Sam Egwu, has alleged that the absence of Governor Martin Elechi from the party’s ral-

lies, which kicked off two weeks ago across the 13 local government areas of the state, was a clear indication of his support for the opposition, Labour Party. According to him, the action of the governor had increased the suspicion that he was romancing with opposition party in the state to en-

sure that power shifts to the North contrary to his earlier pronouncement that power would shiift to the South senatorial district of the state. Egwu stated this during the PDP governorship rally at Ngbo Central School in Ohaukwu Local Government Area in the state.

ITSEKIRI TO JONATHAN: Visit to Olu of Warri wont save you unless... By Emma Amaize

ARRI Study Group, WSG, an influential Itsekiri group in Delta State, yesterday, insisted that President Goodluck

Jonathan’s surprise visit to the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse II, on Friday, would not stop Itsekiri and other ethnic nationalities in the Niger-Delta from voting against him if he did

not perform the groundbreaking of the $16 billion Export Processing Zone, EPZ, Ogidigben, before next month’s presidential election. Chairman of WSG, Mr. Edward Ekpoko, told Sunday Vanguard, “We are amazed that he told the Olu that he would perform the groundbreaking ceremony before the end of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s administration. What has the tenure of Uduaghan’s administration got to do with the EPZ groundbreaking, he should not tie it to Uduaghan administration, which is clearly misleading?” “Our position is that he should do the groundbreaking before the February 14 presidential elections, otherwise, he will lose not just Itsekiri votes, but the votes of other ethnic nationalities in the region, which are angry with his style of doing things.” He reiterated that that the EPZ project would create thousands of jobs for unwaged Niger-Deltans and Nigerians, and wondered why a president, who claimed he was concerned about the unemployment problem in the country, would delay the groundbreaking of such a jobspinning project because his Ijaw kinsmen at Gbaramatu kingdom kicked against it. Ekpoko, who lamented that the groundbreaking had suffered three postponements allegedly in pursuit of “unstainable Ijaw objections/agenda,” said the president has inexplicably ignored the benefits of the projects to other Nigerians. His words, “The project will be of immense benefits to thousands of youths from Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Ibo, Isoko and indeed, other Nigerians facing severe employment and Jonathan should not tie it to his election on February 14.”

PDP sponsors attacks on Jonathan as part of election-shift ploy — APC Lagos, yesterday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the ‘’coordinated hysterical reactions to the attacks by the Presidency, Senate President David Mark and the leadership of the Ijaw nation have exposed the sponsors of the attacks.’’

Also, yesterday, a human rights activist, Mr Richard Akinnola, condemned the alleged plan to postpone the elections. In a statement titled, “Satanic Moves to Postpone the Februar y Elections”, Akinnola described the excuse as untenable.

IGP orders crackdown on political thugs, actors, sponsors By Kingsley Omonobi, Abuja

N the aftermath of several attacks by supporters of opposition parties during political campaigns, Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, has directed all zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police and commands’ Commissioners of Police to thoroughly investigate all acts by political actors, their sponsors and foot soldiers that contravene the provisions of the law.

Briefing newsmen, yesterday, at Force Headquarters, Force Public Relations Officer, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu, noted that using force to intimidate voters or threaten the freedom of their choice will not be allowed. Regarding the incidents in Bauchi, Katsina, Rivers states and others, Ojukwu said suspected assailants had been arrested in Kano, Katsina, Bauchi, Plateau and Rivers states. Investigation, according to him, was ongoing; those found culpable will be made to face the law.

Obuoforibo emerges Ijaw leader

JAW National Con gress (INC) has elected Chief Boma Obuoforibo as its National President. Obuoforibo, a Port-Harcourt based legal luminary, emerged President of the Ijaw umbrella organisation in a delegates convention held at the International Headquarters of the INC, at the Ijaw House, Yenagoa, •Chief Obuoforibo Bayelsa State. He polled 233 votes to de- ders (CITRE). feat two other contestants: Amongst the delegates at Dr (Mrs) Rose Obuoforibo the convention were Chief and Dr Young Fiabema, who Joshua Fumudoh(former polled 128 and 41 votes re- President of INC), Senator spectively. Four votes were Emmanuel Diffa, Hon Peter voided. The election was Biakpara (former Vice Presconducted by the Mrs Feli- ident of INC), Pastor PZ Agcia Orouna-led INC Elec- inighan (Founding Secretoral Committee appointed tary of INC), Mrs Nyengieby the Conference of Ijaw bi Akamande (INC USA). Traditional Rulers and El-

Unilag workshop on housing

S the Federal Gov ernment continues in its quest to provide house for all in the shortest possible time, the Department of Building, University of Lagos, Akoka has finalised plans to organise a workshop on how to make this project feasible. The seminar titled: National Vision on Housing and Infrastructure: The role of project management, which is the 10th edition of

its annual project management lecture series, begins on Thursday, February 5 at the Unilag multi-purpose hall. The lecture will be delivered by the managing director and chief executive officer, Aso Savings and Loans Plc, Abuja, Mr. Hassan Usman. Keynote speakers include Ministers of Housing and Works, Mrs. Akpan Etim Eyakenyi and Arc. Onolememen.

Madam Coker for burial

ADAM Florence Olayinka Coker is dead, aged 86. Mama passed on to eternal glory on December 16, 2014. According to the burial programme released by the family, the deceased will be committed to mother earth on Friday, January 30, 2015 after a funeral service at St James Cathedral, Oke Bola Ibadan. The burial will be preceded by a wake keep on Thursday, January 29 at her residence, Plot 5, Madam Coker Layout, Idishin, Jericho, Ibadan. Madam Coker is survived by many children

•Late Madam Coker and grandchildren including Mr Muyiwa Coker, Mrs Toyin Fagbadegun, Mrs Yemisi Ala, Mr Adebowale Coker, Mr Akinjide Coker, Mrs Bimbo Bankole Ojo and Mr Akintomide Coker.

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SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

FEBRUARY POLLS

The The gr grave ave mis misttak akee Nigeria Nigeria cannot af ffor dd cannot af or —Pa Ayo Adebanjo,

•Pa Ayo Adebanjo

Afenifere leader •’ How Tinubu, ‘ fellow progressives’ deviated from Awolowo’s path’ •Says Buhari hasn’t apologised for his antidemocratic actions

BY WALE AKINOLA & LEKAN BILESANMI

a Ayo Adebanjo, a leader of the Yoruba group, Afenifere, was a top member of the Action Group, led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in the first republic. He also belonged to the Awolowo – led Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) in the second republic. At the inception of the latest democratic experiment in 1999, he joined the late Pa Abraham Adesanya and Chief Bola Ige, among others, to form the Alliance for Democracy which dominated the governments in the South-west. In this interview, he speaks on the state of the nation. Afenifere, unlike before, is no longer active. What is happening? Afenifere is still very active. In fact, very soon, we are going to meet in Akure, Ondo State. It no longer as vibrant as it was Well, I am sure that would be because of the press. You are light on to the world, just like the motto of the defunct West African Pilot. There is no doubt that there is some kind of division among us caused by some rebels who didn’t want the right thing to be done, because we are strictly Awolowo’s disciples,undiluted. We don’t modify Awo’s principles for our own interest, progressive is progressive; not progressive today and conservative tomorrow. Those who were never progressives, the moment they join you, they automatically

become progressives. How are you resolving the challenge of people trying to twist the principles of Awo? We shall continue to say what is right for people to decipher. There are no two ways about it. What we are doing now is to ensure that you people follow the right path. The principle of Afenifere leaders, particularly myself, is to tell you the truth because lying and falsification of things have dominated the country. But there are a lot of people now calling themselves progressives? I will say all those ones are fake. All those the people in the then ACN that is now APC are fake progressives. How They are fake in the sense that they don’t pursue the principles of Awolowo. Take, for instance, the issue of federalism, you know we were part and parcel of National Democratic Coalition, NADECO. And during the NADECO days, we were the only ones shouting about the issue of Sovereign National Conference for the restructuring of the country because the federation was an awkward one. It was not balanced. And it was because the military choked us in 1966. The Constitution the colonialists gave us at independence was jettisoned after the 1966 coup. And that is why you saw arbitrary creation of states and local government areas because the people there were northerners. And we said we don’t want the country to separate; for us all to live in peace, let us all sit down and restructure the country on the principle of federalism. Federalism is the system whereby the various ethnic nationalities that formed the country

And that is why I think this romance with the South-west of picking a vice presidential candidate with him is just a mere gimmick. That is why I am insisting that all the recommendations of the confab should be implemented before the elections because, the inequality this country has been suffering all this while has been rectified with the recommendations of the confab

can grow at their own space and then still keep the country as one, that was what we insisted upon. You would also remember when Abdulsalami; Abubakar (former Head of State) said we should go for election, and we said no, we should first of all hold a conference that would lead to a new Constitution which we would all be happy about, but he said, ‘No, I am in a hurry, when you get your civilian government, you can go and do it’. That was why one was held during the Obasanjo time. All those with us during the NADECO time that insisted on National Conference are the same set of people saying now that the Goodlock Jonathan conference was a diversion. That was what Bola Tinubu said. I have said it before, let him challenge it. Sovereign National Conference was one of the manifestoes we used in electing him into office as governor of Lagos State. It was part of the Alliance for Democracy that there must be a National conference. When we won elections in 1999, it was because we reluctantly took part in the election because we didn’t want people we didn’t believe in to win elections in South-West and claim later that we were not representing the South-West. That was why we contested the elections so that everybody could see that we had the support of the people. After the elections, all the six states in the SouthWest where we had our governors, Afenifere leaders toured the Houses of Assembly

led by late Papa Abraham Adesanya, for them to pass a resolution that there must be a National Conference. Tinubu was there. Now because something does not suit him, because he has some motive now, he says the National Conference was a diversion. Is that consistent with our policy? Now, what you find these days is imposition of candidates which is against the principle of Awolowo. Take the issue of free education, you hear free education in Lagos, have you been to their primary and secondary schools and see the number of children there? Can you find any of the children of these ministers in any of the public schools? Is that what they inherited? It is matter of principle. This is what separated us the Afenifere from the ACN who called them selves progressives. It is not a personal thing. Where do the Yoruba people stand in the February elections? I think that would also be a matter of principle. The question of South-south is a matter of principle of Papa Awolowo that a minority would also have the right to aim for the highest position in the country. That was what I was trying to point out about the recent National Conference we had. That conference has taken care of everything concerning Nigeria. Like the issue of power, it is no longer going to be the Northwest, whenever it get to the Contnues on page 9

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 9

‘How Tinubu, ‘ fellow progressives’ deviated from Awolowo’s path’ Contnued from page 8

North, it must rotate within all other regions in the North. The same thing for the South, it is no longer about South-west but all other regions in the South such that everybody now knows when each of the regions would be president, it is no longer the issue of we are born to rule. Why I am supporting Jonathan is because he is the only man who can implement the recommendations of the National Conference which was set up to bring equity to Yorubaland and to Nigeria. He is the only man. And once he does that, all these things we are complaining about will be rectified. People talk about corruption but they never care to know the root of corruption. The thing is that the Federal Government has more money than all other tiers of government. Now, we have closed that gap in the confab. We have done it in such a way that the states now have more powers which may not be palatable to those ones in the North. For example, how did you have more local government areas than the South? How are the local governments in Kano and Jigawa more than those in Lagos? The military at that time just allocated states and local governments to themselves. There was really no criteria with which they arrived at those local governments. So, they now went further by allocating funds on the basis of the number of local governments. You will recall that Lagos State was denied local government funds even when the Supreme Court ruled that it should be paid. That is the kind of wholesome power the Federal Government has,and that is one of the reasons I feared if Buhari should govern under this Constitution. Why? Because they have the mentality that they are born to rule. And that is why I think this romance with the South-west of picking a vice presidential candidate with him is just a mere gimmick. That is why I am insisting that all the recommendations of the confab should be implemented before the elections because, the inequality this country has been suffering all this while has been rectified with the recommendations of the confab. All the things that could cause us conflicts have been rectified. So, all our problems have been attacked from the root. And, that is why those who think it is not to their advantage don’t want it done. Everybody believes that this present Constitution is bad and we then say let us all sit down and harmonize it,what is wrong in that one? We have done it now but yet you don’t want it to be implemented. And where is the antagonism coming from ? From the beneficiaries of the awkwardness of the constitution. And they still want the Yoruba to continue to go along with that? If some Yoruba follow them sheepishly, probably because they don’t know the background, that can not happen to someone like me. And part of the inequality we are talking about is what has come out in the Buhari certificate matter. In the first republic, you set up a standard for everybody but when it

•Pa Adebanjo comes to the northerner, you set another standard, that is exactly what happened in Buhari’s case. Those of us who knew all these things from the beginning are not surprised by the new turn of events. You heard that his principal sent a letter to the military that he was capable and that he expected that he would pass his examinations. That was what was happening in those days in the North. Go and ask serious federal civil servants in this country, many of the permanent secretaries that were senior to them whether they were not superseded without being qualified. They cannot deny that. If you have read General Isama’s book, you will find it there where he said when they were about to be commissioned, the standard set for them was usually lower for the North. I am sure he never anticipated a situation like this. And do we have corruption on selective basis? Look at the PTF which he superintended. Even though Obasanjo was trying to cover him up, has he denied anything of such? He knows that if he does, the document is there for everyone to see. There was the issue of the N25b there. It is all in the report. So, how can I, as a NADECO man, come and support a dictator. All his antecedents are dictatorial and military like. That was then. Don’t give me that. When did he become a democrat? What has he done to show he is a democrat other than the fact he is saying he is being punished because he is now a democrat? When he first came as a military man, he was issuing retroactive actions to convict people for murder. We are all living witnesses to what he did with Decree 4, so, that is the type of man you want me to vote in a civilian regime? He says he is not a fundamentalist. It is just that people forget about records easily. Here was a man who campaigned in the North and said Muslims should vote for Muslims. Here was a man who said he was going to work for the operation of Sharia through out the country. He has not

denied it neither has he apologized for all the anti-democratic things he has done. I won’t be deceived by bringing a first class technocrat as running mate. That is where I was going that if you cannot support because of Buhari’s personality, how about that of his vice? That is not possible because the running mate has no political experience. He is a first class technocrat, a distinguished lawyer and a nice gentleman, but if you are talking of politics, it is another matter entirely. They just brought him in. Tinubu brought him in as Attorney General, he was never in politics. He comes from Ikenne. Does he know the politics of Ikenne? So, the South-West may be making a mistake. Exactly, there is no doubt about that, that they will be making a big mistake and digging their graves. They may not listen but, I, Ayo

Why I am supporting Jonathan is because he is the only man who can implement the recommendations of the National Conference which was set up to bring equity to Yorubaland and to Nigeria

Adebanjo, is telling them. I am 87 years old, I can die any moment, so that when ever it happened, they would be able to say that indeed, that man told us. Buhari is only deceiving them . Go and read what Wole Soyinka said about him in 2001. Has it changed? Go and read what El- Rufai said about him in 2002 that he is not electable. These are the same people polishing him. When I look at the whole scenario, I feel sorry for this country. But, it is like Yoruba are irrevocably committed to following Buhari through Tinubu. I don’t believe Yoruba are following Tinubu. There are so many factors that made him win election in those days. When it comes to these facts, it is now left for the Yoruba to decide. Those of us who suffered imprisonment during the NADECO days under Abacha , Tinubu was not around. To those of us who were really victims of dictatorship, you cannot send Buhari to us. I don’t know those who are now doing chop chop politics. From the beginning, we were never those who believe than military person should come and rule under a civilian regime and that was one of the reasons the Yoruba strongly voted against Obasanjo in 1999. It was the military that imposed Obasanjo on us, because it was Babangida and Abdulsalami that brought him and imposed him on us. They may have disagreement later because Obasanjo didn’t perform. It was Obasanjo that brought Yar’Adua, he brought Jonathan. The old brigade in the Afenifere are the real progressives according to you because you are the authentic Awolowo’s follows. Is it not an irony now that instead of the South-west following people like you, they are following Tinubu and his ‘progressive’ party? That is left for them. I have given all the facts. This is a democracy. With all we are saying, you and I know that we are suffering here in Lagos. I am Fashola’s fan, I won’t say he has not done well but, those of us who created his predecessor, Tinubu, know that he could do better for Lagos, that is what we are saying. You may not appreciate what is happening now except you remember the Western Region where things moved well. A man ruled the Western Region for seven years without strike. He introduced free education when our income was barely five and a half million pounds including Edo and Delta at that time by share economic ingenuity. Is that what we are having now? You have people who do job of N50m and say it is N250m and yet, the people would be saying he has done a good job. With all that is being done in Lagos, some of us have asked the question,how much does it cost? What is the revenue of Lagos, both the internally generated and the allocation? And yet, we are still owing that much debt. And yet we have to pay for tolls. I am not contesting election for anybody to vote for me, all I am saying is for posterity. Where they have done well, I say it, where they are wrong, I say it as well. When they talk of corruption in Jonathan government, I won’t say the government is clean, but those who are talking about corruption,

how clean are they themselves? This is the question and yet these are the same people you journalists extol to high heavens. Are you saying there is no corruption in Lagos State? The only job we have now is to reform this country and urge Jonathan to implement the recommendations of the confab so that we can all start on a clean slate. There may have been a lot of irregularities in the past and it is the irregularities that people are fighting. Everybody must have autonomy to rule itself and we all combine at the centre for what joins us together. If we had no federal system, Awolowo could not have done what he did in the Western Region. So INEC should just allow Buhari to run the election and forget about the certificate? I don’t know. Don’t put words into my mouth, that is left for INEC to prove if indeed he has the certificate; otherwise he is not qualified. He is not qualified? That is what the law says. It is not me. You journalists must be honest to this nation. You are not doing me any favour neither are you doing the country any good by trying to plaster what should not be plastered. What the law says is this: You must have a school certificate before you can qualify. But the school has presented that now? This is not the kind of certificate I have. I don’t think this one is tenable. If they can be fooled, I cannot. That is why I think Jega should come in. Though Jega doesn’t want to be seen as supporting anybody, from the law that he is expected to implement, Buhari has not satisfied the Constitution. Jega is only trying to shift responsibility by saying people opposed to Buhari’s qualification for the polls should go to court. I heard the APC saying Buhari has been contesting election for the past 12 years and nobody said anything about it, why now? And my answer in form of question is, if someone has been committing robbery and getting away with it, the day he is caught, you are now asking, why has not been caught all this while? Are you saying it is as good as INEC disqualifying the man based on what is on ground? Except you are saying the law should not be obeyed. The law is not made for fun. We should not be sentimental about this thing. That is why we say there are two standards, one for Ayo Adebanjo and one for Buhari. That is what is happening in the secondary schools. When they say examination cut-off mark is this but lower cut-off mark for those in the North, that is the kind of thing we have been going through since amalgamation and we have been shouting that let us educate the people of the North, but they don’t want to be educated as we are, yet they want to be qualified as we are. You are 87 now and mummy is 85, what is the secret of your longevity? It is about honesty. We are at peace with our minds. I won’t see black and call it white because of monetary gain. It is the grace of God. Although I try to eat well and exercise, all still amounts to the grace of God.

PAGE 10—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

Akwa Ibom State goes APC; Jonathan blunders

But, the President was warned. Long before it was clear who the APC candidate would be and in two separate articles written on this page (AKS 2015: IBIBIOS HOLD THE ACES, January 2014 and AKS 2015: JONATHAN VERSUS AKPABIO) I warned the President that the Ibibio people who constitute about sixty eight per cent of voters in Akwa Ibom State have turned their backs on Governor Akpabio and they would not vote for any candidate supported by the Gover nor. On each occasion, I had advised the President to open an avenue of communication with the leaders of Ibibio. Obviously, he must have

House of cards “Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man's sense of values and his objectivity.It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful,and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true" - Martin Luther King Jr.

don’t know about you, but this certificate thing is getting tedious. We need to move on to talk about what really matters; the future of Nigerians. GMB has come out and rejected claims that he did not obtain his school-leaving certificate and as we know, that prospective presidential candidates must have it as a minimum requirement to run for office. The government spin doctors are hell bent on diverting attention away from campaign issues such as unemployment, insecurity and corruption. There is a saying that, I point to the sky and all you can see, is my fingers. We have got to be smarter than this, we were once people of integrity and respect, and surely, we can make up our minds and stop playing stupid. About time we seek

the truth and not engage in the smoke and mirror cheap tactics. In the last couple of days, The Nigerian Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Olaleye Lajide who addressed a press conference on last Tuesday to a frenzied crowd to announce that the army could not find General Muhammadu Buhari’s school leaving certificate in its records, has mysteriously been redeployed from that post. Quell surprise! Even the Nigerian army have been brought into the melee. So it was left to GMB to take a stand and tell journalists that he had asked his old school to make available a copy of the certificate showing that he had "passed the examination in the second division". He went on to address the press. That he only consented to address the issue because of the genuine concern expressed by many supporters and other wellmeaning Nigerians. “Otherwise, I would have dismissed it for what it is – sheer mischief and would not have considered it an issue worth the Nation’s while. I had assumed all along that all my records

been persuaded that the governor can alone deliver the state. And, he demonstrated that belief in many ways. Recently, the G-22, the group of twenty-two PDP contestants for governor on the PDP ticket, who felt aggrieved by the conduct

Last week, I sneaked into Akwa Ibom State, with two people to find out the relative strength of the candidates and surprisingly it was not even close. About seventy per cent of those polled will definitely vote for Umana O Umana; nine per cent are undecided. Incidentally, Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, the PDP candidate, is wellliked and would have done better on his own. Personally, I think Akwa Ibom is fortunate to have

President Jonathan has been placed in this embarrassing situation because he had closed every other avenue of communication with the political class in the State – he became a captive of Akpabio

Emmanuel’s godfather and his godmother (the Governor ’s wife), have given him the kiss of death. The situation was made much worse when Akpabio compared his wife with Mother Theresa. For AKS, a predominantly Catholic state, that was one more insult the people will not accept from the outgoing governor. President Jonathan has been placed in this embarrassing situation because he had closed every other avenue of communication with the political class in the State – he became a captive of Akpabio. Perhaps, Jonathan would have believed me if in those articles I had called him “Almighty ” before going on to give unsolicited advice. He and his close political associates, in transient possession of power, apparently love those who flatter their illusions of deity. He will pay dearly for it.

of the primaries, spent a week in Abuja trying to meet with the President. They waited in vain. These are community leaders in Ibibioland. They were not alone. None of the founding fathers of PDP,

two such excellent candidates running for an office which would benefit from the financial discipline which had been lacking since 2007. But, objectively Umana is the best choice at this time.

One day, Jonathan will understand that “The yesman is the enemy; your friend will argue with you; even fight with you”. (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn). When Dr Alex Ekwueme, the father of PDP, lamented that the PDP had been hijacked by people who don’t believe in its principles; he was saying the same thing as the current Chairman of the PDP, Mu’Azu, who cried out that the PDP had become a party of monkey

were in the custody of the Military Secretary of the Nigerian Army. Much to my surprise, we are now told that although a record of the result is available, there are no copies of the certificates in my personal file. This is why I formally requested my old school, the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina to make available the school’s copy of the result of the Cambridge/West African School Certificate.” He went on: “The issue in this campaign can't be my certificate, which I obtained 53 years ago, the issue is the scandalous level of unemployment of millions of our young people, the state of insecurity, the pervasive official corruption which has impoverished our people and the lack of concern of the government for anything other than the retention of power at all costs.

Muhammadu Buhari, as a “forgery.” Roll in the Spin director of Media and Publicity, Chief Femi FaniKayode, who, declared the result sheet issued by the Cambridge examination body as fake, adding that it was superimposed on another document. Fani-Kayode said: “The column lines on the part where names are printed do not align with the blank columns, while there is an introduction of extraneous lines on some other

candidates hopes to bury the doubt about his eligibility for next month’s election are forged, manipulated and fraudulently procured. “They are therefore untenable in fact and in law. We do not know who the authors and masterminds of this forgery are but whoever they are, we urge them to come forward and be identified. “If they fail to come forward voluntarily, we hereby call on the police

I do not think, these people will be satisfied, with the facts as it is seems that he is an obstacle. When I was younger, we often say, silence is the best answer for a fool and I think at this point it will be better to address their hot air and chest beating to a resounding silence. Dignity deserves it and most of all, when one fights with a fool, people will fail to tell the difference. As you see, now the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign organisation has described the West African School Certificate result of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen.

OTHING is more pathetic that when a contestant, out of hubris, and refusal to listen to all sides, loses a contest he should have won easily. President Goodluck Jonathan had just handed over Akwa Ibom State to the All Progressive Congress – on a silver platter. APC, which did not exist, until September or October last year, has now captured the state by becoming the party of the majority ethnic group as well as several top level politicians representing all the ethnic groups. In fact, there is probably no single politician, alive today, who was among the founding fathers of the PDP in Akwa Ibom, who is with the party any more. They have been humiliated and pushed out of the party while President Jonathan did

nothing in four years to bring about reconciliation. His total dependence on Governor Godswill Akpabio will cost him dearly. He can now remove AKS from the list of states he hopes will vote for him in February.

“The climax of every tragedy lies in the deafness of its heroes.” (VANGUARD BOOK OF QUOTATIONS p90).

Ibibio, Anang and Oron, in Akwa Ibom State had been given an appointment with Jonathan. Out of frustration they have now thrown their support to Umana Umana – the APC candidate who is now the leading candidate by far.

We have always known that politics is dirty but in Nigeria it is on a different depth. The filth and disrespect that comes out of their political portal is shocking, it has become no holds barred

columns. “The document contains an obvious alteration on the Mathematics column of the candidate, Mohamed Buhari, who was assumed to have scored an “F” in the subject. And he said: “This raises a very fundamental issue of validity in view of the fact that the accompanying result sheet states that ‘any alteration or erasure renders this statement of Results invalid’. And he went on (he does like the sound of his own voice), “So what are our conclusion from all these is that the documents purportedly released by Government College (Pilot) Katsina, upon which the APC Presidential

and other security agencies to seek them out, find them, arrest them, interrogate them and prosecute them in accordance with the laws of the land” So who made this man, judge, jury and executioner? We have always known that politics is dirty but in Nigeria it is on a different depth. The filth and disrespect that comes out of their political portal is shocking, it has become no holds barred. Sometime,you have to ask yourself how many mad people are in charge of this asylum? Seriously, we need to put this to bed.Well, I have decided that for myself but people at some point will have to make up their minds. In the last

work baboon chop. Both are decrying lack of justice and a government which has turned democracy into “government of the one per cent by the one per cent and for the one per cent”. And, the one per cent doesn’t give a damn about the ninety-nine per cent. People who don’t know Akwa Ibom State very well labour under illusions of progress which has not been achieved. There is a thin, but firm line, between a wise investor and a wastrel. The investor seeks sustainability; the wastrel seeks cheap popularity and having achieved it wants to cover his tracks by imposing successors. The people of Akwa Ibom are saying NO! – loud and clear. It is a pity Jonathan is caught in this. But, he was warned – right on this page. MORE AUSTERITY MEASURES COMING Okonjo-Iweala, Federal Minister of Finance. The Minister said this at the launch of Action 2015 when she had a dialogue with children. Just as well. No adults with their heads screwed on straight would waste their time attending a meeting to be told the obvious. What people want to know from our World Bank economist is how to survive the calamity!!!

couple of years the insurgency has killed thousands, maimed many more and displaced about a million. This government has failed spectacularly and it has negated its duty to its people. BH is a byproduct of a damaged and kleptocratic politics and culture that has made Nigeria’s security unstable and that of neighbouring countries. Nigeria spends $6 billion a year on defence and security yet its army mutinies or deserts as top brass milks the budgets leaving lower ranking officers ill equipped to fight or muster courage to compete with smaller neighbouring countries with better equipped and disciplined army. There is more graduates but little or no jobs, we have pockets of environmental disasters, systemic corruption, misrule, ethnic, religious divide and near ungovernable country. There is general apathy and state fed paranoia. So what are they afraid of? Well, what are they not afraid of? If you tell untruths, then there is a lot to be afraid of. The scaremongering and spin is to convince some gullible people that Nigerians do not deserve better than this present government? We have become so ground down in the mire that some believe that the better the devil you know. There lies the problem; why the devil you know? Do the people not hold their future in their hands to pave a better Nigeria rather than one where crumbs are flung from the high table and for that people should be grateful?

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 11

Certificate controversy: The Buhari example legal obligation to possess a minimum of the West African School Certificate. If General Buhari does not have it, he cannot qualify to contest a Presidential election in Nigeria. It is immaterial that he had been “allowed” previously to contest such an election. Another dimension which the nation can similarly not tolerate is for a candidate to lie on oath claiming for instance that he has a certificate which he does not have or that he attended a

school which is untrue. Thus, the allegation that Buhari is not academically qualified for the February 14, 2015 Presidential election ought to gravely

The anatomy of fundamentalist terrorism (2) he difference between the Holy Bible and the Holy Koran, therefore, is not that the former does not contain belligerent injunctions while the latter does. Generally, Christians seem more benign than Muslims now mainly because for centuries philosophers and intellectuals some of whom were devout Christians subjected Christianity to severe criticism from every possible angle, thereby exposing its weaknesses and irrationalities. The concomitant effect of such relentless criticism over time is loosening of the stranglehold of biblical injunctions on people's beliefs and conduct, accompanied by increasing acceptance of secular scientific worldview in Christian countries especially in Europe and her cultural colonies in North America. Islam is yet to go through such intense intellectual purifying process. I am convinced that in future secularisation of Islam would get to the stage where Muslims would reject violence and terrorism as a legitimate means of propagating their faith. But the question remains, why do some Muslims enthusiastically react so strongly to the point of risking their own lives against those they believe have violated certain injunctions in Islamic scriptures, which most reasonable people would consider inconsequential and unworthy of attention?

Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN) to overwhelm justice with technicality- a road we have passed before! It is thus remarkable that Buhari has put the certificate issue fully in the public domain choosing not to employ escapism which could short-change the people. It may not satisfy everyone but those satisfied with it would be better guided to make rational electoral decisions. Those not satisfied should feel free to further investigate it just as the PDP is already doing with a fresh allegation that the result produced by Buhari’s old school was forged. This is why any societal institution associated with any of the current allegations should deal with the matter expeditiously. For example, the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) should fully explain the rumour of Buhari’s alleged ailment credited to that institution instead of issuing a terse statement that may not persuade many people or using the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria that some may doubt. If an indicted societal institution clears controversies around itself, its image will improve; the maligned would be cleared; leaders would learn to distance themselves from aides who peddle half-truths and above all the public as a whole will be better served.

own species without any rational benefit, either biological or economic. Such malignant aggressiveness, though unnecessary for physiological survival, is an important part of the mental functioning of humans. Fromm suggests that it is one of the passions that are dominant and powerful in some individuals and cultures but not in others. It follows that an adequate understanding of the aetiology of fundamentalist terrorism must be predicated on a scientific understanding of human nature and the sociocultural conditions that tend to engender malignant aggression. Now, human beings can be defined in m o r p h o l o g i c a l , anatomical, physiological,

frame of orientation and object of devotion as a substitute for our partial separation from nature. Aside from the basic needs of biological survival and reproduction which humans share with other animals, our capacity for selfawareness, reason and creative imagination demands that we must operate with a picture of the world and our place in it, a cohesive and structured system of beliefs as a substitute for our existential alienation from nature. Fromm informs us that man (in the sense in which woman is included, of course) needs a map of his natural and social world without which he would be confused and unable to act consistently and purposely. Religion, therefore, is one of

and only to the extent to which the practice of life is bereft of contradiction and irrationality can the worldview on which it is based correspond to the truth. At last, we have arrived at a very important key for understanding the phenomenon of violent religious extremism usually ignored in discussion of global terrorism. The average Islamic terrorist who has been exposed from childhood to the idea that there is a piece of literature revealed to a holy prophet that contains the actual pronouncements of God would unlikely cultivate and develop the requisite dose of healthy scepticism for evaluating the doctrines of his religion rationally. Rather, he or she would believe wholeheartedly and fanatically what is written in the "holy book." Thus, in the case of a devout Muslim indoctrinated from childhood with the idea that Islam is the only true religion and that converting at all cost unbelievers or infidels is a religious duty, with the promise of divine reward in paradise after death, the psychological foundation for him to be a willing tool for religious terrorism has been laid. At this stage, it would hardly occur to him to search for passages in the Holy Koran that enjoin peace and brotherly love for all human beings without discrimination. That said, given certain social conditions that engender boredom, alienation, disillusionment and strong belief in the religious myth that life in paradise after death is infinitely better than life in this world, an Islamic terrorist would not hesitate to commit atrocities in the name of his God or prophet. Therefore, if people are serious about tackling the menace of terrorism, if

governments all over the world are genuinely committed to reducing the dangerous escalation of religious extremism, then concerted efforts must be made urgently, among other things, to teach children, especially in schools, the rudiments of critical thinking, comparative religion, and philosophy. There must be a way of letting children know that, despite claims of divine revelation, religion, like everything human, is a cultural artefact which must be subjected to ratiocinative scrutiny such that those parts that tend to encourage discrimination, violence and destructiveness must be passed over in silence as an index of human fallibility and moral weakness. Parents, teachers, and religious leaders must teach the young that religion is meant for man, not man for religion; that it is morally wrong and stupid to main, kill and destroy just because someone said something you do not like about your prophet, holy book, religion or God. Going back to the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in Paris with which we began this discourse, the notion that those murdered by the lunatics somehow deserved their fate for insulting prophet Muhammad (SAW) is completely ridiculous and morally reprehensible. Now, supposing a group of atheists who passionately detest religion goes ahead to commit a dastardly act in a mosque or church filled with worshippers during jumaat or Sunday service, how would a Muslim or Christian respond to the atheists' explanation that they were offended by the reverence for God in the “holy books”. Therefore, humankind must put an end to organised religion, or it would put an end to humankind. Concluded.

disturb Nigerians and it did more so as the army at a press conference a few days ago said it did not have Buhari’s certificate contrary to the claim of the APC flag bearer. In earnest, the rebuttal raised the tempo of the saga beyond mere allegation. Perhaps the army did not intend to impugn the integrity of a one-time commander in chief, but it illuminated the suspicion that he was not really qualified to contest the election. Considering the claim of the Army spokesman, Brigadier General Olajide Laleye that the Army had been inundated with requests about Buhari’s academic

Whether we believe Buhari or not, it is fair to commend him for not escaping to be accountable. He could have followed the dodgy steps of some other politicians

PhD, Department of Philosophy, University of Lagos,

qualification, it is unfortunate that the army was unable to categorically resolve such an issue of national importance. First, the army left Nigerians to

clarify the situation. Accordingly, General Muhammadu Buhari has formally explained that he attended the Provincial Secondary School, Katsina with many prominent Nigerians, like the late General Shehu Yar’Ardua, former chief of staff at the Supreme Headquarters, and Justice Umaru Abdullahi, a former President of the Court of Appeal. He also claimed to have sat for the University of Cambridge/WASC Examination in 1961, with the examination number 8280002, which he reportedly passed in the Second Division. Whether we believe Buhari or not, it is fair to commend him for not escaping to be accountable. He could have followed the dodgy steps of some other politicians who in the past took the nation through the rigours of the unduly long nature of litigation in Nigeria. Who knows, Buhari could have won the case in court going by how some similar cases were delivered in the past. All he needed to do was go from one court to a higher one until he gets to the Supreme Court several months later where it could have been argued that having been cleared by the electoral body to contest the election, it was late to distract him with the issue of eligibility. Even if Buhari could not afford it, his party would have been able to enlist the services of several

Generally, why do people sometimes respond violently to situations that require calm and rational response? Sometimes, poverty, unemployment, profound sense of alienation and disillusionment induce individuals, especially the youths, to overreact unnecessarily in matters of faith. But in some cases, middle class individuals with good education and jobs, like the pilots involved in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States of America, also commit atrocities because of religion, which proves that poverty and unemployment are not always the necessary or sufficient conditions for terrorism. Thus, we need to go beyond the usual explanations and identify the basic existential conditions that motivate otherwise intelligent and reasonable men and women to become suicide bombers and agents of death and destruction in the name of God. Erich Fromm, in his book, The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness, provides a theoretical model of human nature that illuminates the problem of what he calls malignant aggression. For survival, both humans and animals, he says, engage in adaptive aggression. Nevertheless, human beings are unique because they can be driven by impulses to kill and torture, and derive satisfaction in doing so. More importantly, they are the only animal that can be a killer and destroyer of their

HE cardinal pillar of democracy is the sovereignty of the people; a feature which suggests that what matters most in a democracy is people. Everything is done on their behalf and for them making it crucial for them to know what is proposed or being done or has already been done for them. Therefore, in order that people are never left in the dark, everything must be explained to them. It is against this backdrop that we welcome the recent exposure by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of the alleged certificate saga of General Muhammadu Buhari, the Presidential flag bearer of the main opposition party, the All Progressive Congress (APC). Even if the PDP was out for mischief or to score a political point, the nation has much to gain from the resolution of the saga. To dismiss the issue by describing it as a distraction is wrong because every Presidential candidate has a

think that it does not critically examine the suitability of applicants before recruiting them hence it enlisted young Buhari in 1961 with just a recommendation. Second, anyone is free to impute from the press conference that the careergrowth of Buhari from his enlistment to the highest position in the army was without recourse to any academic credentials in his file. Third, the press conference added nothing to and subtracted nothing from the subsisting rumour thereby leaving the public further confused about whether or not the retired General was academically fit for election which is all the public wanted cleared. The implication of this is that the army employed what is called the transmission model of communication in which someone says something for the sake of speaking and not with any intent to share an idea. The army must say more especially as the APC has charged it of doublespeaking; recalling that at first, it said it had the records of all its retirees, only to now deny having those of Buhari. If the reason why Buhari’s file is devoid of credentials is because he enlisted in the 1960s as claimed, can we vouch for the qualifications of any retired General of Buhari’s generation and earlier? For the APC, it was time for self-help by moving to Buhari’s old school to

Parents, teachers, and religious leaders must teach the young that religion is meant for man, not man for religion; that it is morally wrong and stupid to main, kill and destroy just because someone said something you do not like about your prophet, holy book, religion or God

psychological and neurological terms. From an evolutionary perspective, the species homo sapiens emerged at the point of evolution when instinctive determination of behaviour had reached a minimum and the development of the brain, especially the neocortex, a maximum. This implies that as human beings we have certain mental qualities unprecedented in the animal kingdom, namely, self-awareness, reason and imagination. These mental attributes constitute the psychic foundation for existential needs peculiar to us, which create the necessity for a

the possible answers provided by man to his basic existential psychic needs. But the fundamentalist terrorist does not understand that apart from Islam, there are other and even more adequate solutions to these needs. For instance, science and philosophy provide far better answers than religion to our ineradicable need for an existential map. Generally, speaking none of the system of ideas invented thus far has been completely wrong or completely right. Each one has always been enough of an approximation to the explanation of phenomena to serve the purpose of life;

PAGE 12—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

y some indications, simply by tracking all the polling numbers measuring possible outcomes for the February elections, it seems that Muhammadu Buhari, former Major-General of the Nigerian Army and former Military Head of state of Nigeria, has gained momentum in the polls in his current run for the presidency. The latest numbers by INEC showing the distribution of registered voters nationwide and by their regional or zonal propensities, pretty much reveals interesting realities in the current voting landscape. It seems that there is very high voters’registration in the areas that might be Buhari’s strongholds in the Northeast, North West, parts of the West and parts of the North central areas. Buhari’s momentum can equally be measured in the support currently offered him by once solid backers of Jonathan like, yes, Fr. Camillus Ejike Mbaka, who began to speak in tongues after the holy ghost, (Cardinal Bunmi Okogie says it might be Agwu) visited him and compelled him to give the Jonathan campaign a terrible shellacking. The effect continues to be felt in the Jonathan camp: God may not be a registered voter in Nigeria, but folks like Mbaka who purport to speak for him, have vast

followership – minds so powerfully twisted by faith as to believe Mbaka’s visionary and prophetic m i s s i o n s . Buhari thus gains where the president falters. Travelling this past couple of weeks around Nigeria, I’ve had to pay attention, and listen closely, and track my own figures in the emerging polls. Buhari has the wind on his sails – no matter the distractions of his certificate saga. The President seems to be treading waters. I think that the president’s Campaign staff have not given enough bite to the President’s message, or shaped the debate in ways that might give President Goodluck Jonathan a good bite in the public imagination. They rely on the same old rhetoric, and the same old method of delivering it. Someone should have told them that one of the greatest issues that President Jonathan has is his image in the public eye as a very weak president without charisma. His drab exterior is a thorough campaign issue that could have been addressed by a few professional speech coaches; a little stage direction, and consistent midnight strategy groupmeets working to craft the message to suit the image of a president whose great selling points should have been intellect, the common touch, and the

A New Nigeria

xasperation is at best the word that comes to mind when I am faced with ineptitude; especially amongst leaders who lack the ability to lead. I will freely admit that patience as a virtue is something I am lacking, that all the self help books and psychoanalysis have achieved is just rage control and and a leash on my sometimes acerbic tongue. I have not acquired or been blessed with the gift of patience, as a fruit of the spirit I am working on achieving the dual goal of patience and long suffering and if I were to grade myself I would probably at most score a D+. The greatest lesson I have learnt is to make allowance for other people's insights and opinions; not doing so is just plain stupid as we all have wisdom even in our very foolishness! I would dare say my greatest strength is my intuitiveness and lightning fast mental and physical responses. That intuition is warning me of a rumbling that transcends even the physical unto the spiritual and it concerns us

all. We are all seating on a powder keg of resentment and what emerges will either make or break us. The sea of resentment is fuelled by a legacy of ineptitude that has made us a joke among the nations, as we watch while innocent blood is shed, and a succession of governments plunder all of our resources. By now you all must be wondering what is behind the obvious angst I am not hiding very well and you can rightly guess it has to do with the state of the nation. At this point I can say without being partisan that it doesn't look good for us all. While I am not a fan of the government of the day, I am even less a fan of all the politicking, name calling and accusations being bantered much like the dance of the macabre! I seem to be living in a time warp, my children are about to have the same course in social studies I did over 3 decades ago as one of the major contestants was Head of state back then. Is that a turn off for me? No, not really, all I want is the actualisation of the great

The president’s campaign lost the opportunity to charge back at General Buhari who declared he would jail people for corruption

patient democrat – qualities that should have been played up rather than subsumed in the inefficient campaign rhetoric crafted for the president about his next goals. Basically, the President has quite clearly been unable to sell his real achievements to Nigerians and that is a crying shame. The president has been described as weak on the economy, weak on domestic security; weak on innovative governance, and weak on corruption. The president’s campaign lost the opportunity to charge back at General Buhari who declared he would jail people for corruption. The president should have used that opportunity to press hard on the General to show how he would let that tyre hit the coal-tar, given that

nation that Nigeria ought to be. I actually find it offensive that religion has become an issue in Nigerian politics so I wont even descend to the level of religious bigotry. What offends me is the assumption that the Nigerian populace is so daft we don't deserve to be convinced of the intentions of all those vying for public office. Career politicians in my view are a public menace and I would hope contestants would be able to show us something they did successfully before throwing their cap in the ring. What on earth qualifies you to lead a country if you have not led your household, or even business successfully? I would actually take a man of zero popularity and modest means over most of our celebrity politicians! What Nigeria needs now are men with a conscience, that certainly cancels out all the buccaneers in the senate and the house of reps! How does one equate a conscience with elected representatives whose allowances in a 3rd world country are more than the American president's? About 5 years ago, I had an eye opening conversation with a member of our political elite and his views

fighting corruption” should take note that such powers lie within three institutions – the police, the civil service, and the National Assembly. The president can change and appoint as many new Inspectors General as he likes, but for as long as the institutions are fundamentally weak and corrupt, God himself were he to be elected President will not stop corruption. It is important therefore for Nigerians to elect those who would work to strengthen these institutions – particularly, a great legislature – which can make all the difference. The president’ power is not absolute. What may be a valid argument, however, against this president is that he did not do himself any favors in pardoning Alemesiagha, under whom he served, and in providing protection to the Minister for oil who had been summoned to the National Assembly. That the president did not work with this National Assembly to reform the Nigerian police Services; that body constitutionally charged with protecting the homeland from crimes and domestic terrorism, into a modern, efficient, welltrained, well-led institution might equally count against him. Perhaps that is where Buhari could make a difference. That the president seemed to lack a coherent National Security policy and platform that should have dealt proactively with his current internal security challenges, speak to a profound conceptual gap in the President’s choice of policy staff. Nigerians say, and this is why the charge

of corruption lurks around his government, that the billions of naira budgeted and spent on National Defence, and National Security, does not seem to add up to the evident state of Nigeria’s national security preparedness, given its inability thus far to check Boko Haram, and an embarrassing dependency on foreign governments to defend N i g e r i a ’ s sovereign domestic space. This is the question to which the President and his Campaign team are yet to articulate clear answers and responses. Basically: what happened to Nigeria’s defence budget? The fact that national security has become a cash cow leaves a troubling taste in the mouths of Nigerians. This is why Buhari has suddenly gained traction in the minds of Nigerians: increasingly, more Nigerians trust him on National security; more trust him on anticorruption; more seem to trust him to bring fiscal discipline in the running of the state. But it may also all be misguided trust, and Mr. Buhari will, if he wins this election, sooner find out that he’s out of his depths, because the workings of democracy are different from the fiat of military orders. It will also require more than hope and chutzpa to turn a very broke Nigeria around in the face of serious slides in t h e g l o b a l o i l market. But the clear fact is, unless the president’s Campaign team finds a quick turn-around, beyond the distraction of a Buhari certificate palaver, t h i s election may already be won and lost.

on Nigeria as a nation is actually sobering. I affirmed that Nigeria was a failed state given terrorism and the general lack of infrastructure and he disagreed, he felt we had to wait till we became a pariah state like Somalia, with open wars and loss of territories, where even education was impossible and people ate off dunghills

ongoing insurgence has created refugee camps in neighbouring camps where Nigerians do eat off the dunghills!! Given the insecurity of the nation I wasn't initially convinced that this was the time for an election. I was born in Lagos to parents of Yoruba origin but that pales insignificance to my place as a Nigerian. I love this country, I like my Nigerianess!! I once walked into a store in Johannesburg and was a bit surprised when the manager took one look at me and said "Nigerian!" I hadn't even spoken a word so it couldn't have been my accent. I was in the city for a few weeks and it happened on a daily basis, I found out why when I had confronted a medical personnel in the hospital that was treating a family member ( it was a medical evacuation). When I demanded premium service for the more than premium fees we were paying; I was stunned to hear the venom and resentment reserved for Nigerians. The typical South African finds Nigerians, cocky, too exuberant, over confident and a show off. They think we talk too much,spend too much and are loud and overbearing. Are they wrong? No, not at all. The typical Nigerian is very confident, we tend to be loud, we are exuberant and when we have the money, we love to spend it. I am a typical Nigerian and who and what I am is a special breed, I walk like I own the world and who is to say I don't? Its a very

confident way to live and from the palm wine tapper to the stockbroker, we are the same; I am not willing to lose a square foot of Nigeria to religion or politics. For all of our confidence and intelligence we have been foolish in our choice of leaders. We disappointed Mandela, we have disappointed our ancestors and we have disappointed ourselves but no more. We were greatness aborted by failure of leadership but no more! Change is coming but it's in an even greater dimension than the politicians are thinking, very soon those raping the nation will find themselves at the people's mercy. You see, lately Nigerians have decided to take back Nigeria and the old time politicians don't represent us! It's not too much to ask that politicians defend their policies and give reasonable and precise manifestoes! If you want to give us uninterrupted electricity, please tell us how and when, then sign that you be thrown out if you fail! I have been careful not to disclose my political persuasion as I don't want to sway anyone. A New Nigeria will emerge and it is emerging, none of the present players will play a part and it will be because of the conscious effort of Nigerians, it will rise like a phoenix from the ashes of failed and corrupt politicians. They all should be afraid, most Nigerians are armed and dangerous, they cary a PVC card and it will bring change.

Buhari has Momentum

no elected president has the constitutional power to prosecute or jail any offenders. I think that it is important to continue to emphasize this point, that the rule of law is the cornerstone of democracy, and that Nigerians must understand key democratic principles, and why we fought for democracy messy, bureaucratic, and slow as it is sometimes bound to be. No president has the power to prosecute anybody, or to stop corruption. There is only one institution in Nigeria charged by law with that function: it is the Nigerian Police and its ancillary arm, the EFCC – which has the duty to investigate, and even anticipate, and stop the commission of crime, including the crime of corruption, within Nigeria’s domestic space. This is what the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the police exists for. It is the duty of the Attorney-General, following unimpeachable evidence collected on behalf of the ministry of Justice by the police, to prosecute every KNOWN crime on behalf of the Federal government in m a t t e r s u n d e r federaljurisdiction. It is not the work of the president, even if he, as does the National Assembly, b y virtue of its control of the federal purse, have oversight of the police. Indeed, under the powers granted these institutions, the presidency, following the authorization of the National Assembly, c a n equally be investigated and p r o s e c u t e d f o r corruption by these institutions charged with that function. So those who charge the president of “not

For all of our confidence and intelligence we have been foolish in our choice of leaders. We disappointed Mandela, we have disappointed our ancestors and we have disappointed ourselves but no more

before we could qualify to be called a pariah state. I remember that conversation 5 years on and we have over qualified for that inglorious status. We have an open war/ insurgence that has cost Nigeria some states, the Chibok girls are a graphic illustration of the of the impossibility of education in parts of the country, the

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Sylvia Ukaatu turns preacher af aftter Muna Obiekwe’s death

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Aftermath of Muna Obiekwe’s death I have been living without kidney for three years – Emma Ugolee

ollowing the death of Nollywood actor, Muna Obiekwe, last Sunday, after a protracted battle with failing kidney which finally gave in on Sunday, an air of gloom descended on the industry, prompting many to question their lifestyles and warning colleagues to do the same. Tributes began to pour in for the deceased, just as colleagues exchanged messages of love, sharing the loss and embracing in a sombre camaraderie that only could come from losing a dear one. Amid the tears, the sobs and sheer disbelief is a man who must feel the loss than most people. Not because he is a kin or of same family with the deceased but because he suffers from the same ailment from which his colleague has just passed away. To him, death is never far away. He had come close to seeing it many times but has always won. The man is Emma Ugolee, former on-airpersonality. “Too many phone calls last

night only with everyone just checking to see how I was doing. It all made sense when news filtered in that Muna Obiekwe had just died from a disease I’ve battled for over three years now. The general concern being the psychological impact of being reminded of the likelihood of one’s demise owing to the unpredictable and deadly nature of living without a kidney,” he recalled his experience a night after Muna’s death. “For closer friends, aware that I had lost 10 associates to this struggle. Three being in the last Three months and that each one lived with issues less complicated than mine. Calling me was like checking up on a pal on death row,” he observed somberly. But Emma Ugolee, as much as he may see himself on death row, isn’t sitting helplessly, expecting the hangman to come with the noose. He has hope and he shared it with colleagues: “Now it was time to return the calls and assure every

•Emma Ugolee

single one that the unfortunate event is no reason to lose faith,” he said “It’s no proof that I must toe a similar line. That I am not holier than those whose journeys have ended and thus wise enough to understand that logic does not explain the sustaining power of grace. The fact that a pattern surrounds you, does not mean your future has been moulded by it. Your faith, your vision, aspiration and motivation must tower above your environment all the time. What around you shakes your faith in you? What around you weakens your resolve to try? What tempts you to want to conform? Nothing, should be the only answer you know,” he counselled.

ultry actress, Sylvia Ukaatu, is one of many really moved by the death of Muna Obiekwe. But instead of swimming in her own tears Sylvia has reached out to her colleagues to check their lifestyles, hitting on cigarette smoking and alcohol drinking in particular. “I want to seize this opportunity to reach out to my colleagues and loved ones, to please quit high consumption of alcoholic drinks and smoking of cigarettes, it kills. You might call it fun but I bet you there is no life in it, it gradually weakens your kidney and liver. Please save a soul by saying ‘No’ to nicotine” she wrote in a Blackberry broadcast to her fans. The last time Sylvia featured in Potpourri, it was a different ball game. Then, the now sober Sylvia was telling the world how she could take on any kind of role, including making love on set. “ As an actress being versatile is my key. Because as an actress you are supposed to carry out every role given to you as though your life depended on it. Though no real sex on set for me but if it is make-believe like it usually is, I can handle it. Going nude must have a purpose it intends to achieve. If I am directed to act nude as a mad woman for an instance, I am okay with that. But just going nude for amoral reasons don’t go well with me,” she stated boldly.

•Sylvia Ukaatu

Pawpaw goes gaga over Evia Simon’s butt

•Evia and Pawpaw with Pawpaw showing disbelief at what he's seeing C M Y K

•Evia being testrun for a scene

ollywood upcoming queen of great butt, Evia Simon, has always believed there is something special about her big butt. In a chat with Potpourri sometime ago, she told us how men and even women go crazy over her big bum. This fact must have impressed Aniedi Awah Noba who cast her in a new movie ‘Osondu’ where Osita Iheme popularly known as Pawpaw went gaga for the actress’ ass. The film has a rich cast that includes Solo Akiyesi, Chioma ChukwukaAkpotha, Ebube Nwagbo, Ibiwari Etuk, Juliet Ekeson, shot on locations in Enugu State with the script written by Aniedi Awah Noba and it was produced by Azuka Odunekwe for ULZEE Productions Ltd.

• Evia having her butt grabbed at by Pawpaw

PAGE 18, SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

What really turns women on? By DAMILOLA SHOLOLA

Over the years, our interviews usually follow a specific pattern and we ask celebrities questions that may seem generic and repetitive on the surface, but usually help us perform a survey that we use to analyze what really makes them tick and how they view their worlds. You will notice the question ‘What turns you on’ is usually asked in most of our interviews and it has helped us gathered enough information to write this factual report on what really turns women on. Without wasting too much time on the intro, we reveal to you what some of our female celebrities have said turn them on or what they find attractive in a man

I appreciate a man who works out

For me, it’s always personality

— SYLYVYA OLUCHY

Slyvya Oluchy starred in the hit movie Being Mrs Elliot recently and she is no greenhorn in the Nollywood movie industry, even bagging the BON Awards for Most Promising Actress in 2013. When asked what turns her on, she said “Nothing out of the ordinary but there are some things that I appreciate. I appreciate a man who works out, who has like a fit toned body because I work out a lot so I appreciate that in other people, I like people who work out. I’m more interested overall in a man’s brains than anything else because I like to talk, I like to have intellectual conversations so I like a man who has a high IQ”. She also stars in the hit series Lekki Wives

— JULIET IBRAHIM

orn of a Lebanese father and a Ghanaian-Liberian mother, Juliet Ibrahim is one of the hottest actresses in Africa and she is known not just for her beautiful looks, but also for her humanitarian works. She revealed to us in an interview that she has a crush on popular American singer Chris Brown and when asked what she finds attractive in a man, she said “For me it’s always personality; how he treats me, how he talks to me, how he behaves around people. You can always tell how a man is going to treat you by how he behaves towards other people so it’s always the personality that I look out for ”. Juliet Ibrahim is also into music and recently released her latest song called ‘Sholala’. She also appeared in the top grossing Nollywood movie 30 Days in Atlanta

It depends on how sexually attractive the guy looks — DIDI EKANEM Didi Ekanem is a fast rising actress known mostly for her large bum, but she wants to be recognized more for her remarkable work on screen and you can watch her in movies like Jump and Pass, Journey to the Dreamland, Akan to name a few. When asked what turns her on, she said “Basically, that would only depend on how sexually attractive the guy looks. I guess that’s the only thing that can turn me on”.

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I don’t like men who are too loud — ANITA JOSEPH

opular controversial actress Anita Joseph has been in Nollywood for some time now and she is known for her killer curves which causes men to stare in awe at her voluptuous figure. When asked what she thinks is the sexiest part of her body, she said “Everywhere is sexy because everybody has what trips him or her. Some like the boobs, some like the back, some like my legs, I’ve seen somebody that loves my palm before, my fingers are very sexy”. On what attracts her to a man, she said “I love men that are simple. I don’t like men that are too loud, I love it simple”.

He must be very romantic

— UCHE IWUANYANWU

eautiful voluptuous actress Uche Iwuanyanwu shot to limelight for her role in the Ghanaian movie Cheaters and has appeared in other movies like Reverend Sister Ibu, Birthday Bash, Second Honeymoon and many more. When asked what attracts her to a man, she said “He must be God fearing, he must be very romantic, he must be caring, loving and he should understand my job. You don’t have to give me flowers, you don’t have to buy me limousine or Range Rovers even though I need those stuffs, but you should be very caring”.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 19 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

An average man but without body or mouth odour — ENIOLA BADMUS

What really turns women on?

he Gbogbo Big Girls Actress Eniola Badmus is one who does not believe that being skinny is a prerequisite for success in the entertainment industry. She has credited most of her success in showbiz to the fact that she’s big. In her words, “That is what has been working for me. It is not easy to be big and famous. Instead of my weight being a drawback, it has actually been a blessing”. On what attracts her to a man, she said “I just like a regular guy that has talent, even if he does not have talent, he has to be intelligent. A regular man, an average man I don’t mind, then no body odour and no mouth odor, very important”.

Money and a good heart turn me on — PASCALINE ALEX

e all admire people who go through great lengths to prove that they are actually good at what they do and fast rising actress Pascaline Alex is someone who has impressed us with her performance on screen. Her lesbian scene in College Girls which shot her to limelight was so real that people started believing she’s a lesbian even though she is not. When asked what turns her on in a man, she said “Physically, nothing really turns me on in a man but I think when I become a friend with a guy and he has a good heart and he knows when I really need what I want like money; Money and a good heart turn me on”.

•Eniola Badmus

A bit rugged and strong man does it for me —MAHEEDA

W •Pascaline Alex

hile many of her critics would consider her as a daughter of Jezebel, Maheeda still has numerous fans who admire her for sexually free nature and her libertine spirit. When we asked the goddess of X what attracts her to a man, she said “Appearance first, a little bit rugged and strong then after that, your character definitely. He has to have a good heart”.

•Maheeda

Honesty is a turn on for me

— UCHE OGBODO

che Ogbodo has been in Nollywood for a while and her marriage to ex Nigerian footballer Atto Ubby wasn’t a bed of roses. Her marriage barely lasted a month and during the short engagement, Uche got pregnant and had a baby while her husband fled and never saw her pregnancy for one day. She told us her marriage crashed because there were too many lies told. Uche Ogbodo said she is still open to marriage and when asked what turns her on, she said “Honesty is a turn on for me; I hold it to high esteem really. When a man is straight forward and honest, that’s a turn on for me”.

•Uche Ogbodo

Personality and physical appearance — SOTAYO SOBOLA

otayo Sobola premiered her latest movie ‘Bella’ at 10 Degrees event center on the 28th of December 2014 which was also her birthday. The movie is out now in the market and is reportedly selling like hot cake. When asked what she finds attractive in a man, Sotayo puts it bluntly and said “Personality and physical appearance”. She was recently seen on set with Muyiwa Ademola working on a new movie C M Y K

PAGE 20, SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015 Onikoyi68@gmail.com

Yes, you are right. Until you produce your own films you cannot get real money. As an upcoming actress what you get are mere stipends. Sometimes, you don’t even get paid at all except for accommodation and feeding. This is worse for those still learning under a group. But thank God I have gone beyond that now.

ose Oladimeji is beginning to get all the attention in the Yoruba film industry, for both her talent and good looks. But Bose, from Kwara State and an English graduate of Tai Solarin University of Education, Ogun State is burning with desire to do things most of her colleagues wouldn’t dare even though she wouldn’t cross the Rubicon of going nude. Already, she looks good for it, as she has been nominated in the MAYA awards, along five others as the ‘New Bride’ of Nollywood. Meet her and see what makes her tick.

There are many sensual roles coming into Yoruba films now, how sensual can you get in a film? I apply wisdom to everything I do because I always think of that day a man will ask for my hand in marriage. I don’t want anything that will soil it to come in, so, I check myself and go as far as it would suit the script and comes off as good acting.

Why did you pick acting as a career? I have always wanted to be an actress all my life. The passion began to grow as a child, back then when we used to play the moonlight play, where we imitated our parents and everything we saw on the television. Also, my love for literature helped to add fire to the passion. As an English student, literature is a part of the study, so, in a way, you can say I am still on my field as a professional. So, how did you find your way to fulfill the dream? I entered the industry through one man called Olokooba. Later I joined AKO group led by Oga Bello, Adebayo Salami but when the group disbanded I proceeded to Adebayo Tijani’s group. It was under Adebayo Tijani’s group I graduated but I thank God who has remained with him because there is no one else beside him. Why is it that every upcoming actor in Yoruba sector of Nollywood must have a master through whom they must join the industry? It is not easy to go at it on your own. If you don’t have a boss nobody will teach you the way to go. You need them to get the right connections and contacts. If you don’t join up with a group you won’t have any foothold and nobody will take you in on your own account. But don’t you think by belonging to one group, it can limit your scope and career growth? No, your growth in the industry depends on your talent and what you have to offer. The kind of person you are and how you carry yourself also goes a long way in determining how you turn out eventually. No two students under the same teacher are the same; character, passion and ambition will come to play. Have you produced your own film? Yes, I have produced four films. Oniduro was my first production, followed by Laye Lorun, Adajo Aye and my latest work, Aye Mi. Apart from those I produced I have C M Y K

So you can’t even kiss, smooch or pretend to make love on set? Why not? I have done many like that but what I am saying is that I do it with restraint and make sure the act doesn’t go beyond the set. Work is work and I don’t mix feelings with business.

Poor men have no place in my heart — Bose Oladimeji

featured in so many films that I cannot count. Which film do you think brought out the best in you and why? Hmm, I would have to say Adajo Aiye but Aye Mi brought more ovation than Adajo Aiye. It brought back all the memories of my school days. Aye Mi is a true life story that brought out the best in me because I had to bring back from memory most of what happened during my school days. Besides, many parents called to appreciate my effort. How do you see your nomination by MAYA Awards as the New Bride of Nollywood? Yes, it is under the category of Nollywood’s new bride (next rated female). New bride means ‘Iyawo Tuntun’ in Yoruba language and translate as the new face of Nollywood. I believe I caught the attention of the organisers

of the award because of my works. I believe there must be something unique about my personality and my works to have been noticed and nominated. Almost all Yoruba actresses have turn producers, why must everyone be producers? Yes, it is the only way you

can truly showcase your talent as an actress. Until you have produced your own film nobody believes in you or really notices you. So, you have to tell them you have got all it takes to be a really big name in the industry. It is by doing your own film that you can get any character that you want. But I heardit’s all about making more money for yourself?

Can’t you date or go out with a fellow actor? Never; I will never do that. Not that I have anything against actors but I just can’t do it. Why are the actors so bad or so poor? No, not that. I just don’t mix business with pleasure. What kind of men would you date or settle down with? Wow, he must be cool, handsome, lovely, Godfearing, humble, rich and romantic. Those are the qualities I look out for in my man. So you can’t marry a poor man? Yes I can’t, truth is bitter; a man must be hardworking. If you are not hardworking, how are we going to give our children quality education? Providing for their needs? So my desired man must have something lucrative doing because I cannot be idle myself. I don’t believe in being a full time housewife. We must work together and achieve our collective goals. Poor men have no place in my heart. What if you meet a rich man and he wants you to stop acting entirely? No, capital no. Acting is a passion that can never be quenched. The man may limit the frequency of my going on locations but can never stop it entirely If you read English, why haven’t you done any English film? Everything takes time. Little by little I will get there. Mind you, if I am invited I would participate. Very soon I will shoot my own English film.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 21

No strings attached relationship

any guys and girls love the idea of a no strings attached relationship, all the fun with no hassles of being tied down. The idea seems really exciting, because you get to have the cake and are eating it too. But is it all so rosy and fun? Quite frankly, no strings attached relationships are a lot of fun, but it isn’t for everyone. Not everyone can handle the delicacy of this fake relationship that feels like love but isn’t anything more than a few moments of lust and fun. For some, it starts off with fun and turns into a one sided romance. For others, it ends with insecurity and jealousy and for almost everyone else, it

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a fatal accident where he broke his leg and has spent all he had to treat his leg, his Children are out of school for not being able to pay their fees, Adeniran is soliciting for financial assistance from well meaning Nigerians, so that he can start all over again, here is his number, 07082713621 and account number 0119237031 Gtbank • Ife, 21, needs a man or woman whom she can work for, to enable her pay her school fees.09090329812 • Chichi, a graduate and resides in Lagos, needs someone to sponsor her to opena boutique business. 08092786956 Friends Searching Male •Slydo, needs a female friend, who well mannered in Port Harcourt, aged 18-21. 08107866031, 07062142203 Lovers Searching Female • Amy, 50, a graduate and employed, needs a God fearing divorcee or widower, from Edo or Delta state, for a relationship.09038633088 •Marvel, 32, tall, sexy and bursty with a lively personality needs a mature and caring man aged 50 and above for a serious lasting union.08163415549 •Ify, from Delta state, needs a God fearing Ibo man, who is loving, romantic and sexy for a relationship. 08177429914 •Esther, resides in the UK, but in Nigeria presently, needs a

BY ONOZURE DANIA

ends in awkward encounters where one or both partners try to avoid eye contact for the rest of their lives. You have had a bad breakup and just want to have some fun. You don’t have time for a committed relationship. You love your space, but you love sex too. You want to stay single and avoid commitments for a while. There are so many cute and sexy things all around you that you just don’t want to be tied down to a single person. You have been in a long term relationship and just want to explore a few fun opportunities before settling down again. A no strings attached relationship works only when your mind has the maturity to

disassociate love from sex. But unfortunately, it’s not something most people can do. As humans, we always end up emotionally attaching ourselves when we have frequent sex with one person. Don’t lie to yourself. Don’t try to convince yourself that you can enjoy sex with someone, get intimate and have personal conversations with them and still stop yourself from falling in love with them. There are many ways to get a no strings attached partner. It all starts with a flirty glance and a naughty conversation where you hint at someone that you like them, and yet make it clear that you don’t want to date them. After all,

if you just tell someone that you like them, they’d assume you want a serious relationship. So if you are looking for a naughty fling thing, just make these three things clear, subtly while talking to your target. One, you have had your share of relationships and are just looking for some fun right now. Two, you are single. And three, you find them very attractive and sexy. Use the same order when you are trying to send the message across. Making it clear that you aren’t interested in a relationship first makes it seem like it’s your lifestyle choice for the moment. But if you tell someone that you find them attractive, and then tell them that you are just looking for fun, it would appear like

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• Adeyemi, 45, employed from Ekiti state but resides in Abuja, needs a lady, aged 28-49, for a relationship. 0 8 1 5 3 4 0 8 8 5 2 , 08168005147 •Chucks, 43, HIV positive, cool tall and gentle, needs an HIV positive lady, who is a graduate and employed, from Anambra or Anocha, aged 28-30, for marriage .08124293421 • Titus, 48 and employed, needs a lady for a relationship, aged 60-70. 08061338311 •Kola, 38, from Ogun state, needs a God fearing lady, who is a professional, for a relationship that will lead to marriage. 08164178084, 08053871003 •Buchim, 37, a graduate, chocolate in complexion, average height, employed and from Delta state but resides in Uyo, needs a lady, with good character, aged 27-35, for marriage. 0 8 0 6 7 3 8 1 7 0 9 , 08056082042 •Ajibola, 40, employed and from Osun state, needs an employed lady, aged 30-40, who is ready for marriage. 08079268918 • Olanipekun, 42, a businessman in Lagos, needs an employed lady, for a serious relationship. 0 9 0 3 6 2 8 4 7 0 3 , 08161181990 • Dibri, 20, chocolate in complexion, average height and a student,needs a lady, aged 19-25, for a serious relationship.07067477081 • Iyanuoluwa, a student, resides in Lagos, needs a lady, aged 20-22, for a relationship. 08180052454, 08168015321 •Gbayiola, 42, a widower and a businessman, needs a lady,

aged 33-48, for marriage. 08088597416 •Adeoba, 42, a businessman and resides in Lagos, needs a lady, aged 25-45, for a relationship.08031104525 • Osas, 31, employed and resides in Benin, needs a lovely lady, who resides in Benin, for a relationship. 08030836482 • Patrick, 38, a doctor, from Anambra state, needs a tall, slim lab scientist or pharmacist, or a student of the discipline, from Anambra, who is ready to settle down for a serious relationship. 09097699051 •Foreman, 51, needs a nice rich lady or a widow that can finance his business, for a serious relationship, aged 2555. 09020137250 • Femi, a business man in Lagos, needs an employed lady, for a serious relationship. 09036284703 •Temi,42, a businessman from Ekiti state, needs an employed lady, for a serious relationship. 08153408852 • Gavin, 29, tall, handsome, chocolate in complexion, energetic and resides in Benin, needs a sexy, rich, or divorced lady, who can take care of him financially.08032986450 • Victor, 37, tall, resides in Abuja, needs an employed lady, aged 28-36, for marriage.08105187954 •Igho, 53, from Delta state but resides in Lagos, needs a tall educated Urhobo lady, aged40 and above, for a relationship. 07045884646,07036316876 • Jamiu, 5.6ft tall, jovial, employed and resides in Lagos, needs a Yoruba lady, aged 35-42.08054794069, 07064564754 • Mike, 38, educated, employed, HIV positive and from Delta state, needs a positive lady, aged 30 and above, for a relationship. 08131893005 • Prix, 33, a graduate, self employed, needs a rich lady in Lagos, aged 32 and above, for relationship. 07056662423 • Tokunbo, 38, a corporate photographer, resides in Lagos, needs a decent and God fearing

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

you are making a proposition for free sex! Just let the person know you find them attractive. You have already made it clear that you are looking for a no strings fling thing because you have mentioned that before flirting with them. And when you do start flirting with them, they’d start flirting back with you if they like the idea of having a no strings attached relationship with you. Once you find yourself in this arrangement, you need to ask yourself if you’re happy to have this arrangement with one or more people. If you are, well, then that’s great for you. But when a no strings attached relationship starts to take too much importance in your mind, or if it starts to make you feel unhappy, you’re probably falling for this person and you need to either back away or confess your intentions. lady, aged 20-28, who is ready to settle down. 08139592209 •Damilola, 45, a businessman and resides in Lagos, needs an employed lady, aged 28-42, for marriage. 0 7 0 6 6 9 9 9 8 6 6 , 07067058209 • Tony, 49, needs a sincre, responsible, God fearing Christian, employed or business good looking matured lady, who is fair in complexion, for marriage. 0 8 0 2 6 2 6 2 6 8 9 , 07062871446 Sugar Cares Searching Male •Joe, an applicant, needs a sugar mummy that resides within Benin and Delta state and who can pay his bills. 07035455423 •Obinna, 23, from Enugu sate, needs a sugar mummy that can help to sponsor his music career.07064562878 • Lawrence, handsome, 6ft tall, fair in complexion and resides in Lagos, needs a rich, sexy and pretty sugar mummy, for a serious relationship, aged 35-55. 08100987907 •Leonard, 6ft tall, chocolate in complexion, handsome and resides in Lagos, needs a nice, rich and caring sugar mummy, for a relationship. 08124225753 • Azoh, 28, good, cool and resides in Benin, needs a sugar mummy, for a relationship. 0 8 1 5 5 5 9 7 2 5 9 , 08179868943 • Sam, 22, average height, handsome and from Delta state, needs a rich sugar mummy, for a serious relationship.09031150523 • Joseph, resides in Warri, needs a buoyant and sexy sugar mummy, who resides in Warri or PH, aged 30-58. 08129719681 • Wilson, tall, dark in complexion and resides in Asaba Delta state, needs a sugar mummy, who will help him financially.0 8107318835 •Austin, 35, needs a caring sugar mummy, aged 35-40. 08067114701,08028467198

PAGE 22— SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

Email: vanguardwoman@gmail.com

We reach out to abandoned coastal region dwellers — Gbubene Abraham, President, CROWEF By Anino Aganbi

t is not every day you come across people who see the plights of others and come to their aid. Mrs Gbubene Praise Abraham is the president of Women and Youth E m p o w e r m e n t Foundation in Coastal Regin (CROWEF). Being an indigene of Delta State and also a humanitarian with a big heart, she has taken it upon herself to bring comfort to people in the different coastal region. In her chat with Feminista, she tells more.

What brought about the birth of women and youth empowerment foundation in coastal region communities (CROWEF)? CROWEF was born out of a divine mission and calling by God to reach out to those beyond our waters that have been forgotten, deprived and neglected in the area of development due to the terrain of their location. Even though it has been tasking and challenging, but my anchor rests on the trust I have in God.

rendered homeless after the communal clashes between neighboring communities. We have embarked on numerous successful missions into some of these communities. These missions were aimed at the neglected people of the region. What was your first experience bringing relief to these people? My first experience was in 2007 when the women were giving a demonstration, complaining that Chevron does not give the indigenes jobs but instead they bring people from afar to work with. There was a demonstration by the women made to chevron where they threatened to go naked. It was at that point I got a call to intercede on behalf on the people. I called the public affairs manager who was able to introduce me to the women. I appealed to the women not to go naked, promising them that I would speak to Chevron Management on their behalf. How do you bring medical aid to the women and

from breast cancer to diabetics and other ailments. Apart from giving medical supply, how do you render help to these communities? We looked at these communities and saw that the level of poverty was appalling. There is barely food for the indigenes to eat.

Women still delivered the local way through the help of traditional healers. We came up with an arrangement with doctors from Warri and other environs to bring medicine to these regions

So we took it upon ourselves to gather food stuff from different sponsors and take to them. We will be having a three days mission in these regions starting on the 29th and ending on the 31st of January where we will be given medical checkups and supplying food stuff to the indigenes. Would it not be easier to empower them instead of just providing food? We have thought of empowering them but sourcing for funds has not been easy. We have started building a factory for making pure water where indigenes can be employed to run the plant. Sourcing for funds….. We have being getting funds from different sponsors. With various projects in mind, we still need to get more funds. We do this by appealing to well meaning Nigerians to give their monetary support no matter how little. This could help in saving the lives of people who have being given no reason to hope for tomorrow. How do you monitor and evaluate your projects? Monitoring is indispensable to the successful implementation of projects. It starts from the beginning till the end, places projects on the right tract and exposes the levels of successes and challenges. It also identifies and corrects potential problems on a continuous basis.

What was your aim in running an NGO? My aim is to alleviate the suffering of most of these vulnerable people. Our primary aim is to reach out to these people as a group so we came up with the name Escravos Ugborodo Women Empowerment Foundation to carry out humanitarian work specifically in EscravosUgborodo Communities. Subsequent research and projects implementation in the area caused us to know that the same problems extended to the entire coastal region. Can you tell us a something on your area of operation? Oil exploration and mismanagement has brought the people of Niger Delta untold hardship. Lots of people were

children in these communities? On getting to these communities, we discovered there were no clinics. Women still delivered the local way through the help of traditional healers. We came up with an arrangement with doctors from Warri and other environs to bring medicine to these regions. Twice every month, we chatter boats to ferry us across the water so these doctors can run tests on these women. We get ophthalmologists to run test on their eyes. These doctors also run various tests varying

G b u b e n e Abraham

Seeking funds from governmental parastatals … We have done a lot in trying to involve the government in what we do. The government has done so much in developing the urban areas but the rural areas still remain untouched. We pray that with time, the government will see what we are putting in place and give the necessary support to enable us do more for these indigenes in the riverine regions. In the mean time, we have been appealing to well meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of these people.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 23

08112662589

Do you really know what turns your man on?

HAT are the things a woman does that keep her lover under her spell? For every woman out there who wants to uncover the secrets of seducing a man without much efforts, here are some hot tips from smitten men! Timothy, a 29-year old legal practitioner has been with his girlfriend, Janet, for close to three years. “I get turned on just when Janet is turned on herself ”, he confessed. “We’ve been together almost four years now, so I know exactly what to do to turn her on, and I love watching her lose control. When we’re having sex in the missionary position and she gets carried away, she wraps her legs around me really tight and digs her heels into my bottom to pull me closer to her. It really turns me on to think she wants me that much. She tends to grip things too; sometimes it is the pillow, and other times it’s me. She doesn’t mean to do it, she just gets lost in the moment, and seeing her like that sends me over the edge all the time!” Adunni is a night club dancer and her dancing

is what turns Sammie on. “I first spotted Adunni two years ago when she replaced another dancer in our club’s band. I was completely aroused by her dancing. I don’t think she was trying to be erotic, but she looked so graceful and comfortable, it drove me wild. I took her home that night, and her rhythm in bed was wilder than when she was on stage. To this day, her dancing still turns me on especially when I see all those men leering at her and knowing it is me who get to take her home and seduce her all over again! As an added bonus, she loves sleeping in the nude. On the nights she stays over, getting a good night’s sleep is a problem. The reward is waking up to see this sleeping beauty on my bed and she’s starkers!” “Would you believe the long hair extensions most women favour these days could be a turn on?” Asked Tex, a fashion designer, recently divorced. “I love feeling my new girl friend’s long hair as it strokes my body while she’s giving me oral sex. The tickling sensation makes my skin extremely

sensitive, and the fact that the movement is accidental, rather than deliberate, makes it all the more pleasurable. She also goes through this ritual, which is routine to her, but very sensual for me rubbing ,her body lotion into her skin and looking at herself in the mirror from different angles. The fact that she doesn’t notice I’m watching means she’s more natural and sexy. Whenever she notices me though, I always tell her she’s

missed out some parts of her body, so the performance lasts much longer. By the time I get her into bed I’m like a wild animal!” I’ve been with my girlfriend, Phina for six months, and we stay over at each other ’s houses a couple of nights a week,” Says Aremu a graphic designer. “There’s something about midweek sleep overs that brings a sense of urgency to sex. You have to get up early to go to work, so there’s not much pillow

talk and everything is a bit rushed. Because of what I do, I could take my time getting to work but she has to go before I do. I love lying in bed and watching her get ready, when she’s fresh out of the shower, she looks really fresh. She then gets busy looking for something to wear she’s oblivious to me. I just sit back and admire how sexy she is knowing I might not see her for a few more days makes me miss her before she even leaves the house, so I always try to get her back into bed. Most of the time, it’s too late to tempt her and she resists. But occasionally, I get to have my way and when I do, I spend the entire day on a high...” Tade relies on a mirror for his fun! He said: “The mirror in my bathdroom is a little too high for my girlfriend, Theo, who I’ve been with for nine months, and I keep promising her I’ll move it. I haven’t got round to it thoughts. She thinks it’s because I’m lazy but the real reason is she looks gorgeous from behind when she’s trying to look into the mirror to clean her teeth. She has to stand on tip toe and push forward so she can see in the mirror. It makes the curve

of her bum book so amazing in her skimpy nightdress that I’m turned on every time. A few weeks ago, I pounced on her and we had the most fantastic oral sex right there on the bathroom floor! Her mouth was really fresh and minty and the sex was unbelievable.. It’s now my favourite sex movement and there’s no way I’ll adjust that mirror now!” “The thing that gets me most about my girlfriend of two years is the sound she makes when we make love,” confesses Joel, an accountant. “She isn’t loud or aggressive. Half the time, she’s trying to keep the volume down as we live in a block of fiats with paper thin walks. So she lets out these little high-pitched sighs. And then she whispers in my ear, feeling her breath so close to me and hearing her husky sex voice does it for me every time. I always try to get her talking, I work away a lot, and when I’m away, I call her late at night, knowing I’ll wake her up. Her sleepy voice reminds me of her sex voice, which is great to hear before I go to sleep..”

08052201867(Text Only)

The Shoulderstand: For Piles and others

HE shoulder stand called Sorvangasana in Sanskrit is said to be one of the best asanas, postures.

Although it is a common sight to see it done in gyms, schools and health clubs without it coupled with deep breathing it becomes of very little therapeutic value. Another name for the shoulderstand is The Candle Stand on account the body is kept straight as a candle. Of great importance to both sexes, everyone should be encouraged to do this asana. Age should be no barrier. I have seen people well over 70 do the shoulderstand with skill and ease. In this posture the thyroid gland which is situated at the base of the neck and the gonads or sex organs which lie low down the trunk, below the digestive organs are influenced. The function of the endocrine or ductless glands are inter-related, in spite of the fact each had its own duties to perform. I

C M Y K

shall return to the glands when we get to the steadstand and how it affects them all. To do the shoulderstand, lie down on your back with palms on the floor, slowly inhale and raise both legs. With the elbows down, bring both hands to support the hips with the body resting on the nape of the neck and shoulders. Press the chin firmly against the chest. Now, push the trunk upward while straightening the knees with the legs in a straight vertical line. Do abdominal breathingin and out movement of the abdomen on account of breathe. Keep very still. You may close your eyes to avoid distractions. Remain in the posture for as long as it is comfortable. To return to lying position, just bend the knees, then curve the spine, gradually unfolding it like when one unrolls a carpet. With

the whole back on the floor, straighten the knees and gently lower your legs to the ground. Take a little rest flat on your back.

The shoulderstand affects the thyroid and sex glands. It gives vitality to the nerves, purifies the blood and promotes good circulation

* The Shoulderstand

Benefits: The shoulderstand affects the thyroid and sex glands. It gives vitality to the nerves, purifies the blood and promotes good circulation. With this exercise, the lower organs are strengthened and made to stay in place. It is especially recommended for women after child birth. Of immense help to sufferers of asthma, constipation and piles it must be practised with deligence. It is of great help in overcoming painful menstration and other female disorders. In the menfolk, seminal weakness is corrected, manly vigour preserved. Caution: People with organic disorders of the thyroid should refrain from this exercise and should be done for short periods - thirty seconds to a minute by those afflicted with chronic nasal catarrh. Next in line after the shoulderstand is what is called The Fish Posture. In the shoulderstand, the head is bent towards the chest while the opposite obtains in the fish-the neck is arched, bending the head backwards. Supta-vafrasana is San-skrit, the fish in done by kneeling on the floor with the feet spread apart. The body is then lowered down to the point where a sitting posture between the heels is attained start reclining the

body, and elbow. Drop the head far back. Continue the reclining movement until the done of your head is on the floor. Now arrange the hands as if in prayer. Breathe normally. The benefits of the fish are as follows: The pituitary pineal, thyroid and adrenal glands are affected. The neck is stretched and limbered. It strengthens and tones the nervous system, the kidney, the stomach, the intestines, the pelvic organs and the nerves connected with sexfunctions. For those who cannot sit down between the heels in this posture, they may keep the feet together and stretched out but arching the back and neck till the top (dome) of the head is on the floor with hands arranged as mentioned earlier in the full posture.

Yoga Classes STARTED Physical Therapy Centre

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P AGE 24 — SUND AY Vanguard, JANU ARY 25 , 2015 SUNDA JANUARY

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Intimacy – Must you beat it out of your wife?!

T was one of the few weddings I just had to attend. Feeling a bit bored, I turned off, mentally calculating other things that needed my attention when the Reverend Father climbed on to the pulpit to give his wedding sermon. Yawn...Then I sat up when he said pompously that the best way to keep the furnace of love burning in a marriage was to have sex, not as often as the couple wanted, but as often as the man did! Even if he didn’t seem quite interested, the wife should offer it on a platter! I took a curious look at the preacher and the glee with which he carried on left no doubt as the sort of sexual demands he must have put on his poor wife during the 20 odd years of their marriage. He looked really smug, as he carried on about the main duty of a wife to the husband. It is sad that in this day and age, there are mothers who, just like this preacher, warn their daughters never to say no to their husband’s demands in the bedroom no matter how reluctant they feel at the moment when sex is being demanded. The poor wife is to just lie there like a piece of meat and grit her teeth for the duration of the assault on her person! Shortly after this ‘sermon on the mount’, I had a visit from Jonpo, now in her late 30s and on the verge of divorce. Her reason – the husband’s insatiable appetite for sex. According to her: “We both met at the same law firm where we once worked and we had a lot in common. When I got pregnant a year after we started dating, we decided to get married. I gave birth to our lovely

son almost immediately after the wedding, then everything began to change. “It was obvious we had different sex drives. Where mine was normal, my new husband’s was obsessive and compulsive. He constantly pestered me for sex, groping me and putting his hand down my bra. I was a bit embarrassed. Was this the same man that was a complete gentleman when we were courting? When I became pregnant a few years later, he actually came with me to my doctor ’s when I was six months gone to find out if it was safe for us to continue to have sex. It was all he thought about. I didn’t have an easy birth this time around and needed an emergency caesarean. I was still recovering from surgery a few days later when my husband bought me sexy underwears-inappropriate gifts considering the stitches were still in! “As time went on, his desire for sex became relentless and suffocating. He had girlie magazines opened on suggestive pages and left them on the bed. He even suggested we should film each other having sex with his Iphone. He had a one track mind and I was sick and tired of him complaining all the time that I was starving him of sex. The love I once felt for him was evaporating fast. I didn’t even want him to touch me and he started accusing me of seeing other men. He even hinted I should change to a female doctor because my current one was always leering at me. It got to a point where I started dreading his

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"

WOMEN ARE A SWEET GIFT

omen are the most wonderful creatures to have walked the earth. Yet we disrespect, abuse and maltreat them. Let's look at them

coming home. He had become a bully who bombarded me with threats, sarcasm and comments about imaginary men whenever I said no to sex. “In the end I’d had enough, I discreetly looked out for an alternate accommodation and moved out. Thank God I had changed jobs as it was our former firm’s policy that husband and wife should not work together. For the first time in years, I had peace of mind and could enjoy watching my kids grow up without a sexsick husband breathing down my back. He bombarded me with sick calls when he discover I had left. Even when I stopped, answering his calls, he sent threatening texts. He even came to my office to cause trouble and my boss told him if he showed his face again, he would get him arrested.” It is sad that these days, there is an increase in cases of domestic violence with the men brutally beating up their wives when such wives don’t obey ’

their demands. The men’s twisted obsession towards sex had been encouraged by mothers who tell their sons ‘ Your wife’s duty is to give you as much sex as you want.” This is a doubleedged sword. What happens when the man’s sex drive is low and his wife’s normal? Night after night, he becomes frustrated as his willy seldom rises to the occasion. After tunning and revving up his wife and she’s rearing to go, she looks down at the uncooperative willy and nearly dies of frustration. The husbnand is humiliated. In time he becomes suspicious of his wife. Is she getting it somewhere now he’s not able to give her as much sex as he was advised to do? He can’t bear to think of her with anyone else’ and the bullying starts. The fact is that, sex is one of the ingredients that cement a relationship. Lack of it, or too little of it could ruin it: if you ,don’t know how to solve your relationship problems. Dialogue has to be a continuous process in a marriage – or any good relationship.

this way and tell me if I am lying. Women are the only creatures that can change surnames just for the sake of love. They are the easiest creatures to convince, and they trust completely in what or who they believe in. They are one of the few creatures that love from the bottom of their hearts. They are the creatures that can go to bed with an empty stomach, just to make sure their children feed well. They can even trade their most valued belongings just to buy food for their children, and also see them smiling. They are always ready to sacrifice their lives to save the lives of their children.

Sexual problems can be looked into and cured most of the time. About time we stopped giving our daughters the wrong advice about sex. If a woman doesn’t want sex at a particular time, the confidence to tell her man why should be there and he owes it to her well-being to listen – not punch her face. the Unfortunately, number of men with dwindling libido is now on the increase. The reason why this is so could be physical as well as psychological. Putting, a great expectation on man’s sexual prowess could put a huge dent on his confidence. As good as sex is, it has to be mutually agreed to by the couple in the most mature way. Why Saying Sorry Won’t Hurt You The capacity to repair our relationships by opening our hearts to forgive (or apologize) is an important measure of emotional development, but I am wary of making forgiveness a yardstick by which we can judge ourselves and others. Forgiveness can happen

in an instant or it can take a lifetime. The struggle is very different if there is an apology than if there isn’t. The capacity to forgive varies greatly according to the depth, or absence of it in the relationship, that preceded the offence,” observed Laura, a psychologist. “People’s process and creativity in this regard need to be respected. Even nursing a grudge, which is clearly antiforgiveness, may serve a vital purpose at certain times in certain lives. In short, I don’t want to tell anybody – especially somebody I don’t know – that forgiveness is the right path for them. Life is too complex for that. “Indeed, I think we need to remember that not forgiving ourselves, not forgiving others, is a part of who we are. It is as natural to us as our defences, our repression, our dissociation, our denial. No one is so evolved as to deal creatively with every loss and insult. No one is free themselves, positive and negative. No one is immune to the joys of being vindicated. “We all have this in us. We are all enmeshed to some degree in our inner dramas and the unimaginable passions and loyalties they represent, which hold sway over us in ways not even we can know. If we can see some of this in ourselves, accept it, be concerned about it, it is less likely to control or overwhelm us. We will have a better chance to stay connected, to dissolve whatever scar tissue we can from a life of hurt and conflict, and move on to the goodness of love.”

They stoop over the fireplace in the kitchen inhaling the smoke without complaining, just to prepare something for their children and husbands to eat. They are the only creatures that can abandon their biological family and start up a new home with a 'stranger'. Even when they are battling with the pains of pregnancy, they busy themselves looking after their husbands and children and even working on the farms. Infact, a million kisses for you all wonderful females and Mothers of the Earth...... To my awesome Mom,MRS J.U Onunaku,I love you so much.

Chris Onunaku 08032988826/08184844015.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 25

Freed after two months in UBTH ‘solitar y confinement’ over N430,000 medical bill — 45-yr-old widow down with cancer SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY

•Hospital accuses her of escaping, uses police to detain son

RS Enoghayin Ukponayusi Helen, a 45-year-old widow, was diagnosed with cancer and taken to the University of Benin Teaching

Hospital (UBTH) for treatment. Although she hails from a poor background, she didn’t know her quest for cure was going to be tortuous. Prior to her ailment, the mother of four sold roasted plantain to take care of her four children following the death of her husband, a pensioner, in 2009. Upon getting to the hospital, her second son, 20-old -Esosa, who works in a club house, took over the running of the family including the drugs required for her mother to survive. Esosa abandoned education in order to save his mother and family and that he has been doing since the mother was diagnosed with cancer early 2014. Sometime in September, 2014, Madam Enoghayin was operated upon at the hospital. This required that one of her breasts be cut off to stem the spread of the cancer. The surgery was successful and she was discharged in October, 2014. But her discharge was not enough to take her home as the family needed to pay the hospital bill. Unfortunately they were unable to pay the money and it eventually accumulated to N430,000. Following this, the management of UBTH confined her to the female surgical ward for two months. The crisis between the family and the hospital intensified on December 24, 2014, when the woman disappeared from the ward. The porters and other staff saddled with the responsibility of ensuring she did not escape were threatened by the management. When Efosa visited the hospital that morning, the incident created further tension in UBTH as he demanded to know the whereabouts of his mother. But the security guards at the hospital thought he was playing pranks even after Efosa lost his temper which resulted to a fight between him and the security guards. The son was arrested by the police on the orders of the hospital management and he spent the Christmas at the Ugbowo police station cell. However, the UBTH management claimed that Efosa was not arrested due to the disappearance of his mother but because he fought the security guards at the hospital. But Efosa countered their claim, saying “ the instruction given to the police where I was detained was that they could only release me if they found my mother ”. However, after serious search, the family found the mother and she

C M Y K

Mrs. Helen Enoghayin....Esosa abandoned education in order to save mother returned to the hospital after Christmas. When Sunday Vanguard visited Mrs Enoghayin at the hospital, it was a pitiable sight as she wept profusely saying she was in solitary confinement, just as she denied that she did not escaped but that she only went out to seek for help. She lamented: “I have been here like this for two months now, just alone. No patients, no body to talk to. At night, it is only me. The place is so fearful, please help me so that I can get out of here. We don’t have money. I am a widow and I sell roasted plantain to survive with my children”. Asked why she escaped from the hospital, she asserted, “I did not escape, honestly; because I was tired of staying here, I went out to look for help. I did not escape, honestly”. Narrating the family’s ordeal to Sunday Vanguard, Efosa said, “ She had cancer. The incident started on the first week of January 2014. I have been the only one suffering to ensure that she stays alive. Sometime in July, 2014, I rushed her to UBTH with 11

She had cancer. The incident started on the first week of January 2014. I have been the only one suffering to ensure that she stays alive

per cent of blood in her body. When I got there, they directed me to where I will pay for test and blood. I spent all we had in the house to make sure that she remained alive. She had a successful surgery at the hospital but the bill they gave us was too much for us to pay and nobody could help us out. They don’t expect us to go and steal to pay and that is why she is still at the hospital where she is detained. She was discharged two months ago”. Narrating the disappearance of his mother, he said: “ On December 24, I went there to give her food and buy her drugs. When I got to the ward, I saw two men and a lady standing inside the ward, but I could not find my mother. I went into the bathroom, I did not see her. As I was going out to see if she went outside, the porter locked the gate and insisted that I will not leave because my mother ran away from the hospital. But I told them that it was not possible

because my mum could not walk well, besides, they had security men everywhere. That was how they took me to the security post where they said I should make a report. Incidentally, one of my aunties sent AIT people to come and record my mum so that we could get help from people. The Chief Security Officer said we should go and call the PRO of the hospital but I told him that the PRO could know the AIT people were coming, that they had informed the PRO. The CSO insisted the AIT crew should go and call the PRO. I observed that my mum that was missing meant nothing to them going by the way they were acting. So I shouted at them that they should get the PRO so that we start doing something about my mum. But to my surprise, all of them started fighting me and my cousin that was with me. They called the police to arrest me, we spent four days in the police cell before my friends were able to locate my mother. It was when they found her that they now decided to release me from the police cell. Even with our problem they forced me to pay money before I was granted bail. “It is not true that I fought them. I only expressed my frustration that my mum was missing and they were not doing anything about that. Besides, since the period they detained her in the hospital, we were being charged N4,000 per night without the bed fee, that was how the money rose to N430,000. We lost my dad on April 4, 2009. He was a pensioner before his death. My mum sells roasted plantain. I wrote my WAEC two years ago but since then I have not been able to further my education because there is no money. I have been struggling to take care of my other siblings and buying my mother’s drugs. I have been working in a club as a waiter, that is how we have been surviving. Sometimes we will trek from Sapele Road to Ugbowo to give her food. So you can understand my frustration. I am appealing to well-meaning Nigerians, including Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who is the governor of the people, to come to our aid because even though she has been discharged, she will still be going for her medication”.

Human rights lawyer, Jeffrey Uwoghiren, described her detention as ungodly, accusing the management of the hospital of violating her rights to freedom. “Even though she is owing does not warrant her detention”, he said. Meanwhile, the authorities of the hospital have freed Madam Enoghayin. The joyous woman and her son called Sunday Vanguard to confirm her release. Efosa told Sunday Vanguard: “We went to the hospital this afternoon and some people came and asked after my mother. She met them, they now told me to go and pay any amount of money that I had but I told them I didn’t have a dime. So they said we should go”.

PAGE 26 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

BY CHINENYEH OZOR

he last appears not to have been heard over the Enugu Catholic Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka’s new year message that President Goodluck Jonathan should forget re-election for lack of performance. The traditional ruler of Egali Amalla autonomous community in Udenu local government area of Enugu State, Igwe Patrick Eze (Waziri), said Mbaka remained a politician in the cassock . “It is better for Mbaka to join politics, contest election to have a taste of power other than calling people names, asking the president to resign. Who actually made Fr. Mbaka a judge that determines who should be entrusted with power. Rev. Fr. Mbaka should resign as a priest and join politics since he has shifted from God’s vineyard to politics,”Eze said. He continued: “The name Mbaka is an identity and not the human as there is nothing so special, simply because he is a priest in Catholic. Let him face the Catholic faithful, evangelize to win souls for God rather than tongue lashing the president as being corrupt. The Catholic preacher ought to have devoted more time, fasting and praying for the release of the Chibok girls than apportioning blames for insecurity ”. The traditional ruler was displeased that the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, and the deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, visited Mbaka’s Adoration Ministry in the first place, explaining that the visit triggered the priest’s somersault. Eze pointed out that the somersault was surprising as he had earlier blessed Patience Jonathan to continue as Nigerian’s First Lady after the 2015 general elections, pointing out that the u-turn was a clear manifestation of a politician in cleric uniform preaching politics instead of the word of God to over 30,000 worshipers every Wednesday. “Mbaka, having said that one out of the four birds he released on the First Lady ’s visit to the Adoration Ground refused to fly, indicating that Jonathan would not be reelected as president, what happened to the other three that flew? Can’t the three fight for Jonathan if actually the message was divine?”, he stated. “My new year message to my community and the state generally is not personal on Fr.Mbaka as the biblical injunction says ‘’ touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm’. Mbaka should equally know that Jonathan was also anointed by over 150 million Nigerians in the 2011 general elections in the country”. On the claim by the priest that he has been receiving

THE JONA THANS AND THE BIRD THA T DIDN’T FL Y JONATHANS THAT FLY

Our problem with Catholic Father Mbaka – Enugu monarch During the time of Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo as National Chairman of the PDP, he preached a message titled, Nsukka Ndo nu (meaning Nsukka sorry) to slight the teeming population of Nsukka

he has laid his life for Christ on the day of his ordination.”

• Igwe Patrick Eze threat messages since the new year message in which he asked Nigerians not to re-elect Jonathan, the monarch asked Mbaka not cry wolf where none exists as he ought to have delivered the message about the bird that refused to fly to the First Lady during her visit to Adoration Ground. “If Gen Mohammed Buhari, with the APC presidential ticket, was Fr. Mbaka’s choice, let him campaign for him through his sermon and pull over 30,000 worshipers of the Adoration to the APC. The January 4, 2015 message to the congregation was meant to discredit Jonathan’s transformation agenda (TAN) of openness, fairplay justice, honesty and accountability ”, Eze stated. “The clerk delves into politics in the name of God. During the era of erstwhile Governor Chimaroke Nnamani, Mbaka vowed to drop his cassock should Chimaroke win election for second term in office but failed to keep his words when Chimaroke was re-elected. ‘’During the time of Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo as National Chairman of the PDP, he preached a message titled, Nsukka Ndo nu (meaning Nsukka sorry) to slight the teeming population of Nsukka. “It is only in Nigeria that you see men of God that predict what will happen in other countries both in the air and under the sea but would not predict the collapse of their churches. We expect men of

God to preach messages of salvation and repentance, pray for the survival of the nation rather than delving into politics to gain cheap popularity. “Most of the men of God crave for recognition and that is why they mount the pulpit to attack those in the authority in the country. If Mbaka feels threatened, let him seek police protection but he should equally remember that

2015 ELECTIONS T he monarch urged the electorate to use their tongues to count their teeth in the next month’s general elections. Saying politicians employ all manners of antics to find their way into the corridor of power, he said: “We should all be aware that the unity of the country is paramount no matter whose ox is gored. Elections are not a do or die affair. Power belongs to God, so people should not force themselves into power to the detriment of the electorate. “Nigerians have waited for so long for the 2015 general elections and we should go about it with the fear of God who is ultimate decider of life

and death. Any contestant that loses out should quietly wait for God’s appointed time if any, as we do not deserve violence and blood bath as recorded in 2011. “May I use this medium to advise all PDP guber aspirants litigant to sheath their sword and join hands with the consensus candidate, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was anointed by Gov. Sullivan Chime, the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Adamu Muazu, and Enugu State stakeholders who described Ugwuanyi as the most popular and acceptable candidate to fly the flag of the party in the state. The sweetest part of Chime’s administration was fulfilling his avowed promise of giving the guber ticket to Enugu North unlike his predecessors who made similar promise but reneged. Governor Chime stuck his neck for Nsukka to produce the next governor of the state and that is the more reason all the litigants from the zone in the PDP should wind down and join hands with their kinsman, Ugwuanyi, for effective governance. The zoning formular that played out in Enugu is now a template for continuity. God has been merciful to the people of Enugu through Chime. I believe Ugwuanyi will deliver as expected. He is my subject and I knew him from birth to adulthood. He should be mindful that his predecessor left big legacies which need to be improved upon.”

Missing Ekiti grandmother in Lagos branded a witch, escapes mob lynching

BY BOSE ADELAJA

heir joy knew no bounds and this could easily be noticed as they were all in jubilation mood last Thursday. Reason: Their 72-yr-old grand mother, Modupe Obafemi, who was declared missing a fortnight ago, has been found. The grandmother, from AdoEkiti, Ekiti State, was said to have been found in Lagos at Wilmer area of Ajegunle after being thrown out of a moving vehicle with bruises on her body last Sunday. Also, a ‘good Samaritan’ was said to have saved this grandmother from being lynched by a mob who suspected her to be a witch, a kidnapper or a mad person. On noticing that her life was in danger, the grandmother raised the alarm in Ekiti dialect which attracted a passers by who happened to be an Ekiti man. ‘’I am neither mad nor am I a witch but

I need your assistance to locate my children. Help me please,”she was quoted as saying. The grandmother ’s cry attracted another ‘good Samaritan’ who also hailed from Ekiti State who opted to help her out of her predicament. One of the ‘good samaritans’ was said to have made calls to his people who volunteered to locate the address given by the grandmother in Ado-Ekiti and this paved the way for her to be located as it was discovered that she came all the way from Ekiti to celebrate the Yuletide in Lagos but was thereafter declared missing by her daughter who lives at No 16, Titiloye Street, off Kogberegbe, Isolo. At the time of this report, Madam Obafemi was on admission in a private hospital in Lagos and was not allowed to talk to journalists. Meanwhile, her daughter, Mrs Oyefusi Adenike, was full of appreciation when Sunday Vanguard contacted her last

Thursday for publishing the story of the disappearance of the grandmother. ‘’Mama was found at Wilmer bus-stop. We received the news via telephone and we rushed to the scene but she was very almost out of breath before she was located and was rushed to hospital. She was almost stoned to death by a mob but by divine intervention, rescued by a good Samaritan,” the daughter said. Madam Obafemi travelled to her daughter ’s house in Isolo during the Yuletide from where she was declared missing on Monday, December 29, 2014. The security guard in the compound was said to be asleep when the grandmother left the house while neighbours claimed she was spotted on two separate locations holding her bathroom slippers. Nobody could trace her whereabouts until she was thrown out of a moving vehicle last Sunday. C M Y K

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015,

Page 27

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

2015: Why Urhobo nation decided to support GEJ Dear Sir,

VEN as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has failed to pro duce an Urhobo man as its governorship candidate at this year’s governorship election in the state, Urhobo nation at home and in Diaspora, contrary to its earlier stand, has conveyed its approval and support to President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, who is re-contesting this year ’s Presidential election on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, saying that it will deliver its estimated over one million votes to the President at the election. It will be recalled that it had earlier vowed to vote, both at the governorship and at the Presidential election, in favour of the political party which gives its governorship ticket in this year ’s governorship election in the state, to an Urhobo man. This it has adumbrated in what it generally regarded as, “Uvwiamuge Declaration,” believed by the Urhobo nation to be sacrosanct. However, in an apparent twist of event, the Urhobo nation, through its umbrella body, the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, led by its President General, Chief Joseph Omene, leading an 8-man team of prominent exco and non-exco members, was in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where it conveyed to the President its willingness and readiness to deliver its estimated over one million votes to the Peoples democratic Party, PDP, with Mr President as its candidate in this year ’s Presidential election, even when the party’s governorship primary election in the state was won by a non-Urhobo man from Delta North (Anioma), a position it vowed earlier not to take. Just as every keen follower of the political permutation in the state and beyond was wondering since Thursday, about what must have brought this political maneuver, the President Gen-

eral of UPU, Chief Joseph Omene, blew the lid open to the press in his Mosogar residence, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state, saying, “The latest move by the Urhobo nation in deciding to vote for PDP and Mr President, is to ensure that the Urhobo nation does not vote against a fellow southerner, an acquaintance, a son and a brother of the Urhobo nation.” “However, at the state level, the Uviamuge Declaration remains sacro-

sanct. We are only going to vote for the party which features an Urhobo man as its governorship candidate. What I mean is that we will not vote for PDP at the governorship election, because that party has given its governorship ticket to a Delta North (Anioma) person. We know how this will work out in our interest. When we get to the bridge we shall cross it.” Also, on reacting to why the Urhobo nation has chosen to vote for the President, an Ijaw man, when the Ijaw na-

tion refused to vote for an Urhobo aspirant at the just concluded governorship primary in the state, Chief Omene said, “The Ijaw nation deceived us at the governorship primary. They pledged to support us and we thought that they were on the same page with us. They were led astray by an ex-militant leader. We have chosen not to join issues with him. We have forgiven the Ijaw but we now understand politics better at the state level.” * Godwin Oghre writes in from Warri

Otuaro in Okowa’s SMART agenda Dear Sir,

HEN Barrister Kingsley Otua ro emerged running mate to Senator Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the governorship standard bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, his name came across to many as new and a bolt from the blues. This is despite being up to that moment the Commissioner representing the Ijaw ethnic nationality on the board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC). Emmanuel Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South, Vanguard Newspapers explained it all when he described Barr. Otuaro as “a development activist and quiet performer ”. The choice of Otuaro, the reported High Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo’s nominee, was irresistible to Okowa essentially because Otuaro fits in perfectly with Okowa’s prosperity pact with Deltans anchored on peace in the state. It was former Delta State Governor Chief James Ibori who however first discovered the potential for state-wide peace in Barr. Otuaro and made him Special Assistant to the Governor on Community Affairs from 2005 to 2007. His appointment apparently followed his impressive performance as Chairman of Warri IjawItsekiri Grassroots Peace Front, an active non-governmental initiative that pro-

pelled fighters out of the battle lines, to achieve,on June 1, 2004, the final cessation of inter-ethnic hostilities in the then raging Warri crisis. In achieving this, Otuaro related with notable Itsekiri activists including Daniel Reyenieju who is now the Honourable Member representing Warri Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Thomas Eyiritomi, a prominent chief, Matthew Itsekure and host of other prominent Deltans. Otuaro’s detribalized credentials were further demonstrated when in 2009 following the unfortunate Joint Task Force (JTF) war in the Warri creeks, he dispensed relief materials to both Ijaw and Itsekiri communities alike as Chair of the Delta State Rehabilitation/Relief Committee. As a deacon of the Christ Embassy Church, Otuaro has long found it easy to relate with all ethnic groups as children of God. Ten years after the 2004 Warri peace feat, Barr. Otuaro is not done seeking proficient ways of achieving peace. This informed his voyage to the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, for a Master of Arts programme in Peace and Conflict Studies which he rounded off in May 2014. Otuaro’s peace advocacy and understanding of dynamics of human relationships are inviting. His record of defence of Delta State’s interests and knowledge of state-craft were imposing and impacted on his new Principal, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa who envisioned for his 2015 cam-

paigns a 5-point SMART agenda of Strategic wealth creation, Meaningful Peacebuilding, Agricultural Reforms/Industrialisation, Relevant Health and Education Policies and Transformed Environment through Urban Renewal. As a member of Delta State Technical Committee charged with feeding facts to the Delta State contingent on the Ledum Mittee Committee on the Niger Delta, Otuaro capably met the rigorous challenge of defending Delta State interests in working with prominent Deltans including Prof. Sam Oyovbaire. This Technical Committee was retained after its successful assignment as standing ad-hoc committee to study strengths and weaknesses of enabling instruments of state-owned institutions/agencies and recommending amends for better service delivery. Such agencies included DESOPADEC, the Community Development Committees (CDCs), Ministry of Environment, etc. There is more to Otuaro than this space can allow mention. Suffice it to say that Tompolo was not the first to throw up this eminently qualified Deltan for state service. His nomination by Tompolo is however a testament to Tompolo’s mission to ride in tandem with visioners for peace and prosperity in Delta State.

BULOU KOSIN, of the Delta Rebirth Initiative, writes in from Bomadi, Delta State.

P AGE 28, SUND AY Vanguard , JANU ARY 25 , 2015 SUNDA JANUARY

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015,

C M Y K

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PAGE 30â&#x20AC;&#x201D;SUNDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

Society on song for Pa Aig-Imoukuede @ 80 .

Pa Frank Aig - Imoukhuede and wife with children and grandchildren cutting his birthday cake.

FOR Frank Aig Imoukhuede, veteran journalist, poet and father of top notch banker, Aigboje AigImoukhuede and erstwhile Group Managing Director of Access Bank, entering into the club of the octogenarians could only be heralded by trumpets and drums. For the man who revolutionised arts and culture in Nigeria, society heavyweights put everything on hold to celebrate him. The event was held at MUSON centre in Lagos recently. Photos by Diran Oshe

Dr Victor Uwaifo performing at the event.

L-R:Mr & Mrs Aigboje Aig- Imoukhede with Mr Peter Obi.

L- R: Mr Sunmi Smart- Cole and Bashorun J. K. Randle

L- R: Dr Oba Otudeko, Chairman, Honeywell Group; Pa & Mrs Frank Aig - Imoukhuede with Mr Aigboje Aig- Imoukhuede

Festac PCR C hosts CP PCRC Kayode A deranti Aderanti T he outgoing Commissioner of Police, Lagos

L-R: Udeme Ufot of SO &U Group with Mr & Mrs Herbert Wigwe, GMD, Acess Bank Plc

L- R: Mr Sam Iwuajoku, Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Mr Femi Otedola

State, Mr Kayode Aderanti, was hosted by the Police Community Relations Committee of Festac Town to show their appreciation for the stewardship of the police commissioner

L- R: Mrs Ebun Macgregor, Mrs Irene Harriman and Prof. JP Clarke .

Dele and Lukman

ele and Lukman had a traditional wedding in Ejigbo, Lagos. The ceremony brought friends from Abuja, Cross River, Lagos and Ogun States together in a great reunion.

Groom, Lukman, feeding his bride, Dele

Rotn. A.B. Wlliams, Chairman, PCRC, Festac Div., presenting a gift to CP Aderanti

The couple, Lukman and Dele, cutting their wedding cake

Rotn. A.B. Williams, making a speech at the event

SUNDAY, Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 31

Lagos Labour P ar ty Chairmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son w eds Eghagbaifo ordained Par arty weds

he families of Dr Rotimi Olulana, Lagos State Labour Party Chairman and Mr Peter Oladapo Ojo came together as one family when their children; Abiola Samson Olulana and Tolulope Olufunke were joined as man and wife. The couple took their nuptial vows at Redeem Christian Church of God Province 11 headquarter at Festac Town, Lagos State before their families and friends.

Reverend

SAMUEL Eghagbaifo of Vanguard has been ordained a Reverend. The ordination took place recently in Lagos

The groom's parents, Dr and Mrs Rotimi Olulana. Ordination certificate given to Rev. Samuel Eghagbaifo (L) by Rev. (Dr) Adolphus Anyanacho (R).

The couple, Mr and Mrs Abiola Samson Olulana.

Royal A cadem oup Academ cademyy Gr Group boss celebrates 60

he Proprietor of a great school, Royal Academy Group of Schools in Boji Boji Owa,Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief (Mrs) Pat Moseri celebrated her 60 birthday in grand style.

The bride's parents; Mr and Mrs Oladapo Ojo.

The bridal train.

SMS Consulting 20 14 re treat 201 retreat SMS Consulting organised a retreat and end-of-the-year party for some top management staff of Cadbury and other blue chip companies. Here are participants in pictures at the retreat

Bala Yesufu, Resource Person and Head Corporate Affairs, Cadbury (3rd left), Ralph Anusionwu, Chief Responsibility Officer (5th left), Chilaka, Consumer Insight Manager (1st right) SABMiller.

Ralph Anusionwu, Chief Responsibility Officer, Addressing the participants.

Rev. Samuel Eghagbaifo and wife, Evang. Mercy Eghagbaifo with Pastor Stephen Inueze after the ordination.

Chief (Mrs) Pat Moseri and friends

Pa Omosuvbeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burial

FRONT ROW (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): Mr. Lucky Emore (Zonal Hospital Administrator, Central Hospital, Ughelli), Sir Alex Dafe (Director of Administration, DELSUTH, Oghara), Comrade Goodluck Oforbruku (Chairman, Med. & Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MEHWUN) Delta State chapter), Mrs. Millicent Omosuvbe, wife of labour activist, Comrade Emmanuel Omosuvbe (2nd from right) and Chief Francis Okolosi, during condolence session by colleagues at the burial ceremony of father of Comrade Omosuvbe, Pa Goodwill Akandeji Omosuvbe in Orhuwhorun, Udu LGA, Delta State, recently.

PAGE 32—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

What is the appropriate price for petrol? N87 or less? *Oil chief explains BY UDEME CLEMENT

Apparently, the multiplier effect of the Naira devaluation and austerity measures is causing problems in the downstream oil and gas sector of the economy. At present, oil marketers are facing the challenges of not getting loans from banks to import fuel, high interest rate on borrowed funds, increase in foreign exchange rate and unpaid subsidy claims of N250billion. Mr. Obafemi Olawore, the Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), speaks on the problems facing the sector, saying that the Federal Government did not make provision for subsidy in the 2015 budget. he labour unions and many Nigerians are of the opinion that the recent reduction in fuel pump price from N97 per litre to N87 by government is not commensurate with the declining crude oil price. What is your take on this? We welcome the reduction and also recognise the power of the minister to announce prices pursuance to the power derived from the Petroleum Act. We need to educate fellow Nigerians why 50 percent reduction in crude price does not necessarily translate to 50 percent reduction in product price. First, the crude has to be processed. Secondly, importing a product before devaluation of Naira when the exchange rate was N155 per Dollar was far less expensive compared to now when the exchange rate is N188 to a Dollar. For example, if C and F of petrol is $400 per tonne, at the exchange rate of N155 per Dollar, it translates to N46.20 per litre. However, at the exchange rate of N188 to a Dollar, this translates to N56.08 per litre. This clearly demonstrates that devaluation of Naira impacts heavily on the cost of the product. Added to this is the fact that, internationally, the world scale used in determining freight is looking upward, making it expensive to charter vessels. The reason why reduction in crude prices does not have the same impact on refined products is mainly due to the devaluation of Naira and increase in international freight rate. For example, at $50 per barrel and $420 per tonne of petrol, the Naira equivalent gets higher as the Naira is devalued. Meaning that, the cost of petrol imported into the country when exchange rate was N155 to a Dollar is higher at the present exchange rate of N188 to a Dollar. Though internationally the price is going down, because of Naira devaluation, the cost per litre can not. So, devaluation makes importation costlier. The road tankers are also imported and it is very expensive operating transport fleet in terms of acquisition of the tractor (head of the truck) and maintenance,

The reason why reduction in crude prices does not have the same impact on refined products is mainly due to the devaluation of Naira and increase in international freight rate because all the spare parts as well as tyres are also imported. This means it is quite expensive transporting products from depots to retail outlets for the end users. Another challenge from the devaluation is high interest rate. Now the interest rate has been increased; therefore, it is more expensive borrowing money. The economic implication is that importation of petroleum products is affected both by devaluation of Naira and high interest rate of getting loans from banks. This is having a telling effect on our ability to expand in the areas of building more retail outlets, renovating and expanding the existing ones. Also, it is to be noted that with our commitment to international best practice in ESHQ (Environment, Safety, Health and Quality), we face a lot of constraints. Since human capital development is our focus, embarking on training, retraining and welfare schemes, which are all capital intensive, we have made several presentations to government at different occasions to highlight the fact that our margin derived from sale of petroleum products have been stagnated since 2007. It is clear that the only way to go is the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and full deregulation of the downstream sector. The crisis in Nigeria’s economy is taking its toll on almost every sector. Is the oil price going to rise or decline further? It is very difficult to predict when the oil price would start an upward movement. In our industry, even rumour of war can trigger events that could lead to a rise in crude oil prices. Some intelligent guesses indicate that with the lower crude oil prices, it is unattractive to continue the production of Shale oil in the U S. Shale oil is obtained from rock. As such, it is expensive producing oil from this source when compared to the sweet crude from Nigeria, in the era of low crude oil prices.

Mr. Obafemi Olawore Many oil marketers in the country are lamenting unpaid subsidy claims of N250billion. What is your opinion on this? We want to make it clear that importation of petrol is done on behalf of government and documents have been signed to guide this arrangement. So, 45 days after receipts of documents for verified products importation, the government is duty bound to pay the importer the difference between the cost of the product and government’s imposed pump price. When this does not happen, the unpaid sum attracts interest and is subject to vagaries of fluctuations in the foreign exchange market. The government has defaulted in payment of subsidy claims, and we would like to state that it was only in December 2014 that part

payment for imports was made. It should be made clear that earlier payments before December 2014 were for imports of 2013. The implication on borrowed funds is that banks are now reluctant to give further support to enable marketers import products. Surprisingly, the 2015 budget made provision for N200billion, which is grossly inadequate to cover 2014 obligations, which added up to N250billion subsidy claims, interest and foreign exchange. This means that in the thinking of government, subsidy is not even envisaged in 2015. Why is Nigeria among the highest importers of kerosene when we have crude oil? It is a shame that we are still importing kerosene. The world over, very few countries use

kerosene for cooking, emphasis must shift to gas. Kerosene should be for aviation purposes and industrial use. Can you give us more insight into what you mean by aviation and industrial use? There is what we called ATK, meaning Aviation Turbine Kerosene. Kerosene is also used in the paint industry for what is called AEROSOL. SOL means solution and AEROSOL means Solution of Gas in a Liquid Year, the liquid is the kerosene. Kerosene is also used in road construction for the bitumen cutback. To me, our refineries should be made to function, to produce kerosene locally instead of using scarce resources to import the product. With the situation in Nigeria, is the product really getting to the common man at the official price determined by government? This is the real issue and the answer is no. The reason being that, people buy the product at a high price from the depots, therefore can not sell at the control price since they have to add their margin to it. The import quantity does not get to the common man due to distribution, logistics and administrative bottlenecks. To make it available, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) must sell kerosene the same way they sell petrol. This means NNPC should sell to only oil marketers with depots and retail outlets. The Senate said the PIB that has been in the House since 2008 would be passed by June this year. What are the economic benefits of passing such a bill? We are waiting anxiously for the Senate to pass this bill. Such important bill should have been passed long time ago. The economic benefits include turning the sector around for greater productivity, more revenue, expansion and job creation. As imperfect as the bill may seem, the Senate should pass it and if there is any problem along the way, they can amend the bill.

Petrol should be less than N48 — Onovo BY CHINWEOKE AKOMA

artin Onovo, the presidential candidate of National Conscience Party (NCP) for the 2015 elections, believes that a lots more needs to be done to save the economy, insisting that the N87 per litre new price of PMS is too high and described the N10 price reduction as the natural result of wasteful norm of importation of petroleum products by Nigeria, a major exporter of crude oil with four existing refineries that are underutilized. His position on the raging issue. The crisis of the Nigerian economy is rooted in the development strategy adopted by successive Nigerian government under the influence of powerful foreign countries, their international companies

Martin Onovo We are in a country where poverty is meant to be an alien, but has been bedeviled with humanly imposed poverty. A country where averagely 70percent of its citizenry are living below the standard poverty line is facing an emergency situation The reduction in the price of PMS (petrol) from N97per litre to N87 per litre a few weeks to

general elections in Nigeria, is another confirmation of the clueless and political considerations that have dominated governance in Nigeria since 2010. The basis for this token reduction was not indicated by the Petroleum Minister. It must be clearly indicated that with domestic refining, the current cost of PMS will be less than N48/ l at the current exchange rate. The cost of PMS in Venezuela,another OPEC member country, is 12 cents per gallon (about N6 per litre at current exchange rate). It is an indication of the general national dysfunctionality in Nigeria that we have continued to export crude oil and import petroleum products since 1999 without correction, despite the

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SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015 — A1

A2 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015 — A3

A4 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015 — A5

A6 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015 — A7

By Peter Duru, Makurdi

OTHERED by the recurrent crisis that trails elections in Benue State, and the heightening tension in the state ahead of the February elections, Catholic bishops, last weekend, organized a two- day Prayer Pilgrimage for Peace in the state.

The pilgrimage, held at the Saint John’s Catholic Church, Gboko, brought together all major political actors in the coming elections, paramount rulers and nonChristians alike. The gathering, which afforded political actors and leaders of thought, irrespective of political affiliations, an opportunity to bare their minds on burning issues in the state and country at large, also availed them a platform to make definite commitments to ensure the peaceful conduct of the forthcoming general elections in Benue. To set the ball rolling, the convening priests, through the Most Rev. Peter Adoboh, the Bishop of Katsina-Ala, said the pilgrimage the third in the series, was organise to chart the way forward for the conduct of credible, free, fair and peaceful elections in the state and the country. He said the Church was committed to ensuring that the elections were held without incidents as was recorded in the past, advising government to provide a level-playing field to allow for the elections. “With the advent of elections, it is important that religious leaders encourage their congregation to exercise their franchise rightly and not coerce them on who to vote or party to support. The pulpit should no be used to canvass for vote”, Adoboh said. “Traditional leaders should also disengage from obstructing the free flow of the process. Voters should desist from selling their votes while the salaries have not been paid. In youths should should shun being Benue, salaries have not been used for killings, maiming or paid. destructive actions. “I want to say that anybody in “Our people have suffered the position of leadership who enough; politicians must desist believes in Christ and the concept from adding to their of peace must ensure that people excruciating pains, poverty and have what to eat. suffering. I admonish you to be “The situation in our state today united, regardless of your is that our people can no longer political and party affiliations.” pay fees, they can no longer eat He said since the Church has food. Indeed there is economic a moral responsibility to the recession across the world. What people, it would not fail to speak Benue is suffering, other states are out against the ills of the society also suffering because of and the dangers posed to the inadequate allocation of funds but unity and peace of the country please our rulers should ensure and it’s citizenry. that the people earn their wages Among those who were called so that they can take care of their upon to address the gathering responsibilities.” were leaders of thought, past, Dura also enjoined the Church present and future leaders of the and the traditional institution to state. lead the people aright by being In his speech, Gen. Atom unbiased umpires on issues that Kpera (rtd.) noted that the affect the people. absence of peace in Benue and In his remark, the APC Nigeria in general was governorship candidate in the disturbing “ which should give state, Dr. Samuel Ortom, urged the us sleepless nights because 2015 people to imbibe the fear of God is full of dangers. and by so doing take heed of the On her part, Dr. Magdalen word of God and do the right Dura lamented the level of things. injustice in the society, “We must also imbibe the habit regretting that Nigerians suffer of forgiveness which will usher in discrimination in their own peace”, Ortom said, noting that country on the basis of tribe or the peace initiative by the place of origin. “To Catholic Church came at the right discriminate against anybody in time in an election year. an electoral process because of Also speaking, the PDP where he comes from is an act governorship candidate in the that is not right with God,”Dura state, Dr. Terhemen Tarzoor, said. cautioned against desperation “I want to move on to what is among politicians, stressing that happening in our state. Indeed desperate acts on the part of we are in difficult times and political office seekers was a people are being frustrated, our recipe for crisis, break down of people are dying, our people are law and order and lack of peace. suffering. Across the federation, Senator Barnabas Gemade, on

2015: Catholic bishops move to avert bloodbath in Benue

*Doubt INEC’s capacity for free, fair and credible elections

C M Y K

his part, urged the men of God not to renege on their responsibilities to the people but guide the rulers rightly “so that there can be peace and hope in the state and the country at large.” In his speech, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, assured that his party would work closely with the ruling party to resist any attempt to plunge the state into crisis and bloodshed, before, during and after the polls. Governor Gabrel Suswam, in his speech said, “I have been contesting elections since 1999, and nobody can associate me with violence because I have continuously eschewed campaign of calumny and name calling. “As we go about our campaigns and move closer to the elections, i plead with all politicians to desist from using inflammatory languages that could incite the people into violence. It is a duty we owe the state and the people we hope to lead. “On my part as the chief security officer of Benue state, I assure and guarantee Benue people that the coming general elections will be conducted in an atmosphere that is devoid of violence and crisis. “Since Senator George Akume has also agreed that the opposition would work towards a peaceful process, we will collaborate to ensure that the coming elections would be the most peaceful in the history of our state.” The Governr said. In his remarks, the Senate President, David Mark, noted that peace was fundamental to the survival, development and growth of any society and sued for peaceful coexistence in the state.

I want to say that anybody in the position of leadership who believes in Christ and the concept of peace must ensure that people have what to eat.

Addressing the gathering, the paramount ruler of the Tiv tribe, Tor Tiv Dr. Alfred Akawe Torkula, whose speech was intermittently disrupted by the congregation, insisted that the clery, politicians and everyone had been involved in the breach of peace in the state and called for a change of heart. In a joint pastoral letter on the 2015 elections, issued at the end of the pilgrimage, the Catholic bishops expressed fears about the capacity of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to conduct free, fair and credible polls in the country. Titled “Let there be peace”, part of the letter read, “In view of the unfortunate challenges encountered in recent elections conducted in some states of the country, there is considerable pessimism regarding the capacity of the Commission to organize free, fair and credible elections in 2015. “But we believe a change can always be effected by those determined to do what is right and noble. Hence, we are all yearning for trustworthy elections in 2015, and it is the responsibility of INEC to satisfy our yearning. They added, “Since free and fair elections start with good preparations, we earnestly request the electoral commission to ensure that all processes from the registration to the actual voting and beyond are properly and diligently managed in an open, honest and transparent manner.” The priests further observed with dismay that elections in Nigeria were usually tainted with malpractices and violence and called for a change of heart among the political class.

A8 — SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

By Luka Binniyat

ANY residents of southern Kaduna are gripped by fear following the pace at which alleged Fulani gunmen are capturing villages on strategic hills in the area. Recently, the Atakad Community Development Association, ACDA, said that gunmen had captured 16 Atakad villages, and killed at least 180 people with 10,000 forced to become refugees since the violence started in 2013. Most of Atakad land is located on the lush-green hills and valleys of the lengthy Kagoro range of highland , in Kaura LGA of Kaduna State. It is about 250km south of Kaduna metropolis. Speaking to newsmen after the burial ceremony of district head allegedly killed by Fulani, the National President, ACDA, Mr. Ishaya Kunden, said the world was not interested in their plight, even when, according to him, they formed part of the most traumatized of human society. Said Kuden: “Since these invasions and killings of our people started on the 24th March, 2013, we have lost 16 villages to Fulani invaders. At the last count, 180 people have been killed. Right now, Fulani men are fully settled with their cattle and families, in Mayit, Agwom, Zakai Gira, Tunga Magwot, Telak, Zakum and Kirim. Go there and see them. Their cattle are grazing on everything we left be behind. “The world has forgotten about us, as if we are not human beings. As if are we not part of the most injured in human society. 10,000 Atakad natives are now homeless and are wondering from relations to churches and anywhere they can get assistance. The state government has done very little to help. Only the Churches and some NGOs are coming in with relieve materials to victims still hanging around. All our children are out of Schools. Men cannot go back to their farms. It is horrible. All we are asking is more soldiers and a few things to defend ourselves. We can return if we get that assistance”. The overall chief of Atakad chiefdom, Chief Tobias Nkom Wada, in his remarks during the burial service at the Baptist Church Manchok, said: “The people of southern Kaduna must be united to fight this dangerous trend. “They want to take over our

Fear grips southern Kaduna over capture of villages

*UP AND DOWN: Internally displaced persons

I call on our brothers in Ganawuri, who are accommodating the Fulani in their lands, to see reasons to negotiate both with us and the Fulani hills and use it as a launch pad to invade the entire southern Kaduna. That is why they are killing our people in Sanga and chasing them from the hills. Southern Kaduna people and those governing us cannot afford to see these series of murder of innocent people keep on. I call on our brothers in Ganawuri, who are accommodating the Fulani in their lands to see reasons to negotiate both with us and the Fulani”. The burial was attended by prominent traditional rulers from Southern Kaduna, the clergy and a broad segment of

Atakad and Maroa communities amidst heavy security mounted by the police and the military. A security source said there was an attempt, last Monday night, by some Fulani gunmen to dislodge the military stationed on the border of Plateau State and Kaduna State, from where the invaders usually sneaked into

Kaduna. “There was exchange of gunfire between our men and some marauders from Ganawuri, Plateau border with us that lasted till this morning. We repelled them, and there was no casualty from any side,” he said. Indeed, the Atakad and the Ateng tribes who live in Ganawuri have had long

disputes over land. The Ateng fingered the Atakad as being responsible for the murder of their chief sometime in the ‘70s. Since then their relationship has been frosty despite several attempts to make them friends again. The Fulani are said to be well accommodated by the Ateng from where they launch their attacks on the Atakad.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 33

Nigeria beyond oil •The FIND brief N

IGERIANS have long seen their country as a major oil producer, and as a nation with poverty and governance problems that oil wealth has not solved. It is clear that oil alone cannot be the solution to Nigeria’s challenges. The recent rebasing of the economy by the government indicates that oil now contributes less than 20% to its GDP. Equally important, the rebasing and other economic analyses show that Nigeria has enormous potentials and capabilities beyond oil: in arable land, fresh water, production and manufacturing capabilities, and a young population. Together, these non-oil assets have great potential to contribute to economic growth. With the current downward slide of oil price in the global market and its associated effects on Nigeria’s economy, it would be stating the obvious to say that Nigeria cannot continue with a mono-cultural economy. Therefore the Forum for Inclusive Nigerian Development (FIND) is calling for a new conversation about Nigeria’s future, so that Nigeria’s leaders and citizens together can: •Recognize that the economy is already diversifying beyond oil •Recognize that the government needs to reduce its dependence on oil for revenue •Create a new social contract , where citizens pay fair taxes, and government delivers quality services and makes wise investments •Make government taxation and spending decisions much

more transparent and accountable to citizens •Build a culture in which citizens regularly pay the taxes they owe, because they believe that taxes and tax collection are fair, and because they can hold the government accountable for spending their money well. Ford Foundation in 2013 awarded a grant to Consensus Building Institute (www.cbuilding.org) and New Nigeria Foundation (www.nnfng.org) to assess the feasibility of establishing a multi-stakeholder Forum on Oil and Gas Revenue for Development in Nigeria (FOGARD). The overall goal of the Forum project is to promote effective and efficient use of Nigerian government oil and gas revenue for human development that benefits all of Nigeria’s citizens. The Forum brought together a diverse, influential set of Nigerian leaders with backgrounds in government and politics, business and economic development, community empowerment, academia, religion, culture, and media. Specifically, the FORUM seeks to •develop a shared vision and strategy on ways to allocate oil and gas revenue more transparently, effectively and accountably to achieve development goals •translate that vision and strategy into joint action to demonstrate better ways to allocate and invest revenue, at local, state and Federal levels, using a variety of public-private partnerships and initiatives •engage a broad crosssection of Nigerians beyond those directly participating in the Forum in conversations

•President Goodluck Jonathan about the Forum’s vision, strategy and actions, so that public opinion and the climate for political leadership focuses increasingly on achieving development results with oil and gas revenue Prior to convening this first meeting of the Forum, NNF and CBI conducted a stakeholder assessment by interviewing over 120 influential Nigerian leaders in different sectors. The interview process contributed substantially to the definition of the Forum’s goals and strategy. It also ensured that the full diversity – ethnically and geographically — of Nigeria’s citizens was represented in the Forum, and there was gender balance. The Forum has had two meetings; in May and September, 2014. At the end of its first meeting Forum members agreed that their goal should be to help the country ’s leaders and the broad public to break out of the current, unproductive debate on corruption in the oil

Petrol should be less than N48 — Onovo Continued from page 32 wastefulness of this economic paradox. Imported Petrol has unnecessary additional costs like; International crude oil sale price and refinery Profit Margins,transportation costs of products from source country to Nigeria, port charges, taxes and export duties at source country, Insurance costs for transportation and brokerage costs for agents, etc. These unnecessary additional costs contribute to the very high cost of imported petroleum products in Nigeria. The following are facts: PMS price is currently regulated in Nigeria despite being a major exporter of crude oil and a member of OPEC Also, the country has four existing refineries with a total capacity of 445,000 bpd and the existing

total refining capacity in Nigeria is super sufficient for domestic use. Therefore, Improving domestic refining will increase real GDP and improve employment. The National Conscience Party promised recently at its public presentation of its presidential and vice-presidential candidates, to reduce petroleum products prices by improving domestic refining when elected to the presidency. Before now, other opposition parties had questioned the N97perlitre price against the falling price of crude oil.The coordinating Minister of the economy had just a few weeks before insisted that the price of PMS will not be reduced and the International price of crude oil varies continuously. Considering the indicated facts, it becomes obvious that the rulers of Nigeria have not only mismanaged the downstream sector of the economy but have

also mismanaged the entire Nigerian economy leading to a very high unemployment rate, mass poverty, waste, corruption, rising national debt and the looming debt crisis. The N87per litre new price of PMS is too high and is the natural result of this most wasteful norm of importation of petroleum products by Nigeria, a major exporter of crude oil with four existing refineries that are under-utilized. Our NCP government will improve domestic supply and reduce cost of petroleum products by; Maximizing existing local refining capacity utilization. Increasing local refining capacity by building additional refineries. Improving crude oil development and production efficiency to reduce costs.

sector. Instead, they wish to focus leadership and public attention on a few key points: •Nigeria’s economy has great non-oil sector potential and is already diversifying; •Conversely, the country’s Federal, State and Local governments remain extraordinarily dependent on oil and gas revenue to fund their budgets, and have low accountability for the use of that revenue; •There are examples at the state and local level of governments building up their non-oil revenue sources, and using both oil and non-oil revenues to achieve significant improvements in infrastructure, services and economic development; •Nigeria’s citizens and its leaders have a major opportunity to re-cast the social contract from one in which oil money is handed down to one in which there is a virtuous cycle of economic development, fair taxation, public investment and service delivery, and additional development. At the end of its second meeting a clear set of action plans was created for the Forum to engage and influence key decision makers, opinion makers and the public. The Forum: a. Confirmed its Call to Action to build more inclusive prosperity for all Nigerians, by harnessing all the country’s abundant natural and human resources. b. Committed to a strategy for influencing the national discussion and debate in the upcoming elections by leveraging on its members who have connections to groups that can promote discussion of the issues of economic and revenue diversification. c. Developed a messaging plan to complement the strategy of engagement in the election season by engaging news media editors, columnists, bloggers and other opinion

leaders in order to communicate the its messages broadly and to promote media attention to diversification issues and the its Call to Action. d. Agreed to change the name of the Forum to Forum for Inclusive Nigerian Development (FIND). At its meeting with the media early this month, the Forum called on the government to: 1. Create smart, evidence-based plans to support economic diversification Government at all levels should identify actions they can take to support sectors with high potential for growth, job creation and poverty reduction. 2. Ensure that those plans are developed and implemented with public oversight, transparency and accountability Both planning and implementation should be participatory. Planning for economic diversification should draw on experts within and outside of government. It should also involve business, civil society and community leaders who can enhance the transparency and credibility of the process. 3. Move from direct ownership of economic assets to regulating private sector investment Government at all levels needs to attract private investment and management expertise to the provision of infrastructure, energy, and other public benefits. 4. Make substantial investments in public infrastructure and human capital Of all the areas where government needs to make public investments and incentivize private participation, infrastructure and education are the top priorities. 5. Diversify revenue sources by broadening the tax base and collecting taxes efficiently, transparently and fairly The government’s current, heavy dependence on oil revenue, and the absence of a fair, broad-based tax system, are major obstacles to effective and accountable investment. What the country needs is to ensure that the government’s sources of revenue are as diverse as the economy. Finally, FIND is encouraging Nigerians, in this election season, to ask all candidates for government office: •What are your plans to diversify Nigeria’s economy? •What do you propose as sources of government revenue beyond oil? •What role do you see for citizens in participating in government budgetary processes? •What role do you see for citizens in monitoring the implementation of your plans, helping them to succeed, and holding government accountable for their success?

PAGE 34— SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

The APC and the culture of violence BY FEMI FANI-KAYODE

NCE again, support ers of the All Progres sives Congress (APC), whilst chanting ‘’sai Buhari’’ and carrying brooms, have stoned our candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan, on his way to a rally in the north. It happened in Bauchi State. This is the second time that this has happened in two days. The first time it happened was in Katsina State. Worse still, this time “round, their violent actions have resulted in the brutalisation, wounding and hospitalisation of no less than six of President Jonathan’s security operatives. Once again, just as it was in Katsina, the whole thing was well-orchestrated and well-funded by the APC and there is an obvious conspiracy to hurt and intimidate the President and his supporters and prevent them from campaigning in the north. This is despite the fact that Jonathan is very popular in many parts of the north and he has millions of followers there. We wish to assure the APC that this barbaric and uncivilised behaviour will not deter Mr. President from campaigning in every nook and cranny of this country because his supporters, in both the north and the south, expect no less from him. The questions that Nigerians must ask are these: will Buhari not call his supporters to order and stop this violence unless and until someone is killed? Is that what he and his APC want? Do they want the President and those that go on campaign with him dead? Why do they delight in violence and intimidation? Are they scared of a free and fair election? Can they not handle the prospect of defeat? Has it finally dawned on them that they are going to lose the election woefully and consequently they wish to avoid that by creating a crisis in the country? We warned them about the consequences of their reckless and dangerous behaviour, their fondness of attacking the President and his campaign team and their irresponsible and insatiable appetite for aggression and violence when it first happened in Katsina state a few days ago but General Buhari and the APC would not listen and they have refused to call their supporters to order. Instead, they have continued to relish and delight in their habitual violence and the most heinous and hideous forms of unprovoked attacks and they have consistently encouraged such behaviour. It is no wonder that Buhari was once nominated by Boko Haram to be their negotiator and spokesman when the idea of dialogue with the Federal Government was mooted in 2014. It is interesting to note that when Buhari’s supporters killed a number of Youth Corps C M Y K

*Fani-Kayode....Our position is that Buhari is not qualified under the law to run for the presidency members after he lost the election in 2011 and wrought havoc in various parts of the North, he refused to apologise to the families of those so brutally murdered and he showed absolutely no remorse even though the killings were done in his name. This was despite the national and international condemnation and outrage that those killings attracted. I guess that is Buhari for you: adamant, stubborn and lacking in compassion even where human life was lost. One wonders if the same spirit still resides in him. Is there any indication that he has changed? Is he preparing for a repeat performance of what his supporters did after losing the election in 2011? Does he still hold to his ‘’baboon and dog will both be soaked in blood’’ philosophy if he loses the February election? Are his supporters and allies still threatening to ‘’make the country ungovernable’’ after he loses the election? We sincerely hope not because this time around, he and his supporters may not get away with it so lightly. We wish to take this opportunity to serve them notice of a final warning: If they do not desist from these unprovoked attacks and if anything untoward should happen to President Goodluck Jonathan whilst he is on campaign or even after the election, the consequences will be grave and worse than they can possibly imagine. Buhari was not attacked by supporters of the PDP when he campaigned anywhere in the South; so, why should President Jonathan be attacked by supporters of the APC when he campaigns in the North? Enough is enough. The behaviour of the APC in this respect is utterly reprehensible and we condemn it in the strictest terms. Under no circumstances should violence be condoned or encouraged by them or anyone else because

By their consistent and continued acts of violence and vitriolic words of hatred Buhari and his APC have not only violated the historic Kofi Annanled Abuja Peace Accord but they have also effectively raped it

this is simply an election and not a war. The truth is that the APC have become utterly desperate because they can see defeat staring them in the face. They have found it difficult to come to terms with the fact that their candidate is a man with questionable health who has been rejected by the Nigerian people and who does not have the strength, energy or vision to govern Nigeria. They also find it difficult to accept that falsely swore to an affidavit and lied under oath that his secondary school certificate was with the Army. Lai Mohammed, the spokesman of the APC, has said that we should go to court about the certificate issue if we feel sufficiently aggrieved about it. He has conveniently ignored the fact that the courts are on strike and that, for now, we cannot do so. When the courts are open, we shall explore that possibility and consider that option but until then we shall continue to raise the issue and put the relevant questions to Buhari and his party. Our position is that Buhari is not qualified under the law to run for the presidency because he has not been able to produce or display his secondary school certificate as required by law and this is the basic requirement for anyone that wishes to aspire to that

exalted office. We also believe that he was not even qualified to have gone to the officers’ training college of the Nigerian Armed Forces in 1968 because he never had the prerequisite qualifications to be admitted. At best he ought to have remained a non-commissioned officer and not an officer in the Nigerian Army. We believe that based on that he ought to be stripped of all the entitlements and ranks that he attained within the Army over the last 46 years. The truth is that with Buhari, the more you look the less you see. His story and whole history is replete with doublespeak and double-standards and we shall continue to alert Nigerians about the dangers of electing such a man as their President and putting him in power. And we shall do this whether the likes of Lai Mohammed or his campaign spokesman, Garba Shehu, like it or not. Buhari’s quest for power, together with his mantra of change, is a mere illusion and it will never come to pass. He will fail simply because our people wish to move forward and do not wish for a return to the past. Permit me to end this contribution on a rather personal note. When people like Garba Shehu say they want a clean campaign which is devoid of

tough words and hard and bitter truths, it makes me laugh. Running for an election, looking for a mandate and seeking for power is not a beauty pageant and neither is it so anywhere in the world. It is tough and sometimes it can get nasty. We all know this; so, Garba Shehu and the Buhari Campaign Organisation should stop pretending. They say they want a clean campaign when their supporters and candidate are throwing stones at our candidate. They say they want a clean campaign when they are attempting to injure and inflict violence on Mr. President. They say they want a clean campaign when they are threatening and endangering the life and security of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and his campaign team as he is travelling throughout the country seeking for votes. What a joke the Buhari Campaign Organisation and the APC are and what a glaring case of saying one thing and doing another. They are nothing but a pack of desperate wolves in sheep’s clothing who say one thing on the pages of the newspapers and do the opposite in the field of political battle. They pretend that they want peace but in actual fact they love violence; they encourage it and they have consistently indulged in it. On our part, the PDP Campaign Organisation will continue to keep the peace but we cannot continue to guarantee what the reaction of our supporters will be if these acts of physical provocation and violence continue. By their consistent and continued acts of violence and vitriolic words of hatred Buhari and his APC have not only violated the historic Kofi Annanled Abuja Peace Accord but they have also effectively raped it. Finally they must come to terms with the fact that when I speak I am doing so for millions of supporters of President Jonathan and the PDP. I do not speak in my own capacity as Femi Fani-Kayode but as spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation. All the personal attacks against my person in paid adverts and sponsored press releases by Garba Shehu and Lai Mohammed only serve to encourage and embolden me and are indicative of the fact that I am raising issues that they cannot defend and that are making their leaders and their party very uncomfortable. I happen to take pleasure in watching them wriggle and sweat; so they should get ready for far more. The game is on.

*Fani-Kayode is Director of Media and Publicity of the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 35

APC is a non-violent party—Onu *’Why we okayed Buhari for primary election’ BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU Chief Ogbonnaya Onu is the first civilian governor of Abia State and National Chairman of the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP. Following the formation of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Onu was appointed the Chairman of the party’s presidential screening committee. Amid the controversy trailing the academic records of the party’s presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, Onu says Buhari fulfilled the constitutional requirements. He adds that it was wrong to attribute the stoning of President Goodluck Jonathan’s convoy in Katsina State to APC. Excerpts of interview: Excerpts: arely a month after the presidential primaries, there are fire works from the ruling party about the certificates of your presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari. As the Chairman of the presidential screening committee of the APC, how do you react? Really, that issue should not create the type of problem we are seeing in the polity. This matter came before us in the Presidential Screening Committee and we had to rely on the constitution of the country. To qualify to be President of the country, you have to be a Nigerian by birth. You have to be 40 years of age. You have to be a member of a political party and that party should sponsor you and finally, you should obtain education of at least secondary school certificate level or its equivalent. We have a man who had attended military schools in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, in India and in the United States of America and in America. He attended the United States Army War College. So, there isn’t any reason to create this type of problem we now have in the polity. Did the committee demand for a copy of the certificate? As part of the screening, we demanded for a copy of the certificate. But there was an affidavit. Once you swear to an affidavit, it gives you whatever protection you need on any matter and not just on this issue. We were not doing this for the opposition. We were doing it for Nigeria. This is a man who will be President of Nigeria and there is a supreme law which is the constitution that guides us. The issue of qualification is at least, school certificate. So. If there is evidence that somebody has attended military schools that are tertiary institutions up to the war college of the United States of America, why should you be going into the issue of school certificate and so on? The Army has shown that he applied in Form six. Many of you don’t know that we used to have Form six. I attended higher schools. That is what it was called then. You would spend two years and you can’t go to Form six unless you have completed your Form five and obtain the relevant credits in the relevant subjects. All these are in his file, and so, I really don’t see why we should be thinking in this direction because the problem before the nation are enormous. We should be looking at how do we solve the

Chief Ogbonnaya Onu.... The APC ... does not tolerate violence problem of insecurity in a country that is the largest and most populous black nation in the world, the largest economy in Africa and you have flags that are unknown to the constitution flying in our territory. There is an Islamic caliphate and that is a very serious challenge for the nation. We have unemployment. We have an economy that has not been managed properly. I am a chemical engineer and it pains me that for 16 years. We abandoned our refineries and now import petroleum products. We are the sixth largest exporters of crude oil in the world. Then we import refined petroleum products. You have all these chemical engineers and so. What else do you need? We have four refineries and we can’t even keep them running for 16 years. This is very disturbing. Do you suspect anything as to why the issue is being played up now? This has become an issue now because the ruling party knows that a lot of Nigerians are yearning for change. This desire has been there for a very long time, but because there was no viable alternative. But it could not be actualised. Now, there is a viable alternative. The APC has shown that it is the viable alternative that Nigerians have been looking for. The APC has two of the most populous stars in the country and we have shown that we have capacity. Our manifesto is very rich. We are very original, very creative and Nigerians know that we are men and women of integrity with the capacity to change Nigeria for good. We can become that nation that God had destined us to be”. Do you think that Buhari’s earlier arguments that the original copy of the certificate is the Army is tenable judging from a well known fact that no one gives out his or her original credentials to anybody? Actually, our concern was not on these points. We wanted to be sure that we respected the constitution and that there was no where we were in breach of the Electoral Act. As far as the certificate is concerned, what the constitution required of anybody’s who wanted to be President was that the person should have at least secondary school certificate or its equivalent. You see, people forget the operational word which is “at least”. So, it did not

If you make promises and for 16 years, people see that repeatedly, those promises are not kept, they will simply want change. Really, Nigerians deserve change

say it must be a secondary school certificate. It says at least and I want people to go and read section 131 of the constitution. You don’t have to be a lawyer to read it. The operational word is “at least.” We were satisfied that he had that educational qualification. You see, when you attend a military school, it is all education. It does not means that it is only when you go to Primary or secondary school. Any military school can be the education you are acquiring normally after the secondary school level, we were satisfied that he meet the requirement. However, don’t forget that anybody can misplace his original certificate or something can happen to it. But that is not the issue now. Against the spirit of the Abuja Peace Accord, the motorcade of President Goodluck Jonathan was pelted while campaigning in Katsina. Would you say that your party has violated that accord? It is unfair to attribute that to the APC. Don’t forget that Katsina is a state governed by the PDP and there could be disgruntled persons and so, you do not attribute that to the APC. Moreover, we are not a violent party. The constitution of the APC is very clear: that the party does not tolerate violence. So, even without that pact that was signed, once you are a member of the party, you must subscribe to the constitution and so, you cannot be violent because if you are violent, you will be disciplined. Many are calling for the post-

ponement of the elections, saying INEC appears not ready as many people are yet to collect their PVCs. Another reason is also the unending insurgency in the North. What is your take on that? But that is not the solution. If you look at the issue of insurgency, you will discover that there are countries with serious war situations. Bad as what we are experiencing in this country at the moment is, there are countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria with worse situation and yet they held elections. When it comes to INEC, the Chairman told us that they are ready. For the PVC, they initially put end of the month for everybody to collect their own. Now, they have extended it to give enough time for people to collect their PVC. I think that is a better approach, rather than say you will postpone it. Even if you postpone it, how are you sure that more people will go and collect the PVC. So, we can’t create constitutional crisis for the nation because of problems we should not have if we manage ourselves well. Having followed the campaign thus far, what will you say are the chances of the APC in the elections? We have very bright chances. The truth of the matter is that Nigerians are tired of broken promises. A government has credibility only when it makes promises and fulfills those promises. So, if you make promises and for 16 years, people see that repeatedly, those promises are not kept, they will simply want change. Really, Nigerians deserve change because if you have two things, there is no way you will know which is better until you are able to make changes. APC has a wonderful chance to win this election for benefit of our nation. There are fears of post election violence, the magnitude of which may be more than the one of 2011 and many people are presently relocating their families from the North, especially people from the south east who are known to do business outside their home region. What is your take on this. This is a matter of making sure that elections are free and fair. If we have our elections that are free and fair, there will be no violence. So, we urge our government to make sure that everything is done to have free and fair election in the country. There is this belief that when you win, the elections are fee and fair. But when you lose, they are not free and fair. How do you view this against the accusation by the PDP that the APC is already preparing the ground for post -election violence? The orientation you have talked about is not right. If elections are truly free and fair, I don’t think that anybody will say that they were not free because he did not win. We believe that we can organise free and fair elections in Nigeria. If Ghana, Senegal and many other African countries can organise free and fair election, I don’t see why we cannot organise free and fair elections. Let us not forget that our inability to organise free and fair election in Nigeria is one of the reasons why we have been having problems of governance. It is

extremely important that we are able to have free and fair election in the country. Do you subscribe to forming a government of national unity as against the winner-takes-all syndrome? The APC would like a situation where we have the opportunity to put into effect, the manifestos of the party. We are running a manifesto which we presented in Lagos. There was a summit we held here in Abuja where we modified that manifesto to sought the requirement of the 2015 elections. So, it is very important that we form the government to be able to implement that manifesto so that Nigerians will be able to know the difference between the PAC and the PDP. So, you don’t subscribe to the government of national unity As an individual, I don’t, but that is not a party position. Many Nigerians still see the APC as a northern/Yoruba party. As someone from the South especially the South-east, how do you react to this? You know that the ruling party has what I may call a core base within the south east and south south. But gradually, they are now seeing the there is the need for them to embrace the APC the same way they embrace the PDP before. But let us not forget that the APC is relatively a young party even though it is made up of old parties. So, there is a gradual change in the orientation of the people of that area. So, what are the chances of the party in that region? We have very good chances, but you know that changes take time. We expect that the Presidential candidate of the APC will do far much better in the south east and south south this time than he did in the past. If you have the opportunity to address Nigerians ahead of the elections, what will you tell them? As a matter of fact, the APC is going to do very well in the country and will perform very well in every geopolitical zone. What I was trying to say about the south east and south south is that the performance of the APC will be far better because the candidate will be running for election for the fourth time now and if you take the performance that he is going to have in those regions, it will be far better and a serious improvement than in the past. It will not be the same in some other parts of the country. One of those minuses of the APC campaign right now is that people are playing back the some of the hate words credited to your presidential candidate in the past, especially on Sharia. Don’t you think that is capable of affecting your chances? I don’t think so. Our candidate is a person that quite a number of persons misunderstand. He is a man of very strong character, a man of high integrity, a man of discipline and these are the qualities we need now in the country to solve the problems that we have now. For example, this free and fair election that we are talking about, if you don’t have somebody that is disciplined, he can’t work for it. Look at the fight against corruption, so that you can have enough resources to deliver on infrastructure. You need somebody like General Buhari in other to get the nation to be on the journey that it is presently, to realizing its full potentials. C M Y K

PAGE 36—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

SIMON EBEGBULEM, BENIN CITY

ike Igini is the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Edo State. He was redeployed from Cross Rivers State. In this interview, he insists that the INEC is ready to conduct the forthcoming polls, adding that the introduction of card readers will eliminate fraud, just as he urges politicians plotting to rig the election to concentrate on how to convince the electorate as they will be disappointed. He asks supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan and those of Gen.Buhari to obey the peace plan which they signed both in words and in their actions. Excerpts: It seems you came to Edo with a magic wand as regards the distribution of PVCs to voters, what is the magic. I did not come with any particular magic wand, except the power of information. My colleague and predecessor and the staff here did a good job. I am building on what he did through another strategy, mainly anchored on information dissemination and dissuading those who snatched PVCs to stop doing so because it would be useless and unhelpful. Such action, apart from being criminal under the laws, is also redundant given the fact that all PVCs will be useless without the presence of the owner of the card when used with the proposed card Readers. I’m aware of the thinking of some members of the political class based on the misconception that the elections will be conducted in the old way of turf wars despite the changes since the 2011 elections under the current leadership of INEC. We have been deconstructing that perception and have made it very clear that the game has changed and the rules have also changed. If you play a new game with old rules, you will find yourself panting outside the field with your outdated ways as a burden to your aspiration. We have simply informed stakeholders that this election will empower the voter in a way that no election before in Nigeria has ever done, and that what they must concentrate on is the electorate from whom help and electoral victory cometh, hence they should do more than ever before to please them. Clearly, the message appears to be resonating so far. Good enough, a number of the stakeholders here have a fair idea about what we stand for when it comes to the issue of free, fair and credible election. They know that I mean it when I say that every vote will count and every vote counted would be taken into account, in order to sustain the confidence of the people and for our democracy to endure. I have only told the political stakeholders to go back to study the new rules of the

We are recovering st olen PV Cs – INEC chief Mike Igini •’Jonathan, Buhari must restrain suppor om supportter erss fr from pre-emptive expectations’ •Sa ys elect oral body has •Says electoral gone digital while politicians remain in analogue thinking game again and adapt to it, because the result of a failure of adaptation is biological and physical extinction. So those who want to remain relevant in the current political ecosystem must be adaptive to INEC’s new electoral ecology of “noPVC-and-card-reader novoting”. Before your coming to Edo, hoodlums carted away thousands of PVCs and we learnt they called to inform you of plans to return them. What is the situation today? That is true, but our daily and sustained public enlightenment that those snatched cards would not be usable, except by those for whom the PVCs were expressly produced, had turned the situation around on a good note, as you noted. Before l came, a total of 4,658 PVCs were snatched from various wards in 9 LGAs of Akoko Edo, Egor, Esan west, Etsako West, Oredo, Ovia North-east, Owan-east, Uhunmwode out of which Orhionwon alone recorded 2,052. However, I made it very clear to all that the permanent voter cards (PVCs) in their possession were like used recharge-cards. They are useless to them without the proper card-reader at the correct polling unit. In fact, PVC is only a sensitive or security material if it is in the possession of the true bearer, but useless in the absence of the owner whose biometrics each card bears. I’ve told stakeholders here to show the futility of being in possession of someone else’s PVC that I could even dump all the cards at Ramat Park or take them to

•Mike Igini

the Ring Road , the center of town, that except individuals go to pick their own cards, they will all be useless to you. Since then, a few unknown people have contacted me by phone, expressing willingness to return these cards that I consider borrowed for admiration. I say they borrowed them to admire them because it is biometrically tailored to work for only the owner. Holding it is like carrying someone’s debit card which without the pin number is just a piece of plastic. Nigerians have been encountering problems collecting these PVCs due to

what is widely believed as INEC’s failure. Why is it difficult for the INEC to distribute the cards to Nigerians as and when due? Except for Edo and 11 other states that were in the third phase of both the PVC and CVR exercises, the distribution of PVCs started since May last year and still ongoing. The first three days were declared for collection at polling units and continues at INEC offices in the LGAs. I think what l consider failure is that of the political parties and candidates who organise rallies canvassing for votes but are yet to mobilize or organise rallies

at the states, LGAs and wards for the collection of PVCs by the electorate. No matter how many people you mobilize to campaign grounds, they will not be able to vote without PVCs. Here in Edo state, following the very impressive efforts of my predecessor and staff, 906,024 PVCs were already delivered when I came. Since then, we have moved down to the 192 wards and have currently hit a record total figure of one million, seventeen thousand, two hundred and seventy nine as the 20th of January and distribution is still

Continues on page 37

SUND AY SUNDA

Continued from Page 36 on, but will continue at the LGAs. Whereas our goal is to achieve 100% distribution of PVCs to those who are entitled to them, it must be noted that although ideally we hope they will all come out to vote, it is rare to see all eligible voters voting in an election. In the last governorship election here in Edo with a total of 1,651,099 registered voters, the total number of valid votes used to make a return was 630,099 (i.e 39% of registered voters). We witnessed same in Ekiti and Osun states respectively. Therefore, our concern should be more on how to mobilize the over 1 million people who have collected the PVCs to come out on election day. A huge number of voters have collected PVCs and many more to collect in the days ahead. Let us make it work and not dwell too much on the pitfalls for now. You have repeatedly told Nigerians that the card readers for the February elections would be a game changer. How would it do the magic of preventing rigging? It would be the game changer in the 2015 elections because the system puts the electorate at the centre of the voting system using their biometrics. It is the new voting sheriff for the forthcoming elections. One card reader is configured for each of the 120,000 polling units nationwide. A card reader means that only the owner of the PVC can use the voter card, and he/she can only do so at the assigned polling unit for that voter, at or nearest to the place where he/she registered or transferred his/her registration. Also, by doing biometric-driven card reader authentication, the process will leave a more reliable audit trail of who and how many people actually were accredited, rejected and voted, in digital format which is easier to store and reproduce. This makes the question of altering the results as they are from the polling units more problematic for the election results manipulation. This will be in addition to the customization of the ballot papers and result sheets to each polling unit, making ballot snatching or the use of result sheets or ballot papers from one polling unit impossible at any other polling unit. A number of people think that the card reader will not come, that is why they are still instigating people to go and snatch permanent voter cards, thinking that they will use the old ways to deal with the new approach that we have developed. So this is the card reader, the battery will last for about 14 hours. Once you come with your PVC, your face and everything about you will show on it, it will authenticate whether the face corresponds with the person that has the thump print. There is a speaker in it that will announce that everything about you is okay before you are given a ballot. As a matter of fact, at the end of the day, we can print a new register with this. So you can see that it is useless for anybody being in possession of the PVC of another person. But

when we were in the old regime when INEC was using paper, it was possible without photo for politicians to pack all of them and go to thump print. We have moved beyond this era. So we are at the level of digital while the political class are at the analogue stage in their thinking. That is what must have informed some of the unwholesome practices. We have now told people that it is useless to go and snatch PVCs. We have a total of 120,000 polling units in Nigeria. As at today, we have received a total of 137,000 in excess of the 120,000 polling units. But we must have some redundancies incase anything goes wrong. So we actually placed order for 137,000 of the card readers. As I speak to you, in Edo, we have received almost 60 per cent of that by the end of week or next week, we are going to receive the last consignment, so we are ready to go. The real challenge now, of course, in Edo is for people to collect their PVCs. From what we have seen so far, are you really sure that the INEC is prepared to conduct the forthcoming polls? Yes the Commission is putting finishing touches to our overall preprations in line with theth time table issued on the 24 of January 2014. We published on the 13th of January the register, in line with Section 20 of the Act requiring INEC to do so 30 days to the election. We have taken delivery of 1,861 card readers and the balance would be delivered next week. Nonsensitive materials like ballot boxes are being delivered to the states. So preparations are in top gear and work is in good progress, even though l know that there are always anxiety that people express because of the stakes involved, but we are no longer new to this process. We are preparing for those things we can rationally plan for and we will adapt adequately to emergent ones. How has it been for you in Edo? What are your challenges so far? Are you under any pressure from politicians? This is Benin-City, a town I know to some extent. The pressure should be on politicians not me. My remit is on the timeline, the uncertainty of contestants is more than my own, and, therefore, I have no pressure. My only focus is meeting the expectations of voters in terms of the professionalism of INEC, its integrity and impartiality. Politicians should be more concerned about the electorate, worry less about me and I will have less to worry about them. This election is not about those of us who will count the votes but about the electorate who would cast the votes that must be taken into account. What I have observed over time is that the enthusiasm and anxiety of the followers of politicians are often worse than what you see from politicians themselves, so I have learnt to be more wary of the politicians’ aides and followers than the politicians themselves. But to answer your question more directly, no, I suppose as always my values are in the

Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 37

•Mike Igini

’Jonathan, Buhari must restrain their supporters’ open and the politicians know where to draw the line with me, and I respect that. There are some basic principles which guide my conducts; values that I was raised to cherish from my family, my faith and all through my days in UNIBEN and UNILAG before certification in character and learning that I hold very dear and have remained true to them. There is this fear by the opposition APC that INEC is being controlled by the PDP. How true is that ? It is preposterous and l do not think we should spend valuble time on such debate. I find it laughable having regard to the kind of local government elections conducted by state electoral bodies under the control of these two parties, where all elections are won by the governments controlled by these parties. INEC is the only electoral body because of the independence that enjoys full autonomy, but the same is often denied the SIECs that conduct elections that reflect our multiparty democracy at the grassroots. We have some of the finest Nigerian administrators at the SIECs who could do even more than we are doing, but regrettably do not have the kind of freedom we experience in INEC. If the February elections are to be conducted by the government of these parties, you would have known who will win all the elections, but can anyone tell for certain who will win the forthcoming election to be conducted by INEC? That uncertainty underpins the integrity of the electoral process and helps to keep leaders accountable to voters. At any rate each group

One card reader is configured for each of the 120,000 polling units nationwide. A card reader means that only the owner of the PVC can use the voter card often worry that the other group has an “advantage” so that is not new, as long as you walk on the path of rectitude. When people make such claims I subject them to simple subjective test by asking them to compare the elections supervised by INEC and the local government elections, by judging the process and outcome of both. You can easily see by making such comparison that the Commission under Professor Jega has remarkably asserted the autonomy of INEC and restored great fidelity on the national electoral process. This is a historical landmark and must be commended. From your experience Sir, how do you think we can conduct an election that Nigerians will truly agree that it is truly free, fair and credible? That is pretty straight forward. All it requires is for us to put everything in place at

the proper time, allow the voters to cast their votes, eliminate fraud and minimize malpractices as a result of administrative lapses and ensure that the results reflects the votes as the ballots were cast. It doesn’t sound like rocket science; to me it is simple, stay impartial and respect the voters. Can the leadership of INEC guarantee impartial election in the face of the struggle for power between the two broad sections of North and South? This current leadership of Prof.Jega has given Nigerians since 2011 and subsequent elections much of what is great and eternal if sustained to ensure that our democracy endures, and that should be acknowledged. Today, unlike in 2003 and 2007, we no longer talk of the criminal acts of some officials of the electoral management body colluding with politicians to engage in pre-writing of election results a day before elections, ballot boxes and paper snatching that were thumbprinted to make returns. Additionally, state gubernatorial elections are no longer annouced in far away Abuja, but where the elections were conducted. This chairman has revved the engine of integrity and should be acknowledged and encouraged. Impartiality is the core professional vocation of INEC. In any election which allows for the contest between Nigerians several contestants must come from a particular region or state of the country learning how to accommodate and contain such competition within the ambits of decorum, peace and progress should be one of the key lessons we must learn in the course of our nation building. The carryover of these regional mindsets will not persist if all elected leaders learn to make power beneficial to everyone rather than the region or place from where the elected person originates because it has never happened that any contender received zero votes from any section of the country. Therefore, wherever a leader comes from he should at least respect the votes he/she received from everywhere by responding to the needs of all. The contest of regionalism is created by that zero-sum game in the use of power that politicians must learn to deconstruct. All the presidential candidates have signed a pact to ensure a violent free election. What do you think should be done for that pact to be successful? They should abide by the pact in words and conduct. And more importantly they should restrain their followers from pre-emptive expectations. In every election, voters vote for both sides and no matter who wins, there will be people who will compete again at the next election, if you kill yourself or get killed, no one will be mourning you by the next election, so don’t let us get to that point where anyone believes that the way he or she feels about this election is sufficient to die or kill for.

PAGE 38—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

Banking tears in a cashless society BY PATRICK DELE COLE

he banks depend on the GSM network which has been glaringly inefficient and over subscribed, and shows no appetite f or progress and efficiency because of a suspicious cosy relationship between the regulators and the GSM companies. Has computerization come before its time? I am not sure; but it’s alright for the young ones and hell for older folks. But how about banking in the villages, in this push for a cashless society? How many banking accounts exist in Nigeria, now that we are moving to a cashless society? This is, on the face of it, surely a simple question. The answer is far from simple. I have asked all my accounts officers – no one has been able to tell me. I asked each one how many branches they had – no one knew exactly. As for how many accounts in each bank, my question was met with suspicion? It became an issue about why do I want to know. I called people in CBN – no luck. The Nigeria Bureau of Statistics had no answer. The search engines of Google, Wikipedia had answers which contained many errors. World Bank had answers which I cannot quote because my own people here cannot tell me simply how many banks branches and even their own capitalization figures. Since all our banks have or hope to have branches in the United Kingdom, the best source was there! There are nearly 5,000 bank branches, total capitalization, total deposits. Some Nigerian has been able to beat the pin number security code in the banks and there has been whole sale withdrawal of thousands from various accounts. Spatial map of bank locations shows a concentration in the cities. With increase in computerization, even bank jobs which are now beyond anyone who is not a graduate will be reduced. If I can access my account, pay bills etc without going to my bank- what will happen to those hundreds of bank workers – over half will lose their jobs.Banking in Nigeria has progressed on the premise that all Nigerians are wired in to the internet and that its clients are computer literate or have a GSM that has internet capability.How does this work? By an application to the bank to use its internet platform you can get Internet from your GSM Supplier but have you checked the price?

Jobs lost

Abonnema, my home, has one bank UBA; no post office, nothing- no internet. To open a new accounts- you need to show an international passport (or photo ID) or a national Identity card, even a tax clearance certification (the same conditions as in the United Kingdom). You need, also, wait for it, utility bill in your name – utility meaning a water bill, an electricity bill, etc. There is no electricity in my village, water we draw from wells. Even in Lagos, I cannot remember when I last saw a NEPA bill or any other socalled utility bill. In UK, the effect of

•Godwin Emefiele

With increase in computerization, even bank jobs which are now beyond anyone who is not a graduate will be reduced. If I can access my account, pay bills etc without going to my bank- what will happen to those hundreds of bank workers? computerization is that 50% of bank workers have lost their jobs; of the remaining, 25% are computer analysts, programmers and investment specialists. Is Nigeria ready for the mass sacking of bank workers which will surely follow the present trend in banking where banks no longer want to provide personalized services? Is Nigeria really ready to be a cashless society? In Nigeria nearly all bank doors are bullet proof glass with metal doors and detectors CCTV, other scientific instruments that can invade your privacy. Over several thousand bank branches in Nigeria – all have the same doors except First Bank. Not only do they have the same doors but they have the same canned electronic music while we wait for the door to open to let us in or out; it was the music that first gave me the hint that a deal had been done; the same doors means probably that the CBN ordered the same specifications for all banks and only one Chinese company could met the specifications. Is it possible that at the Bankers Committee there was a discussion on bank security especially after the spate of bank robberies? Or that all the MDs and their purchasing departments met somewhere where these doors were introduced? Or that (God forbid), the Ministry of Finance introduced this particular type of doors to the banks or the SSS? Or the police? Why was there no variety? I do not believe that a single intrepid salesman was able to sell his unique door with its unique canned music and CCTV camera to every bank!! Does it indeed matter that all doors are the same in the bank? But it is interesting that the decision making process could so clearly be compromised. To change the doors was both a political and security question. It matters because if someone is

able to overcome the security system in one branch door, then all banks are compromised. However, bank robbers now blow up the doors!! I just smelt a rat in the whole business. As usual if it quacks like a duck; it waddles like a duck, it looks like a duck, it is a duck!

Dormant accounts

I went to university in New Zealand, 1962 – 65, to The Free University in Amsterdam 1965 and to Cambridge 1966 -73. In all these places I opened bank accounts, I taught at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (1970 -73) where I also had a Bank account. None of these accounts are dormant. Two weeks ago, my bank, Keystone, told me that my accounts in Port Harcourt were dormant. To activate them, I have now to travel to Port Harcourt, show them utility bills for the past 12 months, bring a photo Identity card, etc. The Nigeria banks claim that they instituted the regime of dormant accounts (a) to encourage people to use their accounts (b) know their customers (c) stop their own employees from stealing or using other peoples account for trading, etc. Accounts left some 45years ago in Europe and in England are not dormant. Billions of Naira have been made by banks on this head of dormant accounts. For now, bank transfers are being frustrated by bank managers who are in competition with one another to increase branch deposits. I asked my Keystone branch manager at Ajose Adeogun to transfer my account to Keystone, TBS (Tafawa Balewa Square) branch. He simply refused by pretending that he wanted to see me!! I asked the lady when last she saw a utility bill (they mean NEPA, wateror telephone land line bills); she told me she was only

carrying out CBN instructions. This was a lady who was my accounts officer for the past five years in the bank. There was another gentleman who suffered the same fate and, in exasperation, asked that the bank close the account. Sorry, the lady said to him, I cannot close your account until you bring (you guessed it) utility bills, identity card, etc!! What really got this man angry was that he had naturally brought his passport. But the passport had expired a few days before – yes, you guessed it; - it was not a valid identity card because the passport had expired!! The man was so furious he asked the lady whether she was bent on frustrating him – his passport had all the details she needed to confirm details that the bank already had. You cannot close a dormant account; you cannot reactivate a dormant account without going through almost the same process as opening a new account.

Heart break stories

Does CBN or the Ministry of Finance, or the Bureau of Statistics or anyone else have a record of dormant accounts? Has anybody asked? Under what heading will this be in the audited accounts of the banks? The practice is that all such accounts are entered in a suspense account at the end of each year. But this gets very complicated if the account is old. My mother had a number of such accounts. When I applied that these accounts be transferred to me, the bank first told me to go to the branch where my mother had the accounts. On further inquiry, the branch had been closed, the system of numbering accounts had changed over five times in the last 30 years; the central office of the bank claimed that they had no record of these deposits and, in fact, refused to acknowledge that the deposits were theirs. My lawyers told me that a debtor is freed of his obligation to pay if after seven years he has received no request to meet his obligation. This is not the place to deal with the concept that the law is an ass but you can imagine how many heart break stories exist in Nigeria. Is this not a case for legislation and for the creation of a financial ombudsman? We should also have an entry in the books for dormant accounts in the banks books. Hardline policy More fundamental is the attitude of the bank. Who closed the branch? Whose primary duty it was to make sure that proper records are kept? If the bank has been acquired by another bank, did they not do a reconciliation? Why is the bank adopting a hardline policy when, in actual fact, they should be seen to be doing their utmost to help legitimate claimants of moneys left in trust for them by our ancestors? Where is their fiduciary obligation? From the above, it is evident that the fiduciary responsibility of the banks, of NDIC are observed more in the breach than in compliance. That these difficulties were not foreseen when the banking licences were given and or when NDIC was set up boggles the mind. The estimate of money in dormant accounts is well over 200 billion Naira.

CBN is now setting up a Personal Verification Number for each customer. What happens when the account holder and his PVN (Personal Verification Number) is dead. Or a son finds his mother’s PVN 10 years or 20 years after her demise? A wife or the man’s mistress or vice versa? Incidentally all banks ask their customers to fill in a next of kin named and address attached to each account? Do these statements naming next of kin mean nothing? Or do they have the force of a will? In my experience only one bank bent over backwards to meet its obligation in a similar case. That was FCMB.

Outdated pounds, dollars?

A few months ago, I had some US dollar bills which I tried to pay into my domiciliary account in Lagos. The bank would not take any dollar bill dated 2003 or before. I asked why and was told this was a CBN directive. I went to London with the same bills and the banks were happy to accept them. Who gave out such instructions and why? The same thing happened with regard to £50 notes which banks refused here in April/March last year. The banks in the UK had no problem accepting these notes. So what is really happening? I asked a senior official at the CBN why foreign banking notes were being rejected. He told me that CBN has the right like any Central Bank to reject any currency ’s notes; and that he thinks that when CBN sent these notes to the Federal Reserve Bank in the US the bank there rejected the notes. He also thinks this may be in pursuance of the US policy to chase moneys used to encourage terrorism.

Rural banking

What is the solution for rural banking? Obviously people who use to live in these villages on getting to Abuja are transfixed to the glare of the lights, like an animal transfixed by the light of an approaching car!!! The animal looks and stops and is killed. These societies are being killed by the oil industry and further deadened by silly regulations about so-called cashless society and other ancillary rules about dormant accounts. Those who make these rules come from these areas but somehow forget that they have to go back someday. How many banks are in Ogoni land, especially near the oil wells? When Bayelsa was first created, there was only one petrol station and one bank in the whole state. Today, I do not know how many banks are in Bayelsa but they are not many. The answer of the banks will probably be that little business is done in villages, but if the economic revolution is going to come – it will be with agriculture and will necessarily involve villages. Nothing humbles a Nigerian more than his going to his bank and he is petrified that he would be unable to get his money because of one regulation or the other. If he gets his money the smile of satisfaction is indeed something to behold.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 39

DIASPORA MATTERS

NIALS to NUC: Upgrade ICT curriculum with cloud computing services By EMEKA AGINAM

ollowing four months of an intensive independent study focused on the Gaps in Data Privacy and Security in cloud services in the country, the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) has presented the first draft of its findings to key stakeholders at a consultative round table held in Abuja recently. However, one of the key objectives of the study is to see how adoption of cloud services could be promoted in Nigerian educational system. Given the importance of cloud computing for ICT based education, the report among other things noted that both the Federal and the States Ministry of Education and the National University Commission should guide secondary schools and tertiary institutions to upgrade their ICT curriculum and courses to include a wide range of cloud computing services and technology and also build the capacity of teachers. The report which examined the statutory framework with a comparative analysis of data protection laws in the United States, United Kingdom, India and South Africa also stated that recent studies indicated that Nigeria with an estimated 36 percent of businesses currently using cloud services will soon overtake Kenya (48 per cent) and South Africa (50 percent). With participation drawn from the academia, policy makers, legislature, government, media , among others, the study further noted that Ministry of Education should encourage educational institutions to have a plan of action for the adoption of cloud services. Accordingly, the report which had major recommendations for SMEs and the Education sector revealed that many SMEs using ICT have a mix of cloud and non-cloud based solutions. The research further recommended that SME associations such as SMEDAN and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) can through regular workshops and seminars assist their members understand the costs of supporting the different elements of their existing IT models and how they can successfully integrate cloud computing into their overall IT strategy. Presenting the report, the Director of Research, NIALS and Head of the Research Team, Professor Lanre Fagbohun explained that the research was undertaken with the primary goal of understanding how data privacy, security of data, data sovereignty/ localization and management should be approached and to better access the impact of fundamental apprehensions

I have no PVC, but on Facebook I stand

like entrusting the safety of vital and in some cases confidential data to a 3rd party, among others. He further revealed that privacy concerns associated with the access, use and sharing of cloud based data, service reliability, lack of clarity in the cost-benefit analysis of how cloud service savings compares with existing operations and fears over vendor lock-in as a result of dependence on a cloud provider’s service on the rate of adoption of cloud services in Nigeria were part of the reasons for the study. Explaining the rationale for the choice of the states the study focused on Professor Fagbohun explained that these states have a good representation of the educational institutions and SMEs and their regulatory institutions. He said that the study among other things looked

at the benefits of adopting cloud computing , avoidance of costly up-front capital investments in IT infrastructure, and many more. For Prof. Adedeji Adekunle, Director-General, NIALS, earlier in his address said that cloud computing has been revealed to be the future model of information technology. He noted that the study involved three months of rigorous work by research professors and fellows of NIALS who examined not only the existing policy and regulatory framework, but, also went to the field to collect credible data to substantiate the desk research outcomes. He expressed the view that the recommendations would help to address concerns with data governance while also maximising socio-economic and environmental benefits of cloud computing”.

FG confirms Alale as NIGCOMSAT CEO P

resident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, has approved the appointment of Ms Abimbola Alale as the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT) LTD). The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Ayim Pius Ayim in a letter, conveyed the President’s message of her appointment as Managing Director/Chief Executive, NIGCOMSAT for a first term of four (4) years and also wished her the best of luck on her new assignment. The appointment took effect from December 24, 2014. It would be recalled that Abimbola Alale became the Ag MD/CE in February 2014. Before then, she was the Executive Director, Marketing, a position she held since the inception of the company in 2006.

Ms Alale holds a postgraduate degree in Space Studies and an MBA from the International Space University in Strasbourg, France and has since undergone several trainings in space technology. She started her career with the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) where she served as NigComSat1 Project Secretary, a project that gave birth to NIGCOMSAT LTD. Alale has worked on key national projects, including the Nigcomsat 1R project in which she was Project Director with the responsibility of managing the launch of the replacement satellite otherwise known as NigComSat-1R The African space Amazon has served in various capacities on various national committees that have advanced the utilization of space applications in Nigeria.

he journey to the 2015 Nigerian Gen eral Elections is gradually coming to an end. Everybody has been involved one way or the other in the run up to the elections. It is not surprising to see Nigerians from all geopolitical zones contributing to the elections' "debates". They are raising their voices, outdoing each other, "hyping" their candidates and condemning opponents to "rubbish bins". Nobody is left out. The season of being apolitical is long gone. Every Nigerian has an opinion and they are no longer shy in offering them. They put the politicians to test, and when they pass their credibility scrutiny, they give them their full loyalty. But mind you, the Nigerian factor is still at work. We have not been able to do away with our tribal sentiments and religious jingoism. We still carry them as "banners" of modern day Nigerian politics. It is therefore not surprising to see supports for the politicians defined by these factors. The success or failure of next month's General Elections shall be partly attributed to the role of the social media. The politicians, unlike in the past elections, have come to realise that the social media is a veritable ground to win the electorates over. So while the campaigns are holding on podiums from one city to the other, there are news feeds on social media to engage the "cyber huggers" on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and various forums. The politicians have "grown" social media fan bases, that have gradually become as fanatical as the thugs that populate campaign rallies. They throw away any form of restraints or caution in displaying their supports for preferred candidates. They are not shy in condemning in "caustic" languages any seemingly contradictory opinion against their candidates. The show of solidarity is not restricted to Nigerians at home alone. Citizens in diaspora are also fully active. While some bold ones have relocated to Nigeria so as to be on ground for their candidates, the others are participating on the Internet with keen interest. The social media is agog with opinions, theories, and various permutations on how the elections will be won. For one reason or the other, Nigerians in Diasporas seem to be the most vociferous on these platforms. Majority of them have formed their opinions on what they read on the social media and hearsay. They are holding on to these convictions. The reality on ground may be different from what they read de-

Every Nigerian, no matter his/her location, like citizens of other decent countries, should be able to take part in choosing who runs the country

pending on what their sources are, but who cares, as long as they have opinions to share. To some analysts there seems to be no group as "confused" as Nigerians in Diaspora. They are very active on the social media and can reel off head the candidates' manifestoes (if any), while in another breath analyse and compare happenings in Nigeria with what is obtainable in their countries of residence. In some instances, they pass off as being arrogant and cocky in their analyses as most of their sources are not first hand. They hold no prisoners. You are either on "this" side or the "other". We need to understand their positions, though. Most of these Diasporans are fed up with happenings in the motherland and by extension desperately wish the leaders can get their acts together and make the country great. They are frustrated in many ways by how Nigeria is negatively portrayed in the comity of nations. They feel humiliated every time they have to go extra length to explain to their colleagues at work or to their neighbours that Nigeria is not populated by crazy beings as portrayed and projected to the world by the leaders. They cannot understand why despite Nigeria's large natural deposits, she still ranks high among the poor countries of the world. You may wonder why these Nigerians are sometimes too harsh in their writings on the social media. Please imagine how frustrating it is when a Diasporan realise his/her participation in choosing a worthy leader for the country do not go beyond the social media. He/She can write all he/she wants, post as many images, yet cannot influence the outcome of the elections. Because they cannot vote on the basis that they are outside the shores of Nigeria, they are, technically, in the scheme of things, irrelevant. The hopes of these Nigerians to be able to vote in elections were first raised in 2010 when President Good-

luck Jonathan while on a visit to Gabon promised that in the near future this would be possible. The National Conference' Committee on Foreign Policy and Diaspora Matters shared same views when it recommended that the provisions of Section 13 (1) (c) of the Electoral Act, 2006, as amended and sections 77 (2) and 117 (20) of the constitution be amended to provide for Diaspora Voting Right for Nigerian citizens living abroad who are not qualified by law and who are at least 18 years old by the time of voters registration, to vote in Nigerian elections. The hopes were however dashed not long after, when Andy Uba, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Electoral Matters said they will have to wait a little longer for the laws to be amended. While the INEC chairman Professor Attahiru Jega shared similar views saying his commission lacks the wherewithal for such exercise. It might be impossible for Diasporans to vote in the next General Elections, but we need to ask, what modalities are being put in place to enfranchise these Nigerians? Are there plans by INEC or the government to ensure this in future polls? Every Nigerian, no matter his/her location, like citizens of other decent countries, should be able to take part in choosing who runs the country. This definitely seem a big task for a country that does not know the number of Nigerians living abroad. The Nigerian embassies and high commissions cannot help the case, as they have no clue of what their responsibilities to the citizens are. Understandably, this is why Nigerians in diaspora are angry and are not keeping quiet. This is why they are sometimes over the top, on the social media, in the support of their candidates. These are the only platforms that offer them a semblance of participation in the democratic process. Will this change very soon? Do we encourage our leaders to perfect the Nigerian project first before venturing to expose themselves to the international world? Maybe the success of the home system will provide a good platform for the Diasporan challenge. Just maybe!

PAGE 40— SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

BY OBY EZEKWESILI

Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country -Franklin D. Roosevelt

2015 elections: How to make Nigeria the winner (1)

THIS quote by one of America’s greatest Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt elaborates the theme of this year’s annual Daily Trust. 2015 ELECTIONS: HOW TO MAKE NIGERIA THE WINNER. That the issue of focus is the Elections— a process through which Democratic Governments are formed is very instructive. That it is only one form of political system — Democracy— that respects the the right of citizens to choose their rulers is remarkable. No wonder Churchill considered it the least worst alternative against all other options when he stated , “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” The distinguishing feature of democratic governance explains why President Roosevelt so unequivocally subordinated all who derive legitimacy from the vote of citizens under them because while their office may be high, it is in fact from the “office of the citizen” that they acquire their “delegated authority ” . This quintessential feature of Democracy is reflected in Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations in 1948 that “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.” Thus even before Nigeria became an independent nation in 1960, the world had already framed “genuine elections” as an indicator of any country’s adherence to the highest standard of Governance. Like all other nations therefore, Elections in Nigeria when they have been conducted are forms of choosing representatives to the Nigerian federal government and the various states and local governments as the case may be. Whether it was under a Parliamentary system of government in the 1960’s or a Presidential system of government in the 1980s until now, our elections in Nigeria have reflected our federal structure. As a Presidential system, we as citizens of Nigeria elect the President and a federal legislature with two chambers at the federal level. At a more localised constituency level, we collectively vote for 360 members of the lower chamber known as House of Representatives. We elect 109 members of the upper house known as the Senate which has three senators representing each of our 36 states in the federation plus the single senator for the Federal Capital Territory. The residents of each

•Oby Ezekwesili....The history of democratic elections in Nigeria is tumultuous and our record less

than sterling

of the 36 states have elections to elect governors of their states and the members of their state’s houses of assembly. The federation is divided into 774 local governments which conduct their elections to elect chairpersons and council lord under a different and separate from the electoral cycle of the 2015 Elections of our focus. Nigeria operates a multi party system and so although two strong parties now straddle the country with broad membership the 2015 elections has fourteen parties fielding candidates for the Presidential elections. Elections are the means by which in modern representative democracy, citizens are given the opportunity to make the formal decision making process of who to choose from among those who seek to gain legitimacy to lead in public office from the rest of society. Elections are not an end in themselves but merely a means to an end. Election although a process is an activity or an event with an extremely short time span. However, the outcome it produces is the end and ideally should be democratic governance that citizens installed through the exercise of their votes. To stretch the idealism, such democracy ought to produce the kind of future that the voters conjured in their minds when they respectively made the decision of whom to choose from among those that posited themselves capable of solving their common problems collectively.

Measured singularly by this yard stick of the conduct of elections and formation of democratic governments, we can say that Nigeria has been on a winning streak since 1999. Nigeria won in 2003, 2007, in 2011. Nigeria therefore could also potentially win again in 2015!

The history of democratic elections in Nigeria is tumultuous and our record less than sterling. Although the first election by the entity called Nigeria was held in 1923 through the Clifford constitution of 1922, I would rather focus history on the independence (1960) elections which held in 1959 through to the one of 1964/65 leading up to military coup of 1966 and the civil war in 1967. From 1967 up until 1970 when the war ended Nigeria was under military rule. The next democratic elections was the 1979 transition to democracy which was followed by the 1983 elections and then another military truncation that led to two successive military governments until the 1993 transition to democracy and the elections that were shockingly annulled, robbing then first time voters like yours sincerely our voting rights. Next was an interim national government that was displaced by yet another military intervention which viciously ensconced itself in power lasting until the 1999 elections. Since the 1999 transition, Nigeria has held three more elections without interruption in 2003, 2007 and 2011. For the period of fifty four years of our independence therefore, Nigeria has conducted 9 Presidential elections with varying degrees of completion of their tenures.

Cycles of democratic governance

More striking is that for the 54 years of our independence we

have had three cycles of democratic governance of the 60s ( 1959-66), of the 70s ( 19791983) and of the 90’s (1999date). With the first two cycles being an average of five years it was only since 1999 that the culture of Democratic elections and uninterrupted transitions are becoming entrenched as the means of determining governments in Nigeria. In many ways therefore, we can say that Nigeria which was once legendary and globally reproached for interrupting its democracy through aberrant military adventurism has in the nearly two decades since 1999 reordered its ways by subordinating the military to the constitution. Even in moments of vulnerability and uncertainty, our military has learned that the era of military adventure in the governance of our country is permanently over not just because of the standard of the rest of the world that we have signed on to through sub regional, regional and global treaties but because WE the citizens have resolutely decided that Churchill was right. However rickety democratic governance may be WE choose it above any other form of governance. And so although as a country our challenges and checkered record of the quality of our elections and governments remain major source of concern, we can at least declare that since 1999 Nigeria reasonably joined the league of other countries that have embraced the global standard of a system of governance which aspires to place the citizen at the centre of governance. Measured singularly by this yard stick of the conduct of elections and formation of democratic governments, we can say that Nigeria has been on a winning streak since 1999. Nigeria won in 2003, 2007, in 2011. Nigeria therefore could also potentially win again in 2015!

But, what does Nigeria wining in 2015 really mean? When credible elections are conducted in stable polities that are matured democracies; there are certain features that are generally and inherently assumed. The key among them is that there will be a clear winner and a loser and that the latter will gallantly concede defeat by congratulating the other candidate(s). The reason is often an acceptance by the losing party that the elections were genuinely, freely, fairly and transparently conducted. The international standard of “free and fair elections” refer to elections with process and participation that suffered no shenanigans that cast a doubt on the integrity of its outcomes. Therefore, it is assumed that having equally offered the voting public the options of candidates for public of-

Continues on page 41

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015, PAGE 41

2015 elections: How to make Nigeria the winner (1) Continued from page 40 fice who persuaded them on their respective approaches for tackling the most pressing of priorities to the electorate, the citizens would in exercising their voting right, declare their preference for the plan of the winner of the election above that of the loser. Another feature therefore is usually that the entire country regardless of which party wins would at the emergence of a winner, prepare themselves to head into a new era of either policy continuation, redirection or complete change depending on the the promises of the winning party. However, the public and political opponents do not disengage from public discourse of the plans of the winner after elections but rather resort to using the democratic tools of formal and informal Debates to contest those ideas and to demand accountability from the winner. The winner does not appropriate the right of citizens to demand accountability by antagonising that basic feature of Democracies. The demand for accountability is integral to the principle of delegated authority after all. No one to whom society has given the privilege of serving them can arrogate supreme authority to himself or herself for such action negate the essence of President Roosevelt’s assertion that the citizens as voters are the “ultimate rulers” in a democracy. In such societies, the loser does not destroy the rest of society because they failed to win an election; neither does the winner and his supporters prepare themselves for a zero sum game — winner-takes-all- capture-andabuse of the resources and institutions of the state. The winner does not act churlishly as though they were the losers who in fact are themselves expected to continue to conduct themselves with sports “ woman” ship. The winner mobilises those who voted for and against his or her plan to a united society of people who though differing in the views of their common problems and solution have learnt to cherish the things that unite them above those that divide them. Hardly do we see stable polities where the existence of the country is threatened by the outcome of party elections. No. Since the turn of the millennium, it is only on our continent that we still find such destructive conducts where electoral outcomes that merely affected the political fortunes of its political elites are elevated to substantial threat to the continuing existence of their countries and citizens. It is therefore not rocket science that such ruinous electoral conducts are somehow also correlated to poorly performing economies on the global economic league table. It strikes me that Daily Trust worries that the 2015 elections are high risk enough to pose existential threat to Nigeria. Therefore, by asking us to dialogue on how we can avert this and make Nigeria the Winner, somehow our event today can help reduce the risks of a ruinous and destructive aftermath of our 2015 elections. I doubt that they are alone in this escalating fear of what we can expect from our crowd of

ed and narrowed. The atmosphere within which Governance operated became even more lethal and the institutions grew weaker in their capacity to respond to multiple onslaughts.

•Oby Ezekwesili political elite if the rising and hardening tone of their name calling against one another is anything to go by. The stakes are considerably high for the politicians who are in a fight to finish mode with opponents across their fences. But the stakes are patently higher for the country, Nigeria which finds itself currently brittle and weaker in the spectrum that measures stress test of capable nation states. So, what would we work together to achieve in the next few days as uncertain signals that Nigeria has won in the 2015 elections? They would include features like the following: 1. That the Elections of 2015 are actually conducted and concluded with results announced according to a minimum local and international standard of having been “free and fair”. 2. That there are no pre-election, election and or post election violence or acts of destabilisation that threaten the tenuous in the land. Therefore that following the elections all segment of the Nigeria remain together and despite disagreements choose the path compliance with the rule of law to seek redress of electoral conflicts and grievances. 3. That a clear winner emerges from the electoral or judicial processes that follow with a national spread of mandate sufficient enough to make them a President of the entire Nigeria. 4. That the transition process for the present administration to a new one is appropriately conducted with the swearing of the new President and elected Governors of States on May 29, 2015. That the convening of the 6th Assembly and the newly elected senators and representatives from across the country happen on schedule. 5. That the entire Nigerian populace will at the end of the electoral process choose to remain citizens of Nigeria regardless of the pull by politicians to drag the populace into their never ending squabble to “control power more than to offer service”. This means that everyone of us Citizens voting in the 2015 election must also carry our “I vote for Nigeria” placard should elite squabble arise from the electoral outcomes. I vote for Nigeria! In effect, Nigeria wins once the

The current toxicity in our country overflowed from the arena of our elite and began engulfing Nigeria and Nigerians; deceitfully pulling in innocent citizens into bitter acrimonies along religious and regional lines. 2015 election does not lead to the derailment of our fledgling but gradually consolidating practice of Democracy and/ or the destabilisation of our country. The fear of these two ominous possibilities becoming reality was always common with every past election but it is considerably more accentuated with the 2015 elections. The reason is that it is the fruit of the dark seeds of the events leading up to and following after the 2011 elections. The evidence is stark that our country is going into 2015 elections with monumental security, political, economic and social vulnerabilities so much so that pessimists predict political collapse of the entity called Nigeria. The most virulent and violent insurgency by the terrorist organisation- Boko Haram exploded over the last three years worsening an already toxic post 2011 political climate. As the hapless citizens across the country looked on- dazed at how fast our already thin social capital was eroding, the Nigerian state failed woefully to mobilise and unite the populace. Rather, Nigeria found itself in a long season of politicking since the last elections in 2011 with the space for healthy dissension constrict-

That an election squabble could sow such toxic seed of implosion into our extremely fragile cohesion was possible because of a poorly managed aftermath that was further exploited by our political elite class across all divides. What more explains the flighty nature of the selfish interest of the political elite class that heated up and polarised the polity than the fact that some of the key actors that threatened that “The North will make Nigeria ungovernable for the winner of the 2011 election” are some of the President’s loudest campaigners for the 2015 elections? Meanwhile, objective analysis of the poor handling of the terrorist attacks in the North by the Federal Government that he leads has an undercurrent of our President’s hesitance to dispassionately appraise that scourge as one against Nigeria — and not against the “North.” In statements that accuses the entire North of having resorted to self destruct simply to spite him the winner began to act not as a mobiliser and leader of ALL citizens. That is how come the poor and vulnerable who today are most traumatised by the insecurity in that Region are the innocent casualties while the political elite continue unscathed with their “political transactions.” Politics is the basis of Governance - especially economic governance. The combined “political transactions” of our Elite class has produced a Gross Domestic Product— GDP over the last fifty four years which we must compare with that of other nations! Based on the latest rebasing of the size of the economy since over the more than two decades of last count of the cumulative progress that we had made our GDP size had increased by more than three-quarters to an estimated 80 trillion Naira ($488 billion) for 2013 according to the National Bureau of Statistics. It “compares with the World Bank’s 2012 GDP figures of $262.6 billion for Nigeria and $384.3 billion for South Africa. The NBS recalculated the value of GDP based on production patterns in 2010, increasing the number of industries it measures to 46 from 33 and giving greater weighting to sectors such as telecommunications and financial services. While the revised figure makes Nigeria the 26th-biggest economy in the world, the country lags in income per capita, ranking 121 with $2,688 for each citizen.” This indicator is a dismal and uninspiring performance for which everyone of us who has ever been associated with leadership of Nigeria should be ashamed

Poor governance

I repeat a comparator data that I like to share with Nigerian audiences. Empirical evidence points to poor governance –especially corruption as the biggest obstacle to the development of Nigeria. Understanding the can-

cerous impact of corruption helps explain how a country with the enviable potentials that are hardly available to more than other one third nations of the world; has remained at the bottom of global socio economic ladder as a laggard. Economic growth rate and ultimate development of nations are determined by a number of factors that range from sound policies, effective and efficient public and private investments and strong institutions. Economic evidence throughout numerous researches proves that one key variable that determines how fast nations outgrow others is the speed of accumulation of human capital especially through science and technology education. No wonder for these same countries by 2011- South Korea of fifty million people has a GDP of $1.12trillion, Brazil of one hundred and ninety six million has $2.48 trillion; Malaysia of twenty eight million people has $278.6Billion; Chile of seventeen million people has $248.59Billion; Singapore of five million people has $318.7 Billion. Meanwhile with our population of 165 million people we make boasts with a GDP of $488Billion- completely way off the mark that we could have produced if we made better sets of development choices. More dramatic is that this wide gap between these nations and Nigeria was not always the case as some relevant data at the time of our independence reveal. In 1960 the GDP per capita of all these countries were not starkly different from that of Nigeriatwo were below $200, two were a little above $300 and one was slightly above $500 while that of Nigeria was just about $100. For citizens, these differentials are not mere economic data. Meanwhile by 2011, the range for all five grew exponentially with Singapore at nearly $50,000, South Korea at $22,000, Malaysia at $10,000, Brazil at $13,000 and Chile at $14,000. Our own paltry $2,688 income per capita helps drive home the point that we have been left behind many times over by every one of these other countries. How did these nations steer and stir their people to achieve such outstanding economic performance over the last five decades? There is hardly a basis for comparing the larger population of our citizens clustered within the poverty bracket with the majority citizens of Singapore fortunate to have upper middle income standard of living. And yet, each time that in their quest for presidential powers, the power elite of Nigeria engage in protracted squabbles as had happened pre and post the 2011 elections, they deviously widen the battle beyond their political parties. The current toxicity in our country overflowed from the arena of our elite and began engulfing Nigeria and Nigerians; deceitfully pulling in innocent citizens into bitter acrimonies along religious and regional lines. To be continued

*Ezekwesile delivered speech at the 12th Daily Trust Dialogue

PAGE 42— SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

Education and National Development: The Jonathan Example BY PETER OBI

Agricultural Transformation Agenda [ATA], with the active involvement of practicing farmers, especially women and the youth. The key emphases are to strengthen linkages between production, marketing, processing & storage as well as between agriculture & rural development. Critical success factors in efforts to transform the sector to commendable heights include funding, technological support, promoting Made-inNigeria, concrete export support, Public-Private Partnerships [PPPs], from subsistence to mechanized farming, natural fertilizer from organic waste,agricultural extension services, and agro-allied industries.

Many years ago, the p h i l o s o p h e r, A r i s t o t l e , observed that the difference between the educated and the uneducated is like that between the living and the dead. ToAristophanes, it is the dissimilarity between broken and unbroken horses. As President of the US, Lyndon Johnson declared: ”At the desk where I sit, I have learned one great truth. The answer for all our national problems; the answer for all the problems of the world — come to a single word. That word is education.”

ll these notions about

education have been with man as far back as we can trace its history. Efforts have always been on-going to improve on education among nations and their peoples. It is universally acknowledged that the distinction between success and failure lies in education; in the same way that educational attainments explain the disparities in the growth and development of nations. The great countries of Europe, theAmericas and Asia are what they are today due largely to consistent investments in education. Great inventions and innovations that have propelled the world to greater heights, including going to the moon, are products of education. The Asian power houses — China and India – have become the dominant growth areas of the world; and this rooted in education. Among the legion of examples are:India’s ascendancy in ICT; Singapore’s elevation from the 3rd to the 1st World; China’s current economic ranking. Coming home to Africa, the Mandelas, Ziks, Awolowos, Nkrumahs, Nyereres,Balewas and others who fought for the freedom of their peoples had the benefit ofearly exposure to education. The achievements and development of Nigeria to date in the polity, economy and society have come mostly from educated minds. One can hardly imagine what would have happened if we did not h a v e l a w y e r s , doctors,bankers, academics and the like. At the recent launch of UNESCO Education for All, the organization’s Director inNigeria, Professor Hassana Alidou revealed that said that Nigeria shared some of the worst education indicators in the world. The country has about 10 million out-of school children — the highest in the world – the majority of who are in the North. Experts contend that this deplorable state of education in Nigeria istraceable to the long governance of the country by persons with limited

•Peter Obi...Education provides the platforms for planning educationalattainments and the concomitant little appreciation of its benefits. The statistics show that the levels of development of the Zones in Nigeria and their embrace of civilization are directly proportional to their educational exposure. Alas, against this background and in the heat of electioneering — during which the three dominant issues should be education, education and education — it is veryworrisome that our leaders are actually busy talking down on education. In one of the APC’s recent rallies, for instance, somebody queried the country’s benefit inhaving a President Goodluck Jonathan and his Vice, HE, Namadi Sambo with a Ph.D. and B.Sc. Architecture respectively. With evident glee, the party stalwart gave the ‘verdict’ that the educational attainments of the two gentlemen have not translated into goodies for the country. Even more embarrassing was that the APCcrowd cheered! Education provides the platforms for planning and proper articulation of policies – not just for today but for the future as well. Since failure to plan is planning to fail, the generation of good policies and programmes starts with recruiting educated minds. Take the case of President Goodluck Jonathan and the positive difference his tenure has made in education: Today, there is better and sustained funding of Universal Basic Education in the country through the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC). Among others, this is reflected in improvements in the country’s performance in various examinations. For instance, the WASCE pass rate was highest in 20122013 [38% & 36%]; as compared to the 15%-25% of 2000-2009. NECO statistics reveal thatin 2010, 9.36% of the total number of candidates made 5

The achievements and development of Nigeria to date in the polity, economy and society have come mostly from educated minds

credits & above[including in Mathematics & English]. Corresponding figures were 8.06% in 2011; 32.22% in 2012; 48.37% in 2013 and 52.29% in 2014. Unlike the road-shows of the past, President Jonathan further demonstrated his love for and commitment to education with the firm establishment of schools for the Almajiris in the Northern parts of the country; even as he is taking on the challenge of male child drop-out of schools in the South. With the establishment of 14 new universities – 10 in the North and 4 in the South – he has ensured that practically every State of the Federation now has a Federal University – with the additional benefits expanding admission opportunities and development hubs. Because of his exposure to education, President Jonathan has done a lot of things differently — carefully assembling core teams of people with the requisite educational exposure & cognate experience. A few examples are instructive: Underthe competent management of the Minister of Agriculture & Rural Development, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, a renowned Agricultural Economist, the administration’s programme of action for the strategic agricultural sector is encapsulated in the Agricultural Transformation Action Plan [ATAP] and

The ATA is easily the largest-ever government-enabled private sectorled effort to develop Agriculture in Nigeria. It classifies and treats agriculture as a development programme; a business that would boost domestic food production, reduce dependence on food imports, expand value-addition to locally-produced agro-products and create wealth for millions of Nigerians. In the process, the sector will become steadily fruitful, efficient and competitive. On the bases of the success stories to date, conservative projections expect additional 20 million tonnes of food to domestic supply and 3.5 million jobs by 2015. As Minister of Finance & Co-ordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has infused quite a number of creative measures in the financial sector and economy at large. Initiatives of this globallyrenowned and Harvrdtrianed Economist & erstwhile Managing Director of the World Bank include the Sovereign Wealth Saving Fund, Subsidy Re-Investment Programme [SURE-P] andYOU-WIN scheme. The creation of the Mortgage Refinancing Company to make long-term funds available and increase liquidity in the subsector has greatly boosted the Housing sector. Aside from generating several thousand job opportunities, the boom is expected to steadily reduce the nation’s housing deficit[currently estimated at 17 million]. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Trade & Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga had served as Managing Director of the famed Goldman Sachs. Under his management of the Ministry, Nigeria now has an Industrial Policy. Among otheroutcomes, investment in the sugar sub-sector has grown from US$100 million in 2011 to some US$3.2 billion in 2013. The National Automotive Policy has enabledthe resuscitation of moribund motor assembly companies such of PAN and ANNAMCO as well as the firm emergence of others, including INNOSON and NISSAN. In the same vein, the Cotton & Textile Development Policy and the N200 billion SME [low interest] financing scheme are progressively creating manyjobs and expanding the economy. The Minister of Communications Technology, Mrs Omobola Johnson was theManaging

Director of Accenture, and is doing very well. Under her management, Nigeria now has an unambiguous clear template on ICT development. Professor Chinedu Nebo, the Minister of Power served as Vice-Chancellor of University of Nigeria, Nsukka; even as his predecessor, Barth. Nnaji is a celebrated Professor of Robotics. The Federal Ministry of Education is headed by a veteran educationist & administrator, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau – ably assisted by Mrs. Viola Onwuliri, a reputable Professor. The Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turakiis a highly-respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria. These and other key Ministers of the Jonathan administration could not have achieved the much they have without the privilege and benefit of good education. This [and of course, more] is what Jonathan wants for the entire country. The person who raised the issue of Mr. President’s educational qualification alsoderided the value of the Vice-President’s degree in Architecture, wondering howmany roads he has built. It is known that the VP has his schedules, while there is a full-fledged Ministry of Works headed by two Ministers. Be that as it may, the Jonathan administration has done a lot on road construction and transportation. Under SURE-P funding alone, it has variously completed work and is undertaking projects on several roads across the country. These include: dualization of the Abuja-AbajiLokoja road; dualization of KanoPotiskum-Maiduguri road; reconstruction of Benin-Ore-Shagamu dual carriageway; rehabilitation of Onitsha-Enugu-Port Harcourt dual carriageway; construction of Loko/ Oweto Bridge across the Benue River; construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge at Onitsha/ Asaba; rehabilitation, reconstruction & expansion works on the LagosIbadan dual carriageway; CalabarKatsina Ala road, among other projects. The railways, which became moribund over 30 years ago, have been resuscitated. While the narrow gauges are coming back into operation, the Federal Government is building standard gauges as part of the 25 years Strategic Rail Development Plan. Even for the sake of argument and in the worst-case scenario, the apparent failure of those that are educated to lead us is not an excuse to go for those that are not educated. That alternative is scary. At a point in history, companies like Enron of America, Globacom of Canada and Lehman Brothers of America [which were runby the best brains from the best schools] experienced failing fortunes, but nobody advocated that uneducated persons should take over their management. That people still die in the hands of qualified medical doctors is not a basis for us to start patronising Native Doctors. Without dabbling into the certificate controversy, I have always maintained that Major-General Muhammadu Buhari [rtd.] is a respected elder statesman ofintegrity. Similarly, I have also noted that educational qualification is not a measure of integrity. However, I am constrained to add that those who want to lead must strive to play with the laws of the community and the norms of the community. Though none of us is perfect, but the rules of engagement have prescribed minimum q u a l i f i c a t i o n s t o contest for public offices; and they must be adhered to. Obi is the immediate past Governor of Anambra State and the Deputy Director General,

South, of the PDP National Campaign Council.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015---PAGE 43 sam.eyoboka@gmail.com

08023145567 (sms only)

Northerners want all-inclusive govt ----Rev. Shuaibu, North East CAN boss By SAM EYOBOKA

HE North East Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Byal M. Shuaibu has been under severe pressure from displaced Christians and indeed everybody that professes that religion in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states. As a major stakeholder within the Christ-ian community especially in the North East Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, he sleeps on very rare occa-sions. During the week, our report-er sought to speak with him. He was on one of his rounds attending to some displaced Christians and when asked to speak on the elections and how prepared the region is; this is the outcome of the conversation: "I wish to call on all Niger-ians on their credible role in the forthcoming general elections. It’s like every Nigerian is warming up for the election; everybody has shown his/her willingness to exercise their civic respon-sibility during the elections. We have been at the vanguard of prayers for peaceful and democratic elections to elect men and women who will pilot the affairs of state in the next four years. We have stressed that Nigeria is greater than any individual or any nation we can get anywhere else in the world and everybody should be calm and allowed to perform his/her legitimate right as citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. "There should not be any incidence of intimidation or efforts by anybody to harass fellow Nigerians and deprive them of the opportunity to vote candidates of their choice. The whole thing is what we need to do to ensure peace before, during and after the election and it is to pray fervently and commit our country and the political class before the Lord as they plan for the development. Furthermore, anybody who is willing to lead this country must be ready to demonstrate such desire by running a peaceful campaign devoid of any semblance of violence and must be ready to give an all-inclusive government at all levels. Some of us in the North here, have not known any-thing like inclusive govern-ment. We have not participat-ed in governance in the North, so we will want to see politicians who will make sure that right from the Local Government level everybody is given the privilege of participating in governance. We will want to see whoever emerges at the Local Govern-ment, state and national levels to revive the dreams of the nation’s forefathers by ensuring that ethnic groups, Muslims and Christians alike are given equal opportunity to be part of governance at every level for the peace and development of this country.

When government is allinclusive it means we are better off as a nation. A giant of Africa should rise above petty things like ethnic or religious disharmony and that is why some of us are in support of the peace accord signed by the campaigners recently. On the doom prediction about Nigeria, he urged Nigerians to disregard such liars. "Nigeria is under the watch of the Almighty God and we need to demonstrate that all the prediction made concerning this nation cannot be allowed to come to pass. Nigeria is a great country and our sovereignty is unique and we cannot allow such predict-ions to come to pass. It is a one nation under God. As Christ-ians we believe that Nigeria is a one indivisible, indissoluble sovereign nation. It is a state that is founded upon the tripod of

fairness, equity and justice. If this is what Nigeria stands for, then Nigeria will not break up. A lot of clergymen had doubted the basis of that prediction. Some of them are liars. He further argued that Nigeria is one nation under God where each Nigerian is free to practice his religion without intimidation or discrimination of any kind, noting however, that over the 50 years of independence, Christians are "yet to be guaranteed that our sustain-able nation is truly united and routed in fairness, equity especially where justice is done for everybody. "Nigeria, by the grace of God is not breaking. If you win the election, you win for the good of everybody and if you lose, you accept defeat in the spirit of sportsmanship because if you fail now you have an opportunity to

contest again. I understand that President John Kennedy contested the presidential election for about nine times and he eventually made it. Can there be election in the North East region this February? I am aware that the electoral body, INEC, is preparing for elections in the three North East states were there had been insurgency here and there, attacks here and there and thousands of internally displaced persons, IDPs here and there. But they have also relied on the principle security personnel who had also assured that there could be elections. We want to take them in good faith. We want to trust them and hope that Nigerians in that region will assist. Do these people have their PVCs? Some have lost their cards. These have been some of the challenges.

Meduoye warns politicians against incitement By SAM EYOBOKA

ORRIED by the level of acrimonious campaign ahead of the crucial February 2015 general elect-ions, politicians have been admonished to refrain from inciting comments that would further heat up the polity and instead run campaigns based on the values they intend to add to the lives of the Nigerian people. The warning was made by the General Overseer of Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Rev. Felix Meduoye at a media briefing announ-cing activities heralding the 60th anniversary of the church in Nigeria, stressing that campaigns should be issuebased because the unity of the nation is non-negotiable. He maintained that politics should not be seen as a do-or-die affair. The cleric, who was flanked by several senior church members, also used the occasion to sensitize Christ-ians and Nigerians as a whole to make every effort to collect their Permanent Voters Cards, (PVCs) to enable them vote candidates of their choice, as part of efforts to ensure peaceful elections in the country. Meduoye also expressed concern about the security situation in the country occasioned by the Boko Haram menace along with the various kidnapping, which he said, are gravely affecting the psyche of the nation’s citizens, noting that there is palpable fear all around which gives an impression that the security apparatus is not adequate to deal with the challenge despite the enormous resources that the Federal and state govern-ments are deploying. “It is important to stress that security issues cannot be left in their entirety for the security agencies alone to handle,” the Foursquare General Overseer said, add-ing “all Nigerians must collaborate with government through information sharing as

*L-R: Rev Ikechukwu Ugbaja, National Secretary, Foursquare Gospel Church, Rev. Felix Meduoye, General Overseer, Dr. Afe Mayowa, chairman Diamond Celebration Committee and Rev. Joseph Ogedengbe, National Treasurer at the Press briefing. Photo: KEHINDE GBADAMOSI. well as being security conscious.” He debunked predictions of doom, saying that Nigeria will come out stronger and better in the years ahead, “our confidence comes from the fact that our God answers prayers and we have prayed as a church for the peace of this nation.” On activities marking the 60th anniversary, Meduoye said the church had proposed a diamond jubilee lecture series to x-ray topical national issues on the myriad of pro-blems and would embark on nationwide safety awareness programme, as part of its corporate social responsibility, CSR, signaling the commen-cement of a nationwide

traffic control on all major Nigerian roads, by some of the church members. According to him, some the topics to be addressed by the lecture series include “The Church and the Nigerian nation: Impact, challenge and the way forward”, scheduled for March and “Expectations from next generation of leaders.” He maintained that the month of October will be devoted to prayers including an anointing service for all our leaders in government, captains of industry as well as other professionals in the country, in addition to a dinner to honour past leaders of the church.

‘Mad man’ disrupts church service

T was pandemonium when a ‘mad man’ dressed in swaddled in multi-coloured fabrics saun-tered in the worship centre of Glory Chapel of the Redeem-ed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Agbelekale, Abule Egba, Lagos, last Sunday sending choristers, members of the church scampering in every direction seeking safe haven. The middle-aged man brandishing a heavy stone in his right hand and a tiny piece of freshly sawed piece of wood from a nearby carpenter’s workshop was said to have walked out of the church almost immediately but made a return bid, this time with ferocious campaign just as the parish pastor, Pastor Ladi Akinsanya was telling the congregants about a special guest minister. The entry of the ‘mad man’ interrupted the announcement as worshippers made for any and every escape route out of the church. Sensing the mood of the church, a middle-aged man simply identified as Baba Dominion was said to have taken a bold step and grabbed the ‘mad man’ from behind creating an opportunity for another to disarm him. Pastor Akinsanya intervened at this moment, screaming; “Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord” and “Amen, Amen, Amen” interm-ittently obviously trying to calm down the congregation su-ggesting that the “mad man”, as it turned out an evangelical drama minister, was one of the special guests expected to minister at the service. It took quite a while for members of the church to settle down to listen to the mini-stration of the “mad man” who immediately capitalized on the confusion to begin preaching, saying “all sins are like mad men before God and just you all were running from me, so God Almighty will detest all sins including female who deliberately entice men via the exposition of their bodies, on the last day.” He stressed the need for all those who are called by the name of Jesus to be prepared at all times, for the trumpet might sound any moment, stressing that only those who are blameless will be raptured and will reign with the Lord. After the ministration, the outgoing pastor in charge of RCCG Place of Refuge Area, Pastor Kola Ajiboye who had come to introduce his replacement, Pastor Gbenga Adesan-ya to the congregation, prayed for the members and called on them to cooperate with his replacement, adding that it was imperative for him to go so that Elisha would begin his ministry.

INEC tasked on credible polls in Burutu, Warri LGAs

HE All Progressives Con gress, APC, in Delta State, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to ensure that the forthcoming presidential and governorship elections in Burutu, Warri North and Warri South West local government areas are not rigged..

Chief Isaac Emetitiri, a chieftain of APC, who spoke yesterday in Warri, assured that the will win both the presidential and governorship elections in the areas, if INEC conducts a free, fair and credible elections in the local government areas. The former governorship aspirant noted “ There have been

reports of rigging of elections in Burutu, Warri South West and Warri North local government areas, but the APC will closely monitor the elections in these areas to resist rigging and INEC must ensure that the elections is free, fair and devoid of any electoral malpractice”

*SUPPORT THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

PAGE 44—SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

He is with me The Minister of Finance comes from a little village in Bayelsa. One day, government workers came to tar all the roads in the village. The next day, they connected the village to the national grid, so there is now electricity there. The day after that, they came to sink three boreholes in the village. Why are they doing all this? They are doing it because the Minister of Finance comes from the village. They are doing this for the sake of the minister. The father went to buy tickets

me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:23-24).

FOR CHRIST’S SAKE

E use the expressions “for God’s sake” and “for Christ’s sake” very often. When we use them, it is to insist on getting something from somebody. We might say: “Give it to me for God’s sake.” Or we might say in frustration: “Why don’t you just leave me alone for Christ’s sake?” But these things are mostly said in ignorance; without our fully realising what they mean. “Father, forgive us, for we do not know what we are saying.” The most marvelous works of God are not done for our sake but for God’s sake. The psalmist prays: “Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but to your name give glory, because of your mercy, because of your truth.” (Psalm 115: 1). Indeed, God forgives us our sins and saves us because of his name. Again the psalmist says: “Help us, O God our Saviour, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name's sake.” (Psalm 79:9). Moreover, in the kingdom of God, we don’t get credit for the good things we do. We only get credit for what we do for Christ’s sake. Everything we have and receive is for Christ’s sake. God cursed the earth for Adam’s sake. Much later, God blessed the world for Jesus’ sake.

It is Jesus’ name that is written on the cheques we cash in God’s bank

for his wife and four children. When he came back, he handed it to them one-by-one and found to his surprise that there was one strange boy stretching out his hand to receive a ticket from him. “Sorry, but who are you?” the Father asked him; puzzled. “Father,” replied his son, “he is my friend. Give him a ticket for my sake.” And so, although the father did not know him, he ended up giving a ticket to a complete stranger simply because of his son. Indeed, we do so many things for the sake of our children. We watch lousy boring films for their sake. We read nonsensical bedtime stories again and again for their sake. We work extra hours to get extra pay. We do all this for the sake of little Ngozi or little Dewale. So it is with God and his son, Jesus. God does all good things for Christ’s sake.

Because of Jesus When we are disciples of Jesus, he confesses our name before God, the Father in heaven. Jesus says: “If anyone publicly acknowledges me as his friend, I will openly acknowledge him as my friend before my Father in

Otubu urges Christians to pray for peace ----as C&S enthrones new Baba Aladura

*Bishop of Christ the Light, Dr. Gabriel Faleye, Bishop of Goodnews Miracle Bible Church, Bishop George Amu, Chairman OAIC, Dr. David Onanuga, ordained Baba Aladura of Motailatu Church Cherubim & Seraphim, Elder Israel Akinadewo (Omo Eri) and chairman, CAN, Lagos chapter, Apostle Alex Bamgbola during the enthronement service.

ENERAL Evangelist of Motailatu Church Cherubim & Seraphim Worldwide, Elder Joseph Otubu has called on the Christians to unite and pray for the peace, security and stability of the country especially as the nation prepares for general elections in a few weeks time, reports by OLAYINKA LATONA. Otubu made the call while delivering a sermon titled:

“The office bearer of the church,” at the enthronement of Elder Israel Akinadewo (Omo Eri) as the new Baba Aladura for Motailatu Church Cherubim & Seraphim at Ajah, Lekki, Lagos. He enjoined Christians to intensify their prayers for a peaceful and an egalitarian society in every part of the country, stressing the need for Christians to intercede for Christians in the nation's

heaven.” (Matthew 10:32). This ensures that certain divine privileges are accorded to us for Christ’s sake. We receive eternal life for Christ’s sake. Jesus prepares a mansion for us in the Father ’s house, and our names are not blotted out of the Book of Life. (Revelation 3:5). John the Baptist testifies that: “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:35-36). Jesus says: “You will be brought before governors and kings for my sake.” (Matthew 10:18). “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39). “There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for my sake and the gospel's, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time.” (Mark 10:29-30). The centrality of Christ exists in these and every other equation that has to do with the kingdom of God.

Christ makes us North East, noting that thousands of lives are being killed in the area, while others live in fear. Otubu explained that God is the only way out of Nigeria’s predicament, adding that Nigerians must strive to stand on the path of truth, respect for human dignity and love towards all God’s creation. “What we need now is the unity of Christians to pray frevently for peace to reign in the country, especially in the northern part of the country," he said, “Southern Christians should listen to the plight of our northern compatriots where majority of Christians cannot hold normal services in their churches. "It is pertinent for us in the southern part of the country not to forget our brethern in the North East by fervently praying and caring for them,” he appealed. Otubu noted that the frequent attacks on innocent citizens in the North and other parts of the country are the handiwork of enemies of Nigeria, intended to plunge the country into turmoil. Speaking after his enthronement as Baba Aladura of the church, Elder Akinadewo urged members to pray for him for God’s divive grace and mercy for him to lead aright and finish strong and for him to impact positively in the church.

Do it because of Jesus

deserving God wrote a reference for Abraham. He said: “I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice.” (Genesis 18:19). Do you suppose he can get a job with God’s glowing reference? Of course, yes! God also wrote a reference for Job. He said: “There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” (Job 2:3). If a man takes a loan and God guarantees the loan, do you suppose he will default on it? Of course not! God will help him repay it and uphold him with his righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41: 10). Similarly, Jesus guarantees all our debts with God. He stands as our surety. We can get anything and everything godly from God not because we deserve it but because Jesus deserves it. It is Jesus’ name that is written on the cheques we cash in God’s bank. Therefore, we ask God for everything in Jesus’ name. God only does great things for Jesus’ sake. Accordingly, Jesus says to his disciples: “In that day you will ask

If God saves us for Christ’s sake, what can we do for Christ’s sake? Can we allow ourselves to be cheated for Christ’s sake? Can we suffer persecution for Christ’s sake? Indeed, we must! The writer of 1 Peter says: “Rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.” (I Peter 4:13-14). Jesus says: “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.” (John 15:20). Indeed, if most of the problems believers experience in the world are because of Jesus, then for sure Jesus must also be our redeemer for all we suffer for his sake. Accordingly, Jeremiah pleaded his case before God: “Know that for your sake I have suffered rebuke.” (Jeremiah 15:15). We are not blessed when we are reviled and persecuted by men. We are only blessed when we are persecuted and reviled “for Christ’s sake.” Jesus says: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matthew 5:11-12).

Foursquare holds revival

OURSQUARE Gospel Church Orile Iganmu (I), Lagos holds a 7-day revival to end its 30-day fasting and prayers. Theme: ‘Wake up into honour” (Isaiah 52:1-2). A statement signed by the senior pastor, Pastor ‘Femi Akinwande, explained that the revival started yesterday with Pastor Zaccheus Adebo Balogun of Omuo Ekiti Assembly of Foursquare Gospel

Church as the revivalist. The church will hold its quarterly membership meeting today to present spiritual and financial performances within the months of October and December 2014 to members and prepare for the new quarter. Both events are billed to hold at 39, Nurudeen Street, Orile Iganmu, Lagos.

TWOREM holds BOJUWOMI

HE first quarterly Holy Ghost inspired programme of prophetic impartation, declaration and revelations of The Way of Reconciliation Evangelistic Ministries (TWOREM), Lagos tagged BOJUWOMI holds on February 2, at Sekunderin Miracle Prayer Mountain, Adegbayi-Olode, New Ife Road, Ibadan, from 8.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. Theme: “The Power of Focus.” Chief host, Prophet Oladipu-

po Funmilade-Joel said special prayers would be offered for the success of this year's general elections. Ministering: Prophets Oladipupo Funmilade-Joel, Folorunsho Macaulay and other anointed clerics, alongside gospel artistes like Evang. Toyin Ilori (Akoko -Mi-To), Bukola Akinade (Senwele), Joy Oluwaseun (King Osuba), TWOREM Mass Choirs (Ibadan & Lagos).

Rain of worship at Healing Rain

EALING Rain Gospel Outreach, RCCG, Goshen Parish, Shagari Low Cost, Maiduguri holds a 2-day programme tagged Maiduguri Worship Experience titled 'Let it rain' from Saturday, February 7 to

Sunday, February 8, 2015. It features guest artistes, Evang. Chux Sax M I, Chris Bass and Healing Rain Choir. A statement by the host, Pastor Bakare Olutayo says The special guest minister is David Solomon.

*SUPPORT THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA

SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2014, PAGE 45

Sex secrets of Nigerian wife in the US uploaded to Youtube

•Yvonne Nelson

HEN the video was shown to the husband, his initial reaction was to dismiss the whole scene as a concocted fairy-talea sick joke that his haters had pulled, to embarrass and diminish him. How could his wife who had given him four beautiful kids and was there for him as ‘the rock of Gibraltar’ be caught in such a lurid act? His wife was a respected member of the Nigerian community in Maryland, United States and was the hardworking and successful manager of nurses in a reputable Washington DC hospital. But what he didn’t understand was that the video he was being shown had already gone viral and practically every member of the Nigerian community spread all over the continental United States had viewed it several times and were all shocked and filled with righteous indignation over such an embarrassing conduct by an otherwise happily married woman. The video, recorded by a sick and depraved lover of the NigerianAmerican nurse, had shown the woman, her face clearly in view and well defined, in various stages of intimacy and to imagine a husband looking at the video of his wife in intimate moments with another man and having the same video seen by millions of people was too much for him to handle. He was seized by a

Unknown to the lady, the act for the day was fully recorded and, still unable to fulfill her promise and not yielding to the blackmail, the incensed lover decided to upload the video on YouTube and what a feeding frenzy it generated by the Nigerian community in the U.S paroxysm of anger and dread and went into shock. The wife, too, having known that the jig was up, was said to have also become suicidal and had to be kept for observation in hospital with the possibility of losing all that she had worked for in the United States- her marriage, her career and her children’s love and adoration, simply because she had allowed fleeting sexual emotions to dominate her thought process. According to sources, the lady, whose names are withheld here, was seemingly happily married and the union had been blessed with four children. The husband, also names withheld, was said to be very proud

and supportive of his wife’s spirit of industry and enterprise and both had led a seemingly happy marital life. However, unknown to the man, the wife was engaged in a torrid affair with an African- American male janitor at the hospital (the janitorial angle is what really offended a lot of the Nigerian community who had seen the video) where she works. The affair was said to have gone on for years and both had done a great job concealing their romantic involvement. However, the African American lover was said to have felt betrayed by a promise made, which was not fulfilled by the married mother of four and he decided to blackmail her, with an invitation to their regular rendezvous. Unknown to the lady, the act for the day was fully recorded and, still unable to fulfill her promise and not yielding to the blackmail, the incensed lover decided to upload the video on YouTube and what a feeding frenzy it generated by the Nigerian community in the U.S. The video was shared within minutes on Whatsapps and a major league embarrassment was created for the married mother of four. Word within the Nigerian community in Maryland is that the woman is still undergoing observation at the hospital and her marriage is as good as done.

The above sad and unfortunate story illustrates the stress and strain that have bedeviled the institution of matrimony in the Diaspora. Husbands have killed their wives, wives have cheated on their husbands with reckless abandon, wives are challenging their husbands and assigning certain domestic chores to them, while men have abandoned the traditional roles of breadwinners and opted instead to be ‘kept men’ tending to the home front while the wife works. Everywhere the aroma of matrimony emits putrid odor, the emotionally nourishing enterprise of matrimony has been turned into an enterprise laden by zero-sum machinationswives openly plot their husbands failures while the husbands treat their wives with disdain and contempt. Some have lost their children through the cracks in American social structure. The kids have been denied love and nourishment since all they see around them is fight and incessant verbal and physical abuse. How did we get to this junction where the divorces rates, physical and emotional abuse have become the defining features of the matrimony among Diapsorans? Next week, relying on two personal experiences, we will attempt to provide answers to the puzzle.

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•Boko Haram fighters

Anatomy of Boko Haram and the 2015 polls

•US: Why the elections cannot be stopped BY NDAHI MARAMA

s the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) began the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) preparatory to the February 14 general elections in Borno State, there has been an increase in the spate of bomb blasts and deadly attacks by insurgents. This could have been possible because the terrorists seem well armed and better motivated than the military operatives. Meanwhile, the United States (US) said the February polls are a factor in the sharp increase in the attacks suspected to have been carried out by Boko Haram fighters. Spokeswoman for the US State Department Marie Harf, however, said the elections C M Y K

should go forward despite the violence. “There has been a sharp escalation in the number of reported casualties. We do believe the elections are a factor”, Harf said. According to her, Boko Haram previously used such elections to stir up tensions. The February 14 presidential election is expected to be a close contest between President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP and his leading challenges Muhammadu Buhari of the APC. “Boko Haram has tended to, particularly around something like an election, use political issues or sensitivities to try to enflame tensions”, she said. “We have seen that as one of their tactics and that is why it is so important to move forward with the election because we believe it is

important.” The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also expressed doubts about the elections holding in the states under emergency rule – Borno, Yobe, Adamawa – due to the increased attacks by insurgents there. The electoral body ruled out the possibility of the people displaced by the insurgency in the three states participating in the February polls. Devastating among these ugly incidents was a bomb explosion that erupted at the popular Monday Market in Maiduguri, the state capital, leaving 20 people, including the female suicide bomber dead. 18 others sustained severe injuries. The blast, which occurred at noon, penultimate Monday, is said to have gone off around the ever crowded

Boko Haram has tended to, particularly around something like an election, use political issues or sensitivities to try to enflame tensions

chicken sellers section (Yan Kaji) and shops within the market. Our correspondent in Maiduguri observed hundreds of residents around the popular post office area on that fateful day running helter skelter after the blast. A resident, who has his shop around the post office area, told our correspondent that one bomber was arrested in the market and wondered why bombers were always targeting that particular part of the market. The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, spokesman, Ibrahim Abdulkadir, confirmed the blast at the market, but said he was yet to get the details of the casualty as a rescue team was on its way to the scene. Borno State Police Command Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Gideon Jubrin, in a text message said, “ 20 people were confirmed dead including the suicide bomber, while 18 were seriously injured and are now receiving treatment in some undisclosed hospitals in Maiduguri.” Jibrin, however, appealed to

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Anatomy of Boko Haram and the 2015 polls

•People displaced by Boko Haram attacks

Continued from page 46 residents to remain calm as security operatives were working round the clock to ensure protection of lives and property in the state. On the heels of the market attack, suspected Boko Haram gunmen, in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vehicles and motorcycles laden with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and petrolbombs, re-attacked the council headquarters of Askira town; torching several public buildings, including a secondary school, the Divisional Police Station and telecom masts. Askira is a predominantly farming community bordering Adamawa, and 252 kilometres south of Maiduguri. The armed militants, according to Yunusa Pinkwir, who escaped to Maiduguri, penultimate Tuesday along with some residents said: “As we were about to depart the motor park yesterday afternoon, the insurgents were chanting ‘God is great’ in Arabic, before this school was burnt to ashes. They did not stop there, they proceeded to our police station and a health centre and threw IEDs at the buildings. “Residents in the streets and market started to run for safety, because the insurgents did not spare people, as the vehicles mounted with Rapid C M Y K

Propelled Grenades (RPGs) continued to shoot sporadically.” He said he had to flee along with six passengers in a taxi to Maiduguri through Mbalala and Chibok Road. “I cannot give you the casualty of civilians and security personnel, but we saw some bodies on the road, while we were fleeing towards Mbalala,” he added. According to him, the extent of the attack on the town could have been minimized if there were soldiers to protect lives and property in Askira. Confirming the incident in Maiduguri, a source in the Borno State Police Command said that there was a report of insurgents’ attacks on one of the towns in southern Borno. “I cannot give you the details but some public buildings were burnt, including our station in Askira, 60 kilometres west of Uba near Mubi town in Adamawa State”, said the police source. Another attack on Baga, a border town with Chad Republic, was described as the deadleast yet. But the District Head of Baga, Alhaji Baba Abba Hassan, debunked the report of a second attack on the town which said that over 2,000 people were killed, describing the report as outrageous. He said, “ Although hundreds of people were killed in last (penultimate) Saturday Boko Haram attack on Baga in Kukawa local

government area of Borno State, there was no second attack on the town”. Hassan told newsmen on phone that the corpses of those killed still littered the streets and the bushes of the town and there was no way to bury them. He insisted that there was no fresh attack on Baga as widely reported by some foreign media which put the figure of people killed at 2,000, adding that the actual figure of those killed could not be ascertained but admitted that hundreds of people were killed with many others displaced. The traditional ruler said most of those killed were women and children when the insurgents pursued them into the bushes before unleashing terror on them. He said the information they received that insurgents from Sambiza forest and Gwoza hills were coming to attack Baga the second time could not be verified, and prayed for restoration of peace in the land. According to him, many of his people had crossed to Chad, Niger Republic and Maiduguri for safety. He stressed that many also drowned in the Lake Chad while others were killed in the bushes while trying to escape. Capsized boat Another survivor, Muktar Audu, who fled to Chad, said the gunmen burst into Baga through Cross Kauwa village

He said the militants had planned since last year to attack Baga when they wrote a threat letter that the MJTF personnel could not guarantee the safety of fishermen and residents in the Lake Chad Basin Area and Mile 3 and 4 of the Multinational Joint Task Force, MJTF Barrack; and attacked soldiers at their duty posts, before proceeding to the main town to kill residents. The MJTF has troops from Nigeria, Cameroun, Niger and Chad. It was established by the four countries to combat Boko Haram. “The soldiers at the barrack and their duty posts ran away when the gunmen stormed Mile 3 and 4 of Baga Road. Some of the soldiers had to ride motorcycles to Doron Baga Primary School, where other soldiers had fled for safety to take cover. The

militants overpowered the soldiers, and that is why they were begging people for dresses to change; after removing their uniforms, because the militants targeted security personnel, before killing residents, but I was able to escape to Chad with three of my family members in an overloaded boat,” Audu said in an interview on phone. He said the militants had planned since last year to attack Baga when they wrote a threat letter that the MJTF personnel could not guarantee the safety of fishermen and residents in the Lake Chad Basin Area. “At the time of fleeing, I could not ascertain the number of people killed because everyone had to flee to Chad through Lake Chad. Many houses and shops were also torched and looted by the insurgents.” He added that one of the boats capsized because of overloading, as every fleeing resident wanted to cross to Chad. Senator Maina Ma’aji Lawan, representing Borno North, confirmed the incident, stating that it was “shocking, unfortunate and terrifying” for insurgents to sack Baga and the barracks of MJTF. He said the military should intervene to save the people now taking refuge at Chadian border villages and towns. According to him, Bindanaram and five other villages were also sacked by insurgents in their Saturday dawn attacks. “With these attacks and killings at Baga and other villages in the Lake Chad Basin Area of Borno, the insurgents have taken control because soldiers that were supposed to provide security in the area were chased away along with civilians to Doron Baga Primary School and Chadian border villages,” said Lawan in an interview. He said the people of his senatorial district had no any other place to flee because Abadam, Damasak, Gashigar and Kala/Balge council areas were attacked and taken over by Boko Haram last year. “All their means of livelihood and economic activities of fishing and farming in the Lake Chad Basin Area have been cut off,” the senator said. Abubakar Gamandi, head of Borno’s fish traders union and a Baga native, also confirmed the attacks, adding that hundreds of people who

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Continued from page 47 fled were trapped on the islands on Lake Chad. Worst atrocity The intensity of the insurgents attacks forced the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, to brand Boko Haram’s attacks in Baga and Doron Baga in Borno State a crime against humanity. He said this following satellite images of the massive destruction in the two towns reportedly razed by the insurgents. “What they have done is a crime against humanity, nothing less,” Kerry said as first images of what was feared to be the worst atrocity of the six-year insurgency emerged. “Boko Haram is evil and a serious threat not just in Nigeria and the region but to all of our values,” Kerry said during a visit to Bulgaria. He said he had spoken to his British counterpart, Philip Hammond, who was also in Sofia, about the possibility of “a special initiative with respect to Nigeria and with respect to Boko Haram.” Amnesty and New York based watchdog, the Human Rights Watch, published separate satellite images claiming to show massive destruction in Baga and environs. The two organisations added that they feared the areas attacked might have suffered the deadliest strike yet in Boko Haram’s bloody campaign. Amnesty’s images showed aerial shots of the towns on January 2,the day before the attack, and January 7, after homes and businesses were razed. The group said the images suggested “devastation of catastrophic proportions”, with more than 3,700 structures — 620 in Baga and 3,100 in Doron Baga — damaged or completely destroyed. HRW said 11 per cent of Baga and 57 per cent of Doron Baga was destroyed, most likely by fire, attributing the greater damage in Doron Baga to the fact that it houses a regional military base. But the military said that 150 died and dismissed as “sensational” claims that 2,000 may have lost their lives in the attacks. Local officials said at least 16 settlements around Baga were burnt to the ground and that at least 20,000 people fled. HRW said the exact death toll was unknown and quoted one local resident as saying: “No one stayed back to count the bodies. “We were all running to get out of town ahead of Boko Haram fighters who have since taken over the area.” Harrowing testimony

•Nigerians at the polls. Can Boko Haram stop them?

Anatomy of Boko Haram and the 2015 polls Amnesty said Boko Haram was believed to have targeted civilian vigilantes helping the army after they overran the MJTF base for troops who have been involved in operations against them. Harrowing testimony emerged from survivors about the scale and brutality of the assault in Baga, including one woman reportedly killed while in labour Witnesses who spoke to newsmen described seeing decomposing bodies in the streets and one man who escaped after hiding for three days said he was “stepping on bodies” as he fled through the bush. Amnesty said it received accounts from survivors of Boko Haram fighters killing a woman as she was giving birth, during indiscriminate fire that also cut down small children. “Half of the baby boy (was) out and she died like this,” the unnamed witness was quoted as saying. A man in his 50s added: “They killed so many people. I saw maybe around 100 killed at that time in Baga. I ran to the bush. As we were running, they were shooting and killing.” Another woman said: “I don’t know how many but there were bodies everywhere we looked.” Medical charity, Doctors Without Borders, said that its team in Maiduguri, the state capital, was providing assistance to 5,000 survivors of the attack. The UN refugee agency said that more than 11,300 Nigerian refugees fled into neighbouring Chad. Some 300 women were said to have been rounded up and detained at a school,

witnesses told Amnesty, adding that older women, mothers and children were released after four days but younger women were kept. Amnesty said the witness accounts and images reinforced that the fears that the attack was Boko Haram’s “largest and most destructive” in its fight to establish a hardline Islamic state in the North-East, which has killed over 13,000 people since 2009. “The deliberate killing of civilians and destruction of their property by Boko Haram are war crimes and crimes against humanity and must be duly investigated,” it added. Military help Chad said it was ready to actively help Cameroun fight Boko Haram militants attacking it from Nigeria, and called on other countries in the region to translate pledges of support into concrete action. Chad’s offer came days after an appeal by Cameroun’s President Paul Biya for international military help to fight the Islamist militant group that has seized swathes of northern Nigeria and is threatening neighbours who share borders with the northeastern zones occupied by Boko Haram. Cameroun’s north is now regularly attacked by the Islamists. “Faced by this situation that seriously threatens the security and stability of Chad … the Chadian government will not sit here and do nothing,” government spokesman Hassan Sylla Bakari said in a statement. “The government expresses its solidarity with Cameroun and is ready to provide active

What they have done is a crime against humanity, nothing less,” Kerry said as first images of what was feared to be the worst atrocity of the sixyear insurgency emerged support in the courageous and determined response of its armed forces against the criminals and terrorists of Boko Haram.” The statement did not give any detail on what form the support would take but it followed a visit to Chad by Cameroun’s defence minister. Also the United Nations urged Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroun to put aside mutual distrust and agree on a command structure and strategy for a fledgling regional force if they want to defeat the insurgents. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the UN Special Representative for West Africa, said the international community could only help Nigeria and her neighbouring countries once they clearly laid out the assets they lacked to fight Boko Haram. “It is clear now that the countries should not be left to tackle it individually. That

has been the approach so far and it is not winning the fight,” Chambas said. He said it was up to the four states bordering Lake Chad to draw up better coordinated plans. He called for a clearer command structure and rules of engagement, amid resistance from some countries to see their troops deploy outside their borders under foreign command. “They have not been able to agree the idea of joint operations and right of hot pursuit, which is very, very crucial in fighting a movement like Boko Haram which can engage in battle in one country and then run into another,” he said. Chambas said defense and foreign ministers due to meet in Niger on Tuesday will have to agree on tough issues such as the ground rules and leadership of the regional military response. “The challenge is to have the political will to agree and come to an understanding,” he said. Arms carted away On Wednesday, February 14, 2015, suspected members of Boko Haram, in the morning, launched an attack on a check point near the military barracks in Biu Local Government Area of Borno. The terrorists, according to sources, had, on Tuesday evening, attacked the Divisional Police headquarters in Azare town of Hawul Local Government Area and carted away arms before proceeding to Biu and met their waterloo as the military repelled the attack killing dozens and arresting some. Biu is the largest council

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SUND AY SUNDA

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Anatomy of Boko Haram and the 2015 polls

• President Jonathan and Obama... Worried by insurgency

Continued from page 48 area apart from Maiduguri, the state capital, and about 185 kilometres south of Maiduguri. Residents and sources said the insurgents, large in number, came through the Garkida- Yimirshika -Biu Road and attempted to invade the military barracks situated along the road before military operatives engaged them in gun battle. Aerial attacks from two air force fighter jets overwhelmed the terrorists who retreated to Azare before setting ablaze the house of the Divisional Police Officer, some offices including that of the Chairman of the council at the secretariat and two houses belonging to serving policemen in the area. Confirming the incident, the Caretaker Chairman of Hawul Local Government Area, Dr. Andrew Usman Malgwi, said “the terrorists who attempted to launch a deadly attack on Biu later invaded Azare and burnt down a police station, the DPO’s house, two houses accommodating two

policemen and some parts of the council secretariat including my own office”. Military authorities said 78 Boko Haram insurgents were killed during the two-hour gun battle with the insurgents who tried to capture the military base in Biu. “Hundreds of terrorists, including foreign nationals, in the early hours of Wednesday invaded Biu, in an attempt to capture a military base with the aim of carting the weapons in the armoury, thus expanding their operational base,” a military statement said.” Contacted, Defence spokesman, Major General Chris Olukolade, noted that the military was more concerned about the success of the operations than the figures of terrorists killed. Olukolade, nevertheless, confirmed that mopping up exercise in the area was continuing, adding: “What is important now is for us to consolidate on the victory, recapture areas where the terrorists are presently operating and restore peace to the entire North-East”. Jonathan in war zone President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday,

February 15, 2015 paid a surprise visit to Borno State where he reassured the military of his administration’s total support in the ongoing fight against terrorism. He disclosed this while addressing over 20 officers and 100 rank and file of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army at its headquarters in Maimalari Barracks, Maiduguri. Jonathan said he was in Maiduguri as part of the programme marking the Armed Forces Remembrance Day and to identify with the military, particularly those who were in the war zone tackling Boko Haram in the North-East sub-region. “I want to sincerely thank members of the Nigerian armed forces in your sustained effort in the fight against Boko Haram and other extremism in the country,”the president stated. “Day and night, you have been on the field to curtail this madness of Boko Haram, you have paid the supreme price to your fatherland and we as government will do everything possible to support you and kitted you in all ramifications. “Your total commitment and

Day and night, you have been on the field to curtail this madness of Boko Haram, you have paid the supreme price to your fatherland and we as government will do everything possible to support you and kitted you in all ramifications dedication to duty to ensure peace and tranquility is much more appreciated and I want to assure you that your welfare will be adequately taken care of by the Federal Government.” He visited officers and men who sustained injuries and were receiving treatment at the Military Hospital in the Maimalari Barracks. Jonathan also visited thousands of internally displaced persons, IDPs, from

Baga, Kukawa, Monguno and other places taking refuge at Teachers Village and other camps in the state. The president sympathised with those who lost their loved ones and the displaced and assured them that the government and security agencies would ensure peace for them to go back to their homes and continue their normal lives. He said that the Federal Government, through NEMA, had begun the distribution of relief materials to victims of the insurgency. Jonathan, who landed at the Maiduguri International Airport at 3pm, was received by Governor Kashim Shettima. He was accompanied by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Bade, and the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Minimah. It was the second time Jonathan would visit Borno since he came to power. The first time was in June 2013, and since the abduction of the Chibok school girls, the president had made several attempts to visit the troubled state but to no avail.

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015 — PAGE 51

By OLALEKAN BILESANMI Chief Christopher Bayo AlaoAkala was, until recently, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on whose platform he governed Oyo State between 2007 and 2011. He is now the gubernatorial candidate of Labour Party in the state for the February polls. In this interview, he says he does not need a navigator to find his way back to Agodi Government House.

NTIL you decamped, it was believed that you could never leave PDP? Yes, I did. I had a lot of passion for the PDP but I had to move on because the leadership of the party was not allowing justice to prevail, changing the rules of the game midway. I didn’t want them to waste my time since I could always move to another platform to achieve my objective of being a candidate in the general elections. So far, so good. Some are asking if it was a well-thought decision. A good politician should always have Plan B. So, my Plan B has always been there that if anything should happen, this is what I am going to do. If you don’t have Plan B for your political ambition, then you are doomed. It means you are solely depended on the party. But, if you know your worth,what you can do, you must have Plan B. So, I just fell back to my Plan B. Your Plan B of Labour Party is strange to Oyo politics? Labour is not strange to Oyo politics. For the past four years, the party has been fielding candidates for all elections. If you say they are not strong, yes. Some people will give it strength, that is exactly what we are doing now. We are trying to popularize Labour and people have accepted us. Why Labour among the lot? Labour because it is all about workers, family matters. That is the symbol of the party, a man, a woman and child. And since all I intend to do is about welfare, welfare of who? Welfare of the people of Oyo State, so I should go with the people’s party which is Labour, that is why the choice of Labour. Until now, you have always said Jonathan should return. Are you still supporting him? Yes, I still believe in him. And, I will still support him. My party has no presidential candidate, so, I will still support him. I was part of the people who brought about the Jonathan administration, so, I am ready to give him my support. I will go for a known devil than an angel that I never met. I know Jonathan very well. I have been with him now for the past 16 years. Mind you, it was not Jonathan that disappointed me in PDP. But he is the leader of the party? He is. But the running of the party is not in his hands. I know what I am saying. And I am fond of destroying anybody. What happened was not Jonathan’s making. He got to know about the incident very

PDP has lost 85% of its support base in Oyo — Akala •Says Gov Ajimobi is jittery late. I am not the type that drop names. With due respect to whoever is there now(the state PDP governorship candidate), he is not as close to Jonathan as I am. Don’t forget we were both deputy governors. We were both governors. At certain level, we must have had a lot of interactions. When he was vice president, I was there with him and when he became president, I was still there as governor. What is the guarantee that Labour through you will form the next Oyo government? I have moved out 85% of the support base of the PDP to Labour. And by that, we have strengthened the party. I want to tell you, Labour is not an ordinary party. As we speak, over 11 commissioners have resigned to join Labour. They are presently in Labour. And a lot of people leaving APC are also in Labour. By the time we go for election proper, you will see for yourself what will happen. I am sorry, by that time, all we would do is ask the man there to go. Were they lured out or they decamped on their own? They decamped on their own. What do I have to lure them? If you must lure somebody, you must dangle a carrot. It is about principle. They just believe me. In fact, it was the other way round, it was after they left that carrots were being dangled before them in order to lure them back. Let me say this, this government has even made a hero out of me because of its poor performance such that people are now comparing this government and mine. And they have since seen the difference. They have tasted two homes and have seen the difference. And, there again, the government bad public relations is not helping matters. For instance, there is a bridge going into state secretariat. The bridge crosses from Government House to the secretariat. Since the bridge was built, it has never been locked. The governor, on assuming office, closed the bridge. It ought to be a thorough fare for everybody. That is how he started disconnecting himself from the people he said he is governing. Perhaps it is closed for security reason? Was there no security reason while I was there? When other governors were there, were there no security issues? Is that his house? I am talking as a former governor who had passed through that path. He barricaded the bridge that enters into the secretariat, why should he do that? Because he is the governor? So what? There have

been governors before and there will be governors after him. The only time the bridge is closed is usually in the night because you don’t want anybody to enter into the secretariat. If it is about security, let us assume that, you can say I am about leaving my house now, there will be security here and there and once he passes through there, the place is opened for people to pass. You said some months back, as a PDP man, that the present governor would not return to office. (Cuts in): I maintain that stand. In fact, I stand a better chance now. The coast is clearer no. It is clearer now that the man is gone. Does Labour, like PDP and APC, have structures in all parts of the state? Its structures are so strong that we had more than necessary for each of the tickets, about 10 aspirants on each ticket. The party is very strong. I guess you are saying this because you have not heard much about us, but when you look at the personalities involved in the party, that is when you will be able to appreciate the strength of the party in the state. Everybody is afraid of Labour Party in Oyo State now. That is the truth. Including the ruling party? I said all the parties and everybody, you are asking of ruling party. You were in government before. People are asking why do you want to return there? I said it when I declared

As we speak, over 11 commissioners have resigned to join Labour. They are presently in Labour. And a lot of people leaving APC are also in Labour

•Akala ... Oyo people have tasted two homes recently. A lot of things are not done or being done the way they ought to be done. Like what and what? A lot in the sense that the economy of the state is bad. Is that not the situation also in all other states? Yes, you are right but there is a way you can ameliorate yours locally by doing the right things. For example, you do not need to worsen the state economy by allowing capital flight. To where? From Oyo State to notably Lagos State. This is not good for the state. Hope this is not a mere campaign statement? Can it be substantiated? When I talk, I am not flippant. When I talk, I do that with all sense of responsibility. With my age and status, I should not be talking out of sense. When I talk, I mean every word of it. There is a lot of capital flight. This is what is happening in Oyo State. The economy is down. People are not getting what they are supposed to get. There is lip service paid to the so-called job employment in Oyo State. When you are in government and the people of Oyo State cannot get food on their table, then there is a problem. It means the money in circulation is not enough. And when you are not attending to what you are supposed to attend to, as I am talking to you, civil servants in the state are yet to get November and December salaries. They have not been paid. Our respected retirees have not been paid. People are suffering. That is what is happening in Oyo State now, you can go and verify. It is not about propaganda which they are used to, this is something that everybody can see. The long and short of the story is that people want me back, in groups and individually. I have been receiving calls and pleas that I should contest the election. That is why I am here now. It is the people that is giving me the

strength to go on. At a point, they all came here to say that I should leave PDP and that which ever platform I decide, they are ready to go with me, they said, ‘come and put things back the way you left them’, that is why I am here now and that is why I am not surprised that a lot of them are leaving their parties in droves to join me in Labour Party. Talking about puttying things back, what are those things you left that are no longer functioning? The salary they are taking now is different from what I was giving them when I was there. That means it has increased? No, it has been reduced from what it used to be. If their salary is increased, people will be happy of course. Again, people no longer have access to the person governing them. In governance, there must be feedback from the people you govern. How do I mean? If you are governing me, I should be able to have access to you to tell you this is what you are doing right or wrong so that what you are doing right ,you continue to do it right and what you are doing wrongly, you change your style. But now, the people do not have access to the people governing them. The man that is leading them is no longer looking back to see what is happening at his back to know whether the people he is leading are following him. When I was in government, there was this government I was doing every month, its peoples parliament of sort called E Pade Gomino. Anybody could call me on phone. It was aired on television and radio simultaneously. But the calls were usually sifted. No, never.. no call was barred. You could ask me any question, any thing under the sun. I even preferred those that would blast me because that was what I really wanted because if you did,

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PAGE 52 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

Continued from page 51 it meant that there was something I was not doing rightly which needed to be addressed. Again, you needed not call if you couldn’t, you could write letter and it would be read out on air. You could tweet and even send SMS and all were replied immediately. And that was how I was getting feed back from the people. People were enjoying it. That is no more. They had access to me when I was there, but they don’t have that opportunity any longer. Did you remember any of their request which answered to? Somebody, a landlord, blocked a road that was supposed to be a close. The caller complained on air. I went there the following day. Were you there physically or your representatives? I was there physically. If you are reported as a teacher to me on air, you must come to see me the following day because I must give them feed back the following month on the programme. I had a desk officer who replied all letters sent to me. We had request like building of new classrooms which we always acceded to and all manner of requests and I was getting back to them. This brought me very close to them.

By Lekan Bilesanmi

ERY soon, verdict will be returned on the petition filed by Senator Iyiola Omisore challenging the victory of Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in the August 9 2014 election. For the period that the legal battle lasted, Justice Elizabeth Ikpejime, who presided over the proceedings, assisted by two other eminent judges, had painstakingly recorded proceedings and will now give her verdict in the celebrated case. Ikpejime, at the conclusion of the final adoption of written addresses by the petitioners, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate, Omisore, and the three respondents, namely, Aregbesola; INEC and the All Progressives Congress (APC), penultimate Friday, said the date for the judgement would be communicated to the parties in the case. Legal fireworks were, again, unleashed at the penultimate Friday sitting where all parties made the last attempt to strengthen and argue their cases for and against the election. Omisore and the PDP had approached the tribunal to challenge the results of the election in 939 polling units across 17 out of the 30 local governments in the state, praying it to declare Omisore, who polled 292,747 votes as against Aregbesola’s 394,684, as the lawful winner of the August 9 governorship election. In the alternative, Omisore sought the court to nullify the outcome of the election in 17 local governments in the state based on allegations of irregularities and order a rerun election in the local

'Why Gov Ajimobi is jittery' This is what they are missing now and that is why they are asking me to return. Again, people of Oke-Ogun and Ogbomosho told me that they were not able to listen to the programme on radio in their area,what did I do? I provided a radio station called Oke-Ogun FM and Ajilete FM for them so that they too could have access to me. What would you be doing differently if you have the chance to return to Government House? As I am going about my campaign,any locality I get into, I want to be listing their request. That is the bargain for me. I need your vote, they present their request. The reason for this is that I don’t want to give them medicine for headache when in actual fact, stomach ache is their problem. I have done it before, I am going to do it better now. I sought their votes then, and I promised them certain things, and I provided all that I promised, all. I told them recently that there was no community while in office that requested for something as regard campaign promised that I never fulfilled, none. I told them that I want anyone of them to challenge me that I came to

their area during campaign and they requested for certain things and I promised I was going to do it but when I got to office, I never fulfilled it. I am saying this with all sense of responsibility that there was no where that I promised them, please remember the word, that I promised them that if I am voted in that I did not do. That is what is still standing in for me till today. So, what I did that made them top like me, I would want to do it better than what I did then. I should be called road master regarding the kind of roads I constructed in Oyo State. And my road construction was not in Ibadan alone,through the length and breadth of Oyo State. At a time, I constructed 5 kilometer of roads in each of the 33 Local Government Areas in the state. That is apart from the normal road construction. Tell me who has ever done that? I prefer to work than talking like what is mostly happening now. But it is said that Oyo people do not serve people twice, and yet you think you will win? Fortunately, three of us contesting have done it once. That parable does not function anymore. With due respect, among the three of us, we are

going to have a governor and that is me. That myth is already jinxed in this coming election. Because such a thing(having a governor serving two terms) has never happened before, I guess that was why that parable always come handy. But this is going to happen this time around, and very soon too. With due respect to the boys, this election is for the men, not for the boys. It will soon come to their time, not now. Again, I need to lay this emphasis, the way Labour is programme, unlike other parties, there is going to be a generational change in the party very soon such that there would be line of succession. That is part of things we are planning in our party now such that we would be able to properly hand over to the next person on how to govern Oyo. Somebody like my running mate, he is a young man, in his early 50s. He was chairman of local government 23 years ago. And he is known through out Oyo State, up till now. There are people in the party that even stronger than me. You talk confidently of your returning to Government House. What is it that you know that we do not know?

When you have passed through a road before and you want to pass through that road again, you will definitely know the terrain very well such that you can navigate to your desired destination. I have been there before, which makes it easier for me to navigate my way to Agodi. And Agodi straight I am going because all the obstacles that could be on the way have known how to remove them. It is those who have never been there before that are now looking for GPS to navigate their way through. Except you are a dullard, once you have done something before, repeating it would naturally be easier. It was reported that the state government alleged that your administration, towards the last few weeks of your administration, frittered away billions of naira? That is strange to me. Why is he now jittery? He should not die before his death. He should wait till when i would be sworn-in. I left government close to four years now, he never raise such allegation, why is it now that we are close to election that he is raising such? In any case, i explained everything in the hand-over note which we both signed to. No contractor complained of being owed, so why is he raising that now? I think that is the action of a jittery person.

0SUN 2014 gov election: Awaiting the momentous judgment

•Gov. Aregbesola

•Senator Omisore

governments. With the petitioners and the respondents, striving hard at each proceeding to outdo each other, the tribunal has recorded several high and low, just as three judges have been appointed to preside over the tribunal in its less than five months life span. The first panel to hear the case were Justices I.M. Bako, A.M. Awwalu and Benson Ogbu, with Bako as chairman. But Bako was removed based on an alleged petition from the PDP camp, though Omisore denied that the party had a hand in the judge’s removal. Justice Suleiman Ambrussa, who was appointed to replace him was also removed by the National Judicial Commission (NJC) based on APC’s expression of lack of confidence in him, with Justice E.N. Ikpejime becoming

the third judge to preside over the tribunal. The road that led to the penultimate Friday’s final adoption of written addresses, was, for the petitioners and the respondents, tortuous and gruelling, with the last four months producing some firecrackers of legal struggle between the camps of those who want the August 9 election outcome upheld in favour of Aregbesola and those who seek a reversal of fortune in favour of Omisore. For the APC, the penultimate Friday’s proceeding was the climax of a case that had been a “profound waste of judicial time” as its lead counsel and former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, put it. Akeredolu said Omisore and the PDP had set out to establish that the governor

induced voters and that there was over-voting, among others, but he said they failed to establish the allegations before the tribunal, because they could not present witnesses, noting that the petitioners had also failed to file their application to time, which, according to him, was a contravention of the Electoral Act. Earlier, the lead counsel to the 1st respondent, Aregbesola, Mr Akin Olujinmi, SAN, had attacked the petitioners’ case with vigour, calling on the tribunal to, based on the 1st respondent’s applications filed last October, 2014, which challenged the competence of the petition, strike out the petition based on incompetence. In their separate adoption of written addresses, Akeredolu and the INEC’s counsel, Ayotunde Ogunleye, adopted Olujinmi’s submissions, just as they made cases to buttress the submissions and also sought the dismissal of Omisore and the PDP’s petition. It would be recalled that the petitioners had, all along as the tribunal lasted, made attempts to prove that the August 9 election that produced Aregbesola as winner was flawed by irregularities including over-voting; inducement of voters; mutilation of voting materials and substantial non-compliance with the procedures on the part of the INEC. Its case had received massive boosts in the past when

the respondents’ witnesses had, at different times, attested to one or some of these allegations. According to the petitioners, Omisore had, indeed, polled the highest number of lawful vote in the election and the PDP’s lawyers, which had Alex Izinyon; N.O.O Oke, SAN and Chris Uche, SAN, among others, had soldiered on for months, trying to establish these allegations and to see to the tribunal declaring Omisore as the lawful winner of the poll. But if Omisore ever had any faint hope of winning the case before the tribunal, that hope appeared brightened that penultimate Friday, as the petitioner’s lead counsel, Izinyon, pointed out what he declared to be a clear case of admission to the rigging of the poll by INEC in favour of Aregbesola. The 1st respondent’s counsel, in his written address, had presented to the tribunal a table entitled “Position of APC and PDP Upon Deduction of Results From EC8A Exhibits Tendered.” In the table, Izinyon argued, Aregbesola had agreed that he polled 234,971 votes instead of 394,684 allotted to him by INEC, noting that this was a clear diversion from the position the respondents held all along that the election was credible and without irregularity. The table showed votes recorded by the two parties and

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015—PAGE 53

Warri freezes for Great Ogboru By Zik Zulu Okafor

APPINESS wan kill me o! Happiness wan kill me o!! Na happiness wan kill me sooo! Those were the chants and choruses coming from over 30,000 fans, ‘fanatics’, loyalists and admirers of the man called The People’s General, Olorogun Great Ovedje Ogboru. The chants, the noise, the ecstasy practically shook Warri Township Stadium to its foundation. It was without a doubt one of the biggest political gatherings ever witnessed at the stadium and will certainly remain a palpable historic episode whenever the story of political campaigns in Warri is told. Date was Wednesday, January 21, 2015. The event was the flagoff of Ogboru’s governorship campaign. The people of Delta State, particularly political gladiators had waited for this

day. And for two reasons. First, some of Ogboru’s opponents had spread the news that he was not going to contest again. That having ‘lost’ three times, the man was tired and had lost hope. But the discerning minds in Delta knew that those jangling words were coming from Ogboru’s opponents who are scared stiff and feared the remotest possibility of this political toughie coming out again. But there was another group. These are Deltans who adore the fishery magnate, who were sure that he was going to run for the governorship but were very unsure about what the turn out for the flag-off of his campaign would be. This fear was accentuated by the tamed publicity that preceded the much awaited event. Only one radio jingle with what has now become the Ogboru campaign signature tune – Happiness won kill me o, caressed the air from the radio. Plus a television promo

•Ogboru acknowledging cheers.

Delta 2015:

•Ogboru flanked by his supporters.

These passionate brand had vowed that Warri would freeze for yet another political odyssey of a pilgrim soul called Great. They screamed it loud and clear that Delta would stand still for this man with a granite cast conviction about the huge promise of their state and the plucky determination to actualize this promise. And so, by 9am on January 21, people held their breath to see whether the Ogboru cult followership would resonate once again. And yes, it did. By 12 mid-day, traffic in Warri stood still. No movement. By 1.00pm, the situation had become vexacious. Buses, tricycle, cars, even okada, could not move. Ogboru had arrested traffic in Warri. People stood on the sidewalk in awe of a man called General even though he was never joined the military for one day. Inside the Stadium, banners, billboards screaming, The People’s General, Ogboru: Our

Highway to Freedom, Justice and Equality and Ogboru: The Sound of Hope, all hoisted in the air. With over 30,000 people inside and at least, 5,000 outside, Ogboru in clear terms and even without a word told Deltans unequivocally that he is the issue in Delta politics and that he is indeed the awaited Change Agent. It was a gathering that Labour Party showcased its very best. The National Chairman, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, the State Chairman, Chief Tony Ezeagu, the senatorial candidates including Obaisi (Barrister) Ovie Omo-Agege, House of Representatives candidates and the State Assembly contestants, all were present as the Chairman performed the ritual of party endorsement by handing them their flags. And finally, at exactly 3.41pm, the man described as Delta’s symbol of justice, the man that will construct a theatre of hope for youth employment and empowerment, the fetching symbol of freedom and equality for all Deltans, Olorogun Great Ovedje Ogboru, mounted the podium. The stadium quaked as screaming, hoarse and ecstatic voices hit the sky in jubilation and celebration of a long distance runner, a man described as tougher than hope. Ogboru spoke on the dynam-

ics, dialectics and necessity of change and the need for “one Delta, one people with equality, justice and freedom for all, a Delta where education, infrastructural development, agriculture, healthcare and transparency in governance” will have primal places. His voice carried acoustics of clear vision and inspired robust hope. As the echoes of Happiness won kill me continued to reverberate, you had to pause to ask “why happiness won kill people”. An old woman of about 70, sitting right there on the field amidst the mamoth crowd, dressed in scanty top and wrapper provided the answer. In her shaky, drowned voice, she said, “Happiness won kill me because Ogboru don come out again. Now hope don dey for Delta. I don old but I know say I no go die. I go see Ogboru as him go become governor. After that, God fit take me. No problem”. As she shook her head on her last word, you stood glued to your feet, head bowed in sobriety over the soulmoving, words of an old woman who must have seen many political years in Delta- the good, the bad and the ugly. And just as you raised your sober eyes, a banner right opposite you accentuated the same mantra, “Na happiness won kill me so oo!”. What a day, you muttered.

Warri needs quality representation — Robinson Ariyo

By DANIEL GUMM

BARR. Robinson Ariyo, who wants to represent Warri South Constituency 1 in Delta House of Assembly on the platform of the APC, is the solicitor to the Itsekiri National Youths Association, INYA, a development expert, who had consulted to United States Agency for International Development, FDCI, and Partnership Initiative for Niger Delta, a Chevro- established NGO. He practises law at Warri and Abuja. Ahead of the February polls, he speaks on his programmes for the people.

titled Moment of Decision which also popped occasionally. But there was the diehard Ogboru fans and loyalists.

OW do you impact on the communities that make up your constituency if you win the election? For the past 12 years we have had a representative in the House, and if you want to step in to bring about change, you

•Ariyo have to first of all know what exactly has been happening that you feel is not the best for the constituency. The people have not been sufficiently included in the projects and development plan of the constituency. By this I mean you will never find a situation where the representative will meet with the people to rub minds with a view to knowing what their development needs are, and so you have scattered projects all over the constituency. When you have such a situation, you really

do not have democracy, because democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people; which means that people are the centre-point of democracy and what we have had for the past 12 years is anything but democracy. What I intend to do is to make the people more inclusive in the development process, more inclusive in the policy decisions, more inclusive in determining what their needs are so that every policy and every development programme will speak to the need of the people and there will be a reconnection between the people and their representative and truly and we will be able to understand that a representative is not a lord, not a principal but is an agent of the people, who takes an instruction from the people and this is what we have been lacking completely for the past 12 years. I intend to bring about

qualitative representation, a representation that will key into the people; a representation that will be constantly in touch with the people. There will be town hall meetings across the wards in the constituency; why should we not speak to the people and know where exactly the problem is, know exactly where pains are so that we will be able to design policies and programmes to speak to those things and be able to articulate and present their vision very powerfully before the House and ensure that we cooperate and liaise with other members from different constituencies? Firstly, you must able to understand what the needs of the people actually are; it is not that the people need roads and you build airport for them, or the people want water and you dig gutter for them. Your policy decision, development plan should

actually derive from the pains of the people; what you have been able to interact with the people about. Supposing your constituency did not believe in your policy and development plan, what will be your reaction? I have had 10 years development experience. I have consulted for the United States Agency for International Development, FCID, Partnership Initiative for Niger Delta, an NGO established by Chevron International. I am talking scientifically; if you discuss with the people out there, you can see that the people are dissatisfied over what has happened in the past 12 years. They are not empowered enough. They are yearning for change. It is palpable, you can feel it in the air. So it is not scientific to say that they will not

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PAGE 54 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 25, 2015

Campaign for postponement of February elections indefensible, inciting — Emerhor BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI

HE All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has described the suggestion for the postponement of next month’s general elections as “indefensible and a threat to Nigeria’s democracy ’’. Emeroh spoke at the weekend as the party ’s campaign rally in the state moved through Uvwie, Warri South and Warri SouthWest council areas. The governorship hopeful, who accused the Peoples Democratic Party of sponsoring the said campaign, noted that it was unthinkable for anyone to imagine the postponement of the elections at this critical moment without considering the implications. “The elections could be likened to a pregnancy. We had four years since incep-

tion of the current administration to conduct another election. Now that pregnancy is matured. Can you postponed the delivery of a baby whose pregnancy its matured for delivery?”, Emerhor told party supporters. He added, “There is no justification, moral or constitution, to postpone the elections. It is inciting for anyone, no matter how highly placed, to so suggest. So I advice the teeming APC supporters rooting for change to ensure all of us get our PVCs. That is the only weapon to win the war for the change we desire”. Present at the campaigns were the Delta APC Chairman, Prophet Jones Erue, Emerhor ’s running mate, V. Obanum, former rep member and Delta Central APC senatorial candidate, Halims Agoda and other flag bearers.

Delta APC governorship candidate, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor (on the mic) leading other flag bearers and party leaders during Friday’s APC campaign at Igbudu Primary School, Warri South LGA, Warri, Delta State. Egufe Yafugborhi

'Warri needs quality representation' Continued from page 53 be able to attune themselves to it; it is already there, you can feel it. The people are suffering, there is increasing rate of crime; this is caused by underdevelopment. Where economic opportunities are not sufficient, you must have increasing rate of crime — prostitution, drugs, robberies and we are losing so many lives as a result. It is a matter of what is scientifically provable. Do a research and you will discover that things were far better than they are now more than 12 years ago. If you are elected into the Delta State House of Assembly, what will you do for your constituency? As a development expert, the first thing I will do is to consult

Awaiting the momentous judgment Continued from page 53 the deductions made based on the Forms EC8A presented to the tribunal by the petitioner in which allegations of over-voting were established. After the deductions and the new votes remaining for the two parties were recorded, the table showed that a total votes of 159,713 were the less scores recorded on the Form EC8A Exhibits tendered. According to Izinyon, the 1st respondent admitted that its votes upon deduction was over 100,000 less than what INEC, which had held its ground that there was no rigging, allotted to him, calling on the tribunal to “follow them on this journey” by declaring Omisore, who he said polled the lawful majority votes in the election, as the lawful winner. Izinyon contended that the 219,189 votes allotted to Omisore upon the deduction done by his opponents should be disregarded, because Omisore’s lawful votes of 292,747 was never in question in the first place, calling on the court to consider the merit of the case the petitioner had presented to the court. He said the APC,

having agreed that it had over 100,000 votes allotted to it wrongly by INEC, was bound by its admission. On the issue of voting point, which was also one of petitioner’s grounds for the petition, Izinyon stated that contrary to the stipulation by the INEC manual that the Form EC8VP should have serial numbers; all the forms used for the election did not have serial numbers, citing this as another reason why Omisore’s case remained strong and incontrovertible. He further argued that the petitioners had proved their case and that if the evidences of the two camps were weighed on a balance, it would be clear that the petitioners’ case was solid while the respondents would have nothing to put on the balance. “We had witnesses who identified the evidences presented to the court, so such cannot be termed as dumped on the court,” Izinyon fired back. Izinyon noted that Omisore had proved his case and urged the court to disregard the respondents’ submissions that the petition should be dismissed, noting that with Omisore’s

might of evidence, he should be declared as the governor of Osun State. Commenting after the court proceeding, Omisore said the respondents’ admission that the APC had a little over 234,000 and that over 159,000 votes were wrongly allotted to Aregbesola showed that the election was rigged in his favour, calling on the tribunal declare him [Omisore] as the lawful winner of the election, adding that INEC had shown its face as a fraudulent agency and should avoid such malpractices in the forthcoming presidential, state Assembly and National Assembly elections. But Olujinmi would not let that pass easily. He reiterated that the table where the respondent had deducted votes and still won in the election did not amount to admission of rigging or wrongful allotment, noting that the paragraph preceding that table had clearly stated that the respondent only assumed but did not concede to the irregularities in the Form EC8A presented by the petitioner, noting that the table was, by no means, an admission to rigging.

with my constituency and do what we call need assessment. Most of the solutions to our problems are out there with the people; as a member of the House, you must be able to see life from the perspective of the ordinary people in the street. There is the process of trying to feel the pulse of the people. It is called social research in development world. You can do focus group discussions, and key format interviews. I can sit down to tell you this is the problem in this area, but to scientifically do this, you need to get in touch with the people, so that you can have current and updated things. The people themselves should see the process of the evolution of the development. They will able to tell you what their keenest needs are because you see elementary economics tells us that the wants of men are unlimited, resources are unlimited, what economics does is to try to allocate the scarce resource among their unlimited wants. Basically, it is not possible for government to satisfy all needs. So you scientifically, through the process of social research, are able to determine what the topmost needs are using the scale of preference. When you exit this information from them, you go to the House. On a yearly basis budgets are drawn up. As a member of the House of Assembly, I am entitled to make input in that budget. Because I have discussed with people, I know what their needs are, and I can go ahead and push for this and lobby my colleagues in other constituencies to ensure that I sail through. I also intend to work in an inter-party manner. I do not want to see myself as a member of X party. I want to be able to build bridges and not fences, build bridges with the executive arm of government to ensure that this full view of trying to understand and distill from the people what their needs are, are clearly done. What will be your first bill in the House of Assembly when you have been elected?

The very first bill will be a bill to set up an intelligence committee. No matter how wealthy you are, how industrous you are; you can not survive in an atmosphere of insecurity. There are two high levels of insecurity in town, my constituency in particular. You have robbery, kidnapping, rape, and snatching of different types of things happening every day. We have to understand that every human being is a treasure; and any deviant can not just kill an individual like that. That is the greatest concern; no matter how much you have, you must be safe. Once you are not safe, you are then not truly a human being. My first concern will be to work towards passing into law, a bill that will set up an intelligence body that will ensure that the society and my constituency is safer than it is now. Part of the bill will be to have security operatives act under cover, with a view to be able to detect crimes before they occur and nip them in the bud so as to save people’s lives. After that, my next line of action will be to ensure that policy decisions are made towards targeting the jobless youths. Part of the problem is that the youths have nothing to do. Attention will be focused on this, so we might have a kind of empowerment scheme. It will be unlike the type you have today, where you pull money from the bank and patronise your party members. I am talking about empowerment scheme that will go into the town and look at people who are already doing things. The scheme will look at people already displaying some level of industry, people who are able to show that they are hard working to be able to attract the support. You must be able to determine where this empowerment go to. We want to promote the industry. If we do this, we will able to address the high rate of crimes in the society. I will make use of multidimensional approach to tackle crime in my constituency.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015,

Page 55

TRIBUTE VIEWPOINT By Soyombo Opeyemi

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF

Remembering a governor on his birthday

he effervescent Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun turns 57 in an election year in Nigeria. I had long held the suspicion that the governorship election in Ogun might be a paradox of some sort because of the body language of certain politicians. It will be the simplest and the most difficult. Simplest and straightforward because if the poll is conducted today, every Nigerian knows who will be the winner. In fact, it is not just that Amosun will win but by what margin - landslide or ‘moonslide’? But there are politicians whose political career, in their own estimation, is on the line, and so have become desperate – they want the governorship seat by hook or by crook. When a political party formed on the eve of general elections suddenly lays claim to membership

Amosun at 57: The Price of Liberty strength of 400,000, 500,000 or 600,000, you are compelled to ask for the evidence. Such a bogus claim is nothing short of a throwback to the 1965 Western Region. As believers in the rule of law and free and fair elections, we must never permit any electoral heist in Ogun. Politics, when it is merely a game devoid of rigging and violence, can be very interesting. A man who cannot win his ward will paste posters as a governorship aspirant while the one that cannot deliver a single local council out of 774 in Nigeria will call himself a presidential aspirant. Indeed, if freedom of thought and expression ever finds an avenue for ventilation, it is during the season of adult suffrage. On the other hand, this invasion of public space by these paperweight politicians is salutary, especially at a time like this. At least, it provides some diversion for the average citizen who is traumatized by the economic downturn of the country. It

•Amosun provides an opportunity to unwind, to take your mind away from the Nigerian palaver or the ‘penkelemes’ of our time. The grandstanding, the high falutin rhetoric, satires and sarcasms are better than recourse to guns and machete. I once expressed my amusement aloud a couple of weeks ago in the newspapers. Truly, I did wonder why an aspirant that is not sure of winning his local council and whose only manifesto is “It is

Tarzoor: Return of The Native VIEWPOINT By Francis Agbo

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF

The best birthday gift to a gubernatorial candidate

ince 1999, Benue has been a core PDP state. Indeed it was in recognition of this that Benue produced two national chairmen of PDP and other sensitive positions in the party. And from all intents and purposes, the electorate is not in a hurry to dump the party in the February elections. Indeed only the PDP could provide its platform for a minority within a minority in person of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to be president of the federal republic of Nigeria. All the major political parties in history did not find the minority ethnic groups worthy of wearing the crown until the PDP came to judgement and broke the ceiling glass. And since Benue

•Tarzoor (though peopled by minority ethnic groups) is a strong hold of the party, majority of the power elites want to stick to PDP so that after Jonathan, they could plot for one of their own to be President of Nigeria. Similarly, there are a few ongoing projects in Benue initiated by the Jonathan administration and the fear is that if the president is not returned to Aso

Rock, the opposition may jettison them. Curiously, PDP chieftains believe if the party loses the presidential election, which comes first on Valentine day, February 14, it may negatively affect the outcome of the February 28 guber poll. It is against this background that the PDP will once again sweep the polls resoundingly in Benue, this year, irrespective of the machinations and propaganda of the opposition. So, the emergence of the charismatic former Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly, Prince Terhemen Tarzoor, as the Benue State PDP governorship candidate excites me not just because he is my friend and we both share Yenagoa as our second home, not only because he is my contemporary, or because of his capacity, competences, uncommon courage, strong conviction, political savvy and sagacity but also because a native of Makurdi is at the verge of being governor of Benue for the first time

the turn of my area” would issue a quit notice from Lagos (!) to the incumbent governor of Ogun State, who garnered three times the votes of this fictitious landlord in the same poll in 2011. Wonders shall never end! If the quit notice from the opposition candidate was a slip, how could we describe his latest offering - “My administration will complete Amosun’s projects in Ogun” - as widely reported in the press? A blunder! Mr Opposition Candidate, how can you continue the projects you spent three solid years to discredit as a waste of resources? Is this not a brazen deception, a Machiavellian way to secure the votes of the unwary? The Ogun electorate are wiser. They say it makes economic sense for the man that began the socially-beneficial projects to complete them… Finally, as we celebrate this Sunday with Amosun, the Governor of many firsts, who has written his name in gold not just in Ogun

State but Nigeria - for having delivered democratic dividends of three terms in three years - let us remember the immortal words of John Curran: “The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance; which condition if he breaks, servitude is at once the consequence of his crime, and the punishment of his guilt.” I’m under no illusion that the plot by some desperate politicians to rig the forthcoming governorship election in Ogun by all means - is very real. We must therefore employ all lawful means available to us to scupper the plan of the robbery consortium. This is the price we have to pay in order not to return to Egypt. And we are destined to win! Happy birthday to you sir, and I wish you all the pleasant returns of this day.

in history. The rise of the cerebral and workaholic native of Makurdi, Prince Tarzoor holds a lot of promise for Benue people and the Tivs in the MINDA axis, in particular. The natives of Makurdi, the state capital are even more upbeat than I am. Many of them already have a mental picture of the new Nigerian Dubai that Tarzoor will turn Makurdi into. From the defunct Agan Tollgate to the airport, from the airport to Naka road and Apir, the livestock, the birds and the vegetation are in jubilant mood waiting for the return of the native to government. The high expectation is not misplaced. Though Tarzoor ’s successful stint as Speaker of the Benue State House of Assembly was short-lived, he however superintended the passage of many bills into law, protected the interest of his colleagues more than ever before, spoke truth to power, restored dignity to his office, made Makurdi proud by attracting projects to the state capital through lobbying without necessarily

compromising the independence of the legislature. But Makurdi’s joy was cut short in 2012 when the Benue State Elections Petitions Tribunal nullified Tarzoor’s election and declared Hon. Avine Agbom of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) winner. The tribunal’s hammer effectively took Makurdi out of limelight. The general thinking in the state capital today is that with the likely return of Tarzoor to power in a higher capacity, Makurdi will recover in hundred folds what it had lost to the opposition. As Tarzoor turns 43 years on Monday, January 26, the best birthday gift to give him is for the people of Benue State to vote massively for him and his running mate, Hon John Ngbede, on February 28.

•Soyombo, a journalist, sent this piece via densityshow@yahoo.com

* Agbo, a Public Affairs Analyst and Politician is the Benue South Zonal Coordinator for President Goodluck/Sambo 2015 Campaign Organisation and wrote via francisagbo38@gmail.com

Imo 2015: Why it must be the Great Ikemba Nneji VIEWPOINT By Theo Nwaigbo

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF The qualities of a good representative

HEN in March, 1984, we were to meet with St. Augustines Grammar School, Nkwerre (Ibu Anyi Ndada), Imo State in the quarter finals of then East Central State Football Academicals, we were a bit jittery for the mere fact that the school was one of the hobnobs of good soccer, east of the Niger. We prayed that victory would come our way as our school, Madonna High School, Ihitte, was never a pushover in soccer. We had Jude Nwigwe (Juddy Kent), a fine and dependable hand, at the goal post; Charles Ihekweme (Charlie Wugnor), a colossus, at the defence, Emma Nnadozie (Actor), another fine defender. Not left out was a master dribbler, Monday Obi

(Sparrow), and a host of others. Despite our fright and the huge foreboding that encapsulated us during such scenario and psychological trauma to contend with, we always had the conviction of victory coming our way. The football competition always went paripasu with the psychological warfare waged by the school fan club. At the forefront of the troupe was usually Shegele. The rendition on, Shegele would gyrate to the admiration of spectators. In the midst of this funfair and display of the African spirit, fear and trepidation would grip our opponents. Their subsequent and anticipated submission would become a fait accompli. Chief Athan Achonu, a liberator, motivator of persons, was a year ahead of me at Madonna High School. When we had a revolution emanating from the high handedness of the school authorities to contend with, Shegele would be one of our

liberators. He would never compromise or sabotage our stand until such obnoxious policies of the school authorities were abrogated. He is a crusader through and through and a fighter. His firm stance on issues of abuse of fundamental rights of citizens is well known to all. He is an agitator and the mega phone of the “tongue-tied.” The Shegele we knew later metamorphosed to the Great Ikemba Nneji Athan Achonu, the One Arm General who had always exuded courage, resilience and not given to inanities. In the years past, he had sponsored some political aspirants to achieve their political aspirations. This doyen of industry has his magical fingers on every succulent pie. A business mogul, he has made an indelible impression in real estate, construction, haulage, stocks and others. A renowned philanthropist, he has sponsored countless scholars from secondary school

•The Great Ikemba Nneji to the tertiary level. He has picked the medical bills of numerous Nigerians even those he never met before but whose plight he read on the pages of newspapers. His views on burning national issues have always been that of three things: dialogue, dialogue and dialogue. This is one of the qualities that qualify him eminently for the National Assembly dome.

Also imbedded in this sagacious man who does things with fineness is his uncommon honesty and transparency. His word is his bond. He will deliver and give a good account of his moral obligations. This is one of the bastions of a good representative. He has stood up to be counted. A motivator from cradle, the people of Okigwe Senatorial Zone must surely savour the rudiments of qualitative and robust representations at the Senate come May 29, 2015. This catalyst of a man must surely add pep to deliberations at the upper chamber and take legislative “backgammon” to the next level. His honesty is unquantifiable. He is a dogged fighter and not given to frivolities. Okigwe zone must join the moving train and ensure the emergence of this ebullient and selfless man who has carved a niche for himself.

*Nwaigbo is a lawyer

Page 56 —SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015

FACE-OFF VIEWPOINT By Eniola Aderibigbe

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

The questions a presidential candidate must answer

he only advantage General Muhammadu Buhari has going into the February 14 presidential election is his perception, by some middle aged Nigerians, as a no-nonsense anti-corruption fighter. Apart from that, he has several questions to answer as regards his past positions on two main issues in Nigeria’s political development – ethnicity and religion. Buhari is perceived as having zero-tolerance for corruption. This stems from his days as military Head of State when he sent politicians to lengthy prison terms using military tribunals. It is completely different from operating in a democracy where he would have to use the civil courts and accept the bitter truth that the wheels of justice grind slowly but steadily. However, his anticorruption disposition comes as a challenge to the status quo. Beneficiaries of status quo have never allowed a change.

VIEWPOINT By Yaya Adeyemi

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Issues in the battle for Lagos

imi Agbaje has always

been Bola Tinubu’s worst nightmare! Agbaje’s emergence as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has made the prospect of that nightmare becoming real a distinct probability and Tinubu is now scared, very scared! That explains why he has gone on a paranoid offensive in a futile attempt to prevent Lagosians from voting for a man of honour, pedigree, integrity and courage, virtues which stand Agbaje in stark contrast with his traducers!

Much ado about Buhari’s Advantage He has them to contend with and they are more than plenty. In the arena of corruption, people express the wish for a change in the status quo. Unfortunately, they do not look at historical trends. Malam Nuhu Ribadu went into the 2011 presidential election on the background of his achievements at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) – which was the only office that had tested his zeal to fight corruption. He got rave reviews and mention as one capable of altering the status quo if he becomes president. But the outcome of the election proved Nigerians had other considerations in voting for a president than anti-corruption credentials. Such other considerations include broadbased approach to nationalism and acceptance across regions. Apart from Buhari’s perception as an anticorruption fighter, nothing else works in his favour. His views on religion and nationalism are parochial. On this ground, his greatest enemies are those old enough

to recall his arguments, and actions, when confronted with issues that demanded a broadbased approach. Chief Richard Akinjide, SAN, was Attorney General and Justice Minister in the Shehu Shagari administration which Buhari sacked via a coup d’etat. Reviewing Buhari’s democratic credentials and openness to broader national development, Akinjide concludes that Buhari lacks the appeal for national integration given his belief that southern Nigeria’s development ought to halt for the North to catch-up. Also in an interview published in December 29, 2014 edition of The Union, Dr. Joseph Wayas, who lost office as Senate President as a consequence of the Buhari coup, concludes the retired army general lacks basic understanding of what democracy entails. Besides, Buhari had shown himself as a great advocate of the sharianisation of Nigeria, an adventure which most Nigerians detest given the country’s categorisation as a religiously plural state. He has

By Ben Nanaghan

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF

Reasons Nigerians should shun presidential candidate

he All Progressive Congress (APC) choice of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as its presidential candidate is an attempt to set Nigeria in flame s and carve a separate nation out of its six geopolitical zones. Even though Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his love for Gen. Buhari, will fight hard for the South-west to become part of the northern caliphate, I am sure seasoned south-western politicians like Chief Olu Falae, Chief Adebanjo, etc will scuttle such a ridiculous amalgamation. But inspite of all odds, Tinubu picked APC’s worst presidential aspirant, Buhari, for his fundamentalist and genetic inflexibility which are characteristics adored by Buhari’s northern mob

been quoted, without denial, as advocating in 2001, the total sharianisation of Nigeria in the quest to ensure dominance of his religious belief over others in the countr y. This issue, specifically, and those connected to his dictatorial tendencies such as the clampdown on the media and imprisonment of journalists using Decree 4, the execution via firing squad at the Bar Beach in Lagos of youth drug peddlers, intolerance to criticisms of the junta he led, unanswered questions over the actual reasons for the imprisonment of Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Nigeria’s then vice president and keeping under house arrest of his principal, Alhaji Shehu Shagari among many other issues, accounted for his loss in three previous presidential elections. Besides, Nigerians are weary of the post-election violence of 2011 which are attributed to comments made by him in the run-up to the election. He again made such •Aderibigbe, a public affairs threats when in May 2012 he analyst, writes from Abuja addressed supporters of the

Why Tinubu is scared of Jimi Agbaje In 1999, both Agbaje and Tinubu were members of the Alliance for Democracy. Unlike the AC, ACN and APC, which were/are Tinubu’s projects, AD was not owned by any individual. AD was a political platform floated by the leaders of Afenifere after the death of Abacha. Of course it is general knowledge that the leaders of Afenifere-Chief Abraham Adesanya, Otuba Solanke Onasanya, Chief Olanihun Ajayi, Chief Bola Ige, Chief Ayo Adebanjo - and others gave Tinubu the governorship ticket in 1999 as compensation for his supposed role in NADECO. Tinubu’s reward for these

elders has of course been to denigrate them at every opportunity and Afenifere which was instituted by Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Michael Ajasin, Adesanya and other proud Yoruba leaders. Tinubu recognizes in Agbaje an individual with the charisma, knowledge of the intricacies of South-West politics; strong connections with the authentic leadership of the region and relationships with professionals across other regions in the South and North; strong pedigree and goodwill in high and low places, to obstruct his carefully laid-out agenda for expropriating the

Buhari’s Presidential gamble VIEWPOINT

defunct CPC at his Kaduna residence and threatened that “If what happened in 2011 (alleged rigging) should again happen in 2015, by the grace of God, the dog and the baboon would all be soaked in blood.” Buhari perpetually shows himself as a man of great violence. This is not a credential to market in an election to become president. The Dr. Haroun Adamu-led team inaugurated by President Olusegun Obasanjo to wind down activities of the PTF headed by Buhari discovered a fraud of about N25billion. Details of the PTF account showed N25 billion was lost to contractors and consultants who were appointed, and supervised, by Buhari. Therefore, just as Buhari may have his touted integrity profile working for him going into the elections, he still has a lot of issues, which many voters will see as negative indices, depending on which side of the political divide one stands, to contend with. These are the issues Buhari will need the campaign period to clarify on and, maybe, persuade voters against.

who regard him as a prophet and the voice of God. Buhari is an epitome of confusion and anarchy both in his character, words, actions and mien. He looks it, he encapsulates it and he wears anarchy like a garment which he has vowed never to put down even after 30 years of a disgraceful exit from the army. Buhari is a man who does not shroud his personality under innuendoes and shibboleths. He dares the world with impunity and after his monkey and baboon speech of May 14, 2012; he challenged President Goodluck Jonathan to arrest him if he could. His “monkey and baboon” speech can be split into three parts. (1) They either conduct a free and fair election or (2) something will happen-they go a very disgraceful way (3) the monkey and the baboon would all be soaked in blood. President Goodluck Jonathan, since coming to power in 2010 has used the conduct of free, fair and eloquently transparent conduct of election as his main cardinal point of governance. The President has

even gone on solo campaigns to sensitize Nigerians on the democratic beauty of free, fair and transparent elections. The problem with Buhari is not the conduct of a free, fair or transparent election, it is his will to win every election. Buhari’s problem is his innate and genetic inflexibility, a total hatred and rejection of western education, a morbid streak of a jihadist Islamist fundamentalism and a consistent and undemocratic rejection of any election result he does not win. He dismissed all previous presidential elections he partook in, as rigged and unfair. He went to court, incited his co-northern Islamic fundamentalists and the mobs went into a vandalisations spree. On May 17, 2011 the Arewa Youth Forum condemned Gen Buhari’s “monkey and baboon” speech as “treasonable, unguided and uncalled for”. Most Nigerians have either chosen to ignore Buhari’s Islamic fundamentalist militarism or contrived assiduously to hide it under

common heritage of Lagos, its indigenes and residents. When Agbaje ran for governorship of Lagos State in 2007, he gave a very strong showing in spite of the fact that he was the candidate of a small party, the DPA. Tinubu has done everything to frustrate Agbaje’s political career to no avail, and is deeply worried by the fact that Agbaje has retained huge goodwill and indeed expanded same in spite of not occupying any public office. If Agbaje wins in Lagos, all that Tinubu believes he has “ worked” for will be undermined!!! Fortunately the cloak and passage of time. Buhari has never hidden his disdain for non-Moslems whom he refers to as infidels. His advocacy for the total implementation of the Sharia is encapsulated in this speech he delivered to a cheering crowd of Islamic Scholars and clerics in August 2001 in a seminar organized by the Supreme Council of Sharia in Kaduna. Buhari is surely a disaster waiting to explode if Nigeria either by omission or commission votes for him. He truncated Nigeria’s nascent democracy in Dec. 1983. With this partisanship, Buhari sent former Vice President Alex Ekweme to prison while he kept President Shehu Shagari in the comfort of his Ikoyi palace in the name of house arrest. Buhari partisanly detained in prison southern governors including Chief Bisi Onabanjo, Bola Ige, Lateef Jakande, Adekunle Ajasin, Jim Nwobodo, Aper Aku, Sam Mbakwe, Busari Adelakun and later sent them to his state controlled courts where some of them were jailed for as much as 144 years. Aper Aku and Busari

most residents of Lagos increasingly recognize that Tinubu’s permanent hegemony

is not in their interest. They know that Tinubu has ruled Lagos

directly and through proxies for 16 years and that his design to now install one of his own as governor, for what he envisages as his defacto fifth term, should be prevented if their freedom and welfare is to be protected. They know that Lagos should not become the personal property of one individual and that Agbaje is the only one who can prevent that

evil design.

*Adeyemi is a Lagos based analyst Adelakun both died in prison due to poor maltreatment. The list of those he detained without reason includes Tai Solarin, Dim Emeka Ojukwu, Oba Okunade Sijuade, the Oni of Ife, Kolawole Awotunde of the Nigerian Tribune etc. He jailed Nduka Irabor and Tunde Thompson for writing the truth which his government did not approve. Buhari killed Batholomew Owo, Bernard Ogedengbe and Lawal Ojuolape for drug and other related offences with a retroactive law inspite of pleas from human rights organizations in Nigeria and all over the world. But before I end this piece, can the “pious” general confirm his source of funding. Is it from Saudi Arabia or Iran? For these two countries will benefit prodigiously from a fully Islamized and Sharianised Nigeria which is a “legal responsibility which God has given Buhari to execute within the context of one Nigeria”. God forbid!

*Nanaghan lives in Lagos. E-mail: bennanaghan@yahoo.com

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015,

Page 57

FACE-OFF VIEWPOINT By Chidia Maduekwe

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF

Jonathan’s cowardly visit to the North East bombardment by the Boko Haram insurgents, with resultant tremendous loss of lives and properties. As the President and Commander – in — Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria he owes all Nigerians a duty of care and responsibility to first and foremost secure lives and properties, this visit is certainly a little too late and contemporarily disingenuous. To have waited after several years is most unfortunate. To visit when presidential election is imminent, wrecks with a great deal of suspicion and we cannot be taken in by this late visit to Maiduguri as its nothing but softening of ground to pave way for President Jonathan’s support seeking gambit of same people he had failed to empathised with during their greatest hour of need .

presidency will push for more robust support in the Security and Economic stability of the West-African sub region and African Continent as a whole. It will seek and maintain close and frank relationships with ALL of West Africa; Special relationships with South Africa and its Sub-region; UK, USA, Canada, EU, Asia, and the Middle East In so so doing, the Buhari/ Osinbajo presidency will be responsive and sensitive to the security needs of all Nigerians. The choice before Nigerians is clear. To vote massively for an APC-led government on the 14th of February 2015. This is the surest way to secure lives and property in Nigeria.

However, hope is here. When Buhari/Osinbajo presidency is elected under APC things will be done differently. An APC presidency will urgently and completely secure the territorial integrity of the nation. It will never leave defence of the nation in the hands of Hunters, Children, and Civilian JTF. An APC presidency elected by Nigerians will embark on the following listed operational actions to secure Nigeria with the intention to efficiently manage and prosper our people. 1. Urgently address capacity building mechanisms of law enforcement agents in terms of quantity and quality as this is critical in safeguarding the sanctity of lives and property; 2. Buhari/Osinbajo presidency will establish a well trained, adequately

equipped and goals-driven Anti-terrorism Division (ATD), to combat insurgencies, kidnapping, armed robbery, ethno religious and communal clashes, nationwide; 3. Buhari/Osinbajo presidency will consult and amend the Constitution to enable States and Local Governments to create city, Local government and State Policing systems, (based on the resources available at each levels), to address the peculiar needs of each community. It will therefore work with the National Assembly to set and revise, when needed, boundaries of operations, for Federal, State, and Local government policing units, through new Criminal Justice legislation to replace the Criminal Code, the Penal Code and the Police Act. 4. Buhari/Osinbajo

Edo 2015: The Inegbeneki Senate bid emergence is that if any Esan man has any issue, you can easily walk straight to his house and you will see him. You don’t need any protocol to see Inegbeneki and I am sure that his opponents may have prayed he does not emerge because they know how popular he is. He eats and dines with the poor. Your problem is his problem. It was not surprising therefore when I saw the National President of the National Association of Edo State Students, Comrade Gideon Ijie, and the Students Union Government of the Ambrose Alli University Ekpoma endorse him as their senatorial candidate. Ijie said: “We have said it before that we cannot support candidates who, because of elections, they will

give people rice, or money. We will only support candidates who even before they started pursing their ambition are helpful to the poor or students. Before now, Chief Inegbeneki is somebody who has helped so many of us. There are students who may not have school fees or money to register for WAEC of JAMB. The moment you go to his house, which is open to everybody, he will answer you. He has given scholarship to indigent students in Opoji Grammar School and Ambrose Alli University. He contributed to the building of the law faculty in AAU. His emergence was the best that happened to us as students. We believe that if he can assist us when he is not in power, he will do better when he goes to the Senate’’. The student leaders have said it all. We are not worried whether he will win because

he has won in the hearts of many Esan people and that will be transformed into reality on February 14. Our prayer is that God will use him to give voice to the voiceless in Esan land and beyond. And to use the words of Governor Adams Oshiomhole who ensured credible primaries for the APC, “Inegbeneki is a dogged fighter, a man who cannot be influenced negatively, a man who cannot sell his soul for money because he has seen money, a man who will truly represent Esan people at the Senate with his whole heart and, that is why majority of the delegates gave him their votes because they know he is capable”.

Those who survived are now refugees in Cameroon, Chad and Niger Republic. Others are now called Internally Displaced People (IDP). Refugees in their own country. These set of Nigerians may not be voting in the forthcoming general elections. Not only do they not have a home place, there are chances that they are about to be disenfranchised. All Nigerians who can vote, must speak with their votes for these Nigerians. We must cast our votes for the man who can bring justice in all matters relating to those Nigerians that have been abandoned and neglected under the government of President Jonathan. Who can forget the reason for the fuel subsidy scam protest that saw millions of Nigerians in a bold move to confront a corrupt government that sits, dines and wines with criminals it should permanently put away. We will remember the anger, the frustration and the pain we felt towards those who have taken us captive in our nation. We must now take our revenge by rejecting them at the polls. It’s payback time. They must now be left to stew in their own juice. We must salvage our nation, using our PVCs to massively vote for the team that will not shirk their

responsibilities towards. Nigerians. We cannot forget that this government that promised to revive our nation and pump in some fresh air to sanitise the environment, has done nothing but steal, no, loot our common wealth. We cannot forget this government that prefers to hire attack dogs for the purpose of forging documents and churning out fake stories aimed at dividing Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines. Under the watch of Jonathan, women and girls, men and boys, Nigerians, are being abducted regularly, taken away from their families and familiar environment. Apathy greets these occurrences and consequently, we do not know of any plans to look for or recover them. From far away America, Mrs Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State, said the Nigerian government, under Jonathan, squandered its oil resources, and indirectly helps corruption to fester in the troubled country. The British Prime Minister said that if the amount stolen from Nigerians was stolen from the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom would cease to exist.

But we have an obstinate government that has refused to heed the voice of reason from at home and abroad. A government that has failed to act in the interest of Nigerians must now reap the consequences of abandoning them. This sick government that has refused to take medicine will die on the 14th of February and its internment has been fixed for the 29th of May, 2015. You are all invited to a new Nigeria where there will be rule of law, Where every man will be equal in the eyes of the law in a judicious system that is both independent and fair. Welcome to a new Nigeria where job opportunities and work skills acquisition will be given the attention it deserves. Welcome to a new Nigeria with constant and stable electricity and where Nigerians will no longer die from common malaria. Welcome to the new Nigeria of Buhari and Osinbajo, President and Vice President respectively, come May 29th, 2015.

Surest way to secure life and property

r. President must be c ommended for

eventually building up the courage to visit Maiduguri in the North East just yesterday. People had wandered if Mr. President will ever campaign in the North East. By this action he has further underscored the absolute requirement of a President to maintain sovereignty of Nigeria through the valleys and hills ,from the swampy creeks of the Niger Delta to the semi desert regions of the Northern Nigeria. We would have applauded President Jonathan for this August visit to Maiduguri, a town that has suffered constant

VIEWPOINT By Akhere Odianose

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF

A perspective on the senatorial election

any Esan people who have been following the calibre of persons that have been representing our people in the Senate will surely express relief when Chief Francis Inegbeneki emerged as the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo Central. Uzoya, as he is fondly called or KABIYESI, is one who when he is in the Senate, not only will our people be proud of him, the entire Edo

State will be proud because he must push our views and problems across to Nigerians. Initially we thought it will not happen particularly after it was rumoured that the APC had perfected plans to give the ticket to Theo Okoh who ran for the primary in 2011. But Inegbeneki’s popularity saw him through the primary where he defeated two other aspirants to clinch the ticket. People should celebrate this because only few persons are like Inegbeneki in Esanland. He has not held any elective position but with the wealth God gave to him, he has touched the lives of many youths in Esanland and Nigeria as a whole. The implication of his

*Maduekwe Is Director, Media & Information Mgt. Directorate, Buhari Support Organizations (Bso)

•Akhere Odianose is a public analyst writing from Lagos

Jonathan’s fouled air VIEWPOINT By Lauretta Onochie

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF Case against President Goodluck Jonathan

ow can we forget how millions of jobless Nigerians were lured with promises of jobs with the immigration authorities in Nigeria? How stadia across the nation were used as death traps for some unsuspecting young job seekers who had paid for application forms but ended up being killed in their quest for an opportunity to earn a living. Till date, no one has been brought to book. But they were Nigerians and those of us who survived that ordeal must not forget it. We must remember it on February 14, 2015. We must get our pound of flesh by voting for those who can bring justice and closure to Nigerians, General Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. How can we forget how we woke up one morning to find, floating on Ezu River, decomposing bodies of nearly 60 Igbo youths! And what was their crime? They, as members of

MASSOB, had staged a peaceful protest. Nigerians have the rights as is senshrined in our constitution to freely and peacefully associate, one with another. The massive cover up and deliberately bungled investigations must always come to mind. The inability of the Nigerian police under the leadership of President Jonathan to serve justice remains a dark spot for Nigerians, particularly Ndigbo and the immediate families of these youngsters. We must remember that his name is Ebele (Mercy)! President Jonathan has not sown any mercy in our land, he cannot reap any mercy now. We must withhold our votes from him and give them to General Buhari, a man who has a history of acting in the best interest of Nigerians, because whatsoever a man sows, he reaps! How can we forget the massacre of innocent Nigerians in the North East who were caught in a war of supremacy within the PDP hierarchy? We cannot forget that the late Gen. Owoeye Azazi, and former chief Security Adviser, said at Asaba that Boko Haram is the internal crises of the ruling party, the PDP.

* Onochie is of the Media & Information Mgt. Directorate, Buhari Support Organizations (Bso)

PAGE 58—SUNDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 25, 2015 japhdave@yahoo.com 08066625505

NORRD Phenomenon: a reflection of beauty, emotions, ideals of life challenges African woman is still beautiful”. Another piece titled Blissful Night, which she described as her best talked about her younger years. “In doing the piece I have to get the image of a child and pour water on the face. Its an inspiration that takes me back to my younger days when as a child we play under the rain and did all sorts of dirty things, but now we are grown and are all thinking about the stress of life, how to make money and others.” Nissi who explained that she just want people to view the works and appreciate it for what it is said , “Nigeria art is growing, but that we are a bit narrow minded to the tools and materials we use but I think that there is a lot of potentials in Nigerian art. I have seen an increase in the use of colours as I go around. We have a long way to go in regards to changing our concept and that is why I am bringing something different for people to see.”

By JAPHET ALAKAM VISUAL

After its successful hosting of the much acclaimed music dance drama, SARO 2 The Musical which rounded up its activities for the year 2014, the nation’s culture house Terra Kulture opened its door of activities for the year with an exhibition by 20 year old second year student of engineering at the University of Warwick,UK, Nissi Ogulu tagged NORRD Phenomenon. The exhibition which was her first solo in Nigeria which opened on January 3rd till 9th was somehow a departure from the usual exhibitions in the country. According to the artist, it was called NORRD because “it's the phenomenon of my life, its putting together all the inspirations I have acquired over the last years and making it one.” It featured about 21 works done in acrylic on canvass, oil and other media in the course of the years. It can be described as a collection of contemporary art entwined with a bit of nostalgia. It consists of works created by an artist one would refer to as an old soul. Art pieces displayed include, painting of a “Massai” Warrior from East Africa, abstract piece which serves as a reflection of the current times among other thought evoking art works. The works include her signature technique called Camouflage Series as well as the O’Afrique series (pieces which were inspired by Africa), Uber series ( pieces which were inspired by her creative mindset at the time) and 3D series. A critical view of the works reveals the creative ingenuity of the artist, her imagination, use of colours and the masterly interpretation of ideas. The aesthetics, colour combination and depth of the works were excellent and this was reflected with the way the viewers hugged and congratulated her. An act that was traced to her family background, coming from a family of creative geniuses, her grandfather was a veteran broadcaster and award winning music critic, Benson Idonije, her older brother A-list musical artiste; Burna Boy, little wonder at such tender age she produced such works. Nissi Ogulu is not only a wild soul of deep creative thoughts, but also an Afro Jazz singer with an admirable mastery of different musical instruments. In her artistic statement, Nissi said”There is never a defined demographic in mind during the creative process of my work, everyone is welcome to have a look as I introduce my collection.” and this was the case in the gallery as people asked her about the works. The works dealt with a whole lot of issues ranging from her experiences as a child, the emotions, the beauty of African women and the mothers role. For example on the piece titled Inconspicuous beauty, the work which was based on the Masaa-Mara region of Kenya, reflects on the true beauty of the African woman concealed by constant chaos, depicting the inward,outward , landscape nature of African woman. According to her, “the West say Africans are not beautiful and I want to tell them that it is false as the image shows, despite their domestic chores and other

•Some of the works exhibited by Nissi Ogulu

How Deborah, new Miss Niger Delta's dream came true By PRISCA SAM-DURU CULTURE

he keenly contested 14th edition of the Miss Niger Delta Peace Cultural Pageant came to a resounding close with Deborah Ibeinmo Alfred emerging winner. She defeated 21 other contestants to become the 2014 Miss Niger Delta Queen, at Dr Gabriel Okara Cultural Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. She went home with a brand new car and an undisclosed amount of money. Other winners include Idahosa Ucharia (Model for Change), Chidinma Ucharia ( Face of Beauty), Emese Nichole Emuvoke ( Pride of Niger Delta), and Oreke Regina Ijeoma (symbol of Talent). Artistes that thrilled and entertained guests include Sound Force band, Mr Idea, Fortune, Arinze Baba, Miss J, Daniel West, Gordons, Double J, Jaywon, Wonder Boy and Harrysong. Elated Alfred said: “I am grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to win the competition. This is a dream come true.” She promised to use her position to touch the lives of people in the region positively during her reign. Chief Executive Officer of Miss Niger Delta Organisation, Prince Sodin who was satisfied with the outcome of the pageant said: “The show and post event projects are centered on re-orientation of values, socio-cultural integration,

peace promotion, talent and skill development, capacity building for self reliance, self employment and empowerment of female youths in the region.” He added that the pageant show is not all about funfair of crowning beauty queens but a programme aimed at assisting female youths from the region to play their roles as young ambassadors for peace and development in the country. He recalled that since its inception in 1999, the show had produced 13 beauty queens and some of the titles include: Ambassador for Peace and Development, Symbol of Talent, Model for Change, Face of Beauty, Pride of Niger Delta and Miss Niger Delta in Diaspora. These beauty queens he disclosed have used their positions and offices to add values to life as well as promote change and transformation in the region as role models. He urged both governments and its agencies, corporate organisations as well as stakeholders in the Niger Delta region to support this laudable initiative which is complementary to various projects and programmes aimed at transforming the region as expected. A representative from Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) promised that they will continue to support the Miss Niger Delta Organisation because it is a laudable project that has brought peace in the region.

Former UNIBEN

PWBC: FFrr. Uw em Akpan reads in P/H Uwem

R. Uwem Akpan, Oprah’s Book Club author will be in Port Harcourt, UNESCO Book Capital 2014. There will be reading and drama presentation around his book “Say You’re One of Them.” The event will hold by 3pm today at the Atlantic Hall, Hotel Presidential, Port Harcourt, River State. The book is a collection of 5 poignant short stories set in

Nigeria, Benin, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia. It addresses war, prostitution, child trafficking and religious conflict. Akpan’s book is the Book-of-the Month for January. He is one of 12 authors whose books were selected by the World Book Capital for discussions, as part of the programmes to encourage reading and writers during Port Harcourt’s tenure as World Book Capital.

Deborah Ibeinmo Alfred

Ughelli monarch advises Urhobo

HE Chairman of Urhobo Traditional Rulers’ Council, UTRC, and the Ovie of Ughelli Kingdom, HRM, Wilson Ojakovo Oharisi III, has advised the Urhobo not to be in opposition as the February general elections draws near. Speaking when members of a political pressure group, Canaan Movement, paid him a visit at his palace, the monarch while lamenting the poor representation of the Urhobo at the national level, said it would be detrimental if they align with an opposition party during the

elections. Earlier in his remark, the State coordinator of the group, Comrade Michael Akpobire while soliciting for support for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP standard bearer, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, described him as a detribalized Deltan who is most qualified amongst all the governorship candidates for the February election. Speaking on the choice of the Ughelli main market as their campaign destination, Comrade Akpobire said it is as a result of the strategic and eminent role of the traders in the electoral process, describing Ughelli as the melting point of Delta politics.

SUNDAY Vanguard, JANAURY 25, 2015, PAGE 59

Afcon: Cote’d Ivoire, Mali settle for draw A

late goal from substitute Max Gradel salvaged a 1-1 draw for Ivory Coast against Mali Saturday to keep the Elephants’ hopes of making the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations very much alive. Wolves striker Bakary Sako looked to have secured a shock victory for Mali in the Group D encounter in Malobo with a superb volley scored after seven minutes until Gradel stroked home a Serge Aurier cross with just seven minutes remaining. The result leaves the group wide open with both sides joint top on two points after two games. Mali went into the encounter as underdogs but got the perfect start Sako gave the Eagles an early lead off a cross from Sambou Yatabare after Ismael Diomande gave away possession in midfield. The Elephants

dominated possession after falling behind and could have had a penalty in the 31st minute when Wilfried Bony was felled in the

area by Molla Wague. Kolo Toure came close to equalizing for the elephants two minutes later but the Liverpool

DG National Sports Commission, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye (l) with the Director of Physical Training and Sports of the Nigerian Armed Forces Rear Admiral Emmanuel Efiok during a visit to the NSC.

Glo Premier League Super 4: Emordi salutes Pillars began training twice a day. I also was not speaking the

ANO Pillars opened their Glo Premier League Super-4 campaign on a winning note in contrast to last season’s outing that saw them fall behind to rivals, Enyimba International and

•Emordi

Coach Okey Emordi attributed the performance to a change in orientation at the camp. Pillars defeated Dolphins 2-0 through goals from Samuel Tswaya on the 6th minute and Christian Obiozor on the 9th but Emordi insists the team still has some more work to do to be fully ready for their Champions League contest in February. “It was difficult last season for me but the orientation has changed. On arriving Kano last season, I needed to change the training mode and

Le Roy Continues from BP Eagles there for many years.” Responding to another question on whether he would go for a draw against Burkina Faso in the group’s final match which would seal Congo’s qualification to the knockout phase, Le

defender saw his powerful header pushed onto the crossbar by Mali goalkeeper Soumaila Diakite.

Roy fumed, took off his glasses and said. “I never prepare my team for a draw. That was exactly what I was told to do when we travelled to play Nigeria in Calabar. But I said no, that I wanted a win, which eventually happened,” he said.

language, so the start was difficult but we worked on the orientation which saw us end the season as champions”, recalled Emordi On Pillars performance in the game and suggestions that it was not good enough for the CAF Champions League, Emordi responded, “We were good at the back, the defense communicated well and I give them kudos”

S predicted, Nigeria and host, Egypt will battle for the top prize in the final of the team events at the ongoing International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Africa Senior championship in Cairo. The two teams will be aiming for the gold medals in the men and women events of the championship. To make it to the final of the women division, Nigeria walloped Algeria 3-0, while Egypt had a narrow escape against Congo Brazzaville in the thrilling semifinal tie which ended 3-2 in favour of the

Osaze Continues from BP contract expires at the end of the season. Stoke City manager Mark Hughes assured that Osaze will get his wish of staying on at the Club, but that depends on his condition. Hughes said “Peter’s still doing rehabilitation and progressing well. “He’s probably at a critical stage of his recovery and needs to work hard to come back at

the right level. “When he does, that’s when we will discuss it a new contract - and he understands that. “The way he’s progressing would lead me to believe he will be back stronger.” Osaze added:”I don’t want to be looked after for so many months and then just leave the club. “But more important than that, I have to be the same player I was."

2016 Olympics: Elegbeleye calls for collaboration with Military Sports

HE Director General, National Sports Commission, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye has called on the military to synergise with his Commission in the area of sports towards the successful realization of the 2016 Olympics. Elegbeleye made this call when he received in his office today a 10-man delegation on a courtesy visit from the Council for Defense Sports of the Nigeria Armed Forces Headquarters led by the Director of Physical Training and Sports, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Efiok. The Director General who lauded the military for their involvement and glorious representation of the country in the past recalled that the Nigerian military had produced outstanding sportsmen and women through various

competitions who had represented Nigeria in different components of sports competitions and won laurels. The Director General stated that as the 2016 Olympics is at the threshold, it is imperative to collaborate with the military as he said “the more we get collaboration from the military, the more we get trainers from the military, the better for Nigeria sports”. He reiterated that the involvement of military in some sports federations have helped in entrenching discipline among athletes. He therefore promised that the Sports Commission will liaise with the Council for Defense Sports to fish out athletes from the military that will join others in the camp in preparation towards the 2016 Olympic competition.

ITTF Africa Senior Championships: Nigeria, Egypt in team event finals North Africans. In the men cadre, it was Ojo Onaolapo who started the rout against Congo Brazzaville team made up of Nigerian born trio of Saheed Idowu, Saka Suraju and Abiodun Lawal. Idowu

gave Onaolapo a run for the win as the game was stretched to five with the left-hand Onaolapo winning 3-2. ITTF World Player of the year, Aruna Quadri did not disappoint the fans.

FA Cup Continues from BP 15 minutes to go before Jon Stead, the scorer of City’s first, teed up Andy Halliday for the winner eight minutes from time. And substitute Mark Yeates tucked in a stoppage-time fourth to inflict the Blues’ first home loss this season and spark jubilant celebrations from Phil Parkinson’s visitors. But Mourinho’s men were distinctly second best and not even the introduction of Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Willian could rescue the tie. It was the first time Chelsea have lost to lower-league opposition at home since 1995 against Millwall. The Blues must now

regroup for their midweek clash with the Reds and next Saturday’s Premier League showdown with Manchester City. Chelsea loanee Patrick Bamford starred in a famous 2-0 win as Middlesbrough stunned Manchester City in the FA Cup fourth round. Championship’s second-placed Middlesbrough absorbed sustained first-half pressure, with normally second-choice goalkeeper Tomas Mejias making a string of impressive saves at the Etihad Stadium. Bradford, who were 20 down after 38 minutes, claimed the biggest scalp after beating Chelsea 42.

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Osaze gets conditions for a new Stoke contract

UPER Eagles striker Peter Osaze Odemwingie will only get a new Stoke City contract, if he can return to 100 percent

fitness. He has been out of action due to a cruciate knee ligament injury even as his Continues on Page 59

Afcon 2015: Le Roy mocks Eagles

•Osaze

ONGO coach Claude Le Roy couldn’t stop talking about his team’s famous victory over the Super Eagles in Calabar during the Africa Nations Cup qualifiers. After Congo pipped Gabon 10 at the Bata Stadium in a Group A match at the on going 2015 AFCON in Equatorial Guinea, Le Roy recalled he felt like that magical night in Calabar. During the post match press conference, the Frenchman pronounced the name “Nigeria” four times as though the team he had just played against were the Super Eagles. “I am really proud of the morale and strength my team displayed (Wednesday night). That was what they showed against Nigeria during the qualifiers,” Le Roy said, in reference to his team’s 3-2 triumph over the Super Eagles in Calabar. When asked what was behind his team’s success against the Panthers of Gabon, the former Ghana and DR Congo coach chose Nigeria as response once more. “Look, we are a young and unexposed team but right from the qualifying campaign my players proved that they can get to places. Imagine we were the only team who went to beat Nigeria on their home turf in Calabar after many decades. No other team had gone to Nigeria and defeat the Super Continues on Page 59

TUSSLE..Mali’s forward Bakary Sako (L) vie with Cote d’ Ivoire’s Tiemoko Ismael Diomande (R) during the 2015 African Cup of Nations group D football match between Ivory Coast and Mali in Malabo. It ened 1-1 . Photo: AFP.

FA Cup shocker: Chelsea, Man City suffer humbling defeats

HELSEA were sensationally dumped out of the English FA Cup yesterday, by lowly Bradford

with a 4-2 thumping. This was just as Middlesbrough handed Premier League champions Manchester City a 2-0 shock

win at the Ethihad Stadium. Bradford’s brilliantly responded from two goals down to win 4-2 at Stamford

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)

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)

Bridge to confirm Jose Mourinho’s assertion that it Chelsea reject Filipe Morais levelled the fourth-round tie with Continues on Page 59

FA Cup Results 1

8 9

10 11

22 23

13 14

15 16

30 31 34

Blackburn Rovers Birmingham City Cardiff City Chelsea Derby County Man City Preston Southampton Sunderland Tottenham Pillars Flying Eagles

Ivory Coast 37

See solution on page 5

Congo Gabon

v v

3 Swansea 1 West Brom 1 Reading 2 Bradford 2 Chesterfield 0 Middlesbrough 1 Sheffield Utd 2 Crystal Palace 0 Fulham 1 Leicester City Glo Super 4: 2 Dolphins 2 Enyimba Afcon 2015 Result 1 Mali Today’s matches Burkina Faso Equatorial Guinea

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

7pm 7pm

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