Battle with Gun-Runners in Niger State: Army officer, 8 solidiers, two air forec men shot dead

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PAGE 2—SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 

State of the Nation: Fr r Mbaka a absolves Buhari, 

•Another cleric sends Saraki to President: 

blames Jonathan 

By Emeka Mamah, Enugu 

Fiery Enugu Catholic priest, 

Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has 

predicted bleak future for the 

country, saying that many 

Nigerians would die in the 

present economic meltdown. 

He, however, said that 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari was not responsible for 

the hunger in the country, 

blaming his predecessor, Dr. 

Goodluck Jonathan, for the 

situation. 

Mbaka, who was reacting to 

media reports about his 

scathing remarks on the high 

level of hunger in the country as 

well as the implications for 

Buhari’s second term election, 

said Jonathan’s administration 

was responsible for the myriads 

of problems facing the country. 

In a statement entitled, “Fr. 

Mbaka’s assertion `There is 

hunger in Nigeria’: Not an 

attack on President Buhari”, 

Mbaka, yesterday, denied ever 

bashing Buhari for the country’s 

economic problems or the level 

of suffering in the country. 

The cleric had been quoted in 

a sermon on Wednesday as 

saying Nigerians were hungry 

as a result of Buhari’s economic 

policies, saying the President 

would lose the 2019 polls if the 

situation persisted. The 

statement came against the 

backdrop of Mbaka’s position 

ahead of the 2015 polls in favour 

of Buhari. 

The statement, yesterday, 

signed by Mbaka’s spokesman, 

Maximus Ike Ugwuoke, said he 

observed with keen concern the 

news trending in some sections of 

the media that he “attacked” 

Buhari. 

“The news headline is not only 

sensational but also a censorious 

media colouration and hype of the 

message of the cleric titled, “Bless 

and Be Blessed” for whatever 

ends”, the statement said. 

The statement explained that 

although Mbaka lamented the 

high level of hunger and suffering 

in the country, it was followed by 

another message where he said 

Buhari was not responsible for the 

situation but the previous 

administration. 

It pointed out that the 

controversial message was 

followed by another one entitled, 

“Mega Change of Conditions” , 

saying the second message 

absolved Buhari of blames about 

the economy and hunger in the 

country. 

“There is sword that is moving 

about in the country. People are 

dying like flies. The sword of 

Hunger is eating the land. And as I 

have told you, this is just the 

beginning. If anybody is telling you 

it is going to be well very soon that 

person is deceiving you. This is 

because many of us were among 

those that were alive during the 

years of the past government. The 

past PDP government was like the 

grasshoppers and locusts 

(regimes to Nigerian). The past 

government was a disaster to the 

land of Nigeria; the past 

government was cancer to this 

country. There is no need trying 

to cover their incalculable and 

iniquitous mess. If you don’t feel 

it now, you will feel it later”, the 

statement said. 

Hunger is everywhere; the 

hunger was created before this 

new government came in. 

Buhari is not the maker of the 

hunger. 

“The hunger was created 

during the Jonathan’s PDP 

administration but Buhari 

should abate the long 

procrastination, bureaucracy 

and slow methods in tackling it. 

PDP is gasping —Obasanjo 

•Explains presence at venue of party’s event 

•Restates that he has quit partisan politics 

By Daud Olatunji, 

Abeokuta 

Former President, 

Chief Olusegun 

Obasanjo, on 

Saturday denied attending 

the Peoples Democratic Party 

, PDP, event at the Shehu Musa 

Yar’adua Centre, Abuja , 

saying it was an attempt to 

drag him back to the party he 

had left. 

Obasanjo said he had left 

the party when it was alive and 

bubbling, and, therefore, he 

could not have rejoined now 

when the party was divided, 

factionalised and gasping 

for breath. 

Obasanjo, while reacting to 

a photo news which went viral 

on social media, where he 

was alleged to have attended 

a PDP event held in Abuja. It 

was published by some media 

organisations. 

But, Obasanjo, while 

reacting to the issue in a 

statement titled “ Photonews 

story of Obasanjo “spotted “at 

PDP event, declared: “Believe 

it and believe that your mother 

is not a woman “, maintained 

that he was invited by the 

Commodities Association 

Stakeholders. 

The statement, signed by his 

media aide , Kehinde 

Akinyemi, and made 

available to newsmen, said 

his first reaction to the news 

was that those behind it 

targeted to get him annoyed 

and embarrass him. The 

statement read in part: “His 

conclusion was that he has 

told the world that he has quit 

partisan politics and that is 

final. Anybody hoping to drag 

him back will fail like any 

man feeding mice to a dead 

cat. “Those who know me, 

know that I have publicly 

announced my quitting 

partisan politics and those 

There is hunger in the land 

“That is why I have been saying and I 

keep on saying that the past administration 

should publicly come to apologize to 

Nigerians. “He, therefore maintained that 

contrary to media reports, Fr. Mbaka merely 

reiterated the obvious sufferings that 

Nigerian are facing (which even the 

president himself had at points 

acknowledged and sued for patience and 

perseverance) and advised the president on 

the ways to tackle it, that is, by engaging 

economic gurus and listening to good 

advisers. 

Message background 

“In the background of the message, Fr. 

Mbaka encouraged the gallant warrior, 

President Buhari, to continue his battle 

against corruption and insurgency asserting 

that if not a man like President Buhari, by 

now people may have stopped going to 

church and mosques. Boko Haram might 

have wrecked this country. People might have 

equally stopped going to schools, markets 

etc. kudos to Buhari. 

“Fr. Mbaka revealed that corruption, 

insurgency and poor governance by past 

governments gave birth to three horrible 

children (1) Hunger (2) Anger (3) Danger”. 

Nigerians are hungry: Cleric sends 

Saraki to Buhari 

Meanwhile, a cleric has sent Senate 

President Abubakar Bukola Saraki to 

President Muhammadu Buhari, saying the 

President should be told that there is hunger 

and suffering in the country. The Vicar and 

Archdeacon of Ikoyi Diocese, Anglican 

Church, said Buhari should move fast to 

address the concerns of the people. 

In his sermon at the funeral service for the 

late Dr. Ebenezer Aboyowa Ikomi, held at Our 

Saviour’s Church, Tafawa Balewa Square, 

Lagos, yesterday, Oyetunde said the economic 

situation is making Nigerians feel their lives 

have only changed for the worse and that 

government is not doing enough to address the 

situation. According to him, there is mass 

unemployment, inflation and hunger in the 

country up to the point that “Nigerians now 

really feed from the dustbin”. 

He warned that it might get to a point that 

political leaders in the country will not be able 

to walk freely on the streets. 

The bad economy, which is not receiving 

good attention, he stated, has created other social 

and political problems which are making the 

entire country unsafe for residents and visitors. 

Oyetunde noted the presence of the number 

three citizen in the congregation, saying there 

was certainty that the message would get to the 

President and could propel some positive 

actions that will change the course of things for 

better for the people. 

The cleric believed the Senate, led by Saraki, 

and the entire National Assembly ought to 

work with Buhari and also involve other 

Nigerians in the bid to solve the socioeconomic 

problems plaguing the country. 

On the anti-corruption fight, he commended 

the Buhari government but advised it to adopt 

the plea bargain option in which government 

can at least ensure that it gets 70 percent of the 

money stolen and use it for the funding 

infrastructural development and social 

services. 

Journalists at the occasion could not get 

Saraki to respond to the issues raised by the 

cleric. But one of the aides in his entourage 

said the Senate President was worried by the 

who will believe the 

purported story will believe 

anybody who tells him that his 

or her mother is not a woman. 

“If I quit a party when it was 

alive and seemingly united, 

how could I go back to a now 

divided, factionalised party 

gasping for breath? 

“To clear the minds of 

doubting Thomases and those 

behind the orchestrated news 

in circulation and particularly 

those who had been calling to 

ascertain what actually 

happened at the Shehu Musa 

Yar’adua centre is explained 

By Peter Duru, 

Makurdi 

The Chief of the Army Staff, 

Lt. General Tukur Buratai, 

says the army has besieged 

Gbishe in Katsina Ala local 

government area of Benue 

State, in a manhunt for 

Mr.Terwase Agwaza, also 

known as ‘Ghana’, for his 

alleged involvement in series 

of crimes and the murder of 

Mr. Denen Igbana, a former 

Special Assistant to the state 

Governor on Special Security. 

Buratai spoke to reporters 

in Makurdi where he 

attended the rowing out 

ceremony of five retired 

generals of the Nigerian Army 

Corps of Engineers at the 

Nigerian Army School of 

Military Engineers, NASME. 

Represented by Major 

General Lincon Ogunewe, the 

Chief of Policy and Planning, 

Army Headquarters, he stated 

that the military operation was 

intended to restore normalcy 

in the area. 

He said, “It will be a crime 

if we keep quiet in the face of 

the heinous crimes going on 

there, so we will ensure that 

below. 

“On the invitation of t he 

Commodities Association 

Stakeholders, His Excellency, 

was invited to the “Zero 

Hunger Nigeria” event at the 

Centre. He arrived at about 

10.00am and immediately 

moved to the meeting. 

“The meeting commenced 

but few minutes into the 

session, his attention was 

drawn to the presence of some 

people walking up to where 

he was seated. At closer glance, 

he recognised them to be 

politicians and they 

exchanged pleasantries, 

saying they came to greet him 

and they walked out again 

from the meeting. “The former 

President cracked jokes with 

them calling them “invaders 

and gate crashers”, 

“The programme ended 

and immediately he and his 

entourage headed back to 

Lagos. He was barely hours 

in Lagos when he started 

receiving calls from both 

far and near, wanting to 

find out about his presence 

at a political party 

programme in Abuja. 

“The photo news in 

circulation, which claimed 

that he was spotted at a 

political party event is 

therefore mischievous, as a 

responsible journalist 

ought to have gone 

further to ascertain his 

actual destination in and 

among the number of 

venues at the centre and 

Army launches manhunt for Benue notorious killer 

all the masterminds of the 

crimes were arrested and 

brought to justice.” 

Corroborating the 

development, the state 

government, in a statement by 

the Secretary to the State 

Government, SSG, Dr. Bem 

Melladu, said the action 

followed the refusal of 

Akwaza to report to the police 

to answer charges of murder, 

kidnappings, and armed 

robbery level against him. 

Part of the statement read, 

“The operation was approved 

by the State Security Council. 

Security reports have linked 

Mr. Akwaza with the 

The new subscriber 

acquisition report 

released by the telecom 

industry regulator for June 

has shown that Globacom 

soared above other telecoms 

operators in the country. 

Globacom repeated the feat 

by pulling a total of 

26,628,065 data users in the 

month which is a departure 

from the 26,355,391 it had in 

May, showing an additional 

High Chief Raymond Dokpesi (left) and Tanko Yakassai, when the former’s 

campaign team visited the elder statesman in Kano at the weekend. 

From left: Dr. Nato Ofo, President/Chairman of Governing Council, Institute of 

Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria[ICSAN], giving Award of 

Appreciation to Mr. Augustine Alegeh, President, Nigeria Bar Association[NBA]/ 

Guest Speaker ; and Mrs. Nkechi Onyenso, Registrar and CEO, ICSAN, during 

the 15th Inst6itute Induction of Members, in Lagos. Photo: Bunmi Azeez 

statements of the Archdeacon, “who was 

obviously speaking the minds of the 

ordinary citizens”. The aide, however, 

said it was unfortunate that while 

Oyetunde spoke to the Senate President 

assassination of Mr Denen 

Igbana, Senior Special 

Assistant to the Governor on 

Special Security, five Civilian 

Joint Task Force members in 

Ukum local government area 

and several killings as well as 

the kidnap of the Dangote 

Cement Company Indian 

workers. 

“The operation is part of the 

second phase of the Amnesty 

programme of the 

government which is the stick 

approach after the carrot 

strategy had expired. Mr 

Akwaza had shunned 

invitations by the police hence 

the operations became 

imperative.” 

Confirming the 

development, the state 

Commissioner of Police, Mr. 

Bashir Makama, said the 

operation was intended to 

check the spate of killings, 

kidnapping and various 

crimes allegedly being 

perpetrated in parts of the 

state by the gang. 

“The police and sister 

security agencies would not 

allow any individual or group 

of persons take laws into their 

hands with impunity and by 

so doing create a state of 

lawlessness in the state”, he 

stated. 

Glo soars s in June interne 

ernet t subscriber acquisition report 

272,674 new data 

subscribers. The telecoms 

company gained only 49,124 

new data users in April 

Airtel trailed behind with 

a total of 17,325,423 

subscribers in June as against 

the 17,280,089 new 

subscribers it had in May. The 

figures showed that Airtel 

increased its data users by 

45,334. 

MTN Nigeria recorded a 

as the number three citizen with the 

responsibility to find solutions to the 

problems, the reality on ground is that 

the executive and legislature were not 

working together as they should. 

not taking photograph of 

his alighting from his 

vehicle to read another 

meaning. 

“ Shocking, also, is to 

note that the picture was 

actually taken while on his 

way out of the Centre after 

the programme he had 

attended had finished. 

“This is the height of 

irresponsible journalism, 

which the former President 

is calling for its 

investigation and sanction 

on anybody involved in 

order to serve as deterrent 

to others who may want to 

be used, either by omission 

or commission, to 

misinform the public on 

such sensitive issue”, the 

statement concluded 

loss of 134,609 in June in the 

period under review. The 

company pulled a total of 

32,974,177 as against the 

33,108,786 internet users it 

recorded in May. 

Etisalat was worst hit. A 

total of 254,511 left the 

network in the same period. 

The company garnered a 

total of 15,253,513 data users 

down from the 15,508,024 

internet users it had in May.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 — PAGE 3 

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PAGE 4 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 

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NIGER BATTLE WITH GUN RUNNERS 

Army officer, 8 soldiers, two air force men shot dead 

•8 suspected bandits also killed, 57 arrested 

By Kingsley Omonobi, 

Abuja 

An army officer, eight 

soldiers and two 

airforce men were killed, 

yesterday, when suspected 

armed bandits and gun 

runners opened fire on them 

as they went on a search and 

recovery operation in three 

communities in Niger State. 

During the confrontation, 

eight suspected bandits and 

gun runners were shot dead 

by troops while 57 others were 

arrested. Two soldiers were 

missing in action. 

A statement on the 

operation, signed by Col. Sani 

Usman, Acting Director, 

Army Public Relations, last 

night, said the battle ensued 

following covert surveillance 

and intelligence reports on the 

activities of some gun runners 

and armed bandits in Kopa, 

Dagma and Gagaw villages 

of Bosso Local Government 

Area, Niger State. 

Consequently, according to 

him, troops of 31 Artillery 

Brigade, 1 Division Nigerian 

Army, in conjunction with 

Nigeria Air Force detachment 

on Internal Security 

Operation MESA, went on 

“quick cordon and search in 

the affected areas to recover 

suspected weapon cache and 

arrest” the suspected persons 

and the armed bandits. 

“Contrary to statements 

attributed to some 

questionable vested interests, 

Enugu Children hail Ugwuanyi over Passage 

of Child Rights Bill into law 

By Francis Igata, 

Enugu 

It was an exciting 

experience and a major 

breakthrough for children of 

Enugu State, as the State House 

of Assembly finally passed the 

long awaited Child Rights and 

Responsibility Bill into law. 

The Bill, which would protect 

and care for the well-being of 

the children of Enugu State, 

taking into account the rights 

and duties of the parents, legal 

guardians and other bodies 

legally responsible for the child, 

was presented by Gov. Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi’s Administration as 

an Executive Bill and sponsored 

by the leader of the House, Hon. 

Ikechukwu Ezeugwu. 

The Executive Bill was sequel 

to a passionate appeal to the 

governor by the children of the 

state under the auspices of “The 

Enugu State Children’s 

Parliament” for the passage of 

the Child Rights Bill into law in 

the State by the state legislature. 

While announcing the 

passage of the Bill, the Speaker 

the troops were on legitimate 

official duty aimed at 

safeguarding lives and 

property in the area”, Usman 

said. 

The army spokesman 

narrated: “While 

approaching and deploying 

to carry out their lawful duty, 

the troops came under 

simultaneous and sporadic 

shootings in all the three 

locations. “They, however, 

responded as necessary in line 

with the rules of engagement. 

“Sadly, an officer and eight 

soldiers of the Nigerian Army 

and two airmen of the Nigeria 

Air Force lost their lives in the 

line of national duty. 

“Additionally, one soldier is 

still missing while two of their 

colleagues were seriously 

wounded. “The suspected gun 

runners and armed bandits 

also burnt down four 

operational vehicles and 

vandalized two others. 

According to Usman, the 

troops also carted away four 

AK-47 rifles and one Fabrique 

Nationale (FN) rifle 

belonging to the deceased 

soldiers. He went on: “The 

By Emma Amaize, Regional 

Editor, South-South & Perez 

Brisibe 

THE Niger Delta Avengers, 

NDA, this morning, 

responded to a reported split 

of the group, saying it was 

untrue. The militant group in 

a retort at 8.21 am to 

of the House, Chief Edward 

Uchenna Ubosi, thanked 

Governor Ugwuanyi for his 

passion and bold initiative. 

Reacting to the development, 

the Speaker of Enugu State 

Children’s Parliament, Miss 

Winifred Madubuko, described 

the passage of the Bill as a 

positive development and a 

dream come through, saying 

that “the struggle that had 

started in Enugu for a very long 

time ago has come to an end.” 

According to her: “On behalf 

of the children of Enugu State, 

troops also killed eight of the 

armed bandits and arrested 

57 others. “They also 

recovered large quantity of 

arms and ammunition. The 

recovered items include three 

AK-47 rifles,10 Local AK-47 

rifles, 9 locally made pistols, 

six revolver guns, which fires 

7.62mm (special 

ammunition), 45 loaded dane 

guns, 10 clubs and cudgels, 41 

arrows, 18 bow cases, 122 

cutlasses and machetes as 

well as 20 daggers. 

“ Other items recovered 

include 31 axes, 63 rounds of 

7.62 (special) ammunition, 10 

Bajaj motorcycles, assorted 

charms and amulets, two 

vehicles, 38 mobile telephone 

handsets, a wristwatch, 5 

identity cards, passport 

photographs, cash sum of 

N23,870.00k, 5 Japanese Yen 

and 35 different 

denominations of old 

Nigerian currency. 

“Also recovered were 15 

catapults, eight torch lights, 

two gun powder bottles, 4 

empty cases of ammunition 

and 41 cartridges. 

“The troops also seized a 

we say a very big thank you to 

His Excellency, Governor 

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu 

State for keeping to his promise. 

Earlier, the Joint Committee 

Chairman, Hon. Mrs. Omeje- 

Ogbu, representing Nsukka 

West Constituency, while 

presenting the report said that 

the Joint Committee conducted 

a three day Public hearing on 

the bill in which about 8000 

people attended. 

She explained that the Joint 

Committee recommended 

several amendments, which 

were considered in the overall 

interest of the children. 

military waist belt and a pair 

of military combat boots. 

“It is important to stress that 

the nefarious activities of the 

gun runners and the armed 

bandits has direct bearing 

with the influx of weapons and 

general insecurity in some 

parts of the Federal Capital 

Territory and the North-West 

geo-political zone of the 

country. “The same gun 

runners have been confirmed 

to be the suppliers of arms to 

armed robbery gangs that 

were involved in series of 

armed robbery attacks along 

Minna-Bida Road and 

environs”. The Army 

spokesman disclosed that 

although the situation is under 

control, the military will not 

rest on its oars until all those 

involved are arrested and 

brought to justice. 

“ The military will continue 

to deal with any violent threat 

to our national security”, he 

stated. “ All law abiding 

citizens are enjoined to go 

about their lawful duties as the 

cordon and search operation 

continues in the general area 

and if necessary expand to 

other identified areas to keep 

our people safe.” 

DISASTER WAITING 

TO HAPPEN! 

No crack in our group –Avengers 

•IPDI blames MEND, urges NDA to list 

preliminary conditions for dialogue 

Vanguard inquiry, said: “The 

NDA is too busy at the 

moment to be distracted by 

people like Jude Kekyll, he is 

NDDC BOARD: Delta APC leaders clears 

air on impasse trailing nomination 

THE Concerned Delta APC 

Leaders has described the 

impasse trailing one of the 

nominees of the Niger Delta 

Development Commission, 

NDDC board representing the 

state as unwarranted in a light 

that portrays Deltans as a people 

that are disagreeable, disunited 

and who lack the ability to 

understand the dynamics of the 

politics of the day. 

The party leaders in a 

statement signed by Leonard 

Obibi, Emmanuel Pippa and 

Aghogho Badaseraye explained 

that the agitations by some 

members of the party could not 

be sustained because there is no 

legal basis for their demands. 

Applauding President 

Muhammadu Buhari for the 

nomination, the group stated that 

the nomination of Engr. 

Ajenakevwe Adjogbe was in 

accordance with the provisions 

of the NDDC Act, adding that 

the numerous board 

appointments made by President 

Buhari till date, had not been 

anchored on the basis of tribe 

alone. 

Giving further explanations on 

the appointment, the leaders 

said: “It is not mandatory that 

the immediate past Executive 

Director Projects, Engr. Tuoyo 

Omatsuli, who is an Itsekiri, 

must be replaced by another 

Itsekiri indigene. Rather, what is 

paramount is that the person so 

nominated must be from an oil 

producing area of the state. 

not part of us and cannot be 

part of us. All our operatives 

are united and we are all 

together.” 

A group, Reformed Niger 

Delta Avengers, RNDA, broke 

out of the Niger Delta 

Avengers, NDA, on Friday, 

and threatened to expose the 

identities of NDA fighters and 

their sponsors if the militant 

group does not stop bombing 

of pipelines. 

The breakaway faction in a 

statement by Cynthia Whyte, 

said it dumped the NDA 

because of the recent personal 

appeal of former President 

Goodluck Jonathan, peace 

efforts of the Movement for 

the Emancipation of the 

Niger Delta, MEND, guilt 

feelings over the damage 

wrecked on the environment 

and President Muhammadu 

Buhari’s demonstrated 

political will to clean up the 

environment. 

“We have decided to join the 

MEND Aaron Team 2 peace 

initiative through the clearing 

house of Niger Delta 

Dialogue and Contact Group 

(NDDCG) headed by HRH 

King Alfred Diette-Spiff,” the 

group said. 

It asserted: “We will also 

cooperate with the 

government by exposing the 

identities of our comrades, 

who remain stubborn in their 

insistence to continue attacks. 

For example, it will shock the 

nation to know the Jekyll and 

Hyde personality behind the 

pseudonym ‘Brigadier 

General Murdoch Agbinibo’ 

and our sponsors.” 

NDA should table 

conditions for dialogue 

Meanwhile, the Ijaw People 

Development Initiative, IPDI, 

yesterday, urged NDA to 

come out with its preliminary 

conditions for dialogue just as 

it condemned the threat by the 

Movement for the 

Emancipation of the Niger 

Delta, MEND, to join forces 

The protective railings for the bridge linking Lagos Island 

with V-Island, from the Army Officers’ Mess end to Bonny 

Camp, has been vandalised, thereby exposing pedestrians to 

grave danger of falling inside the Lagos Lagoon. 

with government to deal with 

the militant group. 

IPDI in a statement by the 

national president, Austin 

Ozobo, said: “Our attention 

has been drawn to the 

preliminary conditions for 

dialogue and purported 

threat to smoke out Niger 

Delta Avengers ,NDA, by the 

defunct Movement For the 

Emancipation of Niger Delta, 

MEND, if NDA fails to 

embrace the proposed 

dialogue with federal 

government.” 

“Our preliminary study of the 

above shows that MEND 

preliminary conditions and 

threat to join government to 

smoke out NDA if they fail to 

embrace dialogue falls below 

expectation. 

“It is a plot to rob the region 

of their genuine struggle as 

they failed to draw all 

inclusive preliminary 

demands such as immediate 

commencement of the 

Nigerian Maritime 

University, Okerenkoko , 

reopening of NIMASA 

Technical College, Okoloba, 

Delta state and acceptance to 

conduct referendum. 

“It did also include release of 

alleged NDA members, 

including Oporoza 10 youths, 

agreement not to harass and 

arrest members of NDA if 

they come out, seizure of 

further military operations 

and arrests pending the final 

resolution of the dialogue, 

agreement to revoke oil blocs 

and greement to implement 

Niger Delta Development 

blue print ,” it said. 

IPDI asserted: “Though, we 

are not against the release of 

Henry Okah, Charles Okah, 

Edmund Ebiware, and others 

but since they were not 

arrested in active struggle, it 

is wrong to have use their 

release as a preliminary 

conditions to begin dialogue 

of Niger Delta demands of 

resource control and selfdetermination.” 

“If MEND is not fighting for 

its affairs, why did it fail to 

include revitalization of 

seaports in Niger Delta and 

relocation of headquarters of 

oil companies to the region? 

“It is also wrong for MEND 

to threaten to join force with 

Nigeria military to fish or 

smoke out Niger Delta 

Avengers if they fail to yield to 

its line of dialogue. This 

exposes the shallow interest of 

miscreants under the banner 

of defunct MEND,” it added. 

“This further shows that they 

are mostly interested on the 

release of their members, who 

are currently undergoing 

detention. MEND definition 

of the current struggle is an 

attempt to undermine the 

evergreen struggle for better 

Niger Delta region. It is an 

attempt to hijack the efforts 

of NDA to free their members 

arrested on issues not 

connected with the struggle. 

“Why MEND decided to 

condemn NDA to the firing 

squad and exonerate their 

members who were arrested 

and detained on account of 

their personal deals and why 

it feels that they are better than 

NDA members beat 

imagination. How did 

MEND expect genuine 

people and NDA to queue 

behind their self-centered 

preliminary conditions for 

dialogue when such 

preliminary demands do 

not guarantee the future of 

the region? The group stated. 

It added: “MEND should 

review its preliminary 

conditions for the proposed 

dialogue, one thing MEND 

should understand is that 

government may decide 

to accept their shallow and 

selfish preliminary 

conditions, but what would 

they do if government fails 

to agree on the real 

demands of the region on 

the course of the dialogue.” 

“MEND is doing another 

injustice to the region. You 

do not just make demands, 

you must consult resources 

persons, you must consider 

tomorrow when making 

preliminary demands. 

MEND preliminary 

conditions fall short of 

expectation and it does not 

represent the general interest 

of Niger Delta people,” IPDI 

said.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016,PAGE 7 

ENDORSEMENT FOR PROF IS-HAQ OLOYEDE 

JAMB ready for revolutionary 

times — Prof. Okebukola 

By Olalekan Bilesanmi 

A 

fresh endorsement 

has come the way of 

the newly appointed Registrar 

of the Joint Admission and 

Matriculation Board, JAMB, 

Professor Is-haq Oloyede, this 

time from the former Executive 

Secretary, National Universities 

Commission, NUC, 

Professor Peter Okebukola. 

In a statement issued during 

the week, the former NUC 

boss stated: 

“With about nine years as 

head of JAMB, Professor Dibu 

Ojerinde has done exceptionally 

well. The transformation 

which he took the Board 

through is huge. He modernised 

the operations of the Board 

at such a dizzying pace that I 

used to fondly call him the 

“magician” in JAMB. I note 

that he worked with exceptional 

directors and I should single 

out Dr. Yusuf Lawal who 

oversees Test Administration. 

“With the appointment of 

Professor Is-haq Oloyede as 

the new Registrar, JAMB is in 

for a revolutionary time in 

terms of delivering more effectively 

on its mandate. Professor 

Oloyede parades excellent 

credentials to lead a whole sector 

like education in Nigeria 

hence asking him to head a 

parastatal in education is like 

asking a 5-star, battle-tested 

general to quell a fight between 

two area boys in Ajegunle! Professor 

Oloyede ran University 

of Ilorin as a model for the 

Nigerian university system and 

served dutifully as Chairman 

of the Association of Vice- 

Chancellors of Nigerian Universities 

and at the continental 

level, as President of the As- 

One killed, nine others injured in Lagos/Ibadan 

auto crash 

•Ogun directs Julius Berger to work at night 

By Bose Adelaja 

ONE person died 

while nine others 

were hospitalized, yesterday, 

when a tanker 

and a truck went up in 

flames on Lagos\Ibadan 

expressway. 

The incident which occurred 

at about 1am at 

Danco area, Ogun State 

also affected a commercial 

vehicle. 

Sunday Vanguard gathered 

that the tanker, laden 

with fuel, with number 

plate, NZM 383 XA, developed 

a tyre problem, 

and in the bid to fix it, 

the truck, with number 

plate, ASF 372 CO, laden 

with granite, rammed 

into it, thus igniting fire. 

While this was ongoing, 

the commercial bus, with 

number plate, KTU 961 

XQ, which driver thought 

he could meander without 

being trapped, was 

also caught up in the inferno 

and nine of his passengers 

were injured 

while another one was 

roasted. 

Also, the Ogun State 

government has expressed 

deep concern about the 

hardship being faced by 

Nigerians who regularly 

commute on the ever-busy 

expressway on account of 

the ongoing reconstruction 

work being undertaken 

by Julius Berger 

Plc. 

It has accordingly directed 

that with effect 

from Monday, August 8, 

2016, the contractor shall 

not work on the Lagos 

Ibadan expressway during 

the peak traffic hours, 

namely from 6am to 

10am and between 4pm 

and 10pm. We encourage 

the contractor to work full 

blast between 10am and 

4pm and also during the 

sociation of African Universities. 

He is a no-nonsense, clearheaded 

scholar who is globally 

consulted on higher education 

matters including issues 

dealing with admitting quality 

students which fit in with the 

JAMB mandate. I am convinced 

that he will smoothen 

the rough edges of the unfortunate 

furore around the 2016 

admission exercise. 

night after 10pm. 

We implore our people 

to remain calm as we 

work round the clock to 

redress the inconveniences. 

A former Acting Managing Director of NDDC, Pastor 

P.Z Aginighan, receiving his APC membership slip 

from his ward chairman in Bomadi LGA, Delta State, 

Mr Beriyai Kernasuobi, during the regularisation of 

his eight months old membership of the party. With 

them are the state APC, Financial Secretary, Mr 

Ebiakpo, Eziebi, Mr Emma Oki, and Chief (Hon.) 

Augustine Seibi JP. 

APC will lose in 2019 — Yakassai 

*Dokpesi opposes zoning of PDP chairmanship to South-West 

By Abiodun Alade 

ELDER statesman, Tan 

ko Yakassai, has said 

that the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, will lose the 

2019 presidential election, 

if the exercise is free and fair. 

The former presidential 

adviser in the Second Republic 

said Nigerians will 

vote out the government of 

the APC because the state of 

poverty and cost of living is 

on the increase. 

“In my opinion, Nigerians 

will vote out APC in 2019 because 

they are complaining 

over the cost of living and 

the rate of poverty is on the 

increase. I don’t see how 

APC will win if they don’t 

manipulate the process” 

He spoke when High Chief 

Raymond Dokpesi led 

members of his campaign 

team to his Kano residence 

to seek his support for the 

position of Chairman of the 

PDP at the forthcoming national 

convention billed for 

Port Harcourt. 

Lamenting the state of 

poverty in the country, he 

said that Nigerians will return 

PDP to power in 2019, 

except the government in 

power engages in malpractices 

during the poll. 

Meanwhile, Dokpesi has 

described as unfortunate the 

decision to ‘micro-zone’ the 

chairmanship position to 

the South-West, saying it is a 

repeat of the mistake that 

led the party to where it is. 

Dokpesi spoke as Kano 

and Jigawa chapters of PDP 

vowed to give their votes to 

him at the National Convention 

of the party.

PAGE 8 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 

C 

M 

YK

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016—9 

By Charles Kumolu 

A FORMER President-General of Trade 

Union Congress, TUC, and erstwhile 

governorship aspirant of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, in Edo State, Mr. 

Peter Esele, in this interview, explains why 

Mr. Godwin Obaseki, his party’s candidate 

in the forthcoming election in the 

state, should be supported to win. 

YOU were among those who vied 

for the All Progressives Congress, 

APC, ticket ahead of the forthcoming 

governorship election in Edo State. Can 

you relate your experience against the 

backdrop of the mixed feelings that 

trailed the exercise? 

The exercise tells much about how our 

democratic system works and how it is 

structured. At the end of the day, the fact 

that I accepted and congratulated the 

winner does not mean that I don’t feel 

that there were some infractions during 

the primary election. The way I am wired 

is that I have to look at the big picture 

and it means that the party structure is 

bigger than individuals. No matter how I 

feel about it, I prefer an APC governor 

than someone from the other party. The 

education I have gotten in this process 

cannot be quantified financially. I know 

the country faces a lot of challenges 

politically but I did not know they were 

that deep. I am talking about our 

structure and value system. I also found 

out that sometimes being intelligent is a 

crime. I have heard some comments 

about people saying ‘I am fantastic and 

good’ but that they can’t guarantee my 

loyalty. At the end, what gives me joy is 

that I was not running for the sake of it. I 

did that for the state because I have a 

blueprint for Edo based on my vision. I 

looked at 20 years from now and the 

challenges that will manifest and how 

the state will be able to take on the 

challenges. My blueprint was on how to 

navigate through that in various areas 

like agriculture, education, IGR, among 

others. All these were the reasons I 

wanted to govern Edo. I really had a 

wonderful experience. 

Were there specific lessons you learnt 

from the exercise that you think do not 

conform to the general principles of 

party primaries? 

We didn’t have access to the delegates. 

Having access to talk to them was 

cumbersome; it was not easy. A lot of 

money was involved in the process and 

every aspirant is guilty of that. Some of 

us were smart enough not to throw in so 

much money in that process. The bottom 

line is for one to ask why so much money 

was being spent. If someone spends so 

much to become a governor, why would 

you complain if he is taking your money 

when elected? In the process of the 

campaign, delegates were pressured; I 

met delegates and had to negotiate with 

those at the top to make it easier for you 

to talk to the delegates. When you finish 

with the delegates, they will tell you they 

have been told who to talk to and not to 

talk to. I don’t think that was democratic 

enough. We also have people who, at the 

end of the day, were pressured. One of the 

things I learned from where I am 

coming from is that no system is perfect. 

In a previous interview, I said that if I 

emerged, I will do a thanksgiving and if 

I didn’t emerge, I will still do same. I 

know Edo better now and their challenges. 

Going to over 190 wards across the 

state provided more knowledge about 

my state. One of the reasons I joined the 

APC is that I want to add value to the 

party. My wish is that Obaseki becomes 

the next governor of the state. 

What informed this wish of seeing 

Obaseki become the next governor? 

The most important thing is that we 

have listened to our flag bearer. We want 

to see our party succeed. The party is 

bigger than individuals. 

Just like my training in the labour 

movement, the way I am wired is that we 

can slug it out, we can debate, we can 

Obaseki is most qualified 

to be next Edo governor 

— Esele 

•Mr. Peter Esele 

argue, but, at the end of the day, we 

must not lose sight of the fact that we 

need the platform, the APC.I think it is 

something we have to address, but my 

appeal to most of our people is: 

Politics is not a race. So, the fact that 

you did not get what you wanted today 

does not mean you won’t get it 

tomorrow. What I have always said is 

that when you see a society where 

people are preoccupied with primordial 

sentiments, such as ‘it is our turn,’ it 

means there is no equity in development. 

If there is equity, you won’t hear 

people saying that. 

So, those who are complaining in 

Edo Central have the right to do so. 

Their complaint is justified. So, it is 

now left for the party leadership to 

look at these complaints objectively 

and see how to assuage their feelings. 

For me, I think that is important. The 

attitude of politicians, who think of 

their interests and not how to put food 

on the table of the people, is dangerous 

for Edo and Nigeria in general. A 

society where politicians reduce 

governance to individual interest will 

sooner or later fall apart. I think the 

challenge right now is for people to 

look beyond that narrow angle. It is 

also up to the party to assuage the 

feelings of the people of Edo Central. 

Sincerely speaking, I have always 

By Gabriel Enogholase, Benin 

In this interview with Don Pedro 

Obaseki, he speaks on why he pulled out 

of Edo State All Progressives Congress 

(APC) governorship primary, and his 

decision to support Pastor Osagie Ize- 

Iyamu, the PDP candidate in the 

September 10 election in the state and 

maternal cousin, against the wish of his 

family. 

WHEN you took the decision 

not to participate in the APC 

governorship primaries, what was 

actually on your mind? 

Actually, it was a very painful decision 

and my decision to run for the 

governorship was also originally based 

on my belief that it was time for people 

to step forward and rescue the state. I 

looked at things from a broader 

perspective. But I find out that in 

politics, it is a different ballgame. 

There is a feeling that the failure 

to pick the deputy governorship 

candidate from Edo North where 

you come from does not reflect 

equity and such may work against 

the APC at the polls. What do you 

think about that? 

The people of Edo Central are not 

comfortable. I think it is something 

we also have to look at. But my 

appeal to most of them is: Politics is 

not a race, politics is a marathon. So, 

the fact that you did not get what you 

want today does not mean you won’t 

get it tomorrow. 

What I have always said is that; 

when you see a society where people 

are talking about ‘it has to be my 

turn’ or ‘it has to be our turn’, what 

you will need to also look at is that 

there is no equity in the development. 

If there is equity in the development, 

you won’t hear people saying ‘it is my 

turn’ or ‘our turn’. So, for those who 

are complaining in Edo Central, they 

have the right to complain. So, it is 

now left for the party leadership to 

look at these complaints objectively 

and see how to assuage their feelings. 

I think that is important. What I will 

also tell them is; it is not a matter of 

individuals’ position. You know, most 

times, when we talk about these things, 

even if Peter Esele is deputy governor 

today, the first thing is that Peter Esele 

is from Edo Central. If I was governor 

today, one thing is clear: How do we 

ensure that he brings development, 

employment? I think that should be the 

focal point. I have always grown to 

look at things from that perspective. 

How do you put food on our table? 

Since I started this journey into politics, 

I found out that it mainly doesn’t put 

food on our table. And that is very 

dangerous for Edo and also dangerous 

for our country, because a situation 

whereby we have now reduced governance 

to an individual aspect of it, 

where everybody now thinks only of 

‘my own’, and not ‘our own’, it is a 

matter of fact that society will fall 

apart. I think that is the challenge right 

now; that people should look beyond 

that narrow angle. And it is also for the 

party to assuage the feelings of the 

Central. 

What do you think your party should 

do to assuage the feelings of those in 

the Central? 

I have always looked at things from a 

broader perspective but I find out that, 

in politics, it is a different ball game. 

What I have learned in all of these 

things, and my years of experience of 

leading people is that, if they tell you 

anything, you can be sure eight over 10 

will be right. But, in my political 

journey, I found out that if they tell you 

something, you will be lucky if two is 

right out of the 10. And they are so 

proud of it. And that is the danger 

because that is a signal you are sending 

to the young ones. That yes we play 

politics and it is acceptable to lie. It is 

acceptable to manipulate. It is acceptable 

to do whatever you want as long 

as you get what you want. To me, that is 

wrong. So, Edo Central has a case 

because what we have is a tripod. We 

have Edo South, we have Edo North 

and we have the Central. One of the 

legs of the tripod is gone and then what 

are you now using to assuage the 

feelings before September 10, 2016? 

That is why I need to come in. As an 

individual, what I try to do is to let the 

people see a broader aspect of it. And I 

am also going to sit down with our flag 

bearer. I will also let him have my view 

and what I think we should do because 

the campaign in the Central right now 

is that the APC really doesn’t care 

about them. But, that may not be 

entirely correct. We need to do something 

that will make sure the people 

don’t feel that way. So, it is now left 

for us in the APC to go ahead and 

convince them on the direction they 

want to take people from the Central 

to. 

Why I want Ize-Iyamu to be governor, 

by Don Pedro Obaseki 

believe that we should change the 

wrong notion that politics is for the 

never-do-wells and insincere people. 

What actually led to my withdrawal 

from the APC primaries was that when I 

got to Abuja, I sensed that the primaries 

would be rigged. I pulled out of the 

primaries because it was not all about 

winning, but letting people know that 

they have choices and that is why I 

started shopping for other parties that 

might give me a chance to run. 

Principal among the parties was the 

YDP, Labour Party which actually gave 

me honorary membership card and 

Accord Party. I looked at the YDP, it is a 

party for the future, I looked at Labour, 

there were too many hiccups; Accord 

Party, their structure was just coming up, 

so, I decided to settle for Accord Party. 

My belief was that I would run and 

•Don Pedro Obaseki 

going forward, I never knew that we will 

get to where we are today. As fate would 

have it, the Accord people met me and we 

went to the National Headquarters of the 

party in Abuja, completed all the formalities 

and offered the nomination since I 

Continued on Page 11

PAGE 10 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016 

2016 ELECTION: Who is the Best Man for Edo? 

By Christian Oronsaye 

HISTORY plays a role and shapes 

our future. Today, I share with you 

my interactions with the two leading 

candidates for the Edo State gubernatorial 

election, Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Godwin 

Obaseki. 

Firstly, it was around 2001-2002 that I 

first met Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. We had 

gone to appeal to him concerning the 

closure of Ambrose Alli University (AAU). 

For those of you who cannot remember, 

AAU was closed down after students 

legitimately protested against Management 

high-handedness and, in the process, 

cornered a Coca Cola truck. We asked for 

his intervention to support the re-opening 

of our school. He told us that AAU students 

were bad; that we were thieves, cultists and 

never-do-well. Based on that flawed 

generalisation, he said he supported the 

decision of the governor on the closure of 

AAU as a punishment for our misconduct 

and “SINS”. 

While the government of the day was 

using the conduct of the students as an 

excuse, the real reason for the closure was 

lack of funds to pay staff of AAU. As you all 

know - and as a direct consequence of this 

action – we, the students, at that time lost 

over two years of our lives to this unnecessary 

and unwarranted closure. That 

memory never left me! 

Again in 2004, after I was elected as 

President of the Law Students Association, 

I embarked on an audacious and daring 

task to honor our first and foremost Dean 

of the Faculty of Law, the late Professor 

D.O. Aihie. Aihie - as Dean and, later, Vice 

Chancellor of the then Bendel State 

University (now AAU) - saw the formation 

and growth of the Faculty of Law. His 

legacies and achievements are overwhelming. 

As at that time, it was 10 years post 

death, so we thought about hosting a 

lecture and dinner in his honor. We wanted 

to do this so that the labor of our heroes 

past will not be in vain. We wanted to show 

others - his family, the school 

community…and so on…that we were 

proud of his time as Dean and, later, Vice 

Chancellor. Several speakers were selected 

for this event and Osagie Ize-Iyamu was 

one of them. He was selected because of 

his profession as a lawyer and then a 

possible role model for would-be lawyers. 

As President, I personally went to his office 

with an invitation letter, and also asking 

for his support towards the program. After 

waiting for several hours, He came out, 

reviewed the letter, asked questions and 

then told me that he didn’t think the late 

Aihie achieved anything worth celebrating. 

I explained to him that the very foundation 

of excellence at the Law Faculty was laid 

by this same Aihie, and that - in any case - 

this was worth celebrating. In fact, our 

theme was “For Our Today, He Gave Us 

His Yesterday”. At that point he lost his 

temper and asked me to leave his office. 

As far as he was concerned, who was I to 

argue with an SSG? He made me sadder 

than I came in. Not only did he demonize 

my school, HE SHATTERED THE 

LEGACIES OF OUR HERO, AIHIE. 

Mind you, the same document I gave to 

him was the same that I gave to Prof. 

Sagay, the Ugbesias (who overwhelmingly 

supported the event), Tony Anenih, etc. 

They were, indeed, very delighted; at last, 

someone had found the courage to honor 

an author of excellence. Now fast-forward 

to 2007, I graduated from the Law School 

and emerged as the Law School all-time 

best - breaking all records previously held 

before me. I graduated with a first class 

honor, the first student from AAU and Edo 

State to make that history at the Nigerian 

Law School. Yes, I was from AAU, a school 

that Ize-Iyamu and his government 

characterized as a school for thieves, thugs, 

prostitutes and the never-do-well. That 

year, my set at the Law School will never 

forget the standard set by AAU students at 

the Nigeria Law School. Even Lucky 

Igbinedion - the then governor who 

claimed AAU was no good, shut down our 

•Ize-Iyamu 

school, made us lose two years of our school 

lives – praised my success as part of his 

achievements in office. 

In November 2007, the late President of 

EGHOSA OLD BOYS ASSOCIATION 

(EGHOBA), Dr. Ekhator, invited me to 

receive an award. At the award ceremony, I 

was honored alongside Godwin Obaseki. 

That was the first time I met Obaseki in 

person although I had heard about him, 

particularly because I was working in a 

leading law firm and had had the opportunity 

to be the Lawyer Advising the Buyers of 

some assets where AFRINVEST, a company 

founded by Obaseki, was the Financial 

Adviser. In fact, at that time, the major 

Financial Advisers on big-ticket transactions 

were either Afrinvest or Vetiva Capital. After 

By Gabriel Enogholase, Benin 

AUCHI, the headquarters of Etsako 

West Local Government Area, was the 

first port of call for the Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP) governorship candidate in the 

September 10 Edo State governorship 

election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The 

choice of Auchi, the senatorial district of 

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, which came 

few days after the party had, in Benin, 

flagged off its governorship campaign was 

strategic. The party could have moved to 

Edo Central to kick start the campaign, but 

it appeared the PDP chose to complete the 

most arduous of its tasks and settled for the 

local government many considered as a 

stronghold of the All Progressives Congress 

(APC). 

Many wanted to see the impact the PDP 

and its candidate, Ize-Iyamu, would make 

and the crowd they would pull in Oshiomhole’s 

base. Those who had thought the 

PDP and its candidate would go home 

disappointed that day may as well have 

gone home disappointed. The venue, the 

Ikelebe Sports Complex, was filled to the 

brim. Thousands of people thronged the 

venue of the flag off which had in attendance 

PDP leaders such as the Edo State 

Chairman, Dan Orbih, Chief Raymond 

Dokpesi, Chief Tom Ikimi, Senator Yisa 

Braimah, Chief Mike Ogiadomhe and 

Alhaji Kashitu Ozeto, Jaret Tenebe, among 

others. 

The PDP went for Oshiomhole’s jugular 

the moment the noise, merriment and music 

gave way tp speeches. Ize-Iyamu told the 

enthusiastic crowd that he played the 

leading role in ensuring that an Etsako man 

in the person of Oshiomhole became 

governor of Edo for the first time, adding 

that it was time for the Etsako to repay him 

•Godwin Obaseki 

I received my award, Obaseki, in spite of his 

wealth and standing, walked over to where I 

was with humility, congratulated me and 

gave me his card and personal email 

address. In his words, “would you like to join 

my team? Send me your resume before 

Wednesday so I can get an interview 

scheduled for you”. He didn’t bother himself 

about the school I attended or who I was or 

where I came from. Rather, he saw excellence 

and wanted to reward excellence. I was 

invited for the interview, hired and then I 

turned it down after I spoke with my mentor 

about my plans for the future. The offer was 

mouth-watering, and even higher than the 

pay I was receiving then, with perks that 

would drive you crazy. Obaseki called me 

some days later when he heard that I turned 

down the offer. He asked me if I wanted 

more pay so that I will join his team, but I 

explained to him about my plans and he 

welcomed the idea, and then wished me 

good luck. After that time, I saw him several 

times at meetings and public functions. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I put before you 

two candidates; one Ize-Iyamu who had the 

opportunity to reward excellence but rather 

chose to demonize AAU and destroyed every 

fabric of our hero, Prof. Aihie, and the other, 

OBASEKI, who had the opportunity and 

took it to reward excellence. Won’t you 

rather vote OBASEKI than an Ize-Iyamu? 

For those of you who know me, I promote 

and support excellence. I SUPPORT 

GODWIN OBASEKI as GOVERNOR For 

EDO STATE! 

ON EDO PDP CAMPAIGN TRAIL: 

The day Ize-Iyamu stormed Oshiomhole’s district 

by helping him win the September 10 

election. “Let me say that when Adams 

Oshiomhole came after going to PDP, 

ANPP and the Labour Party, he told us that 

we should allow him to become the first 

governor from Edo North. I challenge any 

Edo APC leader to say they influenced the 

governorship seat to Edo North. I stand 

among the first three, who said it must be 

Edo North.” 

In his remark, Orbih, who accused 

Oshiomhole of dividing Edo North, noted 

that the governor was guilty of picking out 

Etsako West Local Government Area for 

development among the six local government 

areas in the area, even as he added 

that in Etsako West Council, the governor 

only focused on his native Iyamho village, 

which he said is just one of the 28 villages 

that make up the Uzaire clan. Senator 

Braimah, who also spoke, said denying the 

PDP the usage of the Samuel Ogbemudia 

Stadium for its campaign flag off amounted 

to abuse of office. 

After the zonal flag off, the PDP moved to 

the six local government areas in Edo 

North, highlighting the failures of the 

Oshiomhole administration and encouraging 

the people to “change the negative 

change” they said was imposed on the 

nation by the APC. At Agenebode, Imegbai 

and Okpella in Etsako East Local Government 

Area, Ize-Iyamu said the community, 

situated at the bank of the River Niger, 

ought to be a tourist centre and a rich 

commercial hub. He regretted that the only 

tertiary institution in the town, College of 

Agriculture, Agenebode, has been neglected, 

saying the state government had not 

developed the college in eight years. 

At Ekperi, in Etsako Central Local 

Government Area, the PDP candidate 

spoke against the backdrop of an alleged 

refusal of Oshiomhole to honour a pledge 

made to Muslims in the state that he would 

nominate one of them as running mate to 

his party’s governorship candidate. He 

therefore assured the Muslims in Edo that 

their interest would be well taken care of if 

elected governor. He introduced his 

running mate, Hon. John Yakubu, to the 

crowd, saying under their leadership, local 

governments would function effectively in 

the provision of markets, renovation of 

schools and building of roads, “unlike the 

current situation whereby funds meant for 

councils are swallowed by the Government 

House”. The Ize-Iyamu campaign train 

also touched down at Anegbete and Fugar, 

the headquarters of the local government. 

Perhaps PDP had little challenge delivering 

their message in Owan East, Owan West 

and Akoko-Edo local government areas. 

The message was that of neglect and 

abandonment by the Oshiomhole’s 

administration. The party particularly 

challenged the APC leadership and 

Oshiomhole to explain to the people of the 

local governments the reason it did not 

consider someone from Akoko-Edo, Owan 

East or Owan West running mate to its 

governorship candidate, Godwin Obaseki. 

According to the PDP, the governor has 

consistently showed disdain for other 

groups in Edo North apart from his 

kinsmen in Uzaire. 

Orbih said Oshiomhole had boasted that 

he was working on a plan to perfect the 

rigging of the governorship election in 

conjunction with INEC officials, police, 

army and other security agencies. He said it 

was morally wrong for Oshiomhole to use 

state funds to build a university in his 

hometown, accusing the governor of 

spending over N18 billion on the university.

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016—11 

ONDO 2016 SUCCESSION ISSUE: 

Eyitayo Jegede answers 

By Femi Adepoju 

AS the Ondo State governor 

ship election inches closer, 

the arena is getting prepared, 

spectators are, with tip-toe expectancy, 

ready to throw their caps in 

the air to cheer, even as the 

gladiators are sharpening their 

weapons, testing their armours 

and flexing their muscles... 

One of the gladiators is Eyitayo 

Jegede, a Senior Advocate of 

Nigeria who was, until recently, 

the Attorney General and Justice 

Commissioner in Ondo State. He 

resigned his appointment on 

Friday, July 22, 2016 to pursue 

his ambition in the November 

gubernatorial election. 

That day, Jegede in a statement 

he personally signed, said his exit 

was to enable him focus more on 

his desire “to seek higher office in 

service of his people which will 

obviously demand a lot of energy, 

time and sacrifice.” 

There was jubilation all over as 

the news of Jegede’s declaration 

of interest that Friday afternoon 

brought a huge relief as comments 

about his envisaged candidature 

on the platform of the Peoples 

Democratic Party suddenly 

became the most talked about in 

the state. 

Notwithstanding the upbeat 

mood of a majority of the electorate, 

such expression of interest in 

the number one seat in Alagbaka, 

Akure, where the Ondo State 

Government Office is situated, 

cannot but attract condemnation, a 

disposition that could stem out of 

mischief or ignorance or a combination 

of both. In other words, 

opponents, critics and cynics have 

started crawling out of the woodworks, 

engaging in acrimonious 

debates. 

The accusation against the 

candidacy of Jegede is that his 

coming flies against the face of 

zoning principle. 

Before Jegede declared his 

intention to contest the governorship 

position of Ondo, it was 

difficult to guess who the cap truly 

fits among the aspirants jostling 

for social media space to sell their 

aspiration, especially from the All 

Progressives Congress. Identifying 

a potential governor among 

the lot was difficult, mainly 

because the aspirants have no 

credential to flaunt other than 

ethnic background. 

Before now, the idea was for an 

aspirant to declare interest in the 

gubernatorial race because of 

the need to represent his area as 

governor of the state. Hence, 

those who declared their intention 

to run rely heavily on the 

zoning card, but the more they 

declare their intentions however, 

the more it became difficult to 

figure who among the lot possesses 

the required experience, 

knowledge, exposure and comportment 

to move the state forward 

with the kind of expertise 

being used by the incumbent 

Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko. 

Little wonder then, that what 

looked like an unending search 

for a competent Mimiko successor 

ended when Jegede, a 

detribalised Senior Advocate of 

Nigeria, resigned his position as 

the Attorney General and Commissioner 

for Justice in the state to 

signify his intention to succeed 

•Jegede 

his boss. Critics would not let go of the zoning mantra, the 

above notwithstanding. 

However, Jegede’s supporters would not allow the ethnic 

argument missile to hit target before intercepting it mid air! 

In Ondo State, zoning has never been the basis for electing 

Why I want Ize-Iyamu to be governor, by Don Pedro Obaseki 

Continued from Page 9 

was the only one who has purchased the 

nomination form and we came back to 

Benin. The date of the primaries was 

fixed for the 4th of July, 2016, and it was 

held with relevant observers from INEC 

and security agents.We heard on the date 

of the submission of the nomination 

form that there was a court injunction 

with a 48 page supporting affidavit by 

one Samson Isibor and Isaac Adeniyi 

alleging that the National Executive of 

the party was not the actual National 

Executive, although that National 

Executive was the one recognized by 

INEC on its website. The only alternative 

for me when it was just seven weeks to the 

election to start fighting a court case 

when the court was on its vacation to 

resume on September 29, was to opt out 

of the race because it was a coup that 

was planned against me. When INEC 

did not publish my name as a result of 

the court injunction the only reasonable 

thing to do was to wait and see or move 

back to my business. 

Why did you decide to support Pastor 

Ize-Iyamu? 

Pastor Ize-Iyamu apart from sending 

emissaries to me drove to my house on 

one of the Sundays with the entire PDP 

state executive led by Chief Dan Orbih to 

solicit for my support. He gave me his 

manifesto, I asked questions and he gave 

me satisfactory answers and I also 

insisted that some of those pet projects 

that I had in mind must be added to his 

Simple Agenda for Edo people. So, 

anybody that I am going to support must 

have that. It is not a matter of family 

issue because I love my family but I love 

Edo State more. So, if Pastor Osagie Ize- 

Iyamu has solicited my support, it is 

beholden on me to listen to him and it is 

beholden on me to look out of the two 

that would best serve the interest of my 

children and the children of all those 

who work, live and are indigenes of Edo 

State. I realised that the best thing for the 

future of our children, their children’s 

children that it is better for me to support 

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu. And the 

Accord Party also decided to cooperatively 

support him and on Sunday, the 

Accord Party executive hosted Pastor 

Ize-Iyamu and opted to support him. 

But members of the larger Obaseki 

family seem not happy with you over 

your decision to support Pastor Ize- 

Iyamu who is your first cousin...? 

I don’t want to reply them because my 

family is not a political party, my family 

is not a political pressure group, and my 

family is my family. The act of a few 

members of the family particularly 

those who have gone to the press, Mr, 

William Obaseki and Chief Oyuki 

Obaseki, to disparage me in the public 

will not make me to degenerate to 

replying them, but it is on record that 

they are neither the head nor spokespersons 

of my family. If the official head or 

spokesperson of the family does that, I 

will reply because I am not the only 

Obaseki who is on the Pastor Ize-Iyamu 

campaign train. 

When you threw your cap into the 

ring to contest the governorship 

election, did it occur to you that one of 

you had been programmed to emerge 

as a preferred candidate? 

The truth of the matter is no. Before 

the primaries, I went round the wards, 

preaching that Governor Adams 

Oshiomhole will be a man of history 

because he told me from the beginning 

that no man is God, he told me that it is 

one man, one vote and I have spoken 

with him severally before then and I 

believed that the man will duly and 

truly exhibit that which he had preached 

before. So, I was very shocked that 

Oshiomhole who said, one man, one 

vote, who said no man is God, who said 

death to godfathers would now be the 

one who appears to be doing otherwise. 

There is this argument in the state that 

the governor’s preference for Godwin 

Obaseki was to enable him get 

someone who will be on the same page 

with him and watch his back? 

There is no act yet to tell the mind’s 

design of the face but when you are 

governor. What has benefitted 

the people has been the competence 

of the governor and what 

he can deliver. Olusegun 

Agagu was from the Southern 

Senatorial District. Chief 

Adebayo Adefarati was from the 

North. After that, Agagu and 

Olusegun Mimiko slugged it 

out and Mimiko triumphed 

eventually. What has come clear 

is that beyond zoning, Mimiko’s 

performance which overshadowed 

the others has shown 

that what the people need is 

service, visionary leadership, a 

bridge builder and a governor 

with depth since, according to 

the late Chief Obafemi 

Awolowo, “only the deep can 

call to the deep.” 

As it is, Ondo is one of the 

states in Nigeria where governors 

have been emerging on 

merit as against zoning being 

practised by some others as it 

has been argued severally that 

zoning only promotes mediocrity. 

Little wonder that the two 

major political parties in the 

state , the PDP and APC, have 

distanced themselves from 

zoning their candidate into any 

particular ethnic area in the 

state. Not a few have argued 

that no state would be able to 

produce its best with zoning 

even as it has been randomly 

mentioned that what Ondo 

needs now is a governor who 

will see every ethnic group in 

the state as his own. 

profiling, you profile from actions and 

Oshiomhole’s action seem to tilt 

towards that but the people are wiser. 

From what we have seen playing 

out, it is Oshiomhole who is going to 

perpetrate the Biblical hand of Esau 

and the voice of Jacob. 

Many people are of the view that 

the governorship candidates of the 

two major parties are engaged in 

campaign of hate and are not 

addressing issues. How do you react 

to this? 

I don’t truly agree on this because I 

have not heard Pastor Osagie Ize- 

Iyamu come to the open and throw 

unbridled insults at the other party. It is 

Oshiomhole that we should blame. 

Before Ize-Iyamu started his campaign 

he has given out his agenda to 

everybody in a book form. When I was 

growing up especially in the Second 

Republic when we had the Unity Party 

of Nigeria (UPN) and the National 

Party of Nigeria (NPN) and others, 

they all had their agenda. The UPN for 

instance had its free education, free 

health, integrated rural services and 

the NPN green revolution. But this is 

the first time any of the aspirants will 

have a published agenda, the SIMPLE 

AGENDA. So, anybody who wants to 

know about Pastor Ize-Iyamu’s 

manifesto for Edo State needs to go 

through the document; but I do not 

know what the agenda of the APC is 

for Edo State. 

What will be your advice for the 

average Edo voter? 

If we don’t change this change, what 

we get will just be a mere exchange, a 

mere cosmetic make over. My advice 

to the average Edo voter is guard his 

vote, protect his vote, make his voice 

emerge because it is time to make our 

voices emerge from the dented politics 

of the past. I will appeal to the voters 

be they market women, traders, bus 

drivers and the youths to help re-write 

the future of Edo State in gold by 

voting for someone who has the state 

at heart. I am canvassing seriously for 

Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu.

PAGE 12 — SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016 

By Abass Braimah 

RIGHT OF REPLY 

AN Esan adage says it is important to pray 

that God, in his infinite mercy, must not 

put us in a situation where ambassadors of truth 

tell lie against us. It is practically impossible to 

deny no matter how much the victim tries. The 

situation is even worse when, for whatever reason, 

those who know the truth join forces with 

falsehood to bear witness against truth. This appears 

to explain the dilemma unfolding before 

the people of Edo State as the run-up to the September 

governorship election enters its last but 

very critical lap. 

In the last few weeks or so, a lot has been said 

or done that seems to question the motive of 

some individuals concerning their stand on those 

seeking to succeed Governor Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole. 

Whereas some individuals and groups 

have unconsciously taken a stand to malign the 

ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, a few others 

who are familiar with the truth simply decided 

to jettison same, and bear witness against the 

enviable performance of the administration 

upon which the continuity campaign is hinged. 

Tony Iredia, a former Director-General of the 

Nigerian Television Authority, NTA, and, a former 

spokesperson for the country’s electoral body, 

may not belong to the first group cited above 

but, by any stretch of the imagination, he shares 

affinity with the latter. 

Every Nigerian citizen is guaranteed the right 

to associate with any group that is not known 

to conduct anti-social doctrines. However, the 

real concern is about the effortless manner some 

people have chosen to drag their reputation for 

intelligent analysis against the puerile conclusions 

they serially make against the APC, its candidate 

for the September governorship election 

and, of course, the entire Oshiomhole administration. 

From Iredia’s perspective, the administration 

has failed miserably; the candidate of 

the ruling party or his platform has nothing to 

offer; and the continuity agenda on which the 

party anchors its campaign is ineffectual. At least, 

that is the thrust of his article - Continuity in 

•Senator Sheriff 

PDP CONVENTION: 

To be or not to be 

By BEN AGANDE, ABUJA 

THE National Caretaker 

Committee of the Peoples 

Democratic Party has slated 

Wednesday, August 17 to hold the 

party’s national convention where 

new leaders. The convention is 

expected to bring to an end, the 

lingering leadership crisis that 

has dogged the party since its last 

convention in Port-Harcourt. 

But as it is with everything in the 

party since it lost the presidential 

election last year, the proposed 

convention is again steeped in controversy 

as the factional Chairman 

of the party, Senator Ali 

Modu Sheriff, and his supporters 

have continued to kick against it, 

relying on the interlocutory injunctions 

that his faction had secured 

from various courts to confer 

legitimacy on Sheriff as the 

leader of the party. 

And to push further his challenge 

to the proposed convention, 

Sheriff, who is still smarting from 

the rejection of his governorship 

candidate for the Edo governorship 

election, wrote the Independent 

National Electoral Commission, 

INEC, warning the electoral 

body not to recognize the proposed 

convention of the party in 

Port-Harcourt. 

He contended that if the commission 

went ahead to monitor 

the proposed national convention, 

it would amount to contempt of 

court. 

He said: “Kindly refer to a letter 

dated 20th July, 2016 by the illegal 

PDP Caretaker Committee 

purported to notifying INEC of a 

proposed Ward Congresses to 

nominate 3 Ad-hoc Delegates on 

Wed August 10, 2016 and LGA 

Congresses to nominate National 

Delegates on Friday, August 12, 

2016, for a repeat National Convention, 

and also a repeat National 

Convention slated for Wednesday, 

August 17, 2016. 

“For the avoidance of doubt, 

the only body that can call for and 

ratify activities culminating to a 

National Convention of our great 

Party the PDP is our Party’s National 

Executive Committee 

(NEC) headed by Senator Ali 

Modu Sheriff as National Chairman”. 

But in a rebuttal, Senator 

Ahmed Makarfi, the Chairman of 

the PDP National Caretaker 

Committee, pooh-poohed Sheriff’s 

contention, pointing out that 

there was neither legal nor political 

reason to consider the letter 

written by Sheriff as he lacked the 

locus to challenge the legitimacy 

•Senator Makarfi 

of the Caretaker Committee and 

even the proposed convention. 

In a letter, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, 

the spokesman for the committee, 

said the letter by Sheriff was a further 

indication that Sheriff was 

out not only to stop the convention 

but also to destroy the PDP. 

He contended: “The latest attempt 

by the former National 

Chairman, Senator Ali Modu 

Sheriff, and his cohorts is not only 

to scuttle the forthcoming National 

Convention but also another 

clear evidence of his determination 

to destroy the PDP.” 

Making reference to the court 

pronouncements which Sheriff 

relied upon to derive his legitimacy 

Adeyeye said those legal pronouncements 

were “mere legal 

Re: Continuity in Edo for what? 

tales”. 

The spokesperson said: “The ruling 

of Justice Okon Abang which Ali 

Modu Sheriff is relying on is a mere 

narrative of the Case before the Federal 

High Courts in Lagos and Port 

Harcourt Divisions. It does not set 

aside or nullify the judgment of Justice 

Liman which has authenticated 

the May 21st National Convention 

and the resolutions emanating therefrom. 

“The ruling did not anywhere direct 

INEC to do anything or not to do 

anything, to discharge or not to discharge 

any obligation; to perform 

any function or not to perform any 

function. 

“In essence, it is a mere legal tale 

and the Order having been made 

without any application before him 

by either of the Parties 

has no foundation in 

law. 

“Hon. Justice Valerie 

Arshi had in a 

Judgment nullified 

the appointment of 

Senator Ali Modu 

Sheriff as Chairman of the Party. 

That Judgment has not been set 

aside. It is still valid and subsisting. 

And no Court of Coordinate 

Jurisdiction including the Federal 

High Court can make any other 

Order with the intention of rendering 

that Judgment ineffective. 

“The National Convention 

which held in Port Harcourt on 

May 21st, 2016 which resolutions 

were confirmed by Justice Liman 

of the Federal High Court, Port 

Harcourt on July 4, 2016, dissolved 

the National Executive 

Committee (NEC) and the National 

Working Committee (NWC) 

and affirmed the National Caretaker 

Committee as the Supreme 

body to run the affairs of the Party 

until another Convention was held 

Edo for What? - published on page 34 of Vanguard 

of Sunday, July 31, 2016. 

He forgot so soon that there is no basis for 

comparing the Oshiomhole administration with 

anyone before it since the advent of the current 

democratic dispensation took effect in 1999. He 

has forgotten that, evidently, the administration 

has set a development standard no one after can 

afford not to measure up to. Logically, therefore, 

it stands to reason that the least expectation for 

the people of the state is an administration that 

recognizes this sterling performance and seeks 

to continue from where it stops in November. If 

Iredia fails to recognize the fact that continuity 

is not a gross supposition but an acknowledgement 

of evident development spread across the 

state, it makes it a bit difficult not to be concerned 

about his political affinity. 

Besides dismissing APC’s continuity slogan, 

Iredia posited that Edo is not one of the educationally 

disadvantaged states, and that its people 

are different from those led by the nose. However, 

what he failed to re-establish, having attempted 

to reinvent the wheel with the statement, 

is that thanks to the efforts of the Oshiomhole 

administration, the state is also not counted 

among the over 27 of the 36 states currently 

unable to meet their statutory monthly obligations, 

including payment of salaries. If that is 

not an achievement for which the APC can bring 

out the drums and call for continuity, Iredia owes 

the people of the state the responsibility of producing 

a more defining example of success. 

Under Oshiomhole, Edo has done well in 

terms of development, which spreads across 

every local government area. It is also worthy of 

mention that it recorded tremendous level of 

success in not only upgrading the state’s internally 

generated revenue, IGR, but also in coming 

tops in the manner it prudently managed 

the state’s lean resources. Not least is the fact 

that it has received plaudits from far and wide 

for never failing to meet its statutory obligations. 

These successes speak volumes that the 

state became a reference point in fiscal discipline. 

Yet Iredia dismisses them as woeful and 

so writes them off as undeserving of the people’s 

votes. We challenge him to produce evidence 

what any past governor in this Republic, especially 

the protégés and sponsors of those seeking 

the office now, has achieved, that is close to 

the achievements attributed to Oshiomhole either 

as a labour leader or Governor. Or is Iredia’s 

idea of governance a matter of rhetoric? 

Knowing fully well that neither Oshiomhole 

nor the APC’s candidate has any sympathy for 

his kind, he has opted to keep attacking. It is 

practically unimaginable to explain why he is 

attempting to white wash an indelible sin from 

unrepentant sinners. 

Iredia is angry that the Oshiomhole administration 

succeeded in establishing Edo University 

in Iyamho. The real trouble here is not the 

university per se. It is about the fact that it is in 

the Governor’s village. Iredia cannot see the 

intrinsic values of the institution right now. It 

does not matter that it will come handy in terms 

of meeting the rising demand for university education. 

Iredia wrote about roads not being constructed 

in the GRA. Unfortunately, he missed the 

point. If he is not aware that boundary and Ihama 

roads are within the GRA or that Adesuwa 

College Road is a major artery to the same area, 

can he also feign ignorance of the fact that the 

main responsibility of any right-thinking government, 

which is what the Oshiomhole administration 

represents, is to create the greatest good 

for the greatest number of people? 

Of course, there is no plausible argument 

against the fact that the administration has 

done well in the area of road construction and 

rehabilitation within the Benin City metropolis. 

There is also no dispute about the fact that more 

people are positively affected by the roads than 

he would be happy to acknowledge. Development 

must be to the extent that majority of the 

people benefit from it. 

While waving off the government’s efforts because 

the GRA, in his estimation, is not fixed, he 

within 90 days. 

“That being the case, it was, 

therefore, the last Convention that 

in fact convened the forthcoming 

one slated for August 17, 2016, 

and not the National Caretaker 

Committee parse. The National 

Convention is superior to all other 

Organs of the Party”. 

Though Makarfi’s leadership 

enjoys the support of majority of 

party members, this is not enough 

to stem the tide of confusion that 

has trailed the party since the 

emergence of Sheriff as the 

Chairman of the party. Several 

conflicting court judgments, 

sometimes from courts of coordinate 

jurisdictions have further 

obfuscated the already confused 

state of the party. With such disarray 

in the judiciary, even if the 

Port Harcourt convention goes 

ahead without an internal reconciliation 

of the contending forces, 

the crisis may be far from over. 

But beyond the confusion of 

leadership in the party, the process 

leading to the processes of 

the proposed convention have 

been anything but inspiring. 

Though the chairmanship position 

of the party has been zoned 

to the southern part of the country, 

only the founder of DAAR 

Communication, Chief Raymond 

Dokpesi, has been actively 

campaigning across the country 

to be elected as Chairman. 

With other court cases lined up 

for hearing in various courts, 

whether the convention holds or 

not may not be determined by the 

preparedness or otherwise of the 

PDP leadership. Wherever the judicial 

pendulum swings in the 

coming days would determine 

whether the convention will go 

ahead or it will again be encumbered 

by the various interests that 

have conspired to render the once 

ruling party comatose. 

ignores the very popular Five Junction, Second 

East Circular, West Circular,Upper Siluko, Tomline, 

Airport roads. Indeed, he has no knowledge 

of the work done in Ivbiye Lane, Isonoro 

St, Golf Course Rd, Arosaghe Street, 1st and 

2nd Iheya Street or Cemetery Road, all within 

the Benin metropolis. Government’s efforts in 

all the roads and streets mentioned here cannot 

mean anything to some politicians because fixing 

them offers no personal satisfaction, a probable 

reason some seem so besotted to being a 

mouthpiece for those who represent the era in 

which government’s business is not about issues 

affecting majority of the people but that of meeting 

the wishes of a privileged few. 

Even if one considers the possibility that Iredia 

may be an objective analyst who is concerned 

about lapses in a system, his inability to identify 

any good thing about the Oshiomhole administration, 

or even the APC, suggests he may be 

verging on partisanship - albeit, with benefit of 

doubt, sub-consciously. He cannot be less if 

he sees things this way despite evidences of the 

administration’s achievements in the provision 

of basic amenities and infrastructure, or the 

manner in which it prudently managed the 

state’s scarce resources to maximize its benefit 

on the people, so much so that it is not counted 

as one of the over 27 states in the country declared 

insolvent and unable to meet monthly 

obligations. He should be reminded that the 

governor, APC and, indeed, Godwin Obaseki, 

its flag bearer in September’s governorship 

race, have more than enough reason to celebrate 

if, despite the current biting economic realities, 

state workers receive their salaries as 

and when due and road reconstruction commitments 

continue without hiccup. 

What appears obvious in Iredia’s trysts is that 

despite evidences to the contrary, his only interest 

is to portray the APC and Oshiomole administration 

as unrepresentative of the people. He 

made no effort at hiding this fact in his last two 

features in his Vanguard weekly column. 

•Braimah is Director of Communications, 

Media & Publicity, Godwin Obaseki Campaign 

Organisation


C 

M 

YK


healthyliving 

By Chioma Obinna 

Breast milk everywhere, 

yet Nigerian newborns 

and infants are hungry, 

underfed, and 

malnourished. 

Inspite of the fact that many 

Nigerian women are well endowed 

up there, majority of them have 

different opinions about 

breastfeeding which have not in any 

way benefitted the children. 

“What an irony! How would you 

explain it that you live in an area 

surrounded by water, yet you can’t 

find any to drink,” Mr. Joseph 

Olawale had asked this reporter who 

sat beside him in a commercial bus 

heading to Mile 2 from Oshodi when 

he could no longer bear the cry of 

about three months old baby 

strapped to the back of her mother. 

While many occupants of the bus 

were practically begging the young 

mother to at least unstrap the baby, 

she kept mute. 

The drama in the bus lasted till the 

reporter alighted at Mile 2 bus stop; 

the mother of the child was not 

moved. This scenario is a common 

occurrence in Nigeria today. 

Another scenario: A graduate of 

political science, Kikelomo Idowu, 

works in one of the banks in Lagos. 

As early as 7 am, she has to be in 

office. That is her routine. Like 

every other African woman, she got 

married about a year ago and, today, 

I leave my house very 

early and do not come 

back until 9 pm every 

day. How do you expect 

me to breastfeed? Even 

when I try to press, the 

milk is not flowing 

she is a proud mother of a two 

month-old baby. Unfortunately, 

Kike, as she is fondly called, has 

no time for her baby. 

“I leave my house very early 

and do not come back until 9 pm 

every day. How do you expect 

me to breastfeed? Even when I 

try to press, the milk is not 

flowing. It is not also 

necessary because I intend to 

keep my breasts firm.” 

The only alternative left for 

Kike is infant formula which the 

baby was introduced to as early 

as three weeks old, despite 

medical experts warning that 

such food contains high protein 

that is not appropriate for 

babies. Although Kike and 

women like her have jettisoned 

the rule of exclusive 

No breast 

milk for 

five million 

Nigerian 

newborns 

breastfeeding to keep their 

breasts firm, experts say worrying 

about if your breasts will sag or 

become unattractive is a waste of 

time as the only way to keep firm, 

upright breasts throughout your 

lifetime is to never get pregnant 

and never get old. 

Meanwhile, other reasons some 

Nigerian mothers have 

developed apathy for 

breastfeeding include 

urbanisation, globalisation and 

work-life imbalance. 

According to the World Health 

Organisation, WHO, exclusive 

breastfeeding means that the 

infant receives only breast milk 

and no other liquids or solids are 

given – not even water – with the 

exception of oral rehydration 

solution, or drops/syrups of 

vitamins, minerals or medicines. 

Little progress 

Indeed, Nigeria is one of the 

few countries making little or no 

progress in exclusive 

breastfeeding. 

A UNICEF report said that, 

over 10 years, Nigeria has 

increased its exclusive 

breastfeeding rate from 12 per 

cent to only 25 per cent. By 

comparison, in 1994, both Ghana 

and Nigeria had both exclusive 

breastfeeding rates of 7.4, but, by 

Continues on page 15

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016, PAGE 15 

healthyliving 

Continued from page 14 

2013, Ghana had moved up to 63 per 

cent and the attitude of Nigerian 

women to breastfeeding is believed to 

have contributed a large percentage 

to the country’s inability to make 

significant progress in exclusive 

breastfeeding. 

Today, according to UNICEF 

Representative in Nigeria, Jean 

Gough, lack of exclusive 

breastfeeding is implicated in the 

current high rate of child 

malnutrition in Nigeria. 

Not even educated mothers are 

spared of the misconceptions 

surrounding breastfeeding in 

Nigeria. 

This, perhaps, informed the 

decision of the United Nations to 

come up with the World 

Breastfeeding Week, celebrated every 

year in over 170 countries to inspire 

breastfeeding and improve the health 

of babies across the world. 

Health benefits of breastfeeding to 

the mother and the baby are, 

however, not in doubt, as studies 

have shown that the breastmilk 

contains all the nutrients a child 

requires for proper growth and 

development. 

Research shows that an exclusively 

breastfed child is 14 times less likely to 

die in the first six months than a nonbreastfed 

child and breastfeeding 

drastically reduces deaths from acute 

respiratory infection and diarrhoea; 

two major child killer diseases. 

Breasts sagging 

A former National President, 

Medical Women Association of 

Nigeria, MWAN, Dr. Dumebi Owa, 

who described as unfounded the 

notion that breast feeding is the reason 

breasts sag, said: “Besides helping to 

create a bond between mother and 

child, breast milk also immunes babies 

against diseases”. 

Owa blamed women who refuse to 

breastfeed their babies for fear that 

their breasts would sag, adding that 

researches have shown that 

pregnancy, among other factors, make 

breasts sag. “It is a natural 

phenomenon, but it is a price worth 

paying for a healthy baby.” 

Lamenting what she described as 

lackadaisical attitude towards 

something that would give babies life 

and protection from killer diseases, she 

advocated the creation of creches in 

the workplace to enable working 

mothers to adequately breast feed their 

babies. 

“The truth is that life itself takes a toll 

on our breasts. Age, weight gain or 

loss, pregnancy, the effects of gravity, 

and yes, breastfeeding all affect the 

way your breasts look”. 

According to Owa, during pregnancy, 

your breasts prepare for nursing by 

becoming larger, while your nipples 

and areola get darker, and may 

become slightly larger as well. 

Several days after birth, your breasts 

become fuller and heavier as your milk 

comes in, approximately two weeks 

after birth, your breasts return to the 

approximate size they were during 

pregnancy, and stay that way until you 

wean your baby, when you return to your 

pre-pregnancy weight, your breasts will 

likely return to their pre-pregnant size, 

though they probably won’t be quite as 

perky as they were before you were 

pregnant”. 

Lamenting that many Nigerian 

children are not getting enough, she 

explained that a balance can be difficult 

when a working-woman in a city wants 

to combine motherhood with a career. 

Meanwhile, a UNICEF Nutrition 

Specialist, Dr Zacharia Fushieni, says 

exclusive breastfeeding is important and 

it plays a major role in a child’s 

development and has been identified as 

a proven intervention to reduce child 

mortality. 

No breast milk for five 

million Nigerian newborns 

•Toyin Saraki, wife Senate President Bukola Saraki and founder, Well-being Foundation Africa (WBFA), at one of the 

enlightenment programmes of the Foundation on the need for exclusive breastfeeding. 

Since 2014 when the 

Foundation, founded 

by Mrs Toyin Saraki, 

wife of the Senate 

President, launched 

the initiative, it has 

been conducting 

Mamacare Pregnancy 

classes across 

Nigeria weekly 

Fushieni stated that babies should 

be put to breast within the first hour 

of birth and must be on demand. 

Dismissing the misconception 

surrounding the first yellowish 

colour breast milk known as 

‘colostrums’, he explained that 

mothers should ensure that the baby 

takes the first breast milk that comes 

out, which is the colostrums, as it 

serves as first vaccine against 

diseases for the baby. 

Mamacare Pregnancy 

In Nigeria, The Well-being 

Foundation Africa (WBFA) is 

among the organisations 

promoting exclusive 

breastfeeding. Since 2014 when 

the Foundation, founded by Mrs 

Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate 

President, launched the initiative, 

it has been conducting Mamacare 

Pregnancy classes across Nigeria 

weekly, where midwives teach 

mothers about The Ten Steps to 

Successful Breastfeeding, 

nutrition and promote healthy 

lifestyles for mothers. These 

classes are the first civil society 

health visitor programmes in 

Nigeria. Very few developing 

countries provide mothers with 

sufficient education and 

knowledge on motherhood, and 

this lack of knowledge can lead to 

bad health and at times death of 

the mother and child. 

WBFA has also continually 

promoted the role of the midwives 

as the solution to great health for 

mother and baby. Midwives, the 

Foundation believes, should be 

used in health systems not only as 

caretakers of babies, but also 

mothers, especially beyond birth 

in the postnatal period. 

In a message to mark the 2016 

Global Breastfeeding Week, Mrs 

Saraki, who is also the President 

of Global Goodwill Ambassador of 

the International Midwives 

Confederation, said: “We should 

all recognise the great benefits of 

breastfeeding in successfully 

achieving two key global 

Sustainable Development Goals 

(SDGs), notably SDG5, good 

health and well-being for all and 

SDG1, reducing poverty. WBFA 

remains dedicated in helping 

Nigeria and all African countries 

in reaching these developmental 

goals and ensuring that every 

child and every life matters”. 

Effects of poor 

breastfeeding 

Also in a message to mark this 

year’s World Breastfeeding Week, 

UNICEF revealed that over five 

million newborns in Nigeria are 

deprived of essential nutrients 

and antibodies that protect them 

from disease and death as they 

are not being exclusively 

breastfed. 

According to the 2014 National 

Nutrition and Health Survey, 

approximately seven million 

children are born in Nigeria 

every year and only 25 per cent 

are exclusively breastfed. 

Normally, mothers should 

derive joy from suckling their 

babies and their commitment to 

this noble duty is expected to be 

high. Unfortunately, most 

Nigerian women have failed to 

keep to that. 

To meet their evolving 

nutritional requirements, infants 

should receive nutritionally 

adequate and safe 

complementary foods, while 

continuing to breastfeed for up to 

two years or beyond. 

Exclusive breastfeeding is free 

and breast milk is readily 

available; so exclusive 

breastfeeding should be the 

country’s first strategy in fighting 

child malnutrition. 

Also, pragmatic efforts should 

be made to improve exclusive 

breastfeeding among women with 

a view to ensuring a better life for 

the country’s future leaders.


royalty 

ONE YEAR AFTER HE JOINED ANCESTORS 

‘How Ooni Sijuwade 

became a great king’ 

•Oba Ogunwusi, Gowon, Diya, others : Olubushe 11 on their minds 

BY DEMOLA 

AKINYEMI 

Sweet memories of the 

late Ooni, Oba 

Okunade Adele 

Sijuwade, Olubushe 11, 

resonated, penultimate week, 

in the ancient city of Ile-Ife 

where he reigned for thirty five 

years as people from all walks 

of life gathered in St Paul 

Anglican Church, Ayegbaju, 

Ile-Ife to celebrate his one year 

of demise. 

Sijuwade died in the United 

Kingdom on July 28, 2015 

where he had gone for routine 

medical check-up. 

The incumbent Ooni, Oba 

Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, 

Ojaja the 2 nd , who was 

installed last year, and his wife, 

led other traditional rulers to 

the occasion and prominently 

featured in the programme. 

Also, the first child of the late 

monarch, Prince Adetokunbo 

Sijuwade, led his siblings, in 

colourful attires, to the occasion 

while friends, family members 

and well-wishers of the Sijuwades 

celebrated with beautiful Ankara on 

which the late monarch photograph 

was imprinted. 

Even on a week day, the expansive 

church was filled to capacity as a 

former Head of State, General Yakubu 

Gowon (retd), Lt General Oladipo Diya 

(retd), wife of former Vice President 

Atiku Abubakar, Titi, and Osun State 

deputy governor, Chief Mrs Grace 

Titilayo Laoye-Tomori, who represented 

her boss, Governor Rauf Adesoji 

Aregbesola, graced the occasion. 

Also present were a former governor 

of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye 

Oyinlola, and his counterpart from Oyo 

State, Otunba Adebayo Alao Akala, the 

Balogun of Ife, Chief Bisi Omidiora, 

the Obasewa of Ife, Chief Agboola 

Odeyemi, the Aro of Ife, Chief Alex 

Duduyemi, Senator Babajide 

Omoworare, Chief Adekunle Ojora 

and his wife, Senator Bamigbetan 

Baju, Hon. Bashir Awotorebo, Chief 

Fatai Akinbade, Hon. Sikiru Ayedun 

among other dignitaries. 

At the Thursday program, which 

commenced about 11 am, a former 

Bishop of Ife Anglican Diocese, 

Reverend Oluranti Odubogun, in his 

He was the 

undisputed 

captain in the 

promotion of the 

commercial 

growth and 

development of 

Ife Kingdom. 

Oba Okunade 

Sijuwade was a 

great prince who 

became a great 

king 

ministration, extolled the virtues of 

the late monarch who, he stressed, 

devoted his life to the service of God 

and also loved Ile Ife until his last 

breathe. 

Odubogun, quoting 11 Corinthians 

5 verse 20, “Therefore, we are 

ambassadors of Christ, God making 

his appeal through us, we implore 

you on behalf of Christ, be 

reconciled to God, “ urged the 

congregation to reconcile with God 

the way the late monarch did before 

his demise and also celebrate him. 

The cleric said Oba Sijuwade was 

famous, selfless and passionate and 

that these virtues largely reflected on 

his community, Osun State and the 

nation at large. 

He commended the children for 

sustaining the virtues left by their 

late father, noting that the lives and 

times of the late Ooni are worthy of 

emulation by all and sundry. . 

The church program ended at 

about 1.45 pm, followed by prayer at 

the burial site of the late monarch, 

right inside the palace. 

The program for the one year 

remembrance of the late Ooni 

continued the next day, Friday, with 

a lecture, titled, “The life and 

times of Oba Okunade 

Sijuwade Olubuse 11, the 50th 

Ooni of Ife,” at Oduduwa Hall, 

Obafemi Awolowo University, 

Ile Ife. It was organised by the 

Institute of Cultural Studies of 

the university. 

Representatives of the various 

socio cultural groups, 

traditional rulers and some 

members of the family of the 

late sage, Chief Obafemi 

Awolowo were present to 

honour the late monarch . 

The acting Vice Chancellorof 

OAU, Professor Anthony 

Elujoba, urged Prince 

Adetokunbo Sijuwade to 

cooperate with the incumbent 

Ooni “to drive the ship of Ile- 

Ife to good harbour.” 

He harped that within the six 

months he will be the 

helmsman in the university, he 

would resuscitate the town and 

gown relationship and make it 

even stronger than ever before” 

Elujoba, who lamented that 

there was nothing great about 

the university again, called for 

support from all and sundry to 

make it great again. 

Acting Director of the institute 

which organised the lecture, Dr 

Jare Oladosu, while speaking 

on the role of traditional rulers 

in ensuring the survival of our 

culture, described language 

and former western education, 

among others, as key areas 

traditional rulers must be 

conversant with in order to 

ensure the survival of our 

culture. 

Oladosu noted that the 

contributions of Oba Okunade 

Sijuwade, who he described as 

“quintessential bridge builder,” 

were outstanding as he actively 

promoted interfaith and interethnic 

harmony. 

“He was the undisputed 

captain in the promotion of the 

commercial growth and 

development of Ife Kingdom. 

Oba Okunade Sijuwade was a 

great prince who became a 

great king”, he said. 

The Dean, Faculty of Arts, 

Professor Gbemisola Adeoti, in 

his address, recalled various 

interventions of the late king to 

promote Yoruba culture. 

Making reference to a 

ceremony inside the same 

Oduduwa Hall, three years ago 

when the late monarch 

declared opened the 13th Orisa 

World Congress, Adeoti said 

that, at the end of the congress 

that witnessed participation 

from different parts of the 

world, his majesty hosted an 

elaborate dinner in the palace, 

complete with sumptuous 

hospitality, colouful ambience 

and royal magnificence. 

“From this and other events 

that I encountered Oba 

Sijuwade, it is quite clear that 

his horizon of culture 

transcended the precinct of 

Yoruba, to embrace the whole of 

humanity. He was able to build 

bridges across primordial 

barriers, thus drawing 

associates, friends and 

admirers from white and black, 

Africa and Europe, rich and 

poor, men and women”, he 

said. 

“Though Oba Sijuwade has 

moved to a higher realm where 

he now communes with his 

ancestors, today’s colloquium is 

in no way an occasion for 

Continues on page 17

•Oba Ogunwusi, Gowon, Diya, others: Olubushe 11 on their minds 


mourning. If there is any need 

for sobriety at all, it is to allow 

us, from royalty to ordinary man 

on the street, to reflect on his 

legacies and how we can build 

upon the solid foundation of 

cooperation, tolerance, unity, love 

and determination which he left 

behind, to make our society a 

happier space than what it is now. 

That is the ultimate challenge 

before us this morning and for a 

very long time to come. 

“There is no doubt that within 

the short period of 35 years that 

he reigned, he contributed a 

great deal to the development of 

Ile-Ife. He also strengthened the 

bond between the Yoruba at home 

and in diaspora, through his 

constant visit to America, Cuba, 

Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, 

•Gowon 

•Diya 

Ooni emerges Rotary Ambassador to Nigeria 

By Olayinka Latona 

THE Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye 

Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, 

has been decorated by Rotary 

International District 9110 as the 

Rotary Ambassador to Nigeria just 

as Pat Ikheloa was installed as 

District Governor for 2016-2017. 

The event, which took place at the 

Shell Hall of Muson Centre, Lagos, 

was witnessed by dignitaries from 

all walks of life including the Esama 

of Benin, Chief (ROTN) Gabriel 

Osawaru Igbinedion, President, 

Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), 

Augustine Alegeh (SAN), and 

International Inner Wheel 

President, Mrs. Yemisi Alatise. 

Speaking after the decoration, the 

Ooni called on Nigerians to respect 

their culture and heritage, saying 

that Africa is at the centre of the 

world hence the need for Nigerians 

to appreciate their God-given 

culture, values and norms as black 

race. 

Ogunwusi also enjoined Nigerian 

youths to contribute their quota to 

the development of the country and 

show love and compassion to the 

less privileged in the society 

irrespective of their religion, ethnic 

and political differences. 

“Let’s us keep extending hands of 

love to the downtrodden, the less 

privileged in the society. I believe 

the more we do that, the more the 

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, during his 

decoration by Rotary International District 9110 as the Rotary 

Ambassador to Nigeria. 


royalty 

Brazil, Benin Republic, Togo, 

Ghana and other places where 

descendants of Oduduwa 

inhabit on earth. He considerably 

enhanced the profile and 

prestige of the royal stool of the 

source among African monarch 

in the cotemporary era.” 

Chief (Mrs)Awolowo 

Dosumu also gave a 

colourful testimony about the 

legendary times of the late 

monarch. 

The grand finale of the 

anniversary took place the next 

day, Saturday, with the naming 

of the College of Environmental 

Design and Management of 

Oduduwa University, 

Ipetumodu, Ile Ife after the late 

monarch. 

The President and founder of 

the 

university, 

Chief(Dr)Raymond Adedoyin, 

the Maye of Ife, who also 

love of God will be drawn to us,” he 

said. 

Ikheloa, in his acceptance speech, 

said the role of the District was to 

support the almost 100 Rotary 

Clubs in Lagos and Ogun states in 

fulfilling Rotary’s dream of touching 

lives, by implementing projects that 

address the six areas of focus which 

include maternal and child health, 

economic and community 

empowerment, water and 

sanitation, peace and conflict 

resolution/prevention, basic literacy 

and education as well as disease 

prevention and treatment. 

Others include implementing 

bigger, bolder and better projects, 

reducing the cost of rotary on 

members, promoting more 

activities at the Zonal and club levels 

and equipping Rotarians with more 

Rotary knowledge. 

The outgoing District Governor, 

contested the stool of the Ooni 

with the incumbent monarch, 

seized the occasion to clarify that 

all was now well between him 

and Oba Ogunwusi,who was 

also in attendance. 

His words, “I contested for the 

Ooni stool. I am from the woman 

side, while he (Ogunwusi) is 

from the man side; so he’s 

eminently qualified to be the 

Ooni of ife. He has been going 

round to ensure absolute peace 

in Ife Kingdom. He is a man of 

peace. Oba Adeyeye told me that 

he wants to make Ile-ife like 

Jerusalem”. 

Responding, Oba Ogunwusi, 

who later performed the 

unveiling ceremony, vowed that 

he would stop at nothing to make 

peace with all stakeholders to 

make Ife greater to the admiration 

of all. Though Oba Okunade 

Adele Sijuwade has joined his 

ancestors, the sweet memories of 

his life and times will linger for a 

very long time to come! 

Otunba Bola Onabadejo, said the 

Rotary year had been very eventful. 

“Our major concentration during the 

Rotary year was membership 

development and we were able to 

increase the number of clubs to 96 

with members from 1,194 to 2,297. 

The Club that took first position in 

membership development is Rotary 

Club of Omole Golden”, he said. 

Past President, Rotary Club of Lagos 

Palmgrove Estate, Ramesh Biswal 

added that part of the mega projects 

for the district is eradication of polio 

which includes the awareness for 

parents to continue to take polio 

vaccines for their children. He 

explained that in addition to 

vocational trainings, traders would 

be empowered with soft loans while 

work would continue on an Eye 

Foundation Hospital in association 

with Rotary International among 

others. 

The traditional ruler of Uwheru Kingdom, HRM Agbavwe Afugbeya Oyise II (left) 

conferring the title of Ugherughe on a prominent Journalist, Chief Voke Uvwie while 

his wife, Aduviekaya (Mrs.) Voke Uvwie (clad on white attire, kneeling) while others 

watch with keen interest. 

Group moves to end marginalisation of Urhobo 

Piqued by the perceived 

marginalisation of the 

Urhobo nation,a group 

under the auspices of the Urhobo 

Unity Forum,UUF, has vowed to 

fight for the socio-economic 

emancipation of the ethnic 

nationality. 

The group which kicked off the 

struggle with a three-day fasting 

and prayer, also held a 

thanksgiving church service at 

the Christ Crusaders Church, 

Ekpan, Delta State. The 

presiding minister, Archbishop 

God-do-well Awomakpa, 

commended the young men and 

women for sacrificing their time 

for the sake of the Urhobo 

nation, admonished that with 

God’s intervention and the 

commitment of all Urhobo 

groups, something positive will 

happen in the land. 

According to Comrade Ese 

Oghene Sanco, the national 

coordinator of UUF, the group 

was disturbed by various 

government’s neglect of the 

Urhobo in terms of 

appointment, empowerment and 

infrastructural development, 

added that ‘we are peace-loving 

people, we are not going to carry 

guns, rather we are going to use 

legal means to redress the 

marginalisation of the Urhobo’. 

L-R: Mr. Ovie Oboh, Prince Omamoke Agbaovwe, Chief & Aduviekaya (Mrs.) Voke Uvwie, 

Hon. Julius Uvwie, former Secretary of Uvwie Local Government Council and his wife, Mrs. 

Dolly Uvwie, Mrs. Kevwe Oboh (1st right) and others shortly after the title of Ugherughe was 

conferred on Chief Voke Uvwie by the revered Uwheru Monarch. 

Speaking further he said: “we 

are the fifth majority tribe in 

Nigeria, this marginalisation 

must stop. We are going to unite 

the Urhobo for this purpose”. 

Mr. Ufoma Okuewo, a steering 

committee member of the 

group, said that one of the 

objectives of the group is to fight 

the marginalisation of the 

Urhobo, said “the group is 

inspired by God, sincere and 

committed to the well being of 

the Urhobo nation”. He 

disclosed that some top Urhobo 

politicians have identified with 

them and that with time others 

will do so. 

Ido-Ekiti queen, Olayisade, dies at 84 

•The late Olori Olayisade 

Olori Sabainah Adeyeni 

Olayisade, the queen of the 

immediate past Olojudo of 

Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Oba Adeyemi 

Olayisade, is dead. 

Olori Olayisade passed on recently, 

aged 84. 

Burial arrangements released by the 

family showed that wake-keeping/ 

service of songs in honour of the 

deceased holds on Friday, August 11. 

Interment holds on Saturday, 

August 12 after a funeral service at 

St John’s Anglican Church, Ido- 

Ekiti. Olori Olayisade is survived 

by many children and grand 

children including Princess 

Temilade Oriloye; Prince Akintade 

Olayisade, a former Chairman of 

Ekiti State Universal Basic 

Education Board (SUBEB); Prince 

Ade Kenny Olayisade; Prince 

Adebayo Olayisade and Prince 

Adebanji Amos Olayisade.

PAGE 18–SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 

reminiscences 

AUDU OGBEH @ 69 

‘I survived three 

attempts on my life’ 

•Says he lost three siblings 

BY GABRIEL EWEPU 

“There were three 

attempts on my life 

and near abduction in 

2005 at my residence and 

God, in his mercies, 

delivered me|”. 

Minister of Agriculture 

and Rural Development, 

Chief Audu Ogbeh, stasted 

this on July 28, 2016, while 

reflecting on his life as he 

clocked 69 years. 

The Directors in his 

ministry had organised a 

‘surprise celebrastion’ to 

mark the occasion. 

The elated Minister was 

full of appreciation for the 

‘package’ and the 

cooperation he has received 

from the Permanent 

Secretary and Directors 

since he took over the helm 

of affairs at the ministry. 

Reflecting on his life for 

the past 69 years, he 

revealed three 

assassination attempts on 

his life and near abduction, 

as he made reference to his 

political journey. 

“It is heart-warming to see 

the managers of the Federal 

Ministry of Agriculture and 

Rural Development 

surprising me with this 

celebration because I never 

expected it”, Ogbeh said. 

“My mother had four sons 

and I am the only surviving 

one. Others died at infancy. 

God has seen me through to 

69 years, and all have been 

eventful years. As a 

politician, I know the terrain 

has been dangerous. It is 

like a marshy land full of 

crocodiles, snakes, and 

other dangerous animals”. 

Speaking on the 

assassination attempts, 

the Minister said: 

“There were three 

attempts on my 

life and near 

abduction in 

2005 at my 

residence and 

God, in his mercies 

delivered me, and I am still 

alive. The first one was on 

December 1, 1998. A gang 

sent to my house told me 

that night, `We’ve come to 

kill you sir’. They fired 53 

cartridges into my house, 

shooting my security guard, 

and I was left bleeding. 

“Secondly, I survived an 

assassination on August 11, 

2005. That was when I left 

being the National 

Chairman of the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP. Five 

men were sent to my house. 

Three of them were dressed 

in police uniform while the 

two others wore plain 

clothes and they came in an 

unmarked car. 

“The third was when I 

drank tea somewhere and I 

think it was poisoned.” 

Son’s testimony 

Speaking on the 

Minister’s life as a father, a 

farmer and politician, one 

of his sons, Adegbe, said 

his father has been a strict 

disciplinarian 

•Chief Audu Ogbeh 

Secondly, I 

survived an 

assassination 

on August 11, 

2005. That was 

when I left 

being the 

National 

Chairman of 

the Peoples 

Democratic 

Party, PDP 

and also inculcated that in 

them. 

“I grew up to know our 

father as a disciplinarian who 

believes that through honesty 

and determination you can 

become what God has 

destined you to be instead of 

being corrupt and cutting 

corners. 

“Our father has been 

inspirational to us and his 

passion for agriculture 

affected us. I was 12 years 

old working with him at his 

rice mill. As early as 4am, we 

would go with him to his 

cashew farm. 

“We as his children were 

always conscious that he is a 

public figure and we never 

misbehaved to bring shame 

to him and our family, and 

that is still in us. 

“He never gave us money 

to be flamboyant as other 

children, because he wants 

us to be focused and become 

responsible persons in future. 

He is a person who cares for 

people and the country is in 

his heart, and not 

desperate for power. 

“And he does not 

believe in ‘bedroom 

heroes’, but he is a hero 

at home and the public”. 

One of the Directors in 

the ministry, Titus 

Ifuntoye, described 

Ogbeh as a man with 

rare humility and care. 

Director, Human 

Resources Management 

in the ministry, 

Olabunmi Adewale, 

said Ogbeh has been 

like a father to the 

management and staff. 

Reverse NDDC 

nominees list, 

pan-Yoruba 

group pleads 

with Buhari 

By Wale Akinola 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

has been urged to reverse new 

appointments in the Niger-Delta Development 

Commission (NDDC). 

Oodua Nationalist Coalition, 

ONAC, urged Buhari to reverse the 

list submitted to the National Assembly 

and appoint a technocrat Yoruba 

of Ondo State extraction as Managing 

Director of the NDDC. 

In a petition sent to the President, 

ONAC said the appointments are 

skewed to the detriment of Ondo 

State, which is the 5th largest oil 

producing state in the country. 

“We condemn in very strong terms 

the failure of you the President to 

appoint an indigene of Ondo State 

as the Managing Director of the 

NDDC. Mr President sir, instead, 

you appointed both the Chairman 

and the Managing Director from 

Akwa Ibom and Cross River States 

which remain the stronghold of the 

Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) 

which voted and campaigned 

against your government in the last 

elections,” ONAC said in the petition 

signed Dr Ahmed Adeluyi 

on behalf of 35 Yoruba groups. Some 

of the groups include the Oodua Liberation 

Alliance (OLA), Oodua Peoples 

Congress (OPC), Yoruba Professional 

Association (YOPA), Yoruba 

Christian-Muslim Youth Association 

(YOCMY). 

The group said the non-appointment 

of a technocrat from Ondo to 

lead the NDDC is unacceptable to 

the Yoruba people and runs against 

the spirit of fairplay and justice for 

the people of Ondo which is the only 

oil producing state that has not taken 

up arms to disrupt oil production 

in the country. The coalition said it 

dispatched the letter of protest to 

Buhari to jettison the list before the 

National Assembly “for equity, fairness 

and justice.” 

“Ondo produces about 18% of Nigerian 

oil output. Because of the disruptive 

activities of the militants, the 

state, which used to be 5th on the 

production list, is now No 4 on 

the list of the oil producing states”, 

it explained. 

“Ilaje is the only local government 

that produces oil in Yorubaland 

apart from the new found oil in Lagos 

. The best way for Buhari to even 

the age long injustice against the 

Yoruba oil producing communities 

is to appoint a technocrat of Ilaje 

extraction as the new head of the 

NDDC”. 

... As group lauds 

President over over 

Adjogbe’s 

appointment 

The National President of Save 

Urhobo Group (SUG), cum, 

National CLO of Host Communities 

of Nigeria, producing oil & Gas 

(HOSTCOM), Chief Francis Vevakpor 

has commended President 

Muhammadu Buhari over the appointment 

of Engr. Samuel 

Ajenakevwe Adjogbe as Executive 

Director on Projects of the Niger 

Delta Development Commission 

(NDDC). 

Chief Vevakpor, who spoke to 

news men at the HOSTCOM office 

recently, noted that President 

Buhari has done well for the Urhobo 

who have been waiting patiently 

for appointment in the APC-led Federal 

Government. 

The HOSTCOM boss observed 

that all other ethnic nationalities 

around the Urhobo nation have got 

one appointment or the other, a gesture 

which nobody or group from 

Urhobo land reacted against. 

C 

M 

YK


bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 

08056180152, SMS only 

Affairs: How you can eat your cake and still have it! 

Ihave always warned 

that the easiest way to 

start an affair is with 

a person very close to you, 

be it an in-law or a friend. 

So, when your instinct tells 

you your hubby is getting 

too frisky with your sister, 

alarm bells should start 

clanging in your brain. 

Wahab is the type of man 

who brags he doesn’t 

usually look for trouble - 

but he’s often pushed into 

having affairs by women 

who wouldn’t leave him 

alone. A bit conceited, he 

said he recently found 

himself in another spot of 

trouble he didn’t create. 

Married under 10 years 

with two children, he told 

me; “I get on well with my 

wife and our children are 

adorable. But you can 

scarcely say the same thing 

for our sex life - It’s not as 

hot as it used to be. My wife 

is a nurse and often works 

shifts, and sometimes, we 

hardly see each other from 

one week to the next. 

“Then, about three 

months ago, her sister was 

kicked out of her 

matrimonial home for 

reasons I found a bit farfetched. 

She had nowhere 

to go, so 1 agreed she could 

move to the guest room. 

She’s a good looking 

woman, but very frisky. This 

was her second attempt at 

marriage and the two 

children she has lived with 

my mother- in-law. She is 

supposed to be selfemployed 

and began to 

come home when I wasn’t 

working - more often than 

not, when her sister was in 

the office. A few times, she’d 

let it slip what she could do 

to me if I wasn’t married to 

her sister - “it was obvious 

she fancied me - what man 

wouldn’t be flattered? I 

honestly tried to ignore her 

but her flirting grew more 

outrageous. I was talking 

on the phone one day when 

she brushed past me to get 

to the fridge. On her way 

back, she stood behind me 

and started fondling me. 

She undid my shirt and 

began to stroke my chest 

until 1 quickly finished the 

call. 

“By then, I was so aroused 

that when she started 

taking off her clothes, I 

couldn’t bring myself to tell 

her to stop. It was a long 

time I’d had sex and she 

said she felt like a bit of fun. 

That was all the invitation 

I needed and we had sex 

right there in the living 

room! Afterwards, she said 

she scored my performance 

seven out of 10 and that 

next time, I had to aim for 

eight. The cheek of it! I told 

her point blank there 

wouldn’t be a next time, but 

she gave me a look that 

said I was lying. I am 

ashamed to admit that 

whenever she turns up and 

I’m on my own, we end up 

in my matrimonial bed 

together, and the more we 

have sex, the more 

electrifying sex with her 

becomes. 

“The only cloud on the 

horizon is my being scared 

my wife will find out, yet I 

find my sister-in-law so 

exciting, I ignore the 

consequence of being found 

out. Now, my wife is 

suggesting that her sister 

comes on holiday with us. I 

like the idea of her coming, 

but I’m afraid that if she 

does, she will start coming 

on to me in the twobedroom 

apartment we 

would share and I won’t be 

able to resist her. If I say no 

to her coming, my wife 

might think it odd. I know 

it would be madness to let 

her come with us because 

of her delight in her brazen 

behaviour and my wife will 

sense something is going 

on. 

“I know she’s only having 

fun and has no intention of 

snatching me from her 

sister. But she’s not keen on 

starting another 

relationship now I’m 

providing all the sex she 

needs. I’m not complaining, 

mind you. I just think it’s 

too good to be true and I 

don’t want my wife to be 

hurt in case the bubble 

bursts.” 

Tosin, a married mother 

of three admitted she met 

David over the phone. “I 

work for an IT company 

and David was the General 

Manager of another of our 

branch located outside 

Lagos,” she explained. “I 

had to deal with him a lot 

over the phone and found 

his deep, gentle voice sexy. 

With time I told him I was 

married and my husband 

had a partial stroke. As a 

result, love-making was 

virtually non-existent and 

David told me he was a 

divorcee who was too 

happy being free to commit 

again. ‘I’d love to see what 

you look like?’, I half-joked 

over the phone. ‘Look, I’m 

not what you could call 

handsome,’ he spluttered, 

‘just cuddly. You will decide 

yourself when we meet.” “I 

was sure he was just being 

modest. Inevitably, I had to 

go to his office on official 

matters. I was to be there 

for two nights. When I told 

David, he was a keen as I 

was that it was about time 

we met. The office was 

deserted when I finally 

arrived as most workers 

were out for lunch, David 

had promised to wait for 

me and as I looked around, 

I didn’t see anyone that 

looked remotely like the 

mental picture I had of 

him. Where was he? Then, 

a short, fat man with 

balding hair waddled his 

way towards me. ‘Tosin?’ he 

boomed, “It’s me, David!’ 

My heart dropped. He 

looked more of a Michelin 

Man than the tall handsome 

flirt I’d envisaged. 

I slapped on a fake smile, 

‘David’, I sputtered, ‘it’s 

lovely to finally meet you.’ 

We’d arranged I should 

stay in his flat and save my 

hotel allowance. His flat 

was something else with 

lacklustre carpet and PVC 

settee, it looked really 

hideous. I shuddered with 

regret - could I go through 

this charade for one night? 

Then, David appeared with 

a bottle of wine, some 

chicken and two wine 

glasses . He started rattling 

off some of the amusing 

stories he’d regaled me with 

over the phone and I started 

laughing. Relaxing, I took 

another look at him. OK, so 

he wasn’t as handsome as I 

thought but he wasn’t that 

bad. 

“In spite of that, I slept in 

the spare room, telling 

myself firmly he wasn’t my 

type. The next day at the 

office, I watched him handle 

his duties with admirable 

efficiency, oozing 

confidence. Back at his flat, 

he simply made a grab for 

me as he put on a smootchy 

number and I melted 

against his swaying body. 

Not fat, I thought jjust 

cuddly. ‘I want you’, he 

growled, wrestling me into 

a clinch on his horrible 

settee! We practically ran 

into his bedroom clawed 

off each other’s clothes. 

And as he caressed my sexstarved 

body, I didn’t care 

that he wasn’t physical 

perfection, he certainly 

knew what he was doing. 

The man I thought gentle 

and dull was now a 

dynamo in bed, he was 

enthusiastic, imaginative 

and energetic. We made 

love for hours. And the next 

morning, we started again 

.... 

“What a cossy 

arrangement it’s turned 

out to be! Whenever I’m in 

David’s ‘territory’ we meet 

up and make the most of it. 

David has his freedom and 

could play the field as 

much as he likes, and I have 

a home I’m still proud of.” 

HRT - A Life-Saver For 

Menopausal Women 

Taking medication to 

reduce the symptoms of the 

menopause is safe 

according to medical 

experts. They say hundreds 

of thousands of women 

have suffered unnecessarily 

as a result of the decadelong 

controversy over the 

effects of Hormone 

Replacement Therapy. 

Fresh guidance from the 

British Menopause Society 

is seeking to reassure 

patients, saying the 

benefits of HRT outweigh 

any potential risk for 

women in their 50s. 

They say doctors should 

prescribe the treatment to 

any woman who has 

unpleasant menopausal 

symptoms, such as hot 

flushes and mood changes. 

HRT is also known to 

provide bone protection in 

later life. However, the 

debate is likely to rage on 

as The Royal College of 

Obstetricians and 

Gynaecologists continues 

to advise HRT only for 

women with serious 

menopausal symptoms for 

the shortest time possible. 

After five years doctors are 

not expected to continue 

prescribing it without 

discussing potential risks. 

Uptake of HRT halved after 

two studies linked it to an 

increased risk of heart 

disease and breast cancer. 

An estimated one million 

women in the UK stopped 

having the treatment. Here 

in Nigeria, a lot of 

menopausal women have 

resorted to herbal remedies 

with little or no relief. 

C o n s u l t a n t 

Endocrinologist, Dr. Helen 

Buckler, from the University 

of Manchester, said the 

emerging consensus was 

that the benefits of HRT 

outweighed the risks for 

most women, and that 

doctors should consider the 

updated BMS advice when 

treating the condition. 

According to her, the two 

studies linking HRT to 

breast cancer and heart 

disease were scientifically 

unreliable. 

She said: •gThe new 

advice is HRT should be 

used for a slightly wider age, 

if need be. If a woman has 

symptoms affecting the 

quality of her personal or 

professional life, then the 

benefits outweigh the risk.’ 

The scare began in 2002, 

when the US women’s 

Health study was halted 

three years early because 

researchers claimed women 

using HRT were at higher 

risk of breast cancer, heart 

disease and strokes. This 

contradicted previous - and 

later - research which 

suggested it guarded 

against heart problems. 

HRT is normally prescribed 

to menopausal women in 

their 50s, but in the WID 

study, it was also given to 

women in their 60s and 70s 

who had gone through the 

menopause more than a 

decade earlier. Shortly 

afterwards the UK Million 

Women Study, part funded 

by Cancer Research, said 

HRT doubled breast cancer 

risk, but a review last year 

said it was ‘unreliable and 

defective’ . 

YOUR 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" 

All the best! 

Success is a wonderful gift for special people like 

you who worth it. 

It's said that every sacrifice has a postive result 

that it yields. I wish you my lovely 

sweetheart,esteem best of luck throughout your 

exams! I will surely miss you but nevertheless your 

success and progress is my wish. I love you my 

Angel. 

Ayoola Imran 

+2348067749615 

ihassan896@gmail.com 

The Lonely Lady 

Why are you so lonely? Why the bottled 

happiness? The beautiful flying butterfly has 

flowers’ nectars to suck. 

Why don’t you fly your heart to suck my heart’s 

nectar. It is time to be happy again.It is time to 

have zest for life because you have a friend in me. 

Percy Vwes. 

romanticblack13@outlook.com 

07054349513 

I can’t forget you 

I am not a poet but I know unsaid words have no 

value. I greet your absence these days and just to 

let the whole world know how that feels I am writing 

this. I am trying not to sound like a cry for help 

but here it goes. You made my 2015 and for that I 

can’t forget you. As we enter a new year, I wish 

you as much happiness as you brought me in 2015. 

Just so you know, I will always love you. 

Prince Johnson 

shunkul@yahoo.com 

09052570138

PAGE 20–SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 

The Nigerian blood is a 

special one that flows 

under an equally thick 

skin that takes all sorts of 

shocks, blows and 

embarrassments. It is this 

special blood running in 

Nigerians that distinguishes 

us from citizens of other 

countries, especially in Africa. 

We are created to absorb 

shocks, and accept whatever 

is thrown at us without any 

complaint. 

When the great late Fela 

Anikulapo-Kuti sang 

"Suffering and Smiling"'in the 

eighties, he indeed captured 

the image of average 

Nigerians. In our sufferings, 

imposed mainly by the actions 

and inactions of our political 

leaders, all we manage as 

reaction is smile, and muse to 

ourselves that "this shall also 

pass". 

We are complacent in all 

things that happen to us. We, 

most times, believe in the 

superficial, rather than face 

the reality that may stare us 

in the face. We celebrate when 

the world is laughing at us. 

We dance around, when the 

world stands in awe at our 

shame. And worse still, we 

"high-five" each other when 

descent countries wonder why 

we are so different and 

contended with the state with 

are. 

This is how we are wired. So 

also are our leaders. They are 

actors who find themselves on 

stage without any script. They 

are thrust on the citizens by 

their tribal, ethnic jingoisms 

and ability to deceive the 

electorate. The Nigerian 

blood runs deep in them. 

The leaders care less about 

the future of the country called 

Nigeria. They run parallel 

projects, that are not in the 

interest of the country, and line 

their pockets with the 

proceeds. These leaders, bold 

and confident, are like junior 

gods who are accountable to 

nobody. 

Make no mistake that the 

citizens are not aware these 

politicians have no genuine 

wishes for them. But the 

Nigerian factor of worshiping 

those in authority for a few 

crumbs from the table have 

sentenced most citizens to 

lifetime of poverty. We hail our 

representatives when they, 

rather than legislate, 

exchange blows while sharing 

juicy posts or asking each 

other "who dunnit?" when 

budgets are padded. 

Unashamedly, they protect 

themselves from the prying 

eyes of the masses, by visiting 

courts, in solidarity with 

corrupt officials. 

For a Nigerian, it is okay 

when politicians make so 

many promises prior to 

election, but sings a different 

tune after. Despite all the preelection 

promises, we nod our 

heads in agreement when our 

leaders remind us they are not 

miracle workers, so we should 

not expect anything different. 

We shrug our shoulders in 

resignation when our leaders, 

contrary to reality, tells us that 

our lives are better now than 

it had ever been. 

What makes Nigerians, as 

a people, so resilient and 

willing to take whatever is 

thrown at them is still a 

mystery that will take decades 

to unravel. It is unbelievable 

that the educated and well 

travelled citizens of this once 

Giant of Africa can stand 

aloof while their country is run 

aground by clueless leaders. 

Diaspora Matters 

Is the Nigerian Project 

Redeemable? 

No doubt, the problems 

confronting the country is 

derivative from the type of 

leadership we have. The 

transformation of a Nigerian 

politician is a study of how not 

to represent the masses. They 

have little or no iota of 

patriotism in them 

This is why they never flinch 

whenever they put us in 

embarrassing situations, 

which they do often. These 

leaders, do all they can to put 

the country top of a 

For a Nigerian, it is 

okay when 

politicians make so 

many promises 

prior to election, 

but sings a 

different tune after. 

Despite all the preelection 

promises, 

we nod our heads 

in agreement when 

our leaders remind 

us they are not 

miracle workers, 

so we should not 

expect anything 

different 

compilation of the Most 

Embarrassing moments in 

history. They have no scruples 

in having the best entries for 

the Guinness Book of Records. 

For these administrators 

(including leaders), improper 

or no plan, mismanagement 

and corruption are part of the 

features that make the Giant 

of Africa so great. From time 

immemorial, we have not 

ceased to amaze the world. 

How do we explain to a 

rational mind that a country 

such as Nigeria, with so much 

natural and human resources 

is one of the poorest in the 

world? We are indeed one of 

the wonders of the world. 

Nobody has been able to 

explain these complexities in 

the life of Nigeria as a country. 

Over fifty odd years after 

independence, our leaders 

have permanently made us 

the laughing stock of the 

world. It is so sad that Nigeria 

that should be the shining light 

of the African continent is 

unfortunately the butt of jokes 

in the comity of nations. 

The recent bungling of the 

appearance of the Nigerian 

"team" in the ongoing 

Olympics in Rio deJanerio, 

Brazil is indeed a shame on 

the nation. Nigeria is noted 

for her shambolic and 

haphazard ways in preparing 

for major sporting 

competitions in the past. 

However, we have never had 

it so bad as this time around. 

When the news of athletes 

soliciting funds to sponsor 

themselves to the Olympics 

first broke, many of us were 

quick to defend the 

government and the sports 

administrators involved. This 

move, on the instruction of the 

sports administrators, was 

unfathomable, and a disgrace 

to the country Nigeria. 

Where did we get it wrong? 

I know it is very easy for the 

present leaders to blame past 

administrations for the woes 

of the country. This has been 

the sing song for over one year 

since the inception of this 

administration. Nigerians 

can now identify with the 

logic of the administration 

that promised change but 

have been really challenged 

to deliver. 

It is disturbingly obvious 

after one year that the All 

Progressive Congress (APC)- 

led government is no different 

from what we have had in the 

past. Nigerians are tired of the 

excuse that it will take a while 

for things to get better. As 

things are, it is becoming a 

reality that the "beautiful 

ones" to save the Giant of 

Africa are not yet born. 

The shame of being a 

citizen was a bitter one to 

swallow when Nigeria 

became the butt of jokes on 

prime time television on Cable 

News Network (CNN). The 

award winning anchor 

woman Hala Basha-Gorani 

and her colleague could not 

help themselves when they 

dug into the scandal of the 

Nigerian Olympic football 

team stranded in Atlanta 

USA. It was painful to watch 

as these two analysed how the 

nation's team had to be bailed 

out by Delta Airlines a few 

hours to the first match. 

What else can be very 

damaging and embarrassing 

to a government than what 

happened to Nigeria's 

football team? Stranded in 

foreign land because the 

government could not afford 

to pay for their flight. Yet, the 

Minister of Sports and his 

assistants are still sitting pretty 

in office. 

But this is Nigeria where 

there is no moral value in any 

public official. The sports 

minister has demonstrated 

how inefficient and 

unpatriotic he is, and by 

extension, his government, in 

the handling of citizens' 

affairs. It is a shame! 

The defeat of the Japan 

football team a few hours after 

arriving in Brazil is a further 

attestation to the fact that we 

are indeed a unique bunch. 

The patriotism of those kids 

for the opportunity to 

represent the country is a 

lesson to Nigerian public 

officers (including the sports 

minister). 

Nigerians may be quiet 

now, but history is judging 

these unpatriotic leaders who 

play "hide and seek" with the 

good of the country. It is well. 

Congratulations 

you are in the 

month of August . 

What is our goal? How 

do you want to attain this 

goal? As human beings we 

are limited . To achieve our 

goals we need Divine 

Intervention . 

Let’s begin with this 

definition of the month of 

August as given by Pastor 

J.T. Kalejaiye of RCCG. 

He said August simply 

means - Ask Until God 

Unveils Something 

Tangible. 

So what is that tangible 

thing you want from God. 

If you have been 

waiting on the Lord for the 

fruits of the womb for years, 

when you have a pregnancy 

positive result, then 

you have something 

tangible. 

Have you been 

unemployed for years? 

When you receive a letter 

inviting you for an interview, 

then you have something 

tangible. If yours is a 

marriage partner, and 

someone has proposed to 

you, then you have 

something tangible . 

However, you need to take 

certain steps to turn that 

tangible thing to your 

permanent joy. 

Faith is the key to a turn 

around - Hebrew 11 vs. 

6 is unambiguous “ 

But without faith it is 

impossible to please him: for 

he that cometh to God must 

believe that he is, and that 

he is a rewarder of them that 

diligently seek him”. 

Faith is the key to our 

miracle. The story of the 

Job readily comes to mind. 

Job was a man who believed 

in God and demonstrated 

this in an unusual way . 

The Holy Bible in the Book 

of Job 1 verse 1 described 

him thus, “ There was a man 

in the land of Uz, whose 

name was Job: and that 

man was perfect and upright 

, and one that feared God 

and eschewed evil” yet Job 

had challenges. 

That you are serving God 

or are a worker in the 

vineyard of God does not 

mean that one will not have 

challenges but the grace we 

have is that with the word of 

God in our lives, we are able 

to overcome these 

challenges. 

Job was afflicted with 

sickness, he lost his 

children, his finances and 

businesses were attacked yet 

he kept his faith intact. 

Let’s imagine what people 

around him would have said. 

Some would have said 

it is finished for him. 

Many would have mocked 

him saying ‘ he is serving 

God, yet suffering’. 

Brothers and Sisters, what 

are people saying about you 

today? 

. Ignore them just prepare 

yourself for a supernatural 

turn around. 

Let me lift your Spirit with 

this story . There was the 

case of a young man who 

finished in one of the 

universities in Nigeria. 

While some of his mates 

secured jobs, he waited for a 

while before he managed to 

get a job. Within a short 

while he got series of 

promotion because of his 

diligence at work. 

Today, some of those who 

secured the so-called juicy 

jobs before him, have lost 

theirs and are now turning 

to this young man for help. 

Have you been written 

off? Don’t write yourself 

off. Use your time to 

meditate on the word of the 

Lord and ask for 

Supernatural turn around. 

Prepare for a Supernatural 

turn around 

This season, your 

martial life, your work, 

your business, your 

finances will receive a 

total turn around in the 

mighty name of Jesus. 

Remember, you 

must ask for a total turn 

around. 

A Supernatural turnaround 

May I also share with 

you, lessons drawn 

from the life of Job as 

explained by Pastor 

J.T. Kalejaiye . 

He said the first lesson 

to be learnt in the life of 

Job is that “ the 

downfall of a man in 

Christ can never be the 

end of his life but a 

life without Christ will 

suffer crisis”. 

Job’s steadfastness and 

total devotion to God 

gave him a turn around. 

According to Kings 

James Version of the 

Holy Bible , Job 42 vs.10 

and 12 

Verse 10 states: “ 

And the Lord turned the 

captivity of Job, when he 

prayed for his friends: 

also the Lord gave Job 

twice as much as he had 

As believers we 

must hand over 

submit all our 

challenges to 

the hands of 

God and we 

shall see his 

hand in our lives 

before”. 

Have you lost 

something so precious to 

you? In the season, 

God in his mercy will give 

you a double portion of 

whatever you lost in the 

mighty name of Jesus. 

Finally after all pains 

and tears in the life of 

Job, God gave him a turn 

around. 

Job 42 verse 12 states “ 

So the Lord Blessed the 

latter end of Job more 

than his beginning : for 

he had fourteen 

thousand sheep, and six 

thousand camels, and a 

thousand yoke of 

oxen, and a thousand she 

assess”. 

God did not only 

restore Job’s material 

possession, he restored 

life . For a man 

who lost all his 

children, God restored 

his joy. 

Job 42 verse 13 “He 

had also seven sons and 

three daughters”. 

What is it that you are 

going through? The 

Lord can give you a turn 

around that will surprise 

even you. 

Let’s share this story : 

A couple had an only 

child; a son who was about 

12 years old. He went 

on a short holiday at his 

aunt’s residence. A 

domestic accident 

occurred; the boy hit his 

head on the iron gate was 

rushed to the hospital but 

died. 

Naturally, his parents 

especially the mother was 

so devastated but she kept 

her faith. She didn’t 

blame her sister or her 

family for what happened 

though she and her 

husband were sad. 

By this time she had 

passed age 45; the 

scientific age for 

menopause. 

But to the Glory of God 

after a bit of medical 

care, she took in and 

gave birth to baby boy. 

What is unique about this 

baby is that he was born 

with the same mark as the 

boy who died. 

God gave her a turn 

around . As I write 

today, that boy is about two 

years old. 

As believers we must 

hand over submit all our 

challenges to the hands of 

God and we shall see his 

hand in our lives. 

Before I conclude this 

edition, I’ll still share with 

us some of the thoughts of 

Pastor J.T. Kalejaye 

He said we should always 

bear in mind the content of 

Psalm 30 verse 5; the later 

part which states “ weeping 

may endure for a night, but 

joy oometh in the 

morning”. 

If we believe this, 

Pastor Kalejaye said, “ 

Pains may endure for a 

night but gains cometh in 

the morning. 

If you rest in the Lord, he 

will take care of the rest. 

God is all you need to 

meet all your needs. 

Those who carry God’s 

grace cannot suffer 

disgrace”. 

Pastor Kalejaye told the 

congregation with faith “ 

Your tomorrow will surely 

be better and not bitter”. 

Let’s remember to pray 

for our country as we pray 

for ourselves. 

Nigeria needs a turn 

around for the best but we 

need to ask for it. 

For us to have joyful 

homes, the prosperity of 

Nigeria is crucial. 

God in his mercy will 

turn around the fortunes of 

Nigeria in the mighty name 

of Jesus. 

May I end this edition 

of Joyful homes with a 

congratulatory message 

for Pastor J.T. Kalejaye who 

has just been promoted 

Special Assistant to the 

General Overseer in 

charge of Evangelism in 

the Redeemed Christian 

Church of God. 

More Anointing in Jesus 

name.


DeptC 

Abu Musab al-Barnawi, 

Boko Haram’s new leader: 

What we know 

By Yinka Ajayi 

The Islamic State 

(IS) 

militant 

group, last week, 

announced that its West African 

affiliate Boko Haram has a new 

leader. 

The Federal Government 

immediately dismissed the 

announcement, saying it was 

mere propaganda by the “defeated 

terrorist organisation”. 

But a security report, Dr Ona 

Ekhomu, asked government to see 

danger in the appointment of the 

new Boko Haram leader. 

Abu Musab al-Barnawi, who 

was previously spokesman for the 

Nigerian-based Islamists, is 

featured in the latest issue of an 

IS magazine. 

It did not say what has become 

of the group’s former leader, 

Abubakar Shekau. 

He was last heard from in an 

audio message last August, saying 

he was alive and had not been 

replaced - an IS video released in 

April said the same. 

Boko Haram, which has lost 

most of the territory it controlled 

18 months ago, is fighting to 

overthrow Nigeria’s government. 

Its seven-year insurgency has 

left 20,000 people dead, mainly 

in the country’s north-east. 

In the interview in IS’s weekly 

Arabic magazine al-Naba, Mr 

Barnawi said his group 

“remained a force to be reckoned 

with” and said it had been 

drawing new recruits. 

He described the group’s battle 

against West African states as a 

war fought by Muslims against 

“apostates” and “crusaders”. 

Who is Abu 

Musab al-Barnawi? 

•Little is known about Abu 

Mus’ab al-Barnawi, who 

appeared in a Boko Haram video 

in January 2015 as the group’s 

spokesman 

•He wore a turban and his face 

was blurred out and it was filmed 

as a sit-down studio interview. 

•Unlike Abubakar Shekau, his 

delivery in the Hausa language 

was considered and softly spoken 

•Mr Shekau was often filmed 

in the open, surrounded by 

fighters, loudly proclaiming his 

threats, victories and giving 

rambling ideological lectures. 

•However, Mr Barnawi pulled 

no punches, warning that towns 

which resisted Boko Haram in its 

mission to create an Islamic state 

would be flattened. 

•He also spoke of being against 

democracy and foreign 

education. 

•In his most recent magazine 

interview, he again objected to the 

name Boko Haram, by which 

local people call the group, as it 

means “Western education is 

forbidden” in Hausa. 

•He maintained IS was still 

strong in the region and promised 

to continue fighting West African 

governments. 

Mr. Shekau took over as the 

group’s leader after its founder, 

Muhammad Yusuf, died in 

Nigerian police custody in July 

2009. 

Under his leadership Boko 

Haram became more radical, 

carried out more killings and 

swore allegiance to IS in March 

2015. 

In numerous videos, Mr Shekau 

taunted the Nigerian authorities, 

celebrating the group’s violent 

acts including the abduction of the 

more than 200 Chibok schoolgirls 

in April 2014. 

Nigeria army has claimed to 

have killed him on several 

occasions, and he has not 

appeared in a video since joining 

IS. 

‘Cheap propaganda’ 

“The Nigerian government has 

described as cheap propaganda 

In his most recent 

magazine 

interview, he again 

objected to the 

name Boko 

Haram, by which 

local people call 

the group, as it 

means "Western 

education is 

forbidden" in 

Hausa 

the report that ISIS has appointed 

a new leader for Boko Haram, 

saying it is too late to employ such 

tactics to revive the defeated 

Nigerian terrorist organization,” 

a statement released by the 

Minister of Information, Lai 

Mohammed, said in a reaction to 

the report of a new leader for Boko 

Haram. 

The statement was signed by 

Segun Adeyemi, the minister’s 

spokesperson. 

The government called on 

Nigerians to ignore the ISIS 

report. 

“Don’t believe the cheap 

propaganda by the global terrorist 

group ISIS, which has reportedly 

named a new leader for Boko 

Haram. Our gallant military has 

put Boko Haram on the run and 

nothing will bring back the 

terrorists, not even the wishful 

thinking by ISIS,” the statement 

said. 

The military had earlier said the 

report was of no effect to its 

operations against the deadly 

group. 

The Director of Defence 

Information, DHQ, Brigadier 

General Rabe Abubakar, said the 

military remained focused on its 

operation in the North-East. 

He said the announcement of a 

new leader for the group was only 

aimed at seeking attention and 

relevance. 

“As far as we are concerned, what 

Boko Haram or their cohorts are 

doing is of no relevance to our 

operations against them”, Rabe 

stated. 

“We are just focused on clearing 

the remnants of the insurgents that 

are scattered around. What they 

are doing is to seek relevance and 

to tell the world that they are still 

around whereas they have been 

decimated. 

“Their latest move is the antics 

of a fading group and I believe 

that in the shortest time they will 

be history”. 

‘Local franchise’ 

Separately, Ekhomu, the 

President of the Association of 

Industrial Security and Safety 

Operators of Nigeria, said Al- 

Barnawi’s appointment as Boko 

Haram leader was a dangerous 

development in the ongoing war 

against terrorism in the country. 

He urged the FG to place 

intelligence agencies, the 

military, law enforcement and 

citizens on full alert to avert 

terrorist attacks. 

“If ISIS gets to appoint senior 

leadership for Boko Haram, then 

they are probably running the 

Nigerian terror group as a local 

franchise. Strategic decisions 

such as leadership appointments 

are made by the spiritual leader 

of a terrorist group. In other words, 

the appointment of Al-Barnawi 

might have been made by ISIS 

leader Sheik Abu Bakr El- 

Baghdadi himself,” he added. 

Ekhomu stated that under the 

leadership of Shekau, Boko 

Haram caused over 30,000 deaths 

in Nigeria. He called for a higher 

level of preparedness, urging 

Nigerians to be observant and 

report unusual events, people or 

packages to security agencies. 

He called on the Lagos State 

government to create an 

intelligence fusion centre where 

all-source intelligence could be 

harmonised in order to disrupt 

terror attacks in the state. 

‘New target’ 

Meanwhile, Al-Barnawi says 

Christians in Nigeria will be the 

new target of the sect’s attacks, 

vowing that the sect will kill all 

Christians and “blow up every 

church that we are able to reach.” 

In an interview he granted Al- 

Naba Newspaper, which was 

translated by SITE Intelligence 

Group, Al-Barnawi was reported 

as describing Boko Haram’s 

activities in Nigeria as a war 

fought by Muslims against 

“apostates” and “crusaders.” 

He said the group was aggrieved 

that the West had been trying to 

Christianise Africa, saying the 

West was spreading Christianity 

to the African region and charities 

were assisting them in doing that. 

He also claimed that victims of 

insurgency were being kept in the 

Internally Displaced Persons’ 

camp, fed and sheltered for the 

purpose of turning their children 

to Christians. 

He, however, said the group 

would retaliate. He said, “They 

(West) strongly seek to 

Christianise the society…They 

exploit the condition of those who 

are displaced under the raging 

war, providing them with food and 

shelter and then Christianising 

their children.” Al-Barnawi 

vowed that Boko Haram fighters 

would retaliate by “boobytrapping 

and blowing up every 

church that we are able to reach 

and kill all those (Christians) who 

we find from the citizens of the 

cross.” The new Boko Haram 

leader said the sect “remained a 

force to be reckoned with,” 

boasting that it had enlisted new 

recruits. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


metro 

LOOMING FLOODS 

Thousands of 

Lagosians may 

be displaced 

—Giwa, LASEMA chief 

•Govt to deploy three rescue 

helicopters, toll-free line 

By Sola Ogundipe 

Recently, the Nigeria 

Hydrological Services 

Agency (NIHSA) and the 

Nigeria Metrological Agency, 

NIMet, issued warnings that a 

number of states are likely to 

experience high flood this year. 

Weather forecast through the 

Seasonal Rainfall Predictions 

indicates that Lagos could be one of 

the areas prone to the looming 

floods. Following this prediction, 

Lagos and seven other states in the 

South West zone of the country got 

together to take proactive 

emergency preparedness response 

measures. In this interview, Head 

of Operations and Logistics, Lagos 

State Emergency Management 

Agency, LASEMA, Mr. Femi Giwa, 

warns that up to 5,000 residents of 

the state may become homeless this 

year from floods. He opens up on 

strategies to be employed to tackle 

the looming disaster. Excerpts: 

Tackling the impending flood 

disaster 

Right from the onset, we had 

always stepped up our emergency 

preparedness and response, and, in 

view of the advice from the Office of 

the Security Adviser to the 

president concerning the high level 

of flood that will occur in some 

states which include Lagos, we 

have stepped up high level of 

preparedness at our two relief 

camps; the relief and emergency 

camp at Agbowa in Lagos East and 

the one at Igando, Lagos West. 

Relief camps 

Our relief camps at Igando are 

capable of taking about 1,500 

internally displaced persons. We 

have stepped up preparedness in 

terms of the beddings, supplies and 

other necessities at the two camps. 

Also, we have begun preparation 

for the construction of the third 

relief camp at Lekki. Aside from 

these, sometimes around January, 

we kicked off our sensitization 

campaign; we had a meeting with 

our stakeholders who include our 

local emergency management 

committees from 7 LCDAs. 

We had over 100 stakeholders 

who came together at Alausa, Ikeja 

to brainstorm. Also during the 

celebration of the governor’s one 

year in office, we had several 

visitations of our stakeholders, 

sensitizing them on the need for 

proper coordination especially in 

the event of emergency and 

disasters. Governor Akinwunmi 

Ambode has procured equipment 

•Femi Giwa, Head of 

Operations and Logistics, 

LASEMA 

Government has made 

available an emergency 

toll free line- 767-112, 

people should 

endeavour to call that 

line in event of any 

emergency and when 

you see anything that 

may exacerbate flood 

for us. If you remember, the Vice 

President visited Lagos and 

commissioned our state-of- the- art 

equipment at our intervention unit 

in Cappa, Oshodi. 

Most of these equipment and 

vehicles are meant for intervention. 

Although we have had several 

interventions in the past, this time 

around, we have increased our 

capacity; most vehicles are able to 

ply difficult routes. We have also 

fortified our command and control 

units because communication is 

very critical in emergency response. 

Aside from the normal 767 response, 

we have CCTV units, which will 

help us monitor what is happening 

at disaster sites. 

Helicopters 

That is where coordination and 

collaboration come in. We have our 

primary stakeholders which are the 

rapid response squads. Within the 

purview, we have three helicopters. 

After the Bristow plane crash, we 

had to deploy these helicopters to 

the site. We did this in conjunction 

with Bristow and the Nigeria Police. 

You will also observe that one or 

two months after the crash, we had 

a stimulation exercise in order to 

improve our response, because we 

saw gaps in terms of 

communication and coordination 

in the Oworonsoki incident. About 

three weeks after this exercise, 

we had another scenario where 

another Bristow helicopter crashed 

into the ocean about 17 nautical 

miles off the Lagos International 

Airport and it was these same 

helicopters that were deployed 

and we were able to save those on 

board. 

Role of the public 

Be that as it may, we also believe 

that the public has a great role to 

play in emergency response, 

which is why we have jingles, from 

time to time, the ministry of 

information collaborates with other 

media partners like LTV, TVC and 

the social media, in disseminating 

information on what should be 

done so as to build the capacity 

and resilience of people at the 

local level. Our preparedness 

plans are focused on four major 

areas, from mitigation, 

preparedness, response and 

recovery. 

In terms of mitigation, we work 

hand-in-hand with Lagos State 

Building Control Agency, the 

Ministry of Physical Planning, 

Ministry of Environment and 

others, to ensure that we enforce 

the building codes, and all those 

within the buffer zones especially 

around areas where we know that 

when there is flood will be affected. 

For example, if you look at the 

Ogun River, once the dam is 

released, people within that area 

such as Isheri North, Ajegunle, 

Ikorodu, are often affected. Based 

on this, we talk to people around 

the critical zones, those who are 

building on drainages, those 

vulnerable, we enforce the 

building codes, we have 

intensified efforts through the 

Ministry of environment, clearing 

of drainages at major canals 

(which are the major recipients of 

this flood), and we have enhanced 

capacity of our stakeholders. 

Losses 

Level of losses actually varies. 

Sometime in October 2010, when 

we had flood in Ikorodu, we had 

about 1,750 internally displaced 

persons. In 2012 when we had 

torrential rainfall and flood in 

various local governments in the 

state, we had about 2,500 

internally displaced persons. In a 

worst case scenario, our projection 

is 10,000 internally displaced 

persons in terms of our 

contingency plans, in most likely 

scenario, we are not expecting a 

displacement that will exceed 

5,000 people, and if you look at 

our camps, they have the capacity 

of taking close to 3,000 people. 

Our preparedness plan is such 

that we have been able to factor 

our most likely scenario, our best 

and worst case scenario. Now, we 

found out that poor infrastructures 

such as bad roads, poor drainages, 

also resulted in high level of 

impact in those risky areas. Most 

recently the Lagos State 

government stepped up in 

ensuring that our infrastructure 

works. If you look at Ikorodu Road, 

the road construction is such that 

the road has been elevated. 

It’s almost difficult to see 

people around this area and that is 

why the issue of monitoring, 

surveillance, enforcement of 

building code, sensitization, all 

comes to play. We have been able 

to invest in our infrastructure, 

ensuring that our drainages are 

open, that people are sensitised, 

we have also ensured that there 

are medical supplies that will take 

care of hygiene, water, and other 

likely ailments. And I can assure 

you that we are the only state that 

has camps that are fitted with state 

of the art facilities, these are not 

transit camps. Agbowa Camp has 

been there for about six years, it 

has in the past accommodated 

foreign immigrants who came to 

seek asylum. 

Protection of women and 

children 

In the first 72 hours after the 

camp has been activated, we will 

start our rapid assessment. This 

includes finding out the number of 

internally displaced persons, the 

number of children, women, and 

adults. By the time we have these 

statistics it will help us our 

planning. From day one, once 

they come into the camp, we 

provide food, water, Medicare, etc., 

that is why we work in 

collaboration with the Ministries of 

Health, Women Affairs and Poverty 

Alleviation. Because the needs of 

children aged 1 to 5 years is quite 

different from the needs of those 

above five years, we have put 

these into consideration in our 

recovery plans, we also do HIV 

tests, provide all medical 

assistance. 

Toll-free emergency Line 

Government has made available 

an emergency toll free line- 767- 

112, people should endeavour to 

call that line in event of any 

emergency and when you see 

anything that may exacerbate flood, 

we can mitigate against it by calling 

this line, so that emergency officials 

can be able to get to the scene and 

fix things up. For those who live 

around the coastal areas, they 

should contribute their own quota by 

clearing their drains, we should be 

sensitive enough to look at early 

warning signs. When we are having 

coastal tidal changes, epileptic 

surges, these are signs that we 

should move upland. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016, PAGE 23 

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PAGE 24, SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016 

Economic recession 

hitting Nollywood hard, 

says Shirley Igwe 

By Ochuke Okareko 

No sector has been spared in 

the recent spiral downturn of 

the economy, not even 

Nollywood in all its glamour and 

glory. Ex-Delta girl, model and 

Nollywood actress Shirley Igwe, 

recently in an interview with Potpourri 

takes on issues on her personal life 

and life as a Nollywood actress. The 

28 years old actress who is truly a 

sight to behold had this to say 

“Things are shaky, not just in the 

movie industry but everywhere, things 

are like that. Maybe if things stabilise, 

everything will stabilise,” she says. 

Speaking on the effect of the times on 

Nollywood, the actress counts herself 

lucky to be among those still working. 

“The people working now are the 

lucky ones and I’ve been working” 

she said. 

People are not really filming 

anymore. People still shoot though, 

but not really anymore. For instance, 

last year if you go to Festac, you could 

see about 10 productions going on but 

now you’ll probably see 2. On the 

Island, you may see more than 10 

productions going on but right now, 

you’ll probably see like 5" the actress 

added 

“This may be time for actors to search 

inward and begin to develop other 

talents until they ride out the 

recession. For me, “I still blog but I’m 

trying to work on connecting it to my 

youtube channel, get the blog 

running“ 

The talented Shirley Igwe graduated 

from Imo State University with a 

degree in Mass Communication in 

2010. She was the Principal Protocol 

Officer to the Imo State governor, 

Rochas Okorocha until recently and 

has appeared in the movies The King 

And The Maiden, Last 3 Digits, Mercy 

The Bus Driver amongst 

others. 

•Shirley Igwe 

Daddy Showkey reveals 

secret behind his dreadlocks 

By Kehinde Ajose 

Since discovering his music 

talent in the harsh slums of 

Ajegunle, Daddy Showkey has 

remained a source of 

inspiration to artistes from the 

ghettos. The Galala dance 

exponent known for his 

signature dreadlocks has 

declared that he cannot cut his 

dreadlocks. 

He made this known as a guest 

on a TV show recently. “I 

decided to leave my dreadlocks 

because of the vow I made with 

God. I made a vow with God 

that if he makes me successful, 

I will not cut my hair. That vow 

has become a reality and that 

is why I won’t cut my hair. 

People expect me to cut it, why 

should I cut it when I am 

succeeding?” 

He also threw light 

on how the music 

industry has 

changed from his 

own days. “ In our 

time it was about you 

and your music. You 

had to promote it 

yourself. Today we 

have the internet. In 

our days, you would go from 

Lagos to Port-Harcourt to 

present your CD. Things 

have changed now. Our 

people are embracing our 

music and that is a great 

thing,” he chimed. 

•Lizzy 

Gold 

•Daddy 

Showkey 

Why ladies find me attractive – John Dumelo 

Ghollywood actor, John 

Dumelo recently 

disclosed the secrets behind his 

charming self, which makes 

him very attractive to ladies. 

The talented actor who made 

Lizzy Gold Onuwaje turns producer, packs 

a punch in first film 

•John Dumelo 

Former Miss Delta State and Nollywood hot actress, Lizzy 

Gold Onuwaje, has joined the league of movie producers in a 

big way as she put together a high profile cast in her first effort 

titled “ Bubemi the Warri Girl”. 

Lizzy plays the lead star as Bubemi, with other top names like 

IK Ogbonna, Queen Nwokoye, Nicole Banna Ozoma, Tina 

Amuziem, Ruth Eze and Pope Stan, among others. 

The story is about a local Warri girl (Lizzy Gold Onuwaje), who 

left for the city to live with her cousin (Queen Nwokoye). Along 

the way she fell in love with Gozie (IK Ogbonna). According to 

the producer, Lizzy, the film is pure comedy that will give ‘Wives 

on Strike’ a run for its money. 

“ It is simply thrilling and hilarious,” says Lizzy Gold. “It is on 

DVD nationwide. Nigerians need to see this to relieve 

themselves of the economic stress” she added. 

the revelations at the Nigerian 

launch of 

Ghandour Cosmetics product 

range in Lagos, said keeping his 

hair neat is one of the features 

ladies find irresistible. 

“I always keep my hair well cut 

and neat, I know a lot of boys or a 

lot of men who have always wanted 

to use the product too because it’s 

good for the hair. It straightens out 

the hair and makes the hair 

look neat and it attracts the 

women as well. “ 

He explained that keeping his hair 

neat is also part of the reasons he 

was chosen as a brand ambassador 

for Ghandour Cosmetics, ‘Style 

Up’. 

Even though I work with style app, 

I still have links with BO16 and 

other brands that Ghandour does. 

That’s the reason I’m here. I’m 

here for BO16 and I always support 

their activities”, he noted


Edited by EMEKA AGINAM 

Email: emekaaginam@yahoo.com 08057538314 

•A cross section of 2016 Imagine Cup students 

2016 imagine cup students: 

We'll turn our ideas into market realities 

By Emeka Aginam, 

who was in Seattle, 

Washington 

Like the Olympic Games 

Rio 2016 currently going 

on in Brazil, Microsoft 

2016 Imagine Cup successfully 

ended last week in Seattle, 

Washington, the United State of 

America, with a call to technology 

students to turn their innovative 

ideas into reality. 

The 2016 software contest had 

brought together no fewer than 

120 talented technology students 

from 34 countries around the 

world to showcase their talents. 

Founded in 2003, Microsoft 

Imagine Cup is the premier 

technology programme and 

competition had provided 

opportunities for student 

technologists to change the world 

with their innovative ideas. 

But the time the capacity 

building event was drawing to a 

close, the Chief Executive Officer, 

CEO, of Microsoft, Satya 

Nadella, gave the students a 

home work which was very clear. 

Turn your ideas into market 

realities and use digital 

technologies to change the world 

were the concluding remarks of 

Microsoft CEO during an award 

ceremony at the global software 

contest. 

The Microsoft boss who was full 

of excitement as a result of 

innovative ideas presented by the 

students further went on to 

encourage the ambitious looking 

technology students, saying that 

the 21st century society lies in 

their hands. Change your local 

communities with your solutions, 

he added. 

Similarly, during the 

Championship show, it was 

exciting to see finalists’ reactions 

as they received words of 

encouragement and inspiration 

from the likes of Seattle 

Seahawks superstar quarterback 

Russell Wilson and hit recording 

artist and Garfield High alum 

Macklemore, both of whom 

congratulated the students on 

making it this far in the 

competition and wished them 

luck on their innovation journey. 

Looking at the faces of the 

software code warriors after the 

message of the Microsoft boss, 

it was really a big assignment. 

Although funding and mentor 

ship have always been a 

challenge to the students after 

the competition, watching the 

students project presentations, 

there were convincing signals 

that the world will be a better 

place if the solutions showcased 

are deployed and taking to the 

markets. It will however, go a 

long way in changing the world 

by tackling greatest problems 

like disease, hunger, 

environmental ,degradation, 

illiteracy , among others. 

Having been following up with 

Imagine Cup competition for 

appreciable number of years, it 

is clear that Imagine Cup 

BlackBerr 

kBerry y addresses security, , privacy needs of Android users s with DTEK50 series 

F 

Time is ripe for 

international 

investors to get 

involved in the 

African mobile 

gaming industry 

competitors have continued to 

show passion for tapping into the 

power of technology to make the 

world around them a better 

place. 

Students speak 

For the Romanian team leader, 

Iulian-Razvan Matesica, who 

was full of excitement, Imagine 

cup was a big opportunity for 

them. 

The ENTy team from Romania 

created a high-tech wearable 

device that tracks the balance of 

the internal ear and checks the 

spine posture in real time. 

“ We thank Microsoft for the 

ollowing the success of its first powered 

by Android, phone, PRIV, Canadian 

smart phone maker, BlackBerry Limited has 

unveiled DTEK50 , the world’s most secure 

Android smartphone in the mobile market 

to address address security, privacy needs 

of Android users with DTEK50 series 

The product being BlackBerry’s thinnest 

device ever, represents the best of 

BlackBerry with Android to make users more 

productive and responsive, pairing security 

with intelligent design. 

Fully equipped with Android 

Marshmallow 6.0, DTEK50 combines 

BlackBerry’s unique security, privacy and 

productivity with the full Android experience 

in an all-touch design, at a price point that’s 

accessible for consumers and ideal for 

enterprise fleet deployment. 

The product combines the world’s most 

secure smartphone with BlackBerry’s 

enterprise management solutions to produce 

a powerful device capable of powering any 

work day. 

“We take our customers’ privacy seriously. 

opportunity. It is a wonderful 

experience contesting with 

students from others countries. 

We will scale up our solution. We 

will take our project to the market. 

We will turn our ideas into market 

realities. We did not know that 

we could do it. We are going to 

launch it and get medical 

certificate for the product. This 

will help us deliver the products 

to the hospital. But we need 

mentor ship and seed funding 

to scale up the solution” she said. 

Team Nigeria 

Narrating their experience, 

Obasegun Ayodele, the 

spokesperson of Team Nigeria 

from Obafemi Awolowo 

University Ile-Ife, OAU, said that 

their global competitiveness just 

started after competing in 

worldwide finals. 

Creating a gaming and 

internet-surfing platform for the 

visually-impaired, according to 

him, has really inspired them to 

take the solution to the next level. 

“We have upgraded Humane 

solution to include state of the 

art technologies such as AI for 

facial and scene recognition. We 

are also concluding partnerships 

with resume and job search 

companies which would help 

advance our solution as regards 

helping the visually impaired 

apply for jobs. We have increased 

the app base of Humane to fit 

educational use. 

“The challenge is funding for 

bootcamps and component 

purchase coupled with power 

and internet access. We also 

would love to have more 

partnership with companies that 

are interested in adopting the 

Humane platform to access the 

visually impaired. 

“We also plan on carrying a 

market survey where the humane 

solution would be tested on about 

1000 to 5000 persons. To compete 

at world stage is just the 

beginning of our entrepreneur 

lives. “We are defining standards 

that would pilot innovation for 

the visually impaired”, he said. 

Team Night Watch from 

Tunisia 

For team Night Watch from 

Tunisia, the only African country 

that won 2nd Place winner in the 

World Citizenship category, 

Imagine was the beginning of 

their journey to entrepreneur life. 

Night’s Watch created a 

prosthesis for people with 

disabilities at the hand controlled 

by the MYO ( carried level of the 

forearm ). 

According to Assil Mekki, one 

of the team members, “We are 

passionate about technology. We 

believe that it is the path to make 

the world a better place. A great 

idea is only great when you build 

it. We will take our project to 

market”. 

Digital Interactive Games 

from South Africa 

Also speaking ,Jason Cross, a 

team member of Digital 

Interactive Games from South 

Africa, while narrating their 

experience said that Microsoft 

Imagine Cup was really a big 

opportunity and exposure. 

“This is a good beginning for 

our team. We will turn our big 

ideas into market realities after 

this competition even though is 

a challenge. We are a team of 

students attending Nelson 

That’s why we’re proud to have all the security 

and privacy functionality that’s built in our 

newest Android smartphone. DTEK50 merges 

the unique security and connectivity features 

BlackBerry is known for with the rich Android 

ecosystem,” Ralph Pini, Chief Operating 

Officer and General Manager, Devices, 

BlackBerry, said , adding that, “DTEK50 adds 

to BlackBerry’s lineup of secure smartphones, 

providing choices to our customers with 

different price points on both BlackBerry 10 

and Android platforms.” 

Android Security 

Meanwhile, in a recent recent survey1 of 

Android smartphone users, BlackBerry found 

that 50 percent believe their smartphone is 

only somewhat secure, and what’s more, 

despite data security fears, one in six Android 

users don’t know about Android security 

patches. “With an increase in cybercrime on 

smartphones, people need to recognize that 

the private details of their lives – where they 

live, their bank info, pictures of their kids – 

are at risk on their personal device. You 

wouldn’t leave the doors of your house 

Mandela Metropolitan 

University, NMMU, in Port 

Elizabeth South Africa”, he said. 

Team Healthx from United 

States 

For Ahmad Alsaleem, a team 

member of Healthx, winners, of 

2016 United States World 

Citizenship, Imagine Cup has 

helped them to re- tool their 

solution to global stage, adding 

that, their team will take the 

solution to next level. 

Success story: 

A good example of success 

story of Imagine Cup is Abiola 

Olaniran, founder of Gamsole, 

who was among the students that 

went to Poland in 2010 to 

showcase software Nigeria. 

The young man has turned his 

ideas into realities as he is 

already making a big impact on 

the global gaming scene with 

millions of downloads achieved 

around the world. 

Gamsole’s success shows that 

Imagine cup students must take 

their product to the next level. It 

also shows that the time is ripe 

for international investors to 

become involved in the African 

Mobile gaming industry. 

It would be recalled that 35 

teams from 34 countries had 

competed in the world finals in 

Seattle, Washington, with 9 in 

the Games category, 13 in the 

Innovation category and 13 in the 

World Citizenship category. 

Running in 14th year, it started 

in 2003 with just 2,000 students 

from 25 countries. To date, nearly 

1.8 million students from more 

than 190 countries have engaged 

with the Imagine cup program. 

unlocked at night. Having a smartphone that 

doesn’t take your privacy seriously is the 

equivalent,” David Kleidermacher, Chief 

Security Officer, BlackBerry, said, adding that, 

“It’s equally important for businesses to protect 

their sensitive data from cyberattacks at all 

points of their mobile environment – from the 

device to the network and servers.” 

The device was designed to address the 

security and privacy needs of today’s 

uncompromising Android users. Smartphones 

are increasingly being targeted for cyberattacks 

through tactics like malicious apps, scareware 

notifications and insecure Wi-Fi connections. 

BlackBerry’s Android smartphones, 

including DTEK50 and PRIV, have unique 

built-in hardware security. DTEK50 encrypts 

all users’ information, including business 

critical data and personal data such as pictures, 

videos and contacts. Malware protection is also 

built-in along with back-up, wipe and restore 

capabilities. Additional software provides users 

with visibility and control over which apps get 

access to personal info or device features such 

as the microphone or camera.

PAGE 26—SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016


AYO ONIKOYI 

08052201215 

Tax guru, Tele Ogunjobi, dazzles @ 50 

It was razzmatazz all the way, as family and friends came together to celebrate, Tele Ogunjobi, a tax 

consultant, Commissioner for Finance and Planning at the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) 

and onetime Special Adviser to the Hon. Minister of Commerce and Industry, Senator Jubril Martins- 

Kuye (OFR), who turned 50 recently. 

For the Asiwaju Jagunmolu of Ago-Iwoye, it was a crowning moment of fifty years well spent on planet 

earth as guests showered praises on him for having touched many lives. The party held at Grace Garden 

Event Place in Lekki Phase 1. Photos by Akinwunmi Ibrahim 

Deinde Williams’ 

daughter weds 

Sir Oladeinde Williams, Chairman, Unity 

Hospitals Group Limited, had the pleasure of 

hosting friends and well wishers when his 

daughter wedded her heartthrob in Lagos 

recently. The wedding which held at Wesley 

Cathedral Olowogbowo, Lagos had many notable 

Nigerians in attendance. The reception held at The 

Classique Events Centre, Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos. 

Celebrant, Asiwaju Tele Ogunjobi and wife, 

Omowunmi. 

Oba Kabiru Adewale Shotobi, Ayangbure of 

Ikorodu and his wife, Olori Kudirat. 

Mr and Mrs. Adekunle Adeniyi Adeleke at their 

engagement . 

L-R: Children of the celebrant: Haminah; Muiz and 

Fatimah 

L-R: Mrs. Iyabo Mustapha and husband, Senator 

Olalekan Mustapha and Senator Jubril 

Martins-Kuye, former Minister of 

Commerce and Indusrty. 

L-R: HRM Oba Afolabi Babade, the Owa of 

Okeoro, Ekiti State greeting the wife of the 

Asiwaju of Remoland, Chief (Mrs.) Ola 

Onafowokan to the delight of Olori Ade Babade 

and Asiwaju, Solomon Kayode Onafowokan. 

L-R: Mr. Akunna Sampson, Credit Control 

Manager; Mr. Shola Ogunleye, Internal Auditor; 

and Ms. Titi Jolaoso, Financial Controller; all of 

Vanguard. 

Ideas House team at 

their 2016 mid-year 

retreat 

L-R: Prince Feyi Soyewon and wife, Olori Abiodun 

and Hon. Olu Osibote. 

Inauguration of the HOSCOM, 

FCT women’s wing chapter 

in Abuja 

L-R: Groom and the bride’s parents, Mr and Mrs. 

Ade Adeleke with Sir and Lady Charles 

Oladeinde Williams. 

From left: FCT Chairperson, Host Communities 

of Nigeria (HOSCOM), Dame Tumuni Akogun, 

National Chairman, Host Communities of Nigeria 

Cross Section of Ideas House team during the (HOSCOM), Dr. Mike Emuh and Secretary 

2016 Mid-Year retreat at Whispering Palms resort National Chairman Host Communities of Nigeria 

in Badagry, Lagos. 

(HOSCOM), Maryjude Ayodele 

L-R: Asiwaju of Remoland, Chief Solomon 

Kayode Onafowokan, bride’s father, Sir Charles 

Oladeinde Williams KJW, his brother, Arc Kunle 

Williams, Dr Michael Obafunso Peters and a PR 

guru, Aramide Tola Noibi.


Hyundai Tucson most appealing 

small SUV by J.D Power 

J 

.D. Power 

designated the 

2016 Hyundai Tucson as 

its most appealing small 

SUV in the 2016 

Automotive Performance, 

Execution and Layout 

(APEAL) StudySM. In its 

21st year, the APEAL 

study examines owners’ 

emotional attachment 

and level of excitement 

across 77 attributes, 

ranging from the power 

they feel when they step 

on the gas to the sense 

of comfort and luxury 

they feel when climbing 

into the driver’s seat. 

Vehicles and their brands 

are measured on a 1,000- 

point scale. 

Tucson outscored all 

other small SUVs and 

performed particularly 

well in the categories of 

vehicle fuel economy, 

seats, HVAC, storage, 

exterior, visibility, 

driving, interior and 

audio/comm./ 

entertainment/ 

navigation. 

“We are thrilled with 

ORGANIZER of the 

2016 Uyo International 

Motor Show, 

SOUTHFIELD Technologies 

Nigeria has rolled out 

a set of mouth watering incentives 

to attract prospective 

companies to its coming 

event taking place at Le 

Meridien Ibom Hotel & Golf 

Resort in Akwa Ibom State 

from 2 to 9, 2016 September. 

According to the Managing 

Director of the company, 

Mr. Charles 

Continental Tire takes advantage 

of W.A growing tyre market 

THE West African 

market is estimated 

to be in the region of over 

eight million tyres in 2016 

and growing to over 12 million 

by 2025. For this reason, 

Continental Tires 

world’s forth largest tyre 

manufacturer is taking the 

advantage to launch its 

presence in Ghana, West 

Africa. 

Recently the leading international 

tyre brand Continental 

Tire officially 

opened its first warehouse 

for West Africa in Ghana. 

As a part of Bolloré Africa 

Logistics the warehousing 

facility situated in Tema 

is part of the organisations 

top-quality bonded logistics 

the recognition of Tucson 

in this year’s J.D. Power 

APEAL study,” said Scott 

Margason, director, 

product planning, 

Hyundai Motor America. 

“The new Tucson looks 

great, has two fuel 

efficient engines and a 

roomy interior that 

satisfies a wide range of 

SUV buyers. The team 

did a great job launching 

the all-new Tucson this 

year.” 

Uyo Int’l Motor show organiser offers huge incentives to exhibitors 

platforms situated a few 

kilometres from the port 

terminal. Bolloré Africa 

logistics in Ghana provides 

over 90,000m² of warehouses 

and storage areas. 

“The capacity of the facility 

allows us the opportunity 

and flexibility to expand 

as the market dictates”, 

says Johann Liebenberg, 

Market Manager 

Continental Tire West 

Africa. 

Driven by the need to 

provide superior products 

and service to the West African 

market, the new facility 

in Tema will allow 

ease of access and increased 

capacity for quick 

and efficient distribution. 

Weststar produces 1st Nigerian 

globally certified trainer 

MR. Abdul Ligali,Training manager, 

Weststar Associates Limited has received a 

certificate of excellence in global trainings from 

Daimler AG Global Training Center in Stuttgart, 

Germany. By this feat, Mr. Ligali has become the 

first Nigerian to be certified as a Mercedes-Benz 

global trainer by Daimler. 

According to the Managing Director, Weststar Associates 

Limited, Mr. Mirko Plath, this is in preparations 

for the expansion of a certified global training 

Centre for the leading brands Weststar represents 

in Nigeria which is already in the pipeline. 

Weststar represents Mercedes Benz, Chrysler, 

Dodge and Jeep brands in Nigeria. 

Since inception, Weststar has organized technical 

and non-technical trainings for staff, dealers, and 

customers in order to expand the knowledge base 

of all employees and meet the various needs of customers. 

He recalled that in 2014, Weststar officially 

set-up an in-house training department which, has 

trained over 300 participants in various aspects of 

the business. 

The in-house training involves inviting a global 

trainer usually assigned by the manufacturers, to 

deliver a customized training program to the team 

which in most cases, consists of employees, dealers, 

and customers as a form of support. This is an 

addition to the regular e-trainings held locally. 

These different trainings could be about a particular 

product, sales, service, after-sales, customer relationship 

management, use of various software applications 

such as Electronic Parts catalogue (EPC), 

Workshop Information System (WIS), ordering systems 

amongst others. 

Essien,these incentive are 

key and one of a kind, that 

exhibiting firms should take 

advantage of in our noble 

effort at providing a deal 

worthwhile, particularly in 

the harsh economic conditions 

the country is currently 

facing. 

‘’ We believe that apart 

from being an innovation 

itwill go a long way in making 

firms in the automobile 

and Support Sectors put up 

a good outing as this shall 

form part of the total deal 

for participating firms. It will 

make for complete business 

and veritable social atmosphere 

through out the duration 

of the show. 

The incentives include: 

* lodging/ accommodation 

for two of the firm’s officials 

to the show; 

* meals (Breakfast, 

Lunch and Dinner) at the 

Le Meridien; 

*exhibitor’s representative 

will have time for recreation 

after a hectic business 

day and can make use 

of the Swimming Pool, Tennis 

court as well as one of 

Africa’s most beautiful Golf 

course depending on where 

his interest is; 

Also models would be assigned 

to the exhibiting 

firms unless where deemed 

otherwise. 

The Southfield boss noted, 

our reason is to ensure 

that participants who by virtue 

of being at the event are 

our partners are comfortable, 

secure and safe to successfully 

showcase their 

brands in an atmosphere 

devoid of confusion. This 

assurance is being given by 

the governor of the state of 

Akwa Ibom, Elder Udom 

Emmanuel so as to assure 

everyone, particularly those 

that would be coming from 

overseas country, and have 

those very expensive machines 

secure at the show 

ground through out the 8- 

day duration of the event. 

According to him, it 

should however be of interest 

and noted as part of the 

reason that we intend to 

keep to acceptable international 

standards in Motor 

show exhibition, and these 

consideration is made to 

accommodate the customer 

and visitors who would prefer 

to visit in evenings, so 

we have an addition and 

flood lights to illuminate the 

show ground at nights. 

•Toyota Nigeria Limited recently held a customer engagement forum where it interacted with its customers 

on how best to serve them. Pix shows Toyota Managing Director, Mr. Kunle Ade-Ojo (centre), 

with the customers and some management staff of the company.


gallery 

‘BOKO HARAM STUDENTS’ 

They can’t stop 

drawing AK47 to 

share horrifying 

experiences 

•Miss Blessing Douglas (left, standing) in one of the classrooms 

BY EBELE ORAKPO 

Until recently, north-east 

Nigeria, especially the 

three states of Borno, 

Adamawa and Yobe, did not know 

peace due to the activities of Boko 

Haram, an Islamist terror group 

which laid siege to the region. 

The group began attacking 

security agents, civilians, schools, 

churches, mosques, markets, etc., 

after its founder, Mohammed Yusuf, 

was killed while in police custody. 

At the height of the attacks, schools 

in the region were shut as towns and 

villages were sacked and, in some 

cases, razed. Families were separated 

while thousands lost their lives. Many 

people who escaped the attacks fled 

to neighbouring states, with most 

ending up as internally displaced 

persons (IDPs) in different camps. 

Seeking to acquire western 

education in the region was akin to 

courting trouble. In February 2014, 

59 boys were killed at the Federal 

Government College, Buni Yadi, 

Yobe State while 24 buildings in 

the school were razed. Things came 

to a head when, in April 2014, the 

terrorists stormed a school in Chibok, 

Borno State, and kidnapped about 

276 school girls. Their crime? Seeking 

to acquire western education! 

According to Miss Blessing 

Douglas, a graduate of International 

and Comparative Politics from the 

American University of Nigeria 

(AUN), Yola, and founder/CEO of 

Kintsukuroi Foundation, a nongovernmental 

organisation with the 

mandate to tackle mental health 

issues affecting IDPs, she started the 

foundation after imagining the horror 

IDPs went through due to Boko Haram 

attacks. 

IDP camps were not even spared 

by the terrorists. For instance, the 

Malkohi IDP camp in Yola was 

attacked. In this report, Sunday 

Vanguard looks at the state of student 

IDPs in schools, the challenges and 

how they are coping. 

Going back to school 

As the Federal Government 

intensifies the fight against Boko 

Haram, the need to help children, 

who had experienced the horrors of 

terrorism lead a near normal life, 

became paramount. So, many were 

sent to schools to continue their 

education, especially those in 

secondary schools, while those 

whose towns and villages have been 

rescued from the terrorists were 

encouraged to go back home. 

However, many of them are still 

struggling to survive away from their 

homes. 

Speaking to Sunday Vanguard, 

Douglas said Kintsukuroi 

Foundation recently visited some 

schools in Yola, Adamawa State. “At 

the Aliyu Mustapha College,there 

were 187 students in SS2. The 

principal said the number of 

students wasn’t always high. 

However, with the influx of IDPs into 

the state, government encouraged 

schools to lend a helping hand by 

accepting, empathizing and 

educating these children.” 

The principal of the school, Mr 

Umar Ishaka Yusuf, told Sunday 

Vanguard that most of the students 

were able to adjust quickly. “Right 

now, most of them, about 75 per cent, 

have completed their Senior School 

Certificate and Junior School 

Certificate exams and have gone to 

other schools. Since last year, they 

have been going back to their 

various towns and villages 

especially those from Mubi, Hong 

and Gombi.” 

Writing and drawing on walls 

On the walls of some classrooms 

were written names of guns, names 

of football clubs etc. When asked 

about the development, the 

principal said: “That is what they 

The students say 

they put up the 

writings and 

drawings on the wall 

to share their 

experiences, fears 

and plight; they 

write, draw, laugh or 

cry about their 

realities and move 

on 

do, may be for fun.” 

“The walls of school’s 

classrooms are clustered with 

drawings of AK47 guns. There 

were also writings of 

nicknames such as MK Don 

(probably referring to Milton 

Keynes Dons Football Club) 

and E Boy. During counselling 

sessions with some students, we 

heard stories of devastating 

experiences. The students do 

the writings and drawings. 

There is no specification as to 

who in particular or when. It’s 

not like they plan it before 

doing it. It’s done randomly. 

The students say they put up 

the writings and drawings on 

the wall to share their 

experiences, fears and plight. 

They say they write, draw, 

laugh or cry about their 

realities and move on.” 

•Members of the murderous Boko Haram group 

Bitter experiences 

These children can only be described as 

courageous. Their experiences would have 

made them throw in the towel and become 

bitter at society as the terrorists would have 

wanted them to do. Instead, they refused 

to give up. 

Narrating her encounters with the 

students, Douglas stated: “Aliyu (not real 

name) said Boko Haram members took 

his father away and killed his brother with 

what he described as an AK47. He tried to 

run away with his pregnant mother and 

little sister but lost them in the midst of the 

chaos that took over his town. He blames 

himself every day because he feels he 

betrayed the family he should have been 

protecting. 

“Aisha (not real name) said she lost her 

father to the terrorist group. Her father 

had sacrificed his life to save her and her 

mother. 

“‘I don’t even like coming to school but 

my mother won’t let me stay back,’ Amina 

(not real name), another student, said. ‘My 

mother says I have to take advantage of 

any opportunity that presents itself to me. 

She doesn’t know how people stare or 

point fingers at me, she has no idea how 

often some classmates can’t wait to scream 

IDP and look in my direction whenever we 

have visitors in our class. She doesn’t know 

how often I cry myself to sleep or swallow 

my words. She doesn’t know what the 

things in my head are asking me to 

do.’” 

Stigmatisation 

Apart from the horrors suffered in 

the hands of the terrorists, the 

ensuing trauma, the physical and 

emotional pains, these children 

have, in addition, to endure the 

stigmatisation from fellow students. 

Talk of double wahala for dead, body 

(a corpse getting involved in a 

ghastly motor accident!), apologies 

to the late Afrobeat legend, Fela 

Anikulapo Kuti. These people 

escaped as it were, from the lions’ 

den only to be attacked in their ‘safe 

haven’ by another lion. 

Douglas added: “Amina’s 

encounter confirmed that the IDP 

students are sometimes stigmatised 

in school. The psychological effect 

of their experiences during the 

insurgency and the stigmatisation 

that comes with their current 

predicament is one that barely gets 

any form of attention.” 

Our role 

“The Kintsukuroi Foundation is 

working to create a platform to 

bridge the gap. Our approach to 

counselling/rehabilitation seeks to 

open doors of forgiveness, mental 

wellness and new beginnings,” 

noted Douglas.

PAGE 30, SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 

We are being persecuted —Witches group 

•Praises Oshiomhole for transforming Edo, counsels on gov. poll 


A 

group, which calls itself 

Witches and Wizards 

Association of Nigeria (WITCAN), 

has described Governor Adams 

Oshiomhole as a workaholic while 

commending him for transforming 

Edo State. 

The group, which also asked 

Oshiomhole to put in place 

measures to ensure that the 

forthcoming gubernatorial election 

in the state is successful, however, 

complained that its members were 

being persecuted, pleading that the 

persecution should stop. 

It spoke through its Publicity 

Secretary, Dr Okhue Iboi. 

“Members of our association are 

apolitical. We are not partisan. Our 

own concern as stakeholders in the 

project called Nigeria is for peace 

and unity to reign. Our own witches 

group are not evil. We do good, and 

promote whatever will bring 

progress to mankind. We love 

Nigeria. Oshiomhole has been 

working very hard in the last seven 

years plus, and he has transformed 

Edo State, but he should be very 

vigilant so that some hoodlums 

CMB-VERTIKAL 

By Ephraim Oseji 

As part of its 

commitment to 

deliver one million 

housing units and to make 

them affordable, CMB 

Building Maintenance and 

Investment Company 

Limited has entered into 

partnership with VERTIKAL 

Design and Build of Poland. 

VERTIKAL Design and 

Build is a Polish company 

with over 33 years of 

professional hands-on 

experience in the European 

market. 

Explaining the choice of 

CMB, the Chief Executive 

Officer of VERTIKAL Design 

and Build, Mr. Blazej 

Binienda, expressed his 

confidence on the 

management of CMB and 

the quality of projects 

undertaken praising its 

expertise and operations 

despite all odds. He said: 

“We are very pleased with 

the cooperation with CMB 

*Dr Okhue Iboi 

working for some political 

godfathers don’t unleash violence 

which may lead to the destruction 

of properties and lives,” Iboi, a tradomedical 

practitioner, told Sunday 

Vanguard in Lagos. 

The witches spokesman disclosed 

that the task of delivering the 

message to Oshiomhole and other 

political gladiators in Edo State 

was given to the witches during a 

meeting members of the group held 

at Irrua. 

“We were holding our monthly 

meeting at Irrua, and, suddenly, 

while looking at our crystal ball in 

the coven, we saw some things that 

were frightening concerning Edo 

Nigeria. We visited Nigeria 

and we know that CMB is a 

very strong and dynamic 

developer implementing a 

number of large investments 

in many places of the 

country.” He continued. “We 

also noticed that the 

company CMB is very 

focused on the development 

and implementation of the 

best facilities for its 

customers.” 

The new corporate synergy 

CMB-VERTIKAL Company 

will be focusing on creating 

and improving building 

construction technology with 

emphasis on innovative 

building design, structural 

stability and elevated 

professional competence as 

well as enhancing 

operational capacity to 

improve construction 

quality, affordability and 

delivery of housing 

infrastructure in Nigeria. 

Also speaking on the 

partnership, the Managing 

Director/CEO, .CMB 

and thereafter I was mandated as 

the spokesperson of the group to 

deliver this message to the governor, 

and other stakeholders that have 

one thing or the other to do with the 

governorship election in Edo State. 

But we are making a special appeal 

to Governor Oshiomhole because 

he is the Chief Security Officer of 

the state. He should liaise with the 

police, INEC and other 

stakeholders to ensure that peace is 

maintained before, during and after 

the elections,” Iboi said. 

Warning politicians in Edo State 

not to see the election as a do-or-die 

affair, he said political parties and 

candidates taking part in the 

election must respect the will of the 

electorate. “Power belong to God 

and He alone gives it to whomsoever 

it pleases Him to give it to. But one 

fact our politicians must know is that 

the will of the people must be 

respected” . 

While advising politicians to take 

the witches warning seriously, Iboi 

said: “Witches are not joking over 

this Edo election. We will not allow 

any individual or group to destroy 

the state or give it a bad name. It is 

unfortunate that many Nigerians 

are hypocrites. When they hear 

Nigerians to get one million 

housing units 

Oge Igwagu of The House That Wisdom Built Ministry congratulates 

Blessing Chuks, Most Distinguished Trainee of the Skills Acquisition 

Scheme Batch, during the Churchs'16 Annual Convention 

Kelechukwu Mbagwu 

MD/CEO, CMB Building 

Maintenance and Investment 

Company Limited 

Building Maintenance and 

Investment Company 

Limited, Mr. Kelechukwu 

Mbagwu, explained what 

the company and Nigeria 

stands to gain. He said: 

‘’CMB and VERTIKAL 

share same ideologies and 

coming together will give us 

the capability, the 

equipment, the personnel 

and skill needed in order to 

witches or read about witches, what 

comes to their mind is evil or 

darkness. For our own witches 

group, we are children of light. We 

are for good. Have people forgotten 

that even in the Bible there is a story 

of King Saul who consulted a witch 

when he was about to go into a battle 

to enable him know how the battle 

will go? 

“Again people tend to forget that 

Nigeria is a secular state, Nigeria 

doesn’t belong to only Christians 

and Muslims, the nation is for all 

faiths. They should stop persecuting 

witches or look at us with disdain. 

As stakeholders they should allow 

us to make our own contributions 

to the growth and development of 

the country.” The witches 

spokesperson said the election is 

going to be a straight battle between 

the candidate of All Progressives 

Congress, APC, Godwin Obaseki, 

and that of Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, Pastor Ize Iyamu. 

“The battle is a straight one 

between Iyamu and Obaseki, and 

the election is going to be hotly 

contested. But on who is going to 

win, we are holding an emergency 

meeting at Ofosu next Wednesday, 

and the person who is going to win 

the election will be revealed to us at 

that meeting.” 

geometrically increase our 

capacity because, if we are 

going to ever be able to 

deliver anything close to 

what Nigeria needs, we are 

going to have to import the 

technology. “We need to 

team up with people who 

have done it before like 

VERTIKAL that have 

delivered in Poland over 

100,000 or 200,000 housings 

units, and over a period of 

time, they can deliver one 

million housing units, which 

is what we want in Nigeria 

and that is why we are 

teaming up with them.” 

He stressed further, ‘’A lot 

of things have been taken 

into consideration in putting 

together this merger but 

most importantly we are 

looking at transfer of 

technology, increase of 

global content and local 

participation, at the end of 

the day CMB-VERTIKAL is 

an indigenous company, a 

Nigeria company, yes Polish 

partner but is a Nigeria 

company, and we are 

enhancing the capacity, the 

local capability and the 

ability to have local content 

in the building ethics.’’ 

Pastor Chidi Igwagu, Head Pastor, The House That 

Wisdom Built during the convention 

gallery 

‘The gains of 

Buhari’s appt of 

visually impaired 

person as special 

assistant’ 


The Executive Chairman of the 

Federal Nigerian Society for 

the Blind, FNSFB, Asiwaju Fola 

Osigbo, has commended President 

Muhamadu Buhari’s appointment 

of Dr.Samuel Inalegwu Ode Ankeli, 

a visually impaired person as his 

Senior Special Assistant on People 

Living with Disabilities. 

In a statement to announce the 

unveiling of the ‘White Cane Day’, 

slated for August 13, Osigbo stated 

:”The appointment of Dr. Ankeli, a 

visually impaired doctorate holder, 

is a proof of President Muhammadu 

Buhari’s endorsement and a fact 

that there is abundant ability in 

disability. 

“The ‘ White Cane Day’ is an 

annual charity and public 

enlightenment programme to draw 

the attention of the public to the 

plight of the blind and partially 

sighted persons in our society so that 

everyone would know how to lend a 

helping hand. It is a pity that in 

Nigeria, members of the public still 

do not assist the visually impaired 

and in many cases people still treat 

them as unwanted persons. In 

Ghana, most people know their 

responsibility to the blind.” 

He urged members of the society 

to lend a helping hand to 

individuals that are visually 

impaired. “It is everyone’s 

responsibility to lend a helping hand 

to blind people in order to cross the 

road, warn them of dangers ahead, 

assist in getting in and out of the 

public transportation.” 

Nigerian Breweries 

donates 250 

classrooms to 

schools 

As part of deliberate efforts to 

uplift the education sector, the 

Nigerian Breweries-Felix Ohiwerei 

Education Trust Fund has donated 

250 classrooms and 22 libraries in 

both primary and secondary schools 

in 44 communities across the 

country. 

The Managing Director of Nigerian 

Breweries, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde, 

made this known at the 

commissioning of three blocks of 

classrooms and library donated by 

the fund to the UBE Junior 

Secondary School Mbaiwen, 

Yaikyo, Makurdi 

Vervelde said through the fund 

established in 1994, the company 

also extended support to over 

20,000 Nigerian students as part 

of its effort to fight illiteracy in the 

country. 

He said, “In Benue State alone, we 

have constructed and 

commissioned a block of six 

classrooms and library furnished 

with tables and chairs at NKST 

Primary School, Angwar Gboko. 

“Another block of three classrooms 

and an office at RCM primary 

school Agbaikyor, Fiidi and the the 

NKST primary school, KM 5 

Gboko Road, both in Makurdi. 

“We renovated and donated 

equipment to tertiary institutions 

including the University of Nigeria 

Nsukka, UNN, the Pan-African 

University Lagos and we’re 

currently equipping the clinical 

skills laboratory at the University 

College Hospital, Ibadan all in 

support of the education sector.” 

In his speech Governor Samuel 

Ortom, represented by the Secretary 

to the State Government, SSG, Bem 

Meladu, urged other multinationals 

in the country to emulate the 

company’s gesture. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

Ondo 2016: Mimiko should 

allow level playing field 

The Independent 

National Electoral 

Commission 

(INEC) is set to conduct 

governorship elections in 2 

states - Edo and Ondo 

before the end of the year. 

The Commission has 

already announced the dates 

of the elections with Edo 

taking the lead on 

September 10 while the 

Ondo contest is slated for 

November 28. As expected, 

the nation’s 2 major 

political parties - the All 

Progressive Congress (APC) 

and the Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP) will be the ones 

to wrestle for power among 

themselves in the 2 elections. 

For the Edo contest, both 

parties are currently 

campaigning for votes 

across the state. 

Unfortunately, the way the 

campaigns have gone so far 

shows that the contest is 

programmed along the ‘do 

or die’ pattern of past 

elections in the country. 

Painfully, it is the state that 

will as usual end up the loser. 

With the Ondo election still 

slightly far away, how can 

well meaning citizens 

reverse the trend by helping 

to redirect Nigerians into 

realizing that an election is 

a game and not a battle? 

Anyone willing to undertake 

such a task of political 

education must begin with 

the elites because it is their 

posture that usually dictates 

what form an election takes 

in the country. 

To start with, it must be 

realized that our winnertakes-all 

political system 

makes political office 

unduly lucrative thereby 

encouraging people to seek 

to win at all costs. This 

seems to explain why there 

are usually too many 

aspirants in each race. In the 

forthcoming Ondo elections 

for instance, the APC alone 

has as many as 25 aspirants. 

This in turn gives political 

parties the opportunity to 

exploit their members 

through convoluted party 

primaries. At the end of the 

day, several aspirants are left 

aggrieved and instigated to 

undo their parties and 

indeed to use whatever 

means to ventilate their 

grievances. Again, even 

when two candidates 

eventually emerge, the 

ruling party never allows the 

Can Ondo State 

avoid this trend of 

not allowing a level 

playing field for all 

contestants 

irrespective of party 

affiliation? It is 

probably too early to 

be sure of this 

opposition parties an 

opportunity to sell their 

candidates to the voters 

through the state owned 

media as the operatives of 

the latter are under strict 

instructions to black out all 

other parties. Can Ondo 

State avoid this trend of not 

allowing a level playing field 

for all contestants 

irrespective of party 

affiliation? It is probably too 

early to be sure of this. 

We can only imagine that 

the incumbent Governor, 

Olusegun Mimiko having 

had the privilege of 

governing the state for well 

over 7 years should be 

obliged to pilot the affairs 

of the state in the interest of 

the people. Of course, he 

would want his party to hold 

on to power. There is in 

earnest, ample evidence 

already that Mimiko is 

anxious to hand over to a 

PDP successor as he has 

begun to undertake projects 

that can convince the people 

to continue to vote PDP. He 

has in fact recently 

introduced a pro-people 

project akin to that of his 

neighbour, Governor 

Fayose’s stomach 

infrastructure. According to 

media reports the 

government has launched 

what it called a palliative 

programme (Eto Igbe-Ayo) 

in which food stuffs are 

given to residents in the state 

for free. At the launch of the 

programme, the governor 

reportedly said “it is obvious 

there is hunger in the land 

and we as government 

cannot pretend that this is 

not the case. We promised 

during our inauguration to 

share in the joy and sorrow 

of the people. We will never 

jettison this promise even 

during this trying period.” 

The problem with this 

beautiful speech is that the 

governor suddenly became 

conscious of the hunger 

which has been biting for no 

less than one year now. 

In October last year, after 

waiting in vain for months, 


workers in the state went on 

strike. No palliative 

programme at the time was 

introduced to mitigate their 

economic hardship; hence 

critics have described ‘Eto 

Igbe-Ayo’ as a Greek gift. If 

the state has miraculously 

recovered from the nationwide 

recession, why not clear 

the workers’ salaries? 

Instead, what looks like 

another Greek gift is being 

instituted.This time, 

Governor Mimiko decided 

to approve the completion of 

the Okitipupa-Ayeka- 

Araromi-Irele road in the 

Southern senatorial district 

of the State. At a press 

briefing last Wednesday in 

Akure, Kayode Akinmade, 

the state commissioner for 

information announced the 

approval of over N1.2bn for 

the completion of the road 

project which consists of 

1.4km swampy failed 

portion and road pavement. 

The project is to be 

completed within 6months. 

Again this is a project that 

should ordinarily improve 

the living conditions of the 

people but why is it being 

considered less than 

5months to the end of the 

governor’s 8-year tenure? Is 

it as the people suspect, a 

vote-catching project that 

will never be executed? If so, 

it is unfair to the people and 

should be condemned as a 

subtle undue influence 

bearing in mind that 

elections cannot be free and 

fair if the government of the 

day behaves not as 

government but as a party. 

Even within his own party, 

the PDP, is the governor 

willing to allow a level 

playing field? While it is not 

out of place for him to have 

a soft spot for one aspirant 

he ought to be sane enough 

not to play God by imposing 

him and fighting any other 

person who shows interest. 

Interestingly, a fellow 

analyst based in Akure 

confirmed to me only last 

night that everyone already 

knows the yet to be 

pronounced anointed 

aspirant that the governor 

would be comfortable to 

hand over power to. For 

example, the suspect is the 

only one whose posters are 

allowed to adorn the streets 

of the state capital; all others 

have their own removed by 

government ostensibly not to 

litter the streets of Akure with 

posters. Yet by INEC’s 

guidelines electioneering is 

not to start in the state before 

August 28! 

But why do our governors 

always fight the battle of 

their lives just to install 

anointed candidates? Could 

it be that they have so much 

to hide and as such do 

everything in their powers to 

handover to someone that 

can cover their tracks? If so, 

our people should become 

wiser by voting against any 

anointed candidate. The 

advantage of such a position 

is that it can easily stamp out 

corruption and bad 

governance as the new 

governor being himself and 

not imposed would function 

independently and be 

conscious of the expedience 

of accountability. 

Sexuality, hypocrisy, and 

everything in-between (2) 

As I argued earlier, 

the clash of ego 

between Melaye 

and Mrs. Tinubu that 

occurred in the Senate, not 

in the House of 

Representatives as I 

erroneously stated last 

Sunday, was blown out of 

proportion in the press. 

Journalists relish 

sensationalism; oftentimes 

the make mountains out of 

molehills by focusing too 

much attention to 

inconsequential 

misbehaviour of politicians 

and celebrities mainly to 

boost the sale of their 

newspapers and magazines. 

Yet, except for those that have 

nothing worthwhile to do or 

think about, it is not a big deal 

if a female senator and her 

male colleague verbally 

abuse each other. Altercation 

between legislators happens 

even in the United States and 

Britain. But it is another 

matter entirely if such heated 

exchanges degenerate into 

physical confrontation. 

Another recent incident that 

threatened to worsen the 

stinking reputation of our 

National Assembly is the 

allegation of sexual 

misconduct in the US levelled 

against three members of the 

House of Representatives. 

The problem began when the 

immediate past US 

Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. 

James Entwistle, wrote to 

Speaker of the House, Mr. 

Yakubu Dogara, alleging 

that Mohammed Garba 

Gololo (APC, Bauchi), Mark 

PhD,Department of 

Philosophy, 

University of Lagos 

08116759758 

opuruiche2000@yahoo.com 

Gbillah (APC, Benue) and 

Samuel Ikon (PDP, Akwa 

Ibom) acted in a manner that 

brought disrepute to the 

parliament. The three men 

were among the legislators 

that went for the International 

Visitor Leadership 

Programme in Cleveland, 

Ohio, from April 7 to 13, 2016. 

In his letter, the former US 

ambassador claimed that one 

of the legislators grabbed a 

hotel housekeeper, whereas 

the other two solicited for sex 

with prostitutes. Since the story 

was published in the 

newspapers, many Nigerian 

Pharisees, self-appointed 

moral police officers and selfstyled 

guardians of sexual 

virtue thoroughly lambasted 

the three men, despit the fact 

that Mr. Entwistle did not 

provide evidence to back his 

allegations. Indeed, on two 

occasions when the House 

committees on Ethics and 

Privileges and Foreign Affairs 

tried to ascertain the facts, Mr. 

Entwistle was absent at the 

investigative hearing. 

Minister of Foreign Affairs, 

Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, 

informed those at the second 

hearing that there was no 

corroborating evidence to 

substantiate the allegations 

against the legislators. He also 

stated that the hotel 

housekeeper refused to testify 

when management of the 

hotel reported the matter to 

relevant authorities in 

America. Still the US 

government banned the three 

men from getting visas to 

America for the next three 

years. 

In my opinion, if Mr. 

Onyeama’s account of what 

transpired between him and 

Mr. Entwistle were true, then 

the latter breached routine 

diplomatic protocol 

unnecessarily when he wrote 

directly to the Speaker without 

notifying the Foreign Affairs 

Ministry. Secondly, the former 

US ambassador acted in bad 

faith by putting in writing 

serious allegations against 

Gololo and his colleagues 

without solid evidence to 

support his claims. Mr. 

Entwistle ought to know that 

accusing people, especially 

married men, of sexual 

impropriety without 

corroborative evidence is 

emotionally traumatising and 

can destroy their families and 

careers. It appears that he did 

not consider the negative 

consequences of his actions to 

the accused persons. He acted 

too hastily, as if he intended to 

cause mischief and embarrass 

our House of Representatives. 

I strongly suspect that if the 

parliamentarians involved 

were from Britain, Canada or 

Israel, he would have handled 

the matter differently even if 

there were evidence against 

them: he might not even have 

raised the matter at all. Given 

the racist proclivities of the 

average white American, it is 

not surprising that the 

lawmakers have accused Mr. 

Entwistle of being a racist. 

What happened should be a 

good lesson to those Nigerians, 

especially members of the 

ruling elite who eagerly use 

their official positions for 

excursion or “vocational 

training” in Europe and 

North America to learn “the 

fundamentals of democratic 

governance” or “the 

rudiments of lawmaking.” Of 

course, whatever the 

legislators learnt in America, 

if indeed they learnt anything 

at all, they could also have 

learnt from different 

institutions in the country 

devoted to issues of democracy 

and good governance, such as 

the Centre for Democratic 

Studies (CDS) or any of the 

well-established universities 

that offer courses in 

philosophy, political science 

and public administration. 

Moreover, because Nigerians 

in general prefer anything 

from the West to what we have 

here and want to eat their own 

“share” of the “national cake” 

at the slightest opportunity, 

our politicians travel overseas 

The sado-masochist 

psychology embedded 

in conventional taboo 

sexual morality imbibed 

in early childhood at 

home and reinforced in 

churches and mosques 

lead to a host of mental 

and physical illnesses 

which, in some 

individuals, might last 

throughout their lives 

regularly for inconsequential 

events and programmes that 

are of doubtful value to the 

performance of their duties. 

As a result, our public officials 

deserve humiliation for 

belittling themselves in 

foreign countries. Having 

said that, Mr. Entwistle should 

apologise to the three House 

members for the public 

ridicule and emotional 

turbulence they suffered 

because of the 

unsubstantiated allegations. 

This incident is a clear 

warning that people should be 

more circumspect and 

charitable in judging or 

condemning anyone accused 

of sexual misconduct. 

Certainly, the use of force, 

intimidation or coercion of 

any kind to compel an 

unwilling woman or man to 

engage in sexual activity is 

wrong. In addition, persistent 

unwanted sexual advances can 

be quite frustrating, 

embarrassing and irritating. 

Yet, it is also true that prudes 

and hypocrites tend to 

exaggerate harmless 

flirtations based on antiquated 

and superstitions religious 

teachings about sex and its 

function in the infrastructure 

of human existence. Clearly, 

widespread beliefs about sex 

and people’s attitude toward 

sexuality in general are 

unscientific and irrational. At 

home, in the school, churches 

and mosques, sex is largely 

depicted as taboo, dirty and 

sinful. Parents, teachers and 

religious preachers 

discourage children from 

discussing sex and the genitals 

openly and rationally the way 

other topics are discussed. 

Instead, the false impression 

created in the young minds is 

that if sex is to be discussed at 

all, it must be talked about in 

hushed tunes because it is the 

strongest weapon used by the 

devil to lure people into sin. 

The sado-masochist 

psychology embedded in 

conventional taboo sexual 

morality imbibed in early 

childhood at home and 

reinforced in churches and 

mosques lead to a host of 

mental and physical illnesses 

which, in some individuals, 

might last throughout their 

lives. For instance, it leads to 

obsessive-compulsive 

preoccupation with sexual 

intercourse, and damages the 

capacity of sexual partners to 

connect the physical 

dimension of sex to its 

intellectual, affective and 

aesthetic corollaries that 

make sexual union one of the 

most beautiful experiences we 

can have as human beings. 

Therefore, conventional 

religion-impregnated sexual 

morality is extremely harmful 

and unhealthy; it distorts the 

natural spontaneity, beauty, 

directness, fecundity, and 

unselfishness of sexual 

relations between partners. 

Sexual activity among 

humans cannot be healthy 

and fulfilling if it is hedged 

around with superstitious 

terrors and taboos, if people 

who do not conform to the 

dictates of ancient attitudes 

towards sex are singled out for 

special obloquy and 

stigmatisation. While a 

plausible case can be made 

that the peak of sexual 

fulfilment cannot be reached 

without love between those 

engaged in sex, it does not 

follow that sex cannot be 

enjoyed without love. Sex is 

essentially a private matter, 

except in cases of rape, sex with 

a minor and if it is done in a 

manner that constitutes public 

nuisance. Thus, the 

exaggerated hysteria and 

interest concerning reports of 

sexual flirtations is indicative 

of the stupid beliefs and 

attitudes about sex even 

among well-educated 

members of the society. A sane 

or healthy attitude to sex 

entails seeing it as a human 

activity that connects the 

intellectual, emotional, 

aesthetic and moral 

dimensions of our being, 

although it is also one of the 

natural activities human 

beings share with other living 

organisms that utilise sex as a 

means for reproduction. 

Overall, there is nothing 

mysterious, supernatural, or 

transcendental about sex. 

This brings us to the question 

whether the Sexual 

Harassment in Tertiary 

Institutions Bill (2016) now 

before the Senate should be 

passed into law or thrown into 

the dustbin. Now, it seems to 

me that the senators that 

introduced the bill are chasing 

shadows because there are 

more pressing problems in 

Nigeria today that require 

serious legislative attention 

than sexual misbehaviour in 

our institutions of higher 

learning, especially given that 

the institutions concerned 

already have regulations and 

structures for dealing with the 

problem. 

To be concluded

PAGE 32—SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016 

Discourse 

By Femi Fani-Kayode 

Iam glad that Father Mbaka of 

the Catholic Church has finally 

seen the light and that he has 

denounced the Buhari regime. 

This coming from a man that once 

supported the President vigorously, 

even when members of his own 

flock and faith were being 

slaughtered, marginalised and 

humiliated, is cheery news. 

Yet there are still many more Church 

leaders that supported the Buhari 

government, that need to follow 

Mbaka’s example and recant. 

The great philosopher, writer and 

intellectual, Mr. Dante Alighieri, 

once said that “the hottest place in 

hell is reserved for those who 

maintain their neutrality at a time 

of moral crisis”. 

To add to this it was our very own 

Professor Wole Soyinka, the 

distinguished Nobel Laureate, that 

said “the man died in him who 

remained silent in the face of 

tyranny” . 

I have no doubt in my mind that 

this is the time to speak out because 

we are not only in a time of great 

moral crisis in our country but we 

are also facing persecution and 

wholesale tyranny. 

I am making this contribution not 

out of fear for the plight of the 

Christendom in Nigeria because I 

know that, as the Holy Bible says, 

“the gates of hell cannot prevail 

against the Church”. It also says “He 

who watches over Israel neither 

slumbers nor sleeps”. 

It follows that no matter what the 

enemies of the gospel throw our way, 

including one million President 

Buharis, at the end of the day we shall 

prevail. 

I am making this contribution not 

out of fear or to divide our nation but 

rather in an attempt to inform the 

Nigerian people and the world about 

what is really going on in President 

Buhari’s Nigeria. 

What many fail to appreciate is that 

the Church and the gospel of our Lord 

Jesus Christ was built and spread by 

the blood and the bones of the 

Christian martyrs. 

It follows that the more you 

persecute, jail and kill Christians and 

the more you subject them to terror, 

shame, insensitivity and humiliation, 

the more the Church grows. 

Where the so-called “great” 

Christian leaders with the mega- 

Churches have chosen to either side 

with the enemy or remain silent when 

confronted with the tyrrany of the 

state, the Lord will raise other voices 

to stand up for and speak for His 

people. 

An example is Pastor Bright Bayo 

Oladeji, who is a journalist by 

profession and a Baptist preacher by 

calling. On August 2, 2016, he wrote 

the following on his Facebook page: 

“Where are the Christians who sold 

the Church? The Islamic agenda is 

being perfected. Professor Ishaq 

Oloyede, a prominent Islamic leader 

who said he was not aware Christians 

are being attacked and killed, is now 

to head JAMB replacing Prof 

Ojerinde, a Baptist. 

“Four Muslims were not replaced 

but left to continue. Out of the 17 

offices, 9 new replacement are 

Muslims and 4 retained are Muslims. 

13 out of 17 are now Muslims. NUC, 

Muslim. JAMB, Muslim. TETCOM, 

Muslim. 

“Where are our Christian leaders? 

Where are those telling us Professor 

Yemi Osinbajo would stand for the 

Church being a pastor? 

“Do they involve him in all these 

lopsided appointments in favour of 

the North and Muslims or not? Do 

we have Christians among the APC 

leaders? Does Odigie-Oyegun, the 

I am making this 

contribution not out 

of fear or to divide 

our nation but rather 

in an attempt to 

inform the Nigerian 

people and the world 

about what is really 

going on in President 

Buhari’s Nigeria 

National Chairman of the ruling 

party, really belong to the Catholic 

Church? 

“The fact that Buhari released 

these appointments the same day 

that a newspaper published an 

editorial titled, “Buhari’s parochial 

appointments,” (this is a paper that 

endorsed his candidacy), is a dirty 

slap on the nation. 

“To say the least, it is corruption 

with impunity. Many are afraid to 

speak out and are being intimidated 

by security operatives. Have we 

become second class citizens in our 

own country?” 

Pastor Bayo, as insightful and 

courageous as ever, has asked a 

pertinent question. 

Are Christians 

Second Class 

Citizens In 

Nigeria? 

Sadly, the answer to that 

question is “YES”: Since Buhari 

came to power, Christians have 

become second class citizens in 

Nigeria. We warned our people 

but they wouldn’t listen. 

Nigerians said they wanted 

“change” and now they must live 

with it. Every Christian that 

supported President Buhari and 

the APC, including some of the 

most prominent Church leaders, 

should bow their heads in shame. 

As long as this continues, we 

will not remain silent and neither 

shall we be intimidated. No matter 

how hard they try, Nigeria will 

NEVER be Islamised and neither 

will our Christian faith be 

rubbished. 

When Christians are treated 

with respect and dignity and 

when they are honored in the 

land, that is when we will know 

that true change has come. 

When Yoruba Muslims are 

allowed to lead their northern 

counter-parts in prayer in the 

mosque, that is when we will 

know that true change has come. 

When the secularity of the 

Nigerian state is reiterated and 

confirmed, that is when we will 


When southerners are regarded 

as being on the same level as 

northerners in the affairs of our 

nation, that is when we will know 


When the murderous herdsmen 

and militias are finally diasarmed 

and when they stop slaughtering 

our people with impunity and 

without any fear of retribution 

from the state, that is when we will 


When Christians are no longer 

murdered in cold blood in some 

parts of the North simply for 

exercising their faith whilst the 

govetnment turns a blind eye, that 

is when we will know that true 

change has come. 

When Christians leaders are no 

longer subjected to insults and 

brutal assault by over- zealous 

security agents simply for praying 

and reading the Holy Bible, that is 

when we will know that true 


When the Igbo people are not 

treated as pariah citizens and 

when their children are no longer 

shot in the streets like stray dogs 

simply because, as a people, they 

have their own dreams and 

aspirations and simply because 

they are protesting against the 

manifest injustice that they have 

been subjected to in the land, that 

is when we will know that true 


When Middle Belters and the 

northern minorities are allowed to 

carve out their own identity and 

when they are freed from the 

intimidation, harassment, 

hegemony, genocide, cultural 

imperialism and slavery of the core 

Muslim North, then we will know 


Until then, the change that the 

Buhari administration has offered 

and served to the Nigerian people 

is nothing but fake. 

*Fani-Kayode is a former 

Minister of Aviation.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016, PAGE 33


Rochas Okorocha’s 

endgame in Imo State 

First, let us start by 

where Rochas 

Okorocha began: he 

was swept into government 

on the wings of the APGA, 

following a populist revolt 

at the polls in Imo state that 

threw out the PDP 

government of Mr. Ikedi 

Ohakim in 2011. Ohakim 

was a man of ideas. He just 

had trouble with 

implementation, and so his 

program sounded too 

futuristic to a people who 

wanted immediate relief, 

and immediate benefit from 

government programs. Take 

for instance the dredging of 

the River Nworie and the 

rebuilding of the ecological 

floodplains and swamps 

that might serve to provide 

both recreational and 

ecological benefits to the city 

of Owerri: it was a possible, 

laudable, actionable 

project, which was 

m i s m a n a g e d , 

misrepresented, and 

ultimately bungled because 

that administration failed to 

secure citizens buy-in for 

such a monumental project. 

Ohakim was also 

perceived as brash and 

alienated in the views of 

most people, and could not 

connect with the electorate 

at the very popular level. He 

was also believed to have 

squandered much of the 

state’s revenue, and like 

previous governors before 

him saw Imo state as no 

more than a honeypot, and 

Imo people, as no better 

than troglodytes requiring 

rexmarinus@hotmail.com 

weekly “how-to” lectures 

that were big on pictures but 

small in details. Everywhere 

you went to in Imo state in 

those days, all one saw were 

idolatrous pictures of Ikedi 

Ohakim hung on proposed 

projects. It was the subject 

of a fierce exchange I had 

with my late friend and 

colleague, Pini Jason, who 

insisted to the very end that 

Ohakim was on to 

something. 

The problem was that I 

couldn’t see it. And Imo 

people apparently couldn’t 

see it, and they rebelled at 

the poll. The upsurge of the 

faith the Igbo always had in 

Emeka Ojukwu, not on the 

upstart Okorocha, propelled 

the present governor to 

Douglas House. On the 

strength of a party 

supposedly backed by 

Ojukwu, on one hand, and 

on a capacity for populist 

demagoguery on the other, 

Rochas Okorocha was swept 

into office as Governor of 

Imo state. It was one of the 

greatest mistakes the APGA 

as a party made in 2011. 

So, in a terrible 

misjudgment, APGA handed 

Rochas Okorocha, a bird of 

flight in that party, the slot 

for governor. It also so 

happened that aside from 

his personal capacity for 

street drama, Okorocha is 

an astute politician. His 

politics of course derives not 

from solid or fundamental 

ideas, but on simple notions 

of power and the drama on 

which power is sometimes 

staged. And so, he presented 

an alternative face to the 

Imo people, and for a very 

brief moment, the Imo 

electorate, normally 

informed and discerning 

bought into his melodrama. 

He even put up a great show 

at the debate organized that 

year by the Catholic Church 

for Gubernatorial 

candidates in Imo state. 

Some who knew a little 

about Rochas’ background 

cried out against a great 

mistake that was about to be 

made in electing Mr. 

Okorocha. He had 

promised a great load of 

bullshit. Among these, “free 

education” for Imo children 

up to the tertiary level. 

I knew personally, as does 

anyone who does a bit of 

strategic policy analysis 

that this was a promise 

wrapped in wonder and full 

of wonder. Imo did not need 

“free education;” what Ndi 

Imo needed and still need is 

“quality education” and 

there is a material difference 

in that. Quality education is 

what prepares people with 

new sets of skills, expands 

their horizons, and updates 

their learning environments 

in ways that would make 

them compete with their 

peers all over the world. 

Besides, Okorocha did not 

clearly establish how he 

would pay for the “free 

education” and the monthly 

stipend to primary and high 

school students he had 

promised. What was Imo 

state’s tax base? He had no 

clue. What is the property 

stock of the schools in the 

Imo school system? He had 

no idea? What is the 

population and distribution 

of children in early child and 

Infant programs; the 

Primary School system, the 

secondary schools? He had 

no clue. He simply came 

like Falstaff full of beer and 

hokum. It was a policy and 

a program driven by a 

highly uninformed mindset. 

A census of schools and of 

teachers in public schools in 

Imo state should reveal a 

number of things: one, the 

quality and number of 

teachers in the Imo state’s 

Public Schools have so 

radically declined, yet the 

state government continues to 

post a high payroll 

unaccountably. 

But something even more 

tragic has happened in the five 

years Rochas Okorocha has 

been governor in Imo state: it 

is called the tragic decline of 

education in Imo state. For 

Poverty is Imo States 

number one industry 

by all accounts these 

days. Okorocha has 

achieved the one thing 

that eluded every of 

his predecessors 

however they tried: his 

government has 

finally brought a 

resilient state like Imo 

to her knees 

all the years WAEC figures, 

and JAMB results have been 

published, until three years 

ago, Imo state had remained 

consistently on the top with 

the highest number of student 

enrollments, often sidelining 

the next state to it with as 

much as 100, 000 students. 

Since Okorocha’s 

government, Imo has slid to 

the 8th position on the table! 

This is radical diminution. 

Not to the second or third 

positions, but to the 8th 

position on the list of School 

certificate enrollment and 

passes, and on the JAMB 

scores table, for the first time 

in its history! Sam Mbakwe 

used to say that education was 

Imo’s number one industry. 

Not anymore. 

Poverty is Imo States 

number one industry by all 

accounts these days. 

Okorocha has achieved the 

one thing that eluded every of 

his predecessors however 

they tried: his government 

has finally brought a 

resilient state like Imo to 

her knees. He has 

destroyed the school 

system, and the system of 

public service on which 

Imo had established a 

long tradition. Teachers 

are not paid. Civil servants 

are not paid. Retirees are 

not paid, and yet, no one 

knows exactly what Imo 

state’s revenue is used for. 

Okorocha’s tenure has not 

registered a single 

investment in any industry. 

He has built third-rate 

roads, and opened up, to 

be fair, roads that now give 

people some access in 

Owerri. 

But the quality of work 

he has done with these 

rather basic examples of 

public work is terrifyingly 

below standard. In actual 

fact, some of those are 

simple municipal roads 

which a well-organized 

Public Works Department 

should do on a routine 

basis. Now, just last week, 

reports indicate that the 

government of Mr. 

Okorocha has succeeded 

in evicting retired 

residents of the Alvan 

Ikoku College of 

Education from the Alvan 

quarters at the famous 

Shell Camp, and 

according to Imo 

Commissioner for 

Information, the 

government is putting 

these government lands 

and property up for the 

highest bidders. “Anybody 

who is able to put down 

N50 million will have any 

one of these lands” says 

Vitalis Ajumbe. This is 

unconscionable, and this 

must be stopped by all 

means necessary. The 

eviction of retires from 

government quarters, and 

the sale of public property 

by this administration to 

individuals must be 

counted as one of the 

highest acts of brazen 

robbery of the 

commonweal by official 

means. Over and over again, 

Rochas Okorocha has 

demonstrated that he has no 

respect for Imo people, he 

has no regard for the highest 

public interest, and he has 

no interest in public opinion. 

He is playing an endgame 

with Imo, after which he 

would retire to Abuja, and 

let the state and its 

inhabitants suffocate from 

the bad effects of his actions 

today. He may yet force Imo 

people to rise and do 

“Otokoto” on its own 

government, and its 

government officials! 

Imo people have been 

pushed to the very end of 

their wits with this 

government which last week 

also announced the 

reduction of the five-day 

work week to three days, 

without annual leaves or 

sick leaves. This is a terrible 

policy, and it is really not up 

to the executive arm to 

impose this. It requires an 

act of the Imo state House 

of Assembly to change the 

Labor Laws, and the laws 

governing public service in 

Imo state, not an executive 

order. But Imo State has only 

a “photo Assembly” – 

legislators who have never 

sat, or represented the will 

of the people. As a body it 

one of the most useless 

parliaments in the land. It 

has never held the 

governors to account. 

Okorocha has committed 

all kinds of impeachable 

offences against Imo state, 

yet the Imo Assembly 

remains in perpetual 

vacation. It is now up to Ndi 

Imo to begin a massive 

recall process of their 

legislators who fail to rise 

in defence of their mandates. 

The Imo people must rise up 

and defy this aberration 

called the government of 

Imo state, or go to sleep and 

wait for death itself. 

Okorocha must account to 

citizens in Imo: how much 

of Imo’s revenue went to the 

campaign to elect Buhari, 

and what has this governor 

done with the bail-out 

money? It is urgent matter. 

Top Tips for Raising 

Polite Children (Part 1) 

1.Demystify what 

Manners are: 

Manners are a way 

of behaving that 

is expected of 

you, which shows respect for 

others and proper conduct. 

Teach your children what 

standards you want in your 

household, classroom, 

campus, educational 

institution and make them 

compliant. Parents give 

your children a foundation 

that speaks to good 

upbringing. 

2. Meeting & Greeting: 

This is a basic activity that 

should come naturally as 

an act of politeness. Teach 

these steps: 

(a) Stand up 

(b) Keep your head up 

(c) Smile 

(d) Say Hello (Good 

Morning, Good Afternoon, 

Good Evening) 

(e) Address correctly ( 

Ma, Sir) 

(f) Correct eye 

contact 

When meeting 

(a) Say your name 

(b) Say something 

about yourself 

(c) Be first to greet 

(d) Say goodbye 

when leaving 

3. Magic Words 

“Manners are priceless 

but the lack of it can cost 

millions” 

Start with yourself and 

make magic words a part 

of your vocabulary. In 

raising polite children have 

the following words 

engaged in their daily 

conversation skills. 

(a) Please 

(b) Thank you 

(c) Excuse me 

(d) No thank you 

(e) You are welcome 

(f) Welcome 

(g) Yes please 

(h) Pardon me 

Magic words complete 

your request for help, 

permission and favours. 

Without magic words your 

request is incomplete. Test 

your children, ask them 

how many times they used 

the word “please” today. 

4. Conversation 

Skills 

Teach your child to speak 

up and speak out whenever 

they are talking or being 

spoken to. The first strategy 

is to always look up with 

direct eye contact, they are 

traits of a successful 

professional. Other steps 

include: 

(a) Show interest 

(b) Speak clearly 

(c) Listen attentively 

(d) Respond with 

confidence 

(e) Ask questions 

(f) Avoid bragging 

about themselves 

5. Helping Hand 

Teach your children to 

always offer a helping hand 

well before they are asked. 

When mum or dad look like 

they could do with help let 

them be there to assist. Help 

around the house is always 

needed. A polite child can 

ask if help is needed in the 

kitchen, cleaning the car or 

cleaning the house. 

6 Responsible 

Thinking 

Teach your child to be 

responsible for their 

actions and to be mindful 

of the decisions they 

make. The act of right or 

wrong in a skill, which 

takes discipline. With the 

right foundation and a 

strong idea of what is 

acceptable at home and 

what is not. Hopefully 

your child will desist from 

being easily influenced or 

cajoled into doing what 

they would not normally 

do. 

7. Shake off Laziness 

There is nothing wrong 

with domestic help at home 

to assist you with your 

children and the welfare of 

your home. It becomes a 

problem when your child is 

completely dependent and 

reliant on that person, 

such that they cultivate a 

lackadaisical attitude to 

life in general. Avoid 

situations where a poorly 

kept room is condoned 

because the housekeeper 

will take care of it. Clothes 

on the floor, wet towels 

scattered, socks and shoes 

in disarray is a sign of 

laziness that can grow out 

of control. Assign 

periodical chores that must 

be performed to instill 

discipline and proper acts 

of behavior. 

8. Table Manners 

Teach your child proper 

conduct at the table. 

Basic skills include 

(a) Sitting Position 

(b) Use of cutlery 

(c) Eating composure 

(d) Conversation 

skills 

(e) Being nice at the 

table 

There are dining 

etiquette skills that 

professionals can teach 

your child. These traits 

bring out the true polish of 

a child. It has been said that 

the best place to see the 

level of panache is by the 

way they dine. Let your 

child not be found wanting. 

Watch out for more tips 

next week!

A modest proposal on 

grazing and ranching 

“It requires wisdom to 

understand wisdom; the 

music is nothing if the 

audience is deaf.” Walter 

Lippmann, 1899-1974. 

(VANGUARD BOOK OF 

QUOTATIONS, VBQ p 

275). 

It was not too long ago 

when the nation 

appeared to be on the 

verge of a total break-up on 

account of the activities of 

herdsmen and the 

atrocities they have 

allegedly perpetrated 

countrywide. Governor 

Fayose, who speaks first 

and thinks later (if he 

thinks at all) had 

pronounced that grazing 

was no longer allowed in 

any part of Ekiti State and 

became an instant hero to 

people who would not 

ordinarily consider him a 

sage. Similar noises have 

been raised in other places 

including on the pages of 

newspapers by respected 

columnists. One of them 

after allowing his own 

opinion to become “the 

voice of the people” had 

ordered Buhari to pack all 

the cattle to Northern 

ranches immediately. His 

position found resonance in 

editorials and articles 

written by Southerners. 

Well, while elections are 

decided by majority vote, 

wisdom is not a matter of 

numbers. The majority can 

be wrong. 

That was why good old 

Alcuin, 735-804 A.D, 

warned leaders in words 

cast on stone. “Nor should 

we listen to those who say 

‘The voice of the people is 

the voice of God’, for the 

turbulence of the mob is 

always close to insanity”. 

The mob demanding 

immediate ranching 

included elder statesmen, 

governors, columnists, 

agitators for secession, 

clergy, sages, professors, 

and dimwits. Remember “a 

group without a leader is a 

mob.” (VBQ p 82). Because 

the agitation lacked 

focused leadership, it had 

ended up as just a lot of 

noise and the management 

of Nigerian livestock had 

continued as usual. There 

has been no change and 

there might never be unless 

we try a different approach 

to solving the problem 

which will remain with us 

for ever. Buhari has rightly 

ignored all the 

noisemakers because they 

made no sense. 

First, just as there is no 

reliable census of 

Nigerians, there is no 

credible data on the 

population of Nigerian 

livestock which would be 

placed in ranches if that 

becomes the national 

policy. One expected 

“eggheads” in our ivory 

towers and established 

columnists to at least 

understand that little bit. 

Policy formulation without 

data is a waste of time 

especially since it will entail 

trillions of naira worth of 

investment to make it work. 

That is commonsense. 

Unfortunately, 

commonsense is not 

common. Estimates of 

Nigeria’s cattle population 

range from fifteen million 

to thirty million. Just as we 

learnt back in the 1990s 

that “Housing for ALL by 

2000” was an illusion, 

because we had no 

information regarding the 

number of homeless 

people, the current 

“turbulence of the mob” on 

ranching will come to 

nothing until we develop 

the basic data. Those 

clapping for Fayose for his 

pronouncement have 

simply demonstrated that 

they are not better thinkers 

than the Governor of Ekiti 

State. Anybody expecting 

ranching immediately is 

living in a fools’ paradise 

of his own making. 

Second, cattle from many 

countries roam all over the 

ECOWAS region. At any one 

point in time, not all the 

cattle in Nigeria are owned 

by Nigerians and there 

might be cattle owned by 

Nigerians in Chad, Niger, 

Cameroun and Republic of 

Benin. A national ranching 

policy, prohibiting grazing 

totally, once established, 

would call for sealing 

Nigeria’s borders against 

encroachment from 

neigbouring countries, and 

restricting the free 

movement of people from 

other countries in Nigeria. 

Without claiming to be an 

expert on the ECOWAS 

Treaty, there is every 

possibility that such a 

policy would violate some 

aspects of the agreements 

binding all of us in West 

Africa. That will also cause 

delay – which could mean 

months or even years before 

the details are worked out. 

In none of the 

announcements by 

proponents of ranching have 

the complexities of the 

international dimensions 

been addressed. From the 

utterances, one would think 

that Nigeria is an island 

instead of a nation hemmed 

in on three sides by other 

nations which have a stake 

in the policy decision. 

Ignorant Nigerians across 

the country have relied on 

the Land Use Act of 1978, 

which, in the main, made 

governors custodians of the 

land in their states. From that 

they have jumped to the 

erroneous conclusion that a 

state governor can absolutely 

prevent grazing in his state. 

A quick look at our history 

should disabuse them of such 

notions. 

When Alhaji Shehu 

Shagari became President in 

1979, he appointed late Dr 

Wahab Dosumu as Minister 

for Housing who 

immediately embarked on 

building Shagari Low 

Income Housing Estates 

nationwide. Most states 

readily granted land requests 

by the National Party of 

Nigeria, NPN, government’s 

except one. Late Chief Bola 

Ige was the governor of Oyo 

(then including Osun) State 

– elected on the platform of 

the Unity Party of Nigeria, 

UPN. Ige sensing that the 

NPN might use the housing 

scheme to attract voters in 

subsequent elections refused 

to allocate land to the 

Federal Government until he 

was told bluntly by Dosumu 

that “The Federal 

Government has the power to 

acquire land in any part of 

Nigeria for public purposes 

and only has to pay 

compensation. We can even 

acquire the Governor’s 

Mansion and we only need 

to pay compensation.” Ige 

got the message and quickly 

granted land at Ikire – which 

is now in Osun State. 

Buhari’s government can 

acquire the Ekiti Governor’s 

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016,PAGE 35 

Mansion and turn it to 

grazing land and the sky 

will not fall – once 

compensation is paid. 

Those playing to the 

gallery should stop and 

think about that….. 

NPA 

MD’S 

APPOINTMENT: THE 

LAST STRAW –2 

When those in office 

Who has the 

President not 

castigated? 

Ministers, before 

their appointments 

were called 

“noisemakers who 

only want to help 

their friends. 

National Assembly, 

Civil servants and 

even the media had 

been verbally 

whipped by our selfrighteous 

leader 

regard the power vested in 

them as personal 

prerogative, they 

inevitably enrich 

themselves, promote their 

families, favour their 

friends…Lee Kuan Yew. 

(VBQ p2). 

I spent at least ten years 

working and living in the 

North including 

residences in at least seven 

states. As a senior 

Manager of a large 

company, I was a member 

of all the elite Clubs and 

got to know various 

families in many states. 

That was the reason I first 

became apprehensive 

about the appointments 

Buhari was making. 

Granted, I did not possess 

the depth of knowledge 

demonstrated by Dr Junaid 

Mohammed who listed 

several relatives and 

friends, I was aware of a few 

including those who were 

involved in the clandestine 

recruitment into the 

Central Bank of Nigeria, 

CBN. I had prayed that the 

President would put a stop 

to it. The appointment of 

Mrs Hadiza Bala-Usman 

as Managing Director of 

the Nigeria Ports Authority, 

NPA, has proved to me 

conclusively that nepotism 

is not inadvertent, as 

previously assumed. It is 

delibrate and Buhari 

doesn’t give a damn what 

other Nigerians 

think.Watch out for my next 

book; APC: CORRUPTION 

INCORPORATED. The 

faith in Buhari is gone.. 

GUESS WHO IS 

POINTING FINGERS? 

“I am worried that the 

expectation of the public is 

yet to be met by the 

judiciary…President 

Buhari, PUNCH, July 20, 

2016, back page. 

Who has the President not 

castigated? Ministers, 

before their appointments 

were called “noisemakers 

who only want to help their 

friends. National Assembly, 

Civil servants and even the 

media had been verbally 

whipped by our selfrighteous 

leader. Even 

those who sacked him from 

office in 1985 have come 

under the hammer. 

I just hope Buhari is 

aware that finger-pointing 

is perilous business. As you 

point one at others, four are 

pointing back. After 

Mohammed’s disclosure, 

which nobody had 

disclaimed, our national 

leader is risking adding 

hypocrisy to his list of 

known faults. We are also 

worried that all we are 

getting are excuses for the 

poor performance so far. 

“Teacher Don't Teach 

Me Nonsense” 

“With my music, I create 

change…I am using my music 

as a weapon.” - Fela 

Anikulapo-Kuti. 

The week marks the 19th 

year of Fela's passing. 

His influence to 

music, the black movement 

and the champion of 

marginalised people remain 

as strong, if not stronger now 

than ever. The man with" death 

in his pocket", was a musical 

giant not only in Nigeria but 

around the world and with 

very good reasons too. 

He was controversial and 

influential in equal measure 

and Fela was unapologetic 

and unafraid to speak his 

mind. His music was the very 

medium through which he 

spoke to the people. Fela said 

that “I just want to do my part 

and leave…Not for what 

they’re going to remember 

you for, but for what you 

believe in as a man.” 

He left a body of work that 

speaks to millions and it is as 

relevant today as it was many 

years ago. You either love him 

or loathe him, but simply 

cannot not ignore him. Fela 

was a Tour De Force, a 

musical tornado, a 

messenger of change and he 

got under the skin of the 

authorities because he held a 

mirror to their face, as we all 

know the truth hurts. 

He said of the army that they 

dance to his music as well as 

march to his tunes!. 

Fela was born in 1938 in 

Abeokuta to a very wellknown 

socially and politically 

active Christian family. A son 

of a clergyman and an 

educationalist, although he 

was not a church going man 

but he was spiritual in his own 

way, he said: “to be spiritual 

is not by praying and going to 

church. Spiritualism is the 

understanding of the universe 

so that it can be a better place 

to live in.” 

His mother, Funmilayo 

Ransome-Kuti (FRK) was a 

political activist, fondly 

named the, Lioness of Lisabi. 

She was a commanding 

voice who fought for the rights 

of women to vote and earning 

her the Lenin Peace prize in 

the early sixties. The apple 

does not fall far from the tree; 

the son of lioness cannot be 

but a lion. His father penned 

the best National anthem that 

Nigeria will ever have; 

“Nigeria we hail thee” well, 

to me it is. Koye, the eldest 

sibling was a former Minister 

of Health; Beko the younger, 

who was once President of the 

Nigerian Medical 

Association. He too was 

detained by the Nigerian 

government for his protests 

against what he believed to be 

the anti-democratic activities 

of the military; and his elder 

sister, was a former matron in 

Nigeria's health services. So 

if you were looking for 

patriotic Nigerian 

embodiment, this family was 

it. 

In April 30, 974, Fela’s 

compound was raided by over 

a thousand military men 

armed to the teeth, in the 

tousled that ensued, they threw 

his mother from the first floor 

of the building: she broke her 

leg and sustained other 

injuries. The army then set his 

property on fire and razed it 

to the ground. 

Fela was arrested for 

possession of marijuana, 

which was not a surprise. 

While on bail and on his return 

to his compound which he renamed 

“Kalakuta Republic. 

As to how he came by 

Kalakuta Republic, Fela 

said:”…when I was first put 

in jail, the name of my prison 

cell was ‘Kalakuta’ meaning 

rascality, and Republic? I 

wanted to identify myself with 

someone who didn’t agree 

with the Federal Republic of 

Nigeria…I was in nonagreement.” 

He wailed in his tribute to 

his mother in his song: “they 

kill my mama”, and pointed the 

finger of blame at the military 

government. It was apparent 

how much he loved his mother. 

Fela definitely was very 

patriotic and he believed that 

Africans should be proud of who 

they are. When asked about why 

he came up with Afro-beat. Fela 

Fela definitely was 

very patriotic and 

he believed that 

Africans should be 

proud of who they 

are 

said: “With my music, I create 

change…I am using my music 

as a weapon.” His music was a 

weapon for change and a 

consciousness of the struggles 

of many Nigerians but it is also 

resonant with other people who 

were facing their own struggle 

anywhere in the world. His 

message was universal and it 

was not particular to Nigeria, 

hence his appeal to many 

around the world. He was 

determined to use his music to 

prick the oppressors’ 

consciousness and to bring 

about change. 

Fela always danced to his 

own drum and plotted his own 

path, never one to follow the 

herd; he will sticks his head out 

while others cower in fright. 

This is Fela. 

With his brand of music and 

genre, Afro Beat, he went on to 

speak to millions and influences 

many more beyond the 

borders of Nigeria. He was 

given the key to the freedom 

of several cities in Europe 

and his brand of music is 

favoured by many African 

Americans rap and soul 

artistes, and they count Fela 

as a major influence. He was 

irreverent and unapologetic 

and often gets him into 

trouble with the military 

government and he paid 

dearly for it. Choosing my 

favourite songs of Fela, is 

like choosing a favorite 

amongst your children. But 

if pushed, I would say for me, 

it is; Teacher well, to be 

honest with you, I introduced 

my son to Fela's music at 

very early age and to this day, 

Zombie remains, his 

favourite. 

Fela said: “With my music, 

I create change…I am using 

my music as a weapon.” He 

was determined to use his 

music to prick the 

oppressors’ consciousness 

and to bring about change. 

He said:”A lutta 

continua…a lutta continua, 

no! It must not continue. The 

struggle must STOP!” He 

was proud of who he was 

and in YELLOW FEVER, he 

went to town on those who 

bleached their black skin 

and he did not spare them as 

he described the process and 

the aftermath side effects of 

skin bleaching. He said:” 

“Bleaching of the body to 

look lighter is immoral.” 

And the humour and the 

derision he felt for black 

people who bleaches their 

skin, was spot on, he showed 

his disdain of their selfloathing 

for their skin he 

called yeye thing, ugly thing 

and he left you, with he was 

not pleased, YELLOW 

FEVER was both funny and 

harsh but all said in truth, all 

in his irrepressible way that 

only Fela can. No one was 

spared from Fela’s brand of 

tongue-lashing, if he feels you 

deserve it; he will dish it hot, 

like in 1979 hit, 

INTERNATIONAL THIEF, 

THIEF. Wherever, he went so 

does controversy, it followed 

hand in hand. He married 27 

women in one day and 

divorced them all, years later 

after he was released from 

Maduguri prison. He then 

changed his name , Ransome 

–Kuti to Anikulapo in the 

mid-1970s in a name burning 

ceremony. He wanted a name 

that reflected him and 

Anikulapo means 'I have 

death in my pocket', and that 

was very true in the run-ins he 

had with the army. He said:'I 

will be the master of my own 

destiny and will decide when 

it is time for death to take me'. 

He lived life to the full. 

The reasons why Fela 

crosses all the borders of 

tribes, religion and age is his 

use of a lingua franca that 

unites us: the Pidgin English. 

He said of pidgin English; 

“Broken English has been 

completely broken into the 

African way of talking, our 

rhythm, our intonation.” That 

is Fela’s appeal the way he 

appeals to everyone who 

knows and is in the struggle, 

whatever the struggle was , 

he always strikes the right key 

and reaches out to the 

ordinary person who, on 

listening to his music is 

drawn to the message.

GE 36—SUND 

SUNDAY Vanguard 

anguard, , AUGUST 7 

PAGE 

GE 

UGUST 7, , 2016 

Sometimes the ‘spur-of-the-moment’ encounter is the best kind of fun! 

IT’S no secret that sex in 

the office is as 

commonplace as sex in 

anywhere convenient - all you 

need is a little bit of privacy 

and a lot of ingenuity. 

But, have you ever thought 

of avenging a wrong by giving 

yourself an earth-shattering 

bunk? And, in the office? When 

this happened to Gbemi, she 

swore revenge sex was the 

furtherest from her mind when 

she was dumped by her 

boyfriend of two years. “I was 

doing my youth service in a big 

office when John dumped me,” 

she said. “It was a dream office 

to work in and I wanted to 

make a good impression as I 

was hoping to be invited to stay 

permanently. 

But 

concentrating on my job was 

almost impossible. 

“I was staring on the 

computer, not really 

concentrating when the 

supervisor sent for me. He 

wasn’t that much older and he 

was really good looking. 

We had chatted a few times, 

but he’d never stepped out of 

line. ‘Are you OK?” He now 

asked, concerned. ‘You don’t 

seem to be yourself and you 

ignored me just a few minutes 

ago when I said hello’. I hadn’t 

even noticed him then. I told 

him what happened with my 

boyfriend and he said John 

must be a complete idiot to let 

me go. I instantly welled up. 

Seeing my tears, he came over 

and patted me on the back 

‘Why don’t you go home?’ 

He asked. It was already 

break time and most of the 

office was deserted. 

I told him I couldn’t. That it 

would look bad to management 

as I’d already been off-sick a 

few times. 

“As he consoled me, his body 

felt so warn and protective as I 

moved in closer, surprised I 

was feeling really turned on! 

He must have sensed this 

change in me because he 

suddenly kissed me and I 

kissed him back. He pushed 

me against his locked door and 

we continued kissing 

passionately. 

In that instant, all the hurt 

and anger I felt towards my ex 

turned into pure animal lust - 

all I cared about was having 

him there and then! He quickly 

glanced out of his office to 

make sure his secretary had left 

before repositioning me behind 

the closed door. He was so 

energetic and strong as we had 

frantic sex right there in his 

office! I was totally lost in the 

moment - and it felt 

intoxicating! 

“Afterwards, he smirked with 

satisfaction. ‘Wow’; he 

gasped.” Your ex is a real idiot. 

That was amazing. How do you 

feel now?’ “Great,” I assured 

him. ‘That was a real tonic’; 

“Glad I could be of assistance,” 

he cheekily replied before 

peeping out of his office to 

make sure the coast was clear 

so I could make a clean get 

away!. 

“Not long after, John, my ex 

begged me to take him back, 

that leaving me was a mistake. 

I told him where to stuff his 

apology. Although the bunk 

with my boss was unexpected, 

that crazy afternoon definitely 

helped me get over my heartbreak. 

It was the only time too 

and though I don’t regret 

having sex at work, I don’t 

intend to make a habit of it!”. 

Mike, 33, works in an office 

of chartered accountants. He 

came to work this wonderful 

day to find a female 

replacement for an old member 

of staff who resigned. “It was 

a sight for sore eyes,” he said. 

“I stopped in my tracks when 

I saw this gorgeous girl in front 

of me. She was well-dressed 

with well-groomed hair. As we 

exchanged greetings, I 

wondered why such a pretty 

young woman would want to 

work with some stuffy 

accountants, but as the days 

went on, I realised that 

although Stella was very 

attractive, she was definitely 

‘one of the boys’ too. 

“We were in the staff canteen 

a few months later when she 

suddenly realized she’d 

forgotten the birthday gift for 

another staff in the boss’ office. 

I volunteered to help her get 

the keys to his office. As we 

chatted on our way to the office, 

I realised we’d both had a few 

drinks and were feeling lighthearted. 

As she made for the 

wrapped gift, I asked her what 

it was and she refused to tell, 

saying the men wouldn’t 

forgive her if she’d let on. As I 

playfully made for the gift, we 

started to tussle. In our mock 

fight, Stella stumble backward 

and fell onto the big table in 

the boss’ office, pulling me 

almost on top of her. We burst 

out laughing as our bodies 

pressed against each other. 

then we stopped laughing 

suddenly as lustful thoughts 

took over. There was this 

naughty smile on her face as 

1 told her: ‘Nobody’s here:’ 

“She didn’t need any more 

encouragement and we began 

to kiss furiously. As we spread 

out across the desk, all the 

stuffs on the boss’ desk started 

crashing to the floor. But we 

ignored them. 1 was about to 

live out my wildest fantasy and 

nothing was going to stop me! 

Just as 1 began to believe 

things couldn’t get better than 

this, this vixen suddenly 

wriggled from under me and 

jumped on top. 

“Wow!. We had the quickest 

but most fantastic sex of my life 

right there in the boss’ office! 

Afterwards, we hastily tidied 

up, worried the boss might 

suspect something if he came 

in later. 

“To this day, I never told any 

of my colleagues, and as far 

as I know, Stella didn’t either. 

But now, when I’m having a 

boring day at work, I look 

across at her in the office and 

have a dirty smile on my face. 

Stella is engaged to be 

married, so our mind-blowing 

bunk is, and always will be a 

one off!.” 

08052201867(Text Only) 

You work and play better with exercise 

THE ability to meet 

the demands of 

work and play is what I term 

being fit. And nothing enhances that 

ability better than proper exercise 

whose components include deep 

breathing, relaxed movements and 

mental concentration. Proper 

exercise will overhaul, rejuvenate 

and balance the entire body. 

If your work-a-day life leaves you 

feeling too tired for any enthusiasm 

for other things in your life you can 

do something about the situation. 

How do you do this? Firstly, take a 

good look at your habits. Are you 

eating foods that over-tax your 

energies because they take ages to 

digest? Have you been staying away 

from exercising to the point where 

your body has lost the tone nature 

intended it to have? 

There can not be much energy at 

your disposal if you’re guilty of these 

two. And, remember, living means 

the expression of energy in a positive 

way and abundantly. 

You, yourself must tread the path 

to fitness and good health. In my 

years of teaching Yoga I have come 

across very determined persons who 

were able to effect such phenomenal 

changes in the bodies. 

Talking discipline, you only can 

invoke it in yourself. The next person 

can only inspire you. Try these 

flexibility postures. 

THE HEELS-TO-CROTCH 

Technique: Sit down with the legs 

stretched in front of you. Now, bend 

one leg placing the bent leg on the 

floor with the heel close to the crotch 

as much as possible. Do the same 

with the next leg. Now you should 

have both soles of the feet touching 

and begin to lower both legs till the 

knees are either on the floor or very 

close with the hands holding down 

the feet. 

Note: A warm-up to this posture is 

to flop the legs up and down at the 

knees like the wings of a bird in flight. 

Breathe normally holding down the 

feet for 10 or 15 seconds. Rest and 

repeat. 

Benefits: Both deep and superficial 

muscles of the inner thighs are 

intensely stretched, toning muscles 

and ligaments of the pelvis and encouraging 

the health of the whole 

pelvic area. There’s improved blood 

circulation to the back and abdomen 

benefitting the kidneys and bladder 

and helping to deal with urinary 

disorders. 

A daily practice of this posture is 

said to hinder the onset of varicose 

veins and to reduce the harshness of 

labour pains. It helps check nocturnal 

emissions and increases manly 

vigour. 

THE PLOUGH 

Technique: Lie on your back 

relaxed. Breathe in deeply, lifting the 

legs and hips up. Dip the feet on to 

the floor beyond the head. Hold the 

feet down with the corresponding 

hands. Keep the legs straight and the 

knees locked. Stiffen the leg muscles 

but do not strain at the lower back. 

Retain the posture for about 10 

seconds. 

Benefits: The plough is said to 

stimulate the activity of the 

thyroid glands. People with 

sluggish digestion get help 

from the grinding movement 

of the abdomen to stimulate 

the entire inner organism, 

particularly, the peristaltic 

waves of the bowels. The 

plough is highly recommended 

as an antidote to 

constipation. 

A variation of the plough 

is to droop down the knees 

on to the floor. 

THE SPREADEAGLE 

Technique: Sit down with 

the feet stretched out in 

front. With the help of the 

hands, spread the legs as far 

apart as you can manage. 

Clutch the shins and, holding 

the trunk neck and head 

in a straight line, breathe 

slowly but deeply. Retain the 

position for as long as 

* The Spread Eagle 

comfortable. Rest awhile and 

repeat. 

Benefits: The spread eagle tones 

* Heels-To-Crotch 

up the muscles of the inner thighs 

and helps with the health of the 

pelvic region. 

Yoga Classes 

STARTED 

Physical Therapy Centre 

@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, 

Victoria Island Lagos. 

10.00am — 11.00am 

on Saturdays


RESTRUCTURING 

Nigeria must devolve 

power or die 

—Prof. Adamolekun 

• ‘Why Buhari ought to be our last 

militar 

ary y President 

•On Biafra: Igbo should be ready for 

the consequences of exit from Nigeria 

By Clifford Ndujihe 

Deputy Political Editor & Rufus Ike 

PROFESSOR Ladipo 

Adamolekun, 74, an Awoist, 

erudite scholar and 

administrator, is not happy with the 

state of affairs in Nigeria and has urged 

urgent solutions. According to him, the 

clamour for restructuring of the country 

is fast becoming a slogan in the face of 

a failing state. For the giant of Africa to 

return to the era when Nigeria worked 

with features such as educational 

excellence, meritocracy and strong 

institutions, the former University of Ife 

(now Obafemi Awolowo University) 

lecturer said we must practice fiscal 

federalism with the centre losing most 

of its powers to the federating units. 

Prof Adamolekun, whose rich 

academic and administrative career 

include stints at the United Nations and 

World Bank, said ongoing agitation for 

the Republic of Biafra is one of the 

easiest problems the Federal 

Government can tackle by simply 

organizing a referendum for the Igbo 

people, who he further warned, should 

be ready for the consequences of 

whatever decision they take at the 

referendum just as Britain is facing now 

after Brexit. 

The Don, in a two-hour interview 

with Sunday Vanguard, at his Lagos 

home, lamented that Nigeria’s 

democracy is still fledgling after 16 

years of civil rule. Attributing the 

development to the long years of 

military rule and its continued rule 

through former generals, who have 

been elected as presidents, he said for 

the country’s democracy to be 

deepened, President Muhammadu 

Buhari should be our last president with 

military background. Excerpts: 

With nostalgia, you keep talking 

about when Nigeria worked. What is 

the difference between then and now? 

Educational excellence was one of the 

characteristics of when the country 

worked. Strong institutions were also 

some of the characteristics. Then 

educational excellence started from 

primary to secondary to the University 

level. Merit and meritocracy were 

emphasized. There were educational 

excellence, meritocracy, strong 

institutions and civil service, which were 

able to implement the policies and 

programmes of the political parties. 

The Western Nigerian civil service, for 

instance, was considered to be one of 

the best in the commonwealth before 

the advent of the military. The civil 

service in northern and eastern 

Nigerian were also strong. 

It is not a question of 

restructuring or not, 

Nigeria has to devolve 

power or die. I first 

made the suggestion in 

my contribution in 2004, 

50 years of federalism in 

Nigeria 

When you look at educational 

excellence, it went through primary, 

secondary and university levels, you have 

meritocracy; scholarship in those days 

were won by the best. Meritocracy is not 

something you look for, you see it, and 

teachers were highly respected right 

from the small communities to the 

universities. So when I was choosing a 

career to be a teacher it was one for the 

best and the civil service attracted people 

of quality. 

When I say institutions it is not just the 

civil service, the parties were also strong. 

The universities were strong, the civil 

service was strong and the Nigerian 

judiciary too. Then Nigerian judges were 

sent to East Africa, now who is going to 

invite your judge to anywhere? A 

Nigerian judge went to Botswana some 

two decades ago, Nigerian judges were 

in the Gambia. This time what we have is 

a huge corruption in the judiciary. 

Where did we start missing the mark? 

A whole book can be written about 

how the military underdeveloped 

Nigeria. I am paraphrasing ‘’How 

Europe underdeveloped Africa,’’ which is 

a classic. I think a young researcher can 

win a world wide acclaimed award by 

writing a book on how the military 

underdeveloped Nigeria. 

How did the military under-develop 

Nigeria? 

One, they undermined our competitive 

politics. Before the military, we had 

strong parties that mobilised the society 

and the parties had principles and 

ideology. You asked where we went 

wrong, all those characters in the 

National Assembly never knew what 

competitive politics meant; that you 

have to have ideas, fight for them and 

deliver for citizens. We are now in the 

era of politics of the belly, greed and 

rascality. 

Although, it is in the nature of 

partisan politics to have competitions 

and problems which of course led to the 

coup, in a sense, if we had managed to 

muscle through without military 

interruption, the country would 

certainly have been better. All these 

characters in the National Assembly 

never grew up to understand what 

politics for service is all about. 

I’m not the one coining politics of the 

belly, there is a book written by a 

French scholar on African politics. The 

lawmakers go there to save themselves 

from poverty and in the process they 

start saving money underground, in the 

ceiling, in water tanks, etc. That is 

beyond belly now, it is greed. 

You get the whole point? When you 

look at education, meritocracy, those 

things were there, but the military came 

to proscribe parties for almost 30 years, 

no wonder there are no more functional 

parties, politicians move from one party 

to the other. 

The military is a unitary institution; 

centralism is a major characteristics of 

the military. Others are uniformity and 

arbitrariness. You can see that in less 

than 16 months, former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo has visited Buhari 

more than six times. There is cultural 

relationship, their military culture is 

strong, now they are operating under 

democratic umbrella but that cannot 

change their mind set and it 

significantly affects what they do. 

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah said 

recently that Buhari should be the last 

military president that will rule Nigeria. 

I agree. A military mind set operating 

in a democratic domain will have huge 

challenges. So, as long as Buhari is 

there we have to bear that in mind. 

However, there are a few positives - 

his integrity, not all military officers 

have that. He is an exceptional person 

in terms of integrity, the level of 

corruption in the military is huge. How 

can a chief of air staff be earning N600 

million a month and a whole officer’s 

job is to know how he will spend it and 

yet they are not in power? 

The unfortunate thing for us is that 

the 1999 constitution did not have our 

input unlike the 1979 one where there 

was a constitutional panel chaired by 

late Chief F.R.A Williams. It is the only 

constitution in the world where local 

government headquarters are listed. 

There is also the federal character that 

was introduced in 1978, the federal Continues on page 38 

character you have in the 1999 

constitution is obnoxious and 

antithetical to merit. It is just 

meaningless and cannot be 

implemented, no one is implementing 

it; they only invoke it when it pleases 

one person or the other. 

I think the military under 

developing Nigeria is in terms of the 

bastardisation of the federal system, 

de-emphasis on educational 

excellence and meritocracy and above 

all, weakening and undermining of 

institutions. The civil service and the 

judiciary were distorted by the 

military. The universities were also 

undermined by the military, my 

favourite example is posting VC’s like 

police commissioners. In the 

university culture, a VC must emanate 

from that institution, I’m not saying 

that he must be an insider, the Senate 

of UNILAG can say that this eminent 

scholar should come from Maidugiri, 

if it wants. If the process within the 

university produces the VC, that is 

legitimacy. You cannot stay in the 

barracks and command scholars to 

head the universities. 

On arguments that if the military 

had not intervened, politicians would 

have destroyed the country 

With the advantage of hindsight, I 

was an undergraduate when the 

military coup occurred and I led a 

rally welcoming the coup, so I can 

relate to all you are saying but they 

failed in their promise of restoring 

order and withdrawing to their 

barracks as against moving from one 

coup to the other. They ruled for more 

than 30 years, which is more than half 

of our 56 years of independence. 

There are characteristics of the 

military that explain the under 

development of Nigeria. One is their 

centralism - their unitary command 

structure. When you juxtapose that 

with a federal system you get a 

bastardised federation. 

It is not a question of restructuring 

or not, Nigeria has to devolve or die. I 

first made the suggestion in my 

contribution in 2004, 50 years of 

federalism in Nigeria. Federalism was 

first introduced in 1954, I said we had 

to devolve or the country would die. 

Specifically what are the things 

that should be devolved? 

I’ll tell you; that is why if they say 

implement Confab 2014, it is 

something broad. It is true that there 

are things you can do, an example is 

the issue of state police. You cannot 

C 

M 

YK

PAGE 38— SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 


have community policing from Abuja. 

Community policing is when they can speak 

the local language, know every nook and 

cranny of that community. There is a critical 

deficiency in police intelligence and 

military intelligence in Nigeria. 

There are countries that have Local 

Government Police including Namibia, it is 

not just in the US where I lived for almost 20 

years; there was police in my local 

government, the state and the federal had 

their own as well. 

There are instances that we exaggerate 

and, for some reason, close our eyes to the 

reality that a single national police force is 

grossly inadequate. I think some time ago 

they said we need 90000 more policemen; 

that is not the issue. If the IGP is talking 

about someone who took away cars is that 

the IGP that will ensure security in Nigeria? 

So, police decentralisation is imperative. 

The police commissioner reports to Abuja, 

we cannot get security that way. There is 

need to decentralise what we have now. 

How can a local government chairman in 

Ikeja be earning the same thing as the 

chairman in Akure North or a local 

government chairman in Bayelsa or a small 

one in Taraba? A system that determines the 

reward for all local governments across the 

country is an over centralised system. It 

needs to be devolved in order to increase 

quality of service. In fact, nothing is 

happening in many local governments, they 

are only collecting money for salary while 

the state governments keep the rest and 

nobody can hold anybody accountable. 

The revenue allocation formula that we 

have currently is a product of the centralism 

of the military that gives 52.5 per cent or 

thereabout to the Federal Government and 

the balance to the states and local 

governments. 

There is strong evidence that it is because 

of the excess resources at the centre that 

made them go ahead to introduce UBEC. 

The federal government has no business 

being involved with primary and secondary 

education. 

They set up a presidential committee to 

look at the unity secondary schools; the 

report said that performances at the unity 

secondary schools are poor and cannot be 

held as models for other secondary schools. 

Proper devolution means that what 

federal government gets should not dictate 

what state governments get, it also means 

that the federal runs its own agencies and 

activities like universities. Why should there 

be the same salary in a federal and a state 

university? 

In terms of revenue sharing formula, I 

think the federal should have no more than 

40 - 45 per cent of the allocation and the rest 

shared between the states and local 

governments 

We have had democracy for 16 years 

going to 17, how far do you think the 

politicians have gone to resolve the “under 

development” brought by the military? 

Our democracy is still fledgling and one 

of the explanations is people with military 

mind set, Yar’ Adua and Jonathan were the 

two exceptions, have remained in power. 

To me, knowledge, integrity and courage 

are the three main things that make a leader 

and none of the leaders have combined 

these since 1966. In varying degrees, 

Awolowo, Azikiwe and the Sardauna had 

that. 

Since 1999, it has been worse in the 

legislative arm of the government, talk 

about Saraki, Ekweremadu, now Dogara 

comes into the picture with budget padding 

that is being debated. A National Assembly 

that is led by these people cannot be one that 

will really grow or consolidate our 

democracy. 

We have to move from fledgling to 

consolidation then to maturity. We are still 

fledgling and the second part of the 

explanation is the quality or nature of 

leaders we have gotten. None of them has 

combined the three attributes of knowledge, 

courage and integrity. 

On the civil society side, since 1999, there 

has been improvement especially the media, 

civil society groups, public opinion, and 

freedom of speech, there has been no 

attempt to curtail that unlike what 

happened under the military. Former 

President Goodluck Jonathan was sitting 

‘Why Buhari ought to be our 

last military President’ 

*Adamolekun ...People with military 

mindset have been in power 

It is true Buhari said he 

will be merciless to 

looters. If by December, 

we do not have at least a 

dozen or 10 high profile 

looters in prison then 

his mercilessness is not 

clear to me 

there when I gave the presidential 

inauguration lecture in 2011. I was telling 

him the only way to fight corruption is to 

declare your assets and that of your wife, 

and also ensure that your ministers and your 

people declare their assets. I was exercising 

my academic freedom, freedom of right to 

speech, to say things that can appear to help. 

In terms of fledgling democracy that’s a 

good sign. 

The other thing that can move us to 

consolidation is electoral legitimacy. The 

2007 was do or die election, it was publicly 

admitted; 2011 was better, 2015, was good 

thanks to the introduction of the card reader, 

unfortunately that giant step fell short of 

being robustly grounded to such a point that 

when useless elections were held in Rivers 

and Akwa Ibom states and were appealed 

against at the Supreme Court, the apex 

court was saying, ‘what is card reader?’ 

According to reports and observers, those 

elections were not elections, the thing (card 

reader) that was praised in the 2015 election 

was questioned and mutually rejected by the 

Supreme Court. So, there is need to ensure 

that the progress made in the 2015 elections 

circle is sustained and improved upon in 

2019. 

On comments that the president is 

endangering our democracy with his 

interference in the affairs of the National 

Assembly 

What kind of interference? First of all 

there’s a party and they will say they are 

imitating America, has minority party ever 

served as deputy president of the senate in 

America they say they are imitating? 

His assessment of President Buhari’s 

performance based on the change agenda 

If we take security, there is evidence of 

good performance relating to Boko Haram. 

The explanation, in my view, relates to 

Buhari’s understanding of the military; real 

understanding and courage to do what is 

necessary and the integrity to hold the 

military chiefs accountable. He moved their 

base from Abuja to Maidugiri, it’s someone 

who knows the dynamics of war that knows 

that you cannot be fighting in the North 

East and eating pepper soup in Abuja. 

Today, no part of the country is under Boko 

Haram’s control. 

However security is not just Boko Haram, 

there are agitations in the Niger Delta by 

militants, agitation for the actualization of 

Republic of Biafra in South East, and 

herdsmen that are armed. 

The Niger Delta issue is very clear, it is a 

clear and present danger to the jugular of 

the Nigerian economy and already we are 

feeling the result. 

Yar’ Adua introduced the amnesty 

programme and it worked but again like all 

things in Nigeria there were inadequate 

monitoring and transparency. How much 

was spent? What was achieved? Did 

anybody account for all these? 

There was an expectation that the thing 

would continue. We can see what is 

happening today unlike the Yar’ Adua 

period when there was amnesty and there 

was calm. So, there is urgent need to tackle 

the challenge. What is the level of military 

intelligence about what is really happening? 

If we don’t have adequate intelligence we 

won’t know what to do. 

Referendum on Biafra 

The one in the South East is very clear, 

people still want to talk about Biafra but 

there is discontent that follows it and that 

again needs to be brought out and openly 

discussed to know what to do. Within the 

South-East, there are disagreements over 

Biafra or no Biafra, which some people are 

talking about, which have led to occasional 

breakdown of law and order. 

Tackling the problem is simple. The 

objective is clear, some want the Republic of 

Biafra to be actualised. Ohanaeze and some 

other Igbo leaders don’t want it. Possible 

solution is to set up a referendum. Britain 

just had their own and Ireland was thinking 

that they would remain, it was exit and they 

exited. So, if Biafra is going to have a 

referendum, they must be ready for the 

consequences. 

The danger of armed herdsmen 

The herdsmen who are no longer using 

sticks but AK 47 constitute serious danger 

because the entire North-Central states are 

affected, Parts of the South-West, South-East 

and South-South are also affected. There is 

also problem of militants in Lagos and 

Ogun states whether they are from Niger 

Delta or wherever. What is the level of police 

intelligence? There’s need for police 

intelligence and military intelligence too. 

Security is more than Boko Haram. When 

you move beyond that the government is not 

yet on top of the situation. 

By the time Buhari enters year two, these 

security challenges should have been 

curtailed or at least there must be a clear 

strategy; clear understanding of what needs 

to be done and actions to be taken. 

On the anti-graft war 

I was a member of a 26-member group 

that drafted the World Bank anti-corruption 

strategy in 1995/1996 and I was one of the 

five core members that actually wrote it. I’ve 

made a point that the integrity of the 

president, his commitment to fighting 

corruption are necessary conditions for 

successful anti-corruption war. But it is not 

sufficient and one of the things I have 

suggested is the need for a strategy that will 

involve all the different tiers of government, 

appropriate institutions, the private sector, 

the media and the civil society. 

There should be a national strategy. I am 

aware that a draft strategy exists. What is 

delaying the finalisation of it? Will they 

finalise it without even looking for public 

debate to make it participatory? 

With a clear strategy, some people will not 

term the anti-corruption as selective. It is 

also necessary for states to adopt their own 

strategy because there is corruption in the 

states too, even up to LG level. 

Strategy is one thing that is missing and 

here we have a retired general as president. 

You don’t go to a war without a strategy. 

It is true Buhari said he will be merciless 

to looters. If by December, we do not have at 

least a dozen or 10 high profile looters in 

prison then his mercilessness is not clear to 

me. 

However, nobody should say the anticorruption 

war is just in the newspaper, the 

revelations we are hearing are very 

revealing- that the money that was 

dispensed to fight Boko Haram was used to 

buy some political favour, we are not 

talking of peanuts but billions of dollars, 

public officers including military officers 

own rows of houses when their salary is 

known. 

Singapore solution for graft 

I have a radical view on that and it is the 

Singapore solution. In Singapore, if you are 

a public official and what you have is more 

than what you earn you are the one to 

explain. My suggestion is, for one year, from 

January to December 2017, let us adopt the 

Singapore solution and focus on the 

strategic elitist institutions - judiciary, civil 

service, universities, armed forces, etc. 

During that year just make example of six to 

10 from each of these institutions because 

those are the strategic institutions. 

Unpunished corruption entrenches 

corruption. Since 1999, can you tell me of 

any corruption that has been punished? 

Before December, if we don’t have six to 10 

politically exposed looters in prison then the 

seriousness of this war can be questioned. 

What about the economy? 

On the economy, what Buhari promised as 

a candidate was to revamp the economy. 

That is what his manifesto told us. Now we 

are faced with a weak macro economy 

because we are being told that we are in 

technical recession, the naira is spinning 

downwards and the inflation rate is at 60.5 

per cent; interest rate is also double digits. 

So, in macro-economic terms, those are 

just illustrations of the technical recession 

that the minister acknowledged but the 

direct things that the masses feel are poverty, 

hunger and the possibility of famine. It is 

rare in democracy to have famine. 

So, if we say we are practicing a 

democracy and famine should occur then 

your democracy would be less than 

fledgling. 

By December there should be some report 

in terms of where are we with economic 

diversification and that is going to tell us 

whether revamping has started or not. 

The National Assembly is part of the 

problem, beyond their padding they are 

supposed to do oversight that will help the 

executive to deliver. They spend more time 

discussing their useless projects than 

thinking of how they can do an oversight to 

ensure that the executive delivers service.


This is the concluding part of 

Rev. Samson Olasupo Adeniyi 

Ayokunle, the new National 

President of the Christian 

Association of Nigeria, CAN’s, 

interview, in which the cleric 

outlines the challenges ahead 

of him and calls on the Federal 

Government to hasten to 

restructure the nation and 

revamp the economy because 

the people are hungry. 

Let him try it and he will know how 

people can shut down government. If 

he wants to kill, he will have so 

many people to kill. Let him try it. 

He will tell us whether it is only one 

set of religious students that have 

right and others don’t have. I have 

said it that people in that level of 

management should not, by their 

statements polarise the situation 

more than what was on ground 

before. What stops him from keeping 

quiet, than fuelling the situation? 

The issue of hijab and many other 

issues like the proposed education 

curriculum tend to make many people 

believe there is a plot to Islamize this 

nation. Are you of the same opinion, 

and if yes, what will the Christian 

community do? 

Whether there is Islamization or not, 

Christianity in Nigeria is under siege. 

We can all see what is on ground. I’m 

not talking about belief, I’m talking 

about facts. Christianity is under 

siege. How can somebody say that he 

is doing a reform in the curriculum 

and change Christian doctrine and 

think that we will keep quiet? They 

will be teaching in that new 

educational curriculum that Jesus 

Christ is not the son of God. Is that 

Christian teaching? And you call it 

Christian Religious Knowledge? 

Where did you bring that one from if 

you are not just provoking anger in 

other people? You want to be teaching 

that Jesus is not the son of God and 

that He did not die on the cross and 

that He did not rise from the dead. 

You are saying there’s nothing like 

Christianity. Is that education? Who 

drew the curriculum? He can never 

see the light of the day. 

You know that CAN is already on it. 

I think some time ago before I 

travelled, I saw government 

apologizing over that and I need to 

commend the government for that; 

that they knew that the curriculum 

was in bad taste. I think what the 

government ought to do is to 

investigate the people responsible for 

such a thing. If it is still in the 

National Educational Research 

Council, that person should be 

sanctioned. What was the intention? 

I think the best thing is to dismiss 

that individual from service. He or 

she wants to set the nation on fire. If 

you see what is happening…Joseph 

Zechariah Kura, an Evangelical 

Church Winning All pastor in 

Nassarawa State was butchered. The 

following week, a woman in Abuja 

was killed. Somebody was not a 

Muslim, he wanted to eat in his shop 

in Kaduna, he was stabbed. The one in 

Kano, you were doing ablution in 

front of another woman’s shop and 

she stopped them. She was killed. A 

Catholic Church opened for service in 

Niger State on Friday and you said 

Friday was specifically for you. Who 

told you that others should not 

worshiping God on Friday except you? 

Don’t we see other religious adherents 

do their service on Sunday? Has 

anybody attacked them? And our 

authorities keep quiet as if nothing is 

happening. We will not allow them to 

rest until they speak out and do 

something. 

There is a siege! And when we are 

talking, it is not because we want to 

set the nation on fire but because we 

don’t want the nation to be on fire. Let 

there be mutual respect. We used to 

live together mutually, it was not like 

this. Let’s return to that time, that’s 

what we are saying. When we had 

Muslims and Christians in the same 

Mine is to 

look at what 

happened. I 

have told the 

National 

Secretariat to 

send a letter 

to the Sultan 

of Sokoto to 

inform him 

that we have a 

new 

administration, 

a new CAN 

President, and 

I’ll take it up 

from there 

family and they were eating and 

wining together. Where has this 

type of spirit come from? I think 

it’s the spirit of end time putting 

Christianity under siege. We are 

too many in this nation for 

somebody to think that they can 

overrun us. As long as we live 

and as long as God gives us our 

breath, we will not allow 

anybody to force any religion on 

us 

Ṗastor Oritsejafor’s 

administration was very involved 

in rebuilding the lives of people 

who have been affected by 

insurgency. What steps will you 

take to rebuild the churches in 

North East? Beyond the 

North East, what should 

the Christian 

community expect 

from your tenure? And 

there is also the fact 

that till now there are 

no Certificates of 

Occupancy issued to 

churches in the whole 

of the North.... 

In terms of what 

Pastor Ayo has done, 

God gave that man 

resources and he spent 

it for the Church. It is 

very difficult for you to 

have another Christian 

leader that can have that advantage 

and that type of spirit. I am coming 

from an established organisation 

which does not allow me to spend 

half kobo from collection unless 

what it is approved. And before 

approval is given, it will pass 

through many tables. As an 

established organisation, you know 

that we have our own ministries; 

internally displaced people, widows 

and so on that we attend to with 

several millions. We will do our best 

but you better not compare because 

areas of ministry differ. What I can 

assure you is that I will not keep my 

mouth shut until all the people who 

are passing through suffering and 

hard times and people who have 

been victims of this insurgency have 

been properly taken care of either 

through CAN or through the 

government or non-governmental 

organisations. 

I was at the World Council of 

Churches and I was shouting at the 

top of my voice that internally 

displaced people in Nigeria should 

be attended to. And by the grace of 

God, from February or March this 

coming year, the World Council of 

Churches is coming to lay the 

foundation of an international interfaith 

religious center in Kaduna so 

that what led to the Boko Haram 

insurgency might not repeat itself in 

our nation. And the Baptist World 

Alliance adopted a resolution which 

has already been passed to President 

Obama that he should employ an 

envoy to take care specifically of the 

internally displaced people in 


So we will build on what Pastor 

Ayo Oritsejafor has done but the 

style may be different because the 

access that we have to resources 

differs. 

On the issue of C of O for churches 

in the North, I think we will engage 

lawyers to address the matter. If any 

church is denied C of O, we will like 

to have the records and the reasons 

for the denial and we may challenge 

that in the court of law. Nigerians 

cannot be treated as aliens in their 

own land. 

What will be your cardinal 

agenda? Will it be a two-point 

agenda or four-point agenda? 

Go and get my acceptance speech, 

you will see my agenda there. 

I have seen your acceptance 

speech; there was no mention of 

NIREC. What will be the new 

relationship of CAN with the 

Islamic community considering the 

fact that NIREC has been moribund 

for some time now... 

Mine is to look at what happened. 

I have told the National Secretariat 

to send a letter to the Sultan of 

Sokoto to inform him that we have 

Rev. Ayokunle 

‘Our 

children will 

continue to 

wear chur 

hurch 

robes to 

school’ 

a new administration, a new 

CAN President, and I’ll take it 

up from there. 

What’s your own approach to 

the proposal for grazing 

reserves? 

We have shown our 

opposition to that. Ranches are 

better. Let the Fulani men who 

are professionals in cattle 

rearing, wherever they want to 

buy land, let them take money 

from their pockets and buy it 

because they sell cows to us; so 

why should it be government 

buying land for them? Will they 

buy land for mechanics also? 

Are they going to buy land for 

pastors to plant churches? 

What is good for the goose is 

good for the gander. They 

should not take our public 

funds to buying land for Fulani 

herdsmen. They are doing their 

private businesses. 

They amputated the leg of my 

cousin in our village. When the 

girl was coming from the river, 

they met her, they wanted to 

take her, she was running away, 

unfortunately she fell and they 

amputated her leg. 

It was Baptist hospital that 

helped us on that lady, an 

unmarried lady. It pains my 

hearts. What wickedness. I 

cannot allow herdsmen in my 

backyard. Any family who 

wants to sell land to them, I’m 

not hindering you; you can go 

ahead and sell but let them buy 

it themselves. 

In 2014, the Jonathan 

administration organized a 

National Conference where 

recommendations were made 

including the one in favour of 

the restructuring of the 

nation. But the Buhari 

government says it has 

nothing to do with the 

recommendations. How do 

you respond? 

The statement of the 

President is that he has not 

even opened the report of the 

National Conference. How can 

you conclude that a document 

is not good when you have not 

seen the content? Someone 

occupying such a position who 

is looking for the best 

solution to move us 

forward will not 

have that type of 

bias. You can’t 

condemn what you 

don’t know about. 

People gathered 

from all over the 

nation, money was 

spent on it; even 

for the sake of the 

money that was 

spent on it, public 

money, wouldn’t 

you read the 

report? If you don’t 

have time, give it to people that 

will analyse it critically for you 

and you will be able to bring 

certain things up that you are 

going to use. 

Somebody looking for a way 

out will not throw away 

completely a suggestion that is 

coming from another angle. 

We have seen this in Nigeria 

government, not with this 

administration alone. We have 

seen it in the past, where many 

projects will just be abandoned 

because the party in power 

does not buy into it and the 

citizens suffer for it. Everybody 

sees that this present federal 

system is not the way 

federalism is operated. I read 

political science in the 

university. In the U.S, to a 

large extent, each of the states 

has autonomy. 

We need to restructure. 

On the issue of the states 

being in charge of their 

resources, the Niger Delta 

Avengers and other groups 

are clamouring for that and 

they are bombing pipelines. 

What do you have to say 

concerning that? 

Is it good or is it bad? There 

is a theorem in psychology that 

says that resort to aggression 

depends on the degree of 

frustration. The more 

frustrated people are, the more 

aggressive they are. I think the 

government in power made 

some miscalculations because 

before they came on board, 

these people have been 

checkmated and there was an 

agreement that made them to 

continue to feel satisfied and 

government satisfied for 

natural revenue to be coming. 

That shouldn’t have been 

jettisoned. And if there will be 

moderation to it, it should be 

minimal so that it will not 

degenerate into the present 

situation that we are 

experiencing. 

I was reading the newspaper 

some days ago that the revenue 

has fallen by over 40%. What is 

anybody gaining from that? 

That is the reason I told you 

they need a more potent 

economic outfit to move this 

country forward. 

The Avengers are not doing 

the best thing by taking the law 

into their hands. But it is good 

for the government to have 

time to sit down with them 

because for every problem, 

there is a solution.


PAUL says: “All scrip 

ture is given by inspi 

ration of God.” (II 

Timothy 3:16). This might 

well be true, but that does not 

make all scripture the word 

of God. If God inspires me to 

write a letter, it would not 

make my letter God’s letter. 

The letter would still be mine. 

Paul’s word is the word of 

Paul. It should not be confused 

for the word of God. The 

writer of II Peter says Paul 

wrote: “according to the wisdom 

given to him.” (II Peter 

3:15). That means Paul’s word 

is the word of Paul. 

Disobeying Paul 

Nevertheless, many Christians 

insist the word of Paul is 

the word of God. If so, why do 

Christians routinely disobey 

Paul? Do they see this as disobeying 

God? 

For example, Paul says: 

“When God's people meet in 

church, the women must not 

be allowed to speak. They 

must keep quiet and listen.” 

(I Corinthians 14:33-34). I 

know no church where this injunction 

is obeyed. I know no 

Christian woman who complies 

with it. Some claim it 

only applies to the unruly 

women of the Corinthian 

church, making it timebound. 

But if that is so, then it 

cannot be the word of God. 

The word of God is not 

time-bound. God does not 

change. (Malachi 3:6). Everything 

of God is from everlasting 

to everlasting. (Psalm 

90:2). Jesus says: “The heaven 

and the earth shall pass 

away, but my words shall not 

pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). 

Since Paul’s command about 

women being silent has 

passed away, that should tell 

us it cannot be the word of 

God. 

FALLACY OF THE DIVINE RIGHT OF KINGS 

Paul says: “I would like for 

women to wear modest and 

sensible clothes. They should 

not have fancy hairdos, or 

wear expensive clothes, or put 

on jewelry made of gold or 

pearls.” (I Timothy 2:9). If the 

word of Paul is the word of 

God, why do Christian women 

nevertheless have fancy 

hairdos, wear expensive 

clothes and put on gold jewelry; 

even to church? 

Paul says to Christian men: 

“Those who have wives 

should be as though they had 

none.” (I Corinthians 7:29). 

If this is the word of God, why 

do married Christian men 

disregard this instruction? 

Why are they not living as 

though they are unmarried? 

It must be because they know 

that God, who created marriage, 

would not then contradict 

himself by asking them 

to live as though they were 

unmarried. 

In short, dogmatic Christian 

support for Paul is just a 

lot of hot air. Passionate 

Christian defenders of Paul 

feel no need whatsoever to 

obey him. Moreover, they 

defend him with ungodliness. 

They rain abuses and curses 

on anyone who questions 

Paul’s word; ignoring James’ 

counsel that: “the wrath of 

man does not work out the 

Dogmatic Christian support for 

Paul is just a lot of hot air. It is 

sound and fury signifying nothing 

righteousness of God.” 

(James 1:20). They ignore 

God who invites us to use our 

brains, saying: “Come now, 

let us reason together.” (Isaiah 

1:18). 

Liberation theology 

One of Paul’s most outrageous 

statements is referred 

to as “the divine right of 

kings.” He says to Christians: 

“Obey the rulers who have 

authority over you. Only God 

can give authority to anyone, 

and he puts these rulers in 

their places of power. People 

who oppose the authorities 

are opposing what God has 

done, and they will be punished.” 

(Romans 13:1-2). 

How can this be the word 

of God? It contradicts much 

of what we know of God from 

the scriptures. If opposition 

to any ruling authority is tantamount 

to opposing God, 

where then can we situate the 

liberation theology that is at 

the heart of God’s redemption 

of Israel from Egypt? If 

all authorities are of God, 

why would God send Moses 

to Pharaoh saying: “Let my 

people go?” (Exodus 5:1). 

If all ruling authorities must 

be obeyed, why did God approve 

and bless the midwives 

who disobeyed Pharaoh’s injunction 

to kill male Hebrew 

children at birth? (Exodus 

1:15-20). God does not bless 

those who disobey him. Nebuchadnezzar 

required 

Shadrach, Meshach and 

Abednego to bow down to a 

golden image and they refused. 

God did not reprove 

them. Instead, he saved them 

from the penalty of Nebuchadnezzar’s 

fiery furnace. 

The same goes for Daniel 

who wilfully disobeyed the 

injunction that he should pray 

to no one but the king for thirty 

days. God protected Daniel 

in his disobedience from the 

penalty of the mouth of lions. 

When the Sanhedrin ordered 

the Disciples never to teach 

again in Jesus’ name, they replied: 

“We must obey God 

rather than men.” (Acts 5:29). 

They did not submit to the authority 

of the Sanhedrin. Neither 

did they regard the will 

of the Sanhedrin as the will of 

God. 

Devil’s rule 

Earthly kings and rulers 

cannot be expected to promote 

the will of God. Jesus 

says the prince of this world 

is the devil. (John 14:30). 

Since this is so, Paul is wrong 

in insisting governing authorities 

are established by 

God. On the contrary, they are 

established by the devil. When 

the devil declared to Jesus 

that he is the one who establishes 

governing authorities 

in the world, Jesus did not 

contradict him. 

“Then the devil, taking 

(Jesus) up on a high mountain, 

showed him all the kingdoms 

of the world in a moment 

of time. And the devil 

said to him, "All this authority 

I will give you, and their 

glory; for this has been delivered 

to me, and I give it to 

whomever I wish. Therefore, 

if you will worship before me, 

all will be yours.” (Luke 4:5- 

7) 

Ṗaul goes on to say: “Rulers 

are a threat to evil people, not 

to good people. There is no 

need to be afraid of the authorities. 

Just do right, and 

they will praise you for it. After 

all, they are God's servants, 

and it is their duty to 

help you.” (Romans 13:3-4). 

This is not only false, it is 

hogwash. Was Adolf Hitler 

only a terror to evil people? 

No! He killed millions of innocent 

Jews. Was Joseph Stalin 

or Saddam Hussein only 

a terror to evil people? No! 

They were terrors to both the 

good and the evil. These tyrants 

were only a help to themselves. 

They did not help the 

people of God. 

Paul says: God’s ministers 

“don’t bear the sword in vain.” 

(Romans 13:4). But according 

to Jesus, God’s ministers 

don’t bear arms at all. (Matthew 

26:52). God’s ministers 

don’t even fight. (John 18:36). 

Neither do they kill. It is the 

devil who steals, kills and 

destroys. (John 10:10). God’s 

ministers love even their enemies. 

(Matthew 5:44-45). 

Roman agent 

Paul’s reactionary scripture 

provides the basis for 

Christian support for tyrants 

and tyranny, including Christian 

support of Hitler’s Germany. 

It also provides Christian 

support for wars and killings, 

such as American evangelical 

support for George 

Bush’s wars in Afghanistan 

and Iraq. 

It is not improbable that 

someone other than Paul inserted 

these verses into Paul’s 

writing. By the time he goes 

on to say we should pay our 

taxes because rulers are 

“God’s ministers” (Romans 

13:6), it becomes apparent 

that whoever this might be 

must be in cahoots with the 

Roman government. 

Curiously, when arrested, 

Paul appealed to Caesar. 

Though taken to Rome as a 

prisoner, he ended up in his 

own Roman rented house: 

“with all freedom, and without 

hindrance.” (Acts 28:30- 

31). 

Testimonies galore as RCCG ends AMEN convention 

•Quadruplets among 89 babies born as at Friday night 

By Sam Eyoboka & 

Olayinka Latona 

•Pastor E A Adeboye 

THE 64th national 

convention of the Re 

deemed Christian 

Church of God, RCCG, ends 

this morning with a farewell 

service and the ordination of 

867 full pastors to swell the 

number of ministers during 

this convention to 10,852. 

The service scheduled for 

the 3 kilometre by 3 kilometre 

auditorium under construction 

at the Shimawa 

area of Ogun State is expected 

to begin at 8.00 a.m. 

Joy unspeakable as 

RCCG records first quadruplets 

during convention 

It was ecstatic! Ecstacy is an 

understatement to describe 

the joy that enveloped the 

fourth day of proceeding here 

at the current 64th national 

convention of the Redeemed 

Christian Church of God. The 

joy of the unprecedented 

crowd of worshippers at deliverance 

service of the convention 

knew no bound as the 

General Overseer of the 

church, Pastor Enoch Adeboye 

announced that the 

church on Thursday afternoon 

recorded its first birth 

of quadruplets during a convention. 

According to him, the mother 

as well as the three boys 

and one girl are on great condition, 

adding that it's obvious 

the boys are dominating 

the convention as he added 

that the total number of children 

born so far at the convention 

has risen to 67 babies- 

--40 boys and 27 girls. 

Ascribing the feat to the 

wonderous work of the Almighty 

God and a confirmation 

of God’s presence at the 

64th convention, Adeboye 

asked the ecstatic worshippers 

to pray that God will remember 

them all for good. 

He reminded them that 

God had assured him that He 

would do a new thing during 

the ongoing convention, enjoining 

the worshippers to be 

prepared for a harvest of 

blessings, breakthroughs, deliverances 

they would not forget 

for the rest of their lives. 

In his words: “The Lord is 

good to us, I told you at the 

beginning of this convention 

that it is going to be different 

from any other. God told me 

He will do a new thing. Today 

in the history of our 

church, a woman gave birth 

to four babies which have 

never happened before in our 

maternity. Let us praise His 

almighty name”. 

Preaching a sermon titled; 

“The Devil will flee,” the cleric 

who has adopted another 

style of preaching by breaking 

his sermon to make the 

altar call before proceeding, 

explained that there are two 

principal forces in the world? 

They are, according to him, 

darkness and light; curses 

and blessings, noting that the 

inventors of the computer 

had adopted the same principle 

of in and out. He, however, 

emphasised that no 

matter how tiny the light may 

be, it will always overcome 

darkness. 

The former mathematics 

lecturer and now an inveterate 

coach of millions of 

Christians across the globe 

further hinted that Jesus 

Christ is the word that came 

in human flesh to set the captives 

free. 

Adeboye further explained 

that demons are capable of 

destroying people without 

necessarily physically living 

in them, as they can cause 

man to be depressed or obsessed, 

warning that some of 

these psychological conditions 

can lead to suicide. 

In his words: “There is an 

activity of the devil called oppression, 

the actual meaning 

of which is to sit upon so that 

the fellow could not rise up. 

Some people when they want 

to breakthrough, it will be as 

if something smarshes them 

down. 

"There is also is also depression 

which means to despair 

and one of the things 

that causes depression is regression, 

pushing back, going 

steadily backward, 

downward. 

Daily sex is abnormal 

“Those in depressive state, 

always need urgent attention 

because depression can lead 

to suicide. Another act of the 

devil is obsession which just 

makes you to focus so much 

on something, a harmful habit. 

Take biblical Solomon for 

example, Solomon obsession 

was sex, he had 700 wives and 

that was not enough for him, 

he got himself 300 concubines 

and you know what that 

means, at least he would have 

sex, at least three times a day. 

"You may not be Solomon 

but there are some people 

who have sex every day. It is 

not normal. If you know 

somebody like that, he or she 

needs deliverance. Sex is not 

food, is sex food? 

“For some people it is not 

sex but food. Their mouths 

must keep going: every time 

they must chew something. If 

the mouth stops for 20 minutes, 

they become uncomfortable. 

It is not them but the 

devil. Adeboye charged the 

worshippers to be filled with 

the Holy Spirit, evangelise for 

them not to be demon re-possessed. 

Church under persecution, 

says CAN president 

National President of the 

Christian Association of Nigeria, 

CAN, Rev. Samson 

Olasupo Ayokunle has restated 

his call on every Nigerians 

to contribute his/her quota to 

arrest the current siege on 

Christians. 

In his brief remark at the 

Holy Ghost Service of ongoing 

64th annual convention 

of the Redeemed Christian 

Church of God, RCCG, at the 

new auditorium on Kilometre 

56, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, 

Rev. Ayokunle told 

the mammoth crowd of worshippers 

that CAN will require 

a concerted effort of 

every Nigerian to end the 

siege. 

Turning to the top government 

officials at the convention 

which included Vice President 

Yemi Osinbajo, Lagos 

State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi 

Ambode, his counterparts, 

Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, Emmanuel 

Udom (Akwa Ibom), 

Dr. Samuel Ortom (Benue 

State) among others, the CAN 

chieftain urged them to rise 

to be counted among those 

who take a stand against persecution 

of the Church in Nigeria. 

"You can never have the destiny 

of Nigeria so close to you 

at a time such as this, I urge 

you to take advantage of it 

and arrest the siege on the 

Church," he told the dignitaries 

that included the deputy 

governor of Ogun State, Mrs. 

Yetunde Onanuga as well as 

Speaker of Ekiti State, Hon. 

Kolawole Oluwawole. 

89 babies born 

AS at 6.00 p.m. on Friday 

night the number of babies 

born during the ongoing convention 

had risen to 89. According 

to the General Overseer, 

Pastor Enoch Adeboye, 

the number included 53 boys 

and 36 girls, saying "this certainly 

is a special convention 

for the boys." 

Nevertheless, he urged the 

womenfolk to keep hope 

alive and believe that the 

number of girls may equal 

that of the boys before the end 

of the convention. 

Earlier in the night, the wife 

of the General Overseer, Pastor 

(Mrs.) Folu Adeboye led 

the mamoth crowd of worshippers 

that was said to fill 

the old and the new auditoriums, 

in praying for the well 

being of the Nigeria and other 

nations of the world. 

From left: Professor Yemi Osinbajo, Vice President; Governor 

Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Mrs Bolanle 

Ambode, wife of Lagos State Governor; Governor Samuel 

Ortom of Benue State; Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa 

Ibom State and Chief (Mrs) Yetunde Onanuga, Deputy Governor, 

Ogun State at the Friday Church service. Photos by 

Lamidi Bamidele

SUNDAY VANGUARD, AUGUST 7, 2016 PAGE 41 

•Dogara 

TWISTS AND TURNS ON BUDGET PADDING 

Our case against Jibrin, 

by House Committee Chairman 

•The ex-Reps truce bid 

By Emman Ovuakporie 

& Johnbosco Agbakwuru 

Since the removal of the 

former Chairman of the 

House of Representatives 

Committee on Appropriations, 

Abdulmumin Jibrin, by the Speaker, 

Yakubu Dogara, on Wednesday, July 

20, there have been allegations and 

counter-allegations on how the 2016 

budget was mutilated. 

In the eye of storm are Jibrin; 

Dogara; the Deputy Speaker of the 

House, Yusuf Lasun; the Chief Whip, 

Ado Doguwa, and the Minority 

Leader, Leo Ogor. 

Jibrin claimed the four principal 

officers of the House are culpable 

in the alleged mutilation of the 

budget, saying they put pressure on 

him while deciding on who got 

what during the budgeting process. 

But to many members of the 

House, who seem to be on Dogara’s 

side, there has been the suspicion of 

external influence that played a 

prominent role during the election 

of the principal officers and even 

blackmail to discredit the House 

and its leadership. 

They want concrete proof of the 

allegation of budget mutilation 

against the House officials. 

For instance, the Chairman of the 

House Committee on Health 

Services, Chike John Okafor, told 

Sunday Vanguard that it was 

surprising to him how the former 

Appropriations Committee 

Chairman got health constituency 

project worth about N500 million 

for his Bebeji/Kiru Federal 

Constituency of Kano State without 

the knowledge of his committee. 

Okafor claimed that Jibrin tried 

to lobby his committee to take 

something for his constituency 

project which the committee did not 

consent to, but expressed surprise 

that without the knowledge of the 

committee, the former 

Appropriations Chairman inserted 

the health project for his 

constituency. 

The lawmaker, who represents 

Ehime Mbano/Ihitte Uboma/ 

Obowo Federal Constituency of 

Imo State on the platform of All 

Progressives Congress, said that, 

during the budget defence, the 

Minister of Health had 

pleaded with his committee 

that, because there were no 

loose funds even to cater for 

vital projects like vaccines, 

members should not talk 

much on having constituency 

projects in the budget. 

And in another attempt to 

heap the blames of the budget 

impasse at the door steps of 

Jibrin, the Chairman of 

House Committee on Media 

and Public Affairs, 

Abdulrazak Namdas, said a 

film village, worth over N1 

billion to be sited in Jibrin’s 

constituency and named 

after Buhari,was inserted by 

the former Appropriations 

Committee Chair in the 

budget without the 

knowledge of the lawmakers 

and President prior to the 

passage of the 2016 budget. 

A Presidency source, who 

confirmed this development, 

stated that the disapproval by 

Buhari of the film village 

project on a 12 hectare plot, 

situated a Jibrin’s shopping 

complex in Kofa village of Bebeji local 

government area, was based on the realisation 

that the project was not in tandem with the 

President’s developmental agenda for the people 

of Kano State. 

The project, according to sources, has made a 

prominent Kano cleric, Sheik Abdallah Usman 

Gadan Kanya, to threaten to mobilise adherents 

of Islam against the project which was 

considered as a veritable avenue to breed 

immoral acts and other anti -Islamic practices. 

The cleric justified the opposition to the project 

when he said: “We heard that it is one lawmaker 

that is bringing this calamity to us from Federal 

Government. Another mischief is that they have 

put the picture of the President and calling the 

place Muhammadu Buhari Film Village 

because they know people love Buhari and are 

supporting him. But Buhari is not Allah, and he 

is not [the] Prophet. Even if it is Buhari that did 

wrong we will confront him squarely. Even if it 

is Buhari that brings this we will fight it; it is 

wrong. “Tell them, write it and propagate it 

through all the means. We don’t want it; we don’t 

need it. They should take it somewhere. We will 

continue to curse people behind this film village. 

You should campaign against it in WhatsApp, 

Facebook. If they insist, we have hot spiritual 

prayers that will bring curse and affliction to 

anyone. Very hot prayers that will cause 

Okafor claimed that 

Jibrin tried to lobby his 

committee to take 

something for his 

constituency project 

which the committee 

did not consent to, but 

expressed surprise that 

without the knowledge 

of the committee, the 

former Appropriations 

Chairman inserted the 

health project for his 

constituency 

•Jibrin 

blindness and make those 

involved deaf completely.” 

But as commentators 

continue to express divergent 

views on the appropriation 

process, especially concerning 

which arm of government has 

the power to allocate resources 

to projects in the budget, there 

are questions yet to be 

answered. Some of the 

commentators argued that 

there is nothing like padding in 

the legislative parlance in the 

budgeting process, hence, 

nobody could be accused of 

committing any crime that is 

not known to law. 

They pointed out that based 

on the constitutional provision 

and other relevant rules 

guiding the activities of the 

House, the legislature has the 

right to tinker with budget 

estimates presented by the 

executive arm. 

According to this school of 

thought, the legislature all over 

the world has three primary 

functions; to regulate and 

oversee the external affairs of 

the country as seen in the 

approval of ambassadors, make laws for the good 

of the country and approve expenditures. 

In Nigeria, the legislature draws its powers from 

Section 80(1) of 1999 Constitution, as amended, 

which states thus: (1). All revenues or other moneys 

raised or received by the Federation (not being 

revenues or other moneys payable under this 

Constitution or any Act of the National Assembly 

into any other public fund of the Federation 

established for a specific purpose) shall be paid 

into and form one Consolidated Revenue Fund of 

the Federation. 

(2). No moneys shall be withdrawn from the 

Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation 

except to meet expenditure that is charged upon 

the fund by this Constitution or where the issue of 

those moneys has been authorised by an 

Appropriation Act, Supplementary Appropriation 

Act or an Act passed in pursuance of section 81 of 

this Constitution. 

(3) No moneys shall be withdrawn from any 

public fund of the Federation, other than the 

Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, 

unless the issue of those moneys has been 

authorised by an Act of the National Assembly. 

(4) No moneys shall be withdrawn from the 

Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public 

fund of the Federation, except in the manner 

prescribed by the National Assembly. 

81. (1) The President shall cause to be 

prepared and laid before each House of the 

National Assembly at any time in each 

financial year estimates of the revenues and 

expenditure of the Federation for the next 

following financial year. 

It should noted that while working on the 

budget estimates, presented by the executive 

arm, the lawmakers reserve the power to alter 

such proposals, as they deem fit. 

Even the erstwhile Chairman of the 

Appropriations Committee of the House, 

Jibrin, did not say that what the House did 

was unconstitutional; he only said the 

insertions were “senseless.” 

“There were a lot of insertions in the budget 

and I raised the issue with the Speaker, but he 

did nothing. Although the Constitution allows 

us, it doesn’t say there should be senseless 

insertions. I don’t believe it was padding, but 

I believe it was a case of insertions,” Jibrin 

said during a TV interview. 

His position was immediately countered 

by his colleague, Uzoma Nkem-Abonta, 

representing Ukwa Federal Constituency of 

Abia State, and Chairman, House Committee 

on Public Petitions, who insisted that, as far as 

the budget consideration was concerned, 

Jibrin failed the House and was only looking 

for scapegoats. 

The fact remains that long before Jibrin’s 

removal, pressure had mounted on Dogara 

to remove him for allegedly allocating 

projects worth about N4 billion to his Bebeji/ 

Kiru Federal Constituency without the 

knowledge of other members of the House. 

Also, an executive session, held on 

Wednesday, June 15, was said to have 

turned rowdy, with lawmakers openly 

rejecting the Kano lawmaker’s continued stay 

as Chairman of Appropriations Committee. 

Sources at the session revealed that 

lawmakers, who were aggrieved over the 

alleged lopsidedness in the spread of 

constituency projects, accused some principal 

officers of being selfish in the spread of projects 

that should have been across constituencies 

in all the 36 states, but which were allegedly 

restricted to the constituencies of some of the 

principal officers. 

The alleged padding of the budget has once 

again battered the image of the National 

Assembly and has become a source of worry 

to some serving and former members of the 

nation’s federal lawmaking bodies especially 

the House where the allegation is coming 

from. 

This worrisome development made a group 

of lawmakers that operate under the aegis 

of Faculty Board of Initiatives, FBI - a 

think-tank comprising former and serving 

members of the House of Representativesto 

defend the institution as it said that the 

National Assembly cannot be said to pad 

the budget. According to the group, ‘padding’ 

is unknown to the lexicon of the legislature. 

A former member and erstwhile spokesman 

for the House, Hon. Eseme Eyibo, said the 

issue of alleged padding of budget in the 

House was a misapplication of an English 

word that does not exist in the dictionary of 

the legislature. 

Eyibo, who said his group was not interested 

in the individuals in the matter and was not 

to apportion blames, explained that its 

primary responsibility was on the 

institution, the legislature, which he 

claimed derives its powers under Section 

80, Subsection 4 of the 1999 Constitution of 

Nigeria to make inputs and adjustments into 

annual budgets of the federal government. 

He urged the public to allow the legislature 

to exercise its powers. 

He said, “The annual Appropriation 

Act flows from the executive to the 

legislature and goes back to the executive 

after its passage and no budget is 

implemented 100 percent.” 

The ex-lawmaker said that the basis of 

a pre-budget meeting between both arms 

of government is that the latter should take 

into account the input of the former. 

On the alleged cornering of N40 billion 

constituency projects by Dogara and three 

other principal officers of the House in the 

budget, Eyibo said lawmakers always make 

overtures to attract such projects from 

government ministries and agencies, adding 

that the sharing of constituency projects is an 

issue that has to be determined internally by 

the House through committees. The group 

was of the view that having an effective budget 

research desk in the National Assembly would 

remove the need for Appropriations 

Committees and also reduce the usual 

frictions on the fiscal policy document.


BUDGET PADDING: 

National Assembly should 

revise Code of Conduct 

— Rafsanjani 

By Emmanuel Aziken, 

Political Editor 

Auwal Ibrahim Musa, popularly known 

as Rafsanjani, is the Executive Director 

of the Civil Society Advocacy Legislative 

Centre, CISLAC, arguably the country’s 

longest civil society organisation devoted to 

building capacity for the legislature in 

Nigeria. In this interview, Rafsanjani responds 

to questions arising from the alleged budget 

padding scam in the National Assembly and 

gives the way forward. Excerpts: 

What is your reaction to the alleged budget 

padding in the National Assembly? 

The recent revelations by the erstwhile 

Chairman of the Appropriation Committee 

of the House of Representatives is further 

exposure of the institutional fraud that has 

characterized the National Assembly over the 

years, is quite unfortunate. It is on this note 

that we express disappointment at the belated 

revelations and allegations coming from the 

ousted Chairman as it has become an 

afterthought and renditions from a 

disgruntled and outplayed lawmaker who 

was at the forefront of defending the House 

when the allegations of budget padding were 

first made. This calls to question his 

credibility, patriotism and loyalty to the 

Nigerian people who remained silent when 

he had the opportunity to blow the whistle 

•Auwal Ibrahim Musa 

and now only spoke because he has lost out 

from benefiting from the process. 

In your years of interaction with the 

National Assembly, is it something that you 

have encountered before? And how? 

We as civil society understand that such 

practices have been going on for a long time 

as the National Assembly has been known, in 

the past, to in addition to padding the budget 

at the point of defence, made dubious inclusions 

of Constituency Projects as well as have 

demanded and received inducement for 

sectorial allocation, the Fabian Osuji case calls 

to mind. They are also known to have, at some 

time, allegedly received or demand for 

gratifications in exchange for ministerial 

confirmation and extorted money from 

MDAs under the guise of oversight functions. 

Where do you stand in the debate on the 

propriety of legislators altering the budget 

as presented by the executive branch of 

government? 

It is simply betrayal of public trust. We call 

on the National Assembly to take advantage 

of this latest revelation to undertake selfintrospection 

and urgently rise up to cleanse 

itself and make efforts to redeem its image 

and reputation which is presently in its lowest 

ebb. We also call on them to revisit the issue 

of having members adhere to the Code of 

Conduct for members as a means of selfregulation 

of behaviour within their ranks. 

So, what do you think of the concept of 

constituency projects? 

By implications of relevant Constitutional 

provisions, the legislators’ functions are lawmaking, 

oversight, representation, financial 

control, confirmation of appointment, and 

constitution amendment. The legislators lack 

constitutional power to implement the law 

which is strictly a function of the executive 

arm. Judicious administration and utilisation 

of the Constituency Project Allowance for the 

purpose which it is meant has hitherto raised 

serious questions as the constituencies 

endlessly await development which keeps 

escaping them. We find the practice of 

Constituency Projects unnecessary, in conflict 

with the principle of Separation of Powers 

and a channel for legislative corruption and 

distraction which can be avoided by simply 

strengthening relevant institutions and 

systems for project implementation and 

service delivery. 

Whereas National Assembly members 

do not collect the money for constituency 

projects, it has been reported that some 

states legislatures give out the money for 

constituency projects to legislators. Is it 

proper? 

As I said earlier, Constituency Project is 

unnecessary. The State legislatures giving 

out to legislators for Constituency 

Projects, is unconstitutional. More 

importantly, instead of assessing 

the legislators’ performance based 

on the level of infrastructure 

facilities they have provided for 

constituencies, given the 

constitutional responsibility of the 

legislators, they should rather be 

appraised on their level of 

participation in legislative 

activities. 

What is your prescription for 

making a transparent and people 

oriented budget? 

Transparent and people oriented 

budget should allow full-fledged 

participation and involvement of 

the people in the budgetary process 

and implementation. It must 

consider efficiency in allocating 

resources and achieving goals 

through rationalizing spending 

and eliminating waste of resources 

such as inappropriate line items, 

and Constituency Projects. It 

must allocate resources from low 

priority programmes to high 

priority ones; justify duplication of 

efforts among organisational 

units; and ensure greater 

participation of personnel in 

formulation and ranking 

processes. 

Given CISLAC’s role in building 

the capacity of Nigerian 

legislatures and Rep. Jibrin’s 

confession that he is a born-again 

activist are you ready to welcome 

him into the civil society 

movement? 

Civil Society is an open 

participatory space where sincere 

volunteerism with demonstrated 

integrity is highly welcomed. All 

what we as civil society preach is 

positive change to uphold the 

nation’s democratic values. 

Buhari’s men in peace mission to Igboland, 

Ugwuanyi lists S-East’s demands 

By Francis Igata, Enugu 

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on 

assumption of office, vowed to leave 

no stone unturned to raise the standard of 

living of Enugu State people, following the blistering 

goodwill he enjoyed during the electioneering 

campaigns. 

In the same vein, Ugwuanyi, last Monday, at Nike- 

Lake Resort Hotel,venue of the Federal Government 

organized Town Hall Meeting for 

political,religious,judicial,civil society,socio-cultural 

groups,charged President Muhammad Buhari to 

redeem his campaign promises to the people of Enugu. 

Accompanied to the Town Hall Meeting by 

members of the State Executive Council, the governor 

revealed that the appeal became imperative, following 

the sustained poor power supply in the country. 

Ugwuanyi said the situation was discouraging 

investments even as he urged the Federal Government 

to make substantial investment in the Ugwuoba Gas 

Field in Oji River Local Government of the state. 

His words: “I recall the President’s campaign 

promise to revive the coal mines in Enugu and utilise 

it to generate electricity. Coal is a major energy source 

in some countries of the world and we have it in 

abundance in the state. If this is done, it will directly or 

indirectly create jobs for millions of Nigerians. 

“Work at the Ada Rice Farm Irrigation Project 

started by the Federal Government in the state in 

2007, has since stopped at the site. This project is 

critical and important to the state government, 

following efforts to diversify the economy and make 

the country self-sufficient in rice production. 

“Of very critical importance to us is the Ada Rice 

Farm in Uzo Uwani Local Government Area. The 

project has the capacity for low gravity irrigation and 

has the potential of expansion to cover 10,000 hectares. 

“Unfortunately, only 1,200 hectares of irrigable land 

have been fully developed. The Federal Government 

started the rehabilitation of the project in 2007. Sadly, 

progress in this regard has stalled. 

“The Federal Government should re-evaluate the 

project to make it fully functional,to provide 

employment and boost economic activities in the 

Gov Ugwuanyi 

•Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi 

area”. Continuing, Ugwuanyi regretted that some Federal 

Government agencies in the state were indebted to it and 

contributed to its financial stress. 

Ugwuanyi said: “The government of the state will in this 

regard appreciate the intervention of the Federal 

Government to ensure the payment of huge debts owed the 

state by some federal agencies and establishments in the 

state. “They are the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital 

(UNTH), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) and the 

Federal College of Education, Eha-Amufu, which owe N2.3 

billion, N10 billion and N190 million respectively in tax 

returns. 

“These institutions have continued to owe even though 

the state government provides infrastructure and other 

ancillary supports to them.” 

The governor, however, hailed the Federal Government 

for providing bailout funds to states, saying that it had assisted 

them to wriggle out of some financial challenges. 

He said,”While we commend the Federal Government 

for providing the bailout funds, we do humbly appeal for 

the release of more resources to the states to enable them 

discharge their ever increasing responsibilities. 

“We request for Federal Government’s intervention in the 

rehabilitation of its roads linking the south-east states. They 

are in deplorable condition. 

He also called for the economic encouragement of the 

zone to stem capital flight by localising 

skills acquisition among the youths to 

increase productivity. 

“I thank the Minister of Information 

and Culture for bringing this meeting to 

the zone. I am convinced that the 

presence of these ministers will help usher 

in the new vista of development for Enugu 

State and other parts of the Southeast 

region.” Information and Culture 

Minister, Lai Mohammed, while 

reacting to some of the issues raised said 

the Federal Government was not 

unmindful of the sufferings of Nigerians, 

assuring that the difficult times would 

not last. 

He said the Federal Government 

would evenly develop all parts of the 

country, adding that no region would be 

short-changed. 

On the deplorable condition of the 

roads in the zone, Mohammed said the 

Federal Government had mobilised 

contractors to begin work on some of 

them adding that the rains might have 

hindered the progress of work on the 

roads. 

Agitations in S-East 

The Minister of Labour and 

Employment, Chief Chris Ngige, flayed 

the Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar regime 

that jettisoned the National 

Constitutional Conference crafted under 

late Gen. Sani Abacha which provided 

for rotational presidency, arguing that it 

would have quelled the strident agitation 

for Biafra Republic by different separatist 

groups in the south-east geopolitical zone. 

The former governor of Anambra State 

revealed that rather than adopt the NCC 

which Gen. Abubakar met as Abacha’a 

successor, he back-tracked and amended 

portions of the 1979 Constitution which 

is responsible for the country’s woes. 

He was answering a question from the 

former Minister of Information, Chief 

John Nnia Nwodo who complained that 

the country was not only moving too slow 

but needed to be restructured in line with 

the recommendations of the 2014 

National Constitutional Conference, 

NCC. 

“The agitation for restructuring did 

not start now. It has been there for a 

long time. No democratic regime in 

the history of this country has been able 

to create states. Apart the First Republic 

when the Mid-Western State was 

created, all other states created were 

under the military era. The six 

geopolitical zone structure is not even 

in the 1999 Constitution”, Ngige said. 

“But the NCC recommendations 

under Abacha which I consider as 

excellent made provision for rotational 

presidency and residency rights. Late 

Abacha crafted a wonderful 

constitution but Gen. Abubakar backtracked. 

Instead of using what Abacha 

did, he went and amended portions of 

the 1979 Constitution which is 

responsible for the country’s woos. 

“The NCC convoked by former 

President Jonathan is suspect because 

the members to the conference were 

not elected. So, there is no sovereign 

element in the outcome of the 

conference. The only sovereignty rests 

with the National Assembly where you 

have elected representatives from all 

parts of the country”. 

Defending the position of the present 

administration not to touch the 2014 

NCC recommendations, Ngige said: 

“If by tomorrow, President 

Muhammadu Buhari decides to set up 

a constitutional conference, the Igbo 

should go to sleep because whatever 

gains they make there will not be taken 

away by anybody.” 

He asked the Igbo to stop wallowing 

in self- pity over the political problems 

facing the race, saying that the people 

should “put on their thinking caps” on 

how to solve their problems. 

Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu 

Ogbe, also said that the Buhari 

administration inherited a bogus debt 

of N67 billion under the guise of 

procuring seedlings and over invoice 

of Fertilizers by the Goodluck 

Jonathan’s administration.


BUDGET PADDING: 

Stop toying with the patience of 

Nigerians — Lanze Razaq, APC chieftain 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

AS controversy continues to trail the 2016 

Budget alleged padding by some lawmakers 

in the House of Representatives, a chieftain of the 

ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Chief Lanre 

Razak, a septuagenarian, has described the 

development as shameful and criminal. He speaks 

also on other national issues in this interview. 

On alleged budget padding 

The comportment of the House of Representatives 

and the Senate is frustrating the trust the people of 

Nigeria reposed in the highly esteemed legislators. 

Therefore, the National Assembly should not push 

VIEWPOINT 

VIEWPOINT 

Acknowledging a quintessential patriot at 52 

By Michael Tidi 

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF 

Celebrating a philanthropist on his 

birthday 

HON Barr. Daniel Omayone 

Mayuku, the member representing 

Warri South-West Constituency 

in the Delta State House 

of Assembly, is celebrating his 

52nd birthday tomorrow, surrounded 

by well-wishers with his 

beloved and devoted wife, Dame 

Juliet, at his side. Attaining 52, in 

a country where life expectancy is 

plummeting by the day, is certainly 

a testament of God’s grace upon 

his life and the prayers of the hundreds 

of lives he has affected. Mayuku 

has always led by example, 

and proved to be the most tenacious 

human being I have met in 

recent time. Unlike many members 

of his generation, he is not stuck in 

a boring rut or set in his ways or 

narrow-mindedly allergic to new 

ideas. And he’s certainly not a typical 

Naija Big Man, not least because 

he has an egalitarian, democratic 

spirit and can not only 

the people to a point where there will be mass action against them. 

Some people thought they are even above those who elected them 

and that they can do whatever they want, but Nigerians are telling 

them that, that cannot be. I pray they don’t do it to a point that there 

will be mass movement of Nigerians to the National Assembly to 

protest what they are doing. 

For example, the issue of budget padding currently rocking the House 

of Representatives is shameful and criminal. But one hopes that the 

anti-corruption posture of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led 

government will bring good tidings for the people of the country. 

Look at what the man they removed as Chairman of Appropriations 

Committee is saying, it is shameful; for him to allege that they were 

padding the budget; it is a criminal matter, their duty is not to 

introduce new items into the budget but to look into it and approve. 

But when we have strong committed leadership in the person of 

President Muhammadu Buhari who is enjoying the support of the 

cheerfully cope with criticism, but 

actively welcomes opposing viewpoints 

from those he regards as 

well-intentioned or well-informed. 

There are many things I could 

say to pay tribute to him, he is 52 

after all, which is a significant milestone! 

It is enough to establish the 

character of a man, and to know 

who he truly is. I have had the honor 

of hobnobbing with him closely; 

therefore, I know him. He 

couldn’t have been the best man 

around. But he is certainly a good 

man. He is not perfect neither is 

this piece an attempt to confer sainthood 

on him. But a chance meeting 

with him could align your 

thoughts with mine. Mayuku possesses 

a much physical energy, so 

much sheer enthusiasm for life and 

such a modern mindset that I find 

it difficult to think of him as middle-aged! 

Born on August 8, 1964, in Warri, 

he was already armed with a 

bronze spoon – in a part of the world 

where some never eat with any 

spoon from birth. But, he brought 

Lagos monarch released three weeks 

after abduction 

By Evelyn Usman & 

Monseur Olowoopejo 

THE traditional ruler of Iba 

Community in Lagos, Oba 

Goriola Oseni, who was abducted 

last month in his palace, has 

been finally released. 

He was led half way in a boat by 

his abductors, from where he paddled 

himself home yesterday night. 

The gunmen had stormed the 

community in two speed boats at 

about 10.30pm, penulimate Saturday, 

and fired sporadically to 

announce thier presence. 

In the process, they shot a commercial 

motorcyclist dead, while 

one of the monarch's wives was 

also shot. 

His abductors, who were militants, 

reportedly took him to thier 

hideout in a creek around Arepo 

area of Lagos, where they demanded 

for N100 million ransom. 

But Sunday Vanguard reliably 

gathered that a ransom of N12 

million was paid last week with 

an assurance to members of his 

family that Oseni would be released. 

That was, however, not to be as 

there was no sight of him. 

Information available to Sunday 

Vanguard suggests that the 

leader of the kidnap group collected 

the ransom and ordered his 

•N12m ransom allegedly paid 

•Police arrest suspected kingpin 

boys to take the monarch to a designated 

point, from where members 

of his family would come and 

pick him. 

But his second in-command, 

identified as General Gudu, was 

said to have taken the monarch to 

another hideout, from where he 

demanded for additional N5 million. 

The Inspector-General of Police 

Intelligence Response Unit, headed 

by Abba Kyari in collaboration 

with men of the Lagos State Police 

Command Special Anti Robbery 

Squad, reportedly arrested a 

member of the gang. 

Thereafter, the operatives moved 

to Ondo State, Thursday, where 

further arrests on members of 

By Emem Idio 

GUNMEN, suspected to be 

sea pirates, yesterday kidnapped 

Chief Watson Iti, the father 

of the member representing 

Brass Constituency 2, in the 

Bayelsa State House of Assembly, 

Mr Alfred Belimote Watson. 

A family source who confirmed 

the incident told Sunday 

•Mayuku 

more than eating utensils (which he 

is using proficiently to enjoy life); 

he made sure he also came 

equipped with one of the sharpest 

brains and intellect that would 

smoothen his way through life. Not 

done, he supplemented all these 

with incredible degree of self –discipline, 

as well as high ethical standards 

and mental courage. Excellence 

in arts resulted in tertiary education 

at the University of Uyo, 

Akwa Ibom State. Golden fleece in 

General Gudu's family, were 

made. 

Iba community became agog in 

jubulation when news of the Oba's 

return filtered in. 

But only family members and 

members of the council of chiefs 

were allowed inside the palace. 

One of the chiefs who spoke on 

condition of anonymity told Sunday 

Vanguard that the money for 

his release was raised through 

donations by the council of chiefs, 

the community, relatives and 

friends. 

Lagos State Commissioner of 

Police, Fatai Owoseni, who confirmed 

his release said: "the traditional 

ruler was released 30/ 

45mins ago and one of the kingpins 

popularly known as General 

Gudu, was arrested while the 

manhunt for other fleeing members 

of the kidnap gang continues". 

leadership of the party, we will get there. 

On APC’s chances in 2019 

The chances of APC in 2019 are getting brighter each passing 

day. Nigerians are not ready to go back to the dark days they 

experienced for 16 years. There is the need for you to do a 

comparative analysis of the parties we have. Is it a party that 

destroyed the country for 16 years? Is it the party that is improving 

and renewing the hope of the people? There is no other party now 

than the APC. If you are a man that believes strongly in belonging 

to a political party, which party will you join? Is it the party that is 

lacking coherence or what? Who will Nigerians give the country 

back to? Who are the credible people to lead them? This time 

around, Nigerians will ask questions because the country was 

on the verge of collapse before the progressives came to the rescue. 

On tue federalism 

The time has come for Nigeria to practice true federalism where 

each federating state is not dependent on the federal government 

for almost everything. 

The independence of each state in the federation should be clearly 

spelt out. Imagine some states being unable to pay salaries, they 

are begging the federal government for assistance; each state 

should be able to sit down, plan its economy and cut its coat 

according to its cloth; states should have their own state police 

and manage their own security. There is nothing wrong if we have 

local police except for our level of maturity to handle that. 

his pocket, he headed for the Nigeria 

Law School, where he graduated 

in flying colors. 

Human rights activism for him 

is quite a passion. So, he started as 

a right activist, questioning why oil 

exploitation have become a threat 

to the achievement of sustainable 

development, peace and progress, 

particularly in oil-rich Ugborodo 

community in Warri South-West 

Local Government Area of Delta 

State, and the Niger Delta in general. 

He is so eloquent and provided 

very outstanding insights into the 

issues that led to the drafting of the 

famous Chevron GMoU with an 

uncommon courage. He was truly 

the nemesis of the IOCs that many 

feared to confront. Mayuku stayed 

the course and has given the struggle 

against marginalization so 

much credibility by the force of 

patriotic courage as well as the cultured 

tuned of his voice. 

As the people’s representative, he 

tirelessly uses his good offices to 

empower those in his sphere of contact 

and allow their long-nursed 

hopes and dreams to become real- 

A 

former Minister of Education 

and Vice President of the 

World Bank, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, and 

ity. Warri South-West constituents 

whose political behavior has a 

clear index of a people that are 

appreciative of good gesture, has 

for the 4th consecutive time, rewarded 

the philanthropy of their 

noble son with resounding victories 

at the polls. 

Mayuku is not a philanthropist 

in the classical sense of the word. 

He is more a benefactor, in the 

genre of the Good Samaritan, with 

a keen sense of a duty of care, towards 

the needy and distressed. 

We are lucky to have outstanding 

patriots like Mayuku; he continues 

to give so selflessly of himself 

to worthy causes, with the genuine 

belief that a much better 

State, indeed, a much better country 

is possible and can be built by 

patriots from all over our country 

working together with passion, 

spirit and a sense of purpose and 

of sacrifice. 

More grease to his elbow. May 

he have a wonderful birthday and 

productive year. 

•Tidi lives in Warri. 

Ezekwesili, Igini, others to assess 

Ghana’s preparation for general elections 

•Ezekwesili 

Gunmen kidnap Bayelsa lawmaker’s father on his way 

to wife’s funeral 

Vanguard that the septuagenarian 

was on his way to bury his 

late wife, Mrs Comfort Watson 

when the gunmen attacked their 

commercial speed boat and 

whisked him to an unknown 

destination at about 9 am. 

It was gathered that the septuagenarian 

was whisked away 

while on his way to Egweama 

community from Okpoama 

community in Brass Local Government 

Area of the state. 

Watson, while confirming the 

incident, said the kidnappers 

were yet to make any contact 

with the family members. 

Spokesman of the Bayelsa 

State Police Command, Butswat 

Asimin, who also confirmed the 

abduction said the Police antikidnapping 

unit and other relevant 

security agencies have been 

mobilise to swing into action to 

track down the kidnappers. 

•Igini 

an erstwhile INEC Resident 

Electoral Commissioner, Barrister 

Mike Igini, have been selected, 

among others, by the International 

Republican Institute (IRI) and the 

National Democratic Institute 

(NDI) to assess Ghana’s preparation 

for the forthcoming general 

elections. 

Also on the list is the United States 

Assistant Secretary of State for 

African Affairs, Ambassador 

Johnnie Carson. Others are IRI’s 

Country Director for Tanzania 

Robina Namusisi, who was former 

Country Director for Nigeria, and 

Chris Fomunyoh, NDI’s Regional 

Director for Africa.


VIEWPOINT 

Charles Afe Ikhaghe 

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF 

Edolites need to make a 

wise choice for sustainable 

development in the state 

The governorship election in 

Edo State is just about one 

month and few days away 

from now but the big question is: 

what are the options before Edolites? 

From all indications, everybody 

knows where the pendulum will 

swing to. And that is the election of 

GO- Godwin Obaseki. 

The choice is therefore before Edo 

residents as the survey shows that 

Obaseki will win the election by a 

landslide election. Edolites are no 

pushovers. They cannot be deceived. 

They are not blind. They have 

realized that giving Obaseki the first 

four year team will transform the 

state into another Dubai after 

Oshiomhole. 

A new Edo with modern 

infrastructure, good roads, finer 

VIEWPOINT 

By Fred Brisibe 


Fixing Nigeria’s VIEWPOINT 

faulty structure 

THE Niger Delta Avengers 

(NDA) has filled the air with 

its averment in favour of regional 

autonomy. The subtle review of its 

initial demand for an outright 

break-up through the bloodless 

means of a referendum seems to 

have emanated from a thought to 

reflect the trend of current realities 

in the country. It was made clear 

by the militant group that fiscal 

federalism, with the Niger Delta 

as an autonomous region, was the 

only condition under which they 

would exist within the Nigerian 

state. 

There is no denying the fact that 

right from birth, the Nigeria has 

never been seen with fairness 

towards the people of the Niger 

Delta. A tendency to monopolize 

political and economic control 

has often authorized especially 

the Hausa / Fulani group of the 

country to resist calls for 

restructuring of the country. 

The demand for a better 

foundational repositioning of the 

Nigerian faulty structure appears 

to remind the North of its infertile 

VIEWPOINT 

By Adejuwon Soyinka 


How government VIEWPOINT 

is attracting 

people from all sectors to 

Gateway State 

THEY converged on 

Abeokuta, the Ogun State 

capital from different parts of the 

country. As at the morning of 

Saturday, July 30, not less than 

250 of them had arrived the state 

capital. 

Some of them came from Kogi 

State, there were those from 

Owerri, Imo State; Port 

Harcourt, Rivers; Abuja, 

neignbouring Lagos and several 

other states and capital cities 

across the length and breadth of 


There was something they all 

had in common. They arrived 

Abeokuta on power bikes. They 

are members of the different 

association of bike riders in 

different parts of the country and 

they were meeting in Abeokuta 

from Friday, July 29 to Sunday, 

July 31, 2016. 

Why Obaseki will win Edo governorship election 

environment, good hospitals stocked 

with equipment and potable water 

and good learning environment is 

guaranteed. 

Edo under “OshioBaba has 

become the envy of all. It is a 

reference point for foreigners and 

even those who know what 

governance is. 

Governor Oshiomhole under eight 

years has made us to believe that Edo 

can work and it is working. Go to 

Ring road and see the difference. Is it 

sapele road or Airport road that has 

not been transformed? People now 

obey traffic lights because of the fear 

of Comrade Osakpamwan Eriyo, the 

State Chairman Road Employee 

Transport Association of Nigeria. 

Many roads have been 

rehabilitated. New ones have been 

constructed and commissioned. 

Water flows thus reducing epidemic 

in the city. Healthcare especially for 

the people have been given top 

priority. In the area of transportation 

the Comrade bus is a success story 

which Obaseki will build upon in his 

first four years in office. 

These are the giant strides 

Oshiomhole andObaseki as the man 

behind Oshiomhole success has 

accomplished in just eight years. 

Come to think of it, are there other 

contestants in Edo state? We are not 

hearing about them. Mr Paul 

Obazee Party Secretary ward 12, 

Oredo LGA recently said that PDP 

should forget about Edo because of 

the massive progress made by 

Oshiomhole and its team. Truth is 

bitter but it must be said. The Lagos 

State governor Ambode said as the 

campaign chairman I am personally 

taking responsibility to ensure that 

beyond the campaign and the 

success of the election, a major 

commerce and economic 

relationship commence 

immediately with the in-coming 

governor, and also to let us actually 

start to have bilateral economic and 

political relations that will be of 

benefit to the people of Edo state, and 

then to the improvement of the 

economic growth of Edo State”. 

Oshiomole introduced the 

governorship candidate Mr Godwin 

Obaseki and his running mate Mr 

Philip Shaibu to governor Ambode 

and said “we have a candidate 

messenger that we you are going to 

be able to help us to market, and we 

also have a compelling message to 

put across to Edo people. And we 

believe the election will be won on 

the basis of the pedigree of the 

political parties, the pedigree of the 

individual and what the two parties 

have to show to the people” 

The commissioner for works, Mr. 

Osaradion Ogie who is also the DG 

of Godwin Obaseki campaign 

Organization said “we must be 

courageous and determined to 

achieve the goals we want for our 

people. I therefore stand before you 

today, on the shoulders of the success 

built by the current administration 

over the last seven and half years. We 

have transformed Edo state in all 

aspects. Pastor Izeiyamu of PDP is 

no match for Obaseki. APC is waxing 

strong. Obaseki desire to change Edo 

will be seen in his First term. The 

man means well for Edo. At this 

stage of our development in Edo 

State we need a man like Obaseki to 

take it to greater heights. 

Edo of all calling, tribes, religion 

know that he is the best man for the 

job. He has been tested and proved 

to be the best. My advice is that you 

should shine your eyes, vote wisely 

and for the right man, and that is 

Obaseki. Edo cannot afford to fall 

into the hands of mediocres, 

charlatans. 

Edo people should resist rigging 

and vote with their conscience for 

the person who been part of 

Oshiomhole’s massive development 

of the state. There should be 

continuity in a peaceful Edo where 

security is even more guaranteed 

now than Abuja. 

•Ikhaghe is a public 

commentator . 

Niger Delta Avengers and the demand for regional autonomy 

womb of a landscape which 

contributes nothing yet swallows 

the larger chunk of the oil wealth. 

The Niger Delta has always been 

at the receiving end of the brunt 

each time the country was carved 

into smaller units called states 

which are designed to depend on a 

central government that flourishes 

with the revenues from the 

criminally neglected oil-rich 

region. The several extant states 

were created with an intention to 

permanently subjugate the Niger 

Delta by fraudulently balkanizing 

its people into suffocation in a 

number of incongruous states. 

The states are to further position 

the northern leadership to 

perpetuate in advantage to 

determine the appropriation of the 

economic and political fortunes of 

the country. From its Protectorate 

of Palm Oil and amalgamation 

in1914 to the one of an exporter of 

crude oil from 1956 till date, the 

economy of Nigeria has been a 

northern monopoly. This is despite 

the fact that the country has had 

the full weight of its economy on 

the Niger Delta for the survival of 

all sectors and sections. 

Being unnecessarily subjected to 

all forms of debilitating 

conditions by the balkanization, 

the Niger Delta people have asked 

for equity on several occasions to 

be reorganized into one state or a 

single region formation. This was 

the cause of the litany of petitions 

presented by leaders of the region 

in London at the Pre- 

Independence conference in 1957. 

It was a request to allow them 

regain the rights and privileges they 

lost to the spurious Treaties of 

Protection which subjected them 

and their lands under the 

commands of colonial rulers. The 

success that attended this effort was 

ephemeral. Rather than 

congregate them in a single state 

or region, they offered the Niger 

Delta a commission, the Niger 

Delta Development Board 

(NDDB), which distracted them 

from the opportunity to enjoy the 

desired equity and justice. 

No system appears in 

competition with the regional 

which shields the citizens within 

its protected territories from the 

fears of religious infiltration, 

unfavorable economic policies 

and unnecessary usurpation of 

rights. The regional system comes 

OGUN: The beautiful bride 

Called the Bikers Converge, the 

three-day meeting was a carnival 

of sorts that saw the bikers, their 

friends and lovers of bike from 

all over the country taking up 

hotel accommodation all over 

Abeokuta and generally 

contributing to the economy of 

the state. 

Shortly before the bikers came, 

there was the 3rd Quadrennial 

National Delegates Conference 

of the Association of Senior Civil 

Servants of Nigeria also held in 

Abeokuta. An affiliate of the 

Trade Union Congress, TUC, the 

delegates’ conference drew 

attendance from all the states of 

the federation. They came in the 

evening of Tuesday, July 26 ahead 

of the opening session of the 3- 

day conference on Wednesday, 

July 27. 

Members of the Joint Tax 

Board, JTB, preceded the senior 

civil servants. The JTB is made 

up of the tax authorities of all the 

36 states of the federation, 

including the Nigerian Customs 

Service, the Federal Inland 

Revenue Service, FIRS, the 

Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal 

Allocation Commission, RMFAC 

and the Federal Ministry of 

Finance. They too had converged 

on Abeokuta from Monday, July 

25 for their conference. 

All of these within a week that 

also saw Abeokuta hosting about 

300 participants for a workshop 

preceding the flag off of the 

Federal Government School 

Feeding Programme in Ogun. 

Indeed, national conferences 

and summits of this nature are 

gradually becoming a common 

place in Abeokuta, the Ogun 

State capital, leading to a 

situation where some now 

describe the gateway state as a 

Mecca of sorts. 

Earlier in the month of July, the 

state capital also played host to 

not less than 93 Rectors and 

Provosts of Polytechnics and 

Colleges of Education. There was 

also the conference of Vice 

Chancellors of Universities in 

with a potential to whip up to walk 

any lazy state within a region to 

begin to explore ways to be selfreliant. 

It directs the focus for 

purposeful accelerated 

development. 

The Yoruba nation wields a good 

knowledge of the benefits of 

regional governance. It is what 

gave them the edge they now have 

over and above others in the fields 

of education and political 

awareness. Little wonder, they are 

at the head of the campaign to 

return to a regional structure 

where they will freely exploit and 

commit their resources to the 

development of their land. 

It is a better alternative to war 

and a handy solution to the series 

of regional crisis rocking the ship 

of the nation. The turbulent Niger 

Delta river will become placid the 

moment they become free to 

administer their affairs without 

undue interference with the 

resources derived from their land. 

It is the same stroke that will bring 

to an end the agitation for a Biafra 

independent state. 

The people of the Biafra enclave 

are also seeking for a conducive 

and an uninterrupted environment 

Nigeria, which was also hosted 

in Ogun State in June 2016. 

The state is also playing host 

to the national conference of 

Finance and Administrative 

teams of the West African 

Examination Council, WAEC, in 

early August. 

Equally on the plate for August 

is a national conference of 

pharmacists as well as the first 

national annual conference of 

the Nigerian Union of 

Journalists, NUJ. 

So why is Ogun now the 

darling of conference and 

Summit organisers from across 

the country and even beyond? 

The answer is not far-fetched. 

Since he assumed office as 

Governor in 2011, Senator 

Ibikunle Amosun has invested 

heavily in security. His is an 

administration that generously 

provides the police with logistics, 

political, moral and financial 

support to bring out the best in 

them at all times. Predictably, the 

result of this sort of effort is the 

peaceful and secure environment 

that the state now enjoys. 

But that is not all that is 

to express their talents and 

capabilities within the Nigerian 

state. The present pseudo-federal 

structure can only inhibit the full 

manifestation of the potentials of 

each of the regions. 

The dearth of love between 

individuals, between ethnicities, 

between religions that 

characterizes the present Nigeria 

will be hugely tamed if the 

administration of President 

Muhammadu Buhari restructures 

the country as being advocated by 

the NDA, and stoutly being 

supported by imminent 

personalities like Prof. Wole 

Soyinka, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, 

Prof. Jerry Gana, Senator Ike 

Ekweremadu, Bishop Mathew 

Kukah, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, 

Prof. Niyi Osundare, Pastor Tunde 

Bakare, Lady Annkio Briggs, Chief 

(Dr) E. K. Clark, Dr. Felix Tuodolo, 

etal. This is by all standards a 

grand option for a country like 

Nigeria which requires total 

restructuring from its shallow and 

defective foundation to the ruined 

body of the structure. 

•Brisibe is Coordinator, Ijaw 

Human Rights Monitors. 

responsible for the recent 

attraction to Ogun State. There 

is also the fact that the Amosunled 

administration has so far 

developed Ogun State and 

transformed its major cities to 

places that are attractive to local 

and international tourists as well 

as investors. 

What did the magic can be 

easily traced to the massive 

infrastructural development 

drive of the Amosun 

administration. Indeed, 

infrastructural development is a 

critical component of Amosun’s 

Mission to Rebuild Ogun State. 

Little wonder, therefore, that in 

the last five years, several 

hundreds of kilometres of roads 

have been constructed, expanded 

and resurfaced. The vision of the 

governor is to create an 

environment that enables 

businesses to thrive, attracts 

investment and opens up new 

(and existing) areas for growth. 

•Soyinka is Senior Special 

Assistant (Media) and 

spokesman for Governor 

Ibikunle Amosun.

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016, PAGE 45 

Poor Brazilians watch opening ceremony from rooftops 

IN the hills that hug 

Maracana Stadium, many 

Brazilians saw the flash and 

glitz of the opening ceremony 

for the Olympics from 

rooftops with exposed wiring 

and water pipes, amid 

trash-filled streets separated 

from the spectacle by a 

highway and train tracks. 

Mangueira is but one of 

the thousand favelas in Rio 

de Janeiro, a slum marred 

by gang violence and poverty 

that sits squarely in the 

shadow of the pageantry of 

South America’s first Olympic 

Games. In this neighborhood 

of tattered homes, the 

next two weeks are a visceral 

reminder of the lines dividing 

the city’s haves and 

have-nots, and the opening 

gala just down the road 

punctuated those differences 

with every crackle and 

pop. 

“The poor, we don’t really 

get to experience the Olympics. 

We are close in distance, 

but far away,” said 

Luiz Alberto Araujo, a 30- 

year-old doorman who 

works in the posh Ipanema 

beach but lives in the slums. 

“We still have fun, but this 

party is for foreigners, for 

the rich.” 

Araujo watched the gala 

from the rooftop of a lime 

green house high on a hill 

in Mangueira, occasionally 

staring in silence at the 

stadium where, inside, athletes 

and fans cheered a supermodel 

strolling across a 

stage and Grammy-winning 

musicians performing 

samba. 

Even from afar, the party 

was a momentary distraction 

for many of Mangueira’s 

40,000 or so souls, offering 

a brief respite from 

the country’s persistent economic 

and political woes. 

But they warned: Don’t 

confuse temporary joy with 

lasting satisfaction. 

“I like having my family 

over. Of course, it would be 

a lot better to be right there,” 

Sandra Prado, a teacher, 

said as she pointed toward 

the Maracana. “But those 

prices are impossible for 

us.” 

CLOSE IN DISTANCE . . . Thousands of spectators packed into the Maracana Stadium for the glittering 

opening ceremony, Rio’s slum-dwellers were forced to watch the event from the roofs of their rundown 

homes. 

Rio 2016: 35 protesters detained in Sao Paulo 

BRAZILIAN military 

police has detained 

35 people in Sao Paulo 

who were protesting 

against the 2016 Olympic 

Games. 

Friday, 100 protesters 

gathered at the Paulista 

Avenue (Avenida Paulista), 

the financial heart of 

the country. Clashes occurred 

as they proceeded 

towards the city center. 

Anti-riot branch of the 

military police used tear 

gas to clear the Paulista 

Avenue. 

We warned Keshi over Eagles job, says 

close friend 

THE late Nigerian 

football legend 

Stephen Okechukwu Keski 

may have passed on, but 

his football legacies and 

memories are still fresh in 

the minds of many Nigerian 

football fans whose 

lives have been touched by 

his football artistry. 

In an interview with Benson 

Ejindu, a US-based 

Nigerian sports philanthropist 

and bosom friend 

of Keshi, said he is still in 

shock over the demise of 

the ex Eagles captain, adding 

that when they first got 

the news of his death, some 

of his friends almost lost 

their breath. 

“It’s a big pity that our 

friend died just like that, 

his death almost sent some 

of us, his closed pals, to an 

early grave. When he was 

working 24hrs to get this 

Eagles job, we warned him 

of the danger in it but being 

a stubborn person he 

didn’t listen to us. 

Today he is no more only, 

God knows how he met his 

death. But I must confess 

to you that some of us that 

are very close to him are 

*says his death devastated friends 

in America 

still down, we still feel that 

our friend is alive and not 

gone yet. He left us devastated, 

most especially with 

his kids now living as orphans. 

I have no apology to anybody 

to say that the problems 

in the Nigeria Football 

Federation contributed 

to his death. Yes accepted 

he was already out of the 

service before the incident 

happened if Keshi had not 

be sacked by those pack of 

fools managing our sports, 

may be he would still be 

alive who knows. He was 

treated badly you know 

and I know that his spirit 

will continue to hurt those 

that are responsible for his 

death,” 

‘ Again I was made to 

understand that the Nigerian 

government did not 

play any meaningful role 

in his burial, you can see 

the kind of people managing 

the affairs of this great 

country called Nigeria. It 

is crazy to have a man that 

has served his father land 

with all his heart to be treated 

this way. 

These guys have no human 

feeling. Nigeria is not 

worth dying for, this is why 

some of our talented sports 

men and women go to other 

countries to better their 

career. This country is sick 

you know, we warned him 

to leave Nigeria football 

alone but he won’t listen, 

now that he is gone we just 

wish his soul eternal rest 

in the Lord.” 

Ejindu who stated that it 

is highly regrettable that 

Keshi’s children are now 

orphans, appealed to 

friends and well-wishers of 

the late football icon to rally 

round the children to 

ensure that they do not feel 

the impact of their father’s 

death too much. 

“When I look at his children, 

tears begin to roll 

down from my eyes. Keshi 

was a great man, somebody 

that served his fatherland 

with every thing within 

him. Nigerians, friends, 

and everyone that like football 

and Keshi’s work must 

rise up to do something for 

the children he and his wife 

left behind. 

For Keshi, the ‘Big Boss’, 

he was a good guy and a 

good friend to us in the US. 

We would be missing him 

a lot. We still see him as 

someone that is still very 

much around, I cannot believe 

that he is no more, remembering 

the good times 

we had together in America. 

This country (Nigeria) is 

in a deep mess, we just 

need to get the right people 

who can help move it 

forward. In his days, 

Keshi dazzled us 

with his excellent 

football artistry, 

disarming smiles, 

friendship, patriotism 

and charisma. 

We in America 

have lost a 

great guy and he 

will forever be 

remembered by 

this nation. He 

was the greatest 

among his age, 

very hard to 

have someone 

like him,” he 

stressed. 

•Late Keshi 

Police detained 35 demonstrators 

after they pelted 

stones at officers. 

According to authorities, 

the demonstrators 

were not authorised to 

enter the city center as 

the protest organisers 

did not take due permission. 

The protest occurred 

almost simultaneously 

with the opening ceremony 

of the Olympic 

Games at the Maracana 

stadium, where a similar 

demonstration took place 

outside the stadium.


U-17 AFCON: Golden 

Eaglets walk on 

slippery ground 

NIGERIA’S chances 

of gracing the 2017 

U-17 Africa Cup of 

Nations became 

narrowed yesterday, 

when the Golden Eaglets 

managed a slim 1-0 win 

over visiting Niger 

Republic at the Abuja 

National Stadium. 

The team, which had to 

rebuild after 26 selected 

players failed the 

Magnetic Resonance 

Imaging (MRI) test 

conducted by CAF, 

wasted numerous 

scoring opportunities. 

They must either win or 

draw in Niamey in a 

fortnight to guarantee 

their qualification for the 

tournament billed for 

Madagascar. 

Alagbe Oluwatobiloba’s 

second half strike 

was decider of the game 

Dalung 

continued from B/P 

the games . 

“I charge you on behalf 

of our President 

Muhammadu Buhari to 

be good ambassadors of 

our great country Nigeria 

and desist from acts that 

will ridicule the nation. 

Obey camp rules and 

shun the temptation to use 

drugs for performance 

enhancement. It is better 

for you to come back with 

a good name than a 

stained medal. We urge 

you to embrace fair play, 

make friends and build 

bridges across the world 

with your good behavior. 

Our President will be 

looking out for you and 

back home you can be rest 

assured of the home 

support from your 

numerous fans. I wish you 

Sweden 


the Nigerian team who 

were given an outside 

chance to beat Japan, but 

they now have the 

bragging rights in the 

group. 

“I hope my team 

sustains this great form 

from the match against 

Japan and even step up 

a gear in our subsequent 

matches,” Siasia said. 

He stated that his team 

will tidy up at the 

backline, which let in four 

goals after the Olympic 

Eagles appeared to have 

sealed up the game. 

“It was because the team 

was tired and they lost 

focus. That was why we 

conceded four goals,” 

The defence featuring 

William Troost-Ekong, 

Sincere Seth and Stanley 

Amuzie were out of their 

depth against Japan. 

•Manu Garba 

in which the Eaglets 

created chances but 

failed to make it count. 

Niger held their own 

thanks to their more 

tactical discipline and 

paraded several decent 

players, but their attack 

lacked the bite to really 

trouble the home team. 

well as you begin the 

quest for medals and 

honors at the 2016 

Olympic Games in Rio. 

God bless Nigeria”. 

Dalung said. 

The athletes were in 

high spirit following the 

National U-23 team’s 5-4 

victory over Japan in their 

opening game. 

They however pledged 

to work hard as their 

aiming to win medals in 

their various sports. 

Nigeria’s assistant 

captain and flag bearer at 

the opening ceremony 

Funke Oshonaike will 

begin her quest for a 

medal in the women’s 

singles table tennis event 

today as well as Segun 

Toriola who is making a 

7th appearance at the 

Olympics and team mate 

Aruna Quadri in the 

men’s singles. 

Amuzie, gave away a 

penalty, that aided the 

Japanese fight back. 

However, after training on 

Friday the players showed 

some promise. But how 

they cope with the Swedes 

who made Colombia 

sweat for their equaliser 

remains to be seen. Their 

strikers Mikael Ishak and 

Astrit Ajdarevic were on 

target in the 2-2 opening 

day draw with Colombia. 

But Nigerians can 

expect another fluid 

movements from strikers 

Oghenkaro Etebo and 

Roma youngster Sadiq 

Umar. The Roma player 

made a bright start to his 

foray with the team with 

a goal and also provided 

an assist and won a 

penalty. With captain John 

Obi Mikel providing 

stability in the middle, the 

Eagles can produce 

another top class 

performance. 

Spain prepare pain for US NBA stars 

SPAIN played second 

fiddle to the USA at 

the past two Olympics, 

but Pau Gasol and his 

teammates are hoping to 

cause an upset in their 

third attempt. 

Outside of the American 

dozen of NBA standouts, 

a record 34 NBA players 

are part of the other teams 

in this Olympics, five 

more than in 2012. 

Apart from Team USA, 

Spain offers the most 

NBA experience at the 

China Li 


setting an Olympic record 

in the finals. Du finished 

with 207.0. 

Yi Siling of China took 

bronze as the first medals 

in Rio were awarded. 

The gold is the third won 

by the United States in 

women’s air rifle, the first 

since Nancy Napolski- 

Johnson took gold in 

Leicester 


Ranieri said. “That is 

normal. We are the 

champions but we are still 

the underdogs. But I don’t 

want my players to ever 

give up against them. We 

can lose but I want to see 

them playing together as 

a team, helping each 

other. Suffer for your 

team-mates, that is my 

philosophy. Last season 

we did something that is 

hard to repeat. We know 

that very well but I want 

the maximum from 

Rio Olympics with seven 

active players and three 

former NBA players in the 

lineup. Australia, France 

and Brazil each boast five 

NBA players. 

Argentina has four and 

only two teams in Rio, 

China and Venezuela, 

lack any active NBA talent 

— a testimony to the 

impact of the original 

1992 US Olympic “Dream 

Team.” 

“Michael Jordan, Larry 

Bird, Magic Johnson, 

2000. 

Thrasher is an NCAA 

champion at West 

Virginia competing in 

her first Olympics. She 

wasn’t the favorite 

coming in as Du won 

gold at the 2004 Athens 

Olympics. Andrea 

Arsovic of Serbia is 

ranked No. 1 in the 

world and failed to 

advance to the final. 

American Sarah 

Scherer was eighth. 

everybody.” 

United coach, Jose 

Mourinho said ahead of 

the match that his team 

is yet to hit the level he 

wants it to be. 

Asked how he viewed 

Sunday’s game at 

Wembley in terms of its 

importance as a trophy 

opportunity or a fitness 

exercise, he said: 

“Everything is important. 

“Our preseason was 

strange — good for some 

players but not enough 

for others. The number of 

matches was not enough. 

The match not played 

against Man City was 

really bad for us. 

David Robinson — all 

those guys had so much 

fun and that’s what you 

envision when you see the 

Olympics,” said US 

Olympian Kyle Lowry to 

the AFP news agency. “A 

lot of people say, ‘The 

reason I started playing 

basketball was because of 

the Dream Team’. So I 

hope that in 20 years 

some teams will have 

seen us play in 2016 and 

that made them play 

basketball.” 

•Dress Code... Nigeria’s vice captain Funke Oshonaike at the Opening 

Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics. The Nigerian team was not dressed in 

their usual traditional attire. It is a testimony of the poor preparations that 

dogged Nigeria ahead of the Games. 

Greek 


Olympic village. 

Dozens of athletes failed 

doping tests at the 

previous two Olympics, 

most caught in recent 

retests of stored samples. 

The IOC stores doping 

samples for 10 years so 

they can be retested when 

new methods become 

available, meaning drug 

cheats who escaped 

detection at the time can 

be caught years later. 

Neymar 


the Barcelona star to 

improve. 

Brazil captain Neymar 

failed to impress during 

his country’s opening Rio 

2016 match against 10- 

man South Africa, the 

forward not making a 

notable impact 

throughout 90 minutes of 

the 0-0 draw to raise 

questions over his preseason 

condition. 

Former NBA player 

Juan Carlos Navarro 

makes his fifth Olympic 

appearance for Spain 

while former NBAer 

Rudy Fernandez and 

current Laker Jose 

Calderon and Gasol play 

in their fourth Olympics. 

Other Spanish NBA 

talent includes 

Oklahoma City’s Alex 

Abrines, New York’s 

Guillermo Hernangome. 

Man dies 

after 

shooting at 

opening 

ceremony 

E YEWITNESSES 

say a man was shot 

dead near the 

Maracana Stadium in 

Rio de Janeiro after 

Friday’s Olympic 

opening ceremony. 

Associated Press 

photographers reported 

hearing loud multiple 

gun shots, forcing 

Games volunteers and 

others leaving the 

ceremony to duck for 

cover behind cars. 

A shooter was seen 

running from the scene 

and fleeing in a car 

close to a university 

parking lot. 

After police and 

medics arrived on the 

scene, paramedics 

were seen treating the 

victim as blood poured 

from his body onto the 

road. 

•Thomas Bach, IOC 

boss 

Seixas explained the 

ex-Santos man is 

lacking the fitness levels 

he would experience 

during regular-season 

competition, due to the 

early stage of 

preparation he is in. 

“He hasn’t got any 

momentum going,” 

Seixas said. 

“He doesn’t have any 

because this was his 

second game of the 

season. I believe that 

the next couple of games 

will help his 

performance levels.”


C 

M 

YK

SUNDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 7, 2016 

Community Shield: Leicester are still 

underdogs, says coach 

AHEAD of today’s 

Community Shield 

match against 

Manchester United, 

Leicester City coach 

Cladio Ranieri disclosed 

that his team remains 

underdogs as they aim 

to defend their English 

Premier league title. 

The Italian-born coach 

led Leicester to an 

Sweden test Nigeria’s 

‘scientific’ players 

unprecedented league 

win last season and 

ahead of the 2017 

campaign he said 

things will get tougher, 

because Manchester 

NIGERIA’S U-23 

team will face a 

test of intention from 

Sweden this evening in 

their Olympic group B 

tie tonight, after their 

exhilarating 5-4 win 

over Japan with barely 

four hours to match day 

in Brazil. 

Coach Samson Siasia 

described the win as a 

See solution on page 6 

wonder following the 

rough ride to venue of 

the game at the 

Amazonia Arena in 

Manaus. But the match 

against Sweden will be a 

different ball game. The 

Swedes who played a 2- 

2 all draw with Colombia 

will be aiming to out-gun 

Continues on page 46 

Neymar’s form worries 

Brazilians 

NEYMAR’S physical 

condition has been 

highlighted as an issue 

by Marcos Seixas, a 

member of Brazil’s 

backroom staff at Rio 

2016. 

•Neymar 

Marcos Seixas, a fitness 

coach for Brazil’s 

Olympic squad, believes 

a sub-par physical 

condition is inhibiting 

Neymar’s performances 

for his country but backed 


Dalung promises to pay athletes on time 

MINISTER of Youth 

and Sports 

Barrister Solomon 

Dalung has visited Team 

Nigeria at the Olympic 

Games Village in Rio. 

Dalung charged the 

athletes to be of good 

behavior and shun acts 

capable of disgracing the 

ACROSS 

1. Governor of Sokoto 

State (8) 

5. Assistant (4) 

7. Praise (5) 

8. Upright (4) 

9. Lantern (4) 

11. Tradition (6) 

13. Lagos masquerade 

(3) 

15. Exclamation (2) 

16. Pig’s nose (5) 

18. Agent (3) 

20. Glitters (6) 

24. Forward (5) 

25. Nigerian state (6) 

27. Boring tool (3) 

29. Ghanaian fabric 

(5) 

31. Perform (2) 

32. Oshiomhole’s 

state (3) 

34. U.S. currency (6) 

36. Vow (4) 

38. Musical quality (4) 

39. Inclination (5) 

40. Eager (4) 

•Miracle workers... Nigeria’s captain at Rio 2016 John Obi Mikel holds off 

Japanese player, Riki Harakawa during their group B opening game. 

Greek athlete fails first Games’ dope test 

HOURS before the 

opening ceremony, 

the Greek 

Olympic committee 

announced the first 

country. 

He urged them to work 

hard towards achieving 

their set goals at the 

games, promising that 

their needs which 

include camp 

allowances will be duly 

paid before the end of 


41. Damages (8) 

DOWN 

1. Sample (5) 

2. Niger state town (4) 

3. Observe (5) 

4. Lecture (6) 

5. Everyone (3) 

6. Use (6) 

10. Inquires (4) 

12. Carpet (3) 

14. Colour (6) 

15. Resistance unit (3) 

17. Coax (4) 

19. Rollicked (6) 

21. Hatchet (3) 

22. Satisfied (4) 

23. Nigerian state (3) 

26. Cry of derision (3) 

27 . African country (6) 

28. Endure (4) 

29. Child (3) 

30. Spoke (6) 

31. Adorn (5) 

33. Baking chambers 

(5) 

35. Asterisk (4) 

37. Possessed (3) 

positive doping test of 

the Rio Games. 

The committee says an 

unnamed member of the 

Olympic team failed a 

Poor health keeps Pele out of 

Opening Ceremony 

FOOTBALL legend 

Pelé has pulled-out of 

lighting the Olympic 

Cauldron at this evening’s 

Rio 2016 Opening 

Ceremony due to his poor 

health. 

This is a major surprise 

considering the three-time 

World Cup winner, surely 

Brazil’s most recognisable 

person worldwide, had 

been heavy favourite to 

carry-out the lighting 

duties. The 75-year-old had 

been walking with aid of a 

stick after hip surgery, and 

has also been suffering from 

doping test in July in 

Athens. The Greeks say 

the athlete has left the 


muscle pains. He emphasised 

that it was purely his 

own decision to withdraw. 

“I’m not physically able to 

attend the opening of the 

Olympics at the famous 

TODAY'S MATCHES 

United, Manchester 

City, Chelsea, 

Tottenham, Arsenal and 

Liverpool will be back 

with a vengeance. 

“Now there are six big 

teams who want to win, 

they want to kill us,” 


Thrasher 

trashes 

China’s Li for 

first Games’ 

gold 

SHOOTER Ginny 

Thrasher won the 

USA’s first gold medal 

of the Rio Olympics, 

pulling off an upset in 

the women’s 10-meter 

air rifle event Saturday 

morning. 

Thrasher, 19, beat 

silver medalist Du Li of 

China in the final round 

with a total of 208.0, 


Maracanã Stadium,” he 

said in a statement. 

“Only God is more 

important than my health. 

In my life, I’ve had 

fractures, surgeries, pain, 

hospital stays, victories 

and defeats.'' 

Men football 

Honduras v Portugal 7.00pm 

Germany v Korea Republic 8.00pm 

Argentina v Algeria 10.00 pm 

Sweden v Nigeria 11.pm 

Denmark v South Africa 11.00pm 

Men Basketball 

Brazil v Lithuania 6.15 pm 

Croatia v Spain 11.00 pm 

Nigeria v Argentina (2.30 am Mon) 

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Advert Dept: :01- 7924470; Hotline: 01-4544821; Abuja Advert Hotline: 09-2921024. 

E-mail website: sundayvanguard@yahoo.com, editor@vanguardngr.com, news@vanguardngr.com, sunvanguardmail@yahoo.com. Advert:advert@vanguardngr.com. Internet: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 

0794-652X) Editor: JIDE AJANI. 08111813023 All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos. 

•Musa 

U-17 AFCON: 

Eaglets walk 

on slippery 

ground 

—p.46

Battle with Gun-Runners in Niger State: Army officer, 8 solidiers, two air forec men shot dead

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