Sunday 18092016

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PAGE 2—SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBER 18, 2016

SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016, PAGE 3 

Ambode flags-of 

lags-off 

commissioning of 114 roads 

… Commissions Lay-By, Slip Road in Alapere 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

& Monsur Olowoopejo 

Governor Akinwunmi 

Ambode, yesterday, 

flagged-off a week-long 

commissioning of 114 

roads newly constructed in 

all the 57 Local Government 

Areas and Local Council 

Development Areas (LCDAs) 

of Lagos State, with a pledge 

to commence the 

construction of second round 

of another 114 roads across 

the state soon. 

The construction of the 

inner roads, in fulfillment 

of his campaign promise, is 

geared towards massive 

intervention on access and 

link roads, boost security 

and increase the socioeconomic 

well-being of 

residents of the state. 

The roads, designed with 

walkways, medians, street 

lights and standard 

drainage systems, were 

selected two per each of the 

57 LGs and LCDAs in the 

state. 

Speaking at the flag off of 

the commissioning 

ceremony in Ikorodu North 

LCDA, also Ambode said 

the feat was not only an 

eloquent confirmation of a 

promise kept, but also a 

testimony of the saying that 

nothing can stop a people 

who have resolved to move 

forward. 

The governor, 

represented by his deputy, 

Dr, Mrs Idiat Oluranti 

Adebule, recalled the 

contract of hope he signed 

with the people during the 

electioneering and his 

inaugural speech, adding 

that the completion of the 

114 roads was a glorious 

dawn of community 

development accelerated 

through inclusive 

governance and a historic 

leap of faith for his 

administration and the 

citizens. 

“This means that the road 

network in our State of 

Excellence has increased 

by 56.1 Kilometers. It 

means that we have added 

112 Kilometres of walkways 

and covered drains. And it 

means additional 56.1 

kilometres of our roads are 

being lit by independent 

powered street lights to 

improve the security of our 

neighborhoods, the 

visibility of pedestrians, 

Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, 

Nigeria’s former 

Minister of Finance & 

Economic Planning, will be the 

Guest Lecturer at the 2nd 

Edition of the Annual Engr (Rev) 

Etteh Distinguished Lecture 

Series which comes up on 

Thursday, September 

22,2016, at the Function 

Suite, Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, 

Lagos, at 9:30am under the 

Chairmanship of Engr. Otis 

O. Anyaeji, President, Nigeria 

Society of Engineers. 

Also to present a paper at the 

lecture is, Hon. (Engr.) Setonji 

David, a Fellow of the 

Nigerian Society of Engineers 

and a member of the Lagos 

State House of Assembly. The 

commuters and motorists as 

well as creation of a night 

economy,” he said. 

He said Jimoh Street in 

Ikorodu North LCDA, the 

first to be commissioned, 

was one of the community 

driven projects, adding that 

the road was picked as the 

first to be commissioned in 

appreciation of the 

diligence of the contractor, 

DC Engineering for being 

the first to complete the 

project within the stipulated 

six months. He said the 

road, no doubt, would go a 

long way in improving the 

State and make it a 

preferred investment 

destination worldwide. 

Besides, Governor 

Ambode said the 114 roads 

would be an annual rite to 

make Lagos a true 

megacity, adding that the 

process for the second 

round of the 114 road 

projects had already 

begun, and urged the 

residents to be part of it and 

guard the infrastructures 

being provided by 

government jealousy. 

In a similar development, 

Ambode commissioned the 

Ketu-Alapere Lay-by and 

700m concretized Slip 

Road, saying that it was 

another mission statement 

of his administration’s 

commitment to making life 

better for residents and 

investors in the State. 

Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule (2nd left), cutting the 

tape to commission Jimoh Street in Ikorodu North LCDA, being supported by member, 

House of Representative, Ikorodu Federal Constituency, Hon. Babajimi Benson 

(left); Ayugburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabiru Shotobi (middle); Majority Leader, 

Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade (2nd right) and Sole Administrator, 

Ikorodu North LCDA, Shukura Okeowo during the flag-off of the commissioning 

of 114 roads across Lagos, yesterday 

A former Gov of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi (right), with the president of the 

Catholic Laity Council of Nigeria, Awka Diocese branch, Comrade Emma Ezeokafor( 

left), , during the annual seminar organized by the Laity at the Bishop Obiefuna 

Pastoral and Retreat Centre, Okpuno, yesterday. 

18 Nigerian pilgrims died in Saudi Arabia during 

2016 Hajj — NAHCON 

18 Nigerians died in 

Saudi Arabia during the 

2016 Hajj, the National 

Hajj Commission of 

Nigeria (NAHCON) 

says. 

The victims were from 

Kwara, Kogi, Bauchi, 

Taraba, Niger, Kaduna, 

FCT. There were foreignbased 

Nigerian pilgrims 

as well. 

The head of 

NAHCON’s medical 

team, Ibrahim Kana, said 

two pilgrims, including 

a 40-year-old woman, 

died in Madinah. 

Three died in Muna, 

while 13 died in 

Makkah. A mentally ill 

woman was amongst the 

victim. 

He however said the 

2016 death toll was the 

lowest in five years. He 

attributed the low figure 

to enhanced sanitation, 

increased medical 

awareness and 

compressed national 

medical team. 

The medical team 

attended to over 21,000 

patients since the 

commencement of the 

hajj rites, Mr. Kana said. 

He said despite 

repeated warnings, the 

medical team detected 

five pregnant women. 

The Hajj is 95 per cent 

complete and pilgrims 

started travelling home 

on Saturday. 

NAHCON chairman, 

Abdullahi Mukhtar, said 

all states who failed to 

give basic transport 

allowance to their 

pilgrims as well as those 

who collected Adiya 

money (money for ram 

slaughtering), and failed 

to remit same to 

NAHCON, would be 

penalised. 

He said the 

commission would 

reimburse those who 

paid for but did not enjoy 

products and services 

like air conditioned 

tents, and the newly 

introduced e –wristband. 

Delta PDP chiefs task members on 

party discipline, loyalty 

By Ephraim Oseji 

Members of the 

P e o p l e s 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

in Ukwuani Local 

Government Area of 

Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu for 2nd Engr (Rev) Etteh’s Annual Lecture 

theme of this year’s lecture is: 

“Managing the Challenges of 

Infrastructure Deficits in 

Nigeria: A Cross-Country 

Analysis of the roles of 

Engineers in Economic 

Development”. 

This is the 2nd Edition of 

the Annual Lecture series 

instituted by the Board of 

Trustees, National Council of 

the Nigerian Institution of 

Civil Engineers, NICE, a 

division of the Nigerian Society 

of Engineers, in 2015 in 

honour of one of Nigeria’s 

outstanding Engineers, Engr. 

(Rev) Ette Ikpong Ikpong Etteh, 

OFR., co-founding Principal, 

Etteh Aro and Partners, based 

in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo 

State. The maiden edition of 

the Annual Lecture Series, was 

held on December 16, 2015, on 

a day Engr. (Rev) Etteh, 

turned 80. 

Engr. (Rev) Etteh has had a 

robust professional practice 

spanning decades of 

exemplary dedication to the 

tenets of the profession as well 

as training and mentoring of 

many Engineers, who, today, 

can stand to be counted. It is 

because of the impact his 

professional practice has had 

on the profession that his 

professional colleagues 

deemed it fit to honour him 

for his achievements by 

instituting the Annual Award 

and Lecture Series in his name. 

Delta State have been 

urged to embrace party 

discipline and loyalty. 

The PDP Chairman, 

Delta North Senatorial 

District, Chief Moses 

Iduh, and Executive 

Director, Social Services 

Development, Delta 

State Oil Producing 

Areas Development 

C o m m i s s i o n , 

DESOPADEC, Hon 

Ochor Chris Ochor, gave 

the charge at a reception 

held by Ochor for the 

new members of the 

executive in the area. 

Speaking on the topic, 

“Party Administration, 

Discipline, and Party 

Loyalty”, Iduh called on 

the new executives to be 

good administrators, be 

disciplined and loyal, as 

they were key to the 

success of the party in 

the area during their 

tenure. 

“You have been given 

the huge responsibility to 

administer the party in 

the LGA for the next four 

years, it is a task which 

you must not be found 

wanting in anyway,” he 

said. 

He called on them to 

manage 

and 

accommodate the 

different groups in the 

party, a task he said 

would not be easy. 

He asked members to 

embrace the party 

administrative system and 

avoid the pitfall of 

attaching themselves to 

individual party leaders, 

and called on the 

Discipline Committee of 

the party in the area to be 

thorough in deciding the 

fate of erring members. 

Earlier, Ochor urged 

unity within the rank 

and file and support for 

the administration of 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. 

Mrakpor’s comment 

against Oshiomhole 

ridiculous —Shaibu 

By Simon Ëbegbulem, 

Benin-City 

RUNNING mate to the 

governorship candidate 

of the All Progressives 

Congress (APC) in do State, 

Mr Philip Shaibu, has 

described as unfortunate the 

attempt by the lawmaker 

representing Aniocha/ 

Oshimili federal 

constituency of Delta State, 

Oyemachi Mrakpor, to 

ridicule the name of Governor 

Adams Oshiomhole. 

The lawmaker had accused 

Oshiomhole of raising false 

alarm after the governor 

alleged that Governors 

Nyesom Nwike of Rivers 

State and Ifeanyi Okowa of 

Delta State had deployed 

militants from their states to 

Edo with a view to cause 

mayhem during the 

September 28 governorship 

election. 

Shaibu, who doubles as the 

member representing Etsako 

Federal constituency of Edo 

State, described Mrakpor’s 

comment as insulting, 

regretting that the Delta 

lawmaker had failed to give 

adequate representation to 

his people by not kicking 

against the failure by the Delta 

government not to pay salaries 

to its workers for some 

months now. 

“I am shocked at Mrakpor 

who should be worried that 

the money meant to pay 

salaries of members of her 

constituency and Delta state 

people are being diverted to 

Edo to support their factional 

PDP governorship candidate. 

She has refused to condemn 

the inability of the governor 

to pay salaries despite the fact 

that they earn more revenue 

than Edo State”, the running 

mate said. 

Erosion menace: 

Enugu govt. 

sends SOS to FG 

The Enugu State 

Government has appealed 

to the Federal Government to 

urgently intervene in the gully 

erosion at Amauzam, Enugu 

Ngwo community, in Enugu 

North Local Government Area 

of the state, saying that its gravity 

was enormous for the state 

government to handle alone. 

The appeal, which came on the 

heels of the recent incident which 

has been threatening to sack 

some homes in the area, was 

made by the Enugu State 

Commissioner for Environment 

and Mineral Resources, Amb. 

Fidel Ayogu, who visited the site 

in the company of the chairman 

of the council area, Hon. Isaac 

Igwe, and the Senior Special 

Assistant (SSA) to the governor 

on Special Project, Dr. Josef 

Umunnakwe Onoh. 

Amb. Ayogu who disclosed that 

they were at the site on the 

instruction of the state governor, 

Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, to 

take a comprehensive survey of 

the erosion site for urgent 

intervention, noted that the 

menace had been in existence 

prior to the inception of the 

present administration. 

He stressed that the incident 

requires the intervention of the 

federal government through the 

ecological fund or other related 

interventions for adequate 

control and management, 

adding that the huge amount of 

money required to tackle the 

problem was not within the 

resources of the state 

government. 

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PAGE 4—SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 

ABUJA LAND GRAB: Senate moves 

against siege, to summon Buratai 

•Official quarters of Senate President, Speaker and fate of 400 

plot owners hang in the balance 

By Soni Daniel, Abuja 

AMID tension and con 

fusion over the siege 

laid by soldiers from the Nigerian 

Army to the Maitama 

Extension District, with 

over 400 on-going and completed 

houses belonging to 

Nigerians trapped, the Senate 

has served notice it will 

wade into the issue. 

The Chairman of the Senate 

Committee Chairman 

on the Federal Capital Territory, 

Senator Dino Melaye, 

confirmed the decision of 

the upper chamber to investigate 

the matter in a response 

to Sunday Vanguard 

enquiry at the weekend. 

“We will summon all concerned 

and find out the truth. 

But let it be made clear that 

justice will be done to all the 

parties,” Dino said but did 

not provide further details. 

However, Sunday Vanguard 

gathered that the leadership 

of the Senate might 

be gearing up for a confrontation 

with the Nigerian 

Army for allegedly seizing 

the land on which its President’s 

official quarters and 

those of its deputy, the Speaker 

of the House of Representatives 

and other key officials 

of the National Assembly 

are being erected. 

It was learnt that as soon 

as the senators resume from 

vacation this week, they were 

likely to summon the Chief 

of the Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. 

Tukur Buratai; the FCT 

Minister, Mohammed Bello; 

the Director of the Abuja 

Geographical Information 

Systems and officials of 

Kakatar Civil Engineering 

Construction (KCE) Limited, 

handling the provision 

of engineering infrastructure 

at the 230-hectare land. 

Also to be summoned are 

former FCT Minister and 

former Kebbi State Governor, 

Adamu Aliero, now a 

senator, who actually created 

the disputed district and 

allocated plots to Nigerians 

while he served as minister 

under late President Umaru 

Musa Yar’Adua, and his successor. 

It was also learnt that immediate 

past FCT Minister, 

Senator Bala Muhammad, 

who extended the disputed 

district and awarded the 

contract for the provision of 

infrastructure to the indigenous 

civil engineering firm 

under President Goodluck 

Jonathan, is also to be interviewed 

by the senators in a 

bid to unravel the truth relating 

to the authenticity of 

the claim by the army that 

the land belongs to it. 

It will be recalled that since 

the Nigerian Army drove 

out workers of the KCE Limited 

on September 3 and 

took over the land, most of 

the 400 plot owners, who 

had been developing their 

property, have also been denied 

access to the site. 

The plight of the property 

owners has been worsened 

•L-R: Mr. Usmam Malah, Chief of Staff to the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) 

Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC); Mrs. Mary Uduma, Council Member, 

Internet Protocol Version 6; Prof. Umar Garba Danbatta, EVC of NCC, and 

Muhammed Radman, Chairman, Nigerian Council on Internet Protocol Version 6, 

during the council’s courtesy visit to the Commission. 

You can take traditional titles, Catholic priest tells members 

by the fact that there has 

been no word of consolation 

by the FCDA more than two 

weeks after the seizure of the 

land and denial of access by 

soldiers, who are now keeping 

watch over it. 

“We are on order from the 

Chief of the Army Staff to 

take over this place and not 

to allow anyone in or out of 

the premises,” a soldier, 

mounting sentry at the first 

gate of the Maitama District 

Extension, warned a journalist, 

who attempted to penetrate 

the compound. “It was 

one of our generals, who led 

the team of soldiers to take 

over this place last night but 

we do not know the reason 

for our being here,” the soldier 

said but refused to give 

his name. 

But two days after the furore 

generated by the development, 

the Nigerian Army 

formally admitted taking 

over the land, laying claim 

to its ownership. 

The Acting Director of 

By Sam Eyoboka 

Vicar General of the 

Catholic Archdiocese 

of Lagos, Rt. Rev. Monsignor 

John Aniagwu, says Christians 

can take traditional titles 

but should have nothing 

to do with traditional religion. 

Aniagwu spoke at a threeday 

annual convention of the 

Lagos Archdiocesan Catholic 

Men’s Organisation 

(CMO) held t St. Gregory’s 

College, Obalende, Lagos 

under the theme, ‘The Merciful 

God’. 

Addressing newsmen after 

the convention, the priest said 

the event became necessary 

to highlight the important 

role men were playing in the 

church. He described the programme 

as an avenue for 

members’ spiritual growth, 

which made them more response 

and dedicated in 

church activities. 

Aniagwu said Christians 

could take traditional titles 

that are social and cultural, 

but they should have nothing 

to do with traditional religion, 

saying “I took a title and that 

day, two bishops and over 100 

priests were present. 

Urhobo youths task NBC on boundary dispute 

Some youths under the 

aegis of Urhobo Development 

and Unity forum, 

UDUF, have called on the 

National Boundary Commission 

(NBC) and other relevant 

government agencies to intervene 

in the boundary dispute 

between Ovre’eku community 

in Delta and Presco plc, Edo 

State, vowing that Urhobo 

will not concede an inch of 

their fatherland to the Binis. 

Comrade Ese Sancho, the 

national coordinator of the 

group made this declaration 

during a solidarity visit to the 

leadership of Eku community 

led by its President General, 

Chief Joseph Ukweku. stating 

that the group was formed 

to protect Urhobo interests. 

After hearing from leaders 

of the community on the invasion 

and brutality of their 

people, in a background report 

presented by Prof Okotie 

on behalf of the community, 

By Udeme Clement 

THE Director General, 

Nigerian Maritime 

Administration and Safety 

Agency (NIMASA), Dr. 

Dakuku Peterside, says efforts 

by the Federal Government 

to diversify the nation’s 

economy into non-oil export 

sectors would be a mirage if 

the maritime industry, 

which anchors import and 

export businesses in the country, 

is not well repositioned. 

He explained that locally 

manufactured goods could 

only be exported for government 

to earn foreign exchange 

through shipping, 

which is often carried out 

through the maritime industry. 

Peterside spoke while addressing 

Maritime Journalists 

Association of Nigeria 

Comrade Sancho warned 

that enough is a enough, 

stressing that the peaceful disposition 

of the Urhobo should 

not be taken as a sign of cowardice. 

While calling on security 

agents to be neutral in discharging 

their duties, he 

called on the National 

Boundary Commission as a 

matter of public importance 

to prevent carnage by coming 

out with its findings and 

reports to douse tension. 

Army Public Relations, Col. 

Sani Usman, who signed the 

statement, said: “The said 

property is on Nigerian 

Army land and the army will 

not allow anybody to encroach 

on its land. 

“Consequently, the property 

has been sealed to prevent 

further encroachment”. 

“In the Catholic, we can use 

traditional names for baptism, 

but not those names that 

have paganism connotations 

like Nwagbara, Babatunde, 

Nwofor, Nnanna, etc. Therefore, 

we should be mindful of 

the traditional practices that 

contradict our Christian 

faith,” he said. 

Prince Christopher Agaga, 

president of Agaga Erugba 

community in Uvwie LGA 

who was also in the delegation 

expressed bitterness over 

the issue and blamed Presco 

Plc, which he alleged was using 

security agents to harass 

innocent Urhobo people 

Prof Okotie disclosed that 

the present dispute affects 10 

Urhobo communities along 

the coastal areas of both the 

Ethiope East and Ughelli 

North LGAs. 

Marriot debuts with Renaissance Hotel 

THE global luxury 

brand in hotel management, 

Marriot, makes its debut 

in Sub-Saharan Africa next 

month with the grand opening 

of Renaissance Lagos Ikeja 

Hotel, located in the Ikeja GRA, 

Lagos State. 

The hotel, according to a 

statement, is an embodiment 

How to incorporate maritime into diversification 

efforts — Dakuku Peterside 

•Unfolds agency’s plan to go digital by the end of 2016 

(MAJAN) in Lagos, stressing 

that for government to succeed 

in diversifying the economy, 

the maritime industry 

must be well positioned, because 

all economic activities 

in the country revolve 

around the sector. 

By Ishola Balogun 

THE President of Anwarul-Islam 

Movement of 

Nigeria, Alhaji Mustapha 

Oshodi has said quick diversification 

of the economy remain 

the only way to get Nigeria 

out of the woods. 

Oshodi gave the advice during 

a press conference heralding 

the centenary anniversary 

of the Movement in Nigeria 

held in Lagos recently. 

of luxury, high taste, class and 

safety displayed from the gate 

through the reception to the 

exquisite rooms. In a rare feat, 

it also boasts of eight conference 

rooms of different capacities 

ranging from 10 to 500 

comfortable seats. 

Apart from the 155 tastefully 

furnished rooms of varying 

classes on nine floors, the hotel 

also boasts of boutique, 

all day dining restaurant; specialty 

steakhouse and outdoor 

terrace, spa, pool deck and 

events place among others. 

The glamour of the assortment 

of marble-like finishing 

on the floors and walls combined 

with a unique carport at 

the entrance will make lodging 

irresistible for guests, according 

to a Director of Projects 

of the Hotel, Mr Ahmed Tajudeen. 

...We must diversify to get out of the 

woods — Anwar-ul-Islam 

“We have allowed corruption 

to fester for so long. We 

have to deal with it decisively 

and everything will get better. 

But the leaders should not forget 

other aspects of the economy. 

Apart from agriculture, 

we need to be well industrialized. 

The forex problem is not 

new and that is simply because 

we depend solely on oil. 

We need to change our ways 

and diversify the economy for 

better development”, he said.


Nigeria at war with itself-Ex-CJN 

… as Dogara, Amosun, Osoba, others celebrate Bankole at 75 

Daud Olatunji, 

Abeokuta 

A 

former Chief Justice of 

Nigeria, Justice Dahiru 

Musdapher, yesterday, 

described Nigeria as a nation 

at war with itself, warning that 

Nigerians are treading a path that 

threatens the continued peace 

and unity of their country. 

Musdapher said the 2015 

presidential election has also 

worsened the unity of the country, 

claiming that the election was 

marked by division along ethnic, 

regional, partisan and religious 

lines. 

The former justice spoke as 

guest speaker at a public lecture 

to mark the 75th birthday of the 

father of a former Speaker of the 

House of Representatives, Chief 

Suarau Alani Bankole, held in 

Abeokuta, Ogun State capital. 

The public lecture, which 

attracted prominent personalities 

from across the country, was 

entitled, ‘The question of Nigerian 

unity’. 

The dignitaries include the 

Speaker of the House of 

Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; 

his deputy, Hon. Yusuf Lasun; the 

Minority Leader, Hon Oyenma 

Chuchu; Ogun State Governor 

Ibikunle Amosun; and a former 

governor of the state, Chief 

Olusegun Osoba. 

Others include a former judge 

of the World Court, Prince Bola 

Ajibola”, a former governor of 

Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; a 

former Minister of Sports, Mr 

Taoheed Adedoja; and Oba of 

Lagos, Rildwanu Akiolu. 

Musdapher described the 

celebrant as a detribalised 

politician who worked for the 

unity of the country. 

According to the former CJN, 

favouritism, nepotism and tribal 

sentiments have made it 

impossible to run a merit-drivensystem 

in the country. “Hard 

work, brilliance, honesty and 

integrity in our dealings are no 

longer rewarded. Rather, we 

celebrate mediocrity soaked in the 

corruption we claim is our 

Common enemy”, he said. 

“I am scared and deeply 

worried. The situation is grave and 

the media, the 4th estate of the 

realm, has a big role to play in 

this crusade”. 

While condemning the role the 

media played in the challenges 

facing the country, Musdapher 

said: “I am also aware today 

the most media houses have 

editorial policy and clear leaning 

towards sectional and myopic 

perspectives. Tribal and nepotic 

leanings are present in most issues 

debated or reported in our media”. 

He, however, urged 

government to develop a tradition 

of continuity and positive 

transition from one 

administration to the next. 

While lamenting the 

challenges facing Nigerian unity, 

Musdapher said: “ It is rather 

worrisome that after over 100 

years since the amalgamation of 

the northern and the southern 

protectorates in 1914 ,we seem 

as divided as ever. “These realities 

force us to question if indeed 

Nigerian today was the 

amalgamation of separate 

regions in an arranged marriage 

that some argue only lasted while 

the matchmakers, colonial 

Britain was still around and in 

control,”the former CJN said. 

“The union remains as unnegotiated 

union in the minds of 

many Nigerians. Hence, I am 

of the view that, without the clear 

undemanding of the root causes 

or our seemingly confused social 

system, we cannot even begin to 

make up with the strategies and 

solution that are capable of 

dousing the negative effects of 

disunity and firmly bringing our 

nation within respectable or 

acceptable level of social 

decency”.In his keynote address 

at the occasion, Osoba concurred 

with the submissions by the CJN, 

pledging to deliver Musdapher’s 

message to the managers of the 

media. “My Lord has delivered 

Exclusive 

U.S court clears legal hurdle for repatriation of $550 Abacha loot 

•Interbank Rate: $550m X N308.7 = N169.8billion 

•Parallel Mkt: $550m X N425 = N233.8billion 

Soni Daniel, 

Northern Region Editor 

A 

United States District 

Court, yesterday, 

dismissed a case by a 

Nigerian lawyer seeking to 

stop the repatriation of over 

$550 million of stolen funds 

during the regime of late 

General Sani Abacha 

(referred to as the Abacha 

loot) to Nigeria until the 

payment of his legal fees 

worth $320 million by the 

Nigerian Government. 

The thrashing of the case 

by Justice John D. Bates of 

the U.S District Court 

automatically clears the 

final legal hurdle for the 

return of the loot to Nigeria 

to help it retool its 

plummeting economy which 

has received heavy 

pummelling from falling oil 

prices and corruption. 

The U.S-based Nigerian 

lawyer, Godson Nnaka, had 

laid claim to the fact that the 

Nigerian Government must 

pay him the $320 million as 

legal fee for the forfeiture of 

the $550 million of the 

Abacha loot still trapped in 

the United States. 

But Justice John D. Bates, 

in dismissing Nnaka’s case, 

held the claimant was not 

entitled to such payment 

since he was not a party to 

the forfeiture case filed by 

the US Department of 

Justice in conjunction with 

Nigeria. 

Nigeria, through the 

Office of the Attorney 

the judgement and I will deliver 

your message to the media”, the 

former governor said. 

While recasting the relationship 

with Chief Bankole, Osoba said 

though, he was two years older 

than him and did not have many 

things in common, they relate 

well.Dogara, in his goodwill 

message, said the submissions by 

the former CJN had challenged 

him in building a nation on justice, 

unity and equity. 

He further said the challenges 

facing the country were as a 

result of lack of leadership, 

saying with right leadership, the 

country would bounce back. 

In his remarks, the celebrant, 

lamented that he would have 

celebrated his 70th birthday five 

years ago, but was stopped 

following the prosecution of his 

son, the former Speaker. 

He urged young politicians 

to practise developmental 

politics, saying politics should 

not lead to hatred. 

General of the Federation, 

also filed a robust opposition 

to Nnaka’s motion for the 

payment of the lien and also 

asked the court to bar 

Nnaka from making 

subsequent filings in that 

case. 

Ruling on the case, the 

District Court entered an 

order denying Nnaka’s 

Motion for a Charging Lien 

(fee). The Court also 

specifically ruled that 

Nnaka’s participation in this 

case must now come to an 

end.” 

Justice Bates said that 

Nnaka did not meet the 

basic prerequisites to be 

considered as a proper party 

in the case and to be paid 

the amount he requested for, 

having not qualified to 

represent Nigeria. 

The judge also ruled out 

Nnaka for the payment 

since he had not won any 

judgment for Nigeria. 

Justice Bates said in his 

ruling obtained by 

Sunday Vanguard last 

night that “Neither Nnaka 

nor his purported clients are 

parties to the forfeiture 

matter and neither of them 

can win judgment through 

this litigation. 

“The conclusion dooms 

Nnaka’s motion for 

charging lien. At common 

law, the charging of lien is 

applicable to a judgment or 

decree obtained for a client 

by an attorney. Until a 

judgment or decree has been 

obtained, the right to 

impose a lien does not arise. 

“Even the most basic 

prerequisites for charging 

lien are missing here: 

Nnaka has not won a 

judgment for Nigeria; 

indeed, he had not 

successfully entered 

appearance on Nigeria’s 

behalf. A charging lien in 

the amount of $320 million 

is not called for. Nnaka’s 

claim against Nigeria must 

be pursued in another case: 

16cv-1400. 

“Unless and until Nnaka’s 

claim to the defendant’s 

assets are reinstated by the 

DC Circuit, Nnaka’s 

participation in this case 

must now come to an end,” 

From left: Deputy Director, Musical Society of Nigerian (Muson), Mrs. Edna Soyannwo; 

Executive Secretary, MTN Foundation, Ms. Nonny Ugboma; MTN Foundation 3rd Price 

Winner, Sarah Akapo; Director, MTN Foundation, Mrs. Aisha Pamela Sadauki , and Director, 

MTN Foundation, Mr. Dennis Okoro, during the 9th graduation ceremony of the MTN 

Foundation Scholars At Muson Centre Onikan, Lagos .Photo by Kehinde Gbadamosi 

the U.S judge ruled, paving 

the way for Nigeria to draw 

down its huge cash. 

It will be recalled that 

Nigeria’s Attorney General 

and Minister of Justice, 

Abubakar Malami, who 

was in the U.S for the 

judgment, had recently 

raised the alarm that Nnaka 

was merely trying to delay 

the return of the Abacha loot 

by the U.S, by making a 

frivolous claim that Nigeria 

must pay him 40 percent of 

the Abacha loot. 

Nnaka had also claimed 

that Malami was working 

against him after he had 

refused to relinquish “70 

percent” of his 40 percent to 

the minister. 

But in responding to the 

allegation, Malami 

described Nnaka as a 

strange person to the case 

who had not recovered a 

dime for Nigeria since he 

was allegedly given a 

mandate by the former 

Attorney General of the 

Federation, Mr. Olujimi, to 

recover the Abacha loot in 

2004. 

By Simon Ebegbulem, 

Benin-City 

G candidate OVERNORSHIP 

of the All 

Progressives Congress 

(APC) in Edo State, Mr 

Godwin Obaseki, says the 

state needs a competent, 

credible and hardworking 

governor to efficiently 

manage the state’s 

resources and effectively 

execute people-oriented 

programmes. 

Obaseki spoke during an 

interactive session with 

civil society organizations 

in the state. He noted that 

with declining oil revenues 

and the consequent 

reduction in federal 

allocation to states, fresh 

ideas are needed in the 

running of government 

adding that diversifying 

the economy has become 

even more imperative to 

ensure sustainable growth 

Malami, in a 44-page 

document made available 

to Sunday Vanguard earlier, 

described Nnaka as a man 

trying to reap from where he 

did not sow. 

The minister said the 

Nigerian Government 

would not pay Nnaka the 

huge amount he is asking for 

since he is not qualified to 

practise law in the 

Maryland area where the 

case is taking place and did 

not recover any money for 

the country 14 years after he 

was given a provisional 

letter to help locate and 

recover the Abacha loot. 

The court had also held 

that since the temporary 

letter given to Nnaka by 

Olujimi was not revalidated 

by Mohammed Adoke when 

the forfeiture case resumed 

in 2013, the lawyer could, 

therefore, not claim to be 

representing Nigeria. 

But Nnaka immediately 

rejected the court verdict and 

appealed against the ruling 

and threatened to sue 

Malami for saying that he 

was not qualified to 

represent Nigeria and was 

not entitled to 40 percent of 

the Abacha loot. The litany 

of cases filed by Nnaka and 

the appeal by the US 

Department of Justice, in 

conjunction with Nigeria, 

directly delayed the 

repatriation of the huge cash 

from the U.S to Nigeria. 

Upon persistent inquiry, 

Malami told Sunday 

Vanguard from the venue of 

the hearing in the U.S that 

he was hopeful that with the 

dismissal of the frivolous 

case by Nnaka, efforts would 

be intensified to bring back 

the Abacha loot. 

“We trust that this Order 

denying Nnaka’s frivolous 

claim to the Abacha assets, 

will help to allay the fear of 

the Nigerian general public 

arising from an online 

medium’s article which 

stated that Nigeria stands to 

lose $320 million on 

account of Nnaka’s Motion. 

“We also hope that this 

Order will help to correct the 

many falsehoods and halftruths 

published in the past 

against the Office of the 

Honourable Attorney 

General of the Federation 

regarding this matter. 

“This is a positive 

development for Nigeria,” 

the AGF said. 

Why Edo needs a competent manager of resources 

as governor —Obaseki 

and development. 

“Edo State lost two 

generations to bad 

governance by the PDP and 

‘career politicians’. The 

political base can no 

longer be restricted to 

people with traditional 

political anthem; we now 

need to infuse fresh blood, 

thinking and resources into 

our politics, and that is 

what people like me came 

into the political scene to 

characterize”, he stated. 

“Yes, I believe that I fit 

into that new paradigm of 

governance. With a 

successful career of over 30 

years as an investment 

banker and wealth 

management expert, and 

the valuable experience I 

have garnered as 

Chairman of the State’s 

Economy & Strategy Team 

in the last eight years, I am 

very clear on the direction 

that we should be looking 

in order to move Edo State 

to the next level of 

infrastructural 

development, industrial 

growth and technological 

advancement. 

“Lagos has shown itself 

as a model, and I don’t see 

the reason why we can’t 

have other models in 

Nigeria with Edo blazing 

the trail as a mini-sized 

Nigerian state that can 

survive as a country. To 

achieve this status, we 

require competent, 

credible and hardworking 

managers, and that is what 

I am.” 

He further urged civil 

society groups in the state to 

stay true to their cause as 

advocates for the 

entrenchment of good 

governance. “It is important 

that civil societies remain 

what they are meant to be. 

That is, to serve as watchdogs 

for the government and as 

promoters of democratic 

values.”

PAGE 6—SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBER 18, 2016


RECESSION 

Buhari’s 

new thinking 

•20 

2017 Budget t to focus on inclusive growth 

•Udoma, Adeosun speak on way out 

•Obadiah Mailafia, ia, Bode Augustus, Ayo Teriba, Bismarck 

Rewane suggest stimulus package to revive economy 

By Soni Daniel, 

Northern Region Editor 

Nigeria can be likened to 

the prodigal son, who 

grabbed much of his rich 

father’s assets and went to what the 

Bible described as a ‘far country’ 

and squandered the wealth with 

women of easy virtue and returned 

home a wretched man, bemoaning 

his fate. But the good thing about 

the prodigal son is that he quickly 

realised his mistake, returned to his 

father, who pardoned him for his 

recklessness and restored him with 

full rights to his sonship. 

President Muhammadu Buhari 

may not be an astute or a celebrated 

economist like Thomas Sowell, 

Joseph Stiglitz or Adam Smith, to 

dish out theories on fiscal and 

monetary policies, but with 

experience, he knows when an 

economy is in serious trouble. And it 

has been a baffling coincidence that 

while as head of state between 1984 

and 1985, and now as a civilian 

president, Buhari has had to contend 

with a deflated economy, which may 

take a long time to rejig. To worsen 

matters for him and his team, the 

citizens are seriously upset, because 

they cannot readily understand why 

the economy, which was recently 

‘rebased’ and branded as the ‘largest 

in Africa and only 26th globally by 

the previous administration, could 

have inexplicably nose-dived into a 

recession with a double-digit 

inflation and massive job cuts as well 

as firms closing shop. 

Indeed, the outlook is scary, 

sending shockwaves across the 

nation and abroad, effectively 

dethroning Nigeria from its enviable 

position as the largest economy and 

watching in low self esteem as South 

Africa takes over from the ‘giant of 

Africa’. 

But the good news is that Buhari 

has been humble and 

straightforward enough with 

Nigerians to admit that the economy 

is in a very bad shape and that it 

requires urgent surgical operation. 

C ntrived positive economic 

indices to show that the economy is 

doing very well will not work and 

President Buhari has reportedly 

rejected that. Even the suggestion 

in some quarters that massive 

imports to meet the daily needs of 

the people so as to be seen as 

•President Buhari 

‘politically correct’ has been rejected. 

Nigeria, like other major oil producing 

counties like Venezuela, Canada, Iran, 

Algeria, Ecuador, Brazil, Iraq, Russia, 

Libya, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan are also 

in recession while others like: Qatar, 

Mexico, UAE, China, Angola and Saudi 

Arabia, according to the June/July edition 

of Worldatlas, Bloomberg, are at the 

brink of recession. 

This has come about as a result of the 

continuous decline in oil price for close 

to two years. From a steady $110 per 

barrel before 2013, oil price has dropped 

to as low as $30 per barrel since 2014 

but is barely moving towards $50 per 

barrel, leaving oil-dependent nations 

with little or no cash to run their economy. 

Perhaps, as a practical demonstration 

of the political will and determination to 

find answers to the beleagued economy, 

Buhari sat down with his ministers and 

top government officials for most part of 

Thursday, September 15, 2016, to 

holistically examine the economy and 

proffer solutions that could effectively 

bail the nation out of recession. 

The session came on a one-day retreat 

tagged: “Building Inter-ministerial 

Synergy for Effective Planning and 

Budgeting in Nigeria”. 

Declaring open the retreat, President 

Muhammadu Buhari said that the nation 

requires what he calls ‘out-of-the-box’ 

thinking so as to get out of the economic 

doldrums. 

Buhari said, “The challenges we face 

in the current recession require ‘out-ofthe-box’ 

thinking, to deploy strategies that 

involve engaging meaningfully with the 

private sector, to raise the level of private 

sector investment in the economy as a 

whole. 

We are confident that 

the level of private 

investment will grow 

as we are determined 

to make it easier to 

do business in 

Nigeria by the 

reforms we are 

introducing under 

the auspices of the 

Presidential 

Committee on Ease 

of Doing Business 

“We are confident that the level of 

private investment will grow as we are 

determined to make it easier to do 

business in Nigeria by the reforms we 

are introducing under the auspices of 

the Presidential Committee on Ease of 

Doing Business. 

“This is why we have embarked on 

measures and actions that will open 

up the opportunities we have seen in 

the Power, Housing, Agriculture, 

Mining, Trade and Investment, 

Information Communication 

Technology (ICT) Sectors, Tourism, 

Transport and other sectors. 

“While Government is taking the lead 

in the task of repositioning our economy 

for Change, we cannot achieve this 

completely by ourselves. We will need, 

and we ask for the support and 

cooperation of the private sector’s 

domestic and foreign investors, the States 

and Local Governments, the National 

Assembly and the Judiciary as well as all 

well-meaning Nigerians in this 

important task. We are confident that 

working together, we shall succeed,” 

Buhari assured. 

Budget and National Planning 

Minister, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, 

explained that the retreat was timely as 

it was deliberately arranged as part of 

the government’s preparations for the 

2017 budget, apparently to avoid the 

problems noticeable in the previous 

budgets. 

Udoma said: “We want to make sure 

that as a cabinet, we have synergy and 

we look at the priorities for the 

government for the 2017 budget and 

make sure that in the light of the current 

economic situation that the budget is well 

structured to take us back on the path of 

growth. 

The minister said that with proper 

synergy from the ministers and their 

respective agencies, it would be possible 

for the cabinet to speak with one voice 

regarding the 2017 budget. 

Udoma traced the genesis of the current 

economic quackmire to a number of 

factors but gave an optimistic view that 

the adversity could be turned into an 

opportunity for growth and development. 

Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, 

expressed the government’s sympathy 

Continues on page 8


Continued from page 7 

with Nigerians over the down turn in the 

economy but was quick to add that the 

administration was more serious in its 

intention and resolve to turn it around. 

The minister said: “We sympathize 

with the people of Nigeria but what is 

more serious is our intentions, our 

resolve and plans to turn it around. We 

had said it before that we knew we were 

going to go into a very difficult period. 

We have not anticipated the impact of 

the much awaited crisis, which of course 

is built on our revenue which is down 

significantly. We have a credible plan 

and that plan is based on the need to 

invest in our infrastructure and each of 

the experts spoke on that, saying clearly 

that it was the only solution for Nigeria 

to take us out of this situation and we 

are working on that”. 

The retreat latter broke into six 

syndicate groups with ministers and 

permanent secretaries divided among 

the groups to examine the economy and 

suggest the way forward. Leaders of 

businesses in the private sector and 

consultants to government were also in 

attendance. 

Among the papers presented at the 

retreat were: “Weaning the Nigerian 

economy out of oil dependence”, by Dr 

Obadiah Mailafia, “Fiscal and Trade 

Policy options to get the economy out of 

recession”, by Dr Ayo Teriba. 

But to effectively wean the economy 

out of oil dependence, Dr. Malaifa, 

brought forward both short and long 

term suggestions to be applied by the 

government. 

Malaifa said: “As a short term 

measure, we need bold measures 

through the vehicle of a stimulus 

package and a people-based 

macroeconomic stabilization 

programme that will reboot growth and 

return the economy to the path of long 

term sustainable development. This is a 

fundamental prerequisite for any credible 

programme of long term diversification. 

We then discuss the key sectors for 

diversification, anchored on an agrobased 

mass industrialization strategy; 

arguing that such an ambitious strategy 

will not work without the concomitant 

accompaniment of its necessary 

foundations. 

“These foundations are an enhanced 

role for the private sector as the engine 

and locomotive of growth; more rigorous 

approach to implementation of energy 

and infrastructure development; skills, 

training and human capital development 

and enhancement of labour and 

productivity; and public sector reforms 

in the context of a reinvented and reimagined 

state that is smarter and more 

entrepreneurial.” 

Dr Teriba said, among other things, that 

the government should strengthen the 

synopsis on Fiscal and Trade Policy 

options to get the economy out of recession 

– getting the policies right: there is a clear 

way forward for Nigeria. 

He pointed out that although it was 

regrettable that inflation, devaluation 

and recession have dogged Nigeria’s 

economic news in 2016, they could have 

been prevented. But to get out of the dark 

tunnel, Teriba said the government should 

apply the following strategies to bring 

about a new lease of life: “These were 

avoidable, they should never have 

occurred, and remain easily manageable. 

Indeed the silver linings are the many 

useable, potent but yet to be used 

economic policy ammunition that are 

readily at the disposal of government: The 

CBN could ease its tight policy stance to 

give recovery a chance . Federal 

Government could break its own 

monopoly and let foreign investment 

flood into all infrastructure that could 

provide the big-push to boost recovery 

and also improve Federal and States’ 

fiscal situation. 

“It is also true that the severity of the 

current downturn will only spur us to pull 

•Udo Udoma 

2017 Budget to focus on 

inclusive growth 

For long term 

success, it will be 

critical for all actions 

to be supported by a 

strong commitment 

and decisiveness 

from the government 

some or all of the available policy levers, 

preferably based on a convincing, 

holistic, coherent and wellsynchronized 

economic reform 

document that emphasizes supply 

push, rather than demand restriction 

or price adjustment. This is why I 

strongly believe 2017 may hold a 

sharply contrasting outlook to 2016, 

and most likely turn out to be a year 

of many green shoots for Nigeria, with 

numerous bright shining lights at the 

end of the tunnel,” he said. 

Adding a voice to that, Mr. Bismarck 

Rewane, who spoke on “Monetary and 

Exchange Rate Policy options to get 

the economy out of recession”, 

maintained that the current Nigeria’s 

state of affairs requires a robust plan 

backed by a comprehensive 

implementation effort to turn around 

the economy. 

Rewane said such swift action in at 

least three areas will help address 

Nigeria’s economic challenges: “In 

the fiscal/monetary sector, 

government should reduce interest 

rates to unlock resources tied to debt 

repayments that can be reinvested in 

•Kemi Adeosun 

capital expenditure; reduce VAT rates 

to lower fiscal burden on wider 

citizenry; and boost federal revenue 

capacity by improving on tax and 

Customs collection efficiency, 

selectively liquidate low priority 

assets, concession strategic assets, 

borrow at efficient prices. Improving 

Social welfare and stability by 

improving minimum wages in 

response to rising cost inflation; 

creating social safety net to address 

impoverished community and 

addressing security issues and 

controlling regional conflicts. 

Deepening Business Growth by 

launching pro-growth initiatives in 

under developed sectors to diversify 

the economy and stimulate growth 

in the real sector e.g. Agriculture, 

Mining, Manufacturing etc.); 

expanding credit supply from 

banks by reducing CRR to 

incentivize higher levels of 

lending and launching a fresh 

wave of sustainable asset relief 

programmes to improve Banking 

sector NPLs and unlock capital 

for future lending. 

“For long term success, it will 

be critical for all actions to be 

supported by a strong 

commitment and decisiveness 

from the government. 

Government should consider 

setting up dedicated teams to 

track targets/KPIs and ensure 

timely execution of key 

milestones. This team will also 

be key for managing public 

communication of key policies/ 

actions and harmonizing 

strategies advocated by the 

various ministries. 

“To address the risks, the 

government should employ a set 

of clear and decisive actions, 

along with a cohesive and 

consistent communication 

strategy for renewed and 

sustained confidence amongst key 

stakeholders. Similarly, a realistic 

and pragmatic mind-set must be 

maintained as positive results slowly 

emerge,” he counseled. 

On his part, Mr. Bode Agusto spoke 

on “How to grow output and 

productivity in the real sector”, 

advising that the government should 

be pragmatic in choosing the best 

model in growing key sectors of the 

economy - electric power, railways 

and oil and gas - given the stark 

reality that the external sector is 

weak and does not generate enough 

USD. 

Augusto reasoned that since 

government revenues are down with 

high debt service costs and the 

government finding it difficult to fund 

infrastructure spending without 

borrowing heavily, it should take 

steps to reduce debts to grow the 

economy. 

He said: “Government must 

therefore jump-start the economy by 

increasing infrastructure spending in 

a manner that does not increase debt 

and generate USD that will be used 

to plug both the current account 

deficit and fiscal deficit. In each 

of these key industries, government 

should be minority shareholders, 

allow the majority t manage the 

industry so that she can act as an 

independent regulator. 

Government should also encourage 

competition, provide fiscal and legal 

incentives to encourage investment 

and grow the tax base. Finally, as 

these businesses grow, they must be 

encouraged to list on the Nigerian 

Stock Exchange so that they can 

provide an exit for investors who want 

to sell and a store of wealth for those 

who want to buy,” Augusto said. 

2017 BUDGET 

According to documents from the 

Budget Ministry, the key expectations 

of the 2017 budget will focus on 

reviving the economy and will 

emphasise on actions to return the 

country to sustainable growth, keep 

a cap on recurrent expenditure and 

focus on capital expenditure, 

especially infrastructure. 

According to the document, the 

ultimate target is the attainment of 

strong inclusive growth. 

Although Nigerians are very 

critical of the way the Buhari 

government is handling the economy, 

none of them can however accuse the 

government of not being transparent 

enough to admit that there is danger 

in the system, They have also been 

pragmatic in pointing the way 

forward. But the citizens must erase 

from their minds the fallacy that any 

government or nation like Nigeria 

that does not produce and sell enough 

goods and services for export to earn 

foreign exchange can easily recover 

from an economic slum even if it is 

producing oil on a sustained basis. 

Nigerians seem to have missed the 

universally acknowledged position 

that oil is an unpredictable item 

of trade, the price of which 

depends on external forces 

outside the control of the 

producers. 

No economy is nourished by 

heavy consumption of imported 

goods and services, without a 

strong manufacturing sector. 

Nigerians must also erase the 

notion that an economic team no 

matter how brilliant the members 

may be, could salvage Nigeria 

from its current dilemma if the 

different state governments do not 

begin to embark on provision of 

vital small scale industry 

production to engage their 

citizens and desist from 

‘investing’ almost all their 

earnings on ‘security votes’. 

Economic theories and advocacy 

are clearly different from 

production and selling of goods 

to earn cash and provide jobs. 

That is the way the new thinking 

should go!

SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016, PAGE 9 

SHOWDOWN IN EDO 

EDO POLL 

War of words over political 

family to produce gov 

*Igbinedions cannot hold us to ransom – APC’s Charles Idahosa 

*We are bringing in PDP government – Lucky Igbinedion 

*Obaseki will do better than me – Oshiomhole 

•Governor Adams Oshiomhole 

•Charles Idahosa 

• Ize-Iyamu 

•Godwin Obaseki 

By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin-City 

The projects of the Governor Ad 

ams Oshiomhole-led administra 

tion remain the key assets of the 

All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo 

State governorship election rescheduled 

for September 28. Anyone who has 

been in Edo in the past twenty years 

will appreciate the strides made so far 

in building infrastructures and beautifying 

the cities in the state by this administration. 

However, in this campaign, 

the opposition Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP) has tried to remind 

the people that there is hunger in town 

and that infrastructures cannot guarantee 

good life for the people. But the 

PDP’s record during its stay at Osadebey 

Avenue (Govt. House) for ten years 

is not helping matters. The argument is 

that if the PDP had at least built one 

road, according to a APC leader, Charles 

Idahosa, the APC government would 

have started from a second road “but in 

this case nothing was met on ground as 

it is only now that Oshiomhole built the 

foundation for the future of Edo State”. 

It is, therefore, not surprising that the 

APC in the state made a mockery of the 

comments made by a former PDP governor 

of the state, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, 

during an occasion to celebrate the 

birthday of his father, the Esama of Benin, 

Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. The 

former governor had declared: “The 

next governor will come from our political 

family and that person is Pastor 

Osagie Ize-Iyamu. INEC can postpone 

the election but they cannot cancel it. I 

can assure you the result will remain 

the same. I made it clear before that the 

next governor will come from our political 

family. That has been my prayer. 

Come September 28, the margin of victory 

will be higher than if the election 

had held on September 10. Edo people 

should vote wisely. Be rest assured that 

Anyone who has been in Edo 

in the past twenty years will 

appreciate the strides made so 

far in building infrastructures 

and beautifying the cities in the 

state by this administration. 

However, in this campaign, the 

opposition Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP) has tried to remind 

the people that there is hunger 

in town and that infrastructures 

cannot guarantee good life for 

the people 

the insults that have taken place since 

2008 will stop. The brutalization of our 

psyche, of our women will stop. Unemployment 

of our youths will be a thing 

of the past. Lack of focus in education 

and sports sectors will be a thing of the 

past. We are bringing in a PDP government 

that can represent the people, 

build human development and industries”. 

This was the first time the former 

governor will openly speak about the 

election even though he had been meeting 

with some APC leaders at night, 

stressing to them the need to vote Ize- 

Iyamu. Meanwhile, APC leaders have 

since been repeating the former governor’s 

declaration on television to remind 

the people that the same persons 

who, according to them, ruined Edo during 

PDP’s 10-yr-administration are battling 

to come back. Idahosa, who is Political 

Adviser to Oshiomhole, responded 

to Igbinedion’s declaration. He said: 

“We are happy that at least the former 

governor is coming out to speak for his 

boy Ize-Iyamu in the open. We are happy 

because if you look at Ize-Iyamu’s 

programme, what he calls the SIMPLE 

Agenda, or his profile, you will never 

see anything associating him with the 

Igbinedions, he is never proud of them 

in the open but at the background he is 

their boy. We are aware that Lucky Igbinedion 

has been going round the 

homes of APC leaders, begging them to 

help Ize-Iyamu as Oshiomhole has been 

abusing his father, so they must not allow 

Obaseki to come in. But why is it 

that he does not come out in the afternoon 

to campaign for Ize-Iyamu, why 

at night? But we are happy he brought 

himself out when he now declared his 

support that the next governor will come 

from their political family. But the question 

you people should ask him, this 

family do they have two heads? The last 

time the family produced a governor for 

the state, what did they do with that opportunity? 

But I think the former governor 

does not know that the politics of 

Edo has changed. We have passed the 

stage where father, son and their god 

father at Uromi will hold this state to 

ransom, it will never happen. Lucky 

should come out and campaign for Ize- 

Iyamu in the open and not in his father’s 

bedroom. No amount of deceit will 

change the minds of our people and we 

cannot go back to Egypt. What they are 

thinking now is that the APC leaders 

they spoke to are working for them but 

they will be disappointed. Every APC 

leader they spoke to reported to the hierarchy 

of the party, both the people they 

promised heaven and earth. Lucky 

should ask why Ize-Iyamu is ashamed 

of associating with him in the open. At 

least our candidate Godwin Obaseki is 

proud to say he worked under Oshiomhole 

for seven and a half years, why is 

Ize-Iyamu not proud to say he started 

as Personal Assistant to Lucky Igbinedion? 

Our selling point is Oshiomhole’s 

works in Edo and we will beat PDP 

silly in this election”. 

In a related development, residents of 

Second East Circular, Benin City, and 

leaders in areas described as abandoned 

before the coming of Oshiomhole, 

backed the aspiration of Obaseki, 

saying their support was due to the 

work done in their areas by the APCled 

administration. The rich living in 

the Government Reserved Areas (GRA) 

may not be happy with the governor but 

the middle class and the poor in the 

densely populated areas of Isunhoru, 

Ihenye Upper Siluko, Second East Circular, 

Upper Sakpoba, all in Benin City, 

are happy with the APC and the Comrade 

Governor and that, to a large extent, 

gives Obaseki the edge over other 

candidates in this election. The joy of 

these residents was obvious last Tuesday, 

when Oshiomhole, the APC candidate 

in the Edo poll, Obaseki, inspected 

ongoing work at the second East Circular 

Road which is now a dual carriage 

road. 

A resident, Mr Yusuf Abdulrazak, who 

spoke on behalf of others, said, “We 

don’t encounter flooding here again. My 

car used to break down along this road, 

and I was always going to the mechanic 

for repairs which made me spend a lot 

of money. Now, I don’t spend money on 

such repairs anymore. You must finish 

this work that you have started. Last 

week, we organised a rally at this junction 

here, and we danced and jubilated. 

We are all for Godwin Obaseki, his government 

will be a continuation of the 

government of Oshio Baba which gave 

us this beautiful road.” 

Continues on page 12 

C 

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PAGE 10 — SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 


With Ize-Iyamu, Edo is in safe hands – Ikimi 

BY OLALEKAN BILESANMI 

•Chief Sylvanus Ohaemesi 

•Chief Tom Ikimi 

Chief Tom Ikimi has seen it all in 

Nigeria’s politics since the short lived 

third republic when he was the National 

Chairman of the National Republic 

Convention. Since the current 

political dispensation started in 1999, 

he has traversed all the major parties 

in the country including the All Progressives 

Congress (APC) and the 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Today, 

he is a leader of the PDP. Ikimi, 

in this interview, speaks on the September 

28 poll in Edo State. 

Let us know why this election 

in Edo State is the fiercest and 

most politically heated since 

your very first such governorship 

contest in 1992 as National Chairman 

of the National Republican Convention, 

NRC. Why are the stakes for you 

suddenly higher? 

My dream of Nigerian as a nation 

that is politically guided by a structure 

founded on two balanced political 

parties which provide viable alternative 

choices for our people has been 

partially fulfilled by the existence today 

of the PDP and the APC. I am 

proud to have played very prominent 

and historical roles in both parties. It 

was a very exciting experience for me 

to be the first elected National Chairman 

of the National Republican Convention, 

NRC, in 1990 -1992, during 

that very successful experiment of a 

two-party system in our country. Although 

I was National Chairman and 

Edo , my home state, I did not pay 

any particular attention to the governorship 

election in the state, both in 

the party primaries as well as in the 

election itself. I considered the whole 

country to be my constituency and I 

was eventually very proud of our 

achievement when, in the overall outcome 

of the general elections, the 

NRC won 16 governorship out of the 

30 states in the country at the time. 

Throughout my tenure, I maintained 

a very healthy and cordial relationship 

with Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, 

my counterpart in the rival Social 

Democratic Party, SDP. I travelled 

the length and breadth of Nigeria freely, 

happily and unmolested. Unfortunately 

that innovative system came to 

an abrupt end. With the return of democratic 

dispensation in 1999, the PDP 

won the governorship of Edo State. 

That lasted eight years, followed by 

another brief period of just over a 

year. My membership of the PDP at 

the time was short-lived - from 2002 

to sometime in 2005. I became increasingly 

uncomfortable with the way 

an ideologically fundamental core was 

being insinuated into the party’s operations, 

as though the PDP was the 

sole party of Nigeria. A democracy 

must permit an alternative party. My 

political quest became an earnest 

search for an alternative to the PDP 

in our infant democracy. I was, therefore, 

one of the two persons fundamentally 

responsible for the creation 

of the Action Congress (AC) which in 

2007 admitted Comrade Adams Oshiomhole 

as a member and eventually 

the party’s governorship candidate. 

Everything happened virtually at the 

very last minute, preceding the governorship 

election of that year. My 

colleagues and I fought a titanic battle 

to secure victory for the Action Congress 

and install Adams Oshiomhole 

as governor. Our team in that struggle 

was a formidable political family. 

We are still very much together today. 

One of the stars of the team is Pastor 

Osagie Ize-Iyamu. 

Tell us what the critical issues are in 

the election. Many say you have been 

a leader in both parties, the APC and 

the PDP at the national and state levels. 

Is this all about the political pride 

and ego of Ikimi and Oshiomhole? 

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has 

been in politics for about eight years 

altogether, which covers the whole 

period of his governorship. I have been 

in full-time national politics at the 

highest levels, non- stop, for about 28 

A victory by the PDP and 

the installation of Pastor 

Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the 

next governor of Edo will 

be the best thing to happen 

at this time for the 

state, the South-South 

geo-political zone and 

indeed the whole country 

The political composition and alliances 

between the gladiators in Edo 

appear quite fluid and very mobile. 

At one time, it was Ogbemudia/ 

Anenih/Igbinedion Vs Ikimi/Oshiomhole/others. 

Today, it is Ikimi/Igbinedion/Anenih 

Vs Oyegun/Oshiyears 

now. There is a vast difference 

between the two of us. It is true that I 

have been a leader of both the PDP 

and the APC. In 2012, we successfully 

installed Oshiomhole for a second 

term. A critical issue in this election is 

to prevent a de facto third term governorship 

by Adams Oshiomhole 

through the back door. We want a state 

in which all the three senatorial zones 

operate in harmony and have a sense 

of belonging. 

Some analysts say you want to end 

your active political career on a high 

note by ensuring victory for your 

party at this governorship election 

after which you will bow out a satisfied 

politician and successful architect 

of immeasurable repute and 

fame. Any truth in this? 

A victory by the PDP and the installation 

of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as 

the next governor of Edo will be the 

best thing to happen at this time for 

the state, the South-South geo-political 

zone and indeed the whole 

country. Edo will breathe a fresh air 

and embrace a new lease of life. Edo 

people need to regain their position 

of excellence in so many spheres once 

again. Among the lot of governorship 

candidates, only Pastor Ize-Iyamu has 

an agenda of reasoned policies. Virtually 

all the notable political leaders 

and respected national elder 

statesmen of Edo State are in the PDP. 

They are all in full support of our candidate. 

The victory will be a high note 

success for all of them in their political 

careers. With the entry of Pastor 

Osagie Ize- Iyamu and with the support 

of all our leaders we look forward 

to the restoration of Edo in sports once 

again. I thank God for preserving my 

life with His blessings of good health 

and physical strength. I do not intend 

to end my contributions of serving the 

nation and particularly Edo, the birth 

place of my ancestors. I am in fact 

energized by the warmth of reception 

accorded me at various locations 

during this campaign. 

You have been quoted as saying the 

result of the September 28 election 

in Edo will shock Oshiomhole and 

his APC. What makes you so sure? 

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, I believe, 

is quite aware of how he got into 

power in 2007/8 and how he got reelected 

in 2012. Oshiomhole has no 

idea of how Etsako West, his LGA, 

was created. His insulting of elders 

has not gone down well with the general 

public who are determined to pay 

him back on election day. 

Your senatorial zone, Edo Central, 

allegedly suffered very serious neglect 

by the present government in 

the distribution of infrastructural and 

other development projects in the 

state. Has this influenced your current 

hardline position against Oshiomhole 

and the APC? 

Let me tell you my vision of Edo land. 

I see it as a homogeneous family in 

which we all should share and share 

alike. In 2007, I enthusiastically supported 

the zoning of the governorship 

seat to Edo North. Our reasoning was 

that Edo North had not been given a 

chance to govern the state. Even after 

the election, when Professor Osariemen 

Osunbor from Esan land - my 

senatorial district of Edo Central - 

was declared the winner, I fought 

tooth and nail, shoulder to shoulder, 

along with other colleagues, through 

the court process, to have Adams Oshiomhole 

declared the rightful winner 

notwithstanding his origin in Edo 

North. This reasoning is in keeping 

with the lofty ideals of the founding 

fathers of Edo who wanted an ethnically 

homogeneous state in which the 

three legs of Edo North, Edo Central 

and Edo South enjoy equal opportunity. 

We were most unlucky that in 

backing the outgoing governor, we 

chose a man who did not share our 

passion of homogeneity. Even so in 

penalizing Edo Central, Oshiomhole 

set a new standard all of his own. 

The state which had always operated 

peacefully with the three top political 

positions of governor, deputy governor 

and Speaker rotated among the 

three senatorial zones ended up 

through a series of manipulations, 

with governor in the North and deputy 

governor and Speaker to the 

South. Oshiomhole soon revealed his 

true character of arch clannishness 

with an attitude that Edo Central, being 

the so-called least populated, 

could be sacrificed. Even in his senatorial 

district, he preferentially 

favours his local government at the 

expense of the other five. The Esan 

people in the five local governments 

of Esan land are not happy 

that they and their territory have suffered 

such neglect. 

What would you say are the essential 

political advantages of Ize Iyamu 

over that of APC’s Godwin 

Obaseki. You must have some fears 

about your candidate, what are 

these? 

Ize Iyamu is a consummate politician 

who has endeared himself to a 

vast majority of the politicians in the 

state, and that is across both political 

parties. He is a qualified lawyer who 

has acquired good working experience 

in government as a former chief 

of staff and Secretary to Government. 

His late father was a respected high 

chief of unblemished record in the 

Oba’s palace - the Esogban of Benin. 

Their family house, still standing, is 

an historic relic being the first storeybuilding 

- Egedegenokaro - in Benin 

City. Ize-Iyamu, who was the Director-General 

of Adams Oshiomhole’s 

second term campaign organisation, 

is fully groomed, knows all the 

ropes and has submitted faultless documentation 

to INEC. Osagie Iyamu 

has personally led his own campaign 

to all the nooks and crannies of Edo 

and has interacted with all our peoples, 

big or small. 


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Edo voter 

ers s are solidly behind Obaseki 

– Senator Obende 

*’Postponement will give us opportunity to widen election result gap’ 

By Simon Ebegbulem, Benin-City 

Senator Domingo Obende is 

the All Progressives Congress 

(APC) National Campaign 

Council Publicity and Media 

Chairman. In this interview, he 

says the PDP in Edo State 

lacks leaders that can help 

governorship candidate,Pastor 

Osagie Ize-Iyamu, to victory. 

How is your party tak 

ing the postpone 

ment of the election? 

We have prepared so hard, 

we believe that the voters are 

behind us and we are going 

to win. I am also happy because 

Edo has not been known 

to be a place where violence is 

the order of the day. If for security 

reasons as stated by the 

police and the DSS, this shift 

in election date was made, I 

think I am happy for it presupposes, 

come September 28, the 

election will be peaceful. We 

have heard the talk about APC 

forcing the postponement, but, 

first and foremost, APC never 

imported any thug. Secondly, 

we are not harbouring anybody. 

Thirdly, we did not bring 

any body to register that is not 

from Edo. Our strength are the 

voters and we have them behind 

us, they are not going to 

die or shift. So, any time, any 

day, we are ready for the election 

and I can bet that the gap 

is going to be wider now than 

we had imagined; we are going 

to win. 

Will you say that the current 

economic hardship is affecting 

your party in this election? 

Things are tough but it is not 

peculiar to Edo. Here in Edo, 

there is no governor that you 

can compare with Oshiomhole. 

You can talk about 

Gen.Ogbemudia, yes, but 

Oshiomhole is fantastic. If you 

compare Oshiomhole’s work 

and that of other governors, if 

they had one at all, you will 

find out they are not at par. And 

that is a big plus for us in this 

election. The two weeks they 

gave us is a two weeks of 

grace, which will showcase all 

the things we have done. It has 

given us the opportunity to reintroduce 

our candidate across 

the state. Concerning the economic 

situation, everybody 

knows that the whole world is 

in recession and PDP brought 

us into this problem. We cannot 

leave the past to blame the 

current person in government 

not finding solution to the problem. 

APC promised three 

things, security, economy, 

fighting corruption. We all 

know who collected our money 

without doing anything. We 

all know why the economy is 

hanging this way. What APC 

•Senator Domingo Obende 

is doing is trying to rebuild Nigeria 

and put it on a solid foundation 

for growth. 

PDP leaders in Edo are 

boasting they will win. How do 

you see this? 

There is this adage that says 

a house divided by itself cannot 

stand. PDP as we speak 

today has no clear cut leadership 

and for that I don’t think 

anybody would want to take 

PDP seriously in Edo. They 

have two factional governorship 

candidates, Ize-Iyamu and Iduoriyekemwen; 

so how will 

they win? PDP has had a pattern 

of leadership in Edo for 

more than ten years and that 

did not lead us to any developmental 

stride as far as the 

state is concerned. Then Comrade 

started in the past seven 

and a half years; infact I should 

say six and a half years because, 

for a year, he remained 

within the cap and caprices of 

the PDP House of Assembly 

then. And for that one year, 

Comrade did nothing in the 

state. But immediate he left the 

hook, in his second year, he 

started performing. I do not 

think any Edo man, having 

known these experiences on 

the part of the leadership of the 

PDP, will believe that PDP 

leaders will allow any elected 

person in PDP to perform. 

When you look at it clearly, you 

will ask, who are the people 

that actually destroyed PDP in 

Edo? Lucky Igbinedion could 

not do much because some 

leaders were sharing the money. 

And I don’t think any Edo 

man wants to do that right now. 

I know we have done a study 

about this issue and that is why 

a lot of us have resolved that it 

must be APC all the way. Why 

Everybody knows 

Comrade as a fighter, he 

has been a labour man, 

he likes challenges. But 

there are people who 

navigate around 

challenges, Comrade 

does not navigate 

around challenges; he 

confronts them 

is it APC all the way? Comrade 

in seven years has given us development 

we never anticipated. 

He may have his private issues 

with people, but has he 

performed? The answer is yes. 

Has he done what exactly he 

was voted for? The answer is 

yes. Did he as a politician deliver 

on his promises? The answer 

is yes. Go and check; after 

Ogbemudia’s days, who 

else can compare with Comrade? 

Nobody. Why? He does 

not have a clear cut leadership 

controlling him. And that is the 

same way we feel that bringing 

in Obaseki, he is going to 

follow the path of Comrade’s 

development strategy. Their 

characters are not the same, 

their training is not the same; 

so you don’t expect the social 

indices of Comrade to be the 

social indices of Obaseki. 

Everybody knows Comrade 

as a fighter, he has been a labour 

man, he likes challenges. 

But there are people who navigates 

around challenges, Comrade 

does not navigate around 

challenges; he confronts them. 

And that is what makes him 

different from Obaseki that is 

coming in. Even from the debate, 

you could see the differences 

when you put questions 

across to Obaseki. So, to me, 

PDP has no leadership that can 

guarantee them victory in this 

election. 

Former Governor Lucky Igbinedion 

recently boasted that 

the next governor of Edo will 

be produced by the Igbinedion 

family in the person of Pastor 

Ize-Iyamu and Chief Ikimi 

also boasted in the same 

manner. What is your take on 

that? 

First and foremost, my brother 

Lucky Igbinedion knows 

who Oshiomhole is, he was one 

of those who brought Oshiomhole. 

So you can say Oshiomhole 

is equally part of that family. 

So we have already produced 

two governors from that 

family, Igbinedion himself and 

Oshiomhole. Now, we cannot 

allow three brothers to rule us 

in Edo from the same family. 

Oshiomhole came from Lucky’s 

angle and, as of that time, 

Chief Anenih was angry until 

they met and had a meeting 

point of revolution. 

Meeting point? But.... 

But as you know Oshiomhole 

needed to be his own man so 

as to fulfil his campaign promises 

and that was where he had 

issues with these people which 

is good for the people of the 

state. Lucky is our brother, so 

he brought another of our 

brother Oshiomhole who is 

completing his eight years, so 

we don’t want him to go and 

bring another person from the 

same family. We are satisfied 

with Oshiomhole that he gave 

to us and we are going to get 

another governor from another 

family, in the person of 

Obaseki. 

What about Ikimi 

Ikimi is a man that likes talking 

big. But I will advise him 

to win his polling unit first for 

his party before talking about 

winning this governorship 

election. He knows what I 

mean, so I don’t need to expatiate. 

And talking about our 

current situation, what we are 

facing today as a nation is a 

product of the PDP because we 

don’t want to lament about it, 

we are still working in Edo and 

Edo will keep working. So in 

this light, we do not think we 

need a change of government 

in the state. The strategy we 

have been using even in the 

state of nothing, particular 

three years to Oshiomhole’s 

exit that is working for us, we 

want to maintain that and the 

people behind this success is 

the Chairman of the Economic 

and Strategy Team, which is 

Godwin Obaseki. And of 

course I must tell you clearly 

that Ize-Iyamu will equally 

agree that this government has 

worked. But when things have 

become personalized, you cannot 

say the fact as it is any 

more. Everybody wants to have 

it his own way. But on this, Edo 

people cannot be short 

changed, Edo people are wiser, 

Edo people will stand to 

claim what belongs to them by 

speaking our minds on September 

28 with our votes and 

we will make sure that we put 

the PDP where they are right 

now. They can never resurface 

anymore because as far as we 

are concerned we have the people 

who will use their votes to 

surpress them. The problem 

with for Ize-Iyamu too is that 

while Obaseki has been able to 

point at what his party APC has 

done, Ize-Iyamu has nothing 

to point to because his boss, 

while he was SSG to government, 

that is, Lucky Igbinedion, 

performed woefully. But you 

can see what Comrade Oshiomhole 

has done today. Fantastic 

governor that all of us will 

miss. 

Allegation of rigging from 

PDP and can you justify the 

postponement of the election? 

The threats that led to the 

postponement of the election 

have been justified. First and 

foremost we saw militants being 

charged to court in Edo. 

Some are still facing interrogation. 

Secondly, the tension in 

Edo has come down very drastically, 

you don’t find people 

walking as if tomorrow we are 

going to die. That has calmed 

down. And security agencies 

have strategized, they have 

now known the positions to 

place their men. The postponement 

of this election is going 

to give us another wide margin 

we need in our elections. 

For PDP, it think they will keep 

crying wolf because they know 

why, it is like I have made an 

arrangement that tomorrow I 

will do something, and it is like 

that thing is dispensable. PDP 

is lost now because they are 

finding it difficult to re-strategize 

and energize, that is the 

problem they are having. To us 

in APC, we are going to win 

the election because we have 

embarked on more strategy, we 

are doing more work to ensure 

that we win and we are going 

to win. 

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PAGE 12 — SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 


With Ize-Iyamu, Edo is in safe hands – Ikimi 


•Chief Ikimi 

omhole/Ogbemudia. The question is 

whether the political landscape in 

Edo is determined by the agreements 

and disagreements between the personalities 

who constitute the leadership 

of the parties. 

Over the past two and a half decades 

or so, I have related with the political 

leaders of our state within the framework 

of different circumstances and 

interests. These interests are sometimes 

influenced by leaders’ relationships 

in the wider national context. I 

have, therefore, had the privilege to 

work closely with most of our leaders 

under a variety of circumstances and 

at different times. 

For instance, I worked very closely 

with Dr Samuel Ogbemudia and 

Chief Gabriel Igbinedion in my days 

as National Chairman of the National 

Republican Convention. At that time, 

Chief Tony Anenih was in the Social 

Democratic Party, which eventually 

fielded Chief Odigie Oyegun as Edo 

governorship candidate. I am aware 

that Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia is quietly 

retired now and not a member of 

the APC. He leads a group called 

EMM – Edo Mass Movement. Oshiomhole 

has not got the benefit of longterm 

relationships with any of these 

leaders. When I was a member of AC, 

ACN and APC, I was a leader in Edo. 

A primary issue then was to form a 

party that would stop the PDP becoming 

the sole party in Nigeria. The circumstances 

that connived to make 

Oyegun National Chairman of APC 

are very interesting. There were other 

contributing factors from outside the 

state. 

All that was then. Today, Edo political 

leadership’s priority is overwhelmingly 

in favour of establishing harmony 

between the peoples of the three 

senatorial districts of our state. 

After this hotly contested governorship 

election, should your candidate 

emerge victorious what promises, 

can we hold you and the PDP to? 

The state will be in very safe political 

hands in which politicians will play 

their role, the executive and legislature 

will play their roles side by side. 

Ize Iyamu has campaigned round the 

state and every where he went he presented 

a document containing his 

agenda titled, The SIMPLE agenda. 

S -Security and Social Welfare 

I - Infrastructural Development 

M- Manpower Development and 

Training 

P - Public Private Partnership 

L - Leadership By Example 

E - Employment and Empowerment 

I trust that as an astute, God-fearing 

politician, our candidate will keep 

faith with his pledge. During the 

Channels TV sponsored governorship 

debate, he made a pledge that he will 

restore Edo’s lost glory in sports. 

What are you and other leaders of 

your party doing to ensure free, fair, 

violent free and acceptable elections? 

Why are there so many allegations 

and counter allegations of rigging 

and intentions to fraudulently win at 

all cost flying on both sides? 

A free, fair and peaceful election can 

only be guaranteed by the Independent 

National Electoral Commission, 

INEC, and the security agencies comprising 

the police, the military, Department 

of State Security, DSS, and the 

para-military forces. INEC who had 

met several times with the security 

forces conveyed to all stakeholders 

that all was set to go for the election. 

The PDP is in the opposition and cannot 

influence the deployment of these 

forces. The PDP is set for a free, fair 

and peaceful election and we plead 

with President Muhamadu Buhari 

to maintain his stance of neutrality. 

Your party appears to be drifting at 

the national level.It is common 

knowledge that Sen. Alli Modu Sherrif, 

one of the major protagonists in 

the dispute at the national level, is 

you friend and political ally for nearly 

three decades now. How do you envisage 

that this crisis will be resolved 

early enough to have a united front 

for the 2019 national elections. 

The PDP secured national power in 

1999 right at the beginning of this 

political dispensation and held power 

continuously for 16 years. The loss 

of the presidential election in 2015 put 

the party into the opposition for the 

first time. Managing a party in opposition 

is much different from managing 

one in power. The process needed 

now is to cleanse the party leadership 

and democratically install one 

that is strong, dependable and capable 

to rebuild the party. The country 

is certainly now in dire need of a well 

structured, stable opposition party. 

The PDP has viable structures nationwide 

but the process that brought in 

Ali Modu Sherrif as National Chairman 

was faulty. I was prepared to go 

along with him as National Chairman 

if it was for a specified brief period. I 

am afraid, I do not consider the actions 

of Ali Modu Sherrif since the first 

Port Harcourt Convention as the actions 

of someone who has the deeper 

interest of the party at heart. How, 

for instance, could he adopt someone 

who participated and lost the governorship 

primary in Edo as candidate. 

All the critical structures of the party 

support the Caretaker Committee and 

I believe the matter will very soon be 

appropriately resolved . 

War of words over political family to produce gov 

•Chief Gabriel Igbinedion 


Oshiomhole told the residents that 

“this is the first time we will be having 

this kind of road”. He went on: 

“You have a road, you have a walkway, 

and you have drain underneath. 

It has never happened in this city before. 

We are going to put street lights. 

We have been listening to our opponents 

who are telling lies everywhere. 

They are saying that the Comrade and 

his deputy are fighting. How can we 

fight? We are not boxers. We are working 

as brothers and will continue to 

work as brothers. And you people 

must help to explain to the ordinary 

people that the high cost of living is 

•Issa Aremu 

not within the control of the state government. 

The state government has no 

hand in the price of foodstuff in the 

market. But the state government 

must build schools, pay teachers, must 

provide hospitals, must construct 

roads, and must provide drainage. If 

you watch television, you would see 

the kind of flooding that is taking place 

everywhere, but Benin is not like what 

it used to be like that, but because of 

the drainages we have done. So, you 

have to explain to the people. By the 

grace of God, we want to do more 

roads like this in this City because we 

need to transform Benin completely. 

That is the second phase for Godwin, 

in addition to employment creation so 

that the youths will have jobs. We also 

need to provide for the elderly. Godwin 

is not coming to learn how to govern. 

For eight years, we worked together. 

Now that he has graduated, 

he will do better than me.” 

Also speaking, Obaseki said, “You 

have seen that Comrade Governor has 

really worked. We have constructed 

roads and built schools. What is left is 

job creation. I will bring industries. 

Before I can bring industries, you need 

to vote for me to become governor first. 

You have to mobilise and go from street 

to street, telling everybody to come out 

with their PVC on the day of election 

to vote.” The governor and the APC 

candidate went on the road walk with 

their wives, Lara Oshiomhole and 

Betsy Obaseki. 

Separately, National Union of Textile 

Garment and Tailoring Workers of 

Nigeria (NUTGTWN) endorsed 

Obaseki as the next governor of Edo 

to continue with the development 

strides of Oshiomhole. General-Secretary 

of the union, Comrade Issa 

Aremu, at the Annual National Education 

Conference of the union in Benin 

City, said: “I want to say, I want 

to confirm, I want to reaffirm that Edo 

is working and Edo has worked. National 

Union of Textile Garment has 

affirmed, confirmed and reaffirmed 

continuity in Edo State and we have 

endorsed the candidature of Godwin 

Obaseki.” 

Also speaking, the President of National 

Union of Textile, Garment and 

Tailoring Workers of Nigeria (NUT- 

GTWN), Comrade John Adaji, commended 

Oshiomhole for the enormous 

progress he has made in infrastructural 

development. 

He said, “We are proud that the public 

critical acknowledgement of the 

enormous progress recorded in Edo 

under the watchful eyes of Comrade 

Adams in the development of education, 

infrastructure, road construction, 

reconstruction of hospitals and general 

improvement in the health infrastructure. 

In particular, we were deeply 

concerned about human capital development 

and the welfare of workers. 

His administration has not only continued 

to pay salaries as and when due 

but equally the first governor to single-handedly 

have the minimum 

wage adjusted to twenty-five thousand 

naira. We are glad that the Comrade 

has done well to justify the confidence 

of Edo people.” Obaseki thanked the 

Textile workers for endorsing him asserting 

“I want to assure you that by 

the grace of God, I will not disappoint 

you. We see Edo as the next haven for 

the garment industry because we have 

laid the basis for industrialisation. 

With gas and electricity available here, 

we are sure that Edo State will be the 

headquarters of the garment industry. 

As part of our micro-medium development 

fund, I am committing today 

that we will set aside a hundred million 

naira, not seventy-five and from 

Monday, I will want to have a meeting 

with whoever is in charge in the 

union so that we can commence the 

process of disbursement.” 

C 

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C 

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investigation 

Army battles 

ex - heads of state, 

nearly 400 others 

NATIONAL HOSPITAL WHERE DEATH IS CHEAP: 

Our story, by resident 

doctors, patients 

By Chioma Obinna 

When the National 

Hospital Abuja (NHA) 

was made a referral 

health institution in September 

1999, the vision then was that 

Nigerians from all walks of life 

will not have need to travel 

outside the country to access 

health care. 

The idea was to have a hospital 

that is well equipped, well-staffed 

and well maintained. 

Sadly, the dream has not been 

realised as the situation in the 

health facility today is far from 

that vision. 

Investigation shows a gradual 

decay of physical infrastructures 

and quality of services in the 

NHA while a key factor killing the 

hospital is corruption. 

Corruption is said to have eaten 

deep into the fabric of the society 

to the point that those who 

condemn it in daytime go to bed 

with it at night. 

Sunday Vanguard contacted 

the Minister of Health, Prof Isaac 

Adewole, for his comments before 

the first part of this investigation, 

penultimate Sunday. Although 

the Minister promised to visit the 

hospital for an on-the-spot 

assessment, he is yet to keep his 

promise at the time of this report. 

No condition of service 

One lapse in the hospital is 

absence of condition of service for 

the staff. Sources at the health 

institution said that the absence of 

condition of service is one major 

reason the best hands leave after 

their residency. 

“This is one of the reasons the 

staff of the hospital are also prone 

to industrial action to press home 

their grievances”, a source said 

This was confirmed by a member 

of the sacked Board in 2014 who 

told Sunday Vanguard that when 

the Board was in place, they 

recommended a condition of service 

that has incentives slightly above 

what is obtained in other places so 

as to encourage the medical and 

non-medical support personnel to 

give in their best. 

“We gave them enhanced call 

duty allowances and proposed 

other incentives on accommodation, 

transportation, training and 

research grants, welfare of family 

members and opportunities for 

exchange programmes to enable 

them travel out for refresher 

programmes or receiving Nigerian 

medical professionals to come home 

during their sabbaticals on 

exchange programmes”, the former 

Board member said. 

“We even approved funds for the 

Chief Medical Director (CMD) to 

travel abroad and encourage some 

Nigerian doctors to return and 

contribute their efforts to building 

our health sector. All these came to 

naught. The hospital Management 

today operates without a Board to 

oversee its activities. Its 

procurements are done between the 

Management and the Ministry of 

Health.” 

Health watchers believe that the 

scenario again brings into focus the 

issue of the Nigerian factor. Even 

when the former Board was in 

place, the Management was said to 

have tried to sideline it on the 

grounds that the members were not 

Investigation also 

reveals that whereas 

the NHA is shortstaffed, 

the 

Management keeps 

disengaging resident 

doctors 

medical professionals. 

Disengagement of doctors 

Investigation also reveals that 

whereas the NHA is short-staffed, 

the Management keeps 

disengaging resident doctors. 

Some doctors, who just finished 

their residency and were hoping 

to be upgraded to the rank of 

consultants, were said to have 

been asked to leave. This 

development is coming at a time 

the ratio of doctors to patients is 

put at 1:50 on clinic call, an 

indication that the hospital is 

suffering severe manpower and 

equipment deficit. 

Speaking on the situation, the 

Public Relations Officer of the 

NHA, Dr. Tayo Hastrup, who 

dismissed the allegation, said: 

“The letter of disengagement was 

only given to resident doctors 

whose period of training has 

expired”. 

One of the doctors, whose 

residency expires in February 

2017, however, told Sunday 

Vanguard: “When I finished my 

Youth Service and joined the NHA 

in 2007, I saw the hospital as an 

ideal place for a young brilliant 

doctor who wants to give his best. 

But, sooner than later, the reality 

began to unfold. I began to 

discover the culture of sycophancy, 

mediocrity and mendacity that had 

permeated the fabric of the system. 

“This is a place where 

professionals are expected to 

attend weddings, birthdays, house 

warming and other social events of 

their bosses to show that they are 

loyal. When you meet your boss 

coming to work, you must take his 

or her bag or whatever he is 

carrying from him. Wherever you 

see him, you must walk up to 

greet him, leaving whatever you 

are doing as a sign of loyalty. 

“The CMD cannot be 

everywhere at the same time, but, 

unfortunately, those who head the 

various departments and those 

that are close to him only tell him 

what he would like to hear. They 

are pre-occupied with their selfish 

interests while the hospital 

deteriorates and patients and 

doctors suffer.” 

Sub-standard equipment 

He went on: “First, we don’t 


C 

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investigation 

Our story, by resident doctors, patients 

*Resident doctors... Too many anomalies in NHA 


have standard diagnostic 

equipment to work with. When 

we have emergency cases at 

night, you may find a doctor 

using rechargeable light or 

light from cell phone to find 

intravenous line, because the 

generator has packed up and 

there is no electricity from 

public supply. In a place like 

the National Hospital, you 

would expect that machines for 

CT scan, ECG and MRI are 

readily available at the 

emergency units. You expect 

that the simulator machines 

would be functional, but in this 

place, you discover that doctors 

use manual marking of 

patients with oncology cases 

instead of a simulator to 

examine the patients. First, you 

will not get the accurate 

reading that will help you 

determine the actual dosage to 

apply. We rack our brains to 

determine dosage to 

administer to the patient and 

determine where to direct the 

radiation treatment. The MRI 

machine that we use in this 

hospital is a toy. The capacity 

of the Teslar is about 0.3 when 

what is required is a machine with 

a Teslar capacity of 1.5. The world 

standard is 3.0.We cannot rely on 

the readings from the MRI 

machine which is problem-solving 

equipment” 

Further investigation reveals 

that the NHA records frequent 

breakdown of equipment and 

other facilities due to lack of 

repair and maintenance. The 

source alleged that some 

equipment procured in 2014 by 

the hospital remained in the 

crates and yet to be installed 

A source in the radiology 

department of the hospital said: 

“Since 1999, there has been a 

steady decline in our equipment 

and other facilities. 

“As we speak now, the Linear 

Accelerator machine that is used 

for radiation in cancer treatment 

is broken down. It does so 

frequently. When it does, patients 

are referred to Zaria or Sokoto at 

extra cost. 

“The new Lineal Accelerator 

machine procured in 2014 is still 

intact in the crate and we fear that 

it may have gone bad under the condition it 

is kept. We fear for the condition of the 

machine. Even some of the doctors who 

have been trained on how to use the 

equipment are those being forced to leave 

the services of the hospital. 

“The MRI machine, which plays a key 

role in diagnosis in modern treatment of 

disease, cannot give doctors accurate 

reading and report became the capacity of 

the Teslar is too low. The modern MRI 

machines have moved from 1.0 to 1.5, and 

the latest is 3.0. “Some private individuals 

have 1.5but what we have here is 0.3. If 

private individuals have MRI machines that 

can give five times the readings that we get 

here, then you can agree with me that what 

we have here is a toy”. 

As of the time of filing this report, the 

radiation machine at the NHA had been 

down for six weeks. Patients with oncology 

challenges are not getting treatment. 

Unfortunately, harder times await cancer 

patients accessing care at the hospital or 

any other centre in the country. 

Information shows that the radiation 

treatment machines in teaching hospitals in 

Enugu, Benin, Lagos, Ibadan, Sokoto and 

Abuja are also down. Sadly, these hospitals 

are not in a hurry to fix the machines as the 

various managements are complaining of 

money for buy forex to bring a foreign 

expert to fix them. Consequently, oncology 

patients today in the country may have to 

wait for a long time for their treatment to 

continue. According to oncology experts, it 

is better for patients needing this treatment 

not to get radiation treatment than to get 

half dose or incomplete one. “If somebody 

is getting radiation treatment and breaks, 

the cells will now build immunity and 

bounce back.” 

Patients testimonies 

Meanwhile, testimonies abound about the 

anomalies at NHA.Some patients and 

health workers, who spoke to our 

correspondent, poured out their frustrations. 

From their revelations, it was gathered that, 

every week, the hospital receives about 25 

new cancer patients and, on any given day, it 

records about 45 old and new patients on 

schedule for radiotherapy. One of the 

patients said: “When the radiation machine 

breaks down, our treatment plan is altered. 

Some of the patients come from other parts 

of the country. Sometimes, the patients 

wait for so long on the queue before they are 

given treatment. In some cases, interruption 

in power supply could keep patients for 

hours.” A cancer patient, who spoke under 

anonymity and was first diagnosed at the 

hospital but had her treatment completed in 

India, told Sunday Vanguard that many 

patients have died due to the waiting 

period. I would have died if I had 

waited.” 

Another patient, currently accessing 

services there, confided in Sunday 

Vanguard but refused to give his name 

for fear of victimisation. According to him, 

most of the diagnostic machines in the 

NHA are 35 years behind technology. 

“Imagine the features, functionality and 

utility of the cell phones that we use today 

and the types that came when GSM was 

first introduced to the country in 2001, that 

is where we are today in terms of medical 

equipment and technology. While the 

world has moved to G4 and G6, we are 

importing equipment that have the 

features and functionality of first GSM 

generation. Their parts are no longer 

available and those trained in repairing 

them have moved up to the new 

technology. When there is a breakdown, 

we find it difficult to get the spare parts 

and engineers who can fix them”, he said. 

“Patients are given under dosage which 

does not deal with the disease and death 

results from this callous action.” One of 

the resident doctors explained their 

frustrations: “We are not happy or proud of 

the situation but what do we do? Doctors 

who are trained to save lives just sit 

helpless and watch patients died from 

preventable deaths. We cannot keep silent 

and allow this to continue. We are losing 

out to private hospitals. People are 

making mockery of the National Hospital 

A cancer patient, who 

spoke under anonymity 

and was first diagnosed at 

the hospital but had her 

treatment completed in 

India, told Sunday 

Vanguard that many 

patients have died due to 

the waiting period. I would 

have died if I had waited 

Abuja, that it is a place where people 

who want to die go to.” 

Another doctor at the foremost 

tertiary hospital also told our 

correspondent: “Some of us consult in 

a room with no comfortable chairs or 

air conditioner. We are expected to rack 

our brains and make diagnosis, even 

when we see a large number of 

patients within a short period of time.” 

He further blamed the situation on 

underfunding and endemic corruption 

in the system. His words: “Patients are 

compelled to go to private hospitals for 

diagnosis. The problems at the health 

facility has brought so much pressure 

on consultants, resident doctors, 

nurses and non-medical personnel 

who are totally dissatisfied and 

sometimes disinterested in the welfare 

of their patients. There was an 

instance where a former 

Nigerian High Commissioner 

to the UK was brought to A & 

E and we were looking for 

Glucometer to check his blood/ 

sugar level. 

“The former envoy’s driver 

had to rush to his house in 

Maitama to get his own at 

home. How can you manage 

such a diabetic crisis without 

hourly RBS, let alone tests like 

SEUCR?” 

At the NHA Surgical Out 

Patient Department, SOPD, a 

patient narrated his own 

experience. He was booked 

for surgery for 10am and was 

duly counseled not to eat or 

drink. He appeared for the 

surgery at 8.30am and was 

taken to the theatre around 

9.00am. Thereafter, he was 

abandoned. He narrated his 

story to Sunday Vanguard: “It 

was when my wife became 

very mad with them at about 

3:30pm that they told her that 

the doctors who were 

supposed to attend to me were 

attending a seminar”. 

A patient was subjected to 

such long period hunger and 

lack of care, imagine that level 

of callousness by health 

providers. Even diagnostic 

tests in the NHA like FBC, 

PVC, Chem, MP and PCV, 

which cost approximately 

N1,500 to N2,500, have gone 

up by 100percent. It is 

challenging for patients to 

dole out as much as N50,000 

toN80,000 for a single CT 

scan, MRI, Bone scan etc and 

the result cannot give proper 

diagnosis. Whereas we 

should be talking of a 

machine for PET SCAN which 

enables doctors to have full 

knowledge of the status and 

location of the disease in the 

body and determine the 

quantity of medication that is 

required for the patient. 

“We operate in an 

environment where doctors 

are denied the opportunity to 

attend international 

conferences and present 

papers and interact with their 

peers from other countries. 

On the contrary, we spend our 

resources to sponsor ourselves 

to these events where when 

you present internationally 

accepted papers, the profile of 

the hospital and the country is 

lifted. 

For instance, if we attend 

World Cancer Conference and 

present a quality and 

internationally accepted 

paper, the profile of the 

hospital is lifted, the image of 

the country is also lifted and 

these enable the country to get 

research grants”, one of the 

NHA resident doctors added. 

Sunday Vanguard gathered 

from the Minister of Health 

that the National Hospital, 

Abuja is one of the referral 

hospitals in the country which 

have been earmarked by the 

Buhari administration for 

urgent refurbishment, so that 

it could once again become 

efficient in service delivery. 

A healthy nation is a wealthy 

nation and the health of a 

nation is reflected in the wellbeing 

of its citizens 

C 

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PAGE 16—SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBER 18, 2016 

metro 

When death became 

attractive option! 

Ogun 6,000- 

hectare cassava 

farm to produce 

1.5m tonnes of 

ethanol, starch 

•Student’s suicide note: My 

academic is all I live for. If I 

can’t get it right, f**k existing 

By AbdulSalam 

Muhammad, KANO 

It sounded like a scene 

from Nollywood horror 

movie with the trappings 

of tragic consequences but little 

could be done to halt the 

impending doom. The scene of 

the tragic event was the waiting 

room of the Head, Computer 

Science, Bayero University, Kano 

(BUK). 

A spill- over female student of 

Library Science Department of the 

university, Miss Sarah Imoleayo, 

allegedly stormed the school with 

her mind made up to end her life. 

In her bag was a potent insecticide 

identified as “Sniper 1000EC 

DDVP”. 

Mansur Babagana, BUK Head, 

Computer Science Department, in 

a memo to the university 

authorities detailing his brief 

encounter with the late student, 

said he rushed to the scene 

following the report of a dying 

lady in his reception. 

In the two pages letter by 

Babagana, titled, ‘Report on the 

suicide incident of Sarah Imoleayo 

Ighiadebo (EDU/12/LIS/00195), 

May 16th, 2016, revealed: “I 

rushed to the reception and found 

her on her knees clutching her 

stomach with a bottle beside 

her labeled, “SNIPER 1000EC 

DDVP” potent insecticide.” 

The HOD disclosed that 

effort was made to get her to 

the university clinic while the 

Chief Security Officer of BUK 

was promptly alerted. 

“We asked for the security 

details that came and took her 

belongings which included her 

hand bag and two cell phones. 

We were about to go to the 

clinic when we met the Director 

of Security half way down the 

stairs and he took possession 

of her belongings”. 

Why She Chose Death 

Igbiodebo was said to have 

been frustrated when it became 

obvious that she had lost space 

to re-register a non-elective 

course for two years running, 

and, therefore, choosing death, 

she allegedly drank the 

insecticide identified as 

“Sniper 1000EC DDVP” . 

In a suicide note obtained by 

Sunday Vanguard, the 25-yearold 

made it clear that death was 

an option at the point she took 

her own life. 

She stated in the note she left 

behind that education was her 

life and anything short of it was 

•Sarah...took poison over education setback 

SUICIDE NOTE 

‘I will not apply for 

course suspension, 

my academic is all I 

live for. If I can’t get it 

right, f**k existing’ 

not worth living. Igbiadebo 

wrote: “I will not apply for course 

suspension, my academic is all I 

live for. If I can’t get it right, fuck 

‘existing”. 

The race to revive the student 

was said to have met a brick wall 

at the school clinic following 

what sources described as 

“overwhelming emergency” 

which forced the clinic to 

promptly refer her case to a 

government hospital in Kano. 

It was learnt at the government 

hospital that “she was brought 

in almost dead forcing the 

personnel to send her back to 

sender”. She was subsequently 

returned to the school clinic 

where she breathed her last. 

Her sordid action threw the 

academic community into 

shock. 

As of the time of going to press, 

it was a waiting game for the 

report of the committee set up 

by BUK authorities to probe the 

circumstances surrounding the 

death. 

The police in Kano has since 

confirmed the incident. 

Sunday Vanguard is already 

intensifying efforts to track the 

parents of Sarah who are believed 

to reside in Edo State. 

2017 election: ‘Anambra a Nor 

orth should be 

allowed to complete mandate’ 

BY OLALEKAN BILESANMI 

A group called Anambra North Unity Forum, 

whose primary aim is to ensure that Anambra 

North retains power come 2017 gubernatorial 

election in Anambra State, has 

emerged. The Chairman of the group, Chief 

Sylvanus Ohaemesi (Ochudo), in this interview, 

says the mandate currently enjoyed by Chief 

Willie Obiano belongs to the people of the area 

and that his group is prepared to work round 

the clock to ensure that Anambra North takes 

the second tenure with or without the incumbent 

governor. 

What is the purpose of coming together at 

this time? 

Anambra North Unity Forum started early 

in April 2016, and was inspired to keep the 

people of the zone together. Our agenda is to 

ensure that Anambra North is allowed to 

complete eight years in office, that is, joining 

the first and second tenures. 

Anambra has witnessed phenomical growth 

within this democracy but the people of Anambra 

North have continued to feel alienated 

and, sometime in 2006, a strong agitation 

for power shift arose. This and other factors 

led to the entire state agreeing to elect a governor 

in 2013 from Anambra North. In fact, 

the major parties presented candidates from 

the North. Constitutionally, a person elected 

as governor is entitled to a maximum of two 

tenures. However, once power rotates to a 

zone, it must not be for a particular person, 

the zone should be allowed to complete the 

eight years either by the political party in 

power or another party. It is a political arrangement 

which has the capacity to keep the 

•Chief Sylvanus Ohaemesi 

state in equilibrium. When people are sharing 

whatever that accrues to them, maturity must 

be employed. As things stand today, at the completion 

of the four year tenure of Obiano, 

Anambra North will still be lagging behind as 

per the number of years in leadership of the 

state. For instance, Anambra Central has been 

in power for eleven years, Anambra South has 

taken six years, so under a gentleman’s arrangement, 

it will be good to allow Anambra 

North to complete eight years. It can then rotate 

to the South which has just taken six years. 

There are people who say that zoning has 

always enthroned mediocrity, and it should 

be done away with. 

Those who are saying this should bear in 

mind that problems in the country today and 

within some states arose as a result of people 

feeling alienated. In dealing with problems, 

one must device workable solutions. There is 

no way you get to any of the three senatorial 

zones each of which has seven local government 

areas without finding qualified and competent 

material for the governorship position, 

and there is no way the rotation arrangement 

would hamper quality service delivery. 

This arrangement of zoning to engender 

peace has worked in other states, and people 

of like minds in the state, business people, politicians, 

and elders who are politically experienced 

evolved this idea with the aim of reducing 

tension associated with election. You can 

see the communique of the traditional rulers 

of Anambra State who came together to state 

that incumbent Governor Willie Obiano 

should be given a second tenure, and in particular 

the traditional rulers from Anambra 

North stated that it would be only fair that the 

zone be allowed to complete eight years. There 

is a growing consensus on this. 

But there are those who have rated Obiano 

poorly, stating that he has not done 

enough to merit a second tenure, and against 

what the traditional rulers have done. 

Well, if people are not happy with the present 

governor, all we asking is not that power be 

retained by a person but by the zone. All we 

are asking is that Anambra people should 

give us a second chance to prove that we have 

good materials for the plum job. We have 

been moving round the state and people across 

the state are very happy with what we are canvassing, 

and many have been signing up for it. 

Our message to the people of Anambra is 

that they should consider our request and give 

us a second chance. Like I said before, the 

governor might come from any political party. 

Our first acid test is to work towards ensuring 

that during the primaries of the governor- 

Over 130 farmers were 

present at the official 

launch of Mokk 

Investments 6,000 hectares of 

cassava farming project, an 

empowerment programme 

organized in the catchment of 

Ogun-Osun River Basin 

Development Authority, in Oke 

Odan area of Yewa South Local 

Government, Ogun State. 

Speaking at the event, Mr. Kunle 

Abdul , the Chairman of Mokk 

Investments, said the mandate 

was to cultivate the 6,000 

hectares in the first phase to 

engage an average of 5,000 

farmers, and 10,000 farmers in 

the second phase with a planned 

production of over 1.5million 

metric tonnes of ethanol and 

starch annually upon 

commencement of full cassava 

processing activities. 

Abdul explained that under the 

project, Mokk Investments plans 

to provide development training, 

empowerment and employment 

for youths, emphasizing that 

unlike, previously, there is now 

enough market and buyers of the 

cassava produce. During the 

event, a modern planter farming 

equipment for clearing, planting, 

treatment, fertilizer application 

and harvesting was unveiled. 

Also speaking about his 

company’s involvement in the 

programme, Mr. Tiko Okoye, the 

MD/CEO of Fortis Microfinance 

Bank, said his farm confirmed 

Mokk sincerity on the cassava 

production project, following 

which Mokk will provide 

seedlings and farming machinery 

in collaboration with a Brazilian 

agricultural firm, 4iGreen and 

another German company, GIZ, 

while Fortis finances. 

ship election, all political parties in the state 

elect their candidates from Anambra North. 

Don’t you think that some people are going 

to accuse you of working for certain governorship 

aspirants? 

Anambra North Unity Forum is neither an 

agent nor fronting for any governorship aspirant 

or any aspirant. This group evolved 

out of the need to bring a lasting peace and 

mutual understanding in the political atmosphere 

of our state where every section of the 

state will have a sense of belonging and love 

one another. We intend to do so by ensuring 

that Anambra North Unity forum is non partisan, 

it accommodates all the political parties 

so that every group will go to their party 

and ensure that their own political party comes 

up with a candidate from the zone. 

Some have accused us of working for the 

incumbent governor, but we are just working 

for the long term peace of Ndi Anambra and 

our state. There can only be progress where 

there is peace and tranquillity. In this case the 

zoning arrangement for any state must start 

from somewhere and those of us in Anambra 

North Unity Forum have matured both politically 

and in age to bring a mutual political 

arrangement in Anambra state and once our 

people agree to adhere to this arrangement 

from now on, the state will join the group of 

peaceful political arrangement in the federation, 

if we continue to wait for a day all the 

contestants in the state come together to agree 

on zoning arrangement, greed will not allow 

most of them to see the truth.We know what 

the activities of our self styled godfathers and 

moneybags have done to our people and our 

state, and we have resolved that the issue of 

money of should not be allowed to continue 

to control elections in Anambra State, I know 

without prejudice that with exception of former 

governor Peter Obi, all other governors that 

governed the state were not money bags, and 

even Mr Peter Obi did not spend more than 

the other candidates to win his election. We 

believe that when God says yes no person can 

say no, so we are making our own political 

arrangement and praying to God to bless our 

view. 

C 

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metro 


By Emmanuel Unah 

Everywhere you look in 

Calabar, Cross River State 

capital, you find estates which 

have been abandoned due to 

squabbles over the sharing of 

inheritance. 

The squabbles are sometimes so 

fierce that machetes and the dreaded 

charm, Ekpetiaba (kills within five 

days), are used by desperate 

members of families to eliminate or 

subdue siblings in order to take 

ownership or the lion share of 

estates. 

The recourse to squabble is 

occasioned by the fact that the 

tradition of Efiks, who predominantly 

inhabit Calabar, gives every member 

of the family of deceased parents the 

right to share in inheritance, 

including females, unlike in other 

traditions. like the Igbo, where 

women do not have claims to the 

estates of deceased parents. 

Sometimes the struggle ends in court 

and drags on for several years during 

which all parties to the dispute stay 

off the estate, thus occasioning the 

dilapidation of the property. 

The struggle for estate can also 

overshadow the burial of the 

deceased. There was the 

case of an aide to a former governor 

of Cross River 

State who died in 

a car crash. 

Following the 

death. the wife 

and family 

members became 

embroiled in a 

struggle over the 

man’s estate 

while his 

corpse’s burial 

was delayed. 

There was also 

the case of a 

journalist, 

Edem, who 

made claim to 

one of the 

houses of a 

deceased 

woman he 

called “aunt”. 

Edem, who works with a national 

newspaper, said he had been 

engaged in legal tussle over a twostorey 

building in an estate with a 

popular politician, Bassey, who he 

described as his uncle and is now 

late, until 2008. He told Sunday 

Vanguard that litigation over estates 

left behind by dead relatives 

sometimes drags for decades and a 

lot of money wasted in the process 

by those contending for the property. 

“Some of these cases drag on for a 

long time, from the High in Court to 

the Appeal Court and up to the 

Supreme Court and, until they are 

decided, nobody has the right to 

assume 

ownership or authority over any 

portion of the land or property” , 

Edem said. 

Narrating what led to the prolonged 

tussle between him and his late 

uncle, Bassey, 

Edem said his deceased aunt was 

very rich and died without her own 

children; so she willed her estates to 

her brothers, sisters and their 

children. 

Meanwhile, in his own case, the 

journalist said the woman wrote: ‘The 

house I live in should go to my 

brother, Edem.’ He narrated: “But my 

uncle claimed that the property was 

willed to my father and not me since 

the woman wrote ‘my brother’; and I 

am not her brother, so the property 

should become his own since my 

father was dead”. 

He said the man failed to take 

cognisance of the fact that he bears 

“Edem” like his father and that the 

woman had always referred to him as 

‘brother’ since the demise of his 

father. “My father died many years 

ago when my aunt was still strong, so 

if she wanted to will the house to my 

CORPSES ABANDONED AS … 

Calabar families go to 

war over inheritance 

father, she would have 

changed it before she died since 

my father had passed on many 

years before her”. 

There was also a celebrated 

tussle between two brothers, 

James and John, which raged 

for years over the ownership of a 

hotel in Calabar left behind by 

their late father. The hotel, 

located close to a strategic 

roundabout near the University 

of Calabar, was a source of 

constant physical combat 

between the two brothers until 

Cross River State Ministry of 

Justice intervened. 

A source close to the siblings 

told Sunday Vanguard that the 

elder brother was in Cameroon 

doing his private business 

when the father was alive and, 

when the man died, the younger 

one took over the running of the 

hotel and, by the time the elder 

came back and demanded for a 

part of the estate, his sibling told 

him off and that was what led to 

the fight until the Ministry 

officials came and shared the 

place. 

They gave the bigger portion to 

the elder brother and the 

remaining part to his sibling 

while erectings wall to 

demarcate the two portions. 

Even with the sharing, the 

relationship between the 

siblings was so fractious such 

that a spoon from one section of 

the hotel could not cross to the 

other and no one, even the 

customers, was allowed to take 

drinks or food from one section to 

the other. 

There is a current case in court 

The squabbles are 

sometimes so fierce 

that machetes and 

the dreaded charm, 

Ekpetiaba (kills with 

in five days), are 

used by desperate 

members of families 

to eliminate or 

subdue siblings in 

order to take 

ownership or the lion 

share of estates 

where a young man, 

Ndifreke, who, soon after the 

demise of his father, allegedly 

grabbed the documents of the 

property of the deceased, 

located along White House, 

and, before his other siblings 

could realise what had 

happened, he had sold the 

estate to a People’s 

Democratic Party, PDP, 

stalwart for eleven million naira. 

He then went to Lagos and 

squandered the money. When he 

came back, he was arrested while 

other members of the family are 

battling to recover the estate from 

the PDP chieftain. Litany of cases 

Cases on inheritance are so 

many in Calabar. In the state 

Ministry of Justice alone, the 

department that administers 

estates for families is overflowing 

with files as there are over four 

hundred such cases currently 

being handled by the 

Administrator General of the 

state. 

Mr Joe Abang, the Attorney 

General and Commissioner for 

Justice in the state, said he is not 

relenting in his efforts to ensure 

that every member of families 

involved in such cases is fairly 

treated. 

“Yesterday, I had a two-hour 

meting with the director in charge 

of the administration of estates. It 

is in that unit that there was a 

complaint that the ICPC had to 

come here. I have told the head 

of the department there that for 

every estate that he handles, I 

should be informed no matter the 

circumstance”, Abang said. 

According to him, most Africans 

tend towards polygamy but the 

present generation of Africans 

seem to be more polygamous than 

their grandfathers. 

“The younger 

African man marries 

one wife because the 

Bible says so, but the 

grandfather who 

married four wives was 

better off because 

everyone in the 

community knew the 

wives but this one has 

one wife and thirty 

concubines. And in his 

life time, he was seen 

as a good man with 

one wife with three 

children, but when he 

dies the concubines start 

coming and they come 

with children who have 

same features and more 

resemblance of the man 

than the ones in the 

house”, the Commissioner said. 

He said in law, facts speak for 

themselves; so one cannot shut 

out those who are not ‘officially’ 

known in the family who just 

came out and, to compound 

matters, the man may have died 

without a will. 

“We can see from such scenario, 

the man has just created a 

problem for the entire society 

especially those who are in the 

administration of justice and 

estates. Woe betide you if you 

share the estate among five 

people because, after six months or 

one year, those who did not hear that 

the man is dead may suddenly hear 

and start coming from Kaduna, 

Abuja, Ibadan and you cannot shut 

them out. You then begin to readjust 

and the others will say-they don’t 

know-those-ones because their father 

did not mention them and so trouble 

starts”. 

He said the ministry usually gives a 

window period after giving due 

notices for the sharing of estate of a 

person who dies interstate so that 

others can come and make claims. 

“There is no way two people cannot 

fight when money is involved; what 

someone takes to be common, two 

people can fight to death while 

struggling to take possession of it. 

That pair of sandals, that shirt, that 

jean trousers that you think are 

common could lead people to killing 

one other. The complaints would 

come but to save people from the 

greater evil of fighting aimlessly, it is 

better to make a will before one 

passes away. Let us know his 20 

wives, where they live and what is 

assigned to each beneficiary. “


The Patient Wife Gets Her Man At What Cost! 

IT was a little incident, but 

it opened the floodgate of 

nostalgia, I’d arrived late 

at a wedding reception and was 

ushered to what looked like the 

high table. The groom’s mother 

is a close friend. I sensed rather 

than saw this look of 

disapproval burning into my 

scalp. I turned, and there she 

was - Dolapo’s wife. I held her 

gaze and gave as much hostility 

as she emitted. She promptly 

looked away. How long ago was 

it? Over 20 years at least. I’d met 

Dolapo on a flight from abroad 

when he wangled his way to the 

empty seat by my side in first 

class. Those were the good old 

days! 

The goodies I didn’t want 

jostled about in the haul was 

deliberately perched on the 

empty seat next to mine. I had 

to shift for Dolapo to sit down. 

It later expired that the seat was 

booked in his assistant’s name 

but he quickly nudged the poor 

man towards his own seat so he 

could sit next to me. I wasn’t 

really interested in what he had 

to say. Someone else had treated 

me to this holiday and I’d had 

fun. Then I noticed he was a 

picky eater. First, he didn’t 

touch the individual pot of 

caviar that was served with the 

starter. Then the lobster in his 

main dish was left untouched. 

“I’m allergic to sea food,” he 

whined. Deftyly, I scooped the 

lobster on to my plate and 

retrieved the pot of caviar. 

“That moment you stole my 

food,” Dolapo later boasted, “I 

knew I would get my pound of 

flesh!” And he was a very easy 

person to love. In spite of his 

position, he conducted our 

affair as if he were single. Our 

social outings were very public 

and once or twice, his private 

driver had hinted I should ask 

him to be a bit careful, that 

whenever he sent him to mine, 

it was always within ear- short 

of the poor wife. 

What exactly was I supposed 

to do? From the little he told me, 

his marriage obviously wasn’t 

up to much. What was more, I 

was almost divorced, I had no 

irate husband to worry about. 

We were together every 

opportunity we had and the 

man’s appetite for sex was 

insatiable! It was as if he 

couldn’t have enough of me. 

Even when we were apart, I had 

one of these cordless phones 

with a very wide range as 

mobiles weren’t in vogue then. 

I took the phone everywhere I 

went and became a laughing 

stock with my friends. 

Still, Dolapo’s wife’s ghost 

was always there. I saw both of 

them together a few times in the 

dailies and she fitted my image 

of a dull, frumpy wife. Even the 

wig she always had on looked 

like a badly used mop. I was 

never a frumpy dresser and for 

him, I pushed the boat out a bit 

- wearing really flattering gears 

any time we were together. And 

he often spent the night too - his 

martyr of a wife never 

questioned him and they had 

separate bedrooms. 

Within months, I had a stack 

of romantically crafted letters 

and cards. Our torried affair 

went on for close to two years 

when wifey struck through a 

phone call. She sneered over the 

phone I wouldn’t be the first and 

I definitely wouldn’t be the last. 

I simply hung up on her and 

called Dolapo immediately to 

ask where she got my number 

from. He had no idea but that 

didn’t stop her from calling 

again. I simply ignored her. 

Then came the day I’d sneaked 

off to a party - which was a rarity 

since I met Dolapo - and she was 

on the phone at least 12 times as 

I checked my missed calls when 

I got home. “Shouldn’t you be 

in bed instead of harassing 

innocent citizens?: I spat down 

the phone. She unleashed a 

string of expletives. My last 

laugh is going to be the sweetest’, 

she yelled. ‘Your husband doesn’t 

love you: I told her. “Where is 

your self-respect’. 

‘Well, I’m here and you’re still 

on your own, a mere mistress: 

she replied smugly and slammed 

down the phone. 

She later told Dolapo she’d 

discovered my phone number via 

an anonymous call she’d 

received. The caller said ‘your 

husband’s f***ing a woman 

called candy. If you don’t believe 

me, call this number and talk to 

her.’ She already knew who I 

was, so the number really helped. 

I had no idea who could have 

done a thing like that. One of my 

so-called friends? A friend of his? 

Yet in spite of all this, they still 

lived together, four children 

between them. 

As she’d rightly predicted 

though, things started falling 

apart. Dolapo wasn’t as besotted 

as he once was and guess who 

called to find out if I knew 

Dolapo had gotten someone else 

pregnant? The wife! I told her 

she was lying. ‘Why don’t you 

ask him yourself?’ she 

challenged. ‘He just brought the 

tramp to the house to be 

introduced to the family as his 

second wife.’ She gave me a 

name. 

I called Dolapo immediately 

and he told me he was sick and 

tired of me not being totally 

divorced from my husband. 

That technically, I was still 

married and it would be foolish 

for a man in his position to 

keep on latching into a married 

woman. I was stunned. If I’d 

expected this kind of brush-off, 

I would have been prepared for 

it. Could a man who showed so 

much passion be this fickle? 

I didn’t see him again until 

years after. He’d come to 

apologise, he said. His new 

‘wife’ had been sent packing 

after she’d been caught a 

couple of times with other men, 

mostly his friends. Apology 

accepted, I told him. Minutes 

later, my flavour-of-themoment 

walked in. They were 

both shocked to see each other 

because they worked with the 

same establishment. Only he 

held a position senior to 

Dolapo’s and Dolapo had to 

leave. It was a really sad 

experience as I felt absolutely 

nothing for him. All that 

passion that almost destroyed 

us both, where did it go? It was 

a triumph of sort to see his 

humiliation. 

And now his long suffering 

wife was scowling at me? Just 

how low should a woman get to 

keep a floundering marriage?! 

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. 

To dream dreams and not have 

the drive to turn those dreams into 

reality must be a most unfulfilling 

life. 

But all that can be changed if 

you resolve firmly to take proper 

charge of your body. 

I think the proof of the 

workability of exercise in my own 

self and in those I have taught 

spurs me on. We all need a bit of 

exercise everyday. Some twenty to 

thirty years ago doctors were 

prohibiting some patients, such 

as those with heart conditions, 

from exercising. Now, for those 

same conditions doctors are prescribing 

exercise. Activity is never 

part of the problem of good 

health. It’s insufficient activity in 

our lives that wrecks our bodies. 

Bear this in mind always. It will 

help you not to get into temptation 

not to exercise. 

Talking discipline, you only can 

invoke it in yourself. The next person 

can only inspire you. Try these 

flexibility postures. 

THE HEELS-TO-CROTCH 

*Heels-To-Crotch Posture 

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 

* The Spread Eagle 

Yoga Classes 

STARTED 

Physical Therapy Centre 

@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, 

Victoria Island Lagos. 

10.00am — 11.00am 

on Saturdays 

harshness of labour pains. It 

helps check nocturnal emissions 

and increases manly vigour. 

THE SPREAD EAGLE 

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 comfortable. Rest 

awhile and repeat. 

Benefits: The spread eagle 

tones up the muscles of the inner 

thighs and helps with the health 

of the pelvic region.


bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 

08056180152, SMS only 

Why Sugar Could Be Eight Times More Addictive Than Cocaine! 

DOES the 

thought of 

living life 

sugar-free fill you with 

horror? If so, you may 

unknowingly be 

addicted. In fact, sugar is 

believed to be eight times 

more addictive than 

cocaine. Some people are 

more sensitive than 

others, but the more 

sugar you eat, the more 

likely it has taken hold of 

your addictive pathways 

and is driving you to eat 

- and drink - far too 

much. 

When sugar hits the 

bloodstream, it 

stimulates release of a 

brain chemical called 

dopamine, which makes 

you feel good. The 

feeling is usually shortlived. 

By the time you’re 

licking the chocolate off 

your fingertips or picking 

the last crumbs of biscuit 

from the plate, your 

dopamine levels will 

probably have fallen, 

taking you into a miniwithdrawal. 

This can 

trigger cravings for more 

sugar, urging you, 

against your better 

judgement, to pick up 

another biscuit or break 

off another square of 

chocolate so your brain 

can have another hit of 

dopamine. Before long, 

the biological signals 

that would 

normally control 

hunger and satiety 

(fullness) are swiftly 

being overwhelmed by 

this dopamine 

stimulation, to the point 

where your body (and 

brain) starts listening 

only to sugar’s cues and 

ignores the fact that you 

have already eaten far 

more than you need. 

If you have even the 

mildest addiction to 

sugar, there is every 

chance that your ‘off’ 

switch no longer works 

properly in response to 

eating, either. That’s 

why one biscuit or scoop 

of ice-cream never seems 

like enough, even after a 

huge meal. The more 

sugar you eat, the more 

your tolerance adapts, so 

you end up needing 

more and more sugar to 

get the same boost - drug 

addicts and alcoholics 

experience the same 

cycle. 

QUIZ: ARE YOU A 

SUGAR ADDICT? 

ANSWER honestly yes 

or no to the following 

questions ... 

*CAN YOU eat sweet, 

starchy or fatty foods 

until you are over- full? 

*DO YOU feel hungry 

even after eating a full 

meal 

*CAN YOU eat large 

quantities of sweets or 

stodgy foods even when 

you’re not feeling 

particularly hungry? 

*DO YOU ever feel 

ashamed (self-loathing, 

disgusted or depressed) 

about your eating habits? 

*DO YOU ever turn to 

sugar when you are 

feeling down or upset? 

*WHEN things are 

bad, do you find you 

need more and more 

sweet foods to feel 

better? 

*DO YOU plan to eat a 

small portion (such as 

one biscuit), but end up 

binge-eating 

(demolishing the whole 

packet)? 

*DO YOU find starchy, 

sweet or fatty foods the 

most difficult to cut back 

on? 

*DO YOU find it 

difficult to stop once you 

start eating starches, 

snack foods, junk foods 

or sweets? 

*ARE your eating 

habits having an impact 

on your social life, work 

or physical abilities? 

*DO YOU find it 

impossible to stick to 

healthy-eating 

resolutions? 

*DO YOU feel you 

need to (have to) have 

something sweet after 

lunch or dinner? 

*DO YOU eat sweets 

and chocolates secretly 

and hide the wrappers 

because you don’t want 

anyone to know? 

*IF YOU cut yourself 

one piece of cake, do you 

then find yourself coming 

back for more and more? 

*DO YOU get a foggy 

head after big meals (or 

mid-afternoon)? 

IF YOU answered ‘yes’ 

to five or more of these 

questions, you could be a 

sugar addict. 

This means that 

understanding what to eat 

and how much to eat is 

only part of the story. 

Your relationship with 

food may be stuck in a 

destructive pattern. 

Perhaps you comfort eat 

or binge. Perhaps sugar 

(including processed 

carbs and junk food) fills 

a greater void in your life 

than just satisfying a 

physical craving 

Sugar addiction is far 

more common than you 

might think. It often 

triggers a compulsive 

pursuit of foods rich in 

sugar and carbohydrates 

in response to both 

positive (‘let’s all 

celebrate with cake!) and 

negative (‘only chocolate 

will make me happy’) 

feelings. 

But quitting sugar is 

the nutritional reset that 

will enable you to break 

the cycle of reliance and 

addiction. 

AVOID SWEETNERS 

ALTHOUGH artificial 

sweeteners can confuse 

your system. and make 

it tougher to quit sugar, 

if you rely on them longterm 

(they can ‘feed’ 

your sweet tooth and 

spark sugar and carb 

cravings], on occasion 

they can make the 

change to a sugar-free 

life easier. So avoid 

aspartame, Splenda 

and Canderel, don’t 

touch diet drinks and 

only use more natural 

sweeteners such as 

stevia and xylitol. 

If, however, after two or 

three weeks on your 

LCHF programme, you 

are still feeling hungry or 

noticing sugar cravings, 

then sweeteners could be 

to blame, so gradually 

reduce your intake. 

ANY WITHDRAWAL 

SYMPTOMS? 

YOU may experience 

slight physical 

discomfort, such as a 

headache, or cravings for 

sugar and carbs, but stick 

with the plan - this will 

pass. After a few days, 

you should notice 

improved physical wellbeing, 

less bloating, a 

clearer head, increased 

energy and improved 

mood. 

EXTRACTED from 

Sugar Free: 8 Weeks 

To Freedom From Sugar 

And Carb Addiction, 

by Karen Thomson. 

Stranger Than Fiction 

(Humour} 

A woman who had just 

taken a lease on a unit 

near the railway line rang 

the estate agent to 

complain that passing 

trains rocked her bed so 

much she was in fear of 

falling out of it. The agent 

came round. “But it’s so 

quiet,” he said, “I can’t 

believe that passing 

trains 

rock the bed”. “Shakes 

the living daylight out of 

me,” she persisted, 

looking at her watch. 

She heard a distant 

train whistle. “Here’s the 

five-thirty-five’, lie down 

on the bed yourself,” and 

she climbed on to the 

other side. That’s when 

her husband came in. 

“What do you think 

you’re doing?” he roared, 

glaring at the estate 

agent. “Would you 

believe waiting for a 

train?,” he ventured. 

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" 

Three needs of lovers 

A hug shows lovers allegiance to each other; a 

kiss measures the depth of their love while SEX 

binds. We need all. 

Akegh U Jacob 

08186915871, 

jakegh15@gmail.com 

Sapele, Delta State. 

Overlook differences 

The secret of a good relationship is to overlook 

differences and embrace imperfection. 

Onyekaonwu Harrison, 

harrison.onyekaonwu@yahoo.com 

08064888266/ 

09097691852 

I Missed 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. I can’t forget you. I will always love 

you. 

Prince Johnson 

shunkul@yahoo.com 

09052570138

PAGE 20—SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBER 18, 2016 

08116759757 

You can’t bar me from 

the children outside the court’s jurisdiction 

without her consent, she directive of Justice Pedro, stress- 

urged both parties to adhere to the 

may lose complete right over the ing that rather than meet and report 

back to the court, the parties 

children. 

my 2 -yr - old daughter’ 

In his counter affidavit filed in had decided to engage in arguments 

on an issue they ought to sit 

response to Caroline’s application 

for custody, Oyekunle, through his and discuss with the best interest 

counsel, Funke Adekoya, told of their children at heart. But 

the court that Caroline was incapable 

of giving care to the chil- 

said: “I am shocked and stunned 

reacting to the ruling, Caroline 

access to the children, on April 18, 

•American woman, estranged 

2016, was not met, as she was only dren as she does not stay in the at the ruling today which practically 

allows my children to be 

allowed access to her children on country at all times due to her 

husband in Lagos roforofo fight 

three occasions, which were on participation in fashion exhibitions 

outside Nigeria. The hus- 

consent. It’s almost six months 

taken out of Nigeria without my 

April 30, May 2 and 3, 2016, for 

BY IFEANYI OKOLIE 

and Formal Education, LIFE, an four hours daily, after meeting all band further argued that Caroline that Mr Oyekunle and her family 

An American designer and N.G.O based in Nigeria, filed a requirements by her husband and abandoned the children when she have consistently denied me access 

to my children notwithstand- 

art collector, based in Nigeria 

and married to a Nigerian, 

motion ex-parte, before the court, his counsel. 

left their matrimonial home on 

through her lawyers, Elvira She explained that, after the July 8, 2016. According to him, ing my efforts. 

Caroline Karugari Oyekunle, is 

Salleras and Associates asking the three occasions, monitored by two Caroline had access to the children 

on several occasions at soters 

and raise them the best way 

All I want is to be with my daugh- 

angry with the ruling of a Lagos court to grant her unhindered access 

to the children, aged two and has not been allowed access to cial gatherings and at their grand- 

that I know. This is the wish of every 

nannies and a security guard she 

State High Court on the battle for 

the custody of their two children 

six. 

her children, stressing that her mother’s home in Gbagada, Lagos 

and she was also said to have living. Presently, my daughters are 

mother; the essence why I am still 

between her and her estranged She told the court, which was on husband has also taken the children 

out of the court’s jurisdiction. spent a couple of days with her 6 and 2 years old. This is the stage 

husband, Olatunde Oyekunle, describing 

it as unfortunate. 

vacation, in an affidavit, that the 

directive of Hon. Justice Jumoke She stated that without a subsisting 

court order allowing her ac- 

travelling out of the country. have been unreasonably denied 

children in August 2015, before they need me most. However,I 

Caroline, who is also Project Pedro, in the divorce suit, that 

Director of Literacy Integration 

counsel to the parties, should meet cess to her children and restraining 

the ex-husband from taking tice, A.M Lawal, in his ruling, months.” 

EX-HAGUE JUDGE AND THE CENTENARIAN 

EPC ’80 set elects officers 

Bola Ajibola celebrat 

ates es man on 

The 1980 set of Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti Alumni 

The vacation judge, Hon. Jus- 

access to them for the past three 

and discuss issues of custody and 

Association has elected an executive committee to direct 

her affairs. At a reunion event held recently at the Excellent 

former Judge of the International Court of Justice, Hotel and Conference Centre, Igba, Lagos, Bankole Ige, an 

his 114th 4th birthda 

thday 

Hague which is to produce morally sound future engineer emerged president; Funmilayo Omotoso (Mrs), vicepresident; 

Oluwole Akinola, secretary and Prince Tunde 

leaders. 

Adeleke, publicity secretary. 

BY BASHIR ADEFAKA 

Earlier in his sermon, Chief Imam of the Islamic 

Others, according to the group’s spokesperson, Prince Tunde 

Mission for Africa ( IMA), Sheikh Hameed 

1 

Adeleke, included Ajaja Olukayode, treasurer and Olusola Ojo, 

14-year-old Alhaji Jimoh Odugbayi Olanrewaju, quoting from Quran 57:2, emphasised welfare officer. The trio of Oni Olaniyan Reuben, Abimbola 

attended a special Jumat prayer at the Aliko that Allah had created death and life to test humanity, 

noting: “The best of you is he blessed with long 

Yusuf (Mrs) and Taiwo Olufiade were appointed ex-officio. 

Dangote Mosque, Crescent University, Abeokuta 

to honour Justice Bola Abdul-Jabbar Ajibola life and does good work” (Hadith). 

(SAN), the founder of the university. 

In his speech, he appreciated the centenarian for 

Ooni, Tinubu, Ambode for 

The Friday coincided with the 114th birthday of blessing the congregation and the university both 

Abike Ade Foundation Awards 

the elder citizen. 

with his presence and his words of wisdom. 

O 

A native of Emere Area, Itoku, Abeokuta, Ogun Ajibola described Odugbayi, who is a member of 

oni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; Asiwaju 

State, Odugbayi prayed for long life for the university 

and its founder. This he premised on the vision He said, “Attaining centenary is rare and only the Annual Event and Award Night of Abike Ade Foundation, 

IMA, as one of the oldest persons in Nigeria today. 

Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Akinwumi Ambode 

of Lagos State are among eminent Nigerians expected at the 7 th 

behind the creation of the Crescent University by the specially blessed can attain such in sound health.” scheduled to hold on Thursday, September 29, at Welcome Centre 

Hotels, International Airport Road, Lagos. 

Abike Ade Foundation, a charity organisation with the mandate 

to empower the less privileged, especially the youths, operates 

under the slogan, ‘Cry for Help’. 

Also expected to grace the occasion, holding under the theme, 

‘Building a Healthy Community”, are Alhaji Alike Dangote, Dr. 

Mike Adenuga Jnr. Pastor E.A. Adeboye and Senator (Mrs.) 

Oluremi Tinubu. 

The founder/CEO of the Foundation, Victoria Omolola Harley, 

based in the United Kingdom (UK), listed celebrities invited to 

the award ceremony to include Ronke Ojo and Admiral Dele 

Abiodun, saying the Osolo of Isolo, Oba Dabiru Agbabiaka is 

Charity Grand Patron of Abike Ade Foundation while Mrs. Kofo 

Olugbesan is Charity Grand Matron. 

RCCG gets eight new Provinces 

*Pastor Adeboye asks nation's leaders to fear God 

The centenarian, Alhaji Jimoh Odugbayi(3rd right), discussing with Ajibola (3rd left). With 

By Olayinka Latona 

them are Registrar, Crescent University, Barr. ZA Ajibola; VC, Prof. I. Gbajabiamila; Bursar, 

The Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, has created 

Jimoh Bankole and Imam Hameed Olanrewaju. 

eight new Provinces just as the Pastor-In-Charge of Ogun Region 

12, Pastor Julius Olalekan, counselled Nigerians to draw closer 

to God to end the current challenges facing the country. 

Olalekan made the charge at the dedication of one of the three 

provincial headquarters approved for Ogun State at Mowe. 

"Our leaders should have the fear of God in them," he said, maintaining 

that if there is the fear of God in the hearts of the nation's 

leaders, corruption will be removed from our hearts, "and we will not 

steal the tax payers' money." 

The pastor, who dedicated the headquarters of the newly created 

Ogun Province 18 on behalf of the church's General Overseer, Pastor 

Enoch Adeboye, said: "If we have the fear of God, it will be the beginning 

of wisdom; once there is the fear of God, the wisdom to excel, 

good governance and good leadership will come automatically." 

The current APC government, according to him, should pay attention 

to the plight of the citizens, stressing that the earlier they do that, 

the better because if they allow things to degenerate further, it will 

amount to a lot of losses. Also speaking, the newly inaugurated Pastor-In-Charge 

of Ogun Province 18, Pastor Lawrence Olunifesi, said 

Nigeria was endowed with so much resources. 

"So far God has not failed Nigeria over time, we have mismanaged 

our God given resources. We have been complacent, we have opportunity 

to have expanded, we have opportunity to become a producing 

HRM Orhue 1, the Orodje of Okpe Kingdom, flanked left by the President of Urhobo Integrity country. We have so much depended on oil revenue alone, but the 

Group, Olorogun Ebenezer Okorodudu, and Secretary, Mr Jerry Eruvwedede, among others, Church is praying hard that Nigeria will recover from its current 

during the group's courtesy visit to the monarch in his palace at Orerokpe, Delta State. 

challenges, and there will be reduction in poverty”, he said. 

C 

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SUNDAY Vanguard, SETPEMBER 18, 2016, PAGE 21 

08116759757 

NDDC model to crash price of rice 

— Guanah, rice farmer 

BY FESTUS AHON 

SINCE the price of oil began 

to drop last year, 

government has been encouraging 

agriculture as alternative source 

of revenue for the country. 

Some Nigerians, who heeded the 

government call, are doing very 

well in farming and creating jobs 

for a large number of youths. 

While some of them went into 

rice, cocoa and palm plantation, 

others went into poultry, piggery 

and fish farming among others. 

One of them, a major rice farmer 

in Delta State and Chief Executive 

Officer of Guanah Farms 

Limited, Raymous Guanah, 

spoke to the Sunday Vanguard on 

his experience and challenges in 

rice farming. 

On how it has been as a farmer, 

Guanah said: “ It has been very 

exciting. Overtime, we have been 

trying to overcome the challenges 

associated with large scale 

commercial agriculture”. 

“As at today, we are doing rice 

cultivation and processing. Our 

rice is in the market; we have a 

brand, Unity Rice. We also 

produce seed for the seed council, 

that is, we produce rice seed for 

farmers”. 

On the capacity of his farm and 

the tons he produce per day, 

Guanah said: “The capacity of our 

rice mill, which is the only modern 

rice mill in Delta State, is one ton 

per hour and if we have paddy as 

much as possible we can process 

all. 

“Today we have 1600 hectares 

that we are cultivating at Illah in 

Oshimili North, Amoji in Ndokwa 

West, Ogume in Ndokwa West, 

Ogulama in Ndokwa West and 

Ike-Onitsha. As long as we have 

the resources, we will keep 

expanding the size of our lands”. 

On his challenges, he said “The 

commercial agriculture, the main 

challenge is with farm implement. 

That is why today we are excited 

to see that NDDC has supported 

us with a complete tractor; it has 

Plough, a bucket, slicher, harrow 

and a rotavator. 

“This will go a very long way in 

supporting us to increase our 

capacity both in preparation and 

in harvest time. I don’t know how 

the NDDC works, but for this 

tractor I want to commend the 

NDDC because I am a beneficiary. 

They did real due process, they did 

due diligence. 

“For example, before we were 

given this tractor, NDDC officials 

visited our farms; saw what we are 

doing, took photographs; they 

asked for the titles to our lands, so 

that anybody that asks them, they 

can say that this land is given by 

this community to this farmer. 

They did all that due diligence 

and, at the end of the day, gave us 

these implements having found us 

worthy. 

“Therefore I want to say that they 

should continue to be diligent 

because there are many persons 

that claim to be farmers whereas 

they are not. Maybe in the past 

they might have benefited wrongly 

from this support NDDC is giving 

to farmers but if they do the kind 

of diligence they have done for us, 

I am sure more farmers would 

benefit, the real farmers, not just 

political farmers or briefcase 

farmers. 

“The tractor in the market today, 

with all the implements attached 

to it, will cost between N14 

million and N16 million. I want 

to appreciate the NDDC 

particularly the staff on ground at 

the Warri office. 

“I want to appreciate the State 

Director, Mr. Gbugbemi Ogor. He 

saw me once. The way he spoke to 

me shows that NDDC is willing 

and able to support farmers. The 

NDDC is doing so much for us as 

farmers. I want to also ask that it 

is not enough to just give us 

tractors; they should also visit our 

farms to see what we have been 

able to do in our farms with the 

tractors”. 

On whether Delta State 

government is supporting him, 

Guanah said, “Delta State 

government gave us tractors and 

asked us to pay 40 percent of the 

cost instalmentally. 

“It is a wonderful thing but I 

want to use this opportunity to 

plead with the state government 

to look at the gesture of the NDDC 

and convert that 40 percent to 

grant and it will go a long way in 

assisting us. 

“One day let them say they have 

seen what we are doing with the 

tractors and write off the cost.” 

Our mandate is to help achieve 

Sustainable Development Goals 

– Youth Corps member Grace 

FM 

C 

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•Guanah with the tractor given out by the NDDC 

Enugu lifeline for old people 

BY CHINWEOKE 

AKOMA 

LIFELINE came the way of 

Old People’s Home located 

in Achara Layout, Enugu State. 

The home, built by the White 

Sisters Missionary in 1975 

before it was handed over the 

Nigerian Missionary Sisters had 

continued to suffer hardship due 

to inadequate attention 

particularly as many rarely 

remember that such place 

existed. 

Although the home was built 

purely for charity to help the 

elderly people, it can only 

accommodate 48-50 inmates 

including the4 staff. 

Sunday Vanguard learnt that 

the inmates of the how, which 

only last year marked its 40 th 

anniversary, shed tears of joy 

when members of Enugu 

Progressive Social Club of 

Nigeria visited them as part of 

their annual presentation of 

foodstuff, dresses and cash to the 

inmates. Some of the excited 

inmates danced and sang their 

gratitude to the club members. A 

similar scenario played out at the 

Enugu Cheshire Home when 

members of the club also paid a 

visit to the home. 

Such is the character of the 

Enugu Progressive Social Club 

of Nigeria, a high profile club in 

the coal state, made up of men. 

There is this mistaken belief 

that the club is made up of Enugu 

indigenes alone. Far from it. The 

club is made up of people from 

every part of the country 

particularly from the south 

eastern part of country. For 

instance, the club’s National 

President, Chief Kenneth 

Ofordile (Looloo), hails from 

Ezeagu local government of 

Enugu State while his vice, Chief 

Mos Okeke, (Onwa Ide), is from 

Idemili local government area of 

Anambra State. The PRO, Mazi 

Omife I. Omife, Mbuze 

Mbaukwu, is from Awka South 

local government area of 

Anambra. 

The club is well known for its 

philanthropic activities, conflict 

resolution and peace initiatives 

which have impacted on the 

socio-political stability of Enugu 

and the south east zone in 

general. But whereas the core 

purpose of the club is 

philanthropy and charity, the 

Enugu Progressive Social Club 

of Nigeria is in the frontline for a 

better society. 

According to Ofordile, just like 

other notable other social clubs 

in the country, it is working 

assiduously to reduce the 

suffering of masses and the less 

privileged in the society in 

various forms, including 

educational scholarship to 

indigent students, donation to 

charity homes and payment of 

medical bills of indigent patients 

in hospitals. 

*The visitors in a tete-a-tete with the inmates 

•Grace addresses her proteges 

Grace Florence Mathew 

(Grace FM) is a Youth Corps 

member, but she goes about doing 

good for nothing in return. Full of 

talents and skills, she organises 

lectures, workshops, and seminars 

through which she imparts those 

skills to both the young and old for 

free. She spoke to Sunday 

Vanguard about her charity works 

and the difference between 

Millennium Development Goals 

and Sustainable Development 

Goals. 

MDGs vs. SDGs 

Many years after the 

Millennium 

Development Goals (MDGs) 

had been established, debates, 

consultations, and deliberations 

were on among stakeholders 

regarding what, how and why 

there should be an all round 

development agenda that will 

build on the MDGs and to 

include areas and issues that were 

not captured in the MDGs. In 

September 2015, the United 

Nations eventually established 

the 17 global goals known as 

Sustainable Development Goals 

with 169 targets. 

The 17 SDGs 

The first goal is poverty 

eradication, followed by zero 

hunger tolerance. Then good 

health and well being must be 

achieved for all. 

Other goals are quality 

education, gender equality, clean 

water and sanitation, affordable 

and clean energy, decent work and 

economic growth, industry 

innovation and infrastructure. 

Then, inequality must be 

reduced. Sustainable cities and 

communities must be built, and 

responsible consumption and 

production has to become a way 

of life. Other equally important 

goals of the SDGs are climate 

action, which has become the bane 

of our world today; directly 

related to the climate goal is the 

preservation of life below water 

as well as life on land. 

Peace and justice, strong 

institutions, and partnership for 

the goals complete the 17 SDGs. 

The SDGs and Us 

The SDGs have come to 

complete the unfinished business 

of the MDGs, and Nigeria is not 

left out in the commitment to 

completing this unfinished 

business and achieving success. 

Our obligation, therefore, is our 

commitment towards achieving 

success in this. 

If I can make impact in my own 

little way, then that will help in 

achieving the 17 sustainable 

development goals (SDGs). 

Everyone, everywhere, has a duty 

to make contributions.


healthyliving 

Red Oil and Sex Steroids 

By Chioma Obinna 

Mere mention of red oil, the first 

thing that comes to mind is an 

ingredient for food. But how 

well do people know palm oil? 

For several years now, palm oil has been 

described as one of the factors that fuel 

risk for heart attack or stroke. 

But recent studies have shown otherwise 

as it has been proven that red palm oil not 

only serves as primary source of dietary fat 

but also improves reproductive health of 

men and heart health. 

Produced from the fruit of palm tree and 

originated from tropical Africa, its 

nutritional and healing properties have 

been recognised for generations. Until 

modern medicine arrived, palm oil was the 

remedy of choice for several illnesses in 

many parts of Africa. It was also regarded 

as the powerhouse of nutrition containing 

by far more nutrients than any other 

dietary oil. 

Before now, it was among essential diets 

for pregnant and nursing mothers in order 

to ascertain good health of the mother and 

child. 

Although palm oil in the past has been in 

the news for the wrong reason, today, 

experts say there many reasons to consume 

red oil. 

Some of these reasons include the fact 

that it helps to improve your heart health 

and assures better reproductive health for 

men and women. 

It is now common place to see baby 

factories springing up in every nook and 

cranny of the country, no thanks to the 

increase in the rate of infertility among 

Nigerian men and women. Also in recent 

times, cases of missing children are 

rampant. Findings show that these occur 

due to the inability of couples to have their 

own biological children. 

But experts say getting to the root of these 

problems can be possible through natural 

home remedies such as consumption of 

palm oil. 

According to a Professor of Clinical 

Chemistry and Molecular Diagnosis, 

College of Medicine, University of 

Lagos, CMUL, Oluyemi Akinloye, 

Nigeria and other countries of the 

world have continued to witness a 

sharp rise in male infertility but, 

unfortunately, in some cases, the 

cause is not known. In Nigeria 

alone, the male factor contribution to 

infertility is estimated to be about 54 

per cent, based on semen analysis 

and, globally, the male contribution 

to infertility among couples has been 

estimated to be about 33 per cent 

Akinloye, who maintained that 

several men could not achieve their 

desire to impregnate their female 

partners due to reasons beyond their 

control, said concentration of lead in 

blood is associated with a decrease in 

sperm count, sperm volume, sperm 

motility and morphological 

alterations. 

Local remedies such as red palm oil, 

he explained, have showed promises 

in improving male infertility 

potential. 

Describing red oil as the 

powerhouse of nutrition far more 

than nutrients in any dietary oil, he 

said studies have shown that palm oil 

improves reproductive capacity and 

vitamin A, which is known to play a 

part in reproduction through the 

synthesis of sex steroids. 

Akinloye, who is also the Head, 

Department of Medical Laboratory 

Science, College of Medicine, 

Lagos University Teaching 

Hospital, LUTH, in a study, 

reported that red oil improved the 

decreased sperm count and sperm 

motility observed in a seminal fluid 

of a lead treated rat. 

The study on the protective effect 

of red palm oil on testicular 

damage induced by administration 

of lead acetate on male rats, he 

stated, discovered that coadministration 

with red oil has a 

protective effect against lead toxicity. 

The professor pointed out that the 

study shows that red palm oil has a 

potential to attenuate the toxic effect 

of lead on testicular cells preventing 

possible resultant male infertility. 

“Palm oil is regarded among many 

as essential in the diet for the 

pregnant and nursing mothers in 

order to ascertain good health of the 

mother and child”, Akinloye added. 

“Studies show that adding palm oil 

into the diet can double or triple the 

amount of vitamin A in mother’s 

milk. 

“It contains carotenoids, 

phosphatides, sterols, tocopherols 

and trace metals shown to be 

effective against oxidative stress in 

vitro and in vivo. 

“Palm oil is one of the richest 

natural sources of vitamin E which 

contains a super potent form of 

known as tocotrienol. It is the only 

vegetable oil with a balanced 

composition of saturated and 

unsaturated fatty acids in both 

processed and unprocessed forms. 

“Palm oil helps maintain proper 

blood pressure. The high antioxidant 

content of the oil quenches free 

radicals and keeps inflammation 

under control.” 

Why red oil is heart friendly 

Due to its antioxidants: betacarotene, 

tocotrienols and 

tocopherols, among others in its crude 

red form, red palm oil has been 

endorsed as heart friendly. 

In a report, Professor Osaretin Odia 

of the Department of Medicine, 

University of Port Harcourt, said red 

palm oil is a refined version of raw oil 

palm fruits, which retains a significant 

amount of carotenoids and vitamins 

that are heart friendly. 

According to him, contrary to 

reports, red palm oil has about 40 per 

cent oleic acid, which has been 

demonstrated in several studies to have 

beneficial effects on serum lipids and 

cardiovascular disease, CVD. 

To Odia, there has been strong 

evidence that replacement of 

unsaturated fats with saturated ones, 

particularly mono-unsaturated fats 

(MUFA), are effective in reducing the 

risk of CVD. 

“Studies also show that diets 

containing palm oil significantly 

reduce the levels of cholesterol in the 

serum of subjects who had normal 

serum cholesterol levels at baseline 

compared to the effect of the mostly 

polyunsaturated soy-bean oil,”he said. 

But Odia warned that when refined, 

palm oil is very versatile as compared 

to other vegetable oils, but when 

bleached, it becomes hydrogenated 

killing all its vitamins and 

components. 

He explained that bleached palm oil 

develops trans-fat that has 

detrimental effects on lipid profiles 

and general health. Also in a 

telephone chat with Sunday Vanguard, 

a renown cardiologist, Dr. Kingsley 

Akinroye, dismissed the age long 

notion about palm oil, saying it does 

not contain cholesterol. 

According to Akinroye, red palm oil 

contains some amount of plant sterol 

which are not involved in hardening 

of blood vessels (altherosclerosis) and 

do not promote heart diseases. 

“There is no credible scientific 

evidence that palm oil contributes to 

the risk of development of heart disease; 

however, there are several studies that 

indicate that Palm oil is harmless, and 

may protect against heart diseases.” 

Akinroye, who is the Vice President, 

World Heart Federation, recommended 

that more scientific research needs to be 

conducted amongst the African 

population to demonstrate how palm 

oil influences the risk factors of heart 

diseases. 

C 

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SUNDAY Vanguard 

anguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016, PAGE 23 

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COMMON SEXUAL AL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVEL 

VELTY Y BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVER 

VERTORIAL) 

I had a baby six months ago 

and it affected my sex life. I 

was just in a bad place at the 

time with postpartum 

depression. Anyway I am 

making a conscious effort 

now to get my marriage and 

love life back on track. I am 

working out and I have lost 

some of the weight. But the 

hunger for sex is not back as 

such and I want to be tighter 

down there too. Four kids 

have really wrecked me. 

Can you help? Chris 

Hello Chris. I am glad you are 

feeling better. It is not always 

easy for husbands to 

understand postpartum 

depression when their own 

sexual needs are not being met 

but it is real. Anyway, I am 

glad both of you are working 

on restoring the love and 

romance you have always had 

for each other. For a start, you 

need to be doing your kegel 

exercises. That is the only way 

to restore vaginal tightness 

after child birth. You can 

achieve this with the help of 

Ben Wa Balls and the Vivify 

Tightening Cream. And 

then for your arousal, I 

recommend three things. An 

arousal supplement, an 

orgasm gel and an adult 

film. This is the best package 

for both instant and long term 

arousal. So ask for the 

Tropical Aphrodisiac Sex 

Mints, Sex Accelerator Gel 

and the Dinner Party Adult 

movie. Good luck – Uche 

If a man has sex with a 

woman who has Zika Virus, 

what will happen? I hear it 

is pregnant women that it 

affects – Nedu 

Yes Zika virus affects pregnant 

women the most because of 

how it deforms their unborn 

babies. But if you contact it 

through sex with a woman or 

man that has it, it can also 

make you sick with 

headaches, rashes and fever 

amongst other things and you 

can also transmit it to other 

people and make them sick. 

Just use protection. A simple 

condom will do – Uche 

One of my biggest regrets 

in relationships has always 

been my inability to have 

sex for as long as I want. 

Just as the sex begins to get 

really sweet, I just climax. 

Anyway, you changed all of 

that. Between using the 

Cockring and Stay Hard 

Delay Cream, I am able to 

have sex and maintain my 

erections for longer. It has 

not been perfect but the 

situation is much better 

now. Thank you – Chief 

You are welcome – Uche 

I am 73 years old and you 

helped me three or four 

years ago. I lost your 

number. I used to buy Xzen 

erection supplement from 

you. I just saw your article 

by accident. Is Power Zen 

as good as Xzen? I need a 

powerful 

erection 

supplement. Thanks – 

Omoba 

Power Zen is better. It is a 

new and improved formula 

that also enlarges the penis 

and controls premature 

ejaculation – Uche 

Please I need your help with 

another rabbit vibrator. I 

bought the G Plush 

Thrusting Rabbit from you 

in December. Best vibrator 

ever. Suddenly I cannot 

find it and I don’t have 

money. What is your 

cheapest rabbit vibrator? 

Susan 

That is unfortunate. We don’t 

even have the G Plush 

Rabbit right now. Ask for the 

Arousal Cobra Rabbit. It is 

the cheapest but it still gets 

the job done – Uche 

The first time I started 

using a penis pump, I was 

not sure what to expect but 

I wasn’t happy. But as time 

went on, I started noticing 

changes. It has now been 

four months since I started 

using it and my penis has 

grown from 5.6 inches 

when erect to 7.3 inches. I 

am very impressed and I 

feel taller - Yinka 

You are welcome. Penis 

enlargement requires 

patience and consistency. 

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PAGE 24—SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 

Booty queens of 

Nollywood and the 

best comments 

over their asses 

B 

eauty 

abound in Nollywood and it comes in different 

shapes, curves and sizes. As for the booty queens, 

they are the ones endowed with big, curvy backsides, 

that usually leave a wave of drooling admirers in their 

wake as they walk by. 

We have seen the likes of Omotola, Mercy Johnson, 

Empress Njamah and others, who have held sway as booty 

queens of Nollywood but as they say, as one generation 

goes, another comes. For your Sunday pleasure, here are 

top ten leading booty queens of Nollywood (in no particular 

order) ruling and rocking our screen now. Hear what they 

have to say about their bums; the joy and pain they have 

brought them. 

I’ m very flexible 

with my bum, I use 

it very well – Didi 

Ekanem 

Google this girl’s name 

and see if you have not 

bitten more than you can chew. 

All that would come greeting 

you is butt, butt and butt in 

different shades of 

lusciousness. She is a native 

of Akwa Ibom and a graduate 

of Linguistics and 

Communications. When 

Potpourri once asked her if its 

true that girls with big bums 

are lazy in bed, hear her 

answer; “I will speak for 

myself, because I feel girls 

with big bums are usually very 

lazy in bed, but for me I’m very 

active, so, I’ll just speak for 

myself. I’m very flexible with my 

bum.” ‘you are very flexible with 

your bum?’, we asked again, 

and she replied “Of course, I 

use it very well.” 

My bum just 

popped out 

about 4 years 

ago, no 

implants- 

Christabel 

Egbenya 

Beautiful and sexy Edo 

State-born actress, 

Christabel Egbenya became 

popular in the industry after 

her exploits in films like 

Room 202, Kingdom of 

Pleasure and King’s Throne. 

For so many years the faircomplexioned 

actress got 

accolades for her beautiful 

face, nice figure and boobs 

until about four years ago 

when her bum started 

getting in the mix to steal the 

show 

“Before I used to say my 

boobs, but not anymore. 

Now, I would say it’s my 

bum. About four years ago, 

I noticed my bum just 

popped out from nowhere. I 

didn’t do any implants they 

just popped out of nowhere” 

she said. 

Some men masturbate watching 

my bum – Anita Joseph 

Anita Joseph, clearly 

isn’t a woman who 

believes women should be 

seen and not heard. This 

opinionated actress and 

singer is ever ready to air 

her opinion on any issue 

regardless of how sensitive 

the issue is. 

Recently, Anita took a 

swipe at people who 

criticised her for posting 

raunchy, sexy pictures on 

the social media, saying 

the only person who has a 

right over her is the man 

who pays her bill. 

“Some Nigerians are 

hypocrites and pretenders. 

A lot of them used my 

pictures to masturbate and 

feel good, yet condemn it. 

The last time I checked, my 

boobs and bum are still 

strong and beautiful.” 

I have a mean ass 

– Daniella Okeke 

Daniella Okeke has actually warned me 

not to talk about her sexuality anymore. 

But how could anyone blame me when her 

name keeps popping up. Honestly, I haven’t 

picked her, 8 out of 10 actresses I asked to 

come up with names of Nollywood actresses 

with best butts did. 

But it is impossible to ignore this Lagos 

Cougar actress. Even she had boasted on 

Instagram that “ I have a mean ass”. Nobody 

prompted her, it was something that must 

have been playing on her mind and she 

posted it on her Instagram page. Is it just 

possible to ignore this piece of art crafted by 

God? Daniella, forgive me again! 

Fans buy 

contraceptive 

for 2Baba 

During Burna boy’s 

performance at Star 

music trek Makurdi; 

Fans threw what 

seemed to be a balloon 

on stage. While Burna 

boy caught it and asked 

whom it was meant for, 

they simply said 

“2Baba”, amidst 

cheering noise and 

laughter. 

The greatest forces on earth are 

beautiful people - Favour Kennedy 

By Aderonke Adeyeri 

Favour Kennedy, a promising model with innate 

passion has said the greatest forces on earth are 

beautiful people. The young model who had escaped 

sexual harassment so many times disclosed this 

recently in a chat with Potpourri. Her words: 

“modelling projects and interpreting the minds of 

beautiful people and things we see around us. A lot 

of people get attracted easily when they come in 

contact with beautiful things”. 

When asked how she copes with A-list models, she 

has this to say “Coping with stars in the industry 

requires lots of patience and confidence which also 

is a key instrument to success and fame”. Her 

passion is to storm the industry with a new sphere of 

beauty that will catch people’s attention easily. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


Onikoyi68@gmail.com 

Guys stop whatever they are 

doing to stare when I walk by- 

Angel Christopher 

Angel Christopher is not 

exactly your shy type. 

Many times, the actress 

have had to battle and 

survive controversies to 

stay on course of her career. 

She’s a talented actress but 

beside the talent, there is 

her ass that cannot be kept 

quiet. Angel knows she’s 

got the goods and she 

spares no one the delight 

her nice, curvy ass brings. 

“I have got wonderful hips and 

boobs,” she once told Potpourri. 

“Whenever I walk along the 

streets, guys stop whatever they 

are doing just to stare at me. 

Both the young and the old are 

captivated by my curvy body. 

I am blessed with a sweet 

body. An old woman saw me 

some days ago and said, ‘my 

daughter you are really 

beautiful, hope you thank your 

God everyday for making you this 

special. And I smiled and said ‘yes 

ma’. So, that is what I see every day.” 

My ass gives me undue 

attention everyday - Evia Simon 

Evia Simon is sexy and beautiful. But if you miss anything 

about the up and coming star, her massive buttocks is sure 

never to be missed. Even Evia herself says her “ass” has 

caused her embarrassments too often than she cares to 

remember, not only from men but also from women. 

“Yeah, it’s true. My ass gives me undue attention and even to 

me, it can be so embarassing sometimes. At times I don’t just 

feel happy about it. Of 

course, there are other girls 

who are shaply, sexy, and 

beautiful, but you know, this 

is me and they are them. I 

don’t know what they are 

passing through, but I know 

that I’m passing through hell 

daily. Even girls get funny 

about it sometimes”. Girls 

chase you too? “Not really 

chasing me, but they’re 

always after me to see 

whether my ass is real or 

padded? I’ve worked into a 

market before and a girl 

followed me. You know 

markets are very choked up 

so she just followed me and 

tapped my ass just to know. 

You know what I did to her? 

I ran after her, I dragged her 

and I took her hand and I 

said ‘feel it very well, it is not 

padded’. She busted out 

laughing 

The much anticipated second edition of the Jehovah-Over- 

Do-Live-Concert holds today, as Evang. Solo Urete (aka 

Jehovah Overdo) and friends hit the stage again for the 

2016 edition of the awesome event. The event is scheduled 

for today, Sunday, September 18, 2016 at RCCG Powerlink 

Chapel, Lagos. 

The concert is an annual musical/praise program to 

celebrate God’s faithfulness in his ministry through the 

years. 

According to the founder of the programme, the event is 

aimed at touching and turning lives around through intense 

and non-stop praise by highly anointed ministers of God. 

“Lets come out en-masse as the Jehovah-Over-Do will be 

there to lift us above all our expectations, giving 

breakthrough and doing the ‘overdo’ again.” 

I don’t like talking about my 

bum – Pat Attang 

Patience Attang-Williams, popularly known as 

Ambassador Pat Attang is an actress, model and a video 

vixen. Her claim to fame comes from films like Ladies 

Secrets, Itoro the House-girl, Exposed Secrets, among 

others. She has been severally touted as one of the best 

butts of Nollywood. But when you get talking with this 

humble damsel, talking about her bum is the last thing 

she wants to do. 

“I don’t like talking about my bum. Big bum is not an 

achievement, so, I don’t like talking about it. There are a 

lot of important things to talk about, like talking about 

the country or Nollywood, not big bums .” 

Of all my assets, my 

ass is my favourite 

– Tracy Obonna 

Nigerian-born, US-based actress 

and model,Tracy Obonna is 

known as the 

‘ A f r i c a n 

Bombshell’, not for 

any other reason 

but for her 

shapely, curvy, hips 

and bum. The actress 

who premiered her latest 

film “Dope Fiend” last week at 

the Newark International Film 

Festival has said she works so 

hard to maintain the shape 

“I love my body and I work 

out three times a week to 

keep it this way, so why not 

show it off, now that I’m fresh 

and young. I love my assets, 

both bum and boobs, that’s 

why, don’t get me wrong, I’ll 

wear a low cut top and show 

off the ‘girls (boobs) sometimes, but my 

butt is my favourite. I am just crazy about them” 

she told Potpourri in an interview. 

One fan has warned this up and coming Nollywood 

bundle of sex appeal to stop seducing people with 

her sexy bum or else. If you know Princess Jolie on 

any of the social media the first thing you will notice 

is her sexy ass and she stops at nothing in flaunting 

them. 

In many of her Instagram posts, she’s either flaunting 

it or twerking. On one occasion, a fan slammed her 

by saying “Keep looking for trouble” and she simply 

I have had to strip 

naked to prove my 

bum is real – Tonia 

Ferrari 

Tonia Ferrari Okoro is making waves as 

a Yoruba actress even though she was 

born by a Cameroonian mother to a 

Nigerian father from Delta State. She has 

done a couple of films that got top ratings 

and thus has some good claims to fame. 

She is blessed with both great boobs and 

bum but it is her bum that has caused 

her the major embarrassment of her life 

“That will be when some actors accused 

me of wearing fake hips and bum. At first 

I thought it was a joke but they were 

dead serious about it. They went on and 

on about it that I had to prove it to 

them that I am all natural. So, I 

pulled down my jeans and 

showed them my 

naked bum. 

My bum is all natural, no implants – Princess Jolie 

Jehovah-Over-Do live concert holds today 

By Juliet Ebirim 

To make it a memorable one, Evang. Solo Urete will 

be joined on stage by friends and other anointed 

ministers of the gospel. This year, living legend of 

Niger-Delta music, Evangelist Emma Ofano will be 

ministering alongside Evang. Solo Urete. Also, 

Mid-Night Crew, Praise Machine, Godswill 

Oyuonye, Faith Ajiboye, Bukola Olubona, 

Akpororo, Chika 100%, Fabian, The Powerlink 

mass choir will also be performing at the event. 

The programme will be anchored by Igos of 

Wazobia and Cordelia Okpei. Pastor Egra 

Akpofure, Pastor-In-Charge of RCCG 

Powerlink Chapel is the host. 

This program comes up every year in 

partnership with RCCG Powerlink Chapel 

Lekki, powered by Dominion Power Praise 

Ministry. 

replied, “I am sorry”. That’s how simple she 

is. 

There is even a rumour that she had a butt 

enhancement job on her butt but the actress 

vehemently denied it. “People can talk shit, 

hip enhancement? Smh, did they do it for me? 

They should go take a clearer look at my old 

Facebooks post. I have no reason to do butt 

implant,” she said. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


reminiscences 

leader 

M 

YK 

C 

N1BILLION CHURCH FUND 

I had strange illness for reneging 

on N100 million vow — 

Gbazuagu, Enugu APC 

•Tells his story of miraculous recovery 

• Chief Gbazuagu 

BY EMEKA MAMAH 

POLITICIANS from across the 

country witnessed the 

“Thanksgiving and Testimony,” of 

an All Progressives Congress, APC, leader 

in Enugu State, Chief Gbazuagu Nweke 

Gbazuagu. 

Gbazuagu, a former governorship flag 

bearer of the defunct Social Democratic 

Party, SDP, who said he was afflicted by a 

strange illness for disobeying God, told the 

congregation at the Cathedral of the Good 

Shepherd, Anglican Communion, 

Independence Layout, Enugu that he died 

three times and “was resurrected by God 

on each occasion,” as a way of teaching 

him some lesson. 

, IDUH 

his offence was that he pledged N100 

million for the construction of the cathedral 

of the newly created Oji River Diocese of 

the Anglican Communion where he hails 

from but reneged, hence God had to teach 

him a hard lesson by allowing him to suffer 

“more than the Biblical Nebuchadnezzar 

and Job”. 

Those at the service included Governor 

Ifeanyi Ugwanyi;, former governors of old 

Anambra and Enugu States, Chief Jim 

Nwobodo and Dr Okwesileze Nwodo 

respectively; the Minister of Labour and 

Employment and former governor of 

Anambra State, Dr Chris Ngige; Chief Bode 

Olajumoke; Chief Kola Abiola; former 

Senate President and his deputy, Senator 

Ken Nnamani and Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu 

respectively; the senator representing 

Enugu North District, Chuka Utazi; Chief 

George Mohaghalu; Chief (Mrs) Grace 

Obayi and Senator Emma Agboti. 

Others include Alhaji Kashim Ibrahim 

Imam, Chief J. B. Onoh, Ambassador Frank 

Ogbuewu, Onyemauche Nnamani, Chief 

Sam Onyishi, Chief Emma Eneukwu, 

Senators Fidelis Okoro and Ben Collins- 

Ndu, Anthony Agbo, the Deputy Speaker of 

the ECOWAS Parliament, Chief Bethel 

Amadi, former Minister of Science and 

Technology, Prof Barth Nnaji, former 

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Dubem 

Onyia, and the state Chairman of APC, 

Chief Ben Nwoye. 

*ABOVE AND BELOW: Gbazuagu and well wishers during the Thanksgiving and 

Testimony service 

I was besieged by 

a strange illness 

which imperiled 

me physically, 

mentally, 

psychologically 

and materially and 

which defied all 

available medical 

solution 

Also present were Chief (Mrs) Bessy 

Belonwu, the Director General of Voice of 

Nigeria, Chief Osita Okechuchukwu, the 

former Vice Chancellor of Enugu State 

University of Science and Technology, 

ESUT, Prof Luke Anike and the Bishop of 

Gwagwalada Diocese of the Anglican 

Communion. 

At the church service presided over by the 

Bishop of Enugu, Right Rev Emmanuel 

Chukwuma, who was represented by Rev 

Egemba Arinze, Gbazuagu further said: 

“For nine months, I did not sleep for two 

hours each day. I went to different hospitals 

in the USA, Britain, Israel and India among 

others without any of the hospitals finding 

anything wrong but I was becoming lean 

and lean every day. 

“For close to two years, I wore only two 

dresses and slippers because all my clothes 

were over- sized. My wife cried and cried 

to no end. My first daughter also cried in 

her room every night but there was no 

solution. 

“After promising to donate N100 million 

out of the N1 billion needed to build the 

house of God, I reneged and started 

building an imposing structure for my three 

daughters. Everyday that the strange 

sickness lasted, I thought I was not going to 

see the next day. I suffered more than what 

Job and Nebuchadnezzar altogether 

suffered. I did not take any medicine and 

no doctor cured me. 

“I was besieged by a strange illness which 

imperiled me physically, mentally, 

psychologically and materially and which 

defied all available medical solution. 

However, God Almighty, in His infinite 

mercy, gave me a second chance and 

miraculously healed me and granted me 

absolute recovery in all facets of my life. 

“The strange illness afflicted, me 

thereafter and I continued to emaciate me. 

The illness denied me of sleep and I was 

being given tranquilizers all to no avail. I 

visited many countries including Britain, 

America, Israel, India, but nothing was 

diagnosed. I gave up hope after visiting these 

countries without cure. 

“I decided to sell the useless house I was 

building since there was no sense in putting 

up such an edifice I will not live in. 

Immediately, I disposed of the House, I 

started recovering miraculously. 

“It was when I sold the house built on an 

8,500 square metres of land; all the 

structures I had put there, for peanut that I 

started recovering. God then blessed me 

again and this came with my daughter’s 

graduation. God didn’t only return me to 

life but also made my daughter to get first 

class in software engineering at the 

University of Lincoln. God showed me that 

all material things in the world are vanity 

upon vanity.” 

Egere debunks report, 

says Emerhor remains 

Delta APC leader 

By Festus Ahon, ASABA 

Achieftain of the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, in Delta State, Mr 

Eric Egere, against recent media 

report, said he has been a member of the 

party, insisting that the party under the 

leadership of Olorogun O'tega Emerhor 

remains intact in the state. 

Debunking recent media report, Egere 

said; "I would have ordinarily ignored the 

publication in respect of the above subject 

matter published in the Vanguard 

newspaper of Monday, 29th of August, 

2016, but for the need to set the record 

straight, as many unsuspecting persons 

may be misled into very erroneous and 

costly conclusions. 

"I, Engr. Eric Egere have never been a 

member of any political party other than 

the All Progressives Congress, and so did 

not decamp from wherever as reported 

by the author of that report. 

"I also earnestly wish to unequivocally 

establish that, as a well-cultured son of 

Uvwie Kingdom and APC leader in Uvwie 

Local Government Area of Delta State, 

my relationship with and recent visit to 

Mrs. Veronica Ogbuagu was purely on 

grounds of reconciliation and consolidation 

among members of the APC family 

in Uvwie Local Government Area and 

Delta State in general. 

"That innocent but deliberate gesture for 

peace, progress and more stability of our 

great party should, therefore, not be misconstrued 

as a sign or display of obsequiosness 

or undue submission to anyone's 

whims and dictates. 

"It is worthty of note that Delta APC 

under the state leadership of Olorogun 

O'tega Emerhor remains intact and uncontestable. 

"And so, anybody or group spreading 

any rumour other than the actual intent 

of my humble sportsmanship is only deliberately 

and grossly misrepresenting the 

facts in a bid to act the script of their paymasters. 

Regrettably, such an uncivil and 

infamous tendency only demonstrates a 

disturbing lack of familiarity with the tenets 

of the new order in politics”. 

"Therefore, this is simply to set the 

record straight in order to prevent undiscerning 

members of the public into believing 

baseless falsification of some of 

our starry-eyed politicians. 

"I whole-heartedly implore all, especially 

our party faithful, to discountenance 

this and other such bogus but blatantly 

untrue claims." 

Community lauds 

Buhari’s choice of 

Iyuke as PTI boss 

By Egufe Yafugborhi 

WARRI - IRODO people of Id 

jerhe kingdom, Ethiope West 

local government area, Delta 

State have scored the emergence of Prof. 

Iyuke Sunny as Principal and Chief Executive 

Officer at the Petroleum Training 

Institute (PTI) Effurun, as another 

demonstration of President Muhammadu 

Buhari’s passion to change Nigerian 

for the better. 

Spokesman for the community, Prince 

Francis Temienor, in statement in Warri, 

said, “With the exemplary track 

record of Prof. Iyuke, our son in whom 

we are well pleased, PTI is set to experience 

dramatic leap in its role of galvanizing 

transformation of Nigeria’s oil 

and gas industry.” 

The community further commended 

Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, Minister of State for 

Petroleum, HRM Otadarerua Edward 

Igho, Erhiekevwe I, Ovie of Idjerhe and 

the Governing Council at PTI for “their 

role in the transparent and deserved appointment 

of Prof. Iyuke as PTI principal.”

Ladipo Adamolekun 

essays 

A TRIBUTE: 

Conversations with Anthony 

Eromosele Oseghale Enahoro, 

a political exile (1996 - 1998) 

Preamble 

The crude repression of 

the Abacha 

government forced this 

revered nationalist to flee the 

country in May 1996 to seek 

political asylum in North 

America. Earlier on in 1994, 

Enahoro had heroically 

accepted the ignominy of 

detention for about four 

months at the hands of the 

same government. This time 

around, it was strong evidence 

of life threatening danger that 

made him accept to flee 

Nigeria at age 73. The man 

who moved the historic 

motion of independence for 

Nigeria in 1953 was being 

threatened with death by a 

brass hat who was barely ten 

years old at the time. He fled 

the country to avoid being 

tortured and/or killed by 

Abacha’s brutal regime. I met 

with Chief Enahoro about six 

times between September 

1996 and March 1998. 

Predictably, there were 

overlaps in the issues 

discussed during the different 

meetings but three of the 

meetings stand out. 

1. September 13th 1996: I 

met Chief Enahoro in the 

company of Dr. Ropo Sekoni, 

an academic who was active 

in Nigerian opposition 

movement in the Washington 

area. We spent about two 

hours with him. Our wideranging 

conversation was 

both interesting and 

stimulating. His vivid 

recollection of the political 

events of the 1950s and 1960s 

was very impressive. He was 

both frank and fair to his 

political colleagues, those he 

agreed with as well as those 

he disagreed with. In 

particular, he came across as 

a constructive critic of late 

Chief Awolowo, his party 

leader. 

His narration covered the 

years of radicalism in the 

1950s (motion of 

independence in 1953) 

through the opposition years 

of the early 1960s, self-exile 

in Ghana, Ireland and 

England, culminating in 

“treasonable felony” trial and 

incarceration narrated in his 

book, Fugitive Offender 

(1965), to the “insider” years 

within governments or with 

governments from the late 

1960s through the 1970s to 

the 1980s. Then, there was the 

return to radicalism in the 

1990s, marked by detention 

(1994) and a second exile 

(1996-) - quite a chequered 

political career. The clarity 

and rigour of his thoughts and 

his strong convictions came 

across in the positions that he 

espoused on the evolving 

Nigerian crisis. I was in full 

agreement with his position 

on June 12 (a critical reference 

point which is no longer able 

to fully determine future 

directions) and on the 

autonomy of the regions (8 of 

them), with the centre 

performing a coordinating 

role. He would like to see the 

military forces disbanded and 

a new, small military 

reconstituted with external 

assistance. Some kind of 

radical re-organization of the 

military would be necessary 

but it might not be exactly 

along the lines that he 

advocated. I broached the 

issue of his brother, Peter, who 

accepted to be co-opted, first 

by Shagari and later by 

Babangida and his 

successors. He was not 

comfortable with the subject 

and I dropped it. It was a 

memorable meeting. I will 

endeavour to meet with him 

from time to time until further 

notice. 

2. October 5th 1997: 

During a one-on-one 

conversation, Chief Enahoro 

provided some insightful and 

interesting perspectives on 

Nigeria’s political history. As 

Vice Chairman of Gowon’s 

administration in the late 

1960s, Chief Awolowo 

introduced a paper on 

regional specialization in the 

development process: north to 

develop agriculture (“bread 

basket”); east to lead in 

industrialization; and the west 

to lead in commerce. He 

withdrew the paper because 

of opposition from the north. 

We talked about the restructuring 

of the Nigerian 

federal system: 8 regions 

around ethnic nations or a 

collection of ethnic groups. We 

also talked about the politics 

On the way forward, 

he would like the 

opposition 

movement to focus 

sharply on 

mobilizing the 

masses. He 

demonstrated clarity 

on the symbiotic 

relationship between 

organization and 

ideas 

and economics of oil. When I 

asked about progress of work 

on his memoirs, he replied 

that progress was slow. In 

passing, he remarked that one 

of the things he was struggling 

with was how to avoid 

destroying the country’s icons 

- obviously a reference to what 

he would have to say about 

the “big three”: Awo, Zik and 

Ahmadu Bello. On the way 

forward, he would like the 

opposition movement to focus 

sharply on mobilizing the 

masses. 

He demonstrated clarity on 

the symbiotic relationship 

between organization and 

ideas. I was pleased to hear 

him talk of the need to reflect 

on the economic 

management arrangements 

that would be compatible with 

the regional arrangements 

that he had proposed during 

previous conversations. He 

asserted that the product of the 

linkage would constitute a 

core message of the 

opposition. 

3. March 21st 1998: I was 

one of about one-dozen 

Nigerians that Chief Enahoro 

engaged in a marathon 

conversation lasting over five 

hours at the Lawanis over 

dinner. (Ayo and Ayoka 

Lawani hosted the dinner. 

Ayoka who divided her time 

between the family base in 

Ibadan and her husband’s 

work base in the Washington 

area was active in NADECO 

politics). Chief was in high 

spirit and mixed wit and 

humour very effectively 

throughout the long evening. 

Above all, his reminiscences 

on Nigerian politics from the 

early 1940s to the present were 

full of insights. His sharp 

memory for details (of people, 

places and events) was very 

impressive. He repeated his 

unwillingness to provide 

interpretations of Nigeria’s 

political history that would 

reveal critical poor 

judgments, plain mistakes 

and personal weaknesses of 

the nationalist leaders in 

whose company he fought for 

Nigeria’s independence. And 

he was a key figure in the 

government of Western 

Nigeria in the immediate 

years of independence before 

the arrival of the brass hats. 

He specifically mentioned the 

need to leave the “icons” alone 

so that those who continue to 

hero-worship them might not 

find their “kings” de-robed. 

And he made the point that 

some readers of his account 

would question his motives. 

He listened to the rebuttals 

that others and I offered and 

we moved on from the topic. 

Another interesting insight 

that he provided was the 

question of what to do with 

former Heads of State. 

He first encountered this 

problem when he served 

under Gowon and the latter’s 

thoughts about transition to 

civilian rule were warped by 

concern over his personal role 

under a new dispensation. (A 

few African countries are 

beginning to grapple with the 

problem –Nelson Mandela of 

South Africa and Ketumile 

Masire of Botswana). His 

thesis on the role of language 

in development aroused 

considerable interest. He 

correctly pointed to the 

salience of this subject in S-E 

Asia (Indonesia, Thailand, 

and Malaysia). But we did 

not contrast the S-E Asian 

experience with the case of 

Swahili in Eastern Africa. 

He talked briefly about his 

role in the establishment of the 

University of Ife in 1962, with 

the anecdote about how a 

detour to Moscow helped to 

win British support, including 

the removal of the British 

colonial officer in Western 

Nigeria whose lack of interest 

had resulted in the 

exploration of the Moscow 

axis. 

He whimsically mentioned 

that with the end of the cold 

war, such smart moves are no 

longer possible. Alas, he is 

right. 


Brethren, it is still September, 

the month of fruitfulness. To 

me, and many women that I 

know, it is a special month. 

It is the month of my 

breakthrough which brought 

about the birth of my son, 

after 22 years of waiting on the 

Lord. Even today, I continue 

to thank the Lord for this 

breakthrough. 

However, last week , I 

stumbled on the stories of two 

prominent women that 

really touched me. 

First was the story of renown 

actress, Funke Akindele, who 

asked her fans to pray for her to 

be a mother. The second was 

the interview of Pastor 

(Mrs.) Ibidun Ighodalo posted 

on ThisDay live and culled by 

City People. 

Consequently, I have decided 

that this month of September 

will be devoted to the issue of 

couples waiting on the Lord for 

children. My prayer is that 

God Almighty, who broke the 

yoke of barrenness in my life, 

will manifest his power in 

the life of somebody reading 

this column today and the world 

will celebrate with you the birth 

of your child in the name of 

Jesus. 

Please, believe it and receive 

it. 

How do I know ? Mark 11 

verse 23 is our authority. It 

states, ‘For verily I say unto you, 

that whosoever shall say unto 

this mountain, Be thou removed 

and be thou cast into the sea; 

and shall not doubt in his heart’, 

but shall believe that those 

things which he saith shall come 

to pass; he shall have 

whatsoever he saith”. 

Brothers and sisters, the yoke 

can be broken. Master Jesus 

assures us in Isaiah 10 vs 27: 

“ And it shall come to pass in 

that day, that his burden shall 

be taken away from off thy 

shoulder, and his yoke from off 

thy neck, and the yoke shall be 

destroyed because of the 

anointing”. 

Note the word destroyed. 

What destroys? It is the 

anointing. The anointing of the 

Holy Spirit is available and 

you don’t have to pay for it. 

You only need to connect with 

the right anointing. 

Our Lord Jesus said in John 

14 vs 16&17: “ And I will pray 

the Father, and he shall give you 

another Comforter, that He 

may abide with you forever; 

even the Spirit of Truth; whom 

the world cannot receive , 

because it seeth Him not, 

neither knoweth Him: but ye 

know him; for He dwelleth with 

you, and shall be in you”. 

The road to fruitfulness – 

Brethren, the road to 

fruitfulness isn’t an easy one. 

It is also not for those who give 

up on God. It is not for those 

who spend all night 

weeping. A child of God must 

be a spiritual soldier. You 

cannot afford to break down . 

A believer must remain 

steadfast with God and must be 

hopeful. 

This reminds me of the 

case of Pastor Mrs. Olukoya, 

wife of the General Overseer of 

Mountain of Fire Ministries 

(MFM) who had her baby after 

15 years of waiting. Like 

every other woman, what she 

has gone through is better 

imagined. Many people, 

including fellow Christians, 

mocked her but when the baby 

came, her mockers had no 

choice but laugh with her. 

Your testimony will be better 

than hers in the mighty name 

of Jesus. 

Remain steadfast, connect 

with the right anointing. 

Let me also share the story of 

a woman who said she was at a 

programme organized by the 

Redeemed Christian Church of 

God (RCCG) in which Pastor 

and Mrs. Adeboye were in 

attendance. After the 

The anointing removes 

all afflictions 

service, the woman who had 

been waiting on the Lord 

went and sat on the chair 

that Mrs. Adeboye sat and 

said, ‘O God, give me 

the ovaries of Mrs. 

Adeboye since she has no 

need for them anymore’. 

Doctors had told her 

that her ovaries were 

malfunctioning . To cut a 

long story short, within a year 

that she took that action, 

she became pregnant and 

had a baby. 

Let me also recall the story 

of Mrs. F., a member of 

Laughter Foundation 

International Ministry. 

Pastor Oso, the General 

Overseer, had given an 

assignment to members and 

told them to write out their 

dreams after the prayer 

assignment. Mrs. F. said 

someone told her in her 

dream that “ you will never 

have children in this 

The Lord will 

arise and fight 

for you and the 

yoke of 

barrenness will 

be completely 

destroyed 

marriage”. She narrated 

this to the pastor who said 

to her “Look straight at 

me, you will have children 

but we have a lot of work 

to do”. 

To the Glory of the 

Almighty , Mrs. F is a 

mother of three including a 

set of twins. 

The anointing is 

available; you only need to 

connect with it. 

Pastor Ighodalo is right, 

the challenge of waiting for 

a child drains one 

financially, but the good 

news is that there is a God 

who does not charge one 

Naira, He gives children 

freely because they are his 

heritage. 

Why the challenge? 

Reasons for delay in childbearing 

in a marriage are 

so numerous but can be 

categorized into two: 

Physical and spiritual . 

Experience has shown that 

whereas medical science 

can resolve challenges 

related to the physical, it 

cannot and may never 

be able to resolve issues 

related to the spiritual, but 

there is an omniscience God 

that has the capacity to 

resolve ALL spiritual 

challenges. 

I’ll share the story of two 

couples. Couple A had 

been married for some time 

without children. The 

husband is the first son in 

a family of five; the family 

was not rich . Before he got 

married, a very close relation 

of his had gone to a herbalist 

during which she was told 

that when Mr. A gets married 

, he will be so close to his wife 

that he would not attend to 

anyone else. This relation 

vowed to resist this and she 

and the herbalist agreed 

to do something. What they 

did was to stop the man 

from having children until 

all the other children in 

the family had completed 

their education. 

This was unknown to Mr. A. 

He and his wife began to 

go from one doctor to 

another . They even had 

surgeries but all resulted in 

no pregnancy. 

Another case was that of 

Mr. F. who was a human 

resource manager in a 

company. He assisted his 

aunt’s son to get a job but the 

applicant who became an 

employee of his company 

became unserious with his 

job. Mr. F. insisted that the 

rules would never be bent for 

his nephew. Consequently, 

he was sacked. The aunt then 

vowed that for allowing her 

son to lose his job, Mr. F. will 

never have children that will 

inherit his property; rather her 

son will inherit all that Mr. F. 

worked for. 

They consulted the forces of 

darkness and Mr. and Mrs. 

F. also began to wait for 

several years. In both cases, 

these same relations began to 

taunt the wives, calling them 

men but thank God for the 

women who held on to the 

Lord with determination . 

Thank God also for the 

men who stood firmly by their 

wives. 

In the end, God changed 

the stories of these couples 

and, to the glory of the Lord 

and the shame of household 

enemies, these women, as I 

speak today, are mothers of 

children: boys and girls. 

In the mighty name of 

Jesus, for someone reading 

this column, the Lord will 

arise and fight for you and the 

yoke of barrenness will be 

completely destroyed. 

I have cited these stories to 

let readers know that many 

a times, the sources of these 

afflictions can never be known 

physically. 

Brethren, the anointing is 

available to break any yoke, 

but you must find time to get 

connected to the right 

anointing. 

Be humble enough to 

contact a man of God who is 

gifted with the anointing 

that addresses your 

particular challenge and 

your bitter story will change 

to better story in the name of 

Jesus. 

Editor’s Note : Laughter 

Foundation International 

Ministry has a three-week 

programme titled “ An end to 

all afflictions” . It begins 

on September 18 and ends on 

October 2. Attend , invite others 

and the Lord will destroy the 

yoke in Jesus name.

PAGE 28 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 

Change begins with me: 

Have people heard? 

The invitation by 

P r e s i d e n t 

Muhammadu 

Buhari to every Nigerian 

to introspect and engage 

in value re-orientation 

cannot be dismissed as 

many critics have 

attempted to do. This is 

because whatever pains 

the nation is going 

through today cannot be 

distanced from the 

contributory negligence 

of the people. As it was at 

the dawn independence, 

so it still is now that 

Nigerians are making no 

effort to reject our 

convoluted democracy. We 

cannot continue to blame 

our leaders who in the 

first instance could not 

have gotten into political 

offices if we had all 

showed interest in 

electing our very the best. 

For more than half a 

century, our electoral 

process has not changed. 

Less than one third of 

voters actually vote at 

elections making it easy 

for politicians to continue 

to manipulate the system. 

Again, every election 

records a large number of 

invalid votes because our 

people still do not know 

how to vote. If so, how can 

we identify visionary men 

and women who can 

formulate and execute 

policies that can improve 

our living conditions? 

Thus, the call by the 

President that we should 

all change our ways 

makes a lot of sense. My 

only problem with the reorientation 

campaign is 

that, as usual, it is 

cosmetic. 

First, the launch took 

place at the Presidential 

villa to which only a 

handful of people have 

access. Yet, it is a message 

for all Nigerians but 

which may never get to 

some people even at the 

end of the tenure of the 

present government. 

Here, I recall a recording 

by one of my reporters in 

1986. He was sent to feel 

the pulse of the people a 

few days to the visit of 

then President Babangida 

to Benin City. The reporter 

met a group of people 

playing table tennis and 

decided to interview them. 

Shocked that none of 

them knew of the 

impending visit he 

decided to ask them the 

name of the visiting 

President to which almost 

everyone answered “it is 

Shagari” who was not 

even the immediate past 

head of our nation at the 

time. In earnest, there has 

always been a wide gap 

between government and 

the people because 

It is important for 

government to 

realize that as 

catchy as its 

“change begins 

with me” sounds, 

it is no more than 

a New Year 

resolution which 

many are never 

able to implement 

because old habits 

die hard 

government programmes 

are always elitist and 

urban biased. Even at that, 

how many town dwellers 

usually get to hear about 

the programmes? Public 

power supply has 

remained defective 

making it hard for the few 

that have radio and 

television to hear or watch 

the programmes 

including this new 

‘change begins with me’. 

In which case, the 

message may never get 

into the neglected rural 

areas. Accordingly, 

people cannot embrace a 

policy they neither heard 

nor understood. If the 

trend in the last few 

months in which the 

Information Minister 

organizes town halls in 

some selected state 

capitals is again 

followed, government is 

still not talking to the 

masses. Instead, she is 

engaged in the 

communication of the 

deaf with city cynics. 

It is not entirely bad to 

reach the few people 

which our Information 

Minister appears to 

specialize in, what is 

exceedingly bad is to 

believe that through it, all 

Nigerians have been 

reached without 

developing a feedback 

mechanism for 

assessment. Public 

enlightenment is not a 

“touch and go” affair. It 

has to be extensive and 

domesticated. What is the 

target audience? How 

many people were 

reached? Did they 

understand the message? 

Considering the 

variations in human 

endowments, it is naive to 

imagine that all the 

people in a hall can 

understand a message at 

the same time and in the 

same way. The truth from 

experience is that in such 

a hall many persons who 

had not eaten for days 

came in to see if some food 

will be shared; they don’t 

even attempt to hear the 

speaker. To develop a 

programme like “change 

begins with me” without a 

well thought-out scheme 

on its spread and 

sustenance is to in essence 

take 

effective 

communication for 

granted. Unfortunately, 

the institutional 

framework for it in 

Nigeria, which is the 

National Orientation 

Agency, (NOA) has become 

unviable as all it gets these 

days is subvention for staff 

salaries. 

Its founding fathers had 

thought its grassroots 

nature would be ably 

utilized by government but 

the latter has continuously 

misunderstood its 

strength. Against this 

backdrop, we doubt if any 

message by government 

gets to the people. Besides, 

even for those that get to 

hear anything, there is the 

need to monitor the pulse 

of the people from time to 

time. It is important for 

government to realize that 

as catchy as its “change 

begins with me” sounds, it 

is no more than a New Year 

resolution which many are 

never able to implement 

because old habits die 

hard. Every year in the last 

5 years, for example, my 

famous Uncle Ajay tells 

me of his firm resolve to 

stop cigarette smoking. 

Somehow, he ends up 

consuming more sticks 

than that of the previous 

year. Many factors around 

us, too numerous to 

mention in this piece, 

seem to account for his 

inability to keep his 

words. Will many of our 

people on account of 

certain environmental 

issues not be like him with 

respect to our “change 

begins with me” slogan? 

The slogan is catchy and 

could be useful if we all 

embrace it, but we must 

not forget that there are 

always deviants in all 

societies. This seems to 

explain why we have law 

enforcement agencies. 

What this implies is that 

the programme would not 

just be about people as it 

would require certain 

institutions to coordinate 

what individuals do for 

the benefit of society. In 

other words the “me” 

component in the change 

programme would refer to 

individuals, groups, and 

government especially 

that of the present ruling 

party which has a greater 

stake because it came to 

power on account of its 

promise to bring change. 

Accordingly, like Caesar’s 

wife, the Buhari 

government must be above 

aboard in every sphere of 

life- appointments, 

contracts, admission in 

schools, and allocation of 

projects etc. Otherwise, 

the change programme 

would be dysfunctional if 

the government gets 

involved in any of the 

indulgences of its 

predecessors. Someone 

needs to say this to our 

government as it 

mobilizes people for 

attitudinal change. 

The futility and irrationality 

of revenge (5) 

Apparently, Ironsi’s 

explanation was 

ineffectual: either the 

emirs and key members of the 

northern ruling elite doubted 

his sincerity or the Hausa- 

Fulani animosity against 

Ndigbo living in the north had 

reached the omega point or 

point of no return. But the 

mayhem that ensued went far 

beyond what can be 

rationalised as justified 

reaction to the unification 

decree and tactless negative 

triumphalism by some Igbo 

in the north following the 

emergence of Ironsi as head 

of state. Five days after Ironsi 

announced the decree, riots 

broke out in many parts of 

northern Nigeria against 

easterners, especially the Igbo. 

It has been estimated that over 

three thousand Ndigbo were 

killed, more than twice that 

number wounded while 

valuable property worth 

millions of pounds were 

destroyed. As usual, some 

elements in the north blamed 

Ironsi unfairly for unilaterally 

promulgating the unification 

decree, forgetting that it was 

the outcome of several 

meetings by the SMC 

comprising nine members 

among whom were Gowon 

and Katsina who, even if they 

had any reservation about the 

decree, did not express it 

during the meetings. Chief 

G.C.M. Onyiuke, attorneygeneral 

of the federation at 

that time who was present 

when Ironsi, Gowon, and 

PhD,Department of 

Philosophy, 

University of Lagos 

08116759758 

opuruiche2000@yahoo.com 

others brainstormed on the 

decree, testifies that it was the 

unanimous decision of the 

Supreme Military Council. In 

my opinion, the assertion that 

the decree triggered the riots 

is a red herring because the 

extent of the mayhem 

indicates that a lot of 

planning over several weeks 

or even months must have 

preceded its actual execution 

that began on May 29, 1966, 

less than a week after the 

decree was promulgated. 

Now, on closer inspection, the 

decree did not change the 

status quo substantially: it 

merely formalised the type of 

government that had existed 

since the army took over in 

January 1966 and ruled 

through the SMC based on the 

central command system 

common in military regimes 

globally. 

To identify the real causes 

of the May riots, therefore, one 

needs to go deeper than the 

facile resort to Decree 34, 

which was not as stifling and 

unitarist as the ones 

promulgated by Gowon when 

he became head of state after 

the gruesome murder of his 

supreme commander, Major- 

General Aguiyi-Ironsi. To 

begin with, many northerners 

were convinced after several 

months of overt and covert 

brainwashing by some elite 

and elders in the north, such 

as Aminu Kano, Inua Wada, 

Adamu Ciroma, Suleiman 

Takuma and Umaru Dikko, 

that the uppity Igbo were 

really working to use their 

considerable educational 

advantage and dominance in 

the commercial sector to 

dominate the rest of Nigeria. 

Thus, it was not surprising 

that some key members of the 

northern establishment, 

including those in the 

military, felt that something 

drastic must be done to nip 

the incipient Igbo ascendancy 

in the bud. James Barnard, the 

American Consul to Nigeria, 

captures the conflict of 

interests that has bedevilled 

Nigeria since independence 

thus: “in the race for the 

material benefits of life, 

starting from the same point 

and on the basis of equal 

opportunity, the easterners are 

going to win by a mile. This is 

intolerable to the north. The 

only way to prevent it from 

happening is to impose 

artificial shackles to progress 

in the east. This is intolerable 

to the easterners.” Similarly, 

Patrick Wilmot, a radical 

political theorist, posits that 

the northern faction of the 

ruling class that has 

dominated the Nigerian 

political scene since 

independence lacked an 

established tradition for 

managing social change 

rationally. The only answer to 

dissent or rebellion is largescale 

violence directed 

against non-indigenes. 

Herbert Ekwe-Ekwe, in his 

illuminating work, The Biafra 

War: Nigeria and the 

Aftermath, refers to the 

leading role the Igbo played 

in the politics of Nigeria’s 

decolonisation from British 

rule and independence, which 

was largely opposed by the 

north, the more nationallyoriented 

political mindset of 

prominent Igbo politicians, 

and the unsurpassed 

achievements of Ndigbo in 

northern Nigeria as factors 

that propelled the riots of May 

1966: they also constitute 

essential background for 

understanding the ferocity 

and complete irrationality of 

the revenge coup of July 29, 

1966. 

Concerning that very coup, 

there is no doubt that it was a 

premeditated attempt by 

military officers from the 

Any normal human 

being who reads the 

chilling accounts of 

how Balewa and others 

were murdered by 

Nzeogwu and his 

trigger-happy 

conspirators would be 

saddened by the 

irrationality of it all 

north to avenge what they 

mischievously misinterpreted 

as the Igbo coup six months 

earlier, led by Major 

Nzeogwu. Another reason 

was that the emergence of 

Ironsi as the first military 

head of state angered some 

prominent northerners, who 

felt that adding political 

leadership to the educational 

advantages and professional 

and commercial successes of 

Ndigbo would be a 

radioactive combination 

against northern interests. 

Meanwhile, after the 

departure of British colonial 

administrators, Prime 

Minister Tafawa Balewa, 

working in concert with Alhaji 

Ahmadu Bello and defence 

ministers from the north, 

implemented 

a 

discriminatory recruitment 

programme in the military, 

which lowered the academic 

qualifications such that more 

northerners could be brought 

into the officer corps of the 

army, given the wide 

educational gap between 

northern and southern 

Nigeria in favour of the latter. 

Still, Ironsi continued to 

follow Balewa’s footsteps in an 

effort to placate the north 

inspite of scepticism there 

concerning his overtures. But 

although before the revenge 

coup Igbo officers 

outnumbered their northern 

counterparts both in seniority 

and experience, with their 

overwhelming numerical 

presence in the infantry the 

foundation of eventual 

northern domination of the 

military were laid even before 

Ironsi took over power. 

The revenge coup of July 

1966 was led by Lt. Col. 

Murtala Mohammed, ably 

assisted by Majors Theophilus 

Danjuma and Martin Adamu, 

Joe Garba, Muhammadu 

Buhari, Paul Tarfa, William 

Walbe, John Longboem, Nuhu 

Nathan, Malami Nassarawa, 

Musa Usman and Shittu Alao, 

who were stationed in Lagos. 

Arrowhead of the coup in 

Enugu was Shehu Musa 

Yar’Adua, whereas Pam 

Mwadkon and I.S. Umar took 

charge in Abeokuta. Jeremiah 

Useni, Ibrahim Bako, 

Abdullahi Shelleng and 

Garba Dada were stationed at 

the troublesome 4th battalion 

in Ibadan. According to Max 

Siollun, in his enthralling 

book, Oil, Politics and Violence: 

Nigeria’s Military Coup 

Vulture (1966-1976), personal 

connections between deposed 

northern politicians who held 

important official positions in 

the First Republic and 

northern military officers also 

encouraged the lust for 

revenge by Murtala 

Mohammed and his cohorts. 

It is instructive to note that 

Ironsi’s bodyguards were 

mostly northerners, a 

deliberate decision by him to 

practically demonstrate his 

firm belief in the idea of “One 

Nigeria” and remove the 

insinuation that he was 

surrounding himself with 

people from his ethnic group 

as part of a grand design for 

Igbo domination. In his 

entourage to Ibadan, capital 

of defunct western region 

where he was murdered, were 

Major Danjuma and 

Lieutenant William Walbe, 

who betrayed their supreme 

commander. Siollun wryly 

remarks that “by surrounding 

himself with northern soldiers, 

Aguiyi-Ironsi sealed his own 

fate.” 

Any normal human being 

who reads the chilling 

accounts of how Balewa and 

others were murdered by 

Nzeogwu and his triggerhappy 

conspirators would be 

saddened by the irrationality 

of it all. In the case of the 

lunatic killing of Ironsi and 

over two dozen Igbo military 

officers in the revenge coup, 

the feeling of utter disgust is 

worsened not only by the 

spread and cold-blooded 

nature of the murders but also 

by the genocidal character of 

the event. When I perused 

different narratives of how 

Major-General J.T.U. Aguiyi- 

Ironsi and his host and 

governor of western region, 

Lieutenant-Colonel Adekunle 

Fajuyi, were tortured and 

murdered, tears dropped 

from my eyes and I wondered 

whether Nigeria was worth all 

that wickedness, whether the 

amalgamation of 1914 was 

not a huge historical mistake. 

I have made a compelling case 

that that the first military coup 

in January 15, 1966 was not 

an Igbo coup. Yet, even if it 

was, does that justify the 

murderous ethnic cleansing 

of Igbo military officers by 

their northern counterparts in 

the revenge coup of July 29 of 

the same year? If not because 

of sheer wickedness and pure 

hatred of Ndigbo by some 

prominent northern 

politicians and soldiers, why 

would Murtala Mohammed, 

Paul Dickson, Martin Adamu, 

William Walbe and others 

carry out mass slaughter of 

Igbo officers? 

To be continued.

Has President Buhari Changed? 

“Change starts with me”, 

President Buhari, 

September 8, 2016. 

“When a government 

begins to fear the mob, it is 

as much as to say it fears 

itself.” John Fowles in THE 

FRENCH LIEUTENANT’S 

WOMAN. 

Oddly enough, there 

“ 

are two answers to 

that question: yes 

and no. There is abundance 

evidence to prove that the 

President who launched 

another campaign to 

officially change Nigerian 

attitudes and values, and 

his accomplice in that 

regard, the Minister of 

Information and Culture, 

might not be the right 

people to be preaching to 

us – their Fellow 

Countrymen. To begin with, 

not all changes are 

beneficial to society. The 

change from a nation 

which had a diversified 

export base, up till the late 

1960s to one which became 

enslaved to one product, 

crude oil, was largely 

brought about by long 

years of military rule – 

starting from 1966. Buhari 

was one of those who forced 

that change on us – without 

our consent. Now, the 

chicken has come home to 

roost. One of the major 

beneficiaries of 

government by armed 

robbers of peoples’ 

sovereignty is now faced 

with cleaning up the sh*t 

which he and his 

colleagues started. 

Nigerians are best advised 

to read the scripts prepared 

by the Ministry of 

Information and Culture 

with a great deal of caution. 

At the moment, the sincerity 

of its authors is seriously in 

doubt – on account of their 

individual and collective 

antecedents. A few 

examples, well 

documented, will illustrate 

the point being made here. 

Let’s start with some recent 

occurrences. 

Back in 2014, when it was 

politically advantageous to 

the All Progressives 

Congress, APC, then out of 

power, to support the 

activities of the Bring Back 

Our Girls, BBOG, group, 

President Jonathan’s 

administration regarded 

them as, at best, a public 

nuisance, and at worst, a 

security risk. Each time 

their marches were 

disrupted by the Nigerian 

Police, Alhaji Lai 

Mohammed, the National 

Publicity Secretary of the 

APC, speaking on behalf of 

the party and its 

presidential candidate, 

fired off public 

announcements 

condemning the GEJ 

government for violation of 

the fundamental human 

rights of the BBOG. Anyone 

reading those passionate 

defences of one of the basic 

rights of free people in a 

democracy would have 

been led to believe that 

Buhari and Mohammed 

In 1984/85, Buhari’s 

appointments to 

high office totally 

disregarded the 

principle of Federal 

Character and the 

religious diversity of 

Nigeria. Out of the 

first twenty-five 

appointments he 

made during that 

period, only seven 

were Southerners or 

Christians 

actually believed in those 

principles. Today, the 

BBOG, and others who 

believed in their right to 

free association, and who 

voted for APC on account 

of that, had been swindled. 

Officially now, and under 

APC, BBOG has been 

labeled a “security risk”. 

Has Buhari changed? 

Certainly; but, it is a change 

for the worse for a democracy 

and it does very little credit 

to a President trying to preach 

a change of attitude when he 

has been caught in a socially 

disruptive change of 

principles. A greater leader 

than he would ever turn out 

to be, Ghandi had advised 

about the things that would 

destroy any society. One of 

them is “Politics without 

principles”. 

Even if one wants to 

overlook that one, difficult as 

it is, how can one, given the 

economic recession ravaging 

the country, that the same 

Buhari blasted Jonathan for 

maintaining a large 

presidential fleet of aircrafts 

– which made Presidential 

Airlines the second largest in 

Nigeria and bigger that four 

private airlines put together. 

One would have expected 

that among the first Executive 

Orders given in May 2015 

was the reduction in fleet size. 

On the day, Buhari and 

Mohammed were going 

through the song and dance 

about value-change, it was 

obvious that their values have 

taken another change for the 

worse. The cost of 

maintenance of the fleet, 

previously astronomical, had 

become killing because 

everything in the crafts must 

be imported at N425/US$1. 

The Buhari who campaigned 

in 2014/2015 has clearly 

changed right in front of our 

eyes and he is behaving more 

and more like Jonathan. 

Unfortunately, for us, the 

man has not changed totally. 

Had he continued to adopt 

the wasteful habits of GEJ 

and ignoring calls to rescue 

the Chibok girls, we could 

have shrugged our shoulders 

and resigned ourselves to 

four years like the locust years 

under PDP. But, the Buhari of 

2016 is in many respects like 

the Buhari of 1984/85 – who 


was summarily removed 

by his colleagues in a 

bloodless coup. It was 

bloodless because nobody 

was willing to lift a finger 

to save him. Why? 

Start with nepotism and 

bigotry, personal defects 

which we mistakenly 

thought he had discarded 

once he opted for politics 

under democratic rule. In 

1984/85, Buhari’s 

appointments to high 

office totally disregarded 

the principle of Federal 

Character and the 

religious diversity of 

Nigeria. Out of the first 

twenty-five appointments 

he made during that 

period, only seven were 

Southerners or Christians. 

Apart from the fact that he 

was a Northern Muslim, 

his Deputy, Tunde 

Idiagbon was also a 

Northern Muslim. The 

Governor of the Central 

Bank, Alhaji Ahmed, 

graduate of History, was 

a Muslim, so was his 

Deputy Alhaji Otiti. All the 

service Chiefs, except one, 

were Northerners and 

Muslims; so were the 

heads of security agencies 

except the Inspector 

General of Police. Bigotry 

could not have been better 

defined. His removal was 

widely hailed in the South 

because the General 

Babangida regime which 

followed his own was 

more equitable. 

May 2015 presented 

Buhari an opportunity to 

demonstrate that he had 

shed both nepotism and 

bigotry. Recently, Dr 

Junaid Mohammed 

introduced some of the top 

appointees made since 

then. Any change? 

Certainly not. Of the first 

ten or so, the two southern 

names appearing were 

Femi Adesina and Ita 

Enang. These two were 

followed by another dozen 

or so from the North. Lately, 

after distributing the plum 

jobs unfairly, he had started 

to “compensate” the South 

by sweeping crumbs from 

the “Masters’ tables”. The 

job of Managing Director 

of Nigeria Ports Authority, 

NPA, was given to someone 

who some still regard as 

reflective of nepotism. That 

is still his sense of fairness. 

That is the sort of change 

he and Mohammed want 

us to adopt in this 

hypocritical crusade. 

Was the budget padded or 

not? Buhari was the first to 

announce abroad that it 

was and vowed to punish 

the culprits. Now 

Honourable Jibrin had 

taken up the refrain, 

shouting at the top of his 

lungs that the budget was 

indeed padded. Suddenly, it 

is Buhari’s presidency 

which is now denying that 

the budget was padded. 

What sort of value-change 

can occur when the 

presidency cannot tell the 

people the truth and stick 

to it? 

Permit me to end where I 

started. No parent in 

Nigeria, who loves his kids, 

can fail to share the agony 

of the parents of the Chibok 

girls. We cannot all join the 

marches in Abuja; but we 

can offer them moral 

support 

and 

encouragement. As the 

father of six girls, I 

probably would have gone 

mad if one of them is a 

captive of Boko Haram. No 

government which regards 

the agitators as security 

risk can ever preach any 

sermon to which I will 

listen. 

Poverty is a poor adviser 

“Above all, don't lie to yourself. 

The man who lies to himself 

and listens to his own lie comes 

to a point that he cannot 

distinguish the truth within 

him, or around him, and so loses 

all respect for himself and for 

others. And having no respect 

he ceases to love.” -Fyodor 

Dostoyevsky 

It is often said that what 

goes around, comes 

around and how true this 

has become as the cows come 

home to roost. If there are any 

lessons to be learnt, now, is the 

time for our grab and run 

politicians, civilians and 

many others who went on a 

long gravy train and thought 

the looting will never end. A 

reminder that the time for free 

lunch is over. 

Well, the tables have turned 

and it is time to collect. All we 

hear when collared are 

protestations, denials, 

whoppers and cries of how 

they came by their ill-gotten 

loot. Some have denied 

knowing that there was 

money in their account but 

they do not deny spending it; 

others claimed that the money 

was distributed, others buy 

prime properties home and 

abroad. So these are desperate 

times, they take to burying the 

money once the whiff and the 

long arm of EFCC will come 

knocking and they too, will 

take a ride to the clinger. 

There is no shame for these 

looters in fine clothing, in fact, 

they take it in their stride as 

they style it out when arrested, 

hiding their handcuffs in fine 

clothing. And their supporters 

are ever present, so vocal and 

they cheer their innocence in 

spite of hard evidence. With 

money like this, one can afford 

to retain a very good lawyer 

while they spin some more lies 

and they insult the people's 

intelligence. This is the year 

of the lawyers, there are many 

who would need their services 

and that they will pay top 

dollar (they have got millions 

of dollars). 

They least expect PMB to 

pursue the wrong -doers. No 

wonder they fought tooth and 

nail to stay on. This trend 

remain the stuff of fantasy, that 

these audacious people can 

steal Commonwealth and 

cart it out of the country, such 

humongous sums that should 

last several lifetimes but it will 

never be enough so they go on 

and on until they are stopped. 

In a country, many are without 

health care, shelter, clothing, 

education, training and 

employment, in the face 

abject poverty, insurgency and 

displacement. This shame 

comes to bear on the whole 

country and its people as to 

why this falsehood went on for 

so long, now that the robust 

commonwealth has dwindled 

to a trickle. 

The political elites are a 

reflection of the society and it 

is important to admit that 

things would not change 

unless there is a collective 

responsibility and most 

importantly, politicians have 

to be held to account. Time 

for a blank cheque, wanton 

wholesale corruption, 

padding and privileges are 

over, this is not one person's 

mess, and this is everybody's 

mess. As the new mantra says, 

the change begins with me, 

time to stop expecting other 

people to make the change, if 

everybody made some 

changes, the difference will 

have a ripple effect. 

Seriously, how could many 

Nigerians claim to be 

religious while they see and 

watch others are starving and 

dying? The reality is; too many 

people are in financial dire 

straits and the truth has been 

distorted for far too long. For 

so long, a select few have been 

living the life of O'Reilly and 

it is no secret, many aspire to 

be them. 

So, the fragrant lady, 

Patience Jonathan choose to 

protest that her account has 

been frozen and had 

addressed a letter to the 

Acting Chairman of the 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission (EFCC) 

that the $31.4 million linked 

to the financial fraud against 

Mr. Waripamo Dudafa by 

EFCC, was for the payment 

of the medical bills she 

incurred in London in 2013. 

Wow, what a whopper! In the 

letter, Patience Jonathan did 

come clean that she is indeed, 

the sole signatory to the four 

accounts. In her letter, it 

reminded the reader that the 

lady is "a law abiding citizen" 

So if she is, should she not follow 

the due process and let the law 

handle this so that she can be 

vindicated and reunited with 

her millions of dollars. 

Seriously, what exactly is she 

saying? That she bailed without 

paying her medical expenses; 

this amount is far way beyond 

any medical bill ever seen or to 

be believed. Or is the money 

sitting in the bank to accrue 

interest, perhaps, the lady was 

paid for her work as the 

These are desperate 

times, they take to 

burying the money 

once the whiff and the 

long arm of EFCC 

come knocking and 

they too, will take a 

ride to the clinger 

permanent secretary and first 

lady post combined. This is 

some serious amount and she 

is claiming that the account 

belongs to her and she wants it 

back. 

The account that was 

claimed by Mrs Jonathan has 

been placed on a No Debit 

Order, in order to investigate the 

activities of Mr. Waripamo 

Dudafa,a former Special 

Adviser on Domestic Affairs to 

GEJ. So why is the lady in the 

company of the alleged 

fraudster? 

You would have thought a 

lady of her standing should have 

no problem opening accounts, 

so why, did she need a middle 

man and how much was he 

paid to open the account in her 

name. 

How is this possible that 

Mama Peace is not aware that 

her money was frozen until, 

she tried to use her card that 

must have been humiliating, 

especially when there are 

millions in the account? And 

a man like Dudafa, should 

know that this is unlawful. 

EFCC has accused Dudafa 

and his affiliates of 

conspiring to conceal the 

monies and it is hoped that 

someone, somewhere will 

sing like a canary and point 

fingers at the guilty and the 

greedy. The lady has 

requested that the EFCC lift 

the ban so that she can pay 

her medical bills. This the 

medical bill of 2013, when 

she was flown out of the 

country to receive treatment 

for a mystery illness. On 

recovering prolonged illness, 

she claimed to have died and 

woken up after seven days:" 

It was not an easy experience 

for me. I actually died; I 

passed out for more than a 

week. My intestine and 

tummy were opened. I am 

not Lazarus but my 

experience was similar to his. 

My doctors said all hope was 

lost. 

“A black doctor in London 

who is with us in this service 

was flown in when the 

situation became critical. It 

was God himself in His 

infinite mercy that said I will 

return to Nigeria. The day I 

came back, I said God I have 

nothing to say, I offer myself 

to you. I will be doing things 

that will touch the lives of the 

less privileged. God gave me 

a second chance" 

So, perhaps the $31.4 

Million is for making the 

lives of the underprivileged 

children better. I can assure 

her that the millions of 

dollars will go a long way. If 

ever there was a legacy for 

Patience. This could be it. 

“I'm not upset that you lied 

to me, I'm upset that from now 

on I can't believe you.” ? 

Friedrich Nietzsche 

Big Up Nigerian 

Paralympic Team 

Regard your good name as 

the richest jewel you can 

possibly be possessed of -- for 

credit is like fire; when once 

you have kindled it you may 

easily preserve it, but if you 

once extinguish it, you will 

find it an arduous task to 

rekindle it again. The way to 

a good reputation is to 

endeavour to be what you 

desire to appear.” ? Socrates 

From the opening 

ceremony, the Nigerian 

Paralympic team came out in 

the national colours, you had 

a feeling that they will do well 

and that is exactly what they 

have been doing in Rio. With 

an impressive clutch of 

several gold medals, the 

athletes have inspired many 

and have shown the nation 

that there is disability does not 

limit one's ability to excel. 

The team Captain Lucy 

Ejike broke the Paralympic 

and world record in the 

women’s -61kg powerlifting 

event, so did Paul Kehinde, in 

the 65kg men’s category as 

well as Roland Ezuruike, the 

silver medallists; Latifat 

Tijani and Esther Onyema 

have done so well to lift the 

spirit of the nation and we 

look to the Ministry of Sports, 

to ensure that renewed 

support is given to the athletes 

on their return and to commit 

investment to disability sports 

so that more winners emerge 

from Nigeria. 

“We must learn to live 

together as brothers or perish 

together as fools” ? Martin 

Luther King Jr.

PAGE 30— SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016, 

BY BENJAMIN NJOKU 

njokujamin@yahoo.com 

Celebrity Couple 

I moved on after my 

marriage crashed six 

years ago 

— Iroegbu, Nollywood 

Director 

•'Being a single parent with 

three kids is a bitter/sweet 

experience' 

Nollywood Director 

and former 

Executive Assistant, 

Creative Entertainment and 

Tourism, under the Senior 

Special Assistant to former 

President Goodluck Jonathan 

on Youth and Students 

Affairs, Dickson Iroegbu, has 

been separated from his 

wife, Efe, for six years now. 

And since the separation, 

Iroegbu has had to live with 

the reality of playing the role 

of a father as well as a 

mother to his three children. 

He shares his story with us 

even as he says he has no 

regrets becoming a single 

parent. 

Experience as a single 

parent 

It’s an experience better 

imagined than experienced. 

Of course, it sets you 

backward a bit, but then, if 

your trust is in the Lord, it 

will only be a matter of time 

and you will get used to it. 

Six years is almost gone 

since my marriage to my wife 

crashed. It’s been a bittersweet 

experience. 

Coping with the situation 

Positivity is my drive. As a 

creative person, it takes lots 

of energy to handle 

heartache, but we must 

soldier on. I may have failed 

as a husband once, but I 

have never failed as a father 

to my children. My marriage 

crashed six years ago, but it 

is not the end of the road for 

me. I am still very eligible to 

remarry. 

Who to blame for the crash 

of marriage 

There’s no one to blame 

here, it just didn’t work 

between us. I mean, we are 

two adults, and we both 

made a choice to opt out of 

the marriage because of what 

you call irreconcilable 

differences. 

Memorable moments 

shared with ex-wife 

Whatever I shared with my 

ex is personal, I do not want 

to discuss her. 

Gains and losses of being 

divorced 

There is no loss, because 

we are blessed with 

wonderful kids, so our focus 

is on them. Personally, the 

gain may be the liberty to be 

myself. 

There is no loss, 

because we are 

blessed with 

wonderful kids, so 

our focus is on 

them. Personally, the 

gain may be the 

liberty to be myself 

Relationship with women 

after married crashed 

My relationship with 

women has been here and 

there. If you ask me, ‘na who 

I go ask?’ My brother, the 

truth is that I have learnt to 

see women as special 

creatures of God. 

Reconciling 

We tried to reconcile but it 

never worked. So we are just 

friends and equal parents to 

our children. I will surely 

remarry someday. I will not 

remain single, because it is 

not good for a man to be 

*Iroegbu with kids 

alone. I am still under 40 

years. One day, I will get 

married again. 

Cost of separation 

Both father and mother 

must stay committed to 

raising their children. It is 

not particularly the 

responsibility of one person. 

Whatever went wrong 

between two adults should 

never be allowed to affect the 

children. My children have 

access to their mother 

without any inhibition, and 

that is also applicable to me. 

They are our children, we 

are both responsible for 

them. 

Train up a child the way he 

should grow, so that he will 

not depart from it. Every 

child deserves care, good 

education and the much 

required fear of the Lord. 

Advice to single parents 

It should not result to 

fighting if the marriage does 

not work. Stay as friends and 

take care of your children. 

No regrets 

I have no regrets 

whatsoever. I just learn to 

move on. It is not a crime to 

be a single parent. 

Seven years of marriage 

Our marriage lasted for 

7years before it crashed. And 

we are blessed with three 

adorable children. I was less 

than 26 years when I got 

married. And why I go 

married at that age? I 

honestly cannot fathom why. 

But one thing I desired most 

at that time was to be a 

father. I knew I would make 

a great father, so I wanted to 

enjoy that pleasure in my 

exuberant age. 

What marriage means 

It is not a relationship you 

endure, you enjoy it 

naturally. Marriage is a 

union between a man and a 

woman. 

Why marriages crash 

Major factors to marriage 

crashes are mostly 

foundational. It wouldn’t be 

a forever marriage if the 

foundation is on falsehood. 

Life is not like in the movies. 

Marriage is a natural reality 

show scripted by God 

Himself, who is the Supreme 

Director. 

Meanwhile, permit me to 

say we are celebrities, all of 

us. You just haven’t activated 

your rights to honest 

mistakes yet. Truth is that 

celebrities are usually 

maligned by the media, so I 

completely disagree with that 

assertion. We are flesh and 

blood. We make honest 

mistakes in life. 

C 

M 

YK

Isidore Okpewho 

(1941-2016) 

•Isidore Okpewho 

(“Omnia muntantur, nihil 

interit”–everything changes, 

nothing perishes”) – Ovid 

What more 

appropriate way is 

there to remember 

Isidore Okpewho - scholar, 

classicist, and novelist, than 

to invoke Ovid, the exiled 

Augustan poet, who was 

banished from Rome by 

Augustus, and whose 

melancholic longing for 

Rome inspired some of the 

most vivid poetry ever crafted 

by man? Isidore Okpewho – 

one of the most brilliant men 

of his generation and one of 

Nigeria’s most iconic literary 

figures died two weeks ago in 

exile, and has been buried 

today among strangers, in a 

cemetery in East Hanover, 

New Jersey – the “Gates of 

Heaven” cemetery – 

appropriate enough gesture 

to the poet of Labyrinths, 

Okpewho’s favorite poet. But 

their situation was different – 

Ovid and Okpewho – even 

though exile took their land 

from them. 

Ovid was banished, scholars 

have said, for his Ars 

Armatoria, a “scandalous 

rexmarinus@hotmail.com 

guide to seduction,” which 

was felt to undermine Caesar 

Augustus’ moral reforms. 

Ovid himself confesses to 

something more deadly and 

personal as the cause of his 

exile: “Two crimes, a poem 

and a blunder have brought 

me ruin” he wrote. There are 

hints of his adultery with Julia, 

the Emperor’s cousin, wife of. 

Lucius Emilius Paulus, and 

prominent member of the 

Julian faction intent on 

overthrowing Augustus. In the 

steamy intrigue of Roman 

politics, the poet placed the 

wrong bets and was driven 

from Rome. But Okpewho was 

a moral purist. The Emperor 

did not drive him to exile, he 

chose exile because he could 

no longer stand the Emperor, 

or the collapse and decay of 

the ideas and institutions that 

his generation had inherited 

at the end of colonialism. In 

reaction to news of 

Okpewho’s death, President 

Buhari in appropriately 

worded tribute praised 

Okpewho for “bringing pride 

and glory to Nigeria.” I doubt 

that Buhari has ever read any 

of Okpewho’s works, or met 

him, or knew him enough to 

distil his mind. 

Those who govern Nigeria 

do not read, nor do they 

understand the value of 

Nigeria’s intellectual and 

cultural capital. Nigeria’s 

scholars and artists are never 

on the honored guest lists of 

presidents, an irony in itself 

given that the foundational 

leaders of Nigeria at its birth 

were great intellectuals: 

Nnamdi Azikiwe and Denis 

Osadebe were great poets and 

intellectuals; Tafawa Balewa 

was a prize-winning novelist, 

and even Shehu Shagari 

himself wrote a well-received 

novel in Hausa. Men like 

Azikiwe and Balewa could 

read Okigbo, or discern the 

nuanced subversions of a 

Soyinka play, or comprehend 

the “Catholic mind” of an 

Isidore Okpewho. But they left 

the scene, and then came the 

likes of Buhari in their 

jackboots. 

It was the things they carried 

with them to nation-building 

that drove people like Isidore 

Okpewho into exile, who 

could no longer tolerate the 

failures, nor thrive within a 

rapidly disconcerting social 

order. Isidore Okpewho was 

born in Abraka of an Urhobo 

father and an Igbo mother 

from Asaba. After high school 

at St. Patrick’s College, Asaba, 

Okpewho arrived in the then 

University College, Ibadan at 

nineteen to study for honours 

in the Classics in 1960. It was 

still the University College, 

Ibadan – but two years down 

the line in 1962, it became the 

University of Ibadan, and thus 

Okpewho graduated with a 

first class degree in Classics 

of the University of Ibadan in 

1964, leading his class and 

taking the faculty and 

University prizes. He was 

recruited by Longman 

publishers as the Western 

Regional Manager in 

Ibadan, in the heady years of 

the Mbari renaissance in that 

city, and Okpewho was active 

in that circle of the literati of 

Okigbo, Soyinka, Clark, and 

the rest: and he was the 

“young and golden boy” of 

that lot, whose promise was 

already very clear, as one of 

his dearest friends, the now 

late Torch Taire once said. The 

civil war ruptured that 

renaissance, and Okpewho 

once told me the story of how 

he escaped with his life just in 

whiskers on returning from 

London on Longman’s 

business on July 29, 1966, and 

was nearly shot at the airport, 

mistaken for Igbo. 

It was an experience that 

engraved itself in his psyche 

much of his life. By 1970, at the 

end of the war, Isidore Okpewho 

left publishing and went to 

graduate school at the 

University of Denver, Colorado, 

where he earned his PhD in 

1974. After the Alastair 

Thompson interregnum as 

Chair of the Ibadan English 

Department, MJC Echeruo, 

himself a distinguished Ibadan 

alumni was recruited from his 

position at the University of 

Nigeria, Nsukka to return to 

Ibadan in 1974 and be the first 

African Head of the University 

of Ibadan English department, 

and reposition it. Isidore 

Okpewho was among the 

younger scholars Echeruo 

recruited to Ibadan to 

reposition it. After his PhD in 

English from Denver, Okpewho 

taught from 1974 to 1976 at the 

State University of New York, 

Buffalo. From SUNY, Buffalo 

he returned and joined the 

Department of English of the 

University of Ibadan in 1976 

Those who govern 

Nigeria do not read, 

nor do they 

understand the value 

of Nigeria’s 

intellectual and 

cultural capital 

until he left in 1990, at the head 

of that great emigration or 

“brain drain” that eventually 

hobbled the Nigerian 

University system. 

But in his years at Ibadan, 

Okpewho made and left his 

marks, becoming the Head of 

the Ibadan English department 

from 1987 to 1990. Ibadan 

became, as a result of Isidore 

Okpewho’s work, the leading 

place for the study of African 

Oral literature and 

performance. Okpewho’s 

interdisciplinary scholarship 

sought to integrate African 


indigenous knowledge 

systems from an 

anthropological and 

historical standpoint with its 

modern literary production. 

Okpewho’s background in 

the Classics, steeped as he 

was in Latin, Greek, and 

Ancient History, opened up 

grounds to the exploration 

of mythology and mythic 

expressions as modes of 

cultural memory that he 

applied very effectively in his 

study of African literature. 

His groundbreaking works, 

The Epic in Africa (1979) and 

Myth in Africa, (1983) 

forcefully challenged the 

work of Eurocentric cultural 

theorists like Ruth Finnegan 

who claimed that myth, the 

source of the epic, was 

absent in Africa’s cultural 

and imaginative systems. 

Okpewho took this 

challenge even further in his 

African Oral Literature: 

Background, Character and 

Continuity. 

In clear furtherance of his 

approach, Okpewho 

produced what I personally 

think is one of his finest 

contributions to modern 

African literary scholarship 

and nationalist discourse, 

Once upon a Kingdom, 

which reconstructs and 

reimagines the imperial 

narrative of the ancient 

Benin Kingdom in its 

formations, interactions, 

and implications with its, 

especially Igbo neighbours 

whose influence on that 

kingdom has often oddly 

been underplayed for some 

reason. A man of incredible 

intellectual energy, Isidore 

Okpewho was one of those 

rare people who moved 

easily between the hard 

abstraction and aridity of 

scholastic life and the 

perceptive and sometimes 

numinous cosmos of the 

imaginative life. He was a 

novelist of no mean weight, 

and won prestigious prizes 

for his output: the 1976 

African Arts Prize for 

Literature, the 

Commonwealth Prize for 

fiction in 1993, and the 

Guggenheim in 2003. He was 

honored, even if belatedly, 

with the Nigerian National 

Order of Merit. Okpewho’s 

early novels, Victims, one of 

the more sophisticated 

explorations of domestic 

conflict in contemporary 

Africa literature, The Last 

Duty, set in the backdrop of 

the Nigeria civil war, and 

whose literary style Okpewho 

himself described as “the 

collective evidence 

technique,” have yet to 

acquire the attention 

deserving of their 

accomplishments. But there is 

little doubt these works 

accrete an increasing patina 

of craftsmanship and vision 

that assures Okpewho an 

honorable place in the 

pantheon of modern African 

letters, as would his novel, Call 

me by my rightful name, about 

the recovery of racial memory 

set in the African Diaspora in 

the United States. 

In his last years, Okpewho 

devoted his work to such 

forms of recovery and 

regeneration, and of 

rebuilding the bridge between 

Africa and its Diaspora. His 

work as one of the leading 

theorists of the Diaspora can 

be measured in the collection, 

The African Diaspora: African 

Origins and the New World, 

which he co-edited with the 

late Ali Mazrui, his colleague 

at Binghamton, Carol Boyce 

Davies, his graduate student 

at Ibadan now a Professor at 

Cornel, and the New African 

Diaspora, with Nkiru 

Nzegwu. Only just under three 

months ago, Okpewho called 

me to tell me, and to get an 

address to send to me his last 

book on J.P. Clarks Oziddi 

saga published by the 

University of Rochester press. 

I could not have known that it 

would be our last 

conversation. He was one of 

the most urbane, generous, 

and kindest men I knew. With 

Okpewho as Ovid says, 

everything changes, but 

nothing perishes. Not 

Okpewho. 

Manners maketh a Child 

“ 

Where are your 

manners?” said 

the mother of a 

young boy coming out of the 

supermarket. This is a 

question on all our lips as 

parents, when it comes to the 

behavioural mannerism of 

the young children today. It 

appears like manners, 

politeness, respect, kindness 

and consideration have been 

thrown out of the window. 

How do we raise polite 

children in the midst of so 

much rudeness? 

They say our youths are 

indeed the future of tomorrow, 

our C- Suite Executives do not 

just come on a platter of gold 

they are groomed and 

nurtured to be successful 

individuals in life. They use 

every day experiences, 

mistakes, good and bad 

decisions to structure their 

lives. Sadly the act of 

politeness has actually taken 

a completely new turn in our 

society today. It just doesn’t 

come naturally to our children 

unless they come from a 

home with a strong 

foundation. The increase in 

incivility, rudeness and 

impoliteness is seen to be on 

the up rise with multiple cases 

of bullying in the schools, 

aggressive personality 

characteristics and the desire 

to cause general bodily harm 

through stabbings, shootings 

and killings. Raising polite 

children starts from exhibiting 

the correct manners, 

unfortunately with all the 

incivility it is evident that the 

society is clearly quite manner 

less. Today it is right in our 

faces and almost difficult to 

avoid, everyone is constantly 

in a hurry, impatient, 

disrespectful, sloppy, rude, 

violent, generally impolite 

and offensive. 

I often say that many things 

that are considered wrong 

under normal circumstances 

have become so habitual and 

are now accepted as the 

norm. Today the 21st century 

technology boom has not 

helped. Our children are 

technologically fixed on their 

smart phones, Ipads, tablets, 

video games, and the social 

media craze. The result 

ultimately is that family and 

societal relationships have 

been marred. Some parents 

hardly see their children living 

in their own homes because 

they are stuck in their rooms 

being technologically busy. It 

has affected common 

dialogue at the dinner table, 

the real art of socialization 

and rapport among family 

members. Also unfortunately 

some children have become 

quite introversive poor 

communicators. The ripple 

effect of this trait is that it is 

used to conceal acts of 

bullying or other adolescent 

challenges. 

Can you believe that in the 

airport lounge one day while 

traveling out of the country; I 

was seated next to a family of 

four Mum, Dad and two 

children all with their 

individual gadgets from the 

iPad to smart phones in their 

hands. For the two hours we 

were there they said not a word 

to each other until it was time 

to board the plane. Everybody 

was simply engrossed in their 

world. “Does this sound or 

look familiar”? 

Being polite starts with 

cultivating an attitude of good 

manners, having respect, 

kindness and consideration 

for others. Manners themselves 

are a way of life, when you act 

in a customarily correct way 

that is considered acceptable 

behaviour. To have manners is 

to respect yourself and others 

around you. 

But what is the missing link? 

The famous word “Etiquette” 

is what really is missing. 

Knowing aspects of etiquette 

will teach you the “how” of 

having manners. The good news 

is that there are guidelines what 

I call etiquette strategies to 

help you conduct yourself in the 

appropriate manner. People 

must act in an acceptable 

manner so that others can coexist 

around them. There is a 

school of thought that feels that 

etiquette is a pretentious way to 

behave, it is fluffy, out dated, old 

fashioned and for the rich and 

famous. This is indeed a myth, 

because “Today’s Etiquette” is 

a very current, relevant, flexible, 

constantly evolving, culturally 

influenced and for everyone. 

Why is it important for us 

to raise polite children? 

Our young children, 

growing teenagers, aspiring 

young professionals are 

hopefully all on a trail to 

becoming successful 

individuals. On their journey 

to success they will need to 

exhibit exceptional traits 

that will make them stand 

out in the midst of the 

current fierce competition. 

They will need to have that 

“Panache Advantage” that 

sets them apart. Technical 

excellence is no more the 

answer to this question, it is 

all about the leadership 

skills, team spirit, personal 

charisma and effective 

communication style they 

bring to the table that will 

ultimately impact the 

bottom line in any 

organization. 

What is that then? “Soft 

Skills” this is the new hard 

skills today. 

“Manners they say can 

open more doors than the best 

education can” 

Having an excellent sense 

of etiquette will drive your 

sense of manners and 

politeness; you will be able 

to: 

(a) Show that you value 

others 

(b) Demonstrate your high 

level of integrity 

(c) Express your sense of 

respect for others 

(d) Make others feel 

comfortable around you 

Having manners, being 

consciously polite without 

undermining your integrity is 

increasingly becoming a 

must do for both our children 

as well as we adults today. All 

adults who have a huge 

influence on children as a 

parent, teacher, counsellor, 

public figure, spiritual parent 

and the likes must invest in 

developing themselves to lead 

by good example because all 

children learn first and 

foremost by what they see and 

hear physically, the impact is 

great. Unfortunately, it is not 

by accident that men that 

have been known to be wife 

beaters, when interviewed 

deeply will express how they 

saw their fathers doing the 

same and looked at it as a 

norm or a normal way of life. 

The consequences of incivility 

in the global world are 

multiple. People are affected 

emotionally, their thoughts 

are disoriented, they lose selfesteem, 

confidence, and 

mora, and ultimately 

productivity drops drastically. 

When you are in this mode you 

will have a negative influence 

on the children that surround 

you, who then pick these traits 

in their developing years. They 

are moulded to exhibit 

negativity instead of positivity 

and the cycle begins again. 

The greatest thing I see today 

is that there is a growing 

conscious awareness that 

incivility prevails. The onus is 

on us to fix this problem so 

that our children will become 

polished, have panache and 

stand out with a presence. 

Wishing you the best of 

luck!

PAGE 32—SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016, 

POWER OF INTELLIGENCE GATHERING 

How we use local 

chiefs to smoke out 

cultists, kidnappers, 

armed robbers 

—Ibifuro – Harrison, Ondo police chief 

T 

he Commissioner of 

Police in-charge of Ondo 

State, Hilda Ibifuro- 

Harrison, seems to be giving 

her male colleagues in the force 

a big challenge. Her activities 

have proved she is equal to the 

task of policing any part of this 

country. She has traversed many 

states in the country including 

Rivers, Edo, Bayelsa and Lagos, 

where she headed the Ports 

Authority Police before being 

posted to Ondo. She bares her 

mind to our Crime Editor, 

Emma Nnadozie. 

Excerpts: 

Initial challenges 

I assumed office as 

Commissioner of Police, Ondo 

State on March 14, 2016. 

Immediately after taking over, I 

did an assessment of the 

Command’s state of 

preparedness to tackle crimes 

such as kidnapping, armed 

robbery and secret cult activities, 

particularly among students of 

tertiary institutions in the state. 

This was with a view to setting 

my priorities. I discovered I had 

a huge challenge as there were 

limited patrol vehicles, 

inadequate personnel and low 

morale, amongst others. 

However, I had to start from 

somewhere, and so far, we thank 

God. 

Surmounting the challenges 

We have been able to surmount 

the challenges through efficient 

coordination and mobilisation of 

manpower as well as materials in 

the Command. Considerable 

support from the state 

government and the Force 

Headquarters, particularly 

logistic support in terms of 

donation and release of 

operational vehicles have aided 

very tremendously our patrol 

efforts in crime prevention. 

Predominant crimes and how 

they are tackled 

As I said earlier, kidnapping, 

armed robbery and cultism are 

about the crimes of concern to 

the Command, but, as I also 

said, the Command has been 

tackling them with considerable 

success recorded, owing to the 

concrete measures, including 

robust vehicular patrol and the 

oiling of the Command’s 

There has been nothing 

extra-ordinary, but we 

studied our 

environment and its 

peculiarity, and 

designed crime 

prevention and 

detection approaches, 

using available 

manpower optimally 

intelligence machinery, that we 

took. 

People’s response to crime 

fighting efforts 

The good people of Ondo State 

have been quite responsive and 

cooperative in the fight against 

crime and criminality in the state. 

Traditional rulers and various 

other stakeholders, including 

paramount/ community chiefs, 

vigilante groups, transport 

unions, hunters and some very 

patriotic individuals, have been 

assisting the Command with 

credible information and ideas 

that have contributed to the 

modest successes recorded. 

Magic wand 

There is, indeed, no magic. It’s 

God that gives wisdom and 

knowledge for doing things. 

There has been nothing extraordinary, 

but we studied our 

environment and its peculiarity, 

and designed crime prevention 

and detection approaches, using 

available manpower optimally. In 

security matters, there is no quick 

fix. Leadership is provided and 

proactive steps taken and, of 

course, the result is positive. 

That is what you are seeing. 

Coping with politicians and 

government in the state 

•CP Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison 

The duties of the police are 

clearly spelt out in the 

Constitution of the Federal 

Republic of Nigeria 1999 as 

amended and Section 4 of the 

Police Act Cap.P19 Laws of the 

Federation, 2004. Ours is to 

ensure that law and order is 

maintained. We relate with 

politicians purely along the lines 

of our statutory and professional 

duties. With regards to the 

government in the state, our 

relationship has been basically 

on the cardinal issue of security. 

Synergy with other security 

agencies in fighting crime 

Right from my assumption of 

duty in the state, I made it one of 

my first priorities to foster and 

promote a very healthy and 

robust inter- agency cooperation 

with all sister security agencies. 

And to actualise that, I embarked 

on courtesy visits to all the 

security agencies in the state 

without exception. I can tell you, 

without mincing words, that I 

enjoy very fantastic cooperation 

and synergy with them. 

Readiness to face crime 

challenges 

Like every other command in 

the country, lack of equipment 

and manpower has been our 

albatross in fighting crime and 

criminality. It is no secret that 

some criminals tend to wield 

more sophisticated weapons 

which make them a lot more 

daring in their acts. However, 

the Command, with the 

cooperation of the good people 

and government of Ondo has 

continued to haunt and smoke 

criminal elements away from the 

state. 

Checking excesses of 

policemen in the state 

To be honest, since my 

assumption of duty in the 

Command, there has not been 

any significant report of 

excesses on the part of my 

personnel. And, as a matter of 

fact, during my familiarisation 

tour of the Area Commands and 

Divisions in the Command, I 

warned that I have zero 

tolerance for corruption, 

overzealousness and act of 

incivility to members of the 

public. Therefore, I gave my 

GSM number across the state 

and went further to constitute 

the Provost Section of the 

Command i.e. the Disciplinary 

Arm, and appointed a seasoned 

senior officer as head to deal 

with all cases of misconduct and 

indiscipline against erring 

officers. In addition, I held 

lectures with members of the 

Police Community Relations 

Committee (PCRC) and 

solicited their cooperation in 

checking any acts of 

indiscipline by police officers. 

Their assistance in this regard 

has been quite commendable. 

Future challenges and legacy 

You are aware that Ondo State 

governorship election comes up 

on November 26. Strategic 

security decisions have been 

taken to ensure the election is 

conducted in a violence- free 

environment. And, as Chairman 

of the Inter-Agency 

Consultative Committee on 

Election Security (ICCES), I 

have drawn up the Command’s 

plan for the security of the state 

before, during and after the 

election. The personnel are 

being sensitised on their role. 

On the other hand, however, 

request has been made to the 

Force Headquarters for the 

posting of more personnel to 

the Command and the supply of 

necessary equipment for 

effective policing of the state. I 

would like to be remembered for 

being professional in the 

conduct of my policing duties. 

C 

M 

YK


C 

M 

YK 

By Festus Ahon 

At about 1 pm, the day 

suddenly turned 

dark. 

The people of 

Agbarha-Otor in 

Ughelli North Local Government 

Area of Delta State wept. It was 

on a Tuesday and the day was 

6th September when news filtered 

in that one of the first 

Urhobo billionaires and business 

titan, Olorogun Michael 

Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru, 

OFR had passed on at the age of 

85, less than four months to his 

86th birthday at Maryland, 

United States of America, USA. 

Born by the late Chief Epete 

Ibru of Agbarha-Otor, a missionary 

worker and late Chief Mrs 

Omotogor Ibru, a trader of the 

Osadjere family of Ovwor- 

Olomu, Olorogun Michael 

Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru 

began life at a very tender age 

after finishing from the famous 

Igbobi college in 1951 being the 

first child of the family. 

Driven by the passion to make his 

family prominent, the late Olorogun 

Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe 

Ibru took all his siblings, Felix 

(late), Alex (late), Goodie, Grace and 

Bernard (late) along in his business 

after ensuring that they were all well 

educated. 

Olorogun Michael Christopher 

Onajirhevbe Ibru who picked up 

job with the United African 

Company, UAC in Lagos as a 

Manager training, ventured 

into his private business few 

years later. 

He founded a company, 

Laibru, in partnership 

with his boss in the office, 

an expatriate, Jimmy 

Large and by 1956 he 

founded the famous 

Ibru Organization. 

As Chairman of the 

Ibru organization, one 

of the largest conglomerates 

in Nigeria and 

the West Africa sub 

region, Olorogun 

Michael Christopher 

Onajirhevbe Ibru was a 

major stakeholder and 

influential figure or factor 

in the Nigerian economy in 

the 60s, 70s, 80s and the early 

90s. 

After engaging in general 

trading with some success, in 1957, 

Michael Ibru discovered that the 

frozen fish market was a fertile 

market with the potential to deliver 

returns above the market 

rate. 

However, it was a 

tough market to 

penetrate, at 

the time, 

many 

expatriate 

firms and 

Nigerian 

traders 

were not 

interested 

in the 

market. 

But he 

felt he could 

put extra 

effort communicating 

with 

general traders, 

who played key roles 

The Man 

Olorogun Michael 

Christopher 

Onajirhevbe Ibru 

in the eventual acceptability of the 

product. To trade in seafood, he 

established an importing company. 

He also rented and built cold storage 

facilities across the country. 

By the mid 1960s trading fish had 

become the traditional money maker 

for the Ibru organization. Though he 

•Michael Ibru 

had other profitable interests in 

other areas such as transportation 

and construction, fish trading 

helped him secure financing and 

other forms of capital to engage 

in large scale trading. 

He established a partnership 

with a Taiwanese company, 

Osadjere Fishing Company, 

which provided Trawlers and 

other accessories for trading. 

By the end of the 1960s he 

branched out fully into other 

areas of the economy. Like 

a lot of his contemporaries, 

he established a 

transportation company, 

called Rutam. 

He also invested in 

palm oil production. 

Over the years, 

the Ibru Organization 

expanded into 

other areas such 

as Tourism, 

Timber and 

Poultry. 

He was known 

as an entrepreneurial 

figure 

who created one of 

the largest modern 

Nigerian owned 

groups with other 

figures who were his 

contemporaries. 

Because of his love for 

education and his 

people, Olorogun Michael 

Christopher Onajirhevbe 

Ibru founded the Ibru College, 

Agbarha-otor in 1969, which has 

today produced many graduates in 

all fields of human endeavour. Few 

years ago, he also 

established the Michael and 

Cecilia Ibru University in 

Agbarha-Otor. 

He also built a private airstrip in 

Agbarha-Otor in the early 80s, 

Skol brewery in Agbarha-Otor and 

Pepsi cola which created employment 

for so many Nigerians in the 

70s. 

Olorogun Michael Christopher 

Onajirhevbe Ibru had five wives 

and 17 children including 

Olorogun Oskar Ibru, who heads 

Ibafon Ports and Vice Chairman 

of the Ibru organization, Peter 

Ibru, Emma Ibru and Oboden 

Ibru, who was a key player in 

the defunct Oceanic bank 

International PLC. 

The late Olorogun Michael 

Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru 

also tried his hands in politics 

in 1983. He was a gubernatorial 

candidate in the defunct Bendel 

State but lost to Gen Samuel 

Ogbemudia rtd. 

He was also a member of the 

Liberal Convention and the 

New Movement, which metamorphosed 

to become National 

Republican Convention, NRC 

during the two political party 

system under then Military 

President Ibrahim Badamosi 

Babangida. 

He made his marks in almost 

all aspects of life hence many 

people described him as man 

with many parts who made 

wave in the world as there is 

hardly any country in the world 

where the late Olorogun 

Michael Christopher 

Onajirhevbe Ibru does not 

have his presence. 

OUR ERROR 

Yesterday, 

owing to a 

technical 

challenge in our 

production 

process, a 

wrong 

photograph was 

used to 

illustrate the 

person of Late 

Michael Ibru. The 

page is reproduced 

here with the 

appropriate 

photograph.

PAGE 34—SUNDAY VANGUARD, September 18, 2016 

Lagos Series (2) 

EASING TRAFFIC 

CONGESTION 

How Lagos 

is unlocking 

business potentials 

•N500 billion Fourth Mainland Bridge 

set to keep state in productive motion 

•360 inner roads restored 

By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

Notwithstanding the current 

economic recession and security 

challenges, transformation is 

ongoing across Lagos State. 

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode 

had, in his 2016 new year broadcast 

to residents, assured of his 

commitment to ensuring that the 

state witnessed improvement in 

infrastructural development, job 

creation and security. 

“2016 will be a ground breaking 

year for the good people of the state,” 

he had promised. 

In the spirit of continuity, Ambode 

expressed commitment to the state 

Development Plan (2012-2025) 

structured under four pillars: Social 

development and security, 

infrastructural development, 

economic development and 

sustainable environment. 

Whereas Lagos is Nigeria’s 

economic nerve centre, the pillars 

are geared towards further 

unlocking the state’s business 

potentials. 

Ambode added: “The challenges 

we face today, as a state, are good 

enough ingredients to bring out the 

best of all of us. Together, we shall 

push forward and not look back; 

with our hands firmly on the plough, 

we would work hard to tackle 

poverty, ignorance and social 

decadence in our state.” 

Acknowledging the current 

economic downturn in the country, 

the governor stressed that in order 

to sustain the progressive and radical 

transformation of his predecessors, 

his administration must redouble 

efforts, be creative, innovative and 

be committed to excellence in all 

fronts. 

Doing business with ease 

Decongesting perennial gridlock 

at junctions is one of the ways to 

making Lagos the preferred 

destination for business. 

The Ambode administration 

knows this and that is why it is 

creating a conducive atmosphere for 

commerce and industry. Like the 

time it takes you to get to work, keep 

an appointment or conclude 

transactions to achieve that, the 

government works round the clock 

to keep the traffic flowing. 

Some of the measures in place 

include the ongoing construction of 

flyovers being built at Abule-Egba 

and Ajah aimed at reducing hours 

spent in traffic; multi-layby facility 

at Oworonshoki and the 

expansion of road to fasten traffic 

at Alapere which has already cut 

bumper-to-bumper movement 

from two hours to 40 minutes on 

Third Mainland Bridge and 

improved productivity. 

New highways are also emerging. 

The dual carriageway from Epe to 

Itoikin is expected to end 30 years 

of carnage and hardship on the axis. 

The Fourth Mainland Bridge 

project, set up by a consortium of 

investors at over N500 billion, is also 

said to keep Lagosians in productive 

motion. 

To reduce human obstacle to 

traffic flow, more footbridges are 

springing up and the old ones are 

being fixed at Berger, Ojota, Mile 

12, Oko Filling, Olopomeji, 

Anthony, among others, with 

commuters safer. 

From the highways, construction 

and rehabilitation continues to the 

major roads. The roll call: 

Completed Ajasa Command, Ago 

Palace Way, Ejigbo-Idimu, Meiran, 

Okota-Isolo-Ejigbo, Ajara-Erekiti- 

Badagry, Mushin-Isolo, Freedom 

Road, Lekki LASU-Iba and the 

network of major roads in Epe 

Township. 

Passion 

Indeed, the inner roads, which 

empty commuters to the highways 

daily, are getting the greatest 

attention of the administration. At 

the last count, over 360 inner roads 

had been restored. 

At the fourth Town Hall meeting 

since he became governor, the 

mammoth crowd that besieged the 

Muslim Praying Ground, Badagry 

gave the impression that he was still 

on the campaign trail. 

This was going to be a different 

ball game, afterall; instead of 

addressing the general assembly of 

the people from the constituents in 

the Lagos West Senatorial District, 

the largest and most populous of the 

three in the state, Ambode took them 

in segments, youths, People Living 

with Disabilities, workers unions 

and non-governmental 

organizations, community elders 

and political stalwarts. 

His words: “Today’s town hall 

meeting, the fourth in the series, 

gives us the opportunity to meet with 

Whereas Lagos is 

Nigeria’s economic 

nerve centre, the 

pillars are geared 

towards further 

unlocking the state’s 

business potentials 

the people of Lagos State to hear 

directly from you about your needs 

and suggestions on how we can 

serve you better.” 

This drive for closer civic 

engagement reflects the passion of 

the governor to bond with the 

people and bring empathy into 

public service. For a naturally 

reticent high performer, the 

interactive research into popular 

thinking was indeed a grab for the 

details of the yearnings of the 

common man on the street and 

doggedness to bring change into 

their lives. 

Such antecedents were recorded 

during the third town hall meeting 

in Ikorodu when a welder requested 

from the governor and got a welding 

machine and generator. A 

community seeking the 

rehabilitation of Ibeh Road also got 

what it asked. Some say he was born 

with the attributes; others believe 

that 27 years of managing the 

accounts of local governments and 

funding the needs of the poor and 

the under-privileged have nurtured 

a soft heart for those on the fringes 

of life. 

Gradually, the vision of Ambode 

is taking roots in the mind of the 

people. 

Cognisant of how security can 

help business to grow, the 

administration rolled out a massive 

anti-crime equipment to enable the 

police and other security forces 

combat criminal gangs by air, at sea 

and on road, and raised the level of 

vigilance and coercive capacity of 

the state to return fire for fire. 

N4.8b security equipment 

The first set of equipment, made 

available to the security forces 

which cost N4.765billion, include 

100 4-door saloon cars, 55 Ford 

Ranger Pick-Up vans, 10 Toyota and 

Cruiser Pick-Ups, 115 power 

bikes, Izuzu tucks, three helicopters, 

two gun boats and 15 Armoured 

Personnel Carriers. The equipment 

were fitted with revolving lights, 

siren and public address system, 

vehicular radio communicators 

and other security gadgets. To 

motivate the personnel, government 

procured bullet proof vests, 

uniforms and expanded the 

insurance and death benefits of 

security officials. 

The second set of equipment, 

launched on the administration’s 

first anniversary, comprised 140 

Ford Rangers, 335 power bikes 

fitted with communication gadgets, 

bulletproof vests and other kits 

valued at N1.85billion. 

The vehicles and equipment were 

distributed among the 107 police 

stations and 13 police area 

commands in Lagos State. Other 

beneficiaries include the Customs 

Service, Immigration Service, the 

Nigeria Army, Airforce, Navy, DSS, 

AIG Zone 2, Civil Defence, Federal 

Road safety Corps, LASTMA, 

NDLEA, Lagos State Task Force 

and the Nigerian Prison Service. 

The Ambode regime also 

inaugurated the Emergency Rescue 

Management Centre, mobilized 

with heavy duty equipment that can 

respond and manage disasters at 

short notice. This armada of 

armaments in the hands of the 

security forces was followed by the 

re-branding of the Rapid Response 

Squad, RRS, with a new emblem to 

demonstrate swiftness and readiness 

to go for the jugular of criminal 

offenders. 

Yet, without intelligence on the 

activities of hoodlums, the 

equipment and men would be 

ineffective. This has led to renewed 

interest in neighbourhood security 

and collaboration with local 

voluntary vigilante groups to 

provide information and activate 

the uniformed forces. With the toll 

free number, 767 as the code, 

citizens are tipping off the police on 

the men who make their 

environment ungovernable. 

A critical role is played by the 

Neighbourhood Watch, the state’s 

eyes and ears in the communities, 

whose reports on black spots feed 

the logistics of the RRS. 

The preparedness has made it 

easier for the government to 

confront the new wave of economic 

crimes such as bunkering of 

petroleum products and extortionbased 

activities such as militancy, 

kidnapping, land grabbing and 

cultism. An anti land-grabbing bill 

in the state was passed and signed 

into law by Ambode. The antikidnap 

teams in the police had 

busted several incidents most 

notably the case of three students of 

Barbington Macaulay College, the 

Iba monarch while cultists are 

raided daily and made to face the 

wrath of the law. 

The governor’s clear declaration 

to the men of the underworld that 

Lagos would be too hot for them sent 

the right signals to the appropriate 

quarters. There were reports that 

most now hibernate in the border 

communities. Inter-state teams have 

been launched to flush them out to 

further keep Lagosians in peace and 

business growing. 

On June 22, 2016 the 

administration completed 

rehabilitation work on the 

dilapidated Berliet Bus Stop on 

Apapa- Oshodi Expressway, which 

had been neglected for several years. 

The impact of this is not lost on 

Lagosians as this road leads to the 

foremost Lagos ports through which 

imported goods are conveyed by 

road to the metropolis and all parts 

of the country. 

On August 11, 2016, Ambode 

commissioned the first state-owned 

helipad for medical emergencies in 

Nigeria at Lagos State University 

Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), 

Ikeja, disclosing that the upgrading 

of the 247-bed and five theatre suites 

for pregnant women, popularly 

called Ayinke House, would be 

ready for use by 2017. 

Continues on page 35

SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 PAGE 35 

Lagos Series (2) 


The Epe touch 

That a complete rural or a semiurban 

environment could be 

transformed into a 21st century 

urban status in the face of enormous 

economic and security challenges 

Nigeria is currently facing may 

appears a mirage. But the reality on 

ground is that an unprecedented 

transformation is ongoing in Epe. 

To those familiar with Epe, the 

township is one of the oldest six 

divisions that comprised of Lagos 

State. Others are Ikorodu, Badagry, 

Lagos Island, the Mainland and 

Ikeja. But Epe has been less fortunate 

to witness any form of modern touch. 

By stroke of luck or the divine 

intervention, a new dawn has berthed 

in Epe, courtesy of Ambode, who is 

turning the once agrarian/fishing 

community into a huge construction 

site. 

Ambode, thirsty for urban renewal 

scheme vision of the entire state, 

launched two projects aimed at Epe 

transformation: infrastructure 

provision and tourism development. 

During the flagged off ceremony 

of what officials described as “the 

world-class Epe-Marina Lagoon 

reclamation project”, the latter was 

aimed at giving a quantum leap to 

the tourism potentials of Lagos 

State. But to make tourism 

development meaningful, it was 

considered that road construction 

became imperative. 

The governor stated that the 

lagoon reclamation projects in Epe 

and Badagry, upon completion, 

would look like that of Dubai in 

United Arab Emirates (UAE). 

The Epe-Marina Lagoon 

reclamation project is a complete 

redevelopment of project site to 

facilitate development and promote 

tourism and it comes with sand filling 

to the lagoon up to about 200 meters 

and dualization of the network of 

N500 billion Fourth Mainland Bridge set to keep 

state in productive motion 

The governor’s clear 

declaration to the men 

of the underworld that 

Lagos would be too hot 

for them sent the right 

signals to the 

appropriate quarters 

roads in the axis with functional 

walkways. 

Speaking on why the Epe-Marina 

and Badagry-Marina projects were 

embarked upon simultaneously by the 

state government, he said: “We want 

to actually duplicate what you see in 

Dubai-Marina. This is a whole 

stretch of two kilometers of real 

estate and new tourist centres that 

we are putting in Epe and Badagry 

at the same time. 

“We believe strongly that coming 

out from our retreat that we said 

we are going to grow the IGR of 

Lagos State by 2017 to N30billion 

and 2018 to N50billion, we believe 

that some of these projects that we 

are commencing now are just 

inlets to our dream of growing the 

IGR. 

“We know that by the time we 

are expanding tourism potentials 

of Badagry and Epe at the same 

time, we will be able to get new 

investors that will be able to come 

to our new locations to do other 

things beyond what you see about 

recreation, tourism or 

entertainment and then get a whole 

lot of investments into Lagos State. 

This is part of our dreams and dreams 

do come true. 

We are looking at the future of 

tourism from both axis. You cannot 

put tourism in those places without 

doing the infrastructure that is 

required to allow people to come in 

and that is why we are also doing the 

road network,” the Governor said. 

Governor Ambode, who equally 

inspected the on-going dualization 

of about 25 network of roads in Epe, 

said the massive investment of 

government in the area was part of 

the grand plan to transform the axis 

and same was in line with the Lekki 

Free Trade Zone (LFTZ) project. 

He expressed satisfaction with the 

level and pace of work done so far, 

saying that the quality was of 

international standard. 

However, observers, especially, 

real estate practitioners, expressed 

optimism that the projects, upon 

completion, would decongest the 

heartland of Lagos as people would 

be encouraged to move to Epe and 

Ibeju-Lekki axis. 

“And by implication, land will 

continue to appreciate as the axis is 

one of the best terrain for real estate 

development in Lagos State”, said 

Mr. Dipo Adesegun, a developer, 

based in Lekki Phase 2. 

Ambode was also of the same 

optimism by saying that with the 

expansion, the whole lot of Epe and 

Ibeju-Lekki axis will be developed. 

“We are inspired to see how we can 

look at the phase two of this project 

as quickly as possible. This road 

dualization is expected to be 

completed in 16 months but because 

we are ahead of schedule, we are 

looking at the first quarter of next 

FG should project Nigerian culture through our music — Nwokedi 

year. 

“With this, we have just injected 30 

kilometers of standard roads into 

Epe and the meaning of that is of 

course changing the economy of Epe 

Township, real estate will be boomed 

and we are encouraging commerce 

and industrialization. 

“This project is the backbone of the 

Lekki Free Trade Zone, Deep Seaport 

and the proposed Airport. All the 

State Government is doing is 

stimulating the economy and that is 

what is happening here,” he said. 

However, the road network project 

stands out as one ambitious vision 

that has come to place Epe on the 

map of the fastest growing 

community in Lagos with the 

possibility of attracting migration 

from the metropolis. 

The project, handled by Messrs 

Granebury Construction, is to be 

executed in three phases, involves 

rehabilitation of Strategic/Arterial/ 

Inner Roads. 

The Commissioner for Works and 

Infrastructure, Mr. Ganiyu Johnson, 

an engineer, listed the roads to 

include Lagos Road, Oke Osho/T 

Junction, Aiyetoro/ Roundabout; 

Central Mosque Junction/Orita 

Marun Stream, all categorised as 

‘Grade A’. Others are Oloja Estate; 

Bature/ Otunba Adeniyi/Omotayo/ 

Uthman Mustapha and Raman/ 

Ishawu Owolabi, which are in 

category ‘B’. 

According to Johnson, the meeting 

became imperative because some 

properties that fell on the Right of 

Ways (ROAs) would need to go, “but 

that as a responsible government, we 

want to carry you along in the 

execution of this noble project.” 

By Tony Nwankwo 

Sir Emeka Nwokedi is Music 

Director, Muson Centre, 

Onikan, Lagos. He is also 

Music Director, Lagos City 

Chorale; Music Director, Anglican 

Diocese of Lagos Mainland 

and Organist and Director 

of Music, All Saints Church, 

Surulere. In 2013, he was appointed, 

Member, World Choir 

Council representing Nigeria. 

He is the Official Representative 

of Interkultur (Organizers 

of World Choir Olympics) in 

Nigeria; ,a Member, International 

Society for Music Education 

(ISME) and Trustee of 

Nigerian Guild of Organists. 

In this interview, he says government 

and the Nigerian society 

may not have been well 

informed of the relevance and 

positive effects of arts and music 

in the lives of people and in 

the development of a balanced 

society. Excerpts: 

You just returned from 

Sochi, Russia, after 

another trip to Marktoberdorf, 

Germany with 

your Lagos City Chorale. You 

are always on the move. 

What are the trips about? 

My movement is a performance 

tour of various countries 

of the world to perform 

with Chorale music. The Chorale 

music we perform is also 

an embodiment of Nigeria’s 

indigenous chorale music. We 

started 2010, in Beijing, China, 

at the invitation of the International 

Society for Music 

Education. There, the reception 

was good. I discovered 

there that people really liked 

our kind of music, because at 

the China Convention Centre, 

we had many admirers, so 

much that in the Convention 

Centre, there are many halls, 

but after our first performance, 

you discovered that 

any time the Nigerians will 

perform, people will leave 

other halls to come. From 

China, we went to Cincinnati, 

Ohio, in the United States. The 

Cincinnati show was for a 

competition, called the World 

Choir Olympics or World 

Choir Games. I went with my 

choir, the Lagos City Chorale 

(LCC) for the competition. 

Another was in Ohio, also in 

the U.S. Everywhere we go, we 

win laurels. As we perform, it 

becomes clear that this is one 

area we can sell our country 

Nigeria. I see the enthusiasm 

of our audience and you can 

see the impact it is having on 

Nigeria as a nation. Each time 

we performed, people will 

come out en-mass to hail our 

performance. In 2013, we 

were in Austria to contest in 

the European Choir Olympics. 

Its either we are going 

for European Choir Olympics 

or International Choir Olympics. 

In Graz, Austria, too, we 

excelled, because we won the 

highest number of medals in 

the contest. We had two gold 

medals and two silver medals. 

We have also been to 

Dubai, for an international 

performance and we have 

been to Riga, Latvia, for another 

World Choir event. That 

was in 2014. In 2015, we were 

in Magdeburg, Germany. In 

these competitions, it is either 

World Choir Games or European 

Choir Games. In 2015, 

we went for European Choir 

Games in Magdeburg. There, 

again, we contested and won 

three gold medals. This year, 

we have gone out twice. First 

to Germany at the invitation 

of the Confederation of German 

Chorale Association. 

They specially invited us to 

perform at the International 

Festival of Sacred Choral 

Music. There we were requested, 

specially, to present the 

Nigerian Sacred Choir Music. 

So, our going out is definitely 

to sell the image of this 

country overseas, light this 

country up, because sometimes, 

the impression people 

have about Nigeria is always 

negative. But what we try to 

tell the people of the world is 

that Nigeria is not as bad as 

the negative impression that 

is being created. And that this 

country has positive things to 

offer to the world. 

I have watched your group 

perform. One could say its 

elitist. Would you agree? 

It depends on what you call 

elitist. The word here is ambiguous. 

Ours is a classic 

music. Our music is not for 

any particular class. Classical 

music is music that is organised, 

formalised, you put academic 

face in a sense, but you 

have to arrange it in a particular 

form. You have the form, 

you have the melody and you 

have the harmony. So, classical 

music is not really elitist 

per se. When we go out to these 

countries, we are not performing 

European classical music, 

rather we do Nigerian 

music. If you listen to my 

events, you find out its a lot of 

•Sir Emeka Nwokedi 

folk music from Nigeria. You 

hear songs like Ise Oluwa, koni 

baje o!. Ise Oluwa koni baje o!. 

‘Welu obi dimkpa, kpaga 

liba!’, Welu obi dimkpa kpaga 

liba!’. We accompany those 

songs with traditional musical 

instruments. So, our music 

is purely classical music 

and our classical music is not 

really the western classical 

music. We do that for our own 

purpose when we leave these 

shores. We are not going there 

to do Beethoven, or Bach or 

Mendelssohn, because they 

have it in quantum. So, what 

we export is Nigeria’s indigenous 

chorale music. 

How do you get sponsored. 

Does the government ensure 

you are at your optimum in 

your participation in these 

high profile music events 

abroad? 

That is the sore point, because 

I discovered that one of 

our ways to lift this country is 

through our music. Through 

our music we can make impact 

in the world, but the government 

is not buying into it. 

And so little or no sponsorship 

I think the government 

should key into it and discover 

that it is not a waste. 

I came back from Russia 

recently, the World Choir 

Games in Russia was fully 

supported. I discovered 

they give as much support 

to music, to Chorale music 

comes to us. They would rather 

sponsor football at the 

Olympics, etc. but we have 

been winning golds. I watched 

the Rio Olympics, we won no 

medals at all, except the Football 

Bronze. But when I go out 

with my group, I come back 

with golds, silvers, etc. and 

these are international events 

where people from all over the 

world come for these Choir 

Olympics. Countries of the 

world converge and everyone 

is showcasing its own culture 

in music, in costumes, in choreography. 

But, unfortunately, 

our government has not 

keyed into it. So, we have little 

or no sponsorship whatsoever. 

We struggle to do it on 

our own. And it is difficult. 

This is a very sore point, because 

you find other countries 

coming with their state executives. 

For instance, South 

Africa, while I try to go with 

very few people, South Africa 

will come with five to six 

bands, each of them numbering 

about a hundred plus, and 

fully sponsored. Sometimes 

you find their Minister of Culture 

coming. The mayor of the 

city coming, their ambassadors 

in the countries coming 

to support them. So, we really 

don’t have such support and I 

think it is high time government 

realised that we can do 

with that support. There are 

many ways that a country can 

be polished and lifted up and 

culture is one of them. Culture 

is one way because culture 

is our own. Even the sports 

we do, some of them are alien 

to us. I watched the Olympics, 

some of them we cannot win, 

because they are alien to us, 

and people who have them are 

winning golds. But the music 

is our own, the culture is our 

own, so we can project it and 

be known throughout the 

world with our music. So, I 

think the government should 

key into it and discover that it 

is not a waste. I came back 

from Russia recently, the World 

Choir Games in Russia was 

fully supported. I discovered 

they give as much support to 

music, to Chorale music, as 

they give to Sports because the 

President of the Russian Federation, 

Mr. Vladimir Putin 

sent his felicitations severally. 

The Vice President of Russia 

was the co-chairman of 

the organising committee of 

the Chorale group. The Minister 

of Culture was the cochairman, 

and the regional 

governor was involved, plus 

the mayor of Sochi who was 

there live, all the time. So, you 

see the support coming. They 

give support to music and arts 

as they give to other events.


WHY do plagues 

occur? According 

to II Samuel 24, 

plagues occur if we conduct a 

census. It says God punished 

Israel severely with a plague 

because David imprudently 

conducted a census of the 

nation. Some 70,000 Israelites 

were killed as a result. 

How do we stop a plague? 

Plagues can be stopped by 

offering a sacrifice. David 

stopped the plague by offering 

a sacrifice at the threshing floor. 

(II Samuel 24:18-25). 

Simplistic analysis 

In II Chronicles 21:10, we 

are told the Edomites revolted 

against Judah’s rule because 

Jehoram had forsaken the 

Lord? But can this really be the 

reason why the Edomites 

rebelled? Did the Edomites 

even know or care that 

Jehoram had forsaken the 

Lord? Are there not more 

cogent “actual” reasons why 

the Edomites rebelled? Even 

from a theological perspective, 

is it not simplistic to insist bad 

things automatically happen 

in this life to those who forsake 

the Lord? 

Let use this dogma in 

understanding contemporary 

history. Why did the terrorists 

attack the “twin towers” of the 

World Trade Centre in New 

York on September 11, 2001? 

They did because George Bush 

forsook the Lord. Why did they 

not attack a similarly 

prominent building in France 

at the time? It must be because 

Jacques Chirac, then president 

of France, did not forsake the 

Lord. 

Surely there are more cogent 

social and political reasons why 

the terrorists attacked the twin 

towers in New York. Similarly, 

there must be more cogent 

reasons why the Edomites 

Adeboye: God abhors same sex 

marriage ...counsels fathers, single youths 

By Olayinka Latona 

GENERAL Overseer 

of 

the Redeemed 

Christian Church of 

God, RCCG, Pastor Enoch 

Adejare Adeboye has described 

same sex marriage 

legalised in several Western 

countries as abomination to 

God’s will and instruction. 

Speaking during a monthly 

special prayer and thanksgiving 

service for fathers, 

intending fathers and their 

families, organised by the 

church national headquarters, 

Throne of Grace Parish 

in Ebute-Metta, Lagos with 

the theme: “A New Thing”, 

Pastor Adeboye described 

same sex marriage as 

ungodly. 

The cleric condemned the 

act, which, he said, could 

draw backward the biblical 

doctrinal principle of God 

in humanity. 

Debunking rumours that he 

hates those involved same 

sex marriage, Adeboye told 

the capacity crowd that he 

doesn't hate anyone but 

rather against the act they 

perpetrate which he said is 

totally against God’s plan 

for humanity. 

In his words: ”It is completely 

against the plan of 

God for a man to marry a 

man or a woman to marry a 

woman. Somebody said, 

Daddy we hear that you 

hate certain group of people! 

I do not hate anyone. 

No hatred at all. I am a 

child of God. My Father 

loves the world so I also 

love the world. But if you 

THE BIBLE’S CAUSE AND EFFECT THEOLOGY 

rebelled against Judah under 

Jehoram. 

The bible’s presentation is 

naïve and cannot be 

historically accurate. 

Moreover, according to Jesus, 

it cannot be theologically 

accurate either. Jesus dealt 

with this kind of nonsense 

masquerading as religious 

dogma when he was asked if a 

man was blind from birth 

because of his sins or those of 

his parents. He told his 

disciples the presumption that 

bad things happen because of 

our sins is a fallacy. (John 9:1- 

3; see also Luke 13:1-5). 

This means if we base our 

faith on some of the precepts 

of the bible, we can be misled. 

If we are not careful, the bible 

can easily make us 

superstitious. It is imperative 

therefore to recognise that our 

faith should be based on the 

word of Jesus. It is Jesus and 

not the bible that is the 

infallible word of God. 

False doctrine 

The bible says Jehoram’s sin 

was in marrying Ahab’s 

daughter; leading to the 

rebellion of the Edomites. (II 

Kings 8:18). Therefore, we 

have this great biblical lesson: 

“A man who marries the 

daughter of an evil man will 

come to ruin.” Better still, we 

can create a proverb out of this: 

are living a life that is 

contrary to the plan of the 

Almighty God, you are in 

danger”. 

He further explained that 

God’s idea of man marrying 

a woman is for 

reproduction purpose and 

that is why God hates 

adultery and fornication. 

He said biologically, a 

father is God’s agent of 

reproduction. The G.O. 

added that the will of God 

for human being is to be 

fruitful, replenish and 

multiply on earth. 

In his fatherly advice to 

young and single ladies, 

Daddy G.O. as he is fondly 

called, reiterated his earlier 

charge to single ladies not 

to contemplate marrying a 

man without a job, stressing 

that a man who cannot provide 

for his home has 

denied the faith. 

“Not because we are living 

in the modern world now 

things will now be different, 

we must follow the plan of 

God for things to be well. 

And that is why I said and I 

know there are all manners 

of comments that single 

ladies should not marry a 

man who has no job, but I 

am saying it again, my dear, 

do not marry a man that 

has no job. It is contrary to 

God’s plan. Do not marry 

somebody who will become 

preying eye.” 

He also warned intending 

fathers not to look for a life 

partner if they don't have a 

job; adding that it is shameful 

for a woman to feed her 

husband. “If you are jobless, 

The bible is full of simplistic statements masquerading 

as God-given theological doctrines. 

Many of them are naïve and palpably false 

“A wise king marries the 

daughter of a righteous man.” 

“The king who marries the 

daughter of an evil man brings 

disaster upon his kingdom.” 

This becomes a spiritual object 

lesson derived from bible 

“history.” 

But then the same bible goes 

to great lengths to contradict 

this simplistic view of history 

and theology. It does this most 

eloquently in the book of Job. 

For illustration, Proverbs 

makes a categorical statement 

that the whirlwind is fashioned 

to destroy the wicked: “The fear 

of the wicked will come upon 

him, and the desire of the 

righteous will be granted. 

When the whirlwind passes by, 

the wicked is no more, but the 

righteous has an everlasting 

foundation.” (Proverbs 10:24- 

25). This is presumed to be the 

word of God by those 

Christians who insist 

everything in the bible is true. 

But this same doctrine is 

contradicted by the experience 

of righteous Job whose 

children were killed by a 

whirlwind. (Job 1:18-20). Job 

had been taught, like most 

Christians still are today, that 

do not seek for a wife. Ask 

God to give you a job first 

or create one for yourself. 

But my wife is well 

connected, she collects a 

good salary, it is a shame 

for a man to be feed by his 

wife. 

“Even if your wife is 

collecting 10 times of what 

you are earning, you have 

to put down money for the 

food. God gave man job 

before He gave him a wife. 

“Husbands are the bread 

winners and providers for 

the family; that is the role of 

a father”. 

Religious attacks: Catholic youth offer olive branch 

By CALEB AYANSINA 

ABUJA – VICE 

President of Catholic 

Youth Organization 

of Nigeria (CYON), Holy 

Trinity Parish, Maitama 

Abuja, Ovo Otarigho has 

called on Nigerian Youth, 

particularly the Christian to 

eschew bitterness but love 

everyone in spite of 

persecution due to their faith. 

Otarigho, who made the call 

while speaking with 

Vanguard shortly after a 

Youth Leadership Summit 

tagged; "Youth and 

Sustainable Leadership in 

Nation Building" organised 

by CYON, in Abuja, also 

called on the younger 

generation to actively 

participate in politics with 

fear of God to occupy their 

leadership position. 

bad things only happen to bad 

people. Therefore, he spends his 

time questioning God. He 

complains that he has lived a 

righteous life and yet is 

rewarded with adversity. 

Moreover, Job’s friends 

torment him with the classical 

but bankrupt biblical principle 

that bad things don’t happen 

to good people. They ask: 

“Whoever perished being 

innocent? Or where were the 

upright ever cut off?” (Job 4:7- 

9). Job ends up by using himself 

as evidence that the ways of 

God are mysterious and that 

in this world there is no 

watertight correlation between 

cause and effect. He notes that 

God “destroys the blameless 

and the wicked” (Job 9:22), and 

concludes that God’s 

providence follows no logical 

or discernible pattern. 

Biblical self-critique 

In effect, the inclusion of Job 

in the bible serves as a critique 

of the bible. It also serves as an 

indictment of those who hold 

the simplistic theological 

dogma that is often presented 

as wisdom in the Old 

Testament: 

God offers Job no 

Choir Fiesta: Some members of the mass choir, Motailatu 

Church Cherubim & Seraphim Worldwide during the church 

2016 choir fiesta theme: “God of perfection” held at the 

church international headquarters, Ajah, Lagos. 

He maintained that only the 

peaceful coexistence in the 

society can bring peace and 

help the propagation of the 

gospel as commanded by 

‘Our Lord Jesus Christ’, urging 

them not to see people of other 

faith around them as enemy 

because of some disgruntled 

elements that are causing 

disharmony. 

Otarigho said that there 

shouldn't be any form of hate 

on faith-based issues, as all 

religions in the country 

preach love and peace. 

“I have not seen any religion 

that preaches hate. There 

could be some people who 

take certain things out of 

context but those people 

should not be used to define 

the majority of other people 

who believe in the true 

meaning of their faith. Such 

people who promote hatred, 

explanation for bringing 

adversity upon him. He simply 

makes him understand that 

his wisdom and judgment 

cannot be questioned by mere 

mortals. He asks Job: "Where 

were you when the foundations 

of the earth were laid?" “What 

do you know, and what do you 

really understand?” The 

solution to Job's problem is to 

trust God whatever the 

situation or the circumstance. 

The ways of God cannot be 

neatly programmed by the 

application of the wisdom 

tradition of Judaism prevalent 

in the bible. That tradition is 

too simplistic and dogmatic. 

It is not possible to understand 

God’s actions and inactions 

using such doctrines. But 

through faith in God and 

humble acceptance of his 

providence, God rescues Job 

from the hollowness of the 

wisdom tradition. He then 

descends in judgement upon 

his friends who used their 

ignorance to condemn him. 

This is similar to Jesus’ 

admonition of the Pharisees: 

“If you had known what this 

means, 'I desire mercy and not 

sacrifice,' you would not have 

condemned the guiltless” 

(Matthew 12:7). 

Naïve proverbs 

In short, we can use the bible 

to critique the bible without 

violence should not be considered, 

we should look more 

on the action of those who 

genuinely practice their faith. 

“None participation of 

youths in politics and leadership 

is a problem, though 

there is no quick fix to it,” he 

said, “We should have a 

coordinated plan to take part 

in leadership. It will take a 

gradual process, but we will 

get there, as many youths are 

in the right direction from the 

look of thing.” 

Otarigho explained that “the 

reason behind the leadership 

summit is to provide a 

platform for young peoples 

to reassess themselves and 

decide the right step to take 

in leadership,” telling them 

“to step out of their comfort 

zone and take active party in 

politics.” 

diminishing our faith. The 

bible is full of simplistic 

statements masquerading as 

God-given theological 

doctrines. Many of them are 

naïve and palpably false. Here 

is one example: “I have been 

young, and now am old; yet I 

have not seen the righteous 

forsaken, nor his descendants 

begging bread.” (Psalms 

37:25). But are the righteous 

never forsaken? 

Here is a contradiction, 

penned also by David and 

validated on the cross by Jesus: 

“My God, my God, why have 

you forsaken me?” (Matthew 

27:46). Jesus was righteous, 

nevertheless, he was forsaken 

on the cross. 

There are a host of others in 

Proverbs. “The LORD does not 

let the righteous go hungry.” 

(Proverbs 10:3). This is false. 

“Misfortune pursues the 

sinner, but prosperity is the 

reward of the righteous.” 

(Proverbs 13:21). Observe that 

Jeremiah has a completely 

different point of view. He asks: 

“Why does the way of the 

wicked prosper? Why are those 

happy who deal so 

treacherously?” (Jeremiah 

12:1). 

We don’t only get these false 

“truisms” in the Old 

Testament. Paul’s epistles is also 

full of them. Only one example 

here should suffice: “God is 

faithful; he will not let you be 

tempted beyond what you can 

bear. But when you are 

tempted, he will also provide a 

way out so that you can stand 

up under it.” (I Corinthians 

10:13). 

Think about this so-called 

scripture for a minute. You will 

immediately realise it is not 

true as a general rule. 

Therefore, it cannot be the 

word of God. 

BSN scribe 

urges Nigerians 

to return to 

God 

GENERAL Secretary, 

Bible Society of 

Nigeria, Rev. Dare 

Ajiboye has urged Nigerians 

to return to God so that the 

country can overcome its 

various challenges, reports 

Olayinka Latona. 

Ajiboye during the official 

opening of 2016 marathon 

Bible reading held at The 

Shepherd's Flock International 

Church, Ikeja predicted 

a brighter future for the nation 

but with a caveat that it should 

first embrace the path of 

righteousness before the 

manifestation of God's honour 

and glory. 

Ajiboye explained that 

reading the Bible daily, 

inculcate biblical virtues and 

living according to the will of 

God.


VOICE FROM SECOND REPUBLIC SENATE 

In politics, women are 

less corrupt than men 

– Franca Afegbua 

•’Unlike during our time, disunity is 

undermining N/Assembly’ 

•Says she took no salary as lawmaker 

BY CHIOMA GABRIEL, 

EDITOR, SPECIAL FEATURES 

Second republic lawmaker 

and first female senator, 

Franca Afegbua, in this 

interview, talks about the conduct of the 

current National Assembly. 

She also blames Nigeria’s woes on 

politicians and dishonest Nigerians 

who, according to her, wasted the nation’s 

resources over the years, thereby creating 

economic recession, hunger and hardship 

in the country. 

Excerpts: 

You disappeared from the political 

scene for a long time. Where have you 

been? 

I’ve been around. I’m in Abuja serving 

my God. I gave my life to Christ and 

quit politics. 

You have seen where Nigeria is 

heading to. Where did we go wrong? 

One thing you must appreciate first is 

the fact that God loves Nigeria. So 

much has been happening but because 

God loves Nigeria so much, He has 

preserved this country. Nigerians 

behave like spoilt children, they are true 

prodigals who wasted the wealth of the 

nation but God has been merciful to us. 

Largely, politicians and a host of 

dishonest people who didn’t have the 

fear of God in their hearts are the cause 

of Nigeria’s problems. These people go 

all the way to grab what they cannot 

finish even before they die. Those at the 

leadership and other dishonest 

Nigerians embarked on a grabbing 

mission of our national resources and, 

due to their greed, they emptied the 

national treasury and left the country 

desolate. They have no fear of God and 

have no qualms about the repercussion 

of what they have done to the country. 

They have no conscience and those are 

the people who brought Nigeria to 

where it is today. 

You were in the Senate in the second 

republic. Can you compare your time 

with today’s National Assembly? 

One major thing we had in our days 

which the current National Assembly 

does not have is respect and decorum. 

The current National Assembly is not 

respected. What is happening in the 

parliament at the present time didn’t 

happen in our time or after us. The tiers 

of government were well demarcated 

and each respected the other but now, 

the other tiers of government have put 

the National Assembly under their 

armpit. And this is largely due to how 

the lawmakers treat and regard each 

other. Although, there were political and 

•Franca Afegbua 

party differences and opinions, we didn’t 

wash our dirty linen in the public like it 

happened between Senator Remi 

Tinubu and Senator Dino Melaye. That 

altercation went too far. Current 

lawmakers are sabotaging the Assembly 

and bringing themselves low. It is 

appalling that such verbal assault 

between them happened in the National 

Assembly. That put the red chamber and 

the entire legislative arm of government 

in disdain. 

From the outset, the Senate, which is 

expected to provide a robust check and 

balance on the executive arm of 

government, is undermined. This Senate 

has not done its job. In-house acrimony 

has hindered the National Assembly 

from performing its role of checks and 

balances on the executive. Rather than 

doing what is expected of them, the 

leaders of the National Assembly, 

especially the Senate, are battling to 

keep their positions. The executive and 

the judiciary have been toying with the 

National Assembly. This distraction is 

also making Nigeria a laughing stock . 

And the call for immunity by the 

principal officers in the legislative is 

another thing. It is not necessary so as to 

avoid misuse of power. Look at what 

happened between Tinubu and Melaye, 

they don’t have immunity and they have 

started misusing their power against 

I went into politics to 

represent my people and 

attract federal presence 

to them. I wanted basic 

amenities for my people 

each other. 

I think the Senate members should 

tread with caution because their 

actions are being closely watched and 

judged by Nigerians and the world at 

large. Imagine the scenario where 

Melaye said unprintable things to 

Senator Tinubu. That was wrong. Male 

senators should protect their female 

counterparts to encourage female 

participation in politics. If threats on 

their female counterparts continue, 

many husbands will not allow their 

wives to join politics. When I was in the 

Senate, I had an experience which 

made me to call a press conference the 

next day. The then Deputy Speaker said 

a woman could not chair a committee 

and I asked him to apologise to 

women. He didn’t start calling me 

names because there was respect and 

decorum. We didn’t start firing arrow 

of words at each other. 

Money has dominated today’s 

politics. All you read and hear is what 

senators and representatives are 

earning. When I was in the Senate, I 

didn’t earn salary. Not even one kobo 

was paid into my account, I didn’t 

even know how much was my salary. 

We were asked to open bank accounts 

and I did alongside others but nothing 

was paid into my account. 

Are you saying that others were 

paid and you were not? 

I don’t know. I was more concerned 

with the job and, when I checked later, 

I realised that I was not paid. 

Why didn’t you follow-up on the 

matter? 

I kept hoping they would pay but 

they didn’t before the coup that ousted 

the second republic. I could have sued 

the government then, but I didn’t know. 

I was not paid even sitting allowance 

and I was working from 8 am till 1 

am. I didn’t have time to go to the 

bank because we were screening 

ministers. I had my own staff and two 

of them were paid. I cannot go asking 

for it now because it has taken so long. 

It is rather unfortunate because the 

Bible says ‘ I will not labour in vain’. 

God will send it one way or the other. 

In your time from our conversation, 

the Senate President was like a god 

even till the last regime, but now, for 

the first time, the Senate President 

is being brought very low, being 

taken to court and the executive 

undermining him... 

Things have really changed. People 

are in politics for different reasons. I 

went into politics to represent my 

people and attract federal presence 

to them. I wanted basic amenities for 

my people. I met somebody who said 

she wanted to go into politics and I 

asked her why and she said she wants 

money. That was a wrong premise for 

wanting to go into politics. I was 

shocked, I told her that was wrong. 

You don’t go into politics for money 

but for service to the people. Some 

people don’t have power, water, 

schools, hospitals and then somebody 

who is representing them is doing so 

for the money, that’s bad and that is 

wrong. 

Were you able to achieve your 

purpose of going into politics? 

No. I couldn’t before the coup took 

place. Unfortunately, things are no 

longer the same, but like I said, God 

has been good to Nigeria despite our 

behaving like spoilt brats. We have 

wasted so much resources in this 

country. We took things for granted 

and carried on without care, and now, 

for the first time, what we didn’t expect 

has happened. Before, people were 

hiding money in all manner of places, 

inside toilet, in the bush, inside septic 

tank but, today, where is the money? 

People are hungry and money is in the 

hands of a few people. Starvation and 

poverty are spreading but before this 

time, there was so much waste. We 

wasted Nigeria’s resources and now 

we have nothing. 

How do we recover? 

We have to go back to the basics. Oil 

boom caused our problems and now, 

we are in oil doom, and we have to go 

back to how we survived before we 

discovered oil. When I was growing 

up in Kano as a little girl, I used to 

stop to look at the groundnut pyramid. 

Before oil, there was groundnut 

pyramid in the North; the South-West 

had cocoa and Eastern Nigeria had 

palm-oil and we were exporting, but 


C 

M 

YK


By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin 

Captain Abdulmumeen Abdulkareem, 54, a 

pilot and Rector and Chief Executive Officer 

of International Aviation College,Ilorin, 

speaks on the way forward for the aviation industry in 

Nigeria. 

In The Beginning 

I graduated as a pilot in October1982 and have an 

airline transport pilot license. I worked with Nigeria 

Airways and Nigeria College of Aviation, Zaria. I 

rose to the position of Flying Instructor before I came 

in here 2012 as Head of Training. Then my boss 

resigned and the opportunity was given to me to act 

for about six months, Kwara State governor 

confirmed my appointment in January 2014. I’m on 

a four- year contract and we will continue to keep 

this place better and better. 

The Journey So Far 

We opened doors to our first students on January 

23, 2012 and, to this date,we have graduated 60 to 

80 different categories of pilots from private pilot 

holders to commercial pilot holders with multiengines 

and instrument rating. Some of the graduates 

came from other countries. 

Currently,we have Course 10 going on. Between 

2012 and now, we have had 12 courses. In each of 

those classes,we had average of 10 students. Now, 

we are looking at about 100 students in each of the 

classes. Course One students graduated in 2013. 

Some students in Course Two completed their 

programme in 2014. Course SP Four members are 

from the Nigerian Air Force and are 12 students 

while SP5 are 13, making 25 from the Nigerian Air 

force who have all graduated. We have another batch 

of 10 students in Course 10 from the Nigerian Air 

Force. We just introduced a course,Flight Operation 

Officers Course. Not everybody can be a pilot,but 

those in this course, popularly called Flight 

Dispatcher, work hand in hand with pilots. They are 

the ones responsible for dispatching the pilot to take 

off from one point to the other. It is a professional 

license course and an opportunity to go into the 

aviation field. 

We have also diversified into helicopter training,we 

are in the final stage of getting regulatory approval 

to start the training. If everything works out, by the 

first week of October, the first set of students will 

come in for helicopter training. Some helicopters 

are here. If you remember, the Chief of the Naval 

Staff,Vice Admiral Ikot Abas, delegated his Chief of 

Logistics to represent him at the flag-off of the 

program and we have a joint venture with the 

Nigerian Navy Holding Limited on the project. So, 

we are equal partners to go into this venture and the 

funding is here. They are going to build hanger, 

classrooms are here, training kits are here,pilots are 

available, engineers are available,everything needed 

is here. What is left is the final step of the regulatory 

required to start that training. So far, we have 

produced 60 to 70 pilots in different categories. 

Currently,we have 45 students. Apart from doing the 

standard pilot course,we have Executive PPL for 

people who are busy, and do not have the time to 

come and stay as regular students,just like you have 

in open university. So,you come and do your course 

at your own time. In this category of students are 

high calibre of people in the society, CEOs,senior 

Customs officers, and Abdulrazaq Atunwa, the 

Speaker of Kwara State House of Assembly Atunwa 

just got his PPL license. Now he’s starting his 

instrument training, to make him fly better. We also 

introduced a course for technicians to learn under 

an engineer. We are introducing that course for 

youths because we are talking about employment. 

As a technician, you can earn up to 30,000 or 40,000 

a month. As a Flight Dispatcher, the program is for 

APARTHEID 

Some Nigerian 

airlines reject even 

the best young pilots 

– Captain Abdulkareem 

six months and by the time 

you qualify and get your 

certificate,you will be 

earning a minimum 

of 150,000 monthly 

and opportunity to 

travel all over the world. 

So, Kwara is a hub for 

aviation because there are so many 

aviation activities happening now 

underground. And when you are talking 

about cargo, as a business man in Sokoto, 

where will you like your cargo to come? It 

is easier in Ilorin than Lagos. From the 

Lagos toll gate to the airport,it might take 

you like 6 hours and 6 hours from 

Ilorin,you are in Sokoto. 

Helicopter Course 

Aviation around the world is expensive, 

but the returns are good. In foreign 

countries, they have education loan interest 

free. We don’t have it here. We have 6 

students from the Nigerian Navy which 

sees us as joint venture partner and putting 

her money where its mouth is by believing 

in Nigeria, investing in Nigeria and saving 

us hard earned foreign exchange. Imagine 

the size of the airforce to bring 25 people 

here,which have graduated,and they added 

10 more, this school is not a small school. 

Helicopter training is expensive. I will not 

tell you figures. Naira now is at what rate 

to dollar? Every spare part we buy is from 

outside, so aviation business is very 

expensive but in the long run,the 

investment pays off. 

High Cost Of Aviation Education And 

Government Intervention 

Federal Government’s intervention is 

long overdue. Just because I cannot afford 

it does not mean I should not have the 

dream of a career I want. If government 

cannot sponsor, they should create an 

enabling environment where I can take 

loan and start paying in two years time. I 

am a product of scholarship from a state 

government, not even federal 

government,and I went to America to train. 

We know the funds are no more there, the 

only thing we are asking the federal 

government to do is to make a policy 

whereby students can take loan not only 

in aviation, but also in any other field and 

pay back when they are employed. 

Government should make a policy that 

would force banks to give students loan. 

In developed countries,these things are 

happening. In these places, you can’t go to 

school without 

taking loan. 

Challenges 

We have had 

challenges in the 

area of funding, policy 

and regulation. The only 

money we generateis from the 

students. Since government 

established us, they want us to focus 

on capital, but you can see the 

revenue. This school is owned 100% 

by the Kwara government. Even the 

joint venture we are talking about has 

no financial implication, or leasing 

of the college on equity. Government 

is not selling it’s equity to the navy, 

airforce or any individual. There have 

been lies on the social media, but 

government has not sold it and they 

haven’t given equity either to me or 

anyone else. 

The financial crisis is there and I 

am ashamed to go back to the 

governor because I know what the 

state is going through financially. The 

last time we saw him was 3 months 

ago; that doesn’t mean he doesn’t 

know what is going on. So, we look 

for other means to raise funds. The 

International Aviation College, Ilorin 

doesn’t owe any bank in Nigeria and 

overseas. We raise money and make 

things happen through the quality of 

leadership of our Chairman, Edwad 

Boyoh, and my management team. 

We bought 3 planes at inception, from 

the revenue we generated internally 

with the approval of the governor of 

course because every revenue we 

generate belongs to Kwara State 

government. Now, we have built our 

own aviation fuel dump that has 

33,000 litre-capacity to reduce the 

cost of buying fuel which has now 

become so expensive. We are aiming 

at being independent by cutting cost. 

Let me say this: airlines in Nigeria 

employ foreigners now more than our 

own people, that is unpatriotic and 

the federal government should look 

•Abdulkareem 

into it. The airlines are asking 

for 500 hours to disqualify our people 

which should not be so. There is more 

automation now than before to fly airplanes, 

I wonder why the airlines 

could be asking for 500 hours. 

Anyway, they could have their 

insurance reasons. But it is high time 

Nigerians are given the opportunity. 

Students will come with 250 hours 

and airlines would be asking for 500 

hours. Now, they go back to their 

sponsors,asking for additional 250 

hours. That is like asking the pilot to 

go and start training all over again. 

On the average, a pilot graduates with 

200 hours on the map. When you have 

more hours during your training, you 

come out with about 250 hours 

because, on the average, a student that 

is good will come out with 200 flight 

hours. The other challenge is that 

airlines will ask them to go and do 

type rating and train on 737. When 

you come back,they will say you must 

have 500 hours. If it took me 2 years 

in school to get 200 hours,then after 

graduation you are asking me for 500 

hours,additional 300 hours, it is like 

coming back to us to pay for 

instructor’s rating. I think the policy 

should be looked into. My belief is 

that it’s because of insurance and this 

policy only favours foreign pilots 

because most of them that you see 

already have those hours because of 

their enabling environment. 

Something should be done about it 

because nobody wants to train 

students to be unemployed. The job is 

there,let them send the white people 

back. When we were in Nigeria 

Airways, there was no single white 

pilot. Nigerian pilots are equally good 

now if not better than the white pilots. 

From the start,our students are 

already flying into the future,no 

cockpit will scare them. 

’Unlike during our time, disunity is undermining N/Assembly’ 


when oil was found, we jettisoned everything. 

The situation is affecting Nigeria in every 

ramification now and youth restlessness which 

created militancy is now a problem. 

The truth is that we can no longer depend on 

oil and, therefore, we must go back to the basics. 

We have to go back to agriculture. In fact, we 

shouldn’t have abandoned agriculture when oil 

was discovered. Dependence on oil, greed and 

dishonesty are the causes of the problem we are 

having today. 

The problem of militancy especially in the 

Niger Delta is attributed to this current 

regime... 

You cannot blame militancy on the new regime 

because it just came aboard, less than two years. 

We already had some of these problems 

in the polity before the new regime came 

in. So, I don’t agree that the new regime 

is the cause of Nigeria’s problems 

because the problems have been there 

over the years. 

Professor Ango Abdullahi recently 

said we should go our separate ways if 

we can’t stay together as one nation. 

What’s your take on that? 

We cannot go our separate ways 

because we need each other. There must 

be a way we must continue to exist as a 

nation. In the United States of America, 

there are all manners of nations: 

African-Americans, Jewish-Americans, 

etc, and they are all together. So, why 

should we break up as a nation? No, 

we cannot. We have to work out a 

way to live together because we 

need each other. 

Hopes are high that Mrs. Hilary 

Clinton would emerge the first 

female American President. Would 

you support her? 

Of course, I’m standing by her. 

Women are very honest and less 

corrupt in politics. They don’t grab 

like men. Women want to work. 

They are thorough and are less 

corrupt. Women have conscience 

despite the odds against them. 

Women are honest with public funds 

everywhere in the world. How many 

women are being handled by EFCC 

in Nigeria? They are better 

politicians than men. They are 

committed to their work and they 

deliver. 

The governorship election in Edo 

State is coming up. Why have you 

not contributed by mobilising 

women being an indigene of the 

state? 

I’m not in active politics anymore. 

Yes, it matters to me who emerges 

because I want the best candidate to 

win and the people should vote 

according to their conscience. The 

people know the candidates and 

their antecedents. So, they should 

vote according to how they perceive 

the candidates and vote right.


With Emeka Anaeto (08104056415) 

emekaanaeto16@gmail.com 

YOUR BUSINESS & YOUR BANK 

HOW TO GET 

BANK LOANS 

Last week we discussed how to get 

your bank to finance your contract or 

LPO and we noted that such 

transactions are governed by a set of rules as 

well as terms and conditions. 

We also stated that the banks set criteria 

which are largely uniform across all banks 

with just a few exceptions. We gave four of 

such criteria which are generally applicable 

to most banks as pre-conditions for getting 

loan or finance for your business or contract. 

Tax returns become 

another pain for small 

businesses 

By Emeka Anaeto, 

Economy Editor 

THERE are indications 

that a bullish tax regime 

of the current 

governments both at 

federal and state levels as well 

as the local governments have 

turned into another nightmare to 

small businesses. 

Most SME operators and 

economy commentators have 

attributed the increased tax 

pressures on the decline in oil 

revenue which had hitherto 

contributed to over 80 per cent of 

government revenues. Hence 

most governments, especially 

States and local governments 

have intensified efforts at 

increasing their internally 

generated revenue, IGR, to 

support themselves. 

But SME operators are raising 

alarm over the development as 

they said it portends additional 

danger to their survival. 

An operator of a cybercafé on 

Otigba Street, Ikeja, Lagos, Mr. 

Kehinde Orojimi, told Sunday 

Vanguard last week that he had 

received visits from at least four 

groups of tax and levy men within 

one week alone demanding for 

evidences of payments of the 

various taxes, levies and permits. 

According to him, “the number 

of taxes and levies they now ask 

for is increasing and it is affecting 

the profit I make on this business. 

“I don’t even remember the 

names they call some of the taxes 

and levies because they are so 

•SMEs in Nigeria 

•The situation is getting worse — Sam Ohuabunwa 

•We are meeting with Finance Minister —NASME Chairman 

many with new ones coming up 

every time.” 

The issue of multiple taxations 

have been on the front burner of 

discussions on Nigeria’s 

business environment for a long 

time now, but it had appeared to 

be normal that not many 

businesses honour the obligations. 

This appear to be undermining 

even the governments that 

imposed the taxes as Orojimi 

disclosed that in most cases he 

ends up bribing the tax men and 

get them to overlook his business 

when next they come hunting for 

taxes. 

However, the situation appears 

to be getting more complicated 

with some new developments in 

the taxation policy. 

Another small business owner, 

Mr. Kenneth Nwaofor, told SME 

Reports that he could not open a 

current account for his company, 

Seamless Investments Limited, 

because the bank asked for his tax 

certificate which he does not have. 

He said the development has 

stalled some of the business deals 

he would have executed since 

payment would be made into the 

account as specified by the client. 

Consequently, he said he has 

started processing his tax papers 

for the company in other to 

continue his business. 

Commenting on this situation, 

Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa, chairman 

of African Centre for Business 

Development, Strategy and 

Innovation confirmed this 

development as he told Sunday 

Vanguard that the situation is 

worsening. 

According to him: “I wrote an 

article on the desperate IGR pursuit 

in Lagos state. If Lagos is an 

example, a lot is going to happen. 

Another small business 

owner, Mr. Kenneth 

Nwaofor, told SME Reports 

that he could not open a 

current account for his 

company, Seamless Investments 

Limited, because the 

bank asked for his tax certificate 

which he does not have 

The states are not getting enough 

money, so they are coming back. 

They are telling us IGR, IGR is 

from who? Increase taxation, when 

you don’t have enough people to 

pay taxation, you look at those 

who have addresses, locations and 

some activities and you off load it 

on them”. 

Reacting to this situation, 

chairman of National Association 

of Small and Medium 

Enterprises, NASME, Lagos 

chapter, Mr Ladi Jemi-Alade, told 

Vanguard that the situation has 

become unbearable with closure 

of thousands of SMEs. 

Consequently, he said the ongoing 

stakeholders’ 

engagements with the various 

government would address the 

problem. 

In today’s article we further focus on 

business loan in line with the general 

objective of this column – ‘Your Business & 

Your Bank’. 

Getting a loan from banks in Nigeria is not 

as difficult as most people think, especially 

those that have issues attempting to do so. 

The problem is largely that of huge 

communication gap (knowledge gap) 

between the lender and the borrower, than 

unavailability of loanable funds or 

unwillingness of banks to lend. Also it is not 

all about borrowers’ shortcomings as has 

been overstretched in some quarters. 

If only we note that banks have excess 

funds which are ready for lending and at 

same time the banks’ are not ready to throw 

away depositors’ money simply because 

somebody wants loan, the borrower-lender 

field would become even. 

Let’s examine a cross-section of a selected 

few for the purpose of presenting a 

representative case on this issue. In a future 

edition we shall present some practical case 

study of a typical Loan transaction cycle 

(lender-borrower relations) in Nigerian 

banks. 

Below are some of the things one must have 

in mind before going for a bank loan: 

First the bank has a duty to protect itself or 

its depositors’ funds from any loan that may 

go bad. Hence the bank will have to examine 

and appraise any credit facilities being 

requested properly after which the request 

may be granted or rejected. Some basic 

conditions must be met before a customer 

can apply for loan in the first instance 

• Opening and operating of current account 

for about six months (some banks have 

relaxed this condition for small borrowers 

recently); 

•The account must be satisfactorily 

operated, i.e deposits and withdrawals must 

be reasonably stable and regular; 

•Customer to have unquestionable 

character and good health; 

•Company registration details 

•Business Case for the loan, rationale 

behind it; 

•Company Business Plan 

•Your business financial statements 

including an income statement, balance 

sheet and cash flow statement; 

•Personal Statements of assets and 

liabilities of all the business partners, 

members of the Board of Directors (may not 

be required for small scale businesses) 

•A 12 months cash flow statement of your 

company. 

Note that a satisfactory presentation of all 

the above does not still qualify an 

application for loan to be granted 

automatically. Next week we shall be 

examining other considerations for a 

successful loan transaction between a bank 

and its customer. We shall also be examining 

some cobwebs embedded in a typical bank 

loan transaction in Nigeria.


Recession: Government to 

give SMEs lending funds 

.We are giving free land incentive to industries- 

Vice Chairman, Foreign Direct Investments 

By Udeme Clement 

In a bid to manage economic 

recession that is taking its toll 

on industries across the country, 

the governor of Akwa Ibom State, 

Udom Emmanuel, has empowered 

some micro finance banks in the 

State to give out lending funds to 

operators of Small and Medium 

Enterprises (SMEs) doing business 

in his State to enhance investments 

inflow. The governor also 

restructured Akwa Savings and 

Loans Company for SMEs to have 

easy access to funds for start-ups and 

expansion in various sectors. 

The chairman, Akwa Savings and 

Loans, Mr. Uduak Ewitat, disclosed 

this in a chat with Sunday 

Vanguard, at the sideline of a 

business seminar, organised by the 

Special Representative to the 

governor in Lagos, Mr. Sam Bassey, 

to sensitise the indigenes about 

investments opportunities in the 

State. 

He said, “Aside from empowering 

micro finance banks for on-lending 

to SMEs, Udom is working with 

some regulatory agencies to reduce 

over-regulation of SMEs, to 

enhance industrial growth. The 

Ibaka Deep Seaport gives access for 

export trade and investments in the 

State as well. Udom himself is from 

the private sector and he is ready to 

discuss business with any investors 

coming to the State.” 

Also speaking, the Chief Executive 

Officer (CEO) SO & U, currently the 

Vice Chairman, Technical 

Committee on Foreign Direct 

Investments (FDIs), Akwa Ibom 

State, Mr. Udeme Ufot, revealed 

that Udom is giving free land 

incentive for investment in 

agriculture and for investors to open 

industries across the State. “Our 

target is to become industrial hub 

It remains amazing that the 

Federal Mortgage Bank of 

Nigeria, FMBN, in spite of 

some societal challenges that had 

militated against the optimum 

realisation of its core mandate, 

has been steadfast in meeting the 

financial request of Nigerians. 

The bank which operates as an 

effective vehicle for increasing the 

mobilisation of long-term funds, 

lending volume and expansion of 

mortgage lending services among 

others, is currently being 

challenged by the activities of 

questionable developers and loan 

defaulters. 

There are also the issues of 

interest rate on National Housing 

Fund,NHF, low level of 

participation in NHF, 

macroeconomic environment, 

nonvibrant PMIs and bank deposit 

liabilities, which when put 

together resulted in the paucity of 

funds that had largely hindered 

the efforts of FMBN. 

Of these challenges, it was learnt 

that huge bad debt from 

questionable developers and 

others who obtained housing 

loans but misappropriated the 

funds are known to bother the 

in Africa. Tax incentive is also given 

to encourage SMEs. The potentials 

for investments in agriculture are 

enormous, even as the soil quality 

of the State is among the best in the 

country. The economic benefit of 

FDIs is the fact that the State has 

potentials for investments in the 

Gulp of Guinea. So, manufacturers 

can set up industries in our free trade 

zone to promote industrialisation. 

For instance, Champion Breweries 

can expand and exports its products 

across the borders of Nigeria”, he 

stressed. 

He added, “The government is 

also working on increasing power 

generation for the State. At the 

moment, there is an American firm 

that wants to come to Akwa Ibom. 

The company has the capacity to 

generate 2.000mega watts of 

electricity from sea water in the 

State. So, if 2.000mw is added to 

the national grid, it will boost 

economic activities tremendously. 

The biggest challenge that has given 

• Rice farm: Inset, Gov 

Udom and Udeme Ufot 

Our target is to become 

industrial hub in Africa. Tax 

incentive is also given to 

encourage SMEs. The 

potentials for investments 

in agriculture are enormous 

our economy a big set back is erratic 

power supply. Therefore, with 

capacity to generate 2.000mw of 

power, the firm can supply potable 

water to every household in the 

State, because water will be the byproduct.” 

In his remarks, Sam Bassey said, 

“The government’s economic 

policies to develop the State are 

anchored on industrialisation. The 

State is the third highest producer 

of crude oil in Nigeria, but Udom is 

looking beyond oil to open up 

investment windows on non-oil 

export. Now, oil price is declining at 

the international market, therefore 

revenue from oil is dwindling, as a 

result, some industries are closing 

shop. So, government is awakening 

the consciousness of people about 

investments in agriculture, SMEs, 

manufacturing and other non-oil 

sub-sectors. For example, a barrel 

of crude oil is about $38, while palm 

oil is up to $95 per barrel, which is 

higher in terms of income and the 

technology used for palm oil 

production is not complex like crude 

oil. So, we can generate more 

income from palm oil than even 

crude oil, which means agriculture 

has more potentials for economic 

growth, if the sector is adequately 

harnessed.” 

“So, people should take advantage 

of incentives provided by 

government to invest more in the 

real sector. The State is serviced by 

multiple export free trade zones. 

Ibaka Deep Seaport presents 

another investment window for 

local and foreign investors to come 

in. Once vessels begin to land at the 

port, it will create more jobs and 

wealth for people of the State. 

Government cannot be the only 

employer of labour, so private sector 

participation is imperative”. 

The Senior Special Assistant to 

Udom, on Marketing and Brand 

Management, Mr. Sam Edoho, 

said, “The significance of the 

business seminar was to enlighten 

the people on the 5-Points agenda 

of Udom, which include job 

creation, poverty alleviation, wealth 

creation, economic/ political 

FMBN/EFCC partnership dares housing, debt challenges 

BY CHARLES KUMOLU 

organisation so much. It is so 

given that the possibility and 

political will needed to apprehend 

the offending customers readily 

abound. 

It was for that reason that the 

Managing Director of FMBN, Mr. 

Richard Esin recently lamented 

that but for the resilience of the 

bank, it would have been unable 

to meet the financial requests of 

Nigerians. 

He particularly revealed that 

fraudulent partner developers are 

heavily indebted to the bank, 

explaining that they obtained 

construction finance to build 

estates but diverted the funds into 

other non-productive and nonregenerative 

activities. 

Esin, who this when he paid a 

courtesy call on the Chairman of 

the Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission,EFCC, Mr. 

Ibrahim Magu, explained that 

some completed the projects, sold 

the housing the units but failed to 

remit proceeds to FMBN. 

In specific terms, he told his host 

that some Primary Mortgage 

Banks, who obtained funds from 

the bank for purposes like 

Mortgage Financing, on-lending 

to qualified NHF contributors 

had declined to disburse the funds 

to the applicants; while others 

obtained equity contribution from 

would-be mortgagors but refused 

to deploy same. 

Accordingly, he revealed that 

even though the bank carried out 

punitive measures, the debts were 

yet to be repaid thereby 

hampering efforts at providing 

efficient service delivery. 

In that regard, he stated that 

despite the revocation of their 

operational licences, some 

operators of PMBs were still 

encouraging unsuspecting 

mortgagors to continue to repay 

their mortgages to them through 

fictitious accounts. 

Irked by these, he beckoned on 

the EFCC boss to assist in 

recovering the debts and possibly, 

prosecute offending customers to 

serve as a deterrent. 

In respective of these hurdles, it 

came gratifying to know that 

FMBN is actually providing 

affordable housing to civil 

servants and other Nigerians in 

line with its statutory mandate. 

A particular reference is the 

commitment to the housing needs 

of EFCC members of staff. This, it 

was gathered was sequel to a 

Memorandum 

of 

Understanding,MoU, between the 

two organisation. 

Accordingly, the FMBN was 

discovered to have disbursed 

N3bn in 10 batches to 156 staff of 

the EFCC. 

A breakdown showed that the 

bank had packaged N1.6b worth 

of NHF loans for 113 staff of 

EFCC which was yet to be 

approved. In addition, the N1.3b 

that had been approved was not 

disbursed because the targeted 

houses are no longer available. 

However, to ensure 

accountability in the functions of 

the bank, it was learnt has 

established a vibrant Anti- 

Corruption and Transparency 

Unit ,ACTU. This department, it 

was gathered succeeded in 

training over 120 staff in the 

leadership cadre on anti- 

Corruption programs. 

This, Esin said, was done to bring 

into operation the globally 

acclaimed Anti-Money 

Laundering and Combating of 

Terrorism Financing Manual, 

which will serve as a key guide in 

driving operations and the 

management of all facets FMBN’s 

relationships. 

Corroborating these at the visit, 

Esin said “FMBN will work with 

other interested PMBs to revive 

inclusion, infrastructure 

consolidation and expansion. 

Agenda 1-3 are inter-related, as 

wealth creation can translates into 

employment for the people and 

poverty alleviation. Government is 

also providing incentives through 

Akwa Ibom Entreprise and 

Employment Scheme (AKEES), 

where indigenes who have good 

business plans are empowered to 

start. At present, Udom has gone 

into rice and cocoa production and 

he is encouraging other investors to 

explore these sub-sectors. 

He went on, “The initiative is to 

make the indigenes change their 

mind set, to become entrepreneurs 

and investors, rather than job 

seekers. The Rise to Greatness 

philosophy is about change of mind 

set, re-orientation towards 

economic growth and development. 

The people must begin to face the 

right direction to enhance rapid 

economic growth and development. 

We must embrace hard work, 

integrity and excellence. This 

philosophy has sensitised a lot of 

people to know that they can be 

independent. 

“The government has gone to the 

level of not just empowering people, 

but promoting regular capacity 

building programmes for practical 

training. For example, we found 

four companies to train our people 

on skills and entrepreneurship 

development. One of such 

companies is MTN Nigeria, which 

is working in line with this 

entrepreneurship policy to set up 

about 600 independent small 

businesses in the State. Imagine the 

number of jobs this initiative will 

create within the medium term, in 

the long-run and the number of 

people it will take out of poverty. We 

must create jobs for ourselves instead 

of waiting for government to do 

everything. The State has 10 federal 

constituencies and we went round 

those places to sensitise our people 

on the Rise to Greatness philosophy. 

We have visited six local 

governments in the State, remaining 

25 to cover the entire place. It is 

important for us to model the 

leadership. For infrastructure 

development, the past government 

started the foundation and Udom is 

trying to consolidate on that. The 

business seminar will further 

enlighten people on issues of 

economic survival. There are 

challenges in the economy now but 

we know that our economy will soon 

bounce back”. 

the scheme once they are able to 

provide the bank with a suitable 

and acceptable security. 

“We have also redefined our 

business to sharply focus on the 

low and middle-income earners, 

collaborating with credible 

developers to deliver affordable 

houses at not more than N5m per 

unit, to enable us to achieve the 

required spread among NHF 

contributors in the delivery of 

mortgages. ‘Our goal is to make 

affordable mortgages, a veritable 

tool in the fight against 

corruption’. 

“We have introduced the FMBN 

Home Renovation Loan for 

interested contributors desirous of 

renovating their homes via home 

expansion and other forms of 

value-enhancement. We will 

encourage the staff of EFCC to 

take advantage of these 

opportunities for their benefit.” 

Continuing, he assured the 

commission that the FMBN is in 

support of the anti- corruption 

war which is hinged on one of the 

four pillars of the bank’s selfreinvention 

journey of Corporate 

Governance restoration, starting 

with a Corporate Governance 

Audit of FMBN and staff training.


Mrs. Florence Jadesola Aboderin post-humous 80th birthday 

Faces at the post-humous 80th birthday held for Mrs Florence Jadesola Aboderin, wife of the founder of 

Punch Newspapers, held at The Haven, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, yesterday. Photos by Bunmi Azeez 

From left: Pastor Emeka Orji; Mr. Wale Aboderin, Chairman, Punch Newspapers, 

son of the deceased, and Mr. Dewole Adenmosun, nephew. 

From left: Chief Olorunola Akinmade, Mrs. Angela Owoyemi and Mrs. Sola Peters. 

From left: Mr. Wale Aboderin, Mr Sunmi Smart Cole, veteran journalist, and Mr. 

Tunji Larder. 

From left: Mr. Kunle Adebowale, Mr. Iyaniwura Adewunmi and Mrs. 

Abiodun Adewunmi. 

Final Burial Of Chief Ahmed Onibudo 

40th day prayers for the late Chief Ahmed Adisa Onibudo took place at Penninsula Resort t Ajah, Lekki, 

Lagos, yesterday 

day. . The occasion as captured by Sola Oyelese 

From left: Captain Raji Rasheed, Alhaji Wale Nojimudeen and Alhaja Alimota 

Lai 

From left: Mr Adeniyi Onibudo, son of the deceased; Alhaji F O Yusuf, 

Aare Muyiwa Omisade, and Vice Admiral Jubrila Ayinla (retd). 

From left: Mrs Stella Onibudo , Mrs Olu Otudeko, Mrs Olaitan 

thomas and Mr Bolaji Onibudo, son. 

From left: Children of the deceased: Ibby Iyana, Sunmi Onibudo, 

Wunmi Onibudo and Morenike Onibudo

PAGE 42 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 

CHIEF SUARAU ALANI BANKOLE AT 75 

I Eminent personalities from across the country, yesterday, graced the 75th birthday of Chief Suarau Alani Bankole, father of a former 

Speaker of the House of Reps, Hon. Dimeji Bankole. Photos from the occasion by Akinwumi Ibrahim. 

From left: Editor-in- 

Chief/GM, Vanguard 

Newspapers, Mr. 

Gbenga Adefaye and 

Hon. Dimeji Bankole. 

From left: Chief Alani Bankole; a former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice 

Dahiru Musdapher, and a former Governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba. 

From left: Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Sulaimon Lasun; 

Governor of Ogun State, Sen. Ibikunle Amosun, and Speaker of the- 

House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dongara. 

Investiture of Rotarian Nwabuwa 

From left: A former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido; Oba of 

Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu; Chief Segun Osoba and Oluwo of Iwoland, Oba 

Abdul Rasheed Adewale. 

Prof. Egunjobi, prominent academic, laid to rest 

Professor James Kolawole Egunjobi, a former Head of Programmes at the African 

Academy of Sciences, Nairobi, Kenya and one-time Head of the Department of Crop 

Protection and Environmental Biology at the University of Ibadan, was laid to rest at 

Emure-Ekiti, Ekiti State, on Friday. 

From left: President Elect/Secretary, Rotarian Patricia Gbadegeshin; President, Rotary 

Club, Igando, Rotarian Patricia Ifeoma Nwabuwa; Mr Emmanuel Ajibulu and wife, representing 

Chairman of the occasion, Mr Jide Ajani, Editor, Sunday Vanguard, during the investiture 

of Rotarian Nwabuwa as 7th President (First Female), 2016-2017 Rotary Club of 

Igando (District 9110 Nigeria), in Lagos, yesterday. 

Gunmen abduct three landlords in Lagos 

•We spent over one hour inside water, says witnesses 

From left: Children and in-laws of the deceased: Mr. Michael Kolawole, Mrs. 

Iyadunni Kolawole, Mr. Taiwo Egunjobi, Mrs. Modupe Adewunmi, Mrs. Toyin Eriye, 

Mrs. Titi Olujobi, Mr. Segun Olujobi, Dr. Mrs. Victoria Egunjobi, Mr. Tope Egunjobi, 

Mr. Ayodeji Egunjobi, Mrs. Yemisi Egunjobi, Mr. Sola Egunjobi; back row: Mr. Festus 

Eriye and Mr. Tayo Egunjobi. 

From left: 

Mr. Sola 

Egunjobi, 

Mrs. Toyin 

Eriye, Ms. 

Susan Adekanmbi, 

M r s . 

Modupe 

Adewunmi 

and Mr. Festus 

Eriye. 

By Evelyn Usman 

Hooded gunmen, clad 

in military camouflage, 

on Saturday morning 

invaded Channels Avenue, 

Isheri, Lagos State, whisking 

away three persons. 

The victims, who are landlords 

at Oshorun Heritage 

Estate, had gone beside Lekki 

Gardens Estate with four 

others, for their routine exercise. 

Lekki Gardens Estate is 

said to be situated at the extreme 

of the long avenue, sharing 

a common boundary 

with the Warewa and Wawa 

creeks in Ogun State. 

It was gathered that about 

five minutes after they got to the 

exercise venue and were about 

spreading their mats, armed men 

numbering about eight and 

shooting sporadically surrounded 

them. 

While Kenedy Ucheagwu; Dr. 

Omololu Bello and Mr. Esang 

were whisked away by the kidnappers, 

Pius Ojoromi, Engr. 

Gbenga Babayemi, Banjo 

Obisanya and Coach Ola, it was 

gathered, fled upon sighting the 

hooded men. 

However, Ola was yet to be 

seen at the time of filing this report, 

causing residents to panic 

that something bad might have 

happened to him, considering 

that the bushes they ran into were 

snake and crocodile infested. 

It was gathered that those 

who ran through the estate, scaling 

a high rise fence, into a river, 

stayed there for about an 

hour. 

It was observed that the mats 

which the trainers usually used 

were still inside the makeshift 

structure, while their towels 

were on the table by the road 

side. 

According to some labourers 

at the construction site, over 20 

expended AK47 ammunition 

were picked and handed over 

to the police. 

One of the workers, Adamu, 

who conducted a few journalists 

round the neighbourhood, 

stated that several window 

glasses and buildings were 

pierced by stray bullets. 

He said: "Those kidnappers 

stayed inside that bush. This is 

the second time in three months 

they have come out to kidnap 

people. The first time they came, 

they took a man inside his 

house. But this morning, we 

noticed that two men stood at 

the end of road by the bush 

there. 

"When it was around 7am, we 

started hearing gunshots. Over 

59 shots were fired. The men 

wore masks and they also wore 

army camouflage. They just 

came to that place were landlords 

used to do exercise every 

Friday morning and they kidnapped 

three. 

"As they were shooting, everyone 

ran away. I heard that 

they first caught one mallam, 

but they later left him that he 

does not have money before 

they went after those landlords. 

It looks like they have information 

that the landlords used to 

exercise there. It was one woman, 

I heard she is the wife of one 

of the landlords, who was coming 

behind that called their estate 

people and informed them. 

"Some of the landlords ran 

away and fell inside water. They 

later came out after the kidnappers 

had gone and all their bodies 

were wet. The kidnappers 

stayed for about 30 minutes." 

Reliving the ordeal, one of the 

landlords who escaped, said the 

first thing that came to his mind 

was to flee, adding that he just 

kept running until he landed 

inside the water. 

"Myself and two others were 

just running. We ran into the 

bush and continued until we met 

a fence. We scaled the fence and 

landed in the stream there. We 

laid own inside the stream for 

about one hour and refused to 

come out until we were sure 

there was police presence.


OPEN LETTER TO BUHARI: Resolving Nigeria’s problems before 2019 

VIEWPOINT 

By Nebechukwu Emeka 

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF 

Taking Nigeria out of the 

doldrums 

Dear Mr President, 

CONGRATULATIONS on 

your first anniversary in office. 

The advent of your administration 

brought much hope to majority of 

Nigerians and countless wellwishers 

across the globe. The 

excitement of your inauguration 

touched millions of people regardless 

of region of origin and political 

affiliation. You don’t need experts to 

tell you if the hope and 

aspiration,expressed in you by the 

citizens , have been fulfilled. 

New thinking is required to solve 

the numerous daunting challenges 

VIEWPOINT 

By Olumide Johnson 


Addressing VIEWPOINT 

the issues in the main 

opposition party 

Alot has been said about the 

botched national convention of 

the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 

Port Harcourt, which was caused by 

the power struggle between the sacked 

National Working Committee headed 

by Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and the 

National Caretaker Committee led by 

Senator Ahmed Makarfi. 

The party cannot really move 

forward until the crisis is resolved by 

law or through political settlement. 

However, the judicial option may not 

offer much hope of quick resolution if 

the current experience of seemingly 

interminable litigations involving the 

party is anything to go by. 

VIEWPOINT 

By Olu Adebayo 


A perspective VIEWPOINT 

on the state of the 

nation 

IGERIANS are hungry!”, 

“Nhas suddenly become the 

trending battle cry of compatriots and 

friends of the masses, who love us so 

much that they waited long enough 

for us to reach starvation point, 

before they opened their mouths, or, is 

the frenzy all about how to rescue a 

fast disappearing way of life. We leave 

that to their conscience. 

What is saddening, though, is that 

some of the voices we are now hearing 

so loudly belong to those who had 

either been active partakers in the 

VIEWPOINT 

By Yinka Ajayi 

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF 

A Nigerian creates waves 

abroad 

WITH a cum laude and four 

distinctions, Business School 

Netherlands announced yesterday the 

successful completion of their Executive 

MBA programme by 73 candidates 

from Nigeria. They received their 

certificates at a ceremony at The Hague, 

Netherlands. 

A lawyer, Mrs Oluwakemi Makun 

led the class with a cum laude and the 

best dissertation. 

Oluwakemi Makun graduated from 

Lagos State University, Ojo in 2001 with 

Second Class (Upper) division in Law. 

She qualified as a lawyer after being 

called to the Nigeria Bar in 2003. She is 

an entrepreneur and presently the 

faced by the country. You have been 

applauded for your resolute 

commitment to fight Boko Haram, 

rid the country of corruption and 

restore development to our country. 

However, these gallant efforts can 

never be subsititutes for robust policy 

and sound ideas required to lift the 

country out of the current economic 

quagmire. The 2016 federal budget 

of $30billion is a drop in the ocean 

when weighed against what the 

country actually needs for full 

economic recovery and to be counted 

as a middle-of-the road advanced 

country. 

I am a student of Babs Fafunwa 

Millennium SSS 3 class,located at 

Ogunnsi Road, Ojodu, Ikeja Lagos 

State. I am in commercial dept. I 

have gone deep in thought on the ways 

of finding solution to the problems 

of Nigeria as a future economist and 

I hope you will be interested in my 

ideas. Not minding the level of 

education, I am willing to assist you 

and your administration. The last 

administration is now criticizing you. 

However, you must understand that 

you aren’t the one destroying the 

economy,but the fault was from the 

former administration. Public funds 

were stolen arbitrarily. The officials 

of the administration did not do 

anything to affect the economy 

positively. But I must tell you, if you 

want the APC to rule for a long time 

and achieve success, your 

administration and political party 

should have the qualities of 

confidence, responsibility, time 

management, delegation of skills, 

public relations and good 

communication. Positive outlook, 

high commitment, creativity and 

innovations, forward looking 

PDP: Road to Next Convention 

This means that the National 

Caretaker Committee must work very 

hard to unite the party before the twelve 

months set for the resolution of all 

issues of discord and the convening of 

another convention run out. However, 

it is important to note that apart from 

the issue of reconciliation amongst 

leaders and members, there are other 

issues that must be resolved ahead of 

the next convention. 

Fortunately, the Board of Trustees 

(BoT) of the party has started to do 

something in this regard. Its meeting 

on August 29 yielded some 

commendable resolutions. Among 

others, the Board resolved that the next 

convention be held in Abuja, that a new 

National Convention Planning 

Committee be constituted and that the 

Reconciliation Committee should 

Are we truly hungry? 

bazaar that led us to our present 

demented pass or were well placed 

to sound the warning alarm bell when 

it was glaring that we might be 

heading to Golgotha. They kept quiet 

for reasons that may not be too hard 

to fathom. 

The routine has been to wait for 

serial stone throwers who hide under 

the guise of political correctness to 

lampoon every government policy 

even when they lack facts and have 

little knowledge on the issues involved. 

Economic “wizards” think everything 

can be fixed by the snap of the finger, 

including an economy that had taken 

a decade and a half long battering 

from a frenzied mob of buccaneers 

and connoisseurs of sleaze. 

continue all efforts for reconciliation 

amongst members. It is hoped that the 

National Executive Committee (NEC) 

of the party will meet soon to ratify 

these resolutions.. 

The BoT and the Caretaker 

Committee should have been aware 

by now that there are many issues 

arising from the Port Harcourt 

convention to be addressed and the 

earlier they were addressed, the better 

for all party stakeholders. First is the 

allegation that the process of that 

convention, particularly the 

preparation for the election of national 

officers, was not transparent. This 

observation raised fears that the 

election would not have been free, fair 

and credible if it was held. 

It is not longer news that majority of 

the contestants for the post of national 

Unfortunately, the voices of real 

experts who possess cutting edge 

knowledge of the real issues are often 

drowned in the cacophony created by 

ramblers, who rely on government 

agencies like the National Bureau of 

Statistics, NBS, which is not too 

known for diligent data gathering, 

but, serially, ditch out figures that 

more often than not have little or no 

correlation with the reality of the 

country’s economic situation. 

Those voraciously consuming the 

numbers churned out by the NBS 

should first of all ask the agency to 

tell us the current population of 

Nigeria and its demographics, before 

we move on to other issues. The 

bottom line is that, one does not have 

visionaries and many other are the 

characteristics of a good leader. 

Also, the problems caused in this 

present economic recession are 

political instability, low savings, low 

investments, highly depending on 

one soure of revenue, increase in 

national debt, decrease in GDP, 

unemployment etc. Economic 

problems is just like solving a puzzles 

, it takes a short time in solving 

puzzles. You have three year left in 

solving this economic puzzles. 

Furthermore, the issue of 

indiscipline is a great problem facing 

effectiveness of work in the public and 

private sectors, and in school system 

in particular. It has generated bribery, 

corruption, nepotism, hooliganism, 

absenteeism in the wider society in 

general and truancy. 

To solve the problems before 2019, 

I have created seven agencies under 

chairman raised alarm over the 

alleged manipulation that attended the 

preparations for that election in an 

alleged bid by some people to impose 

a candidate favoured by them. In fact, 

three out of the five contenders for the 

post namely, Chief Olabode George, 

Dr Raymond Dokpesi and Professor 

Tunde Adeniran, had resolved to 

boycott the election in reaction to the 

imminent imposition, before the 

election was stepped down. These 

eminent Nigerians are leaders whose 

views and feelings cannot be dismissed 

with a wave of the hand. 

Therefore, the issue of imposition 

must be revisited and there must be 

assurance that internal democracy 

and rule of law as enshrined in the 

constitution of the party will henceforth 

be upheld in all its activities, including 

to be a professor of economics to 

know that those numbers don’t add 

up. 

All the esoteric stuff about 

percentage GDP growth or undergrowth, 

inflation and unemployment 

figures, mean little or nothing in a 

nation that is largely (between 70 to 

80%) agrarian and poor. The 

unemployment figures bandied by 

NBS probably do not include the 

millions of unskilled youths who leave 

the farmlands in the villages for cities 

annually to hawk sachet water in 

the traffic. Also, how does our socalled 

productive sector, which 

relies solely on imported raw materials 

which consume a huge chunk of the 

nation’s foreign exchange, engender 

development or growth when all they 

do is value addition? It is no wonder 

that the word “FOREX” is the most 

Nigerian female lawyer leads Business School Netherlands 

•Kemi Makun 

Principal of ALLIANZ SOLICITORS, 

Abuja. She is a corporate and 

commercial legal practitioner. She is 

also a part time business woman. 

Lagos accounted for three of the 

distinctions while the Abuja Study 

Centre recorded the other two. The 

Abuja, Port Harcourt and Otta Study 

Centres accounted for 34 of the 

graduating class while Lagos 

contributed 39. 

Business School Netherlands Nigeria 

CEO Lere Baale remarked that the 

school appreciated the increased 

enrolment in centres outside Lagos and 

the performance of students in those 

places. 

Business School Netherlands, with 

multiple accreditations from Dutch, 

European and American authorities, 

offers the Executive Master in Business 

Administration deploying the Action 

Learning pedagogy. It has also 

introduced the Doctor of Business 

Administration programme with an 

initial enrolment of 10 senior executives. 

Baale stated that the Action Learning 

Executive MBA of Business School 

Netherlands prioritises application of 

learning to solve real life problems in 

the workplaces of students rather than 

merely cramming theories or analysing 

cases. 

Says the Abuja-based best graduating 

student, Mrs Kemi Makun, “I like the 

learning style of BSN - Action Learning. 

Practice makes perfect. It was perfect 

for me. I wanted an environment where 

I will meet people from diverse 

backgrounds and varied challenges. A 

place where participants could share 

their experiences and help one another 

treat their various problems. BSN 

perfectly fit into the picture. Besides, their 

marketing team was persistent in 

convincing me to join the programme.” 

The school states, “At Business School 

Netherlands, we recognise the fact that 

the body of knowledge is growing 

exponentially. Even the most 

enthusiastic student is not going to 

fathom it all in a lifetime, let alone 

during a two-year course. That is why 

we look at the academic part of the MBA 

from a different point of view. We start 

with the problem, your problem, a 

relevant issue that your organisation 

needs to solve. Once identified, you will 

learn to critically evaluate the available 

one group named INDEPENDENT 

CIVIL AND ECONOMIC 

GROUP(ICEG). Each of the agencies 

has positive duties. With my working 

of little mathematical techniques,the 

agencies are willing to offer more 

than 30 million jobs and returning a 

huge amount of revenue every month, 

which will increase the GDP. Also, 

ICEG is wiling to help you to fulfil 

your campaign promises. This 

economic group promises to change 

the country through you, when the 

agencies are launched and also 

working on the action statement: 

‘RAPID DEVELOPMENT AND 

ERADICATION OF ILLEGAL ACTS 

IN NIGERIA’. 

I look forward to meeting you to 

discuss this matter. God bless 

Nigeria. 

•EMEKA is a student of Babs 

Fafunwa Millennium SSS. 

the next convention. The party must 

always guarantee a level playing field. 

It must ensure that both players and 

officials abide by the established rules 

of the game. It must read the riot act to 

all members, leaders and officials seen 

to be inclined to 

disrespecting established order. Let 

it be known that their undue 

interventions will no longer be 

accepted nor tolerated, no matter who 

they are or the power and influence 

they wield, 

It is also important for the party to 

conclude all inconclusive congresses 

in the states and zones before the next 

convention. This will ensure that the 

authentic list of the respective 

categories of delegates are known and 

cannot be manipulated or discarded 

during the election. 

•Johnson is a Lagos based public 

affairs analyst. 

prominent in their business 

vocabulary. It is also a means by 

mischievous ones among them to 

“transfer” a part of their profits in 

advance of their balance sheets. 

It is noteworthy that even the ongoing 

noise about whether our economy is in 

recession or not does not seem to enjoy 

a consensus among the country’s 

economists, thus throwing the veracity 

of the template that was used into 

doubt. One of such experts said on 

TV, recently, that while it is true that 

the nation’s economy was in negative 

territory in the first quarter, same was 

not true for the second quarter, which, 

therefore, meant that we could not 

be said to be in recession in the real 

sense of it. 

To be continued 

•Adebayo is a public affairs 

commentator 

knowledge in the respective field, weigh 

the alternatives and propose an 

appropriate solution.” 

Mrs Makun says of the effect of the 

Action Learning programme: “I have 

tried to implement every single topic of 

my ALP. I have seen results in my business 

since then. My business has also 

transformed. I now have an office with 

staff working with me within the space 

of two years. The learning has changed 

my thinking positively, and I can 

confidently say that I have all that I need 

to compete in my industry. I will 

appreciate my employees more, spend 

money to make more money and treat 

my clients as kings.” 

Business School Netherlands 

commenced in Nigeria in 2003. 

Student enrolment in Nigeria has grown 

to 1100 while about 400 students have 

graduated from its MBA programme. 

Business School Netherlands is 

present in 15 countries and draws 

students from 41 countries. 

•Ajayi writes from Lagos.

PAGE 44, SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 

Mourinho 

defends Pogba’s 

poor display 

M United ANCHESTER 

manager 

Jose Mourinho has urged 

midfielder Paul Pogba to 

forget his world-record price 

tag and concentrate on 

producing the goods for the 

team. 

United broke the world 

transfer record to bring 

Pogba, 23, back to the club 

from Juventus last month in 

a deal worth an initial 89 

million pounds ($115.7 

million, 103.7 million euros). 

Pogba produced 

disappointing performances 

in United’s losses to 

Manchester City and 

Feyenoord, but Mourinho 

pointed to the France 

midfielder’s busy close 

season as a mitigating 

factor. 

“The world-record player 

is always a question that will 

be open until somebody 

breaks the record,” 

Mourinho said, in 

comments published by 

British newspapers on 

Saturday. 

“I think there are clubs that 

paid 20, 30, 40 (million 

pounds), which is a bigger 

deal than what Man United 

paid for Paul because you 

make a relation between 

what you pay and the club 

revenue. 

“You realise that other 

clubs paying 20, 30, 40 is a 

much bigger thing than 

what Man United did and 

I just want Paul to forget that 

and to play his football. 

“Euro final, no preseason, 

holidays, come 

back — it’s normal that in 

the first week he had the 

very good impact in the first 

game (in United’s 2-0 win 

over Southampton). 

“It’s normal that after the 

first game he has a little 

decrease, but I am full of 

trust with him because I 

know the player he is. 

“I know that he is a very 

good guy with a lot of 

ambition, so the form will 

come naturally and will 

come with the team. The 

team improves, Paul 

improves. No problem.” 

United visit Watford in the 

Premier League today, 

when they will be seeking 

to bounce back from their 

back-to-back defeats by City, 

in the league, and 

Feyenoord, in the Europa 

League. 

Megalectrics acquires EPL broadcast rights 

Nigeria’s radio platform, 

Megalectrics, owners 

of Beat, Classic, 

Naija FM, and Lagos 

talks radio station, have 

announced that an exclusive 

rights deal has 

been acquired from talk 

Sport. 

Federer didn’t help me beat 

Djokovic, says Wawrinka 

STAN Wawrinka said 

his success at the 

US Open was not based 

on tips from Roger Federer. 

Asked if Roger gave 

him suggestions during 

the tournament, Wawrinka 

denied and said: “In 

the past Roger gave me 

suggestions, helping me 

a lot’, Stan admitted. 

‘This time that wasn´t 

the case. Obviously 

many people congratulated 

me and supported 

me but I did not need to 

ask Roger what I had to 

do against Novak.´ He is 

World No. 3, does he believe 

he can become 

World No. 1? ´No 

(laughs). I won three 

Grand Slams, but I’m not 

consistent enough during 

the year. If you look, 

Novak [Djokovic] is making 

a final or winning 

every tournament that 

Bringing Megalectrics 

on-board as a new broadcast 

partner in Nigeria, 

the radio platform will 

broadcast at least five 

games each week, continuing 

Nigeria’s love 

affair with the Premier 

League. 

Megalectrics, has also 

he’s playing.’ 

‘I can play amazingly, 

I can win a Grand Slam, 

but I’m not playing well 

enough in the year.’ 

Meanwhile ATP Stuttgart 

event confirmed 

that in June 2017 also 

Stan Wawrinka will play. 

He joins Roger Federer 

in the field. 

Pele, Eto’o rate Messi better than Ronaldo 

BRAZIL legend Pele 

and former Barcelona 

striker Samuel Eto’o 

pitched their tents with 

Xaxi on his claim that Lionel 

Mess was better than 

Cristiano Ronaldo. 

Xaxi came under fire from 

Ronaldo after the Barcelona 

midfielder made the remark. 

recently launched a new 

talk format radio station, 

Lagos Talks 91.3FM, 

which will join the company’s 

popular music 

radio portfolio and will 

be the key driver of EPL 

live matches 

As a global audio partner 

of talkSPORT, Lagos 

Talks; Beat FM and Classic 

FM will broadcast official 

live commentaries 

from all 380 Premier 

League matches to listeners 

in Nigeria. 

Managing Director, 

Megalectrics, Chris Ubosi 

said, “Knowing that 

Football is one factor, 

which unites Nigerians, 

we’ll like to reignite that 

synergy and bring our 

audience closer to their 

favourite clubs and players.” 

WARNING SIGN... Wawrinka nest big thing 

in tennis 

FALSE START... Paul Pogba struggling for form at Manchester United. 

As for Eto’o’s personal 

opinion in the everlasting 

Messi versus Ronaldo debate, 

the Cameroonian unsurprisingly 

favoured his 

former teammate in the 

eternal argument. 

“I’ll always go with Messi 

because of the things I’ve 

seen him do. 

“That doesn’t take away 

from the fact Cristiano is 

making history in football. 

But I go with Messi because 

I’ve been closer to 

him.” 

Speaking at a Q&A session 

in Glasgow titled ‘An 

Evening with Pele’, the 

75-year-old said that over 

the last decade and a half 

Messi’s incredible feats 

and statistics mark him out 

as the best player in the 

world, over Ronaldo. 

‘I could mention some 

names but what has happened 

in the last 10 to 15 

years, I think Messi is the 

player who was the most 

consistent all those years, 

no doubt,’ said Pele. 

‘We have had a lot of 

good players. Then Cristiano 

Ronaldo came late 

but it is different because 

Messi is the more organised, 

he scores goals.’ 

‘Cristiano Ronaldo is like 

the Ronaldo from Brazil, 

a match for Barcelona 

he is a good scorer no 

doubt, but to me as a player 

it is Messi,’ Pele added. 

The two players have 

dominated the World Player 

of the Year prize in recent 

memory winning every 

edition since 2008, with 

Messi winning on five occasions 

and Ronaldo on 

three. The last player to 

win the award aside from 

Messi or Ronaldo was Brazil 

midfielder Kaka in 

2007. 

FIFA also announced 

this morning that they 

had ended their association 

with Ballon d’Or, 

making it highly possible 

that FIFA will relaunch 

their own World. 

De Bruyne not far from Messi— Guardiola 

BARCA FACES... Eto’o and Messi during 

PEP 

Guardiola 

would not put 

Kevin de Bruyne in the 

same class as Lionel 

Messi – in his mind there 

is nobody who comes 

close. But he would sit the 

Manchester City midfielder 

‘at the same table’ 

as the Argentinian. 

De Bruyne’s performance 

in the 4-0 rout of 

Bournemouth was one of 

the great displays the Etihad 

Stadium has seen in 

its short history. Having 

scored the opener, De 

Bruyne created 

Manchester City’s three 

other goals, much to the 

delight of his manager. 

“Every time he passes, 

he makes the right decision, 

we are extremely 

lucky to have him and I 

hope he can continue to 

play his amazing football,” 

said Guardiola. 

•De Bruyne

SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 — 45 

Iwobi’s dangerous and powerful, says Wenger 

ARSENAL manager, Ar 

sene Wenger said striker 

Alex Iwobi is making tremendous 

progress and the 

Gunners are benefiting from 

physical power and instincts. 

Iwobi made two assists in 

Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Hull 

City in Saturday’s English 

Premier League match. 

“He has a presence in the 

game now,” said Wenger. 

“Going forward he’s absolutely 

dangerous every single 

time. He plays well through 

the lines and breaks them with 

the ball at his feet. 

“Overall his confidence is 

higher. His physical power 

has a big impact too.” 

And, in terms of team performances, 

Wenger has insisted 

his side are getting stronger 

as the campaign goes on. 

He added: “[Last weekend] 

we won in the last minute 

against Southampton. We got 

a good 1-1 draw with Paris 

Saint-Germain and we came 

[to Hull] and won, so overall 

it’s been a very positive week. 

“We are at a different level 

compared to a month ago and 

you can see that in our game. 

We knew at the start of the 

season we were a bit short 

physically but now we’re getting 

stronger.” 

FIFA U-17 WWC: NFF begs 

Flamingoes to fly despite 

hardship in camp 

PLEDGE TO NIGERIA...Flamingoes coaches Bala 

Nikyu and Ann Chiejina Agumanu 

NIGERIA Under 17 play 

ers rounding off preparations 

for the FIFA U-17 Women 

World Cup have been 

urged to concentrate despite 

“certain circumstances” they 

are going through. 

The team will fly out on September 

26 to Jordan where the 

tournament will hold from September 

30 to October 31. Nigeria 

Football Federation 

deputy general secretary, 

Emmanuel Ikpeme said the 

team is capable of winning the 

tournament and make history 

as the first women team to 

win a title for Nigeria at the 

world level. Nigeria is drawn 

in Group C with Brazil, DPR 

Korea and England. 

“There should be no excuses 

for failure. As a champion 

team, you should never allow 

certain circumstances you 

might be facing in camp now 

deter you from achieving your 

goal,” Dr. Ekpeme told the 

players in Abuja. 

“”It’s no big deal to qualify 

for the World Cup because the 

Nigeria U17 girls always 

make it to the global stage. But 

it will be a big deal if you go 

to the World Cup and make a 

statement. 

“You have the responsibility 

to continue to work hard, be 

disciplined and you will definitely 

accomplish what no other 

women’s team has ever 

done in Nigeria and in the 

whole of Africa – winning the 

World Cup”. 

Rio Olympics: Nigeria Hospitality House a 

success — Abdullahi 

CHIEF Executive Offic 

er and Project Coordinator 

of Nigeria House at the 

recently concluded 2016 

Olympic Games, Mohammed 

Abdullahi has described the 

experience of the Hospitality 

House in Rio as successful 

despite not hitting the ground 

before the commencement of 

the Olympics as planned. 

He said the house became 

a reality in a posh area of Rio 

beside the world’s famous 

Copa Cabana Palace Hotel 

overlooking the famous beach 

from a Penthouse. 

“It was a wonderful experience 

and the house was located 

in an area where thousands 

of tourists throng daily. 

The Nigeria House was the 

only house from an African 

WELL DONE...Wenger and Iwobi during a match situation 

country within the Copa Cabana 

axis of Rio. It was also the 

most expensive area in Rio as 

a tourist centre.” 

Abdullahi said notable Nigerians 

like the wife of 

Olympic football bronze medal 

winning coach, Samson 

Siasia was a guest of the 

house, while Nigeria’s most 

popular artist in Brazil Olumide 

also came to sing and 

entertain people daily. He too 

was a guest of the house with 

his family throughout the period 

the house lasted. 

“In spite of starting midway 

into the Games, we had remarkable 

presence of well 

meaning Nigerians like the 

new president of SWAN, Honour 

Sirawoo who spent a 

night in the house. Top echelon 

and directors of the ministry 

of Youth and Sports 

also visited. 

The Athletics Federation 

of Nigeria (AFN) president 

and 1st vice president of the 

Nigeria Olympic Committee 

(NOC), Solomon Ogba was 

also at the house, presidents 

of the Afro Chamber of Commerce 

and his counterpart at 

the Brazil-Nigeria Chamber 

of Commerce visited the 

house to brainstorm and 

seek collaboration on future 

opportunities for business 

forums beyond the Olympics. 

Others included members/ 

delegates of the Performing 

Art Association of Brazil Republic 

who attended a cinema 

show of Nigerian film at the 

house,” Abdullahi stressed. 

Wither Nigeria? 

By Brig.-General (Dr.) Samuel Osaigbovo Ogbemudia 

OH Nigeria! The 2016 Rio Olympic Games has exposed our inad 

equacy in sports planning, preparation and execution. Nigeria 

and her well-wishers are embarrassed by the results. 

Every Nigerian that has made comments so far wants Nigeria to start 

preparation for 2020 Olympics in Japan early while we should select a 

few games in which we can excel. For example boxing, athletics, football, 

rowing, archery, wrestling and weightlifting. 

Facilities available today in the country are enough to prepare boxers, 

track and field athletes, footballers and with small investment to 

include rowing, archery, wrestling, weightlifting etc., for the Games. 

Some years ago, in 1987, I led a Nigerian contingent to Nairobi, 

Kenya for the (4th) All Africa Games. On arrival, all the leaders of each 

country met and inspected the facilities available for the Games and at 

the end of the inspection, they rejected facilities for tennis, hockey, tracks 

and boxing on the ground that they were substandard. 

We requested and met the President, His Excellency Daniel arap Moi. 

I spoke on behalf of others that the facilities were substandard and they 

should improve on them. In his reply. He asked us how many of our 

countries have won more medals at the Olympics than Kenya. Of course 

there was none, Kenya remained the leader. He dismissed us by saying 

the Kenyans won their gold medals through practice on those facilities. 

It is known and proved that practice makes an athlete perfect. 

The military introduced rehearsal to whatever they do so that on the 

D-Day, they can perform beautifully well. In 1988, I was also Chef de 

Mission of the Nigerian team to the Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea. 

I met many Nigerian athletes who represented other countries such as 

Britain, Canada, etc. In particular, in one of the races, 400m men, the 

announcer said “Lane 1, Akagbusi, Great Britain, Lane 2, Suleiman, 

France, Lane 3, Ezeani, Canada and Lane 4, Innocent Egbunike of 

Nigeria. It was clear that Lanes 1-4 were occupied by Nigerian-born 

athletes. That race was won by Ezeani of Canada. At the end of the race, 

I invited Ezeani and asked him where he came from, he told me his 

father said they came from Imo state in Nigeria. Why are you competing 

for Canada, I asked him? He told me he was a Canadian, that all 

efforts made for them to return to Nigeria was foiled by the Nigeria 

Civil Service Commission which could not offer his father an appointment 

even though he had a Masters Degree. When his father waited in 

Nigeria for some time and there was no news from the employment 

agency, he returned to Canada to take up citizenship. Nine months or 

thereabout after going back to Canada and taking up citizenship, he 

got a letter from the Nigerian employment agency asking the father to 

send 10 copies of the original application back to the agency. His 

father looked at the paper and the cost of posting, he laughed and said 

the cost of posting could have been used to make more than 100 

copies in Nigeria. So since then they have not returned to Nigeria. 

I am aware that Great Britain was represented recently by an athlete 

called Osagie in 800m and Adeoye in another other events, Jimoh 

and some other girls represented the USA while (Francis) Obikwelu 

represented Portugal and was the European champion for a 

number of years. 

Where do we go from here you ask? My answer to that question is 

that we should accept the principle that the behaviour and competence 

of a society or group is a reflection of the quality of leadership it 

gets, that means whoever is in charge of sports must have a temperament 

for victory. 

There are a lot that can be done if we practice hard, we would 

always win. A swimmer told me in Munich in 1972 that he has to 

swim over 30,000 kilometres of water in preparation for his 100metres 

freestyle competition at the Olympic Games. In other words, there 

is no miracle in sports, but practice and practice and practice! 

(Nduka) Odizor was trained to play tennis in Nigeria and for a long 

time, he played in the circuit as a professional tennis player and I 

remember that he represented Nigeria in a number of competitions. 

We must plan, prepare and go in for competitions. 

Every athlete should be trained by a competent and fit coach. As 

Chairman of the National Sports Commission, I decided and took 

170 coaches to Bauchi to test their fitness and only four made it. So 

how do you expect an unfit coach to coach someone to be fit. 

The sports authorities should first have somebody who is fit, appoint 

people, regardless of where they come from, that are competent 

to train Nigerians for international competitions. Recently, President 

Buhari said “change begins with me”. So the need for change is of 

paramount importance. We must start our preparation tomorrow. 

The above was put down by Brig.-General (Dr.) Samuel Osaigbovo 

Ogbemudia, two-time governor of former Midwest/Bendel state and 

former Chairman of the defunct National Sports Commission. He 

turned 84 yesterday and yours truly visited him at his Benin city home 

two days earlier, not for the birthday celebration but on the way out of 

the present state of our sports. Because I told him I was coming, he 

prepared this piece that he discussed with me. 

He also went outside this written piece to reveal so many things about 

himself and what prompted him to promote sports in the then Midwest/ 

Bendel that has made it the standard to judge not only Edo and Delta 

which made up the old state he governed but the entire country as it 

were today. His success, he said is attributable to the his military discipline 

and passion for sports coupled by the fact that he also trained as 

a coach. Even as he celebrated his 84th birthday joyfully with family 

and friends, part of him remained sore, that he is seeing his legacy go 

down the drain. “I built the Afuze training camp to develop our sports 

men and women but today they have conspired to destroy that place. 

The football pitch has been turned into a cassava farm”, he told me. At 

this stage I felt pity for him and shame for our country. 

C 

M 

Y 

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Lagos House holds public 

hearing on sports 

SPORTS took the centre 

stage in the affairs of 

Lagos, last Friday, as the 

state House of Assembly held 

a public hearing and 

Stakeholders’ Forum to 

discuss the bills for the 

establishment of two 

“important” organs for the 

development of sports. 

Besides moving to 

legitimize the Lagos State 

Sports Commission through 

the enactment of an 

establishing law, the state is 

also concerned with the issue 

of adequate and proper 

funding for sports and has 

determined to establish the 

Lagos State Sports Trust 

Fund to elicit private and 

corporate contributions. 

Giving insight on the two 

•Obasa, Speaker Lagos 

House of Assembly. 

Paralympics 

continued from B/P 

12 medals, comprising 8 

gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze 

medals, though one less 

than the 13 won four years 

ago, but higher in quality 

compared to the 6 gold 5 

silver and 2 bronze in 

London. 

Team Nigeria’s eight gold 

medals came through 

Roland Ezuruike, Paul 

Kehinde, Lucy Ejike, 

Lauritta Onye Ndidi 

Nwosu, Bose Omolayo, 

Flora Ugwunwa and 

Rohr psyches 


showdown in Zambia next 

month,” a top official 

informed. 

“He wishes to raise their 

confidence and self-esteem 

by this personal contact.” 

Rohr made his debut with 

the Eagles during an Africa 

Cup of Nations clash 

against Tanzania in Uyo, 

where the Eagles laboured 

to a 1-0 win. He said the 

team was lacking self 

confidence. However, he is 

bills, the majority leader of 

the assembly, Hon SOB 

Agunbiade who represented 

the Speaker, Rt. Hon. 

Mudashiru Obasa, declared 

that the objective is to drive 

sports “beyond the common 

standards of excellence” in 

line with the motto of the 

house. “We are trying to 

Josephine Orji, all in the 

powerlifting event. 

Other winners are Latifat 

Tijani and Esther Oyema 

who got silver medals from 

powerlifting while Eucharia 

Iyiazi won bronze medal in 

discus. 

In 2012 Nigeria was third 

behind Tunisia who are now 

second at the Rio games 

having won 6 gold, 6 silver 

and 6 bronze to occupy 20 th 

position overall while South 

Africa followed closely as 

third best African country 

and 22 nd overall with same 

6 gold medals as Tunisia but 

5 silver and 4 bronze. 

hopeful that a good result 

will lift the team. 

“The confidence has not 

been there because the 

team failed to qualify for the 

Africa Cup of Nations, but 

when results start to come, 

the confidence will return,” 

he said. 

“It is a difficult challenge 

(to qualify for the World 

Cup). Nigeria are not the 

favourites after we did not 

qualify for the last two 

AFCONs, but we hope to 

be at the World Cup.” 

Rohr is expected to draw 

up his list this week. 

reposition sports in the 

state. Henceforth, it will no 

longer be “Eko for show” but 

“Eko for gold” and this forum 

has been convened to avail 

stakeholders the 

opportunity of contributing 

to the law making process 

to accentuate a fundamental 

tenet of democracy as 

government by the people. 

GOtv Boxing Night 9: Jagaban 

vows to demolish Coded Man 

SEMIU 

“Jagaban” 

Olabode has vowed to 

floor Ebubechukwu “Coded 

Man” Edeh when they clash 

in the national light 

middleweight challenge 

contest at GOtv Boxing 

Night 9, holding on 2 October 

at the Indoor Sports Hall of 

the National Stadium, Lagos. 

Both boxers are making 

their professional debut after 

being selected at GOtv 

Boxing NextGen Search. 

Edeh came through GOtv 

NextGen Search 1, while 

Jagaban was discovered at 

the second edition of the 

talent hunt. 

“I am not called Jagaban 

for nothing. Coded Man or 

whatever he calls himself will 

run for cover and announce 

himself as Coded Boy. He is 

a boy, not a man. I am 

putting him on notice that 

hell awaits him,” he 

boasted. But speaking on 

MiTv’s Sports Update, from 

which Jagaban was absent, 

Coded Man said his 

opponent’s absence was out 

of fear. 

“I was hoping we would 

meet on the programme. 

He would have had a hint 

of what he will see in the 

ring,” said the Anambraborn 

boxer. 

Their bout is one of the 

seven lined for GOtv 

Boxing Night 9, where the 

best boxer will go home with 

a cash prize of N1.5million 

in commemoration of 

GOtv’s fifth anniversary in 

Nigeria and the country’s 

independence. 

FC IfeanyiUbah 


match, Cameroonian 

midfield maestro Tamen 

Medrano said he believes 

IfeanyiUbah are fully 

focused on getting all 

three points. 

“We are fully focused on 

getting all three points, at 

this stage of the season we 

are taking the matches 

one after the other, we 

have prepared well this 

week and I believe we are 

going to get a positive 

result on Sunday,” said 

Medrano. 

‘The Anambra 

Warriors’, who are in 

search of their maiden 


he has featured in that 

period. 

Iheanacho was the match 

winner for Nigeria in an 

AFCON qualifier against 

Tanzania on September 4, 

before he grabbed the 

match winner for City in 

the Manchester Derby. 

He then netted his first 

UEFA Champions League 

goal against German 

Bundesliga side Borussia 

Monchengladbach at The 

Ettihad. 

In another Premier 

League game, compatriot 

•L–R: Larry Ephraim Ettah, Chairman, UPDC Nigeria Plc; Bankole Opashi, 

MD, Bodyline Fitness & Gym and Hakeem Oguniran, MD/CEO, UPDC 

Nigeria Plc commissioning the new state-of-the-art fitness centre at Golden 

Tulip Hotel, Festac , Lagos. 

CNS swimming championship to 

expose junior swimmers 

By Princess 

Chukwuemeka 

CHAIRMAN of the 

Main Organising 

Committee of the 7th Chief 

of Naval Staff Swimming 

Championship, Commodore 

Suraj Mustapha Bello, has 

beckoned on Nigerians to reengineer 

sports from the 

grassroot level so as to capture 

young talents who would take 

NPFL title, have shone 

since the start of the second 

round of the 2016 NPFL 

season, and Tamen 

Medrano said that 

clinching the NPFL title will 

be a perfect way to reward 

club owner, Patrick Ifeanyi 

Ubah, for his support. 

“Winning the league will 

be a huge accomplishment 

for us, our careers and to 

be part of the history of the 

club. 

“It will also be a perfect 

reward for the president 

because he has invested a 

lot in the team this season. 

“Most importantly, 

winning the league will 

mean a lot to the people of 

Anambra State.’’ 

Iheanacho 

Alex Iwobi was credited 

with two assists as Arsenal 

won 4-1 at Hull City. 

It looked like Iwobi had 

scored his first league goal 

for the season when 

Arsenal went in front after 

17 minutes, but the goal 

was later credited to Alexi 

Sanchez with Iwobi the 

provider. 

Iwobi also assisted in 

Theo Walcott’s goal after 55 

minutes. 

Ahmed Musa was an 

unused sub as champions 

Leicester City thrashed 

promoted Burnley 3-0. 

over from the aging elite 

athletes.. 

Commodore Bello made 

the call in Lagos Friday, at a 

press conference to usher in 

the 2016 Chief of Naval Staff 

Swimming competition. He 

stated that the swimming 

championship would begin 

on Thursday, September 

22nd to Sunday 25th, at the 

Teslim Balogun Stadium 

swimming pool,Surulere. 

In line with the new 

thinking of ‘catching them 

young’, Bello stated that this 

year’s championship would 

be involving swimmers from 

both the primary and 

secondary schools who will 

compete in the junior 

category. 

“We will be having 

competitions in the junior 

Ighalo 


their opening four games 

including an Odion Ighalo 

inspired comeback from 2- 

0 down to beat West Ham 

4-2 in their last league 

outing. 

Mazzarri is expected to 

retain much of the starting 

XI that won at the London 

Stadium. The win over 

West Ham was a big result 

for Watford, which saw Troy 

Deeney and Odion Ighalo 

got back on the goal trail. 

Watford’s attacking 

prowess is provided by 

Ighalo and Deeney, two 

strikers who offer 

completely different tactical 

threats. Deeney is famous 

for holding up the ball and 

playing back-to-goal while 

Ighalo, a United fan, runs 

beyond him and tries to 

angle on goal. Both players 

are incredibly physical and 

adept in the air, which 

allows Watford to create 

goals from wide areas. In 

and senior categories, for the 

first time in the history of the 

competition,” he said, 

pointing out that teams were 

also being expected from 

States, the armed forces, 

tertiary institutions,Clubs,etc 

in the senior category. 

While justifying the 

introduction of the junior 

category, President of the 

Nigeria Aquatic Federation, 

Fatai Williams said, “we felt 

we have not been fair to the 

junior swimmers who were 

made to compete side by 

side the seniors. No matter 

how good they were, they 

could not compete 

favourably with their seniors. 

Now they have been given 

a chance to compete among 

themselves. This will bring 

out the best in them.” 

addition, Ighalo and 

Deeney’s prolific 

goalscoring is Watford’s 

claim to a Premier League 

place, and it showed last 

season- in the Europa 

League positions when 

Ighalo was scoring goals, 

they finished 13th when 

Ighalo went on a massive 

scoring drought. 

Etienne Capoue has 

made a big change from 

the end of last season. They 

were getting predictable 

because it was almost like 

they didn’t have a chance 

when Deeney and Ighalo 

weren’t at it, but Capoue 

is giving them a little bit 

extra now. 

Wayne Rooney, Antonio 

Valencia and Luke Shaw 

return to Mourinho’s 

matchday squad. 

The trio were rested for 

Thursday’s Europa 

League tie at Feyenoord, 

with the latter not risked 

after complaining of a tight 

hamstring following the 

derby defeat to 

Manchester City. 

C 

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C 

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SUNDAY VANGUARD, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016, PAGE 47

SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 18, 2016 

Rohr psyches Eagles 

for Zambia clash 

SUPER Eagles coach 

Gernot Rohr has 

been calling his players 

on phone to remind his 

players on the need to 

stay focused for the 

FIFA World Cup 

qualifier against 

Zambia billed for 

October 3. 

Rohr with a mandate 

to qualify the Eagles for 

the World Cup from a 

tight group is hoping to 

make a good start to the 

campaign in Ndola, 

Zambia. 

“Rohr has been in 

touch with the players, 

checking up on them 

and encouraging them 

ahead of the World Cup 


•Mikel 

See solution on page 5 

Iheanacho scores again as City win 

KELECHI Iheanacho 

scored his third 

consecutive goal this 

season and provided an 

assist as Manchester City 

extended their winning 

streak after a 4-0 

thumping 

of 

Bournemouth. 

City are top of the table 

with 15 points from five 

matches with a +11 goals 

difference. 

Iheanacho scored his 

second league goal this 

season after 25 minutes, 

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) 

41. Damages (8) 

•Iwobi shines for Arsenal 

before he provided an 

assist for Raheem 

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) 

Ighalo set to compound 

Mourinho’s woes 

M ANCHESTER 

United will be 

looking to bounce back 

from their 2-1 derby 

•Iwobi (L), Iheanacho were in superlative form yesterday for their clubs. 

•Ezenwa 

Sterling to get City’s 

third goal on 48 minutes. 

FC IfeanyiUbah 

eye 3rd win 

over Lobi 

FC IfeanyiUbah will 

hope to record a 

third win over Lobi 

Stars this season when 

both teams clash at the 

Aper Aku Stadium in 

Makurdi today. 

They are third on the 

table with 53 points 

from 33 matches, while 

hosts Lobi are sixth on 

49 points. 

Speaking ahead of 

today’s all-important 


defeat to City and 

Europa League 

disappointment when 

they travel to Watford 

today. 

Mourinho’s side have 

suffered a bad week with 

defeat at home to their 

city rivals before going 

down to a 1-0 defeat 

against Feyenoord in 

Rotterdam on Thursday. 

United will be looking 

to get back on track 

against the Hornets in 

the midday kick-off. 

Watford have four 

points on the board from 


Team Nigeria finish Rio 

Paralympics on high 

•As best African country with 8 gold medals 

TEAM 

Nigeria medals table and also 

rounded off the 2016 emerging the best 

Paralympic Games in Rio African country ahead of 

on a high note, climbing 

nine places from 22 nd Tunisia and South 

Africa. 

position at the 2012 Nigeria won a total of 

Games in London to 

place 13 th Continues on page 46 

on the overall 

It has been Nigeria striker, who has 

unforgettable two weeks 

for the 19-year-old 

scored in the four games 


RESULTS 

EPL 

Hull City 

Leicester 

1 

3 

Arsenal 

Burnley 

4 

0 

Man City 4 Bournemouth 0 

West Brom 4 West Ham 2 

Everton 3 Mid’brough 1 

La Liga 

Leganes 1 Barcelona 5 

At/Madrid 5 Gijon 0 

Bundesliga 

Bayern 3 Ingolstadt 1 

Dortmund 6 Darmstadt 0 

E/Frankfurt 2 Leverkusen 1 

Hamburger 

Hoffenheim 

0 

0 

Leipzig 

Wolfsburg 

4 

0 

TODAY'S MATCHES 

NPFL 

A/Warriors 

Rangers 

v 

v 

Nasarawa 

Sunshine 

4 pm 

4 pm 

Heartland v Tornadoes 4 pm 

Pillars v El Kanemi 4 pm 

Lobi v Ifeanyi Ubah 4 pm 

Plateau v Ikorodu Utd 4 pm 

Warri v Shooting 4 pm 

Wikki v Rivers Utd 4 pm 

Enyimba v MFM FC 

EPL 

Watford v Man United 12 noon 

C/Palace v Stoke City 2:15 pm 

Southampton v Swansea City 2:15 pm 

Tottenham v Sunderland 4:30 pm 

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. 

•Odion 

African countries Paralympics standing 

Country G S B 

Nigeria 8 2 2 

Tunisia 6 6 6 

S/Africa 6 5 4 

Algeria 4 5 7 

Egypt 3 5 3 

Kenya 3 0 2 

Morocco 2 2 1 

C 

M 

Y 

K

Sunday 18092016

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