07012017 - Diezani to forfeit $153m to FG, court orders

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2 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017

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SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017 — 3

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4 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017 — 5 

Diezani to forfeit $153m to FG, court orders 

By Innocent Anaba 

AFederal High Court 

sitting in Lagos, 

yesterday, ordered the 

temporary forfeiture of the 

sum of $153,310,000, which 

a former Minister of 

Petroleum Resources, Mrs. 

Diezani Alison-Madueke, 

allegedly siphoned from 

the Nigerian National 

Petroleum Corporation, 

NNPC and stashed in 

three banks in the country, 

namely Sterling Bank Plc, 

First Bank Plc and Access 

Bank Plc. 

Trial judge in the matter 

is Justice Muslim Hassan. 

Out of the allegedly 

stolen $153.3m, a sum of 

N23,446, 300,000 was kept 

in Sterling Bank Plc, 

N9,080,000,000 in First 

Bank Plc and $5m in 

Access Bank Plc. 

After ordering the 


money to the Federal 

Government, Justice 

Hassan gave Sterling 

Bank and any other 

interested party 14 days to 

appear before him to prove 

the legitimacy of the 

money, failing which the 

funds would be 

permanently forfeited to 

the Federal Government. 

The judge made the 

order following an 

application by the 

Economic and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, which appeared 

before him with an ex-parte 

application seeking the 


funds. 

In a nine-paragraphs 

affidavit in support of the 

ex-parte application, an 

EFCC investigator, Moses 

Awolusi, had averred that 

the anti-graft agency 

discovered through its 

investigations how 

sometime in December 

2014, Diezani invited a 

former Managing Director 

of a bank to her office 

where they allegedly 

hatched the plan of how 

$153,310,000 would be 

moved from NNPC to be 

saved for Diezani. 

According to Awolusi, 

Diezani allegedly 

instructed the bank MD to 

ensure that the money was 

“neither credited into any 

known account nor 

captured in any transaction 

platforms” of the bank. 

Awolusi further averred 

that the said bank MD 

accepted and implemented 

the instruction leading to 

the movement of 

$153,310,000 from NNPC 

to the bank. 

He also averred that the 

said two former Group 

Executive Directors of 

Finance and Account of 

NNPC, B.O.N. Otti and 

Stanley Lawson, allegedly 

helped Diezani to move 

the cash from NNPC, Abuja 

to the headquarters of the 

bank in Lagos. 

Awolusi averred that in 

an alleged desperate bid to 

conceal the source of the 

money, the MD upon 

receiving it, instructed the 

Country Head of the bank 

to take $113,310,000 cash 

out of the money to the 

Executive Director, 

Commercial and 

Institutional Bank, Sterling 

Bank Plc, Lanre Adesanya, 

to keep. 

He claimed that the 

remaining $40m was taken 

in cash to the Executive 

Director, Public Sector 

Accountant, First Bank, 

Dauda Lawal, to keep. 

No increase in tariffs for food items, luxury goods—FG 

By Emma Ujah, 

Abuja Bureau Chief 

THE Federal Ministry 

of Finance, yesterday, 

clarified that import duties 

on food items and luxury 

goods have not been 

raised, as recently reported 

by some media (not 

vanguard) 

The Director (Information), 

Alh Salisu Na’Inna, 

said in a statement, 

“The Federal Ministry of 

Finance wishes to categorically 

state that the correct 

position is that, the 2016 

FPM did not involve any 

upward review of tariff on 

the affected food items and 

luxury goods. On the contrary, 

tariffs for those items 

remained at their 2015 levels, 

while duties for some 

other items were actually 

reduced. A comparison of 

The investigator said out 

of the $113,310,000 

handed over to Adesanya, 

a sum of $108,310,000 was 

invested in an off balance 

sheet investment using 

Sterling Asset 

Management Trustees 

Limited. 

He alleged that the said 

$108,310,000 was 

subsequently changed to 

N23,446, 300,000 and 

saved in Sterling Bank. 

Awolusi averred that the 

EFCC had recovered the 

N23.4bn in draft and had 

registered it as an exhibit 

marked, EFCC 01. 

The investigator said the 

EFCC had also recovered 

another $5m out of the 

money kept with the MD 

of Access Bank Plc, Mr. 

Herbert Wigwe. 

He said the $5m was 

recovered in draft and had 

been registered as an 

exhibit marked, EFCC 02. 

According to him, First 

Bank’s ED, Lawal, had 

converted the $40m kept 

with him to 

N9,080,000,000. Awolusi, 

added that the EFCC had 

recovered that also in draft 

and registered it as Exhibit 

EFCC 03. 

Moving the ex parte 

application, yesterday, 

…Re-issues import prohibition list 

the 2015 Fiscal Policy 

Measures Circular dated 

20th March, 2015 and 

the 2016 Fiscal Policy 

Measures dated 29th 

November, 2016 will affirm 

this position. 

“With regards to the 20 

per cent duty on pharmaceutical 

products in the 

2016 Fiscal Policy Measures, 

it should be noted that 

pharmaceutical products 

were already in the import 

prohibition list. 

“This is in support of Government’s 

intention to give 

further encouragement 

and desirable protection to 

local manufacturers of 

Pharmaceutical products 

and ensure that those who, 

despite the prohibition, 

import such products under 

special permission, pay 

the required duties. 

“This clarification is aimed 

at providing the Nigerian 

media and other stakeholders 

with the correct information 

on such sensitive 

matters and to urge all interested 

parties to crosscheck 

information with relevant 

authorities for accuracy. 

This is especially necessary 

at these challenging 

times when the Federal 

Government is putting 

extra efforts to encourage our 

local industries and manufacturers”. 

Import Prohibition list 

Meanwhile the ministry 

has also re-issued the import 

From left: The National Security Adviser, Major General Babangana Mongonu (rtd); 

Director General, Department of State Security, Alhaji Lawal Daura and the 

Commander Presidential Brigade of Guards, Brig. Gen. Musa Yusuf discussing after 

their meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa Abuja. 

Photo: ABAYOMI ADESHIDA 

EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi 

Oyedepo, urged Justice 

Hassan to order the 


funds to the Federal 

Government and to order 

Sterling Bank and Lawal, 

who were joined as 

defendants in the 

application, as well as any 

other interested parties, to 

appear in court within two 

weeks to show cause why 

the funds should not be 



Oyedepo, who said the 

application was brought 

pursuant to Section 17 of 

the Advance Fee Fraud 

and Other Related 

Offences Act No. 14, 2006 

and Section 44(2)(‘) of the 

1999 Constitution, said 

granting the application 

was in the best interest of 

justice. 

After hearing him, Justice 

Hassan granted the order 

and adjourned till January 

24, 2016 for the 

respondents to appear in 

court to show cause why the 

funds should not be 



prohibition list to include: 

Live or dead birds such as 

frozen poultry; pork, beef; 

bird eggs, excluding hatching 

eggs. Others are: Refined 

vegetable oil , excluding 

refined linseed, castor 

and olive oil. Crude vegetable 

oil is however not 

banned from importation. 

*Cane or beet sugar and 

chemically pure sucrose, in 

solid form containing added 

flavouring or colouring 

matter ; in retail packs Cocoa 

butter, Powder and cakes 

Spaghetti/Noodles. 

*Fruit Juice in retail Packs; 

Waters, including mineral 

waters and aerated Waters, 

containing added sugar or 

sweetening matter or flavoured, 

ice snow; other nonalcoholic 

beverages; ; excluding 

energy or health 

drinks – liquid dietary supplements 

e.g. Power Horse, 

Red Ginseng; and Beer and 

stout (Bottled, Canned or 

otherwise packed). 

*Bagged Cement. 

*Medicament falling under 

Headings; 3003 & 3004 

such as: 

Paracetamol tablets Syrups; 

Cotrimozazole tablets 

and Syrups; Metronidazole 

tablets and Syrups; Chloroquine 

tablets and Syrups; 

Haematinic formulations; 

Ferrous sulphate and ferrous 

gluconate tablets; Folic 

acid tablets; Vitamin B Complex 

tablets (except modified 

release; formulations). 

*Multivitamin tablets, capsules 

and syrups (except 

special formulations); Aspirin 

tablets (except modified 

release formulations and soluble 

aspirin); Magnesium 

trisilicate tablets and suspensions; 

Piperazine tablets and 

syrups; Levamisole tablets 

and syrups; Ointments penicillin/gentamycin; 

Pyrantel 

pamoate tablets and 

syrups;Intravenous Fluids 

(Dextrose, Normal Saline 

etc) 

*Waste pharmaceuticals; 

Soaps and Detergents in 

retail packs; Mosquito repellant 

Coils (mosquito 

coils) ;Sanitary Wares of 

Plastics and Domestic Articles 

and Wares of Plastic; 

(but excluding Baby Feeding 

Bottles) and (flushing 

cistern and waterless toos 

toilets). 

FG orders FAAN to relocate Abuja mobile 

tower to Kaduna airport 

By Favour Nnabugwu 

THE Federal government 

has ordered the 

Federal Airport Authority of 

Nigeria (FAAN) to relocate 

the mobile tower at the 

Nnamdi Azikiwe 

International Airport, 

Abuja to Kaduna 

International Airport for use 

during the six weeks 

closure 

The Minister of State for 

Aviation, Senator Hadi 

Sirika during an on-thespot 

assessment of the 

facilities at the Kaduna 

airport, who was 

impressed by the facility 

already on ground at the 

airport including the 

seamless runway and taxi 

way, said the Abuja Mobil 

tower would serve as a 

backup in Kaduna airport. 

The Minister said, “We 

will make use of the Fire 

Service watch tower and if 

there is an event of failure, 

we will have a backup of 

mobile tower that will be 

moved from Abuja airport 

to Kaduna airport as a 

backup equipment.” 

Addressing the Chief 

Executive of FAAN, Saleh 

Dunoma, asked 

Managing Director of 

FAAN to make 

arrangement to relocate the 

Abuja mobile tower to 

Kaduna.” Sirika also said 

that works would begin in 

earnest from today, 

Saturday, on the repairs of 

road from Abuja to Kaduna 

and the final completion of 

Kaduna terminal building 

before March 8, 2017. 

The Minister who was 

not disappointed by what 

he met on ground, said, “I 

am impressed at the state 

of facility here in Kaduna. 

The runway is in good 

condition with all the 

lightings in place.”

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017 

Crises in Nimbo over kidnap of vigilante group boss 

By Emeka Mamah 

THERE is serious 

skirmishes between 

the people of Oda Nimbo 

and Ukpabi in Uzo Uwani 

Local Government Area of 

Enugu State following the 

kidnap of the Special Adviser 

to the local government and 

Head of the state-owned 

local security outfit, the 

Neighbourhood Watch in the 

area, Ejiofor Enechi. 

Nimbo came to national 

and international limelight 

following the massacre of the 

people of the area by Fulani 

herdsmen in April last year. 

Police detectives in Enugu 

had earlier arrested two men 

who reportedly took part in 

the abduction of Enechi and 

collection of the N2 million 

ransom from the victim’s 

family members as well as 

recovered the mobile 

telephones used in 

negotiating for the ransom. 

Enechi was returning from 

Opanda in Uzo Uwani 

where he had travelled to 

buy yams and drinks on 

December 13, when he was 

kidnapped and taken into 

the bush and had not been 

seen since then. 

The sources said that crises 

started in the area when 

Enechi’s cousin, Emmanuel 

Ekeja who was allegedly 

escorting the police for the 

arrest of the leader of the 

neighbourhood watch, Oda 

Nimbo and other suspected 

members of the kidnap gang 

at their hideout when the 

incident occurred, leading to 

serious protests by Enechi’s 

kinsmen over the killing of 

his cousin, Ekeja. Ekeja was 

killed after the policemen 

with him had escaped 

placed. Ekeja’s killers were 

said to have placed a gun 

on his chest in a bid to cover 

their track. 

Barely two years ago, some 

policemen were attacked at 

the same Oda Nimbo while 

on investigative activities. 

Although, none of them was 

killed during the incident, 

their new Hillux Toyota van 

was seized from them and 

burnt. 

At the time of this report, 

there were fears that Enechi 

might have died in the 

hands of his abductors. 

The sources said that the 

two arrested kidnappers 

confessed that they used the 

mobile phones and changed 

the sim cards intermittently 

in the course of the 

negotiations for the ransom 

which they initially placed at 

N10 million. 

The Chairman of the Caretaker 

Committee of Uzo 

Uwani Local Government 

Area, Mr Cornell Onwubuya 

did not reply to repeated 

phone calls but the 

traditional ruler of Nimbo, 

Igwe John Akor confirmed 

that the situation in the area 

was tense. 

The Gambia: Buhari, African leaders 

decide Jammeh’s fate in Ghana today 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu, Abuja 

AS the count down for 

the inauguration of a 

new government in The 

Gambia begins, African 

leaders would, today in 

Accra, Ghana, take a final 

decision on whether to push 

for the ousting of President 

Yahya Jammeh from power 

or allow the people of 

Gambia sort out their 

problem. 

It will be recalled that 

Jammeh, after 

congratulating his main 

challenger, Adama Barrow 

who defeated him in the 

December 1, 2016 

presidential election, made 

a u-turn, saying he would 

not leave office. 

He later picked holes in the 

election and called for fresh 

polls. But the development 

angered African regional 

Bodies such as the Economic 

Community of West African 

States, ECOWAS, and the 

African Union, AU which are 

insisting that Jammeh must 

respect the constitution of 

the land and exit power as 

his tenure elapses on January 

19, 2017 after 22 years in 

office. 

Subsequently, ECOWAS 

in their meeting recently in 

Abuja, Nigeria, reached a 

decision and appointed a 

mediatory committee 

headed by the Nigerian 

President, Muhammadu 

Buhari as the Chief Mediator 

and the outgoing President 

of Ghana, John Mahama 

who himself was defeated in 

an election held on 

December 10, 2016, a comediator. 

Support Okowa, Nwaboshi begs 

Delta Royal Fathers 

IN a bid to ensure a 

clean slate and a better 

platform for unity and 

development in the state, 

the Senator representing 

Delta North, Senator Peter 

Nwaboshi, yesterday 

enjoined traditional rulers 

on their continuous support 

and synergy with the 

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa led 

government. This is coming 

on the heels of recent 

alleged misunderstanding 

and tension between the 

Senator and traditional 

rulers of Anioma origin. 

Nwaboshi while pleading 

with them to let bygones be 

bygones during a party he 

organized in Owa Oyibu 

for Delta North traditional 

rulers yesterday, stated that 

he would not, in good faith, 

disregard the summons of 

his royal fathers. 

He appealed to them to 

continue to support the 

Senator Okowa led 

government which he 

described as quintessential 

and a government with the 

interest of the people at 

heart. The Senator said, “I 

thank you for your support. 

It is not an easy thing to dine 

with kings. I apologize for 

the alleged insubordination 

assumptions. I must also 

commend governor Okowa 

for his ability to deliver on 

his mandate in the face of 

the unfriendly economy. 

He is somebody we should 

be proud of. The next time 

we come together we hope, 

would be to discuss his 

second term plans.” 

Gunmen behead 1, 2 injured, 

missing in Delta 

*Delta police boss, Zannah Ibrahim 

moves to Warri to manage crisis 

By Emma Amaize and Egufe Yafugborhi 

GUNMEN, yesterday, shot and beheaded a 36-year old 

applicant, Mr. Gabriel Sibe, an indigene of Isaba, an 

Ijaw community in Warri South-West Local Government Area, 

Delta State. 

One person was injured and one missing in an ensuing 

shootout between the invaders, suspected to be from a neigbouring 

Urhobo community and youths of Isaba. 

It was not clear, who the gunmen that invaded Isaba between 

8.00 and 9.00 am were, but the leader of Isaba kingdom, 

Mark Sibe, corroborated our findings, adding that Aladja 

people beheaded his brother. 

He said: “It happened between 8.00 am and 9.00 am 

near Isaba, it was through a gun battle, the police have 

come to examine the body of the 36- year-old Gabriel.” 

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Delta State Police 

Command, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, also confirmed the beheading, 

adding that the Commissioner of Police, Zannah 

Ibrahim, Area Commander, Warri and operations officers 

moved into Aladja, Udu local government area, yesterday, 

as soon as the report was received to restore peace in the 

area. 

Work begins on 2nd Niger Bridge 

By Vincent Ujumadu, Awka 

AFTER years of uncertainty, work has finally com 

menced on the second Niger Bridge that would 

link the South–South and the South East geo political 

zones to support the existing one. 

Following a statement by the Minister of Labour and 

Employment, Senator Chris Ngige yesterday in a television 

programme in Onitsha, that the Federal Executive 

council had approved N14 billion to enable the contractor 

handling the project to commence work, Saturday Vanguard 

visited the site and found out that there were serious 

signs that work would begin in earnest. 

Some people, who looked like construction workers were 

seen yesterday, surveying the area where former President 

Goodluck Jonathan performed the ground- breaking 

ceremony during the twilight of his administration. 

Many job seekers were also seen in the area, although 

there was nobody to attend to them yet. 

Four arraigned in court for child 

trafficking in Borno 

By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri 

FOUR suspects have been arraigned at a Maiduguri 

High Court for alleged sale of children and child trafficking. 

The suspects who were arrested between January 

and August 2016, were brought before the Maiduguri High 

Court 13, yesterday for allegedly selling children for N100, 

000. 

According to the charge against them, “the main suspect, 

Nwokocha and three female suspects committed an immoral 

offense by selling newly born babies at N100, 000 each on 

various dates in Maiduguri.” 

The offense is contrary to section 278 and 279 of the 1994 

Borno State Law and punishable under the penal code. 

The suspects pleaded not guilty of the offence. 

Prosecuting counsel who is also the Borno State Attorney 

General, Kaka Shehu Lawan said, “considering the gravity 

of the alleged offenses, he asked for an adjournment of the 

case to present nine witnesses before the court.” 

We were paid only three and half months 

salary in 2016—LAUTECH Doctors 

By Chioma Obinna 

MEDICAL 

doctors 

under the employ of 

two Teaching Hospitals in 

Oyo State, University College 

Hospital, (UCH) Ibadan and 

LAUTECH Teaching Hospital 

(LTH) Ogbomoso have raised 

alarm over irregularities in their 

remuneration, saying that, 

resident doctors in LTH, 

Ogbomoso only received three 

and half month salaries in 2016 

while UCH Ibadan resident 

doctors are yet to get November 

and December 2016 salary. 

At a joint press conference in 

Oyo as part of the National 

Association of Resident Doctors’ 

nation-wide sensitisation on its 

impending strike, the doctors 

described the situation as 

unfair and unacceptable. 

The President of ARD, 

LTH, Dr. Sebastine Oiwoh 

condemned repeated 

unfavourable stand of the 

Oyo state government and 

repeated excuses for the 

perennial October to 

December draught. “For 

the records Oyo State 

government owes LTH 

Ogbomoso Eight and half 

month salary in 2016. This 

salary as it is owed is even 

a fraction of what is 

obtainable in other federal 

teaching hospitals. 

“We state that repeated 

victimization and intimidation 

of our members 

through the biased use 

and brandis-hing of ‘no 

work no pay’ is totally 

unacceptable,” he added. 

Oiwoh appealed to the 

Chief Medical Director of 

LTH Ogbomoso and UCH 

Ibadan, stakeholders in 

Oyo State and Federal 

Government to ensure a 

correction of all the 

anomalies and injustices 

to forestall a total 

indefinite withdrawal of 

services by their members. 

He recalled plans by the 

National Association of 

Resident Doctors, NARD, 

to commence indefinite 

withdrawal of services if 

these issue are not 

properly, visibly and 

palpably sorted out.

Oil marketers threaten NNPC over 

bulk petrol importation 

By Michael Eboh 

HINTS that Nigeria 

might be facing another 

round of fuel crisis 

emerged yesterday, as oil 

marketers in Nigeria, under 

the aegis of the Depot 

and Petroleum Products 

Marketers Association, 

DAPPMA, disclosed that 

oil marketers now only 

import 10 per cent of petroleum 

products into the 

country. 

DAPPMA disclosed that 

as at today, 90 per cent of 

petroleum products in the 

country were imported by 

the NNPC, as part of its 

intervention programme 

to prevent scarcity of the 

product, while oil marketers 

only import 10 per cent. 

This was contained in a 

statement from the Nigerian 

National Petroleum 

Corporation, NNPC, in 

Abuja, when members of 

DAPPMA paid a courtesy 

visit to the Group Managing 

Director of the NNPC, 

Mr. Maikanti Baru in 

Abuja. 

Chairman of DAPPMA, 

Mr Dapo Abiodun lamented 

that despite the 

huge investments of its 

members in the downstream 

sector, they were 

not able to contribute much 

to efficiency in the system. 

According to him, certain 

operational exigencies 

have forced oil marketers 

in the country to perform 

below capacity. 

He said, “In the past, we 

were importing 70 per cent 

of products while NNPC 

was importing 30 per cent, 

being the supplier of last 

resort which is their responsibility. 

They moved to 

doing 50 per cent and by 

Mr. Adebisi, Vlisco Country Manager,(right) assisted by NEMA Staff during 

presentation of a clothe gift to one of the IDPs in Abuja, recently. 

November, they were doing 

about 90 per cent of the 

volumes. 

“So we have to come and 

appreciate them because in 

spite of the constraints that 

got them to take on the burden 

of increasing their importation 

from 30 per cent 

to 50 per cent and then 90 

per cent, there were no hiccups, 

there were no 

queues, there were no 

shortages. We think 

NNPC should be 

commended for that.” In 

his response, Baru said the 

NNPC was aware of the 

challenges being encountered 

in the sub-sector, 

stressing that he was hopeful 

that appropriate government 

agencies would come 

to their rescue soon. 

Boko Haram beheads 15 in Borno 

By Ndahi Marama, 

Maiduguri 

NO fewer than 15 

people who 

specialized in hunting 

grasshoppers popularly 

called ‘Fara’ in Hausa have 

been slaughtered in the 

bush between Gubio and 

Mobbar Local Government 

Areas of Borno state by 

suspected members of 

Boko Haram sect, sources 

have said. The incident 

which happened last week 

have raised the price of the 

commodity in Maiduguri, 

the state capital, as a small 

portion of fried Fara which 

sold for N500 in the past 

now cost N1200 and above. 

A security source who 

was among those mobilised 

to the bush told our 

correspondent that the 

insurgents clashed with the 

victims in the bush near 

Kareto community, north of 

the state. This incident 

Son hacks his 86-yr-old father to 

death in Ondo 

AN octogenarian high 

chief, in Okitipupa 

area of Ondo state, Clifford 

Olumekun has been reportedly 

hacked to death 

by his undergraduate son 

identified as Olusoji. 

Saturday Vanguard 

gathered that the dastardly 

act was carried out by 

the suspect at the deceased’s 

residence, No 1, 

Okeraye Street, Idepe in 

Okitipupa Local Government 

Area of Ondo State. 

The suspect reportedly 

used axe to kill the 86-yearold 

high chief in the town. 

We could however not 

confirm why the suspect 

murdered his father in 

such a gruesome manner. 

Police source however 

hinted that immediately 

the suspect committed the 

offence, he packed the father’s 

dismembered body 

and wrapped it with cloth 

after cleaning the blood 

stains on the floor. 

His action, according to 

the police source was not 

•Lament that they now import 10% while NNPC imports 90% 

•May deny NNPC access to their facilities to compel fuel scarcity 

to give †himself out to other 

members of the family 

whenever they returned to 

the house. 

Saturday Vanguard gathered 

that he fled the town 

after committing the crime 

Police detectives said, 

“When the family members 

got into the room they noticed 

traces of blood stains 

on the floor in one of the 

rooms . They reportedly 

raised alarm and after further 

search in the room the 

hacked body of the victim 

was discovered where it 

was wrapped and hidden 

by his killer. It was gathered 

that the suspect who 

had earlier fled the town 

walked back and confessed 

committing the murder. 

He was later handed 

over to the police according 

to sources privy to how 

he was arrested after confession 

and handed over to 

the police. 

Contacted, the police 

spokesman Femi Joseph 

confirmed the murder of the 

high chief by his son 

Joseph said that investigation 

on why the suspect 

killed his father was still on 

after which he will be 

charged to court for murder. 

He pointed out that the 

suspect is being detained 

at the State Criminal Investigative 

Department of 

the command for further investigation. 

Joseph said, 

“the incident happened on 

January 2, 2017 and we 

have arrested the suspect. 

We are still interrogating 

him to know why he carried 

out such a dastardly 

act.” 

came barely two weeks after 

‘Operation Lafiya Dole’ 

reopened the Maiduguri- 

Gubio-Damasak road for 

motorists. 

The source revealed that 

“15 people were killed by 

terrorists while combing the 

bush around Kareto area to 

hunt grasshoppers for 

business. 

“When the grasshopper 

hunters were in the bush, 

some group of terrorists 

suddenly appeared and 

started shooting killing 15 

hunters before they fled 

without being arrested,” the 

source said. 

Also speaking on the 

killings, Mrs. Hanatu Jauro 

who fries Fara in 

Maiduguri, told our 

correspondent in an 

interview that since the 

incident occurred, she has 

been finding it very difficult 

to get the commodity for 

sale, as one of her suppliers 

was among those killed in 

the ambush. 

All efforts to get 

confirmation from the Police 

Public Relations Officer, 

Victor Isuku proved 

abortive as his cell phone 

lines were not reachable at 

press time. 


I feed my children and enjoy 

no privileges accorded my 

predecessors in Aso Villa 

—Aisha Buhari 

•Says State House caters for her when 

necessary 

By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Abuja 

DESPITE the huge sum of money earmarked in the 

constitution on annual basis for the welfare of 

President Muhammadu Buhari and his family, his wife, 

Aisha has said that the provision of healthy food for her 

family was the President’s personal responsibility. 

She said that the State House, Abuja caters for her 

welfare only when it is necessary. 

The Lady of the first family in the country stated that 

she has not been accorded the official privileges accorded 

her predecessors, saying that it followed the principles 

spelt out and practised by her husband, that public office 

must be separated from the private lives of the occupants. 

Mrs. Buhari’s claims, contained in a statement by her 

media aide, Adebisi Ajayi on Friday were consequent 

upon accusation of abuse of privileges at Nigerian High 

Commission in London levelled against her by an online 

media, apparently on her trip to United Kingdom 

recently. 

Washing her hand off the acts, Aisha explained that 

her entourage during the trip was not large as projected 

by the media. 

She added that she was never offered money by the 

embassy and could have asked for such. She also 

stressed0 that her drivers who came to pick her were 

arranged without the input of the embassy. 

Mrs. Buhari therefore challenged the online Reporters 

to show evidence of their report to disproof her claims. 

The statment read thus: “The attention of the Wife of 

the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari has been drawn to a 

report in Sahara Reporters where she was, amongst other 

things, accused of abuse of privileges at Nigerian High 

Commission in London. 

“It is not in her interest to join issues with anyone or 

defend others mentioned in the report, it is however 

paramount to put the record in proper perspectives as 

its concern her trips to UK vis-à-vis the Nigerian High 

Commission in London. 

“Aisha Buhari has never travelled to London with a 

large entourage as was carried in the report. The highest 

number of people on a trip involves her three kids, ADC, 

and her personal physician. 

“The Nigerian Commission in London has never 

offered any favour either monetarily or materially to 

her or her so called entourage on any of her trips to 

London. 

“The state house in Abuja caters for her meal when 

necessary, and other healthy food or variety needed by 

her children are her personal responsibility. 

“It is on record that the Nigerian Commission in London 

does not receive Aisha Buhari at the airport with any 

official distinction or privileges as was accorded other 

first ladies before her. 

“Her drivers are privately arranged without any 

recourse to the embassy for staff. 

“She has never complained or raised dust about any 

of these acts by the High Commission because of the 

understanding, as clearly spelt out and practised by her 

husband, that public office must be separated from the 

private lives of the occupants. 

“She has always been an advocate of good governance 

where officials of government are responsive and 

appealing to their constituents, it therefore baffles the 

imagination that one could believe she would 

corroborate with any government official however highly 

placed either at home or abroad to short-change the 

Nigerian people. 

“These records are not hidden for a non-mischievous 

reporter who really intends to inform the people and not 

to disparage the family of the President just to add weight 

to a report. 

“Aisha Buhari would have ignored this, like all of such 

baseless accusations, but the angle to which the report 

was presented has a corruption and abuse of privileges 

connotation which negates the fundamental principle 

upon which this administration thrives.

8—SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017 

Just female 

EARLY this week, 50- 

year-old Grammy 

Award winner, Janet 

Jackson, gave birth to her 

first baby. The iconic singer 

and her husband had been 

visiting fertility specialists 

before she announced her 

pregnancy and there are 

strong indications she had 

an IVF pregnancy. 

It isn’t an easy task for a 

woman to conceive naturally 

after the age of 45 especially 

with her own eggs. 

However, in the world of 

reproductive medicine, it is 

no big deal for a 50 or even 

60 year-old woman to 

become pregnant and give 

birth. 

Pregnancy over age 50 

(post-menopausal 

pregnancy) has, over recent 

years, become more possible 

due to advances in Assisted 

Reproductive Technology, in 

particular egg donation. 

Many women in their 40s 

struggling to conceive often 

resort to IVF pregnancy with 

younger donor eggs. Read 

Fola’s true life story below: 

I was 33 when I got 

married, now I am about 

clocking 55. Without being 

modest, I’m still very good 

looking and in great health. 

‘Being a new mother at 50 is like 

being mother to my y grandchild’ 

I have a fulfilled career and 

a successful marriage. And 

to top it all, I have a lovely 

five-year-old daughter. 

Being a new mother for 

the first time at almost 50 is 

like being mother to my own 

grandchild. I had planned 

and prepared for the 

experience since I was much 

younger, but my dreams of 

being a mother didn’t come 

to light at the time I 

expected. 

I know the pain of so many 

women who think they can 

never get pregnant. My own 

experience is testimony. I 

couldn’t go to baby 

ceremonies and activities 

for many years. I couldn’t 

talk to my friends who were 

pregnant. I couldn’t even 

say congratulations. I 

would just cry. 

For every woman who 

wants children but hasn’t 

been able to have any, 

infertility can be a lonely 

place. I know because I’ve 

walked that road. 

I have been married 22 

years. My husband and I 

began trying immediately 

but with no success. After the 

sixth month, I suspected 

something was not right, so 

I consulted an obstetrician/ 

gynaecologist who said 

everything was fine. Just 

relax and you’ll soon get 

pregnant, I was told. But 

that turned out to be far from 

truth. 

The first time we got to 

know that we were an 

infertile couple was when 

we failed to get pregnant 

after one year of trying. We 

learned that because I was 

almost 35 and having 

trouble getting pregnant. 

I was put on fertility 

drugs, but after three 

months on the drug, I began 

taking my temperature 

every day to keep track of 

my cycle and when it would 

be best to try to conceive. 

This went on for a year. But 

I still had no success. 

In addition to charting of 

•IVF pregnancy... 

my temperature, I started 

reading books about 

infertility. It was quite by 

accident that I found out I 

had never been ovulating. I 

had wasted so much time 

taking my temperature. 

This taught me the first big 

lesson about infertility. 

Don’t wallow in self-pity 

and ignorance. Ask 

questions and get answers. 

By the time we celebrated 

our 15th wedding 

anniversary, my youngest 

sister’s first daughter was 

almost 10. The second child, 

a boy, was about 7. They 

were healthy as any children 

even though they were not 

conceived the conventional 

way. My sister, who is our 

mother’s lastborn, is about 

10 years younger than I am. 

She resides in the UK and 

conceived through IVF. 

When I spoke to her about 

her IVF experience, I got to 

know that it didn’t have 100 

percent guarantee and was 

quite expensive. There is no 

insurance, so to speak. It 

was a risk I was prepared to 

take because I realized this 

could be the gateway I was 

seeking to motherhood. 

It was made obvious to us 

that while there are several 

causes of infertility and 

several options to get 

pregnant, but IVF is the 

rave. It is the most common 

form of assisted 

reproductive technology 

available today. 

Perhaps IVF was the 

miracle we needed? But it 

was a big expense. We went 

from one fertility doctor to 

the other and finally settled 

for Nordica Fertility Centre 

in our area in Abuja. 

We waited an entire year 

before taking the bull by the 

horn. We began our 

treatment in earnest nearly 

16 years after we were 

married. I had a 

reproductive health check, 

and my husband had a 

sperm count and motility 

test from which they found 

something wrong. We were 

even made to give history of 

our sexual life. 

I quit my job once the 

treatment started so I could 

concentrate on getting 

pregnant. But we had no 

reason to regret our 

investment. We were even 

prepared to do more than 

one cycle if necessary. 

I was no longer ovulating 

because of my advanced age 

and I opted for donated 

eggs from an anonymous 

donor. 

Once we had decided to 

pursue IVF, the eggs were 

literally injected with 

sperm from my husband. 

Then cultured for three 

days, and two to three of the 

“best” embryos were 

transferred into my uterus 

through the cervix with a 

tiny catheter. No incision 

and no anesthesia were 

needed. 

I was told there was an 

issue with the sperms hence 

the need to inject one sperm 

directly into an egg. The 

specialists call the process 

intra-cytoplasmic sperm 

injection (ICSI). 

It is a process often used 

to guarantee against the 

risk of failed fertilization. I 

had read somewhere that 

15 percent of all 

pregnancies end in 

miscarriage, and with IVF, 

the number is no different. I 

was worried because the 

percentage actually goes up 

with the age of the woman. 

A woman like me that was 

above 45, had a 50 percent 

chance to miscarry. 

I had no problems during 

the actual IVF procedure. 

However, I was admitted to 

the hospital just for 

monitoring, but got a 

pleasant surprise when they 

told me I was pregnant. It 

was such euphoria to think 

that I could actually be 

pregnant. I didn’t care that 

I was in the hospital. I was 

pregnant! 

My pregnancy was quite 

normal. At six weeks, I had 

my first ultrasound that 

indicated a very strong 

heartbeat was present. 

Time passed, my due date 

quickly approached. I could 

not wait to deliver my 

baby. The birth of our 

daughter is the best thing 

that has ever happened to 

us. The happiness has taken 

all the pain away. She is so 

beautiful. We named her 

Demilade. 

After I went through to get 

pregnant, I’d still gladly do 

it again. People who get 

pregnant and have babies so 

easily have no idea what 

they have been spared. My 

wish is that every couple that 

is trying to get pregnant 

should know they are not 

alone and options are 

always available.

C 

M 

YK 

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017 — 9


2017: How we will fight 

recession—Governors 

•To pursue N6.2 trillion budget 

•Allocates N3.6 trillion, 58% to capital expenditure 

By Clifford Ndujihe, 

Deputy Political Editor 

DISTURBED by the 

worsening economic 

misfortunes of the 

citizenry occasioned by the 

prevailing wind of recession, 33 of 

the nation’s 36 governors have 

proposed ambitious budgets they 

hoped would put their states on the 

path of economic recovery, this 

year. 

Collectively, the 33 governors 

have proposed to spend the sum of 

N6.215 trillion in 2017. This is 

higher than the N5.464 trillion 

they spent in 2016 (see table) and 

N3.605 trillion (58 per cent) of the 

budgets will be spent on capital 

expenditure while recurrent 

expenditure was allocated N2.61 

trillion. 

So far, only Adamawa, Kebbi and 

Ondo states are yet to present their 

2017 budget proposals. 

Only seven states will be 

spending less than they spent last 

year. The states are Akwa Ibom, 

Osun, Nasarawa, Plateau, Yobe, 

Jigawa and Kano. 

Most of the governors allocated 

more funds to capital expenditure. 

States that allocated more money 

to recurrent expenditure are Abia, 

Enugu, Bayelsa, Delta, Ekiti, Osun, 

Nasarawa, Plateau, Gombe and 

Yobe. 

Taken as zones, each of the six 

geo-political zones allocated more 

funds to capital expenditure. 

With a budget of N1.779 trillion, 

the South-South is the richest zone 

followed by South-West (N1.473 

trillion) and North-West (N1.005 

trillion). 

The poorest zone in terms of 

budget proposals is the South-East 

(N582.1 billion) followed by North- 

East (N594.4 billion) and North- 

Central, N781.6 billion. 

The high spending states are 

Lagos (N813 billion), Rivers (N470 

billion), Akwa Ibom (N365 billion), 

Cross River (N301 billion), Delta 

(N271 billion), Bayelsa (221.2 

billion), Ogun (N221 billion), 

Kaduna (N214.9 billion), Kano 

(N209.9 billion), Oyo (N207.7 

billion) and Sokoto (N204.3 

billion). 

The poor spending states are 

Nasarawa (N67 billion), Yobe 

(N69.38 billion), Gombe (N85.6 

billion) and Ekiti (N93.46 billion). 

Fanciful tags 

To conceptualise their ambitious 

plans, the governors gave the 

budgets fanciful and inspiring 

titles such as Budget of higher 

height (Ekiti), Budget of 

consolidation (Akwa Ibom), Budget 

of new direction (Kogi), Budget of 

reformation (Nasarawa), Budget of 

restoration through enterprise 

(Abia), Budget of sustainable selfreliance 

(Kano) and Budget of 

States budget proposals for 2017 

State/Zone 2017 2016 Cap. Exp Rec. Exp 

South East 

Abia 102.549 99.473 45.15 57.4 

Anambra 115.5 101.4 58.9 56.6 

Ebonyi 127.232 101.1 87.061 40.171 

Enugu 105.7195 85.1794 50.522 55.198 

Imo 131.143 103.208 77.413 53.730 

Total 582.145B 490.360B 319.046B 263.099B 

South-South 

Akwa Ibom 365.251 423 193.956 171.2 

Bayelsa 221.2 170.597 84.3 136.9 

Cross River 301.28 259 226.48 74.8 

Delta 271 268 119 152 

Edo 150.011 116.6 75.111 74.9 

Rivers 470 307 329 141 

Total 1,778.647T 1,544.197T 1,027.847T 750.8B 

South-West 

Ekiti 93.46 74.5 38.42 55.02 

Lagos 812.998 662 512.463 300.535 

Ogun 221.091 200.27 118.171 102.920 

Ondo ****** ****** ****** ****** 

Osun 

Oyo 

138.233 

207,6715 

141 

173.769 

62.409 

118.923 

75.824 

88.748 

Total 1,473.454T 1,251.539T 850.387B 623.047B 

North-Central 

Benue 163.9 133.4 97.562 66.348 

Kogi 174.852 99.998 116.320 58.531 

Kwara 135.0645 111.382 70.987 64.078 

Nasarawa 67.013 80.916 30.001 37.012 

Niger 108.074 85.2 60.026 48.048 

Plateau 132.702 145.696 64.280 68.423 

Total 781.606B 656.592B 439.176B 342.4B 

North-East 

Adamawa ****** ***** ****** ***** 

Bauchi 145.447 135.3 86.602 58.845 

Borno 183.841 155 124 59.841 

Gombe 85.595 76.8 38.274 47.321 

Taraba 

Yobe 

110.169 

69.3 

100.8 

78.8 

60.844 

27.4 

49.325 

41.98 

Total 594.432B 546.7B 337.12B 257.312B 

North-West 

Jigawa 127.8 137.2 66 61.8 

Kaduna 214.921 172.32 131.45 83.46 

Kano 209.875 274.3 130.489 79.381 

Katsina 140.162 115.5 92.5 47.7 

Kebbi ***** ***** ****** ***** 

Sokoto 204.3 174.4 140.967 63.333 

Zamfara 107.759 100.766 70.019 37.730 

Total 1,004.796T 974.486B 631.425B 373.414B 

Grand Total 6,215.06T 5,463.874T 3,605.001T 2610.072T 

Source: State Budget proposals, appropriations 

“The budget is a bold 

attempt to take care of 

the economic needs of 

the people of our dear 

state in this trying 

period... We are 

proposing a budget 

size of N115.5bn for 

the 2017 fiscal year 

repositioning (Ogun). 

There are also Budget of economic 

recovery and inclusive growth 

(Anambra), Budget of inclusive 

growth and poverty reduction 

(Ebonyi), Budget of economic 

recovery and inclusive development 

(Enugu), Budget of consolidation 

and continuity (Imo), Budget of 

repositioning for consolidation 

(Bayelsa), Budget of consolidation 

and prosperity (Edo) and Budget of 

sustainable development. 

The rest include Budget of 

stabilisation (Katsina), Budget of 

economic diversification and selfsufficiency 

(Jigawa), Budget of 

recovery (Osun), Budget of rural 

transformation (Benue), Budget of 

consolidation, restoration and 

rebirth (Borno) and Budget of 

introspection and sustenance 

(Kwara). 

We want to empower 

the people – Obiano 

Governor Willie Obiano of 

Anambra State said his budget is 

tailored towards increasing 

economic growth and empowering 

the people of the state in this period 

of economic recession. 

He said: “The budget is a bold 

attempt to take care of the economic 

needs of the people of our dear state 

in this trying period... We are 

proposing a budget size of N115.5bn 

for the 2017 fiscal year. Of this 

amount, the state expects to spend 

N56.6bn on Recurrent Expenditure 

and N58.9bn on Capital 

Expenditure, reflecting the focus on 

significant infrastructural 

Continues on page 11

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017—11 

2017: How we will fight 

recession—Governors 

• Gov Willie Obiano • Governor Dave Umahi •Governor Okorocha • Gov El-Rufai 

• Gov Ambode • Governor Ibikunle Amosun •Governor Nyesom Wike 

Continues from page 10 

development during the year to 

stimulate the local economy towards 

recovery. As was the case in 2016, we 

will continue to prioritize production 

over consumption targeting a 

recurrent to capital expenditure ratio 

of 49:51.’’ 

I want to accelerate 

rapid devt – Umahi 

In Ebonyi, Governor Dave Umahi 

said the government would borrow 

N40 billion to execute the budget to 

accelerate rapid growth and 

development in the state. “This would 

enable the state government to 

complete various projects, especially 

road construction, commercial 

agricultural ventures and other 

infrastructure.’’ 

In like manner, Governor Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi said that the budget would 

address the yearnings and aspirations 

of the people of the state, despite the 

current economic recession in the 

country. 

We will stimulate the 

economy – Okorocha 

Governor Okorocha said that the Imo 

2017 budget would seek to “stimulate 

the economy by focusing on 

infrastructural development, 

delivering inclusive growth, creating 

good environment for industry, 

commerce, tourism and investment.” 

Why Kaduna went for 

expansionary budget – El- 

Rufai 

Speaking on his 2017 budget 

proposal, which has been passed into 

law, Governor Naris el-Rufai of Kaduna 

State said the outcome of consultations 

he held convinced him that ‘’we had 

to be even bolder in proposing an 

expansionary budget in these 

difficult economic times. We are 

convinced that the pursuit of 

economic recovery must now be a 

national focus. Even with the limited 

influence any of the 36 states can 

alone exert on our national 

economic fortune, we can encourage 

some buoyancy in each of our states 

and collectively support the effort of 

the Federal Government to secure 

economic recovery. Moments of 

recession have an out-sized adverse 

effect on the most vulnerable and we 

must not let it persist. 

“Therefore, we reinforce our 

commitment to social justice by 

retaining high levels of spending on 

our social programmes. Social justice 

obliges us to sustain investments in 

Education, Health, Infrastructure 

and Social Development.” 

Lagos golden jubilee total 

package 

While presenting the Lagos State 

budget that has been passed into 

law, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode 

assured: “In the course of the 2017 

Financial Year, we shall carry out 

fundamental reforms on all our 

modes of transportation – Roads, 

Water and the Walkways. In this wise, 

a Public Transport Infrastructure 

Bond will be issued in the course of 

the year. 

“The State Government will 

embark on the Urbanisation of the 

Marina axis, Waterways 

Channelization, establishment of 

more Parks and Gardens as well as 

the Community Sports Centres and 

Stadiums in different locations across 

the State. 

“We will fully implement the 

Medical Health Insurance Scheme 

and deploy e-Health/ e-insurance 

Health Service solutions; and 

• Governor 

Kashim Shettima 

Ogun State is on the 

threshold of an 

important phase of 

its transformation 

journey and the 

expenditure plans 

that we seek to focus 

upon in Fiscal Year 

2017 will be critical in 

repositioning our 

dear state 

complete the on-going upgrading 

and extension work in the State 

General Hospitals and Ayinke 

House in Ikeja. Work will commence 

on our Medical Park in the 2017 

fiscal year.” 

How I will reposition 

Ogun – Amosun 

Governor Ibikunle Amosun, while 

presenting the 2017 appropriation 

bill, said: “Ogun State is on the 

threshold of an important phase of 

its transformation journey and the 

expenditure plans that we seek to 

focus upon in Fiscal Year 2017 will 

be critical in repositioning our dear 

state...This next phase of our 

journey will be unlocked by the 

provision of critical infrastructure 

alongside the facilitation of more 

inclusive economic growth for our 

people and this must therefore be 

our emphasis.” 

Shettima to focus on 

education in Borno 

To Governor Kashim Shettima, 

whose state, Borno, is the epicentre of 

the Boko Haram insurgency, he will 

undertake the arduous task rebuilding 

infrastructure and educational 

institutions 

Speaking at the chambers of the 

Borno State House of Assembly in 

Maiduguri, the Governor said 

education was worst hit by the attacks 

of Boko Haram maintaining that his 

administration is taking a major step 

to fix education in the state. 

‘’Education is the sector which 

captures our attention the most. It is 

the area that has suffered the worst 

onslaught of the insurgency. Our 

experiences have shown that its 

inadequacy could be risky and its 

neglect could also be a recipe for 

insecurity even in the future. 

‘’It is for this reason that the 

education sector alone excluding the 

primary level is allocated the sum of 

N33 billion for primary schools, 

secondary schools and tertiary 

schools. The amount allocated is to 

enable us continue with the 

reconstruction, rehabilitation of the 

educational infrastructure and 

facilities at the secondary and tertiary 

levels. 

‘’Furthermore, the huge budgetary 

provision is also to enable the full 

take-off of our newly recognized 

State University in 2017 and ensure 

that more facilities and structures 

are put in place to obtain 

accreditation of all courses in 

faculties billed to take-off during the 

year. Most Primary Schools in the 

Local Government Areas hitherto 

occupied by Boko Haram were 

completely destroyed, the 

Universal Basic Education Board is 

to undertake reconstruction of all 

primary schools, renovate existing 

schools, supply most needed 

educational materials and of course 

feed the primary school pupils 

across the State and provide more 

furniture to enhance teaching and 

learning at the primary school 

level,” Shettima said. 

Consolidation is my goal 

in Rivers – Wike 

On his part, Governor Nyesom 

Wike of Rivers State said: “Rivers 

State will be 50 years old next year, 

and to herald this historic landmark, 

we have christened the 2017 

budget “the Golden Jubilee budget 

for accelerated development. This 

budget is premised on the need to 

consolidate on our achievements for 

2016 and restore the State’s 

economy back to a sustained 

growth path and expand economic 

opportunities for all.” 

Tambuwal pledges to 

pursue sustainable devt in 

Sokoto 

In Sokoto, Governor Aminu 

Tambuwal said the policy thrust of the 

budget is to ensure sustainable 

economic development through 

substantial investment in critical 

sectors like education, agriculture, 

healthcare delivery, exploration of 

mineral resources, investment in 

renewable energy and infrastructure. 

“We will prioritise effective 

resources management and seek 

intervention in areas with high 

potentialities to create job 

opportunities, generate income and 

improve revenue generation,” the 

governor said.


Recession has brought 

us to our senses 

•Nigerians in their New Year Resolutions 

•Say ‘no more unnecessary expenses’ 

Ola Ajayi, Chidi Nkwopara, Samuel 

Oyadongha, Olayinka Latona, Marie- 

Therese Nanlong and Emem Idio 

On the last day of any given 

year, many people appear 

to be sober having taken 

stock of what they did or 

failed to do in the 

outgoing year. They examine their life in 

the past 12 months and recall their 

indulgences, their excesses, all the 

missed opportunities as a result of their 

carelessness and come to a realization 

that it has been a wasted year for them. 

They therefore resolve to turn a new leaf 

from the first day of the new year and set 

about making what is regarded as New 

Year Resolutions. This has now become 

a yearly ritual among Nigerians. But 

amazingly, barely a month into the new 

year, a high percent of people who made 

resolutions or vows for the new year 

hardly live up to them. Last year in 

particular was a tough one for majority 

of Nigerians because of the prevailing 

economic downturn in the country. It is 

a year of economic recession in the 

country or what many analysts refer to 

as stagflation. A cross section of 

Nigerians who made resolutions this 

year therefore said their resolutions were 

dictated by the economic recession in the 

country. 

Recession brought us 

back to our senses 

Many people who spoke with Saturday 

I have made a decision 

not to womanize again; 

and no more partying 

like I used to do. I have 

even parted company 

with some of my friends 

who I know are not 

adding value to my life 

Vanguard said the current economic 

recession in the country has forced 

them to make some resolutions which 

they would not have made ordinarily. 

Sola Arotiba, a reputable auto 

mechanic in Ibadan said, “if there is 

one advantage of this recession, it has 

brought people like me to our senses. 

My new year resolutions are many. I 

have made a decision not to womanize 

again; and no more partying like I 

used to do. I have even parted company 

with some of my friends who I know 

are not adding value to my life. This 

recession has taught me all these. 

Though, it is painful, I think this 

recession has done me some good”. 

Chief Olowolayemo Sakiru, a 

community leader in Ido Local 

Government said, the current 

recession has compelled him to stop 

taking alcoholic drinks. He said, “I 

have been taking alcoholic drinks 

since I was a youth, but things are no 

longer the same. I am close to 60 years 

now, I cannot afford to drink again not 

because of my age but because I 

cannot afford it. When I sat down on 

January 1, 2017, I examined my life 

and concluded that I have to cut down 

some expenses. I cannot estimate the 

huge amount I used to spend on 

buying beer. It had really drained me 

financially. That’s why I decided to 

stop it”. 

Esther Atilola Adedayo a public 

servant said, “I have decided not to buy 

any ‘aso ebi’ (cloths chosen for 

ceremonies) again. I have a lot of them, 

they are more than 30 pairs of different 

colours. I bought some for N5,000; 

some for N4,500. If you now multiply 

this by 30, the result is terrifying. At 

times, I struggle hard to pay my 

children’s school fees. It is time to 

retrace my steps, no more unnecessary 

expenses. If people want to call me 

names, no qualms.” 

Mr Elliot Igoni, a young man in his 

early thirties, in Bayelsa said he would 

love to make New Year resolutions but 

could not do so because of the present 

economic realities. Igoni who is a 

landlord said the recession was 

affecting him badly, lamenting that his 

tenants were finding it difficult to pay 

their rents, and with construction jobs 

hard to come by, he was running into 

debt. “From the look of things I don’t 

think I can conveniently make New Year 

resolutions this year because it is 

difficult to plan these days. I would love 

to achieve one or two things but the 

situation is unpredictable. 

No more unnecessary 

expenses 

Majority of the respondents in Imo 

State, hinged their New Year resolutions 

on the prevailing harsh economic 

environment and how they intend to 

structurally adjust their programmes to 

suit the times. 

Miss Chinenye Ejiogu, a native of Owu, 

Amakohia, Ikeduru local government 

area of Imo State, said that her major 

resolution for 2017, is to drastically 

reduce her expenditure profile. “I have 

resolved to drastically reduce my 

expenses this year. The years of playing 

the father Christmas is over. I merely 

survived last year and I will not like a 

repeat experience of what I suffered last 

year, in this calendar year”, Ejiogu said. 

For Miss Joy Okoroafor, a native of 

Umuiwa, Okposi, Ohozara local council 

area of Ebonyi State, and staff of one of 

the national newspaper houses in 

Owerri, “there are so many things I will 

get rid of this year. I will definitely 

abandon friends and discussions that 

Continues on page 13


make resolution at the beginning of 

the year because of their negative way 

of living. So many husbands promised 

God or whatever they believe in that 

they will be better husbands who will 

not beat or cheat on their wives. And 

likewise wives to be better wives and 

mothers this year. Sadly, many of them 

are going back to their past. The new 

year ought to be a new beginning with 

God because a man’s beginning is 

from God. 

'Nigerians in 

their New Year 

Resolutions' 


will not positively impact on my life and 

living”, Okoroafor said. 

Miss Faith Emeka, from Obegewe, 

Awarra in Ohaji/Egbema local council 

area of Imo State, resolved to look on God 

for every of her needs. “I have resolved 

to rely wholly and entirely on God for all 

my needs. I will curtail my expenses, 

especially the irrelevant ones like crazy 

fashion that leads to destruction. I will 

avoid people who will mislead me”. 

Drastic reduction of expenses is the 

major resolution of Mr. Isaac Ufomba, a 

practising journalist in Owerri. “I will 

minimize my expenses this year. This 

decision stems from my experience in the 

past year and the prevailing economic 

climate in the country. I have also decided 

to go into full time farming to ensure that 

my family gets food to eat in these hard 

times”, Ufomba said. 

The need to be closer to God 

According to Miss Blessing Konboye 

“I want to get closer to God by devoting 

more time to church and spiritual 

activities. The recession will not affect my 

New Year resolutions because they are 

not quantified in monetary terms, mine 

are personal issues I need to work on to 

improve my life, “ she said. 

In Jos Plateau state, Divine Joseph said 

despite the fact that hunger is in the land, 

his new year resolution was to improve 

in his spiritual life. His words, “Whatever 

the situation, I want my spiritual life to 

improve and I want to win more souls for 

God than what was obtained last year. I 

know it is not always easy keeping new 

year resolutions but I know God’s grace 

will see me through.” 

Another respondent, Na’andi 

Hezekiah said, “my resolution is to serve 

God faithfully notwithstanding what the 

economic situation of the country is. The 

word of God says seek ye first the 

Kingdom of God and His righteousness 

and other things will be added to you. I 

know if I am faithful to him, He will not 

disappoint me.” 

Yet another respondent, Ikmat Akande 

added, “Everything is in the hands of 

God, even in times of plenty, some people 

still lack, in times of lack, some people 

still get. In this new year, I want to get 

more than last year so I have resolved to 

be more prayerful and hardworking so 

that my life will improve economically.” 

To Victoria Ojonugba, she is not 

interested in any new year resolution 

because, “Every year I will set goals but 

I won’t be able to achieve them. I have 

decided that whatever God wants to do 

The new year ought 

to be a new beginning 

with God because a 

man’s beginning is 

from God 

with me, so be it. I don’t have anything 

I am doing, nobody is ready to help so 

when I wake up, anyhow the day turns 

out to be, so be it, I’m even tired of 

everything but I cannot kill myself.” 

Clerics who bared their minds on 

why people make resolutions agree that 

although it is a necessary venture to 

undertake but lamented that it has 

become a ritual for most people as they 

are making mockery of it 

It helps to evaluate one’s life 

— Most Rev. Sunday Matilukuro 

Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis 

in his new year message has 

also listed 9-points New Year 

Resolutions that he wants Christian 

faithfuls to execute this year. He 

says: 

•Take care of your spiritual life, 

your relationship with God, because 

this is the backbone of everything we 

do and everything we are. 

•Take care of your family life, 

giving your children and loved ones 

not just money, but most of all your 

time, attention and love. 

•Take care of your relationships 

with others, transforming your faith 

into life and your words into good 

works, especially on behalf of the 

needy. 

•Be careful how you speak, purify 

your tongue of offensive words, 

vulgarity and worldly decadence. 

•Heal wounds of the heart with the 

oil of forgiveness, forgiving those 

Primate of The First African Church 

Mission, Most Rev. Sunday 

Matilukuro argued that resolution is 

a necessary thing to do every day and 

not once in a year ritual saying it helps 

to re-evaluate and define one’s goal in 

life. He said: “In our various places of 

work, at the end of the year, we do what 

we call stock taking for inventory or 

appraisal, this is necessary to check an 

organisation’s performances in the 

outgoing year, look out for the area of 

strength and weaknesses, evaluate to 

know what to drop and what to take 

for better improvement in the 

following year. But in the life of a man, 

it is important that periodically, it may 

not be the end of a year, it is important 

to evaluate oneself notwithstanding 

the economic situation of the country. 

Look at the way you live your life at a 

particular time frame, check the caliber 

of friends you keep, do they impact 

your life positively or negatively? Are 

you making progress in life or 

stagnated with your relationship with 

God? However, I think most people 

Pope Francis 

announces his “Top 

New Year Resolutions” 

who have hurt us and medicating the wounds 

we have caused others. 

•Look after your work, doing it with 

enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and 

with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord. 

•Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative 

feelings that devour our interior peace and 

transform us into destroyed and destructive 

people. 

•Watch out for anger that can lead to 

vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential 

euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, 

which leads to pride; and for complaining 

continually, which leads to desperation. 

•Take care of brothers and sisters who are 

weaker … the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the 

homeless and strangers, because we will be 

judged on this. 

Resolution without strong 

determination will fail 

—Odesola 

Assistant General Overseer to Pastor 

Enoch Adejare Adeboye, Pastor 

Johnson Odesola believed that 

resolutions often time, do not work 

because of the situation in which they 

are taken as they are particularly done 

on the last day of the year and when 

one is sober and full of expectations 

in the coming year. In his words: 

“People make resolution because they 

believe they have not been able to live 

up to the standard they set for the 

previous year and they do that in order 

to lay a very good foundation for the 

new year. However, people are not able 

to keep up to it because the memory 

of human being is very short and 

sometimes we make it as a ritual and 

when it becomes ritual, we just want 

to do it in order to key into the 

immediate blessing. And aside that, 

every resolution that must work must 

come with strong decision and 

determination and if there is no strong 

determination backing a resolution, 

that resolution is bound to fail. 

It no longer has meaning 

to most people—Very Rev. 

Stephen Adegbite 

Bishop of Ikeja, Methodist Church 

of Nigeria, Very Rev. Stephen 

Adegbite said the inability to keep 

resolutions is an evidence of the 

imperfect nature of human stressing 

that most people are only making 

mockery of the act. According to him, 

“In making New Year resolution or 

what we ‘Meeting of Covenant with 

God’ at the beginning of the year, most 

people who have not been attending 

churches, will be at the place of 

worship to ask for God’s forgiveness 

and mercy and would promise to live 

better and holy life in the new year. 

But before you know it, they will start 

doing what they promised not to do 

and this is because of the power of 

flesh which makes them to go to their 

old way of life. What we encourage 

people to do is to keep to their 

promises, no matter the state of the 

economy of the country, because God 

never fails, whatever He says will 

come to pass. 

•Pope Francis


South West can 

punish Buhari in 

By CHIOMA GABRIEL, EDITOR SPECIAL FEATURES 

Founder of Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and National Chairman of Unity Party of 

Nigeria (UPN), Dr. Frederick Fasehun, in this encounter talked about the state of the 

nation including the economy, corruption, the clampdown on judges and alleged 

marginalisation of the entire south among other things. 

cases and the minimum wage is government should look 

N18, 000. Anybody who has a elsewhere. They should stop 

minimum wage of N18,000 talking about Jonathan all the 

cannot afford to buy rice in this time. Where did Jonathan keep 

•Frederick Fasehun 

country. Even a Derica is the mansions? Where are his 

costly. And the government airlines, shipping lines? Where 

keeps encouraging us to endure is the headquarters of his bank? 

that it will soon be better. And Jonathan did not commit the 

the people are enduring. I am yet atrocities that he is being 

to find out the more enduring accused of committing. 

people than Nigerians. Nobody But for the first time EFCC is 

The economic situation of the 

cares but we are still enduring. probing Jonathan indirectly 

country is getting worse, there’s 

This is not what government because when they probe his 

so much hunger in the country. 

should do. 

wife, they are indirectly 

What do you think is the way 

probing him and this is the first 

forward? 

They should place adverts in time something like this is 

It was a long time ago, when 

the newspapers 

happening. 

the military took over that it all 

nnouncing to those who are If you are probing Jonathan’s 

began. The military is not trained 

I have always said holding up to the government wife, all first ladies and previous 

for governance; they were 

money to pay up. I know that first ladies must be probed. 

trained to protect the government 

that Buhari is 

most of them would have Jonathan should not be the only 

and the people. But when they 

fighting corruption 

voluntarily come up to pay. They scapegoat. Before now, things 

discovered they could use their 

would have gotten the peoples were not this bad. Children 

powers to get into governance, 

with corruption personal data that will show if were going to school and their 

they went back to their barracks 

they owe government and inform parents were paying their 

and came back to rule Nigeria 

and the end result them to pay, otherwise, security school fees. And Naira had 

and we accepted them. With the 

operatives will come after value. Despite Jonathan’s 

military changing the primary 

will be corruption. them. Now, many Nigerians perceived bad governance and 

assignment of protecting 

There are people cannot pay their children’s school perceived corruption, Nigerians 

Nigerians to ruling them,some 

fees, pay their accommodation were living well. So, why the 

Nigerians who challenged them 

in his government and others. They cannot afford terrible situation now? Every 

ended up in detention and they 

triangular meals, not to talk of a bad situation is being attributed 

governed the way they did and 

that are not worthy square meal. Happily married to Jonathan. There were people 

in the process, they messed up 

people are divorcing and man who have ruled this country long 

the economy, they messed up 

must understand the call of before Jonathan came and we 

everything including our culture 

shame and a huge debt from us. nature. We have been in this had corrupt people then. The 

and that is where we got it 

Now, we are back to square one. country and things have never government should long have 

wrong. If people think that the 

The citizens can no longer eat been this difficult in the past. made a public announcement 

civilians that came after the 

well, they cannot afford a So generally, we have not fared that if you know you are keeping 

military did the damage to our 

triangular meal a day let alone well; Nigeria should not have anything, be it money or 

economy, they are wrong. The 

three square meals. Parents can gotten into recession. Things property belonging to Nigeria, 

damage they did is minimal 

no longer pay their children’s were not this bad but if you do come and pay it before the 

compared to the one done by the 

school fees. Some men could no anyhow, you will be taken away security operatives start 

military. It will take us a long 

longer care for their families. and dumped in the barracks. running after you. 

time to recover from the damages 

Everything has gone bad and yet, 

the military did to us. 

we think that we have a Many have been pointing at People are saying that some 

government. And the government Jonathan’s administration as corrupt Nigerians are hiding 

But even as damaging as 

goes on intimidating people all the cause of all these problems. in the Buhari government and 

military rule was, we didn’t go 

over the place. The naira has gone Would you blame Jonathan or they are accusing him of 

into recession. Now we are in 

down. I don’t reckon with Naira the people that worked with fighting corruption partially. 

recession and we are picking 

as a currency because I am sure him? 

I have always said that Buhari 

loans all over the place. 

the worth of the naira is less than Didn’t we have some level of is fighting corruption with 

We recovered from the loans 

that of the other competitors. And corruption before Jonathan corruption and the end result 

taken by military regimes only a 

we don’t seem to have a came? Now it is very unfortunate will be corruption. There are 

few years back during the time 

government that cares. That is a that Jonathan himself has not people in his government that 

of Obasanjo. We thank God for 

terrible thing. The price of rice is been vindicated. He accepts are not worthy. And if these 

Okonjo Iweala and Obasanjo who 

now very high in the market. The every insult. Jonathan is not the 

did all they could to remove 

price is above N20, 000 in some only culprit. Maybe the Continues on pg 15 

C 

M 

YK 

2019 unless . . . 

•Fasehun blows hot on 

the state of the nation


C 

M 

Y 

K 

Continues from pg 14 

Nigerians who should be cleansed 

are not, then Buhari should look 

at them. We are all Nigerians and 

corruption is not only found in the 

opposition. 

What is your take on the 

clampdown on Judges by the 

DSS? 

It has never happened before and 

I think they do not need to destroy 

the credibility of the judiciary. The 

judiciary must be seen to be 

credible otherwise, law and order 

will suffer. I am not saying they 

are not human beings but they 

have the Nigerian Judicial 

Commission, NJC. There are three 

arms of government as 

recommended by the constitution 

and they have their powers. So you 

do not send the state apparatus 

after the judiciary. NJC is there to 

do its work. If the NJC has done a 

certain work, then the state may 

say, why don’t you look at this 

place or that? But to clampdown 

on the judiciary is not good. At the 

end of the day, the confidence of 

the people suffers. Our judges have 

been embarrassed, we could do 

better. Moreover, the Nigerian 

constitution does not make the 

executive the watchdog of the 

Judiciary. 

I condemn this gestapo-style 

invasion of the private homes of 

Nigerian judges. The invasion is 

invidious, infantile, illegal and 

unconstitutional; it smirks of a 

scripted and premeditated 

operation aimed specifically at 

intimidating the Judiciary and 

giving judicial officers a bad name 

to devalue their reputation. 

Moreover, the invasion 

represents an unjust clampdown 

on the Judiciary, a clear violation 

of the rule of law, due process and 

commonsense, and it should never 

happen again. 

Those serving in the Judiciary 

are apolitical and the Judiciary is 

the last hope of the common man. 

This is why it is disheartening, 

heartrending and troubling that 

the Judiciary has been placed 

under this brazen assault and it 

forebodes danger for the nation’s 

democracy. Today, it is rather 

unfortunate that President 

Muhammadu Buhari represents 

the worst threat on our nation’s 

democracy. 

In as much as we recognise the 

harm that corruption has inflicted 

on our development, and we 

subscribe to the current war 

against corruption, relevant 

institutions and agencies must 

follow due process and the rule of 

law. 

Concerning the militancy that is 

happening in Nigeria, we keep 

hearing of military intervention. 

Is that the solution to what is 

going on? 

The government is not 

democratic enough. A democratic 

government must govern 

according to the rule of law and 

this government is not governing 

according to the rule of law. So 

there is so much impunity, 

corruption and impunity will cause 

lawlessness, corruption. We have 

been fighting corruption for years 

now and yet we have not 

conquered that. So, lawlessness 

will continue. When you see is that 

lawlessness has become the 

symbol of Nigerians, nothing good 

comes out of it. If you don’t have 

•Frederick Fasehun 

The Yoruba must 

have learnt a bitter 

lesson from the 

way they are being 

treated by the 

present leadership 

under President 

Buhari 

the opportunity to steal from the 

government, you will play politics 

to enable you steal Nigeria’s 

money. And when the government 

forgets that it pretends to be a 

democratic government and it is 

not governing according to the rule 

of law, you will have impunity. 

Impunity is what is causing it; 

people will just wake up and start 

doing something else. So let the 

government govern the country 

with the rule of law. 

What do you have to say about 

the militarization of Niger- Delta? 

People have worked for Nigeria 

but impunity has made them 

refuse to pay. I am telling you 

because I am one of those who 

suffered under this impunity. Now, 

we secured the pipelines, you 

wrote the contract, signed the 

contract. You said you were going 

to be paying so much to the people. 

People did the work and they were 

not mobilised, and at the end, they 

were not paid kobo. We finished 

that job in almost two years now 

and eventually when we demanded 

to be paid, we were not paid. We 

‘Fasehun blows 

hot on the state 

of the nation’ 

have to go to court. The 

government is not seeing 

anything there because they 

caused it. That is impunity and 

it is unfair and ungodly. And 

those boys who did the job, you 

do not expect them to come to 

us for their money? The 

government officials have been 

asking us to renegotiate and take 

40% of what was 

contained in the 

contract. Now 

the job has been 

done, do I have 

the audacity to 

go to the boys to 

tell them that 

the government 

is asking us to negotiate how 

much you get? So, if such 

happened to people who do not 

believe they should be kept 

under a spring, they can decide 

to take the law into their own 

hands. Those who do not want 

to take the law into their hands 

are waiting for the court to 

intervene. Of course, we are 

fighting because we might not 

even have the courage to wait for 

the court to intervene because 

the government has chosen to 

intimidate the judiciary. Is it that 

the legislature is not aware that 

we have not been paid for a job 

well done and yet they have not 

mentioned it? Or are they no 

longer the representatives of the 

people? It is not in order at all. 

You see that the moment the 

government falls in line with 

good governance, some of these 

things will stop. Those asking for 

negotiation outside the court are 

even offering far less than what 

was agreed upon in the contract 

we signed. 

There’s this perceived 

marginalisation of the south by 

the Buhari regime. Do you see 

it as real or imagined? 

The marginalization of the 

south, especially the Yoruba in 

President Muhammadu Buhari’s 

government is real but the 

Southwest geo-political zone 

may use their votes to punish the 

president and the All 

Progressives Congress (APC) in 

the 2019 general elections, unless 

there it is redressed. You don’t 

need to look far before you can 

see the difference. Look at all the 

key appointments the president 

has been making since coming 

to power. The north is favoured 

more than the south. It is only 

inconsequential positions that 

are being handed Yoruba and 

other ethnic nationalities. Key 

appointments and influential 

positions are given to the north, 

and it is very unfortunate that 

some people would always find 

justification for the president’s 

action, but Nigerians can’t be 

fooled. The Yoruba must have 

learnt a bitter lesson from the 

way they are being treated by the 

present leadership under 

President Buhari. 

You know as the saying goes, 

words of the elders are words of 

wisdom. Not only that God used 

some elders including myself in 

the run-up to the 2015 general 

elections, that we should not only 

raise alarm, but also warn 

Yoruba about going into any 

romance or alliance with General 

Buhari. 

When we were raising that 

alarm, it was not that we had 

personal hatred or harboured 

any grudge against Buhari, but 

our opposition against Buhari 

was hinged on the fact that this 

man was in power before and we 

all knew how he marginalized 

other sections of the country, 

promoting only the northern 

interests. 

People complained that time 

against his style, but Buhari 

refused to budge. Under 

Buhari’s military leadership 

then, Nigeria was almost turned 

into Animal Farm where some 

animals were more equal than 

others. 

As the saying goes, a leopard 

can’t change its spots, and that 

was why we warned Nigerians 

that time, especially the Yoruba, 

that helping Buhari to get 

political power would amount to 

nothing but political suicide. 

Voting for Buhari or helping 

Buhari to get political power is 

like riding on the back of a tiger, 

and if you are not careful, you 

end up in the belly of that tiger. 

This is exactly what is happening 

today. Buhari has not changed a 

bit. He has only changed his 

military garb for civilian attires, 

but the man still remains the 

same, stubborn and a biased 

leader. 

Forget whatever his supporters 

and media handlers are saying. 

Buhari is pro-North 100 per cent, 

and he doesn’t care about the 

feelings of other sections of the 

country, especially the South. 

Buhari is not a national leader, it 

would be wrong for anybody or 

any genuine patriot to describe 

Buhari as a national leader. 

However, it is not only the 

Yorubas that Buhari has 

marginalised, he has 

marginalized the entire South. 

Buhari is Nigeria’s president, but 

from his actions, he doesn’t 

behave or act like a leader who 

sees the entire nation as his 

constituency.

16—SATURD 

TURDAY Vanguard 

anguard, JANUARY 7, 2017 

BY JULIUS OWEH 

The essence of democracy 

is that periodically those 

at the helm of affairs give 

account of their stewardship to 

the electorate, the owners of the 

electoral sovereignty. In so 

doing, the masses would know 

the success and challenges of 

government. And this is 

normally done by government 

officials, be they the president, 

ministers, governors or 

commissioners by briefing the 

press. And this was what 

informed the organization of 

ministerial press briefing by the 

Ministry of Information, Delta 

State under the captainship of 

Patrick Ukah, the 

Commissioner of Information in 

December, 2015. 

And since money is the be 

all and end all in the conduct of 

government business, the Delta 

State Finance Commissioner 

Olorogun David Edevbie gave 

a startling account of the 

finances of the state and how 

the government was able to 

weather the economic storm 

against the backdrop of pipeline 

bombing and the crashing price 

of crude oil. Edevbie at that 

briefing in Government House, 

Asaba clearly demonstrated 

that he was in a familiar terrain 

as charts and figures were 

shown to journalists and other 

critical stakeholders on how the 

finances of the state were 

managed. He disclosed that 

between June 2015 and 

September 2016, 

N56,646,821,063.75 was 

internally generated by the 

state government. He said that 

over 95 per cent of the state 

total IGR was directly 

attributable to the efforts of 

Delta State Board of Internal 

Revenue. He also said that the 

sum of N138,781,057,775.89 was 

meant for capital expenditure 

during the period under review. 

He however said that the actual 

capital expenditure for the 

period was only 

N48,394,155,549.62 

representing a budget 

performance of 34.87 per cent. 

He disclosed that the 

recurrent expenditure was very 

high, saying that that sum of 

N192,324,11,293.52 was on 

recurrent compared to the 

Ukah lauded the 

policy thrust of the 

Okowa 

administration: 

‘Through the efforts 

of the Ministry, the 

policy thrust of the 

Government -`the 

SMART agenda` - is 

now a common and 

well known rhetoric to 

Deltans and non 

Deltans alike 

•Gov Okowa 

Delta and 

accountability in 

governance 

budgetary provision of 

N209,903,681,105.58. 

On payment of salaries, 

Edevbie said that the 

government was meeting its 

obligations but concurred that 

‘Owing to the continuous decline 

in the revenues accruing to the 

state most especially from the 

Federal Allocation, it has been 

very difficult to meet the full 

payment of salaries and pension 

as and when due...In such cases, 

only the net salaries were paid 

funds. As at the end of October 2016, 

to the beneficiaries while the 

the state is owing N9,236,203,719.40 

deductions were released 

as arrears of such deductions‘. 

subsequently upon availability of 

The Finance Commissioner 

C 

M 

YK 

stated that to ensure transparency 

and accountability in IGR, in June 

2016, the office of the Accountant 

General replaced the manual 

Treasury Books used in collecting 

government revenue with an 

electronic receipt. This, according 

to him, eliminated fraud and 

financial leakages with the state 

government getting more money. 

The commissioner outlines the 

vision of his Ministry: ‘Overall, 

our primary concern is to 

promote a safe sound and stable 

financial system in the state. The 

Ministry is determined to realize 

this objective through the 

commitment of the management 

and staff to running an efficient 

establishment that is responsive 

to the needs of all stakeholders 

to promote stability and confidence 

in the state financial system‘. 

On his part, the Information 

Commissioner, Patrick Ukah, the 

midwife of the ministerial press 

briefing explained that the aim was 

that all the state commissioners 

were able to give first hand 

information to all Deltans and to 

show that the state government has 

nothing to hide. He explained 

the aim of the ministerial press 

briefing :‘Over the last two weeks, 

we have been afforded the 

opportunity to get first hand 

information as well as seek 

clarification of the inner workings 

of each Ministry, as they gave 

account of their stewardship on how 

well the administration has 

implemented the PDP‘s manifestos.‘ 

Ukah lauded the policy thrust of 

the Okowa administration: 

‘Through the efforts of the Ministry, 

the policy thrust of the Government 

-`the SMART agenda` - is now a 

common and well known rhetoric 

to Deltans and non Deltans alike. 

The Ministry of Information has 

rolled out different strategies over 

the past 18 months to get the 

populace to be in tune with the 

SMART agenda of the Okowa-led 

government. Also the ministry was 

able to properly articulate all the 

projects and programmes of the 

various MDAs for the period under 

review, and the objective was to 

propel the people towards a 

common goal of prosperity for all 

Deltans`. 

On the state two media outfits, 

the Delta Broadcasting Service and 

The Pointer newspaper, Ukah said 

a lot of efforts and energies were 

put in place to make them more 

visible and pass information to the 

public about government 

activities. He stated that DBS 

Asaba and Warri in the nearest 

future shall operate as one so that 

during major news broadcast, the 

two stations will air the same news 

bulletin and other relevant 

programmes meant to enlighten the 

people of the state on government 

activities. He also disclosed that 

there would be vigorous grassroots 

broadcasting that will be anchored 

on the activities of the people at the 

local level and a well articulated 

feedback mechanism. 

On The Pointer newspaper, 

these are the plans of the state 

government: ‘The Ministry have 

designed a strategy that will refocus 

the company and position it 

to be commercially viable. The 

programme was anchored on a 

more effective distribution and 

circulation of The Pointer titles and 

improvement on the editorial. The 

Ministry has put necessary 

machinery to gain heavy presence 

across the country and create a 

larger market share in terms of 

sales and advert patronage‘. 

Through the efforts of the ministry, 

according to Ukah, the state 

government is constructing a 

befitting NUJ secretariat building 

in Asaba and would be completed 

before March 2017. Ukah also said 

that a new brand identity has been 

created for the state. He explained 

the concept behind the brand: ‘The 

new Brand Identity was designed 

to clearly define our beliefs, values 

and interests. It is targeted to 

influence the perception of Deltans 

on how they see and understand 

themselves, their beliefs, needs, 

motives, interests and learning as 

a unique set of people. It is an 

expressive image of Delta State 

Government and its standards, 

product brands, forums and events‘.


Aviation Training Centre 

Captain ‘Hosa: 

(NCATC), Zaria, where he 

graduated as a professional 

commercial pilot in 1979 at the 

age of 21, consequent upon which 

he began his professional career 

as a co-pilot with Aero Contractors 

Consistent, 

Limited, which sponsored him to 

NCATC. 

He later attended ACME 

School of Aeronautics, Fort 

Worth, Texas in 1983 where he 

obtained his Airline Transport 

Pilot Licence and was promoted 

a captain in the same year at the 

Persistent @ 59 

age of 25. He flew as captain 

with the Intercontinental Airlines 

and in 1985 he joined the services 

of Okada Airlines from where he 

retired in 1988. 

For his outstanding 

contributions to the promotion of 

peace and good governance as 

well as development of his 

BY SUFUYAN OJEIFO 

supplies of refinery catalysts used in Transfer Solutions (provider of community, Captain ‘Hosa was, 

major projects, including revamping electronic payment solutions), and in 2007, honoured with the 

Today, Captain Idahosa Wells 

and procurements. It participated Integrated Energy Distribution and Justice of the Peace (JP). 

Okunbo, fondly called Captain 

in the procurement of major Marketing Company Limited (core In 2012, the United States 

‘Hosa, is being celebrated as 

engineering components for the investor in Ibadan Electricity Congress, honoured him with the 

he turns 59. 

Warri Refinery Turn-Around Distribution Company Limited). “African Titan”Award for being a 

Born on January 7, 1958, to the 

Maintenance in 1994. 

He began his education at voice of the Niger Delta people 

family of the late Reverend Robert 

Hosyln Technologies Nigeria Government Primary School, through a movie, which he 

Amos Okunbo, Captain ‘Hosa’s 

Limited, one of the first indigenous Benin City, from where he single-handed sponsored, titled 

birthday always provides an 

companies to execute engineering, proceeded to the Federal “Black November. ” 

opportunity for family members and 

procurement and construction (EPC) Government College, Warri, in The University of Benin also 

friends to give their goodwill 

contract in Nigeria, completed and 1971, where he sat for his West conferred on him a Doctorate 

messages and best wishes to the 

commissioned the early production African School Certificate Degree in Business 

investor who has positively touched 

facility for Nigerian Petroleum Examination and passed with Administration (Honoris Causa) 

many lives. 

Development Company (NPDC) at flying colours in 1975. 

in 2012. The Oba of Benin, in 

As he does not announce his acts 

Ajoki Oziengbe South Field in 2001. He attended the Nigerian Civil 2014, recognised and decorated 

of benevolence and philanthropy to 

Ocean Marine Solution (OMS) 

him as a worthy ambassador of 

humanity, only those who have 

Limited has been involved in the 

the ancient Benin Kingdom. 

benefitted from his generosity would 

recovery, remediation, maintenance 

Captain “Hosa has just been 

attest to his humility in giving. 

and security surveillance of the 

nominated as the Vanguard 

A man with a heart of gold, 

Escravos-Warri and Bonny-Port 

Businessman of the Year 2016 for 

Captain ‘Hosa is not conceited in 

Harcourt pipeline segments. This 

his great accomplishments in 

his world outlook. To him, such 

has resulted in the significant 

business. It is not in doubt that 

barriers as social segregation and 

turnaround of the pipeline system 

with the way he is successfully 

economic subjugation are anathema. 

from its once decrepit state in the past 

breaking new grounds, 

He moves about without an air of 

eight years to the current efficient and 

absolutely touching lives, 

superiority; he is easygoing and 

highly utilised level. 

impacting people and his 

always ready to assist. 

Furthermore, Captain ‘Hosa is 

community positively, he will 

His garb of simplicity is partly a 

chairman of CMES OMS JV Limited, 

receive more feathers in his cap in 

product of his humble and 

an integrated energy-related 

the years ahead. 

disciplined upbringing. He is, 

company with the capacity to provide 

also, perhaps, well advised by 

financing and technical solutions to 

Chinua Achebe’s lines in “Things 

the upstream oil and gas sector, 

Mr Ojeifo, journalist 

Fall Apart” that those whose palm 

ranging from explorations to first oil 

and publisher, sent 

kernel has been cracked for them by 

for public and private indigenous oil 

this piece via 

the benevolent spirit should learn 

companies. 

ojwonderngr@yahoo.com 

to be humble. 

He is also chairman of PPP Fluid 

In taking up the gauntlet of 

Mechanics Limited, Secured 

independence from the outset of his 

Anchorage Area (SAA) Offshore 

business ventures, the combination 

Lagos, Gyro Air Limited, Ocean 

of discipline, hard work, purpose 

Marine Tankers Limited, Wells Farms 

and providence has contributed to 

Limited, Hoslyn Habitat Limited (a 

his success. 

design, construction, and 

When he turned 30, Captain ‘Hosa 

landscaping company), Wells 

retired from paid employment as an 

Entertainments Limited, Wells 

airline pilot who had booked more 

Carlton Hotel and Luxury 

than 7,000 hours of flight time, most 

Apartments, and several other 

of which was jet experience across 

businesses. 

continents. He moved into the high 

Captain ‘Hosa is a non-Executive 

risk area of the oil and gas sector. 

Director of a number of companies, 

He has since broken the glass 

including: NATCOM NTEL 

ceiling with his many 

(formerly NITEL), Funds Electronics 

accomplishments in the area of 

marine security and marine logistics 

through his company, Ocean 

Marine Solution (OMS) Limited. 

He has further expanded his 

business scope into real estate, 

•Captain ‘Hosa 

hospitality, entertainment, energy, 

power, telecoms, aviation and 

agriculture. It takes someone with 

the touch of Midas, and who is 

He has remained 

adroit at multi-tasking, to turn 

multifarious investments in these 

steadfast all through the 

areas into gold. 

years in the face of 

Indeed, Captain ‘Hosa’s life is a 

study in resilience. He has remained 

daunting challenges 

steadfast all through the years in the 

occasioned by 

face of daunting challenges 

occasioned by unpredictable 

unpredictable business 

business environments, and yet 

succeeding in the varying 

environments, and yet 

circumstances. 

succeeding in the 

At the foundation of his business 

trajectory was Hosyln Ventures 

varying circumstances 

Nigeria Limited, which was 

servicing the oil and gas sector with 

C 

M 

YK

18—SATURD 


anguard, , JANUARY ARY 7, 2017 

BY LUKA BINNIYAT 

The killings that took 

place in Kobin, 

N u m a n a 

Chiefdom, Sanga 

Local Government 

Area, of Kaduna state in 2014 

in which no fewer than 48 

people were reportedly 

hacked to death by alleged 

armed herdsmen attracted 

little national uproar at the 

time. Little wonder, survivors 

said that they have been 

abandoned by government, 

except some churches and the 

Red Cross that come around 

with assistance once in a 

while. There have been more 

killings recently, just before 

last Christmas in Southern 

Kaduna too. In this 

interview with our Kaduna 

State Correspondent, a 

survivor, ASP Usman Gambo 

Kobin gives a vivid account 

of the 2014 bloody assault and 

how a major culprit is still 

walking freely on the streets. 

He also paints a harrowing 

picture of what Kobin 

survivors have been going 

through ever since. 

Excerpts: 

Tell us your name and 

where you come from 

My name is ASP Usman 

Gambo Kobin, I am a retired 

police officer, I am from 

Kobin, Numana Chiefdom, 

Sanga LGA of Kaduna state. 

Can you recall what 

happened in Kobin in June, 

2014? 

On the 24th June, 2014 when we 

woke up in the morning, we learnt 

that some people were killed in 

Nandu, and some in Kabamu all 

in Numana Chiefdom. I then went 

to my old father around 7am and 

said, “baba, I don’t know what may 

happen to us today based on what 

we have been told but stay at home 

Southern 

Kaduna 

massacre: 

•How my y I04-yr 

4-yr-old -old dad, 8 relations 

were killed in 1hr——Survivor 

•48 residents hacked to death 

by armed herdsmen 

•Sur 

Surviv 

vivor 

ors now live in perpe 

petual 

fear 

ear, , abandoned by govt 

A Fulani man had actually 

hinted us of the impending 

attack but it was hard to 

ever imagine that our 

Fulani neighbours would 

come around to attack us 

to remain indoors and let us be 

killed with dignity in our home. 

But, she was too scared and 

insisted she wanted to run out 

believing she may escape. She 

then ran out as shooting was still 

going on. My 104-year-old dad 

whom I asked to stay indoors was 

outside and he was the first 

casualty of the attack as they shot 

him outside. After some time the 

shooting came close to my house, 

behind my room and since they 

were in my backyard, that meant 

that the entire village had been 

surrounded. You could hear the 

screaming and shrieking of women 

and children the invaders were just 

killing everyone. It was horrible. 

They shot dead my wife as she ran 

out trying to escape. At the end of 

the shooting, nine of my relations 

were gunned down. I lost my father, 

Madaki aged 104; my elder brother, 

Paul aged 70; my wife, Salamatu 

Gambu aged 56 years; two of my 

brothers’ wives, Hadiza Danjuma, 

35 and Helen Fedelis, 40 and the 

young son of my elder brother. 

Also killed were the wives of my 

elder brother’s two sons as well 

as elder brother’s grand 

daughter who was eight months 

pregnant. 

Who were these Fulani men 

who carried out this attack? 

Among those who carried out 

the killings were Fulani who 

were born and raised in our 

village. We know them and they 

know us also. We have been 

living with them since their 

parents gave birth to them in 

Kobin. We know them. Their 

leader is one Yakubu Alhaji 

Haruna who is still in Sanga 

area and moving freely doing 

what he likes. People who 

were killed in my village were 

48. Yes, we buried 48 people 

in a mass grave in Kobin. They 

were killed by people we gave 

our land to settle and graze 

their cattle without a quarrel. 

There was not even a 

disagreement or anything 

between us before the attack. 

That is the most annoying 

aspect of the killings. The 

mass grave is there, just 

beside my house. And while 

killing our people, they were 

shouting, “Allahu Akbar! 

Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!” 

(“God is great” in Arabic, 

popular with jihadists while on 

mission). They were also 

saying “Ku Kashe Arna! Kashe 

Arna” (Kill the pagans! Kill the 

Pagans!) I was trapped in my 

home watching and listening. 

Those of us who survived are 

however suffering. 

and don’t move around”. A Why did they attack you? 

Fulani man had actually hinted I don’t know. Believe me I don’t 

us of the impending attack but just know why. I don’t think any 

it was hard to ever imagine that person from Kobin can state a 

our Fulani neighbours would reason for the attack. 

come around to attack us. Then 

around 1:30 pm, we suddenly And you claim that they were 

heard gunshots. They had living with you? 

launched their attack. Without I know what I am saying. We 

any weapon, and nowhere we 

could escape to, I told my wife Continues on page 19 

C 

M 

Y 

K

SATURD 


anguard, , JANUARY ARY 7, 2017—19 

How my I04-yr-old 

dad, 8 relations were 

killed in 1hr—Survivor 

31st of December, 2014, I will 

never forget that date, they came 

for him. They just walked into his 

house and shot him point blank 

and left him dead. 

Did you not report those you 

saw to the police, especially the 

man called Haruna? 

Of course we did. As a former 

Police Officer I did. The Yakubu 

Haruna was arrested at a time and 

then set free later. Everyone, 

including the then DPO knew 

about his involvement. This was 

a Fulani that was born in Kobin 

and we grew together. The entire 

Numana Chiefdom knew his 

notoriety for organising such 

killings. Yet he is still moving 

about freely. 

You mean he is still in Kobin? 

No, he has moved away from 

Kobin to Unguwan Nungu, still 

in Numana chiefdom. But while 

going to Gwantu or Akwanga, he 

would always pass by Kobin, even 

as we are speaking now, he may 

have passed again. 


were living together. They were 

just a few metres away from our 

homes. We ate together, went to the 

market together. We went to their 

houses, they visited our houses. 

During ceremonies we celebrated 

together. Even when their cattle 

destroyed our crops, we had ways 

of settling amicably, without going 

to court. We were like a model to 

emulate on peaceful co-existence. 

How could we have known that 

they were planning evil against us? 

How could we have prepared to 

defend ourselves living so happily 

together? The survivors among us 

who are still in the village have 

been living under constant fear. We 

don’t know what will happen any 

moment. So for over two years we 

have been under constant watch 

and fear. 

Are the Fulani back to their 

homes? 

They are back but they have 

moved their homes to a very close 

village called Unguwan Gora. They 

are there now after disappearing 

for over a year. So they are back 

and grazing their cows freely. 

What has been the role of the 

Police and the government so far? 

If the police had responded well 

and fast they could have stopped 

the killings that day. Around 10am, 

I informed the DPO in Gwantu 

(Headquarters of Sanga LGA) on 

phone that a good Fulani man, who 

did not want to get himself 

involved in the plot of his people 

had warned us that Fulani were 

coming to kill us that day. The 

DPO said that he would bring in 

reinforcement but he never did. 

30 minutes after the massacre, 

some policemen who were in a 

convoy going to Abuja from Jos, 

heard the shooting and also saw 

houses burning when they 

stopped, and came to Kobin. At 

that time the Fulani had started 

burning down houses but they 

fled when they saw the 

policemen. That was when we were 

able to come out of our houses. They 

were ready to burn us inside our 

houses since we did not come out. 

But for the policemen who were just 

passing by, no one was going to come 

out alive that day, because the Police 

in Gwantu came when it was too late. 

They met dead bodies scattered 

everywhere and wounded people 

crying in agony. The whole attack 

was under one hour. 

Was there no sign at all that the 

Fulani would attack after you 

heard of what happened to the 

other villages? 

If there was any sign, it was too 

late because in the dead of the 

night, while the village was 

sleeping, the Fulani moved their 

families and cattle quietly out of 

the village. We woke up and 

discovered that their part of the 

village was deserted. That got us 

worried. Then early that morning, 

If the police had 

responded well and fast 

they could have stopped 

the killings that day. 

Around 10am, I informed 

the DPO in Gwantu 

(Headquarters of Sanga 

LGA) on phone that a 

good Fulani man, who did 

not want to get himself 

involved in the plot of his 

people had warned us 

that Fulani were coming 

to kill us that day 

one Fulani man called Kaole who 

liked to crack jokes a lot appeared. 

He had also moved his cattle and 

family away. He told us to move 

out our women and children that 

Fulani were coming to kill us. You 

could not be sure if he was joking 

or was serious. So, we thought it 

was his usual jokes. Not long after 

he left, they came. It was very 

regrettable we did not take him 

serious. Kaole never really left. 

It was his family that went. He 

was staying with us and assisting 

us with information. Then on the 

How has been farming after 

this attack? 

It has not been easy, I can tell 

you that. As for us who refused to 

run, we cannot go to the farm 

alone. We go at least in a small 

group, and it does not matter 

because they can still move their 

cows to eat our crops while we are 

watching and there is nothing we 

can do about it. If you challenge 

them or protest they kill you or 

injure you severely. Look, the 

Fulani in my place are now always 

armed. If you see them in the 

market with that their small bags, 

there is likely be a pistol inside, 

apart from the daggers and 

cutlasses they are always 

carrying. They have become very 

dangerous now. If they enter your 

farm, they will tell you that if you 

talk they will kill you and nothing 

will come out of it 

What is the population of the 

Fulani compared to the Numana 

people? 

We outnumber them by far. It is 

just that violence is very strange 

to us. If you are a Christian, you 

cannot just think of injuring or 

even killing someone you have 

been so close to. And when they 

want to come for a raid, they 

would invite other Fulani from the 

outside well armed. So, they come 

in high numbers when they want 

to attack but if it were to be the 

local Fulani, I am sure we can 

handle them. 

What kind of assistance did you 

get from government? 

Look, since those killings took 

place, Kaduna State government 

has not done anything for us. 

Nothing. Not even a condolence 

visit. Even the Chief of Numana 

has not stepped into Kobin to see 

what happened to his subjects. 

It is only Churches and the Red 

Cross - God bless them - that 

have assisted us. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

20—SATURD 

TURDAY Vanguard, 

JANUARY ARY 7, 2017 

An Igando Customary Court in Lagos 

recently dissolved a two-year-old 

marriage between a couple, Andrew and 

Tina, over Tina’s constant checking of her 

husband’s phone. The uninitiated would 

be wondering how going through your 

spouse’s phone could lead to a divorce. Is 

the husband not killing a fly with a sledge 

hammer for divorcing his wife? Wasn’t the 

judge too hasty? Is there more to it than 

meets the eye? The issue here is trust, one 

of the major pillars of marriage. Tina did 

not trust the ex-husband. “Relationships 

are about trust and if you have to play 

detective in your relationship, then it’s 

time to move on.” And that is what Andrew 

forced Tina to do: move on. 

What is trust? Trust, in this context, is a 

belief that your spouse is “reliable, good, 

honest and effective.” That is a lot to 

expect from a fellow human being because 

some of us are not even reliable, good, 

honest and effective to/with ourselves. But 

that is the nature of marriage; people 

expect from their spouses what they cannot 

give themselves. 

Marriage is an everlasting union and it 

requires continuous trust for its 

nourishment. There is scarcely any strong 

and happy marriage without a high dose 

of trust. I mean real strong marriages; not 

where one spouse has resigned himself/ 

herself to fate. After my first year in the 

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, I moved 

residence from Zik’s Flats to Room 103, 

Eni Njoku Hall, where I inherited a wall 

poster: “Blessed are those who are not 

expecting, for they shall not be 

disappointed.” That is the state of mind of 

many spouses today where issues of trust 

are involved. Some have come to the 

conclusion that their spouses can never be 

trusted, but they stick around because: one, 

some do not want the stigma of a failed 

marriage. Two, some stick around because 

of the children. Three, some do not want 

the hassles of a new marriage and spouse. 

After all, what is the guarantee that the 

new spouse will be better? Four, some 

spouses might be untrustworthy, but they 

have other good qualities: providing for 

the home, very loving and caring, good in 

bed, excellent cook and so on and so forth. 

I am tempted to ask Tina why she wanted 

to continue with the marriage when she 

did not trust Andrew, but that would be 

hypocritical of me. I once loved intensely 

even though I did not trust my 

partner. Things got to a head when 

she confronted me one day eyeball 

to eyeball: “Do you trust me?” 

Difficult as it was, I replied, “No.” 

“Why do you want to continue with 

the relationship,” she asked. 

“Because I love you and I want us 

to work on it,” I replied. A few 

months later, the relationship died. 

I wanted to continue a relationship 

where there was no trust because 

Blessed are those who 

are not expecting, for 

they shall not be 

disappointed 

everybody in love is a fool and I was 

the most foolish at that moment. May 

be, that is Tina’s lot also. 

But you cannot continue with a 

courtship where there is no trust, no 

matter the overdose of love (lust), 

unless you make up your mind to 

put up with the act for the rest of 

your life and live as if the 

shortcoming does not exist. But it is 

easier said than done. A friend once 

told me that even if he caught 

Trust! 

another man on top of his wife on their 

matrimonial bed, he would simply 

rebuke the man for doing it on his bed 

and not somewhere else and end the 

matter. I stood like a statue as I 

listened to him. I was in shock. Not 

too long after, the wife told me how 

the husband gave her the beating of 

her life over SUSPICION of having 

an affair! 

I will not advise anybody to marry 

somebody he/she does not reasonably 

trust. As a result of our human frailties, 

we can only talk of trust in relative, 

not absolute, terms because from time 

to time, your spouse will breach the 

trust. When we talk of breach of trust, 

people’s minds automatically go to 

infidelity, but it is much more than 

that. Telling lies, hiding information, 

misrepresentation, failing to keep 

promises or secrets can all lead to 

breach of trust. Some breaches are, 

however, earth shaking and can shake 

people to their foundation. A man 

finds out all of a sudden that some or 

all of the children he has lavished his 

love on and lived for are not his 

biological children. A spouse finds out 

his/her spouse has other children he/ 

she never disclosed. These earthshaking 

breaches have destroyed 

many marriages; some marriages 

have also survived the tremor, but only 

just. Value orientation, a forgiving 

spirit, faith, beliefs and maturity play 

major roles where the pendulum 

swings. But like a wound, the scar 

remains even after it heals. Rarely do 

you return to status quo 100 per cent. 

To conclude, let us look at Andrew 

and Tina’s case further. They were 

married for two years before the 

marriage was dissolved. That was a 

very short marriage. Did they court 

before tying the knot and if yes, what 

was the courtship like? Did Tina 

suspect Andrew of cheating during 

courtship and still went ahead with 

the marriage or it started after the 

wedding? As I said earlier, if Tina 

suspected Andrew of cheating during 

courtship, she should not have gone 

ahead to marry him. And since she 

decided to go ahead, she should have 

lived with her suspicion, instead of 

nosing around. In marriage, the two 

might be one, but there are some 

items that are personal. One of them 

is a phone. Going through your 

spouse’s phone without his/her 

consent is a risky business. If caught, 

it can destroy your marriage, as it has 

done here. You can also find 

information that can turn your world 

upside down. On a few occasions, it 

has been a life saver. It is something 

I do not do, but whatever you decide 

to do, know there are implications. 

Again, is Tina another paranoid 

spouse with mortal jealousy? Too 

many spouses cry wolf where none 

exists? Tina is a businesswoman but 

still had so much time to worry about 

whom her husband was seeing or 

talking to. She behaved like an idle 

fulltime housewife. Any reader of this 

column knows I am not a fan of 

fulltime-housewife arrangement. It 

leaves the women with too much free 

time and an idle mind can easily 

become the devil’s workshop. 

The Bible says, he who wants to 

save his life will lose it (Matthew 

16:25). Tina wanted to save her 

marriage by warding off other women, 

real or perceived. Now she has lost 

her spouse and the marriage. This 

should teach all of us that there are 

some issues in marriage beyond us 

that we should take to God in prayers. 

Trust, like love, is one of the 

foundations of a happy marriage, but 

it is better if the fundamentals are 

good at the beginning of the 

marriage. You can then build on it 

subsequently. Occasional breaches of 

trust are inevitable, but pray against 

the earth shaking breaches. 

•Headstand 

Rocking 

Technique: Sit with the knees drawn 

and place the hands at the back of the 

knees. Now thrust the feet forth and back 

in rhythmic succession like a rocking 

chair. 

Don’t hesitate while doing the Rocking 

or you’ll get “Stuck”. Once you’ve got 

the hang of it you may do two sets of 10, 

resting briefly in-between. 

Benefits: The rocking firm the muscles 

of the abdomen 

and upper thigh and the back. 

It’s reputed to lead to sounder sleep. 

(Text Only) 

Workout for the busy person (2) 

Headstand 

Technique: 

To perform the head-stand, sirshasana in sanskirt, 

get on your knees, interlacing the fingers, place 

the hands on the floor in front of you. Lean forward 

and place the head on the floor and supporting its 

back with the interlaced fingers. With the help of the 

feet raise the hips up in the air. Now, raise the feet 

and bend the knees until stillness is obtained standing 

on the head. Straighten the legs rather slowly until 

the whole body is in a straight vertical line. 

Benefits: 

•Gives the heart a well deserved 

rest, as gravity helps to return 

venous blood to the heart. 

• Regular practice helps to 

strengthen the respiratory system 

and the circulation, keeping them 

flexible and slowing down the rate 

of breathing and the heartbeat 

when at rest. 

•Rocking 

Triangle Pose 

Triangle Pose 

Technique: 

Standing with the feet rather wide 

apart, turn the trunk to the left and lowering 

it place the palm of the left hand 

flat down on the Moor on the outside 

of the left leg while raising up the right 

hand and straightening it at the elbow. 

Fix your gaze on the palm of the raised 

hand. Breathe normally and retain the 

position for about 10 or 11 seconds. 

Benefits: 

The triangle and the Tree pose stretch 

the leg, spine, and trunk muscles. Also 

can promote flexibility of the hip spine 

and legs. The- se exercises can tone the 

nerves of the spine and the abdominal 

organs. Either of them reduces pain in 

the lower back and invigorates the circulation. 

Yoga Classes 

@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, 

Victoria Island Lagos. 

10.00am — 11.00am on Saturdays 

C 

M 

Y 

K

Depending on how you look at 

it, WhatsApp must either be 

one of the most effective 

information disseminators of the 

modern era or an App that is most open 

to abuse. It is not unusual if you 

belong to several platforms like many 

of us do, to wake up to over four 

hundreds messages each and every 

morning. Most of them will be recycled 

stuff; a chunk will be drivel; another 

chunk will be information that is 

irrelevant to your interests and goals 

at the time. I particularly find the 

different good morning videos time 

and data consuming and sometimes 

irritating. But you get to have news 

around the world at your finger-tips 

and once in a long while, articles and 

titbits that reinforce or enhance your 

convictions about life. How to make 

this wonderful App more time 

conscious and therefore more effective 

without hindering its power to 

disseminate information must be a 

great challenge to whoever wants to 

harness this most valuable, yet finite 

resource of man—time—for national 

development. I believe charging a 

token five naira for every time a finger 

presses the ‘send’ icon would teach 

some restraint whilst earning money 

for those who want to increase the cost 

of data. The time saved for all of us, 

could then hopefully be used for more 

worthwhile endeavours. 

But you do sometimes get some 

nuggets of gold in a pan of dust if you 

are patient and good at sieving. 

Regular readers of this column will 

notice that I have shared or written 

articles on things I have picked up in 

the social media especially on 

WhatsApp. Another piece came my 

way last month which I thought would 

be a good New Year message to the 

readers. I will just summarise to save 

space. An old man and his grown 

daughter were at the departure lounge. 

They emotionally clung to each other 

as the final call was made. The old 

man expressed his love and prayed for 

his daughter, ending it with: ‘I wish 

you enough.’ The daughter in turn 

tearfully expressed her love and 

titbits2012@yahoo.com 

I wish you enough this year 

equally ended her prayer with: ‘I 

wish you enough.’ A passenger who 

had witnessed the emotional scene 

approached the old man after the 

daughter had left to inquire about 

the strange mode of exhortation. 

The old man first apologised for the 

emotional spectacle and explained 

that since he was well advanced in 

years and the daughter’s base was 

too far, her next visit was likely to 

A half-illiterate who 

became a First 

Lady still didn’t 

think God has 

done enough for 

her 

be for his funeral. What seemed like 

a strange wish was something he 

said had been handed down the 

generations in his family. ‘When we 

said: ‘I wish you enough,’ we were 

wanting the other person to have a 

life filled with just enough good 

things to sustain them.’ 

Now, what is enough? A retired 

permanent secretary who bolted with 

40 exotic cars does not know the 

meaning of ‘enough.’ A retired 

Inspector General of Police and his 

lieutenants who made away with two 

hundred cars do know when they 

SATURDAY Vanguard,JANUARY 7, 2017—21 

have ‘enough.’ The Military top brass 

who bought multi million naira houses 

for himself and his children need to be 

taught what ‘enough’ is. Ditto the strong 

man in Lagos who is alleged to have 

choice properties in choice locations in 

the state. We should extend the lesson 

to all the governors who leave office far 

richer than when they got there and still 

award mouth-watering pensions for 

themselves. Just when will it be 

‘enough’? A half-illiterate who became 

a First Lady still didn’t think God has 

done enough for her. Time Magazine 

once did a study on the superrich and 

concluded that once a person reaches a 

certain level of income and a certain 

lifestyle, other monetary additions are 

irrelevant to that lifestyle. Bill Gate for 

example, could lose or gain ten billion 

dollars tomorrow and they wouldn’t 

affect his lifestyle. 

So again, what is enough? Before we 

think this indulgence and avarice of 

going beyond ‘enough’ only concern the 

rich, let us consider the needs of the 

rank and file. I believe for example, that 

not more than two meals a day should 

be considered enough for sustenance. 

As for raiment, a dozen shirts, a quarter 

of a dozen trousers and a couple of 

shoes should be considered enough for 

any working class person. Shelter is a 

warm, cosy place where the family can 

feel safe. And the family itself should 

not be more than two or three kids per 

couple. A car in a family where 

affordable should be enough. Please 

know that there is a difference between 

need, desire and greed. It is when we 

blur the lines that primitive acquisitions 

set in. 

I should be careful not to divulge 

privileged information by narrating 

a story a friend once told me. He is 

a retired CEO of a bank and a major 

player in the financial circles. He 

had a chance to make a killing in 

those days when the elite class 

traded inside information on shares 

and amassed fortunes through this 

largely unwholesome practice. He 

excitedly told his wife how much 

he could make from some 

transactions. His wife was not 

impressed. She asked instead what 

difference that would make to their 

lifestyle and suggested that they 

would only end up buying another 

expensive toy they had little use for. 

Her reply brought him to earth and 

taught him a lesson on what was 

indeed enough. Thanks to his wife, 

he lives simply and today, has a 

vibrant foundation that has helped 

many young entrepreneurs achieve 

their dreams. 

As we begin a new year with its 

many resolutions, let us focus more 

on our needs and not what our 

neighbour or best friend has. Let 

us redefine the word ‘enough.’ To 

help us, I will go back to the 

WhatsApp article and the family’s 

wish that has been handed down 

generations. It says: “I wish you 

enough sun to keep your attitude 

bright no matter how grey the day 

may appear. I wish you enough rain 

to appreciate the sun even more. I 

wish you enough happiness to keep 

your spirit alive and everlasting. I 

wish you enough pain so that the 

smallest joys in life may appear 

bigger. I wish you enough gain to 

satisfy your wanting. I wish you 

enough loss to appreciate all that 

you possess. I wish you enough 

hellos to get you through the final 

goodbye.” 

So my prayer to all my friends and 

readers this year is this simple 

exhortation: ‘I wish you enough.’ 

(That you are reading this article is 

in itself a reason to be grateful.)May 

the year be a fruitful one for us all. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR. 

Political Editor 

emmanuelaziken@vanguardngr.com 

08052201189 

Patience Jonathan’s penchant for politics and proper 

operty 

Despite her seeming determination 

to stay away from the headlines, 

Mrs. Patience Jonathan apparently has 

nowhere to hide. Again and again, 

issues emanating from her husband’s 

five-year rule continue to propel her into 

the media. The latest incident was last 

Wednesday when a house in Abuja 

allegedly owned by her was ransacked 

by policemen. 

The newspapers were varied in the 

description of the ownership of the 

property. Some said the house was 

owned by Mrs. Jonathan; and some 

claimed that the house belonged to a 

relation of Mrs. Jonathan’s, perhaps 

held in trust for the former First Lady. 

A few reports also claimed that the 

security agents invaded the home of the 

former First Lady. However, deeper 

introspection would show to anyone that 

it may well be the house of Mrs. 

Jonathan, but certainly not her home; 

given that she did not make it a home. 

Mrs. Jonathan was certainly not the 

only First Lady who stirred 

controversies while her husband was 

president. Virtually all subsequent 

First Ladies have exceeded their 

predecessors by their jaunts and 

jobs. 

However, unlike most of her 

predecessors, Mrs. Jonathan set her 

political radar at a level that 

inevitably put her husband in many 

conflicts. Some even allege that she 

showed herself a better politician 

than her husband and that her 

present predicament is a backlash 

for her hard politics. 

While other First Ladies wielded 

influence within the limits of the 

political and financial interests of 

their husbands, Mrs. Jonathan came 

to national renown simply putting 

her interests forward, and at many 

times, apparently ahead of those of 

her husband. 

Many trace the crisis in the Peoples 

Democratic Party, PDP that 

eventually led to the defeat of her 

husband in the 2015 presidential 

election to her faceoff with Governor 

Rotimi Amaechi at the Okirika 

waterfront in August 2010 when she 

publicly scolded the host governor. 

From that time when she was barely 

four months as First Lady, and when 

she insisted that her view must prevail 

over that of the governor, the political 

permutations of her husband began to 

change. Indeed, before his emergence 

as president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan 

was reckoned by those who know to 

have had the closest relationship with 

Mr. Amaechi among the five PDP 

South-South governors. The story is 

even told of how Dr. Jonathan as vicepresident 

would come to Rivers State 

for relaxation and would not go to his 

home state, Bayelsa, where Governor 

Timipire Sylva held sway. 

Whether that Okirika Waterfront 

faceoff was the final humiliation for 

Amaechi, no one can say conclusively. 

It remains to be known whether 

President Jonathan made subtle efforts 

to mollify the ego of Governor Amaechi. 

But following that August 2010 incident, 

the relationship between the two men 

became more of pretence masked only 

by the exigencies of winning the 2011 

elections. 

Did Dr. Jonathan as president have 

his sight over his wife’s politics and 

property penchants? 

Following Dr. Jonathan’s defeat, it has 

also emerged that Mrs. Jonathan or her 

camp in the presidential villa helped 

to scupper a last minute deal to prise a 

very prominent northern governor 

from the APC. After the deal was 

sabotaged, the northern governor 

eventually helped to deliver about two 

million votes for the APC. The deal 

would have seen the northern 

governor returning to the PDP. His 

reward would have been the 2019 PDP 

presidential ticket. 

That deal was arranged after the APC 

presidential primaries where the 

interest of the northern APC governor 

was punctured. A South-South 

governor who has now taken a 

prominent position in the PDP Senate 

caucus was said to have been behind 

the deal. 

Mrs. Jonathan’s camp in the 

Presidential Villa was said to have 

shut down the deal alleging it was a 

self-serving deal by the South-South 

governor to position himself to be vicepresidential 

in 2019. 

Whatever, that deal failed and so the 

two million votes which PDP diehards 

claim were manufactured found their 

way into the APC box. Even though 

the deal did not succeed, the former 

northern governor now a senator has 

not known peace with the cabal around 

Buhari supposedly for contemplating 

that treachery. He has been disowned 

by his successor who had all along 

been his loyalist. 

What an irony that both the former 

northern governor and Mrs. Jonathan 

could be at the receiving end of the 

politics of today! 

C 

M 

Y 

K

C 

M 

Y 

K 


Anew year has come. It has come with 

old and fresh hopes. It will encounter 

reality and hopes that aren’t well 

founded, will crumble quickly. Then the year 

willpeter out, like the one that preceded it. And 

a load of failed expectations will be optimistically 

deferred, hurled, to the subsequent one. 2016 

had come with many hopes. Naira was still 198 

to a dollar – officially- then. The disparity 

between that rate and the black market’s (N260 

per dollar) was considered frightening.That crazy 

black market exchange rate was the handiwork 

of unscrupulous speculators, we were told. Those 

were the good old days, it now seems. Then, 

they bothered to give excuses. The naira is now 

prostrate at N500 per dollar, and they aren’t 

saying anything. The gulf between the ratesis 

now large enough to swallow the Atlantic, but 

the government is no longer rattled by it. 

When 2016 came we were told the bleeding 

vessels of the economy would be tied up. The 

government, they said, was in full deliberate 

control. We believed because they never seemed 

to be in any panic,they spoke with knowing ease. 

Then we, cheerfully , slipped into a deep 

recession. They won’t take any responsibility 

for the decline. They kept cheerful and knowing 

faces. You don’t know if they understand pain 

because not even their tone has changed. You 

read their messages of hope twice and you can’t 

but hiss. Where is the substance? Where is a 

clear plan? Don’t look for it, thou man of little 

faith. Their inexplicable assuredness rebukes 

doubt and scrutiny. 

Naira is dying from the ‘issue of blood’ and 

they are still smiling the smiles of messiahs. We 

thought they had something up their sleeves in 

2016: A miracle worker/magician could have 

been strolling down from somewhere, wanting 

things to get thoroughly messed up before he 

arrived , so that the redemption is breathtaking. 

They made us dream dreams. You can’t stillmake 

out if it’s lack of empathy or too much of it. This 

seeming nonchalance. A patient on life support 

cannot trust thefaces her doctors put forward to 

reveal any direness. But she can always gleam 

turmoil from their occasional franticness. With 

these ones in Abuja, it’s baffling imperturbability. 

The budget of 2016, we were told, would do 

economic wonders. It failed miserably. But no 

one has come clear. We had no money to fund 

that budget. We may not have any money to fund 

this new one. There is nothing in the 2017 budget 

indicative of repentance. Kitchen utensils and 

other sinful items have made a noisy comeback. 

Of 2017 and Federal nonchalance 

Soon ‘paddings’ will reappear. And they will bicker 

and bicker, and pass the budget when it has lost 

allmeaning. The Avengers and their political 

sponsors haven’t disappeared yet. And we are 

helpless against them. Yet we can, insouciantly, 

announce- we will come out of recession soon. 

When a man finds himself in a suffocating 

predicament, he can embrace denial for 

temporary relief. But you would think that the 

affairs of a nation should be handled more 

truthfully , more soberly. So that,if padlocking 

naira at 315 per dollar makes CBN and 

government officials emergency billionaires, then 

a policy change would be effected in a hurry. But 

they will do nothing but say- “we are on top of 

it!” 

Yes, they are on top of it. Violent herdsmen are 

still on the loose, everywhere. Whole villages 

were ruined in 2016, and not a flicker of real 

deterrence has been seen anywhere. There is no 

urgency, none that is reassuring, none that makes 

a distinction between cattle and human life. We 

arebeing conditioned to take the massacres as 

inevitable.Like trees, shedding their leaves, 

occasionally, seasonally. We are now accustomed 

to gory spectacles, intestines and all. Everyone 

seems to know the source of the impunity of the 

herdsmen, except the federal government. The 

federal government is shackled byparochial 

cattle- rearing sentiments. We can leave it at that. 

The Army , even the army, is now talking cattle 

ranches and cattle rearing. It’s 2017, but the 

violent herdsmen wont just disappear. 

It will be a great year, that’s what they have 

said. But the two political parties have their 

fingers firmly on self -destruct buttons. The ruling 

party has shed its sanctimoniousness. It has 

admitted too many leprous elements. But hasn’t 

it always had an abundance of those? The real 

tragedy is that it now has a torn soul. And since 

it has learnt not to tackle anything headlong, it 

won’t stitch. So itsdecay will continue and its 

collapse may be sudden. Tinubu and Oyegun’s 

public spat has left the party permanently 

diminished and potentially moribund. How can 

the party of ‘change’ keep a national chairman 

whom its national leader has publicly branded a 

fraudster, an impostor? What lofty ideals can such 

a party still pretend to? Not righteousness, not 

fairness, and definitely, not unity.Tinubu and 

Oyegun are now mutually incompatible. But they 

look at us with smiling faces and say – “all is 

well, politics is about conflicts” 

The opposition party is in rags. All it does is - 

howl and howl. If it stares hard into 2017, it must 

The truth is that despite 

Buhari’s anti corruption 

stance, policemen will 

continue to extort 

motorists in 2017 in 

plain public view. The 

government is utterly 

helpless 

see abject bleakness. The imminent disintegration 

of the PDP is a major set back for our political 

growth. PDP was many ugly things, but it was 

inclusiveness and consensus. Another party may 

rise from its ashes, but can any be as unifying as 

the PDP. The problems of the PDP are complicated 

by the fact that it is the party vociferously making 

excuses for corruption. Buying of votes aside, no 

opposition party can appeal to the poor with such 

a message. 

Workers have become bleating mules. Their 

salaries are tethered, andrampant winds of 

inflation have left it threadbare. But they won’t 

even get those frayed notes without tears. And 

no one will tell them anything besides sophistry: 

“The economic diversification policy of this and 

that government is on course,blablabla………..” 

Wouldn’t you think that peoplewillfool themselves 

up to an extent, up to the brink, and then pull 

back from destruction? What has changed in the 

states where governors with itchy fingers, who 

know nothing besides the rigging of elections 

and self aggrandizement, preside? What will 

change in 2017? The purchasing power of 

workers will remain wretched, and their families 

will continue bleating in 2017. That is the truth. 

The truth is that despite Buhari’s anti corruption 

stance, policemen will continue to extort 

motorists in 2017 in plain public view. The 

government is utterly helpless. The Customs 

officials at Semeborder will continuewith their 

customary brazenness. The government will tell 

you some vacuous stuff:‘change starts with you’. 

Lecturers will sell marks for sex and cash, 

everywhere. Yes, because thousands of them who 

sold marks last year are better off than those of 

them who held back and didn’t sell. No one was 

prosecuted. Soldiers of God had their way in 2016. 

They killed Patience Agbahime in broad daylight 

and got away. Why wouldn’t they soothe their 

bloodthirstiness again? 

It’s not easy for any government to contend with 

so much confusion. But the confidence of the 

people is not retained by empty consolations and 

wishfulness alone. Lack of responsiveness and 

absence of visible plans , in theface of worsening 

social circumstances, create gloom and 

hopelessness. 

When you get to the local wing of the Port 

Harcourt airport don’t walk pass without a 

thought. Spare a thought for Jonathan, Wike and 

Amaechi. Imagine the contribution of the region 

to the national economy. Ask anyone near you: 

“what is really happening?”While he fumbles 

for an answer, throw a cathartic, tufiakwa!at those 

makeshift tents. 

Wealth and abstruse NNPC 

petroleum operations 

Economics tells us that wealth is an 

accumulation of goods that have 

economic value. It further explains that 

economic value has the characteristics of 

utility, transferability scarcity, and 

measurability. In a hospitalair artificially 

conditioned as oxygen possesses economic 

value because it can be scarce. When 

conditionedoxygen is paid for in monetary 

terms by patients it has a feature ofwealth. 

We realised the various uses of petroleum 

in the 19 th century. Theincreased utility of the 

commodity enhanced the wealth of nations 

that have the opportunity of possession. It is 

on record that petroleum can be processed into 

products and derivatives as many as 6000. 

Petroleum in Nigeriahas been handled 

likeunconditioned air that is freely available 

and without the condition of wealth attached. 

Nigeria’s approach tothe uses of petroleum 

appears lethargicbecause the importance we 

attach to it has no semblance of what is 

wealth.A renowned British economist, John 

Maynard Keynes (1883 - 1946)quote on 

wealth is that: If Enterprise is afoot, Wealth 

accumulates whatever may be happening to 

Thrift; and if Enterprise is asleep, Wealth 

decays, whatever Thrift may be doing.It was 

like he pictured Nigeria sleep on enterprise 

to use petroleum for wealth. 

Our concern is sharing from the till we 

hardly labored for. Since 1956 when Shell 

d’Arcy struck oil in commercial quantityin the 

swampy communities of Otuabagi/Otuogidi 

in the Oloibiri District in present day Ogbia 

Local Government Area of BayelsaState we 

have been in Joint Venture partnerships with 

International oil Companies, IOC that placed 

us in disadvantaged position which we hope 

the policy had a review recently. We have less 

than 10 percent contributions by the NNPC 

subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum 

Development Company, NPDC to national 

crude oil exploration and production. 

We encourageIOCs in what they would not 

do for a dare in their countries; with impunity 

that heavens would never fall. We connive 

with them here and they become utterly evil. 

Metering facilities are made not to function 

to commit ritual stealing in the various crude 

oil exports terminals-owned by 

IOCs.President MuhammaduBuhari has 

been crisscrossing nations to recover an 

estimated US$150 billion of stolen oil funds 

by Nigerians. 

The Chatham House of United Kingdom 

Think Tank report on Nigeria’s criminal crude 

It is embarrassingly 

unimaginable that today 

we sell crude oil for an 

average of US$350 a ton 

and buy back refined 

imported products and 

derivatives from that 

quantity for as much as 

US$3000 

in September 2013, said that Nigeria’s oil was 

being stolen on an industrial scale with ready 

buyers in West Africa, the United States, 

Europe and several Asian countries. It 

reported that Nigeria loses about US$8billion 

a year to theft by politicians, security forces, 

militants, oil industry staff, oil traders, and 

members of local communities, most of who 

have no interest in stopping it. 

NEITI’s audit report submitted to the 

Nigerian Senate in June 2016 revealed the 

loss of US$9 billion in the lifting of crude oil. 

The loss includes under assessment, theft, 

inefficient practices, and US$1.7 billion still 

owed to the federation from the Oil Mining 

Leases, OMLs.Last month, the Nigerian 

Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, 

NEITI accused the NPDC and NNPC of not 

remitting US$4.7 billion and N380 billion to 

the Federation account. 

We have cultivated the easy life way to 

issues of refining to generate funds. It is 

embarrassingly unimaginable that today we 

sell crude oil for an average of US$350 a ton 

and buy back refined imported products and 

derivatives from that quantity for as much as 

US$3000. With low price for crude, Nigeria 

sold crude, refused to refine, devalued her 

currency, import refined products at exorbitant 

prices and impoverished her citizens. 

Indeed our thinking has made it that 

importation of petroleum products from nonproducing 

consumer nations is the best. It was 

victory shoutsfrom the people that the 2016 

Yuletide travels were stress free. They got the 

elusive gasoline or PMScalled for celebration 

even as the stagflation bites harder. To our 

petroleum managers it was eureka! People 

travelled without difficulty in getting fuel at 

suffocating rates. Our local airlines and other 

international airlines were going to Ghana to 

refuel. That is the unfortunate story we hear 

from our land. 

Our petroleum has been like a stream 

flowing for income and not like a lake that 

accumulates wealth. Crude oil had indeed 

been viewed as a working capital which we 

sell to generate dollars to import products. 

With the little generated foreign exchange 

liquidity from crude exports we fund imported 

petroleum products. From the Central Bank 

of Nigeria’s second quarter, Q2, 2016 report, 

the Federal Government spent US$6.09 billion 

on petroleum imports in the first six months 

thus putting pressures on Nigeria’s foreign 

reserves. By estimating the value that falls 

outside that range or extrapolation the 

national oil company would have spent over 

US$12 billion importing petroleum products 

in 2016. 

The monthly NNPC Group Financial 

Report for October 2016 showed that the 

national oil company posted zero revenue in 

the review month, incurred an expense of 

N14.84billion and recorded a total deficit of 

N14.84billion. The deficit for the 10-month 

period beginning from January 2016 was put 

at N161.76billion. From this Report and with 

the production cut from OPEC and non-OPEC 

members to shore up crude prices, the signs 

are already there that imported petroleum 

products would go up in 2017. 

We have the petroleum market in Nigeria 

and West Africa but without the product. 

Nigeria in dire straits needed a flag waver 

in perennial products scarcity in this land of 

plenty crude. We supply countries crude oil 

and buy petroleum products from them 

exorbitantly. A great paradox! Let us benefit 

from refining locally and stop being foreign 

refiners’ representatives. 

The same old story one preached to 

successive administrations to invest in 

refineries and petrochemicals is what one is 

reminding President MuhammaduBuhari 

again.One hopes the President we believed 

had the ability is also not lacking in the will. 

Developed and emerging nations never 

looked for the easy way out. They sought 

for lasting solutions to complex 

problems. Ours is to contemplate selling 

refineries to generate income for 

recurrent expenditures. 

The Minister of State for Petroleum Dr. 

IbeKachikwuin October 2016 sought the 

assistance of India to lend Nigeria 

US$15 billion for long term crude oil 

contract.As net petroleum importer India 

has two national oil companies with 19 

out of its 23 refineries owned and run by 

Government. India maintains its share 

in global oil business and is a member 

of the BRICS (Brasil, Russia, India, 

China and South Africa). They have state 

owned enterprises, SOE created by 

government to undertake commercial 

activities including refineries and 

petrochemicals. 

We have had over 20 years ofthe gullible 

must accept the gospel from the fallible 

that petroleum products importation was 

the ultimate.The mentality that we must 

import petroleum products from Spain or 

other north western European countries that 

buy crude oil from Nigeriais retrogressive 

and has no place in wealth accumulation.


We have signature 

sound you can’t hear 

anywhere else 

— Falobi Twins (FTK) 

T 

he Falobi twins have an unusual 

bond, they do and share most 

things together. They both study Mass 

Communication at Babcock University. 

FTK - Falobi Taiye Kehinde started their 

music career the same day and are now 

International performing artistes. They 

have a specialty for performing with a live 

band and they both play the guitar. 

BY JULIET EBIRIM 

What type of music do you do? 

We play Afro/Hip-hop with a 

flavour of RnB 

due to our knowledge in 

music, there is rhythm 

and emotion in every 

song. 

What inspires your music? 

We all know that music is food 

for the soul and music is life. 

So on what inspires our music, 

we’ll say real life situations, 

experiences and most times, the 

mood we find ourselves in when 

playing our guitar or listening 

to beats. Summarily, we are 

inspired by the environment. 

Whatever we do, we put the 

people who believe in us and 

support us first. 

You have a new album in the 

market, what is the title and 

which one do you consider the 

best? 

Yes, more like a promo album 

titled “The Crown”. All the tracks 

in this album are amazing and 

fantastic but we consider 

“Gbesoke Rmx” the best because 

we featured 9ice on the track and 

shot a video for it, plus it’s very 

dance-able. Besides, our fans 

seem to love it so much. 

Who is your music idol and 

whose music really thrill you? 

Well, we really look up to the 

likes of 2fFce, Psquare and 

Wande Coal. On whose music 

really thrills us, there’s a whole 

lot of them. For example, 

Patoranking, Simi, Davido, 

Wizkid, Seyi Shay e.t.c 

Why music and not what you 

are studying in the university? 

Well, music came to us 

naturally unlike Mass 

Communication that we’re 

studying. It’s like art, you must 

have the gift first , an innate 

desire for creativity, ability to 

visualize and you must be 

blessed with a creative mind. So 

studying that at a higher level 

will only improve your ability 

and maybe sharpen your gift. 

Besides, when one invests in 

Second, we 

infuse exotic 

dance steps to 

every track we 

release. 

•Taiye & 

Kehinde 

Falobi 

(FTK) 

something that he or she 

enjoys and loves doing, the 

chances of he or she being 

successful becomes high. In 

other words, music chose us 

not the other way round. 

What do you think sets 

your music apart in the 

industry 

First of all, our lyrics have 

meanings, we don’t blab and 

again we have a signature 

sound that can’t be heard 

anywhere else. Second, we 

infuse exotic dance steps to 

every track we release. Also, 

Are your parents in 

support of your music 

career? 

Yes, our parents are in full 

support, we are from a 

family where you are given 

the liberty to express your 

talent, as long as you are 

focused and operate within 

the rules. Our father is a 

very strict disciplinarian, 

he treats you good but you 

don’t want to see the side 

of him. 

Where do you see 

yourselves five years 

from now? 

Fully established...In 

the next 5years, we 

imagine every home 

not being able to do 

without listening to 

one of FTK’s 

tracks.We are looking 

forward to being 

international music 

ambassadors, taking 

Nigerian music to the 

world. Because our 

music is one of our 

heritage, it’s so 

peculiar and 

u n i q u e . 

Secondly we will 

want be joy 

partners to the 

world, use our 

music ,our talent to preach peace and 

preach oneness, one family, one love. 

What do you have for the Nigerian 

youths who are your fans? 

For all our loyal fans out there we 

say a big thank you for the love and 

support you’ve shown us. We 

promise to over shower you all with 

the best music just for your pleasure.


Juliet Ebirim 

08137897935 

juliet.ebirim@gmail.com 

C 

M 

YK 

Oba Saheed 

Elegushi and wife 

KSA to perform alongside 

Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar 

at Coachella 2017 

King Sunny Ade is billed to perform at this year’s edition 

of the annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. 

The event will hold at the Empire Polo Club, Indio, 

Califonia, USA. 

Organised by Golden Voice, the event features many 

genres of music including rock, indie, hiphop, 

electronic dance music as well as art installations and 

sculptures. 

The Juju singer will be performing alongside other 

international artistes like Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, 

Bon Iver, DJ Snake, Radiohead, DJ Khaled, Travis 

Scott, Tory Lanes, Hans Zimmer and many more. 

Coachella 2017 will hold between April 14th-16th as 

well as 21st-23rd. 

Last year’s edition saw Nigerian trio, The Young 

Fathers of Liberian and Scottish origin participate at 

event alongside African acts such as Black Coffee. 

Dolapo 

Badmus 

Dolapo Badmus - On shabby 

dressing in the police force 

The Nigerian Police 


Lagos State Command, 

Dolapo Badmus is one 

woman that exudes an 

alluring aura aside the 

combatant fitted 

personae she exhibits at 

work. Despite her tight 

schedule as PPRO, her 

approachable demeanor, 

unassuming carriage 

and her fashionista 

tendency says a lot 

about her as a 

passionate career 

woman. While speaking 

as a guest at Xceptional 

Women Network 

Conference held in 

K.S.A 

Between Oba Saheed 

Ademola Elegushi 

and his wife 

Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi 

Kusenla 111, the Elegushi of Ikate 

land is the youngest king in Lagos 

State. Fondly called King Gushi by 

his admirers, Oba Saheed ascended 

the throne in April 2010, following 

the death of his father, Oba Yekini 

Adeniyi Elegushi in 2009. 

The youthful king, who clocked 40 

years in April 2016, has just only 

one wife, Oloori Sekinat Aramide 

(nee Ipaye) and they have been 

happily married for 13 years. 

Oba Elegushi and Oloori Aramide 

are childhood sweethearts. They 

met during their undergraduate 

days in Lagos. The bond they 

shared was so strong back then that 

their friends knew that it would 

result into marriage. Thirteen years 

down the line, the bond keeps 

waxing stronger and the union is 

blessed with three children. 

Oba Elegushi is a graduate of 

Economics from Lagos State 

Lagos recently, she berated 

the notion that Nigerian 

Policemen dress shabbily. 

“A lot of people believe that 

police officers are meant to 

be seen dirty, haggard and 

tattered because they fight 

crime. I disagree with that 

because being a crime 

fighter should not make you 

look like the criminals you 

are chasing. A policeman or 

woman must be good looking 

and clean because it is a 

noble profession. Like an 

adage that says – ‘neatness 

is next to godliness’ this 

applies that looking good in 

a person is innate. A police 

officer at all time should 

University, Ojo. Also, he bagged a 

Masters in Public Administration 

from Manchester Business School, 

University of Manchester, United 

Kingdom. Between 2003 and 2007, 

Oba Elegushi served as the Personal 

Assistant to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, 

the former Lagos State governor. He 

was also a Senior Special Assistant 

on Special Duties to Governor 

Babatunde Fashola between 2007 

and 2010. 

Oloori Aramide is a graduate of 

Accountancy from the University of 

Lagos. She runs a chain of business 

enterprises, which encompasses 

grocery, boutique, household wares 

and beauty salon. Blessed with an 

ebullient nature and warm and 

humble dispositions, Oloori Aramide 

has gradually built an enviable 

reputation as one of the most stylish 

queens in Nigeria. She always 

stands out whenever she steps out at 

an event. 

85 year old Emir of 

Daura welcomes 

baby girl 

Emir of Daura, 

Alhaji Farouk Umar 

(inset) his wife 

portray an aura that radiates 

love. If you are dirty, people 

will retrace and look down on 

you. If you are neat, people 

will like to come closer and 

associate with you. It is a 

natural law. And mind you, 

Police is your friend.” 

Speaking further, she said; 

“The belief that Nigerian 

police are always seen 

dressed shabbily, perhaps, is 

a reflection of our society and 

also based on our mentality. 

When the streets are filthy 

Emir of Daura, 

Alhaji Farouk Umar 

Farouk and his 

beautiful young 

wife, Gimbiya 

Aisha Umar Farouk 

have christened 

their first child. The 

baby girl is named 

Halimatu Sadiya 

Umar Faruk. 

Born in 1931, Umar 

Farouk became the 

60th Daura on 

February 2007. He 

married his wife in 

mid 2015. 

and unkempt it robs off on 

the society, as well as the 

police. If the society 

encourages the police to be 

neat, they will be neat and 

this encompasses interpersonal 

relations and 

attitude towards a 

policeman. Police officers in 

the western world do not 

look dirty. They look clean 

and still do their work and 

fight crime. In fighting crime, 

you can still look very good.”


Oba Soyebo 

07086528395 

obasoyebo@gmail.com 

Real reasons 

D’banj lost out on 

the Ciroc deal 

Fresh facts have emerged as to why Nigeria’s self-acclaimed 

Kokomaster, Oladapo Oyebanji, popularly known in 

entertainment circles as D’banj, lost out on his 

endorsement deal with ultra premium vodka, Ciroc. 

We can inform you authoritatively that since Guinness, a 

Diageo company has merged with all Diageo brands, all 

have not been the same with staff and ambassadors of the 

brand, as many have lost their jobs and endorsement deals 

with the brand. One celebrity that was part of the major 

hit was D’banj, who we gathered parted ways after 

completing the 2015 nationwide Ciroc tour alongside 

Bankole Wellington, popularly known as Banky W. 

Impeccable sources reports that D’banj lost a contract 

renewal on account of his unacceptable stand over the 

adjusted terms that were made in tune with the current 

economic recession. We learnt the tour that has given 

D’banj’s career sustainability and boost, favoured Banky 

W, who is still very much in the deal as an ambassador, as 

the brand gives sponsorships and endorsements for his 

videos and trips. 

Otunba 

Wale 

Adesina 

and 

wife 

Good times for 

celebrity woman, 

Abiola Olawoyin 

These are indeed good times for Georgia, 

USA-based celebrity woman, who is the 

Executive Director of Stardom Beverages 

Nigeria, Abiola Olawoyin. The society 

woman, whose company recently diversified 

into juice production and baking, with a 

multi-million naira factory, situated around 

Badagry area of Lagos, will in few weeks 

launch her oprhanage home around Lekki 

axis of Lagos. Those close to her inform that 

the woman of glory and substance has just 

put up an expansive edifice and would cater 

for the less-privileged kids within Lagos 

with a view to giving them better life. 

Abiola Olawoyin 

D'Banj 

Otunba Wale Adesina’s 

talk of town New Year 

Party 

Otunba Wale Adesina, popularly knowm as Wale 

Saranda, who is presently erecting a massive mansion 

right in front of the deputy governor’s official quarters 

inside Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, treated his family, 

friends and associates to a classy new year party. The 

event had all the movers and shakers of Ogun and 

Lagos states’ socio-political establishment in 

attendance. His beautiful wife, Asabi Temitope, was 

the ‘Madam Fix It’ as she ensured all guests had 5- 

star treatment with surfeit gourmet and choice drinks 

at the event. The Babalaje of Yewaland, who is the 

CEO of Western Quarries, we hear, recently acquired a 

property in Canada. 

Tolu 

Omoniyi 

Bobo’s Clothing celebrates 

superlative 10th anniversary 

City Big Boy, Tolu Omoniyi, who is undoubtedly one 

of the biggest fashionistas in Lagos, has just staged 

a superlative event to mark his clothing line’s 10 

years anniversary. The event tagged ‘legend on the 

runway’ had Dayo Adeneye, Cosmas Maduka, 

Coscharis CEO and top celebs in attendance as 

Excellence Hotel, Ogba hosted dignitaries and 

clients of the beautiful brand. 

The celebration was indeed an avenue to give back 

to the fashion line’s loyal customers as customers 

won trips to Kenya for vacation courtesy Bobo 

clothing. 

Chris Ubosi & 

Ijeoma Ubosi 

What you 

don’t 

know 

about 

Ijeoma 

Ubosi 

Enterprising and 

adorable are few words 

to describe the beautiful 

wife of City Big boy, 

Chris Ubosi, who is the 

CEO of Beat FM, Naija 

FM and Classic FM. 

Delectable Ijeoma is the 

MD/CEO of Kontessa 

Nigeria, an upscale 

fashion outlet situated on 

Adeola Odeku Victoria 

Island and Allen Avenue, 

Ikeja, Lagos. The elitist 

store sells strictly 

designer bags, shoes, 

shirts for men, women 

and kids. She also 

C 

M 

Y 

K

26—Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017 

By BENJAMIN NJOKU 

How Fela’s music 

influenced my 

childhood 

—-Mo’mi, Canadian-based 

Nigerian fashion and Art promoter 

It’s almost impossible to 

underestimate the 

impact Fela Anikulapo 

Kuti’s music had on the global 

music scene. Even in death, 

many have continued to 

appreciate his creativity and 

music, describing him as the 

greatest musician that ever 

lived from Africa. This 

testimony is not different from 

the one shared by Omowunmi 

Alero Dawodu better known 

in the international fashion 

scene as Mo’mi about the 

impact Afrobeat music made 

on her life. 

The celebrated fashion and 

art promoter who is 

currently in the country to 

learn the culture, tradition 

and further understand her 

royal roots in Itsekiri 

kingdom and Lagos island 

will ever live to worship Fela 

as a demi-god. She has 

narrated how the Afrobeat 

King really influenced her 

childhood, saying as a child 

her greatest memories were 

dancing and singing to Fela’s 

music with her kid sister. 

According to her, “My 

father was involved in the 

music business and he really 

introduced me to music 

where I developed a strong 

passion for Fela Kuti’s 

music.” 

Narrating further, she said, 

Fela’s music captured her 

spirit at a young age and 

“because I had a deep 

understanding of his 

message he was sending 

through his music gave me 

a sense of pride to be myself 

and to express myself 

courageously to face 

anything.” 

“So meeting Fela when I 

was 10 and watching him 

perform on stage, and the 

whole experience of being in 

his presence set the tone for 

the rest of my life,” she 

enthused. 

Mo’mi, who said she never 

really wanted to pursue a 

career in the fashion 

industry, revealed that she 

grew up around women, in a 

predominantly white 

dominated community in 

Canda. “ I’m one of five girls 

with no brothers, which was 

quite interesting. Being a 

black Canadian in a 

predominantly white 

community had its 

challenges for sure but the 

good thing was music and art 

was rich in our home and still 

is in my memories of 

growing up.” 

Continuing, she said, “I 

didn’t grow up wanting to be 

a fashion designer or make 

up artist. I starting helping 

out with Afrikadey! 

Afrikadey is a world music 

festival in Canada, which its 

aim is to unit Africa culture 

and tradition through music. 

And this has been something 

I have always been proud of 

doing as my father, Tunde 

Dawodu was the founder and 

creative director. I took 

advantage of it to be involved 

in the business.” 

While describing herself as 

someone who loves 

adventure and art, Mo’mi 

said, she has a deep love for 

Africa, adding that “my 

dream is to travel throughout 

this continent, so far I’ve 

been to Tanzania, Congo, 

Zambia and Nigeria.” 

On what motivated her to 

return to Nigeria, Mo’mi 

said, “I came back for so 

many different reasons, 

primarily my quest to learn 

more about this amazing 

country and to share my 

experience as a make up 

artist with other aspiring 

make up artists. I will be 

hosting several make up 

workshops in Lagos , before 

I will expand to other parts 

of the country.” 

I have worked with some 

•Daddy Fresh 

Fresh 

•Fela 

of the top names in the world 

of fashion and make up which 

was a huge honour to me. 

My role as hospitality 

coordinator with Afrikadey 

opened up many doors for 

me to interact with Grammy 

award winning artists.” 

Mo’mi said, while in 

Nigeria, she intends to create 

programmes that can directly 

affect people and the country 

By Anozie Egole 

•Mo’mi 

positively. “I love to create 

new experiences to share my 

lifestyle through many 

different initiatives I plan to 

set up here in Nigeria. I see 

this as a partnership between 

Canada and Nigeria. I had 

already known a few artists 

from Afrikadey including 

Nike Okundaye who graced 

Canada with her batik 

workshops. 

Daddy Fresh bounces 

back, unveils record label 

Glamour boy of Nigeria beats scene, Innocent 

Onyemauwa, popularly known as Daddy 

Fresh staged a comeback to the music scene 

last weekend when he unveiled his UE Records which 

co-owns with the pretty society lady, Felicity 

Enyinnaya. The event took place at a hangout in 

Isolo area of Lagos. 

Dressed in his usual colourful outfit, Fresh was 

all over the place, trying to put things together to 

ensure that the event was successful. The 

unveiling ceremony witnessed a performances by 

the two music acts, Chukwuebuka , chukwukaelo, 

popularly known as Brozino and partner, 

ChidiebereOkafor called Justix, who were signed 

to the label. 

Speaking at the event, Fresh said, his fans should 

expect the best of Daddy Fresh any moment from 

now. 

“As a stakeholder, you should expect good music 

from me. After all, first impression lasts longer. 

That was why I had to do everything humanly 

possible to ensure that we had a memorable 

outing”, he said. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


By AYO ONIKOYI 08052201215 

onikoyi68@gmail.com 

Tony Okoroji releases hit 

single ‘Happy Music’ after 

25 years 

Former PMAN President and 

COSON chairman, Tony 

Okoroji, has released a new 

single after 25 years of his last one. One 

of the nation’s favourite radio stations, 

the Lagos based Beat FM 99.9 

introduced the year, 2017 with the hot 

fresh song. The song which hit listeners 

with pumping rhythm and many 

colours of harmony is titled “Happy 

Music”, the first single released in 

many years by the music maestro. 

As “Happy Music” was pumping on 

Beat FM, on New Year’s day, it was 

oozing out of speakers from diverse 

radio stations across the nation in what 

is clearly a well-coordinated release by 

TOPS, the record label owned by 

By ROTIMI AGBANA 

Former member of defunct 

female singing group, KUSH, 

Lara George, has sounded a note of 

warning to the organizers of 

Headies awards, and advised them 

to retain their hard-earned 

credibility, respect and integrity in 

the eyes of the public. Speaking to 

Showtime in an exclusive interview, 

the sultry singer advised that next 

time, organizers of the awards 

should be more patient and apply 

wisdom in dealing with 

controversial issues that affect 

nominees for subsequent editions of 

the awards. She however lauded the 

credibility of the awards, tagging it 

the most credible awards in the 

country as it has set the pace for 

other music awards in the country. 

“I think that the Headies award is 

at the top of its game. I know that 

there were some controversies in the 

past and even at the last edition; but 

I feel if you look at the overall work 

that the Headies has done, you 

could say that it’s been 90% on 

point, and that is a good score. I 

know there is more work to be done 

but so far, the Headies just needs to 

be careful and make sure that it 

stays on point because you don’t 

want people to be too discontent, 

other than that, it’s been a great 

one, I mean it’s been excellent too. I 

have to give them great kudos for 

the work they have been doing”, she 

said. 

She went ahead to say “The 

Okoroji himself who has promised 

that with an abundance of talents, 

TOPS will be a significant player in 

entertainment production, 

distribution, publishing and events 

organization across the Nigerian 

nation in 2017 and beyond. 

In what may be described as a 

“shock and awe” operation, the video 

of “Happy Music” shot at Philip 

Trimnell’s enchanting Chakaville 

Beach Resort near Eleko in the 

outskirts of Lagos, is already in 

circulation. The hot “Happy Music” 

video with some vivacious dancers 

is set to hit TV screens all over 

Nigeria before the end of the first 

week of 2017. 

Lara George sounds note of 

warning to Headies 

Lara George 


It was an exciting moment to remember 

at the Kien and friends musical concert 

which recently held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, 

Lagos, when 9-year-old Diobo Kiendigi 

and her friends held the audience spellbound 

with dexterous displays of instrumental mastery 

and classical music performances. The 

event tagged ‘Kien and Friends Classical Music 

Concert’ was an avenue for kids to showcase 

their skills on musical instruments like 

the violin, cello, piano and saxophone, which 

they all did in grand style. 

Kiendigi, who is fondly known as Kien, explained 

she had been playing the violin and 

credibility of the Headies awards is 

unrivalled, every selection has 

always been the people’s choice and 

that’s the reason the organizers must 

not lose that, no matter what, the 

Headies needs to stay ahead of the 

game and you know the way to 

maintain that credibility is to retain 

what brought them to this level in the 

first place”, she advised. 

Tony Okoroji with the cast for the video 

While all hands at TOPS are on 

deck coordinating the muscular roll 

out of Okoroji’s “Happy Music”, 

every system is being readied for 

an explosive introduction to the 

world of the Nigerian music 

Kids showcase instrumental skills at Kien & friends music concert 

piano since the age of 4. Eleven-year old Orafiri 

Koko whose parents are very supportive of her 

love for instruments, plays the violin and piano. 

However, she insisted that as much as she 

loves music, it would not affect her education. 

8-year old Sopi Koko who played the piano brilliantly 

during the concert started playing the 

piano at age 4 and the Saxophone last year. 

She says playing the piano is fun and easy for 

her, because she has more experience with the 

instrument. Other pupils who performed were 

Teniola Bankole- Olusina, Taisosa – Deborah 

Owoturufa, Taisosa – Deborah Owoturufa, Loli 

Koko, Chizara Dozie, Ezenne Madichie, Tosa 

Owotorufa and Ige Tolulope Olurotimi. 

industry’s recent most talked 

about songstress, KASI, the June 

12 Girl, who will on Saturday 

January 14 simultaneously drop 

two big singles. 

Collete Nwadike to screen fashion 

movie series African Beauty 


All is set for the screening of a fashion 

movie series titled African Beauty on TV 

screens across the country, coming from the 

stables of Nollywood actress, model, beauty 

queen and movie producer, Collete 

Nwadike, the 25-year old CEO of Screen 

Goddess Global Productions. 

The movie series is the first of its kind in 

fashion movie series born out of the 

actresses’ desire to expose the mysteries 

behind beauty pageants in Nigeria. According 

to the young and budding movie 

producer, Collete Nwadike, she has seen the 

urgent need to unravel the hidden secrets 

viewers never see on TV, but only hear from 

the mouths of ladies who have the guts to speak 

out. It is a movie series which will expose the 

dirty activities of organizers of 

beauty pageants, orientate and 

educate the public about what 

goes on behind the scenes 

during and after beauty pageants 

in Nigeria and around 

the world. 

“I have participated in a 

number of beauty pageants, 

I’m an ex- beauty queen, so I 

see myself as one of the most 

credible persons to confidently 

educate people about what 

transpires behind the scenes 

during and after beauty 

pageants in Nigeria”, she 

said. When Showtime 

asked her if she wasn’t 

scared to step on toes by 

exposing such ills, she said 

“As long as I’m saying the 

truth and I’m affecting the 

lives of young people 

positively, then I don’t 

mind stepping on toes.” 

•Collete Nwadike


Edited by Ayo Onikoyi 

08052201215 

I’m still godfather 

of all Ajegunle 

musicians 

— Daddy Fresh boasts 

•Says, ‘I’m back to 

reclaim my place in the 

Nigerian music scene’ 

By BENJAMIN NJOKU 

musician to host a president. 

I hosted Obasanjo at a place 

called Boundary in Ajegunle 

and it was fun. It was during 

the 2006/’07 presidential 

election. 

What are you bringing to 

the table now that you are 

back? 

I am bringing reality to 

the table as I have always 

done in the past. You know 

I have always used my 

music to create a demand in 

the minds of the people; the 

need for us to love one 

another. I have also used my 

music to create a demand in 

the people concerning the 

need to be self-reliant. 

Self-styled godfather of Ajegunle musicians, 

Innocent Onyebuchi Onyemuwa, 

popularly called Daddy Fresh, who 

made waves in the early 90s with his “Eleru gbe 

eru” and disappeared into thin air while the 

ovation was loudest, is back on the scene. The 

versatile singer recently announced his return 

to the music circle with the unveiling of his new 

record label, UE Recordz, which he wants to 

use to groom his successors. Already, he has 

signed two talented acts, Juxris and Browzino 

to the label, and he’s looking forward to making 

a great impact once again on the nation’s music 

scene. He spoke to Showtime Celebrity on what 

he’s bringing to the table as he stages a 

comeback to the highly competitive Nigerian 

music scene. 

What’s happening to your 

career? 

My career right now is 

back on track. It actually 

went off track for years due 

to some challenges, but 

right now, I’m back on track, 

and getting ready to prove 

my worth once again in the 

nation’s music scene. 

Could you tell us some of 

these challenges? 

I want to keep them 

private but they were very 

strong challenges. Thank 

God who never allowed 

what the enemy planned 

against me to prosper. 

Looking back and at 

what is happening today 

in the Nigerian music 

scene, where do you 

place yourself? 

I still place myself as a 

pioneer and godfather of 

Ajegunle musicians. When I 

was out there, the likes of 

Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, 

Nico Gravity, Father U-Turn 

among others joined me and 

when I went off stage they 

followed suit. Now I’m back, 

and my prayer for them is 

that they should start 

staging a comeback to the 

industry too. 

What have you missed 

since your disappearance 

from the scene? 

I have missed constant 

stage performances. I also 

missed my ardent fans who 

were no more privileged to 

listen to my songs over the 

years, and who kept 

disturbing me on the social 

media to return to the scene. 

I’m glad I’m back to take 

my rightful place in the 

Nigerian music scene. I 

disappeared from the scene 

for good. My detractors 

thought it was the end of the 

road for me. But 

unfortunately for them, I’m 

back, better, fresher and 

stronger. 

What are the inspiring 

•Daddy Fresh boasts 

When I was out 

there, the likes of 

Daddy Showkey, 

Baba Fryo, Nico 

Gravity, Father 

U-Turn among 

others joined me 

and when I went 

off stage they 

followed suit 

factors 

behind the 

Ajegunle 

musicians? 

G o d 

empowered me 

to inspire a whole lot 

of them. That’s why I am 

their godfather. 

Is this inspiring factor not 

responsible for the 

disintegration among 

Ajegunle musicians! 

Since I went underground 

for years, there is bound to 

be loopholes. 

But how are you going to 

champion the return of old 

Ajegunle musicians? 

I have actually done it in 

the past and that’s why I 

was honoured with the title 

of Asiwaju of Ajegunle 

musicians. If it’s the will of 

God, why not? But right 

now, I am all for myself. I’m 

trying my best to stage a 

comeback because I went 

through hell because of 

Ajegunle. My family and my 

fans are very important to 

me at this moment. If other 

top artistes are ready to 

follow suit, I pray that God 

should give them the 

strength to do so. 

What’s your connection 

with Olusegun Obasanjo? 

I was the first Ajegunle 

When you look at what is 

happening in the Nigerian 

music scene, what do you 

take away from it? 

Low platform. The 

platform is weak and 

need a very solid 

platform where we 

can express 

ourselves and 

our creativity. 

We also need 

the support of 

the government 

that will 

recognize the 

importance of 

show business 

in the country. 

American 

government do 

not play with their 

entertainers. They 

hold them in a very 

high esteem. Our 

government should emulate 

them. 

Many believed you 

went underground because 

you have nothing to offer 

again? 

That’s not true. Daddy 

Fresh is a musician till 

infinity. I have over 162 

songs, mixed and mastered. 

And that’s why I said I’m 

ready to go. I’m back to 

reclaim my rightful place in 

the Nigerian music scene. 

What’s the idea behind the 

new record label you 

floated recently? 

The setting up of the 

record label, UE Recordz, 

was financed by my friend 

and kid sister who believed 

in what I’m doing. She 

asked me to manage the 

label as a way of supporting 

my career. 

I want to use the label to 

groom young and aspiring 

artistes. Already, we have 

signed two talented acts, 

Juxris and Browzino to the 

label, and I’m looking 

forward to making a great 

impact once again on the 

nation’s music scene. 

C 

M 

YK


BY JULIET EBIRIM 

Celebrity breakups in 2016 

Here’s a look at couples who called it quits last year; 

Mariah Carey and James Packer: 

Mariah Carey and James Packer have reportedly split. The 

duo got engaged in September, but the Australian 

billionaire called off their wedding - that was supposed 

to take place in early 2017. Mariah, who was previously 

married to Nick Canon, asked the father of her twins to 

finalise their divorce so she could marry James. The 

America’s Got Talent presenter didn’t want to stand in 

the way of the newly engaged couple and singed the 

pending papers in September, shortly before the wedding 

was called off. The short-lived engagement involved a 35- 

carat diamond and platinum blinder, bigger than Kim 

Kardashian’s and Beyoncé’s stones... combined. 

Jennifer Lopez and 

Casper Smart 

Jennifer Lopez relationship with backup 

dancer Casper Smart, recently came to 

an end. The couple had been together 

on-and-off for 5 years, after having 

publicly split in 2014, they made things 

work for another two years. Apparently, 

the 29-year-old prioritising his friends 

and social life over J-Lo was a constant 

problem. The last straw came when Smart 

didn’t accompany the beauty to an 

important Hamptons charity event, and 

went to an UFC 202 fight with his friends 

in Las Vegas. The couple ended the 

relationship in good terms. 

Justin Bieber and Sofia 

Ritchie 

Justin Bieber and Sofia Richie have 

reportedly split. The couple, who was 

recently on a romantic vacation in Mexico, 

had a rough start after Justin posted 

photos with Sofia on social media that 

were not well received by his fans.The 

posts led to a little Insta-feud with his 

ex, Selena Gomez, who asked the singer 

not to be mad at his fans: “If you can’t 

handle the hate, then stop posting pictures 

of your girlfriend lol- It should be special 

between you two only. Don’t be mad at 

your fans. They love you.” After 

threatening to delete his account, Justin 

decided to quit Instagram. This duo’s 

short-lived relationship was certainly full 

of drama! 

Taylor Kinney and Lady Gaga 

After nearly one and half years of 

engagement, Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney 

broke up. The singer was seen performing 

in a Mexican orphanage without her 

engagement ring, and shortly after was 

seen alone on Taylor’s birthday. The 

Chicago Fire actor proposed on 

Valentine’s day last year, with a gorgeous 

heart-shaped rock. Gaga just released 

her new single called “Perfect Illusion”, 

making fans question if the heartbreaking 

lyrics are about Taylor. 

Kate Beckinsale and Len 

Wiseman 

After 12 years together, Kate Beckinsale 

and Len Wiseman have reportedly called 

it quits. According to reports, the couple 

has been struggling with marital issues 

Jennifer Lopez 

and Casper 

Smart 

Justin Bieber and 

Sofia Ritchie 

Calvin Harris & 

Taylor Swift 

for quite some time. On October 25, Wiseman filed for 

divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. 

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne 

After 33 years of tumultuous marriage, the Osbournes split 

amid reports that he had an affair. Whether it’s truly over 

remains to be seen . . . Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman 

Hearts sank when everyone’s imaginary best friend filed for 

divorce from her husband and the father of her two young 

daughters. “Sadly our family is separating legally, although 

we do not feel this takes away from us being a family,” they 

said. 

Angelina Jolie and 

Brad Pitt 

Johnny Depp 

and Amber 

Heard 

Kate Beckinsale and 

Len Wiseman 

Taylor 

Kinney 

and Lady 

Gaga 

Mariah Carey and 

James Packer 

Angelina Jolie and Brad 

Pitt 

Breaking the internet with the news of their 

divorce, fans were sad to see one of their 

favourite Hollywood couples, Brad and 

Angelina, splitting. Angelina filed for 

divorce stating “irreconcilable 

differences”, reportedly on the way they 

raise their 6 children. Many infidelity 

rumours went viral involving French 

actress Marion Cotillard and even Gwyneth 

Paltrow. 

Brad released a statement asking the 

media to preserve their family’s privacy 

and saying he is very saddened by the 

event. Brad and Angelina have been 

together since 2004, but only got married 

in 2014, having recently celebrated their 

2-year anniversary. 

Naomi Watts and Liev 

Schreiber 

Just when we were trying our best to get 

our heads around Brangelina’s split, another 

long-term Hollywood couple has announced 

the end of their relationship. Naomi Watts 

and Liev Schreiber have confirmed their 

breakup after eleven years together. In a joint 

statement, the pair said: “Over the past few 

months we’ve come to the conclusion that the 

best way forward for us as a family is to 

separate as a couple... It is with great love, 

respect, and friendship in our hearts that we 

look forward to raising our children together 

and exploring this new phase of our 

relationship.” 

Calvin Harris & Taylor 

Swift 

Taylor Swift, 26, and Calvin Harris, 32, went 

their separate ways after 15 months of 

dating. It was reported that it was Calvin 

who called off the romance, but Taylor will 

surely have the last laugh with an epic 

revenge song. An insider has claimed there 

was no incident which had triggered the 

break-up. The romance had merely fizzled 

out. “Taylor and Adam had no big blowout 

fight, but the romance just was not there 

anymore for them. Adam is the one that 

ended it. It was all done in a very mature 

fashion. Taylor is pretty upset but they are 

still in communication. Taylor was there for 

Adam with his accident and supportive.” 

Demi Lovato and Wilmer 

Velderrama 

After nearly 6 years together Demi Lovato 

and Wilmer Velderama have reportedly 

split. The couple has never pondered on 

being romantic towards each other, sharing 

lovey-dovey posts on social media, and 

always being very public about their 

relationship. The break up, that came as 

shocking news to their fans was also 

publicaly announced. The singer and the 

actor posted the same statement on social 

media, saying: “This was an incredibly 

difficult decision for both of us, but we have 

realised more than anything that we are 

better as best friends.” 

Jennifer Meyer and Tobey 

Maguire 

After nine years of marriage, Tobey Maguire and wife 

Jennifer Meyer have announced their separation. “After 

much soul searching and consideration, we have made the 

decision to separate as a couple,” Maguire and Meyer said 

in a joint statement. “As devoted parents, our first priority 

remains raising our children together with enduring love, 

respect, and friendship.” 

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard 

A little more than a year after their Bahamas wedding, 

Heard filed for divorce, accusing Depp of domestic abuse.


By AYO ONIKOYI 08052201215 

onikoyi68@gmail.com 

Alibaba gives Nigerians 

New Year’s gifts as 

‘January 1st Concert’ holds 

It was a night of unending 

laughter as hundreds of fans, A- 

list celebrities and socialites 

gathered for Alibaba’s ‘January 

1st Concert’, which held on the 

1st of January, 2017 at EKO 

Hotel Convention Centre, 

Victoria Island, Lagos. 

The concert marked the third 

edition of the annual concert, 

which began in January 2014 

and has since amassed 

favourable comments from 

Nigerians. 

The night witnessed hilarious 

performances from a number of 

fast-rising comedians - giving 

them an avenue to showcase 

their ingrained talents. 

Will Smith 

By ADERONKE ADEYERI 

The private screening for the 

movie ‘Collateral Beauty’ held 

on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at the 

Genesis Deluxe Cinema, The 

Palms, Lekki, Lagos. The 

event had a large turnout 

of people ranging from 

filmmakers, distributors of the 

movie to the average Nigerian 

man. 

The movie, ‘Collateral Beauty’ 

which was in cinemas across 

Nigeria from Friday, 

December 30, 2016, is directed 

by David Frankel and stars an 

ensemble cast of Will Smith, 

Edward Norton, Keira 

Knightley, Michael Pena, 

Naomie Harris, Jacob 

Latimore and Kate Winslet. 

It tells the story of “Love, 

time, death — these three 

things that connect every 

single human being on Earth. 

The fast-rising comedians 

engaged in a competition 

titled ‘Spontaneity’ where 

the freestyle prowess of 

each contestant is tested 

by quipping about random 

words from the audience. 

After intense rounds of 

competitive humour, one of 

the contestants; Laff 

Doctor emerged winner, 

going home with a brand 

new car. 

Popular comedians 

Gbenga Adeyinka, Teju 

Babyface, Bash, Seyi Law, 

AY, Nedu, Yibo Koko and 

Alibaba also took part in a 

freestyle roast, where each 

comedian is allowed to pick 

Will Smith Meets Love, 

Death and Time in 

‘Collateral Beauty’ Movie 

We long for love, we wish we 

had more time, and we fear 

death”. Will Smith (Howard) 

is a creative, charismatic, 

advertising executive who 

used to love life but now hates 

it since his daughter’s death. 

Howard spends lots of time 

writing letters, not to people 

but to “things” as a means of 

therapy. When his notes bring 

unexpected personal 

responses, he begins to 

understand how these 

constants 

The CEO of Blue Pictures, 

Mrs. Joy Ilibeno-Odiete said, 

“I am hopeful audiences will 

discover this terrific film that 

is well done and uplifting and 

has a great message of hope 

and connection. I encourage 

everyone to the movie as it hit 

cinemas across Nigeria on 

Friday, December 30, 2016. “ 

a topic on a provided list to 

roast. 

Other comedians who 

performed on the night 

include Omobaba, Akpororo, 

Kenny Blaq, Lafup, Grand 

Komanda, Woli Arole, Short 

Family, and Comedian Wahala 

who imitated ex-First lady, 

Mrs Patience Jonathan. 

Rapper Olamide, Niyola, 

Waje, Omawunmi, CDQ, 

Harry Song, Patoranking, 

Timaya and Ycee were among 

the musical acts that graced 

the stage to deliver stellar 

performances. 

Honourary awards were also 

presented to highly revered 

personalities for their 

achievements and impact in 

the society. 

A segment of the concert also 

witnessed fashion designers 

exert their skills; each given 

three hours to sew attires for 

volunteers in the audience; 

after which a winner was 

decided and rewarded with a 

brand new sewing machine 

worth N100, 000 and N300, 

000. 

Alibaba also made the night 

an unforgettable one as he 

frequently jested during the 

concert, inducing uncontrolled 

laughter from the audience 

each time. 

Other talented artists, 

prestigious socialites and 

personalities in attendance 

include former First Lady of 

Lagos State Abimbola 

Fashola, Mary Akpobome, DJ 

Jimmy Jatt, Hafeez Oyetoro, 

Doris Simeon, Faithia 

Balogun, Nollywood actor 

RMD, 2face, Mercy Aigbe, 

Toyin Aimakhu, Yaw, 

several others. 

Mike Ezuruonye 

and 

Mike Ezuruonye is highly 

elated about the success of 

his movie ‘Brother Jekwu’ 

and he thanks his fans for 

their relentless effort in 

coming out to see the movie. 

“I am super excited about 

the success of my movie and 

it won’t be possible without 

my fans. I sincerely thank you 

all for your sacrifice and 

taking out time to go and 

watch the movie. To my 

Alibaba on 

stage 

Prime entertainment as first-ever 

Ifeanyi Uba Nnewi Youths Fiesta 

berths 

By Dapo Shofowora 

The quiet town of Nnewi, 

Anambra State, came alive 

penultimate Friday as A-list 

artistes, like Flavour, Phyno, 

Patoranking, Kcee, Psquare, 

Davido, Humblesmith and 

host of other home based 

artistes, stormed the city for 

the ‘Anambra Youths Fiesta 

and Talent Hunt’.The highoctane 

event, held at the 

Ifeanyi Ubah Games Village 

Ozubulu/Nnewi, Anambra 

state. \ 

The event had in attendance 

top dignitaries and 

Mike Ezuruonye appreciates fans 

for success of his ‘Brother Jekwu’ 

colleagues and friends who 

have supported me 

throughout this journey, I 

cannot thank you enough. God 

bless you”, he said. 

The comical movie and 

stresses on the adventure of 

traveling abroad in search of 

greener pastures, love and the 

beauty of Africa. It tells the 

story of a village man with 

native intelligence that is lucky 

to make it to Kenya on the bill 

of his corrupt cousin where he 

gets lost in a tale of his 

adventure while exploring a 

new land and his encounter 

with other folks and two 

government officials. 

Teeming home-based 

audience were already 

seated at the venue by 4pm, 

meanwhile, the venue was 

well secured as the Nigeria 

Police and paramilitary were 

deployed by the state, to 

maintain orderliness, and 

ensure a smooth run of the 

event, which was hitch-free, 

as no causality was recorded. 

Those who attended the 

colourful event, rated it a top 

notch event as the firstever 

big musical and comedy 

show to be held on their 

home soil. 

beautiful ladies led to the 

various comical scenes that 

add a twist to the story. 

The movie has been endorsed 

by celebrities like Ike Uche, 

Kenneth Omeruo, Ace 

Nigerian comedians, 

BasketMouth, Okey Bakassi, 

Popular child comedienne 

Emmanuella, talented 

Nigerian artistes, Falz the 

Bahd Guy, Patoranking, 

Nigerian actors and actress 

such as Lilian Esoro, Queen 

Nwokoye, Toyin Abraham, 

Dayo Amusa, Eniola Badmus, 

Rachael Okonkwo, Harry 

Anyanwu, and many more.


IT doesn’t matter whether 

she has anything to 

do with Nigerian men or 

not. But what matters now is 

that Liberian-born actress, 

Evelyn Louis, who is plying 

her trade in the country is not 

thinking of returning to her 

country any time soon. 

She has confessed her undying 

love for Nigerian men, 

expressing, however, that 

she’s ready to spend the rest 

of her life in the country. 

Evelyn, who has been in the 

country for two years now, 

says her dream is to make 

Nigeria her second home. 

She’s desperately searching 

for love, if that’s what she 

means. “I will definitely go 

back to my country someday, 

even if I’m not going to base 

there. I will be in and out of 

the country and make Nigeria 

my second home,”the faircomplexioned 

actress said. 

The sexy actress relocated 

to Nigeria in 2014, to pursue 

her acting career. While in the 

country, she attended PETIT 

Film Institute,Ajao Estate, 

Lagos, where she did a professional 

course in acting 

before proceeding to another 

film school at Festac. She 

graduated recently from the 

film school, and already, she 

has featured in a couple of 

films, including “American 

Gift”, Marketing Babes” and 

others. 

According to her, the pas- 

THE current economic 

hardship in the country is 

being recaptured in a new 

movie that is due to be 

premiered soon. The 

movie, starring the like of 

Ruth Kadiri, Chiwetalu 

Agu and Kelechi Udegbe 

among others is being 

produced by a popular 

director, Osagie 

Elegbe. 

In chat with 

Osagie, he 

described 

the movie 

as a 

“blockbuster 

movie,” 

disclosing 

that the 

movie 

would 

b e 

premiered 

across 

t h e 

world. 

“The 

movie, 

according 

to him, 

“talks 

Ruth Kadiri 

about the 

What Liberian actress says 

about Nigerian men! 

‘My impression about the 

country back home’ 

sion she has for acting informed 

her decision to relocate 

to the country. “ Before I came 

to Nigeria, I was a producer in 

my country. I have this passion 

for acting right from childhood. 

And I said to myself since I 

have passion for acting, I 

should work on it academically. 

That was why I came to 

Nigeria,” she narrated. 

Evelyn said, she doesn’t mind 

if she finds love in Nigeria. She 

described Nigerian men as 

being 

“awesome, 

wonderful,adding, “They are 

like any other man created by 

God.” On marrying a Nigerian 

man, the rising actress 

declared that “It’s not about 

me, it’s what God wants for 

me. If God gives me a Nigerian 

man in marriage, I will 

marry him. And I will definitely 

be glad to spent the rest of my 

life in Nigeria.” 

Movie on recession 

coming 

However, back in her country, 

Evelyn said, they have a 

very negative impression 

about Nigeria, adding that 

they see Nigeria as a home 

of rituals and witchcrafts. 

“Before I came to Nigeria, 

we used to have a very 

negative impression about 

the country. I heard things 

like: that country is full of 

rituals and witchcrafts. 

But as a passion driven 

person, I didn’t mind 

what they said to me. 

Here, I am today. 

When I arrived the 

country, I discovered 

one needs 

to be self-disciplined 

to be 

able to achieve 

his or her goal 

in Nigeria” 

need for people to go back 

to farming which is the 

only way that we can 

address the prevailing 

economic recession 

in the land. 

“ M a n y 

innovations are 

coming to play in 

this production. I 

do not want to let 

out the cat out of 

the bag right 

now. When the 

movie is 

released in 

a couple 

of weeks 

everyone 

will bear 

witness 

to what 

we are 

out to 

portray” 

Elegbe 

disclosed. 

Gideon Okeke: 

‘Fela’s shoes are 

too big for me’ 

V 

Evenly Louis 

ERSATILE actor, and star 

of Tinsel, Gideon Okeke, 

who brought a deeper side of 

his talent to play last October 

and November, after delivering 

an outstanding theatrical reenactment 

of Fela Anikulapo 

Kuti ‘s life and evolution, 

featuring some of the Afrobeat 

legend’s songs, says the 

Afrobeat King’s shoes are too 

big for him to step into. 

Gideon made this remark, 

in a chat with HVP, shortly after 

his brilliant performance at the 

MUSON festival. He insisted 

that he was not trying to be Fela, 

even though it took him time 

to understudy the Afrobeat 

king. “I am not trying to be Fela. 

I only interpreted in songs and 

dance some of the things he 

stood for while he lived, his 

personality and lifestyle,”he 

said. 

The creative piece, “Fela.. 

Arrest the music”produced by 

Declassical Arts and 

Entertainment Company in 

collaboration with MUSON 

Center was a musical on the 

life and times of the legend Fela 

Anikulapo Kuti. 

Written by Paul Ugbede, 

(winner of the Beeta Foundation 

Playwrights competition), the 

piece expressed in songs and 

dance the daily struggles of an 

African man; how he is being 

subjected to the forces of 

suppression and humiliation 

from the western world, his 

own government, the society, 

et al. Gideon has always proved 

he’s a different specie when it 

comes to acting. 

Okeke on stage


08116759759 

It's my y quinceañera a and I'll cry y if I want to! 

AMexican teenager looked 

ready to cry at her 

quinceanera after thousands of 

people descended on her 

birthday party. 

More than a million people 

RSVP'd to attend Rubi Ibarra 

García's 15th birthday on 

December 26 after her parents 

posted a video invite on social 

media, which instantly went 

viral. And while only a fraction 

of those people turned up at the 

party in the small village of La 

Joya, San Luis Potosi State, 

Mexico, the huge numbers were 

enough to overwhelm Rubi and 

her family. Pictures from the 

event show the teen being 

mobbed by guests and local 

media as she tried to make her 

way to Mass. 

Rubi and her family looked 

miserable after the event was 

hijacked by the revelers who saw 

the invite on Facebook after they 

forgot to set the event to private. 

'To all who have arrived I ask 

you please do not despair 

because we are really many 

people and we are just seeing 

how to speed things up,' Rubi 

posted on Facebook, in Spanish. 

'I just ask for your patience so 

that we can all enjoy this party 

that was made for all of you.' 

Local media reported that the 

family were 'annoyed with the 

media and with the people who 

do not respect the rules that they 

had established.' 

The 15-year-old has become 

something of a local celebrity 

after her parents' Facebook invite 

went viral. 

In the 45 second clip, Rubi's 

parents Crescencio and Ana 

Elda, stand on either side of her 

while her father calmly extends 

an invitation to her birthday 

party. Her father says in 

Spanish: 'Hello, how are you 

doing? We invite you on 

December 26 to our daughter’s 

Rubi Ibarra Garcia’s quinceañera 

party' 

He also listed what bands will 

play at the blowout in the town 

of La Joya which is in San Luis 

Potosí, Mexico 

It may not seem like a 

particularly exciting video but it 

has certainly captured the 

attention of people in Mexico 

who have lampooned it on social 

media. There were more than 50 

mock events on Facebook with 

thousands of people saying they 

will attend the party. 

A quinceañera is an elaborate 

celebration of a girl's 15th 

birthday to symbolize her leaving 

childhood. Quinceañeras are 

usually celebrated by Latinas 

and their families and friends. 

‘Immoral and Inhuman’ 

Stubborn man refused to 

speak to his wife for 20 years 

because he was 'sulking' 

The father-of-three, who still lived happily 

with his wife, explains that he was 'jealous' 

of the attention and care his wife was giving 

their children. A man refused to speak to his 

wife for more than 20 YEARS because he was 

'sulking', adding: "There's no going back now". 

Father-of-three Otou continued to live with 

his wife and family , speaking normally to his 

children, but he never uttered a word to his 

long-suffering wife Katayama Yumi for two 

decades. 

She spoke to her partner and addressed him 

as usual but to no avail - he would only nod or 

grunt in reply. Revealing the reason behind his 

silence, the man said he was "jealous" of the 

attention his wife gave their children. The 

bizarre problem came to light after the Japanese 

couple's 18-year-old son, Yoshiki, wrote into a 

TV show asking for help to reunite his parents. 

He said he had never heard his parents speak 

since as far back as he can remember. "My 

father doesn't talk to my mother but my mother 

talks normally to him," he explained on the 

show. 

"It's a one way chat." His 21 and 25-year-old 

sisters could 

also not 

remember a 

time that they 

had ever 

heard their 

parents 

speak to each other. 

Speaking on the TV show, which is understood 

to be filmed in the city of Nara, Southern Japan, 

the father explained his reasons for giving his 

wife the silent treatment. 

He felt she was not giving him enough 

attention. "When the kids were born my wife 

was very involved and busy in raising the kids. 

"I was kind of... jealous. I was sulking about it. 

"There's no going back now I guess," he 

added. The Japanese show plotted to 

reunite the parents by arranging a meeting 

between them at the same park where they 

had their first date. And the strange 

situation had a talkative ending. After visibly 

struggling, the father manages to utter a few 

words to his wife as they sit together on a 

bench in Nara Park. As their children watch 

on and cry, Otou says: "Somehow it's been a 

while since we talked. 

"You were so concerned about the kids. "Yumi 

up until now, you have endured a lot of hardship. 

I want you to know I'm grateful for everything." 

The pair promise their future together won't 

be so quiet. 

RUSSIAN officials have angrily attacked 

Charlie Hebdo for the satirical magazine’s 

cartoons on the crashed military Tu-154 which 

have provoked disgust in Moscow. 

Some 68 members of the Alexandrov music 

and dance ensemble perished when 

the aircraft crashed into the Black Sea 

on Christmas Day. 

They were among the total of 92 

passengers and crew who died in the 

tragedy. 

The images in the French satirical 

magazine show a choir member from 

the ensemble making a wailing 

sound “aaaaaa.” 

One caption reads: “The repertoire of the army 

choir is expanding.” Another cartoon in the 

magazine implies it is “bad news” that Russian 

president Vladimir Putin was not on board as 

the aircraft crashes into the Black Sea. 

A third image shows bodies sinking in the 

sea with the caption: ‘The Red Army conquers 

a new public.” The Russian Defence Ministry’s 

spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov 

condemned the cartoons. 

He said: “It is degrading for any human being 

to even pay attention to such a poorly-created 

abomination. “If such, dare I say, ‘artistry’ is the 

real manifestation of ‘Western values’, then those 

who hold and support them are doomed – at 

least to loneliness in the future.” 

He claimed Russians who had worn ‘Je 

suis Charlie’ have now gone quiet. 

The leader of Chechnya, a strongly pro- 

Putin politician, Ramzan Kadyrov joined the 

criticism. “I have said it before and will say 

it once again now – that 

the editorial policy of the 

magazine is immoral and 

inhuman. 

"It has nothing to do with 

freedom of speech - 

neither directly nor 

indirectly." The tragedy 

was "taken as personal 

grief by millions of 

Russians and our friends across the world," 

he said. Yet magazine "mocks our national 

tragedy". This is not the first time that 

Charlie Hebdo has angered Moscow with 

controversial caricatures connected with 

Russia. In November 2015, the magazine 

published cartoons on the Russian 

Kogalymavia"s A321 plane crash in Egypt 

that killed 224 people, the country's worstever 

aviation disaster. 

The French Foreign Ministry has told 

Russian critics that the country"s leadership 

has nothing to do with the activities of the 

magazine and that the employees of the 

weekly are free to express their own 

opinions 

C 

M 

Y 

K

SATURD 

TURDAY Vanguard, 

JANUARY ARY 7, 2017—33 

Moments from om ESUT’s 17th 

convocation 

ocation 

The 17th Enugu 

State University 

of Science and 

T e c h n o l o g y 

convocation was held 

recently. The colourful 

event was graced by the 

State Governor and 

Visitor to the 

University, His 

Excellency RT. Hon. 

Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Amb. 

(Dr) Hassan Adamu, 

Chancellor (Wakili 

Adamawa); Pro 

Chancellor and 

Chairman of Governing 

Council, Prof. Godfrey 

Onah; former Senate 

President, Dr. Ken 

Nnamani and other 

dignitaries from diverse 

walks of life. 

L-R: AMB. (DR) Hassan Adamu, Chancellor, ESUT; Prof. Godfrey Onah, 

Pro Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council, ESUT; Gov. Ifeanyi 

Ugwuanyi of Enugu, and Prof. Luke Anieke, VC, ESUT. 

Layebi ebi Tejuoso and Olalekan 

an 

Aluko in royal nuptial 

JUJU maestro Evangelist Ebenezer Obey Fabiyi 

played to the admiration of all during the reception 

of the wedding ceremony of Princess Layebi 

Tejuoso and Olalekan Aluko at Abeokuta 

penultimate Saturday. The occasion which took 

place at the event centre in Obasanjo Library 

after the church wedding at The African Church 

Cathedral of St James, Idi-Ape, Ago-Oko Abeokuta 

was attended by 

dignitaries from far and near. Photos by Wumi 

Akinola 

The couple: Lekan and Layebi, signing the 

marriage register 

L-R: Mrs. Fidelia Njeze with Dr. Arthur Eze, Dr and 

Ken Nnamani, former Senate President and other 

guests at the event. 

L-R:Prof. Anike, Prof. Onah, Amb. (Dr) Hassan 

Adamu, Chief Jugde of Ebonyi State, 

representing Gov. David Umahi in a hand 

shake with RT. Hon. Ugwuanyi, Enugu State 

Gov. 

Bride, Layebi flanked by parents; Oba and Olori 

Tejuoso. 

Prof. Luke Anike, VC, ESUT in a chat with Engr. (Dr) 

Prince Arthur Eze (Ezen'Ukpo). 

L-R: Engr. (Dr.) Emeka Okwuosa and Prince 

Dr. Jeff Nnamani, Doctorate awardees. 

OOA Foundation hosts 300 orphans to picnic 

OLADIRAN Olusegun Adebutu (OOA) Foundation recently organised a picnic for 300 orphans and 

vulnerable children at Muri Okunola Park with special aim of creating a platform for them to meet 

their benefactors. Photos by Sola Oyelese 

L-R:Mr & Mrs Benjamin Aluko, groom's parents 

with Olori Kuburat Ayangunren. 

L-R: Kemi Sokenu Morris, Mr Oladiran Olusegun, 

Chairman of OOA Foundation and Chief Kenny 

Martins with the orphans. 

L-R: Hon Kayode Amushan , Chief Kenny 

Martins and Mr Oladiran Olusegun Adebutu. 

L-R: Margret Orakwusi, Kate Henshaw, Mr 

Oladiran Olusegun Adebutu, Chairman of the 

OOA Foundation, Kemi Sokenu Morris and 

Chief kenny Martins

34—SATURD 

TURDAY Vanguard,JANU 

anguard,JANUARY ARY 7, , 2017 

bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 

Why make so much noise during sex?! 

Have you ever woken 

up the morning after 

some mind-blowing sex and 

think: “Why did I tell him all 

that stuff while we were 

cuddling last night?” 

Apparently, you’re not 

unique. Recent research 

shows that women who had 

an orgasm disclosed more of 

their positive thoughts and 

feeling about their partner 

afterward than those who 

didn’t climax—and they don’t 

feel as if they’re taking a risk 

by doing that. Blame it on 

your brain chemicals making 

you feel trusting. 

According to experts, an 

orgasm triggers the release of 

oxytocin, the feel-good neurochemical 

that also makes 

spooning (lying front to back 

with your partners) feet 

amazing. “People get looselipped 

after an orgasm 

because the oxytocin makes 

them think it’s the right time 

to say gooey things,” explains 

author Amanda Denes. “In 

serious relationships, a little 

sappy gab might not be a bad 

thing, but in casual situations, 

it’s sort of a mixed bag. 

Professing your love to 

someone you’ve been seeing 

for a few weeks could scare 

him away, but it could also 

help take things to the next 

level. So when in doubt, err 

on the side of taciturnity and 

see if you still feet like 

spilling in the morning.” 

Deep down, we’re all 

animals in bed. After all, sex 

is an extremely primal act, 

and when we use our verbal 

human brains to talk about 

it—it’s clear that the tongue 

and the groin are linked (in a 

much less graphic way that 

you readers are picturing 

right now!) “Language 

communicates not only 

information but also meaning, 

feelings and symbols of 

internal realities,” says 

Amanda Denes. “We can use 

it to make sex better in a 

mechanical, instructional 

sense, but it also makes the 

act more meaningful.” In fact, 

a few choice words can set off 

the arousal response as 

swiftly as a sensual touch — 

especially in women who are 

more turned on by ideas than 

by visuals. But an off-colour 

or way-too-raunchy phrase 

from a man in your bed can 

turn you off just as quickly.” 

When Annie, a banker met 

Herbert, one of her bank’s 

directors at the bank’s award 

dinner, she was impressed by 

this sophisticated and 

powerful man sitting across 

her on their table. “I’ve 

always been drawn to 

powerful men,” she 

confessed, “and Herbert 

was the type of gentleman 

that often attracted 

me. Weeks later, we 

hooked up in one of the 

bank’s guest rooms. He 

was married and I wasn’t 

looking for a permanent 

relationship. I just wanted 

fun! 

“He was adept at 

touching the right buttons 

and in minutes, we were 

writhing on the bed. Then 

I heard this sergeantmajor-like 

barking 

ordering me to: ‘Don’t just 

People get 

loose-lipped 

after an 

orgasm 

because the 

oxytocin 

makes them 

think it’s the 

right time to 

say gooey 

things 

groan, tell me how you’re 

feeling. Tell me what I’m 

doing to you and what you 

really like.... ‘ On and on 

he went. It was a shock. 

What the hell was wrong 

with him? When I looked 

at his face, his eyes were 

bulging. He looked more 

of a rapist than a man 

having consensual sex. I 

was a bit embarrassed 

afterwards but he seemed 

to be pleased with his 

performance. 

That was the last time I 

went out with him.” 

No one has the blueprint 

for a happy-everafter 

relationship, but 

there are guidelines I have 

picked up along the line 

that could help. One of 

them is to take your time. 

The foundations for a 

lasting love life are set at 

the start of your 

relationship. 

Take time to get to know 

your partner physically. 

Make it a mission to find 

new erogenous zones and 

give them pleasure in new 

ways. Try new things. 

Don’t get lazy: Sex can 

get into a rut, so make a 

pledge to try something 

new every month, check 

out new sexual positions; 

choose a different pattern of 

foreplay or bring some sex 

toys into the bedroom. Keep 

it fun. Bring a sense of 

humour into the bedroom. 

Play games, explore your 

fantasies and role-play, keep 

a spirit of adventure. 

Make time: All this playing 

around requires time, so give 

it the space it deserves. Don’t 

wait for just before you fall 

asleep—treat yourself to a 

Are you easily embarrassed? 

Aman once recalled a 

party he attended at 

one of his in-laws’ house. It 

was a very lively party and 

he got so sloshed that when 

sleep eventually enveloped 

him, he welcomed it. You 

can, therefore imagine how 

embarrassed he was when 

he woke up the following 

morning on one of the party 

tables! All guests were long 

gone and the neighbourhood 

was noisily waking up to a 

new day. All eyes were 

curiously on him as he 

scurried off. 

Another family man told 

me his wife had already 

given up on trying to 

persuade him not to go to 

parties on Friday nights only 

to return on Saturday 

mornings. On one particular 

morning, however, he drove 

home confidently, only to be 

greeted by the landlord on 

the balcony. He told me: 

“You can imagine how 

embarrassed that made me 

feel. The landlord has always 

been like a father to me and 

my family. Seeing me 

coming in at seven in the 

morning, made me feel like a 

thief caught dipping his hand 

in the till. To complete my 

embarrassment, his wife and 

some of the children were 

with him. It put a temporary 

hold on my wild nights!” 

Embarrassment is 

something we all have to put 

up with one time or the other. 

But do you know why you get 

embarrassed or how to cope 

with situations that get you 

flustered? Here are some 

facts about embarrassment as 

compounded by some 

experts. 

Is a woman more 

embarrassed than a man? 

No. Psychological studies 

show women have much 

more social poise than men 

and are better able to take 

an embarrassing moment in 

their stride. 

Is a person with high 

opinion of himself the most 

easily embarrassed? 

No. People with low self 

esteem are more easily 

embarrassed by real or 

imagined criticism of their 

clothes, attitudes or 

manners. They tend to feel 

full evening in bed. 

Respect each other: There 

will be time when one 

person wants sex less than 

their partner. This can be 

frustrating if you’re losing 

out but it’s important to 

respect your partner’s view 

and not to put them under 

too much pressure. Stress 

lowers libido, so when 

problems get back to 

normal, so will your sex 

life. 

Keep intimate: Even 

during times of stress, 

when you’re not having 

sex, it’s important to stay 

intimate. Show your love 

and commitment through 

hugs, cuddles and getting 

close. Share the hard 

times—secrets can breed 

resentment. 

Support one another. 

Adapt: As you grow older 

together, adapt your sex 

life to suit changing your 

home or work life. Children 

or ill health can impact on 

a relationship but you can 

get through it with a bit of 

imagination. 

Temptation: If you find 

your eye wandering, 

remember the grass may 

appear greener else-where 

but usually isn’t. 

others are judging them 

and finding them wanting. 

And their low esteem 

makes them believe the 

negative evaluations are 

valid. 

What’s the easiest way to 

make a man get flustered? 

Tell him, something’s 

wrong with his clothes— 

especially in mixed 

company; that would not 

embarrass a woman. It 

would just make her 

annoyed. And women 

don’t get as easily 

flustered as men. 

Are we more easily 

embarrassed as we get 

old? 

No, The adolescent years 

are when we’re most prone 

to embarrassment. 

Is the best way to cope 

with an embarrassing 

moment simply to act as 

though nothing happened? 

No. That often increased 

the tension of everyone 

involved. A sociological 

study show that the best 

way to cope is to laugh it off. 

This invites others to view 

the moment as something 

they can laugh at too.

Vanguard, SATURDAY, JANUARY 7, 2017—35 

Twitter: @yetundearebi 

yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk 

08054700825 

Yetunde Arebi 

Christmas turned out not so 

great for my friend’s 

daughter, Tolulope, after 

all. She’d departed Lagos 

for Ekiti state early 

Christmas Eve with Kunle, her husband 

of barely six months full of excitement, 

joy and expectations. Shola, her friend 

of several years and now sister-in-law 

had gone ahead of them to help them 

prepare all they would need to have a 

comfortable and enjoyable stay back at 

the village. It was Tolu’s second visit to 

her in-laws, the first had been a brief 

one day event to introduce her to his 

father and close family members, 

shortly before the wedding. She had 

also met quite a number of them when 

they came to Lagos for the wedding. 

So, in a way, the Christmas trip was to 

say thank you to all of them for their 

support during the wedding. Saying 

thank you was even more important as 

Kunle’s mother, second wife of his 

father had died a few years back and 

so did not witness the wedding 

ceremonies, everything was performed 

on her behalf by the other wives in the 

family and her own family members. 

Besides, Kunle is like the apple of his 

father’s eyes since his older brother 

lives far away in America with his 

family. 

Everything was going on fine and she 

was in fact, enjoying every moment of 

the visit, well, until about mid day 

Tuesday when she was summoned to a 

meeting by the women of the family. 

According to her story, the women sat 

in a circle and she was made to kneel 

down in the middle. Then, the eldest, 

Kunle’s aunt, a primary school teacher, 

whom he’d already described to her as 

a no nonsense woman, was 

unanimously ascribed the post of 

spokeswoman. She began by 

welcoming her to the family. She told 

her that though she was also regarded 

as a daughter, but her primary role in 

the family was as a wife. That they had 

noticed that she had settled in well but 

it was necessary for them to point out 

certain things to her so that she will not 

offend anyone more than necessary. 

They told Tolulope that they are 

aware that being a city girl and from a 

rich family, she has exposure different 

from that of village life but that she has 

to adjust to their own rules in the family 

if she wants to remain one of them. The 

woman said she had observed that Tolu 

was calling her husband by his name 

and this ought not to be so. She asked 

who is older between them and Tolu 

affirmed that Kunle is. Then, she 

continued. She said since Tolu was not 

present at Kunle’s naming ceremony 

and she is a wife, she ought not to call 

him by his name, especially in public, 

and never in their presence. That she 

knows they are "alakowe", (lettered 

people), but that does not mean that 

they should turn society upside down. 

That Tolu must desist from calling her 

husband by his name from that 

moment. That she must coin a pet 

name for him, different from even the 

love endearments they call each other. 

The sweetie and honey tags must be 

limited to their bedroom and not 

outside of it. She would call him the 

coined name until they have a child 

and thereafter will call him by his 

child’s name whenever they are 

among family members. That she has 

been disrespectful to them by boldly 

walking around and calling him by his 

name. 

Still finding the whole drama 

amusing at that moment, Tolu said she 

thanked them and made to stand up 

only for one of them to order her down 

asking if she’d been given permission 

to stand up. She said she quickly 

apologised because the woman who 

shouted her down happened to be 

her friend, Shola’s mother. It was at that 

moment that she realised that she had 

landed in big trouble and became 

afraid. To make matters worse, her 

Baptism 

of fire 

The woman told her that 

though they were aware 

of her relationship with 

Shade, but since she 

has now married her 

brother, the relationship 

has changed 

husband had gone into town with 

some of his cousins and was not 

expected back anytime soon. Shoulder 

and head slumped now, she heard 

another voice addressing her. The 

woman told her that though they were 

aware of her relationship with Shade, 

but since she has now married her 

brother, the relationship has changed. 

She said Tolu can no longer address 

Shade by her name and must call her 

‘aunty’ as she is now her iya-oko 

(mother-in-law). 

That they have been watching her for 

the past two days, walking around 

without shame and calling everyone by 

their names. She said she was shocked 

and as she raised her head to look at 

them, she noticed that Shade had 

walked into the room and was busy 

fiddling with something on the table. 

Tolu said she expected her friend to 

come to her rescue but was surprised 

when she walked out of the room 

without a word. 

Then, as if on a second thought, the 

women decided that she could give 

Shade a pet name because of the 

relationship they had prior to the 

wedding, otherwise, it was 

disrespectful of her to call 

anyone or any child born 

to the family before her 

arrival by their names. 

They asked if she was not 

aware that if it were in the 

olden days, no matter how 

small any of them may 

seem, God forbid that 

anything should happen to 

her husband, any of the 

young boys in the family 

could become her husband 

as is custom. On 

returning to her room, she 

must get a piece of paper, 

write a list of all the young 

in-laws and write their 

new pet name of her choice 

or theirs, next to the 

names. 

At this point, Tolu said 

she began to cry and as if 

trying to justify their 

actions, they started telling 

her how things had 

changed from the time 

they got married and came 

to the family as young 

brides. They said it was 

their duty to point out to her 

how she was to behave as a 

member of the family and 

that she too will one day sit 

in their position to induct a 

new bride and advice her. 

They said she must have 

realised that Kunle is 

called Alakan, a name 

given to him as a child by 

one of the oldest wives and 

which have stuck, such that 

even some of the children 

now call him brother 

Alakan. When they 

eventually gave her 

permission to leave, she 

said she apologised for her 

mistakes and promised to 

be a better person. 

My friend and I were 

shocked beyond words. 

“So, what did your friend 

and husband have to say 

about it”, I asked? Tolu said 

she has concluded that 

Shade is no longer her 

friend but simply her in-law, and 

would treat her as one from now on. 

She said Shade’s silence when she 

came in and saw what was 

happening, was a confirmation that 

she knew they had such a plan. 

If she did not have the power to stop 

them, she had a duty to warn her 

ahead. After the drama, Shade also 

kept a safe distance from her and even 

when she refused to eat dinner and 

was packing for the trip back, she did 

not really try to make her feel better. 

But why would Shade do such a 

thing? Esprit de corps with her family 

members? Fear of being reprimanded 

by the women? Settling a score with 

her friend and putting her in her 

place? Desire for recognition and 

respect as a benefactor? And why her 

mother too? If anyone has benefited 

from the relationship, at least in the 

last one year, it was Shade and her 

mother. So why would they now turn 

to front-line opposition members? 

“I hope you didn’t go there empty 

handed oh”, I asked, still puzzled as 

I was unable to make sense out of the 

whole story. But Tolu said they bought 

salt and onions which were 

distributed to all the women in the 

compound including neighbours. My 

friend said she also sent Ankara fabric 

to Shade’s mum. Perhaps it was not 

enough, I said. Maybe they were 

expecting something else, some of 

them having attended the lavish 

wedding ceremonies sponsored by 

Tolu’s parents in honour of their first 

daughter? “Well, if the women (Shade 

and her mum) did not perform up to 

expectation, what about Kunle”? 

Naturally, it caught him unawares and 

he was furious. But Tolu managed to 

calm him down since they had plans 

to leave early the next morning. Tolu’s 

mother also spoke to them after 

listening to her daughter’s ordeal, 

insisting they must pretend that all 

was well. 

Now back in Lagos, the unanimous 

decision is that the couple stay as 

much as possible away from the 

village should they have to go, they 

would stay with Kunle’s maternal 

family members or lodge in a hotel in 

town. Shade has been elevated to the 

status of an aunt, though without her 

brother’s approval. Tolu’s mother is 

unperturbed as she believes they 

have more to gain from her daughter 

than she from them. But what is the 

fate of Kunle’s father who obviously 

is in the dark of the unwholesome 

treatment meted out to his young 

daughter-in-law? Now he has been 

denied regular visits and care from his 

promising son. 

There is no doubt that women are 

builders of the home; custodian of 

culture, tradition and societal values. 

Through them life is preserved and a 

continuum ensured. Thus, women are 

in a way institutions in themselves, 

wielding much power. However, in 

playing their approved roles in 

society and family circles, many 

forget to do so with the fear of God in 

their hearts. 

We often fail to correct with love. We 

forget to empathise with our fellow 

women. We forget how we felt when 

similar treatment was meted out to us, 

believing that if we went through an 

experience, then the next woman 

must suffer same fate. Not all the 

women in that gathering were 

illiterate, one of them was a senior 

primary school teacher and Shade’s 

mum is believed to have attended 

Modern School, surely, these must 

count for something. It is experiences 

such as Tolu and Kunle’s that drive 

away young city people from the 

villages, believing they might be 

attacked by some evil spiritual forces. 

Unfortunately, most fingers point at 

the women. As for Shade, I am 

yet to figure out her game! 

Do have a wonderful weekend!!


Lineage of 

warriors 

Born to a World war veteran, he is a 

Nigerian Civil war veteran, his son is a 

Gulf war veteran while his grandson 

dreams to be a veteran of the US Navy. 

The world of Captain August Okpe, 

author The Last Flight 

By Fred Iwenjora 

He was one of the 

must have seen and cheated death 

first sixteen award 

many times. 

winning Nigerian 

In this chat, the author of the all 

pilots enlisted and 

time best- selling book The Last 

trained into the 

Flight, a recollection of his early 

Nigeria Air Force where he was 

years in the Air force and the 

its first air accident and 

Biafra air attacks during the 

investigation chief. 

Nigerian civil war considered by 

During the unfortunate 30 

many to be a concise history of 

months of the Nigerian Civil war, 

the Nigeria Air Force tells lovely 

then Squadron Leader August 

tales of his years in the air in both 

Okpe, a major participant was 

war and peace times with full 

Chief Pilot of the Biafra Air 

“gratitude to God for all His 

Force and won the 

mercies and preservation”. 

Distinguished Cross Medal for 

Aside that, Okpe reveals 

gallantry and excellent service. 

amongst other things - that his 

At the end of the war, he was 

late dad was a world war veteran 

tried in a tribunal which noted his 

while his son is a Gulf War veteran 

exploits, imprisoned and later 

just like his grandson is dreaming 

sacked from the services of the 

of the submarines in the US 

Nigeria Air force. 

Navy. 

But he quickly converted to civil 

A family of warriors you might 

flying with many years of 

say; Born for war, veterans of 

meritorious service to Nigerian 

military service. Please read on. 

Airways in his kitty. 

In that case, Captain Okpe 

What informed your choice of 

C 

M 

YK 

I told them I 

wanted to be in 

the Air force 

and no amount 

of money could 

change that 

flying as a career? Did you go all 

out to become a fighter pilot with 

your eyes wide open or was it 

circumstantial? 

There is no doubt that any 

system that moves or propels 

could be dangerous. Even as a 

kid pushing a three or four 

wheeled truck I knew that one 

could crash and hurt oneself. So 

it is very well assumed that flying 

is dangerous. I have always 

known this. But then you cannot 

fail for not trying can you? I was 

interested in flying and also I was 

interested in the military. 

Remember the popular sales 

gimmick..buy one get one free..l 

reasoned that if I joined the Air 

force which is the military, I 

would also fly as well as travel 

and see the world. I got three 

for the price of one. So in 

answer to your question, I went 

into the air force and into the 

military to become a fighter pilot 

with my eyes wide open. It was 

not circumstantial at all as I 

knew that any kind of flying 

whether military or civil carried 

its load of risks with military 

having its magnitude. May be 

for me it was the more 

dangerous the better (laughter). 

Do you also think that it is 

same feeling that informed 

your late father and son to 

serve in the military or even 

your grandson to be dreaming 

to make a career in the 

military? 

My father had always told me 

tales from the Second World 

War. Quite often he sounded to 

me like a war monger and I did 

not know why. I will not say he 

influenced my interest in the 

military by his actions but he 

told the stories with so much 

relish that I believed that there 

is a lot to be said about chivalry 

and gallantry. On its own, the 

Continues on pg 37



military is a class in itself. Never mind 

that some people erroneously feel 

that the military is a dump ground 

for the less academically endowed. Of 

course we know that is far from the 

truth. I was happy to become a 

gentleman, a scholar and a soldier, 

better said an officer and a gentleman. 

I don’t think anyone coerced me into 

joining the military or liking it. 

Somehow it is inherent in me, a part 

of my nature. I have always loved 

uniforms and regimentation. Being in 

uniform is regimentation and vice 

versa. It shows discipline and order. 

When you are in uniform, you look 

smarter so what is wrong in that? I think 

to be a military man is in my blood. Again, 

I would not also say that because I told 

tales of the Nigeria/ Biafra war to my 

children, that made my son join the 

United States Marines. It was entirely his 

own volition, without compulsion or 

undue influence from me or any other 

person for that matter. I won’t forget my 

own war with Saddam Hussein as my son 

battled him during the gulf war. Or the 

war my wife waged at me for allegedly 

using my loud mouth to lure him (my 

son) into the military. She had cried 

uncontrollably that my son was about to 

lose his life after I had escaped with the 

skin of my teeth during my own 

escapades with the air force in the 

Nigeria/ Biafra war. In the same vein, I 

can’t say that my grandson who is 

dreaming of being a submarine specialist 

in the US Navy is being influenced in 

any way. I think it is in the blood. 

So you agree that there is a hereditary 

instinct pulling the Okpes towards the 

military, war, …the battle field so to speak 

or is it a mere coincidence? 

May be . I think it is instinctive and 

natural endowment for us. My son had 

completed at Staten Island College in 

the US before joining the military. We may 

have subliminally absorbed or imbibed 

the military feeling. So I agree with you, 

it is hereditary. 

A soldier knows it is a matter of life and 

death, at what point did you realize this? 

If you look at the glamour of the 

uniform, you may be deceived about the 

real issues. You never know what is 

behind it all. Even new recruits are 

shocked to learn that they are going to 

go through unbelievable obstacle 

courses like going through mud, scaling 

inaccessible walls, going through mine 

fields even though simulated mock 

explosions are shocking enough for some 

to drop out of training. They have had 

enough. And as you know in the military 

there is a certain percentage allowance 

for casualties unlike in the civil 

organization where there is zero 

tolerance for that. The aim of your trainers 

who are the managers of violence is to 

limit casualties. And when it comes to 

flying and you are being checked for 

aptitude, they put you in a small aircraft 

and cruise it in maddening flight 

watching to see if you would pass out or 

wet your pants after the flight. Some 

aspirants never show up again. So you 

see being in the air force is like being in 

the military with a flying bias. It is not 

really nice at the onset for many. Then 

when you are already in the system and 

in a real theatre of war and you are firing 

or also being fired at, all bates are off. 

Then anxiety seems the game of a 

soldier…? 

Yes, there is great anxiety as a soldier. 

This brings out the humour in all soldiers 

because they are perpetually waiting for 

a war. Sometimes this war may never 

come in their life time but some other 

times, they face it squarely. He also 

knows that some people must sacrifice 

with their lives. That is why they usually 

crack jokes to pass away the time. Many 

may be seen playing games as snooker, 

scrabbles, tennis etc. The business 

•Okpe as 

Chief 

Pilot of 

Nigerian 

Airways 

Lineage of 

warriors 

Still my 

colleagues feel 

that my Captain 

is like having ten 

professors in one 

person 

inclined will play monopoly when 

they think of money in the imaginary 

sense. Being in the military is like 

being in jail waiting to serve out 

time 

While reading your best -selling 

book The Last Flight, one got the 

impression that if not being a pilot, 

you would have made good with 

being a writer, a journalist or an 

author. Is this a correct impression? 

But I am a writer. I am an author. I 

never thought in that direction of 

humanities at all as I was a real 

science student at the Government 

College Umuahia. Maybe I was 

good at writing good love letters to 

my girlfriend (laughter). But beyond 

that, I think I am versatile. Many 

people are but they may never know. 

It is like people who are talented in 

talking, becoming politicians or 

going into motivational speaking. 

But they may also have some other 

things calling their attention rather 

than those vocations mentioned. 

Thank God I eventually wrote 

well as commendations for The 

Last Flight keep coming. I think 

what makes it seem well written 

is that I knew the subject I was 

writing about so well. The Last 

Flight is about what I did and 

with other people in my 

professional capacity from my 

first training at the flying school 

in Canada till the Civil war so it 

is almost about writing about 

oneself which should be ones 

favorite subject. If Fred Iwenjora 

for instance wants to write about 

himself, it is expected that he 

knows himself too well. But I also 

know that several people cannot 

even tell their own stories no 

matter how much they know or 

how much facts accrue to them. 

It is unlike writing a fable and a 

novel of fiction which is difficult 

as one has to be inventive, 

creative and resourceful as to 

come up with very interesting 

lies so to speak. Remember 

Marco Polo was a good writer 

and story teller but because of 

this, people still say he was a 

good liar. Many good writers are. 

They add up with 

embellishments and coloration. 

Can one reliably say that 

Government College Umuahia 

of that time was melting pot for 

the best students in Nigeria, 

creating the atmosphere for 

excellence and you are one of 

its shining examples? Better put, 

how much did the education at 

that time prepare you for the life 

you eventually lived? 

I agree with your statement in 

toto. In those days, brilliance and 

luck gave people admission into 

Government College Umuahia. 

The result of the entrance 

examination usually came in a 

khaki envelope with a sign 

OHMS( On Her Majesty’s 

Service). School headmasters 

opened these letters publicly 

without recourse to your parents. 

That meant that Government 

College Umuahia then was a 

hallowed ground for chosen men 

who were voted to most likely 

succeed in the final analysis. Even 

though some also have fallen by 

the way side, the school has 

played a role in molding several 

successful Nigerians. Check out 

Nigeria and see those who passed 

through the college by yourself. 

Graduates from the school have all 

doors open into higher institutions 

and indeed any other office for 

that matter for those who wish to 

work before moving further on. 

The problem for such employers 

was how long the students may 

work before taking off. 

What I meant to say is that 

students are trained to be at their 

best at Government College 

Umuahia. It was at the school 

that I first saw a tape recorder in 

1956. It was used in teaching oral 

English. There was no such thing 

even in the larger society of Africa. 

We had everything like in the 

university. Our labs were over 

equipped and the academic 

orientation was incredible. There 

was this accelerated scheme 

which upgraded gifted students 

for their brilliance and made them 

take school certificate exams 

earlier than should. I was one of 

those students who did my exams 

in four years rather than in five 

years. Most of us were serious 

science students who did maths, 

additional maths and all. My 

mates always knew me as 

adventurous and were not 

surprised when they heard I had 

ended up in the military. When I 

say we were rascally, they say I 

was daring. Most of them are now 

professors while I just have one 

little appellation; Captain. Still 

my colleagues feel that my 

Captain is like having ten 

professors in one person. Again, 

the top of Nigeria core military 

then were Government College 

graduates. 

After Government College 

Umuahia…? 

I went to work for Dunlop while 

waiting for the Air force course I 

had applied for while still in 

school. Because I was a science 

student, I was posted to the lab 

where rubber materials were 

tested for quality and 

resistance. When I got my first 

salary, I thought they had 

made a mistake because it was 

four times compared to what 

my salary grade should be. I 

reasoned that it was because I 

had far better grades than my 

mates who were posted to 

other less challenging 

departments. 

Then …? 

Dunlop was just a passing 

phase for me but it was 

interesting. I had only spent six 

months when the Air Force 

thing came and I left. People 

were saying I was mad for 

leaving a well paying job to go 

take a big risk that might even 

kill me in an uncertain future. 

I told them I wanted to be in 

the Air force and no amount of 

money could change that. 

Nigeria Federal Government 

had published that they wished 

to start an Air Force and I 

applied to be part. I became 

one of the first sixteen to be 

enlisted and trained. Only 

about ten of us are alive today 

while others have died in 

crashes most of which are 

military aviation related 

accidents. Few died out of 

natural causes. As you know 

Military aviation wages a very 

cruel war of attrition on pilots. 

Continues on pg 38



What did you set out to 

do in your book The Last 

Flight? How long did the 

book take you to 

complete? 

I can’t even say how long 

it took me to do The Last 

Flight. It is a pilot’s recall 

of the air force and the 

Biafra air attacks, simple 

and short. I kept on with 

my research for years. A 

book considered by many 

as the most authentic 

history of Nigerian Air 

force 1964-1970 could not have been 

a spontaneous issue where the 

writer comes up with the idea of a 

double cross, intrigue or suspense 

and begins to write all those lies you 

know. It is not a fable or a novel 

which is the writer’s creation and 

creative invention. This one is more 

serious that you do not want at the 

end of the day someone calling to 

say the information on a certain page 

is referring to him and that as far as 

he was concerned, his name and the 

date of the event are not true but all 

lies. It could be very embarrassing. 

So it takes a bit of time to do such a 

book which tries to converge history 

into a piece of writing. I also set 

aside proceeds from the sale of The 

Last Flight for War Veterans 

Foundation. 

You were Chief Pilot of the Biafran 

Air Force and carried out several 

risky and life threatening air 

maneuvers, how did your family 

especially your wife and children 

cope with such times? 

In fact my wife and little children 

did not even know what danger I was 

in during the war. She was too young 

to really understand the situation at 

hand. But her mum was the one 

wondering and praying for me. 

Whenever she saw an official air force 

operation vehicle come to my 

quarter with a piece of paper, she 

sure knew it was a mission and an 

assignment. She knew it was duty 

calling and her tummy immediately 

started running until my return 

when BBC would announce a 

successful raid. 

Since many of your colleagues 

had either died in crashes during 

military service or even at peace 

time flying, do you see yourself as 

particularly lucky? 

I feel lucky but I have a lot of scars 

to show for it. I am very proud of my 

war scars because I did not get them 

from armed robbery attacks. I had 

once crashed a helicopter. There is a 

chapter in The Last Flight detailing 

the events of the crash. There were 

other several close shaves when my 

•Captain August with friends in 

Sweden on the world wide 

promotion of the book last flight 

Lineage of 

warriors 

air craft was perforated by enemy attack 

and I was lucky to have safely landed 

it. But I am grateful to God for still 

keeping me after taking several small 

fires which are deadlier that the big gun 

fire. They can perforate aluminum pans 

and reach the pilot. 

You also wrote that your father 

predicted your survival… 

Ooh my father was a very uncanny 

prognosticator. He said I would survive 

but I never believed him. I felt he was 

trying to console himself by saying I 

would survive while I would not. I 

survived and believed him. Again, he 

had told me of how one of my late 

colleagues was being dogged by some 

spiritual entity which won’t be done 

with him until he had taken him. It 

did take him in the first air crash in 

Nigeria history. 

Now do you ever regret not being 

an AVM? 

I do not regret any thing. So what 

should I regret? I feel very satisfied 

with life as I have seen and lived it so 

far. I was 73 in August 2016. Some of 

my colleagues went ahead to become 

Military Governors or Ministers or 

something like that and when you 

mention their names, people readily 

recognize. I may not be able to say 

why I was not recalled into the air force 

after the war. May be I did fight very 

strongly on the Biafra struggle but it 

If you ask me this 

question I will also 

ask you how did 

NEPA die. Or what 

killed NITEL 

•Captain August 

with Fred Iwenjora 

was a necessary thing 

at the time. But if it 

became a reason I 

was not recalled, I 

wouldn’t know so I 

won’t be regretting 

what I never had. And 

if you continue to 

regret what you ought 

to have, will you be 

happy? So the only 

time my name is 

heard is when tales of 

the Nigeria Biafra war 

are being discussed 

or that the public 

address system in the 

aircraft announces 

that the Commander of the 

flight is Captain August Okpe 

and not as Governor of one 

state or the other. I also did 

not want to be connected with 

being Military Governor 

because I did not go into the 

military to become governor. 

Those who became governors 

get that appellation, 

recognition and title. I have 

never worried about this and 

that is the truth. No one loses 

what he does not have. 

Again, you were silent about 

the Nigeria Airways years, 

you never told of how you 

joined Nigeria Airways and 

how you walked away when 

there were no more planes to 

fly? 

Well, it was not part of the 

plot of the book but I will tell 

you here. After the war, I was 

tried by a military tribunal and 

they took those they wanted to 

reabsorb and dismissed others 

including me. It was 

understandable. I believed 

like many other Nigerians that 

since it was a call to duty and 

a war amongst brothers, there 

were no known war crimes, 

the warriors had to dust their 

brows and walk away so I went 

to further my education in the 

US and UK where I updated 

my training and converted to 

civil flying and later joined the 

Nigeria Airways, becoming its 

Deputy Chief Pilot before it 

died. I continue to salute the 

magnanimity of President 

Olusegun Obasanjo who 

graciously reinstated all of us 

Civil war veterans with a 

presidential pardon and retired 

us honorably with all the rights 

and privileges attached to it. The 

rest is history now. 

What in your opinion killed 

the Nigerian airline? 

If you ask me this question I 

will also ask you how did NEPA 

die. Or what killed NITEL. 

Why shouldn’t Nigeria Airways 

go? Most African and European 

governments got it all wrong 

when they thought they could 

run airline business. Most of 

the Europeans have since 

privatized . No Government 

can run a market economy 

which means that government 

should not be in any business 

of making money. It should 

only be in the regulations, 

providing oversight and other 

services. 

You can’t be running an 

airline in competition with 

other commercial airlines who 

give incentives to travel 

agencies when no government 

should be seen as giving or 

taking concessions from 

private individuals. In doing 

that it compromises itself and 

may go as far as giving or 

taking bribe. As you well 

know, commercial investments 

give concessions, inducements 

and you must not be seen to 

be competing for profits. 

Government is only to regulate 

and take taxes. I feel that it 

was government involvement 

that killed Nigerian Airways. 

In years gone, workers of Varig 

were co owners of the airline 

and In that case, they worked 

hard to keep it rolling. Here, 

if you work harder you would 

be asked if it was your father’s 

business. If you own it and you 

see someone wasting tissue 

paper for instance, you could 

remind him to check waste 

because you are involved. It is 

your common wealth. 

Can that eagle ever fly again? 

First, everyone agrees that 

there is need to have a Nigerian 

national carrier but a carrier that 

is not owned and run by 

government like before. This 

national carrier should be 

owned by public subscription 

and run by those who know the 

business. That way it would 

make money and reduce capital 

flight. Do you imagine how much 

Nigerians pay out to foreign 

airlines yearly for travels at 

exorbitant costs? A Nigeria 

Airways will compete 

favourably with other airlines 

that are a little bit arrogant. If 

run by those who know, it would 

not only make money but also 

be efficient, safe an expeditious. 

What is life like in retirement 

especially after you lost your 

wife? 

Well, just like that. I have 

grown up children. I had 

married at 26 and my son is 27 

years old my junior. Some of us 

grew up with elderly fathers. 

My father looked so much as 

my grandfather but my children 

saw me more like an uncle. Still 

there is deep love, respect and 

affection. I have been coping. I 

live a disciplined and decent life. 

Having been in the military 

provided a huge base for 

discipline. I hardly drink except 

socially at parties. I still play 

tennis twice weekly and I swim 

and do not present with a pot 

belly with my boyish attitude. 

My mind is young and my 

thinking is young and of 

course this reflects on my 

body. If the brain tells the 

body that it is old then it acts 

like that and the brain starts 

to shut down. But if it is young 

then it reasons like that. 

Do you still fly? 

Yes…As a passenger.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 7, 2017—39 

•Gov Godwin Obaseki addressing the press with 

the APC state Chairman, Anslem Ojezua, (LEFT) 

and Secretary APC, Chief Osaro Idah (Right) 

Leadership crisis in Edo APC: 

The inside story 

•Threats to life and the dilemma of APC leaders 

SIMON EBEGBULEM, 

BENIN CITY 

There is currently tension in the 

Edo State All Progressives 

Congress (APC) following the 

leadership crisis within Oredo Local 

Government Area which led to the last 

week remand of the state Youth Leader 

of the party, Comrade Osakpanwa 

Eriyo in prison by the magistrate court 

in Benin. Sadly, Oredo is the local 

government council of the state 

governor, Godwin Obaseki and some 

other powerful leaders of the APC in 

the state including the state Secretary 

of the party and Obazulu of Benin 

Kingdom, Chief Osaro Idah, Lawrence 

Orka, immediate past Chief of Staff to 

the governor, Patrick Obahiagbon, 

Rasaq Bello-Osagie, former Speaker 

of the House and Ambassador 

Designate, Uyi Igbe, Rev. Mike 

Egharevba, Prince Austin Eweka, 

Osaro Obaze, Mrs Adams and many 

others. This is the first major crisis in 

the council confronting the governor 

in his own backyard. The battle for the 

soul of the party is between the state 

youth leader of APC, Comrade Eriyo 

and Chief Osaro Idah who is backed 

by the entire leaders of the party in the 

council including Governor Obaseki. 

Osakpanwa has his list of party 

executives in the council while Chief 

Idah has his. 

Background of the crisis 

Apart from being the state Youth 

leader of the APC, Comrade Eriyo is 

the state chairman of the Road 

Transport Employers Association of 

Nigeria(RTEAN) and one of the 

fearless youths in the state who 

embraced APC from its inception in 

the state. He is regarded as one of the 

immediate past governor Adams 

Oshiomhole’s top field soldiers in Edo 

South. Having been empowered by the 

past administration, he built a political 

empire for himself controlling over 30,000 

youths across the state whom he 

empowered. He is therefore regarded as a 

god father to many of them. It was not 

surprising therefore that he was pushing 

for the control of the party in Oredo. The 

party in Oredo was factionalized prior to 

the governorship primaries of the APC. 

Though majority of the leaders including 

Osakpanwa agreed to back Obaseki, but 

they have differences in terms of the 

leadership of the party in the council. That 

was why Chief Idah who knew that the 

former Chief of Staff to Oshiomhole, Patrick 

Obahiagbon (Igodomigodo) was a neutral 

person in the power play, got him to convene 

a meeting of the leadership of the party in 

Oredo so that they can all speak with one 

voice to ensure victory for Obaseki. That 

was how Igodomigodo became the 

convener of the Leadership Forum under 

the supervision of Chief Idah who is the 

state Secretary of the party and they 

succeeded in bringing all the factions 

together. The Forum believed that 

Osakpanwa cannot be the leader of the 

party when the state Secretary of the party, 

Chief Idah is from the local government. 

And their fear is that if allowed, 

Osakpanwa with his wealth and political 

influence, is capable of anointing a 

commissioner and the chairman of the 

Local Government whenever Obaseki 

decides to hold Local Government election. 

They therefore resolved to stop him. 

Initially Osakpanwa who believed that this 

Forum might thwart his ambition to become 

the leader of the party in the Local 

Government, did not welcome the idea of 

the meeting but he later started attending 

when he found out that their candidate, 

now governor Obaseki had embraced the 

group. That was how the leaders 

temporarily pushed the leadership battle 

aside to go for the primaries which Obaseki 

eventually won. In unison the leaders 

worked assiduously to ensure victory for 

Obaseki at the general election. Ensuring 

victory for Obaseki in his own backyard 

was very critical to the overall result of the 

The Forum believed 

that Osakpanwa 

cannot be the leader 

of the party when 

the state Secretary 

of the party, Chief 

Idah is from the local 

government 

election, especially when they have it at 

the back of their minds that the PDP 

candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s 

ancestral home is in Oredo Local 

Government and therefore has his 

supporters there. 

However, on the 23rd of December, 

2016, when Governor Obaseki invited 

Edo South APC leaders to Government 

House for a leadership meeting, two list 

of Executives emerged from Oredo. Chief 

Idah presented one list which was 

accepted by the meeting while the one 

presented by Osakpanwa was rejected 

and that was why Osakpanwa’s loyalists 

were stopped from entering that 

meeting. Hell was then let loose when 

his loyalists stormed Government House 

insisting that they must enter the 

meeting. It was in that state of confusion 

that Osakpanwa was alleged to told 

Chief Idah in anger that he will be killed 

the way his father, Late Chief Idah was 

murdered. He was alleged to have also 

threatened the Chief Security Officer 

(CSO) to Obaseki, Mr Haruna. He 

however denied these allegations saying 

he was being framed up by the party just 

to rubbish him. During the pandemonium 

on that day, it was learnt that some of the 

cows and rams which the governor bought 

as Christmas gift to party leaders were 

carted away by the rampaging youths. 

Obaseki was said to have felt insulted with 

the entire episode, particularly when he 

was being accused of masterminding the 

humiliation of Osakpanwa after supporting 

him to win the governorship election. But 

the leaders argued that support for the 

governor should not translate into insulting 

a sitting governor. It was alleged that even 

after the Government House saga, 

Osakpanwa attended a meeting at the 

residence of the chairman of the party in 

Oredo, Dr Okoro the next day, where they 

were said to have equally made some 

unfriendly comments. 

It was consequent upon this alleged 

threat that Chief Idah petitioned the Police 

alleging threat to his life. Chief Idah’s 

petition is understandable because the 

brutal murder of his father in 1992, is one 

of the high profile assassinations in the 

state which the killers are yet to be found. 

His late father was then the chairman of 

Oredo Local Government Area and one of 

the powerful politicians in the state then. 

However, the political tension in the state 

heightened after Osakpanwa was arrested 

by the police on the 27th December, 2016 

with other party leaders in Oredo. Over 

20,000 youths thereafter invaded the state 

Police Command demanding his release. 

Osakpanwa was said to have attempted 

suicide at the Police Command when he 

used a broken bottle to cut his body with 

blood flowing freely before the police held 

him while he cursed Governor Godwin 

Obaseki whom he accused of being behind 

his travail. Amidst tight security, the police 

was able to whisk Osakpanwa to the 

magistrate court along Sapele Road at 

about 3pm last week Thursday 29, 

December 2016. He was arraigned with 

another chieftain of the party, Sunday 

Osagbona, for alleged conspiracy and 

attempted murder of Chief Idah. When 

Eriyo was brought to court, he yelled at the 

police demanding why he was in handcuff 

when he was not a criminal. He said, “why 

are you charging me for attempted murder, 

did I kill anybody, I am not a criminal, the 

governor is only trying to oppress me, I have 

not done anything”. The pleas by their 

Counsel, Usunobun Evbayiro, that they 

should be granted custody in the police cell 

due to their ill health were rejected by the 

Magistrate. But the presiding Magistrate, 

M.C Ojobo said she lacked such powers 

and that prison custody was the proper place 

to remand them since there are health 

facilities at the prisons. She said she lacked 

jurisdiction to entertain the matter and 

ordered the case file to be sent to the 

Department of Public Prosecution for legal 

advice. The matter was then adjourned to 

January 13, 2017 for mentioning. 

However, Saturday Vanguard learnt that 

the leader of the party in the state and 

immediate past governor, Comrade Adams 

Oshiomhole has waded into the matter 

while Osakpanwa is currently cooling off 

in the prison. It was equally learnt that 

Oshiomhole who has been on holidays was 

not happy with the alleged threat on the 

life of Chief Idah and attempt to insult the 

sitting governor. It was learnt that the 

former governor has been consulting with 

the leadership of the party to find an 

amicable resolution of the matter so as to 

avoid unnecessary division in the party. The 

former governor who was able to manage 

this sort of party crisis effectively during 

his reign is aware that the PDP is 

celebrating this seeming crack and he is 

determined to disappoint them once again. 

However, the crisis is causing anxiety in 

the party particularly when the result of the 

governorship election is still being 

contested at the governorship election 

Tribunal by the PDP. That is why the party 

leaders believe that though Osakpanwa 

should be tamed but they must also be 

careful about the future of the party 

especially now that Governor Obaseki has 

stopped these youths who are staunch 

supporters of APC from collecting any form 

of revenue. From the result declared by 

INEC in Edo South, it shows clearly that it 

is not yet uhuru for the APC and any 

attempt to mishandle the crisis in the party 

in Oredo which is the biggest Local 

Government Area in the state may spell 

doom for the party.


C 

M 

YK 

BY EMMA AMAIZE, 

Regional Editor, South-South 

FORMER Chairman of Warri 

South-West Local 

Government Area, Delta 

State, Rev Sam Ken, has said the 

former governor of the state, Chief 

James Ibori, who was recently 

released from London Prison, United 

Kingdom, for money laundering, 

transformed many lives in the state 

and he would dance uncovered like 

the Biblical David to celebrate him. 

Rev Ken, still bed-ridden after a 

life threatening automobile accident 

in 2014 on his way to the House of 

Representatives, Abuja, for an 

engagement on the 2011 Bonga Oil 

Spill, said in an encounter with 

Saturday Vanguard: “As for Ibori’s 

release, if not for my present 

condition, I would have done more 

than what a renowned politician in 

this state, said he planned to do. I will 

dance naked in the market place if 

God had allowed me to be physically 

fit now.” 

“I would have danced with my head 

on the floor and my legs in the air, 

concerning the release of a titan, 

because the man is a colossus, a rare 

breed. Leaders have come and gone. 

In my 56 years around Nigeria’s 

political history, I have not seen a man 

apart from Chief Obafemi Awolowo, 

who has built the lives of people the 

way Ibori has done,” he continued. 

His words: “Surely, every 

politician in Delta State is a product 

of Ibori’s humane leadership. 

Virtually all of them were nobody, I 

say this without apology, but, today, 

they are all men who are standing 

on their two feet and can be counted 

anytime in this state; both 

financially and otherwise. I am not 

aware of any other ruler that has 

built the lives of people; Ibori has 

built the present core of leaders in 

this state.” 

Rev Ken added: “Beyond that, his 

foray into development takes a man 

with very strange visionary 

endowment to establish the numbers 

of polytechnics that he established. 

It looks conical at inception, but today, 

they are all operating well and has 

helped reduced the frustration of 

Deltans in their pursuit for tertiary 

education.” 

“Look at the world class medical 

facility, I mean the University 

Teaching Hospital at Oghara, but go 

beyond that, look at the impossible 

things that he did. There are two 

tribes in this state that the federal 

government described as difficult 

terrain, Ijaw and Itsekiri. By their 

natural 

positioning, 

communication within these 

geographical locations was 

practically impossible, except 

through marine means, which 

are expensive and time 

consuming. But Ibori came and 

did what former President 

Olusegun Obasanjo refused to do. 

He built bridges that no Federal 

Government had ever agreed to 

do. 

“Their usual refrain is ‘it is a 

difficult terrain’ to develop, but 

Ibori built Patani Bridge that 

makes it possible to connect other 

communities up to Bayelsa state. 

He built Omadino Bridge that 

opened another opportunity, 

Ibori has really tried in all ways 

and he should be praised and 

given befitting welcome,” he said. 

If he would dance naked to 

celebrate Ibori jailed for 

corruption, how does he see the anticorruption 

fight of President 

Muhammadu Buhari? Rev Ken 

exploded: “When we talk about 

corruption on a general note, sadly, I 

have not seen any fight against 

If Buhari is who we 

though he was, there are 

so many people in his 

administration that would 

not have gotten near the 

corridors of power, but 

the Ali Babas of yesterday 

are the one running the 

show now and then, you 

say you are pursuing 

corrupt people 

corruption; I am only seeing some 

dramatization of a pre-conceived 

mindset. And, that is just to embarrass a 

few people and put fear in the minds of 

a great number of people, particularly 

the opposition.” 

No war against corruption yet 

“Why do I say this, what President 

Buhari has done so far cannot by any 

standard be regarded as a fight against 

corruption? I have been in government 

and when I was chairman of Warri South- 

West Local Government, initially I went 

in with the decision which I can describe 

•Rev Sam Ken 

I can dance 

naked for Ibori 

– Rev Sam Ken, ex-Warri S-West chairman 

as a ‘parroting’. 

“And I carried out my anti-corruption 

war without attacking anybody. All I 

did was to stop corruption. Yesterday 

is gone and today is here. I did not go 

in there with the mind of fighting 

anybody and monthly allocation came 

in two days before we were sworn in. 

Shallow- minded people would want 

to know how the allocation is being 

spent, but they forgot that it was not 

my personal allocation, but allocation 

of the people. So, why will I be so 

anxious about allocation? I was waiting 

for the allocation of my tenure, but like 

I said, I amended those things that will 

facilitate corruption and to ensure that 

corruption did not take place any more. 

And, that was how I was able to fight 

corruption during my tenure. 

“It is not a matter of becoming a 

threat to everybody and, picking up a 

few people and making life unbearable 

for them, their families and their 

relations, with the intention of creating 

an impression as if there is a war on 

corruption. There is no war on 

corruption. If you watch, everything is 

still the same till date. I know how 

corruption is executed, so, I have tried 

to look at local, state and federal to see 

those means in which corruption is 

carried out; how it has been addressed 

or talked. 

In fact, nothing like that has 

happened; all we had was a media 

blitz, with very minute action directed 

at a few of the immediate past actors. 

Also, with unnecessary picking up of 

anybody who was in government that 

criticizes the present administration,” 

he said. 

Rev Ken stated: “So, the corruption 

war as far as I am concerned is selective, 

theatrical and deceptive. Its 

selectiveness is appalling because, it is 

directed at the former administration. 

The present government is composed 

of very corrupt individuals. If Buhari is 

who we though he was, there are so 

many people in his administration that 

would not have gotten near the corridors 

of power, but the Ali Babas of yesterday 

are the one running the show now and 

then, you say you are pursuing corrupt 

people.” 

“And it is the same corrupt people that 

are running the government. So, what 

kind of drama are we being forced to 

watch, even at a great cost because 

Nigerian are suffering. Sadly, these 

individuals, including the president 

seems not to know how to run 

government because virtually all the 

actions they have taken to manage the 

economy have given negative result that 

we are now at a quagmire and it is 

indeed regrettable. 

“If this is a kind of change that we 

are clamoring for then we need to reexamine 

that so-called change whether 

we are going the right way,” he 

enthused. 

Nigeria ruled by last eleven 

On the N7.2 trillion Budget proposals 

for 2017, he quipped: “Well, President 

Buhari has presented a budget of N7.2 

trillion and the details we have seen. 

First, the money of financing the budget 

is not even there. In fact, it is laughable 

on how a man plan to live his life and 

he came up with a grandeur programme 

when he does not even have the money 

to back it up. So, on that front alone, the 

budget is a failure. I read economics, 

Nigeria would not have been a pauper 

nation if not that we are always led by 

the last eleven.” 

“And, what do I mean by last eleven? 

You know in sports, there is a first eleven, 

and second eleven and we can continue 

the degradation like that until we get to 

the last eleven. Nigeria unfortunately 

happens to be run not by the first or 

second sadly, the country is always run 

by the last eleven. Whereas, God has 

been so kind to us and blessed us with 

a lot of natural resources that we should 

be one of the greatest nation on the face 

of the earth. We do not need a kobo from 

anybody if this country is run properly. 

“Bring the Americans to run this 

country and, they will rule the world. 

Bring the French, the Germans, the 

Briton to run this country and they will 

rule the world. Because these countries 

that run the affairs of the world are not 

as endowed as Nigeria, neither in 

human or natural resources because it 

has been provided that most of the best 

brains that run facilities in institutions 

in the United States are Nigerians. So, 

we have a very high cerebral 

endowment. There is no state in this 

country out of the thirty-six, and the 

federal capital territory, that does not 

have at least one natural mineral 

resource that can be exploited to make 

enough finances to run that state,” he 

asserted. 

Budget of pains 

The former council boss said: “So, for 

us to talk about borrowing money, 

either locally or to foreign to run our 

budget in 2017 it shows how wacko our 

leaders are. It is not a budget that is 

going to bring any change or, it may 

bring change to increase the pains of 

Nigerians.” 

“The Bible says he who go a 

borrowing, goes a sorrowing. So, if 

God can say that the man that borrows 

will face sorrows, then where lays our 

hope that there is a budget for 2017 

that will change the fortune of this 

country. The hope is not there at all,” 

he added.

SATURD 


anguard, JANUARY 7, 2017—41 

C 

M 

YK 

BY TONY ELUEMUNOR 

Mr. Simon Kolawole, in “The 

Welcome Party For Ibori” article 

(THISDAY newspaper of 

Sunday December 25, 2016, decried the 

massive celebrations Chief James Onanefe 

Ibori’s release from UK jail elicited. He 

adjudged the celebrations “spontaneous 

and sincere” but listed several reasons he 

found them appalling; thus repeating the 

falsehoods the manipulated mass media has 

been unleashing against Ibori. In “Why 

Supporters Celebrated Ibori’s Release” 

(backpage of 1st January 2017 THISDAY 

newspaper”) I relied on court records alone 

to show the documentary evidence the 

Nigerian judiciary relied on to conclude that 

the Bwari Upper Area Court judgment that 

claimed to have convicted one James 

Onanefe Ibori was a forgery. A case 

concerning Shuabu Anyebe, a night 

watchman who could not account for two 

bundles of zinc was doctored to read James 

Ibori’s and the amount changed from 

N10,000 to N110 million. 

I left one salient issue untouched: those 

behind the forgeries and what compelled 

their action. The ex-convict case was the 

takeoff plot against Ibori; other plots 

continued when it failed until Ibori was 

forced to flee Nigeria to save his 

endangered life. But why the plots? 

Ahead of 2003 General Elections, Ibori 

hosted 15 of the 21 Peoples Democratic Party 

Governors at the Delta State Governor’s 

Lodge, Abuja, and they agreed to oppose 

former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s renomination 

owing to his dictatorial and 

vindictive tendencies against independentminded 

politicians. From there, Ibori led the 

delegation of Governors (including Dr. Orji 

Uzor Kalu and Bonnie Haruna) to inform 

the then PDP chairman, Audu Ogbeh of the 

decision by 2 am. Ogbeh informed Obasanjo 

immediately. 

From that November 2002 night till just 

two days to the January 2003 PDP Annual 

Convention, the coalition of 15 Governors 

held and had a breakfast meeting with 

Obasanjo and the PDP leadership where 

Vice President Atiku Abubakar told 

Obasanjo that he was very dictatorial, 

vindictive and unforgiving. Obasanjo 

appealed for support and promised to 

change; he got a reprieve. 

I told Ibori at the 2003 PDP convention 

that Obasanjo would never forgive him for 

the “failed coup”. When Ibori congratulated 

Obasanjo for his re-nomination, which came 

after the Governors had relented and 

supported him, Obasanjo told him that he 

Ibori had canvassed the view that “I 

Obasanjo was unsellable, unmarketable, 

and unelectable, all your life I will make 

you Ibori unsellable, unmarketable and 

unelectable”. 

So, when three weeks after the convention, 

the ex-convict allegation arose, it’s source 

was clear. When the controversial court case 

ended in Ibori’s favour and Ibori went to 

Aso Rock to tell Obasanjo of his victory, 

Obasanjo fired off a Yoruba proverb: “if the 

bullet that was meant to kill a person grazes 

his head, the person should go and thank 

God”. Ibori realized that the case was meant 

to kill him politically, but he didn’t suspect 

other “bullets” would follow. 

Anthony Alabi and Andrew Oru, plaintiffs 

in the Ibori ex-convict case, were just pawns. 

In PDP’s lawyer, J C Obialor’s presence, 

Alabi confessed; but I’ll save the exact details 

for my book “The March of Justice; The 

Whole Truth of The Ibori Ex-Convict Case”. 

Aso Rock instigated the ex-convict 

conspiracy, with a serving Anambra Senator 

cum Obasanjo’s boy’s direct sponsorship, 

with the knowledge of a past anti-graft 

agency chief from Adamawa. A single-term 

House of Reps member from Edo state, a 

lawyer, reviewed the forged documents and 

okayed them as sufficient for PDP to stop 

Ibori; but Ogbeh disappointed them by 

insisting on only a court pronouncement to 

stop Ibori. And that pronouncement cleared 

Ibori. 

Kolawole wrote on the ex-convict case: 

“The then Inspector General of Police, Alhaji 

Tafa Balogun, finally gave Ibori a clean bill”. 

Wrong: IGP Balogun joined the gang-up 

against Ibori. Assistant Police 

Commissioner, Ahmed Fari Yusuf, after 

Exposed: Those 

behind Ibori’s travails 

and their reason 

•Chief James 

Onanefe Ibori 

‘The Journey’, started in 

2010 when the government 

of President Goodluck 

Jonathan re-opened the 

case and Ibori, in an attempt 

to escape another trial, ran to 

Dubai”. No, Ibori did not flee 

Nigeria over any case. He 

left because some people 

wanted to kill him 

investigation, called the Bwari judgment a 

forgery as Ibori could never have been 

arraigned as the case wasn’t reported in 

any Police Station, had no complainant, 

no Investigating Police Officer etc, but that 

Shuaibu Anyebe’s case was doctored to 

appear like Ibori’s. Then he arrested the 

lay Judge of that Bwari court for forgery 

and announced he would unearth his 

sponsors. Then someone got Balogun to 

order that the judge be released and issue a 

second report, which now held that Ibori 

was actually convicted; though no new 

evidence emerged from any new 

investigation. Though Ibori’s lawyers 

subpoenaed Balogun to bring some 

documents, he totally refused. That explains 

this statement from Ibori’s lawyer, Paul 

Milton Ohwovoriole, in court: “We asked 

for Police Case File on Case No. CR 81-95. 

Two: FIR of 81-95. Three: Statement of 

accused in Case No. 81-95. Four: Copy of 

Ibori’s petition to the President, copied to 

the Inspector General of Police. Five: 

Report of 14th February 2003. Where is 

that report”? 

Balogun’s representative, AIG 

Columbus Okiro replied: “That is not here. 

We have the reply of the Inspector- 

General to the President of 8th June 2004”. 

That report was another crude forgery 

as the letter-head paper bore the 

Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR) 

National Honours title that Balogun did 

not receive until December 8, 2004 – 

exactly six months ahead of the date on 

the letter. So Balogun was against Ibori. 

Kolawole wrote: “EFCC, under Mallam 

Nuhu Ribadu, was a potent instrument in 

the hands of Obasanjo in the anti-graft 

crusade. The war was unquestionably 

selective and vindictive — but there were 

no trumped-up charges.” My reply: Yes, 

Obasanjo used Ribadu and EFCC as 

terrorists against his political opponents. 

And there were trumped up charges 

aplenty. The Cable, Kolawole’s online 

medium published this: “EXCLUSIVE: 

Ribadu has begged me, says Atiku”. 

Former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar 

says Nuhu Ribadu, has apologised to him 

for the allegations of corruption the antigraft 

agency leveled against him in 2006. 

He said when Ribadu was running for 

president in 2011, he came and asked him 

for forgiveness over the episode which 

damaged the former VP politically. 

Atiku said: “I asked him, ‘Nuhu, I 

forgive everyone, and I forgive you, but 

will you go back to the public and apologise 

about all the lies you told about me?’ He 

was then concerned about his reputation. 

Of course, I was wondering if he cared 

about my own reputation when he was 

bearing false witness against me and 

illegally locking my friends up trying to 

force them to generate evidence of 

corruption against me. Atiku maintained 

that the corruption allegations against him 

were politically motivated because of his 

face-off with Obasanjo”. 

The Cable added: “although Atiku got 

the indictment(s) quashed in the court and 

eventually contested in the (2007) election, 

however, Atiku came out of the PDTF affair 

with the public image that he was a corrupt 

politician % a perception that many see as 

his albatross till today”. This albatross is 

even truer of Ibori, all because of Obasanjo’s 

political vendetta. 

Yet, the real evidence of Ribadu’s 

vindictiveness and trumped up charges 

comes from Nasir el-Rufai’s “Accidental 

Public Servant” book, page 358, in a 

section entitled “Umaru Asks Nuhu for 

Support: the Beginning of Our Trouble” 

he wrote that Ribadu was so maddened 

that former President Olusegun Obasanjo 

had favoured Yar’Adua above Nasir-el- 

Rufai to succeed him as President in 2007 

that he told Yar’Adua to his face: “as far as 

the presidency is concerned, I have my 

candidate for president, and that is El- 

Rufai”. El-Rufai continued on page 359: 

“(Ribadu) dusted off all the files against 

Umaru and launched investigations. He 

was clearly trying to take Yar’Adua out of 

the race and narrow all options to zero 

except for El-Rufai”. El-Rufai then told 

Ribadu that he was after Yar’Adua for no 

concrete reason but because “I am your 

friend.” 

So, Yar-Adua would never have 

appointed a power-maddened Ribadu, 

who vindictively arrested Katsina state’s 

LGA chairmen on trumped up charges that 

were later dropped, to remain as EFCC 

Chairman. Yar’Adua having personally 

experienced the evil in Ribadu’s EFCC, 

wanted to end it. So, he needed no 

recommendation from Ibori and Dr. Bukola 

Saraki to do so. 

Kolawole wrote: “Ibori was arrested at the 

Kwara state governor’s lodge in Abuja. This 

is another lie! 

Wednesday, 12th December 2007, two 

EFCC agents entered the Kwara Governor’s 

Lodge and told Saraki’s Aide de Camp 

(ADC) that they came to arrest Ibori. Without 

contacting his Governor, the ADC asked for 

warrant of arrest; the EFCC officials had 

none. So, the ADC asked them to leave for 

he would not allow them arrest any soul 

without a warrant. 

When the intruders left, the ADC went to 

brief his principal. Then as Ibori and his 

host could not reach Ribadu to confirm what 

was going on, they called Ribadu’s friend, 

Andy Uba, who promised to contact Ribadu. 

The three agreed to meet in Uba’s house 

Ibori and Saraki met Ribadu’s deputy, 

Ibrahim Lamorde at Uba’s house and when 

Ibori asked why EFCC agents were after 

him in the streets when they knew his house, 

or could have phoned him to come, Lamorde 

replied that Ribadu was waiting for Ibori 

in the office to explain matters. At 1pm, Ibori 

drove the Peugeot 406 car that was being 

used by his aides, to the EFCC 

headquarters, Abuja, with Lamorde on the 

front passenger seat. 

Then Ribadu asked Ibori to phone 

President Umaru Yar’Adua. “Tell him that I 

am about to arrest and arraign you in court. 

Ask him to discuss with me. If he asks me 

to set you free, I will willingly do that. But I 

need to talk with him”. An angry Ibori told 

Ribadu that his threatened arrest had gone 

on long enough and he would defend 

himself and prove that the allegations 

being leveled against him were products 

of malice. He told Ribadu that their years 

of friendship had taught him one big lesson; 

that the file he usually had under his armpit 

while threatening people were usually 

empty. 

At 4pm, I issued a statement: that Ibori 

drove himself that afternoon into EFCC 

headquarters after a telephone conversation 

with Ribadu. That earlier that day, some 

EFCC agents had trailed Ibori to the Kwara 

State Governor’s Lodge, saying they 

wanted to arrest him, but couldn’t because 

they lacked a warrant of arrest to convince 

Saraki’s ADC of the legality of their 

mission, after which Ibori and his host drove 

to Uba’s house where they met Lamorde 

waiting. After Lamorde had called Ribadu 

on the phone it was agreed that Ibori should 

come into the EFCC office for a discussion. 

I added that Ibori was yet to emerge from 

the EFCC office and there were fears that he 

may be under arrest. 

Reacting to my statement, journalists 

began to phone to clarify the discrepancy 

between the detail I gave on Ibori’s arrest 

and EFCC’s version from Osita Nwaja; that 

EFCC agents found and arrested Ibori 

while he was in hiding in Kwara State 

Governor’s Lodge. He had added that 

EFCC was still trying to ascertain the role 

Saraki played in helping Ibori to evade 

arrest. Mr. Solomon Udele, Ibori’s former 

Police ADC, called Saraki’s ADC and 

Kwara state issued its own statement. So 

the following day’s newspapers had three 

versions of the same single event; how Ibori 

was arrested. Kwara’s and mine agreed that 

Ibori was not arrested in their Lodge. EFCC 

lied in its version to manufacture reasons 

to convince a court to deny Ibori bail. Court 

manipulation! 

The SUN newspaper was even misled 

into publishing that earlier that day the 

EFCC gallantly stopped Ibori from 

sneaking into a private jet whose engine 

was already running on the tarmac of the 

Abuja Airport . 

Kolawole wrote the sixth lie in a single 

article: “Season Three, I call it ‘The 

Journey’, started in 2010 when the 

government of President Goodluck 

Jonathan re-opened the case and Ibori, in 

an attempt to escape another trial, ran to 

Dubai”. No, Ibori did not flee Nigeria over 

any case. He left because some people 

wanted to kill him. Who were these 

people? The story continues next 

Saturday. 

Tony Eluemunor, Ibori’s Media 

Assistant, lives in Abuja.

42—SATURDAY VANGUARD, JANUARY 7, 2017 

Urhobo are now one 

– Omene, PG, UPU 

interest. That is why it cannot be 

separated from politics in Urhobo 

land. It came up in 1931 for these 

purposes. It defends the interest of the 

Urhobo nation in the political scene. 

Except the PG, every other member of 

UPU can be a politician. Every 

Urhobo person is qualified to be a 

member but only financial members 

are constitutionally recognised as 

members. Most of the people 

troubling the interest of Urhobo 

nation today are not financial 

members of UPU. 

BY GODWIN OGHRE 

Chief Joe Omene is the 

President General of 

Urhobo Progress Union. 

In this interview with Vanguard 

he dwelt on several controversial 

issues surrounding the recent 

national congress of the union, 

his re-emergence as PG among 

other issues. Excerpt: 

The circumstances leading to 

your recent re-election as 

President General of the Urhobo 

Progressive Union is currently 

generating serious controversy, 

what do you have to say? 

Let me start by saying that no 

one, no matter how rich or how 

highly connected can destroy the 

Urhobo nation. We are intact. 

Those condemning my reelection 

are the same who wanted 

to frustrate the just concluded 

National Congress of the Urhobo 

Progress Union, UPU. Some of 

them said they wanted to rule 

UPU, but they forgot to realise 

that no one can take over the 

leadership of UPU by 

force. They have been 

trying to destroy 

the sociopolitical 

fortune of 

UPU. This 

time they 

even went 

ahead to hire 

thugs and 

even got the 

cooperation of 

some security 

officials, in their 

bid to derail the 

national congress 

and the election 

which took place on a 

Friday. How can one 

say he is Urhobo and 

loves Urhobo nation 

yet he is 

• Joe Omene 

going ahead to hire thugs to derail the 

Urhobo National Congress? 

So how did the congress go? 

The constitution of UPU provides 

that the life span of the national 

executive committee is three years and 

my first tenure just ended and the 

constitution stipulates that the election 

to fill the offices of the national 

executive committee must be held in 

the annual National congress and that’s 

what happened recently. So we 

followed due process. First, a threemonth 

notice was published as 

constitutionally provided for, before it 

took place. The police, however, 

barricaded the entrance into the 

Urhobo House in Uvwiamuge, venue 

of the congress, so we shifted to the 

Okere-Urhobo House in Warri and on 

getting there, the police also 

barricaded it. When we found out that 

they were frustrating us, we moved the 

congress to Mosogar in Ethiope West 

LGA where there is a big and a 

conducive civic center to do the 

congress, and it was done there 

in Mosogar Civic Center. 

The election was also 

done there. It was the 

reception that was 

done in my country 

home. 

Was it 

constitutional 

for the 

congress 

to hold 

i n 

Mosogar 

Civic 

Centre? 

We 

m u s t 

abide by 

the UPU 

Constitution in 

everything we 

are doing. Article 8 

section 1(a) of the 

Constitution is clear on 

the issue of venue of the 

annual national 

congress of 

UPU. 

That provision states that “The 

election of the national officers shall 

take place only at an annual Urhobo 

National Congress at a venue 

designed for that purpose by the 

National Executive Council…” 

Before the congress, I headed the 

national executive council and after 

the election, I remain the head of the 

national executive council, and 

everything has been well with UPU. 

So how were you re-elected? 

Again, the UPU Constitution 

empowers 

the national 

exco to 

screen the 

contestants. 

However, 

since I was 

r e - 

contesting 

Most of the people 

troubling the 

interest of Urhobo 

nation today are 

not financial 

members of UPU 

for the 

position of 

PG I 

deemed it fit 

not to screen 

my cocontestants 

to avoid 

criticism. So 

w e 

inaugurated 

a four-man 

election 

committee, and we told them to 

adhere strictly to the constitution. We 

also forwarded the list of the 

contestants to the committee. 

However, contrary to the provisions 

of the constitution, the Chairman of 

the committee went ahead to clear 

non-financial members of UPU to 

contest the election, against the wish 

of the other three members of the 

committee. As if that was not enough, 

he negated the constitutional 

provision in Article Section 2 and 3 

of the constitution which stated that 

the delegates to the election should 

be elected by the branch executives 

of UPU exco in each of the 22 clans, 

as well as the recognized active 

branches and sub-branches of UPU 

outside Urhobo land. There were 22 

clans as at the time of the 

constitution. As I speak, there are 24 

clans. The committee chairman 

went on and started taking delegate 

list from the royal fathers, many of 

who are not financial members of 

UPU, instead of taking the lists 

that emanated from the UPU 

branch executives in the 24 

clans. My exco then queried 

him but instead of following 

what the Constitution says; he 

opted to resign and he 

resigned but the others 

finished up the task according 

to the constitution and, 

happily, the election came up. 

Each branch across the world 

sent four delegates to the 

election, and I was re-elected. 

You just said some of the 

royal fathers are not 

members of UPU, how do 

you mean? 

UPU is a socio-cultural 

umbrella body that governs 

and protects all the interests 

of the Urhobo ethnic 

nationality, even its political 

What then is the place of the kings 

in UPU? 

Constitutionally, the Kings only 

play advisory role. They have no 

voting right. They can neither vote nor 

be voted for. They only advise us, and 

it ends there. 

But it is on note that some of the 

kings have consistent disagreed with 

your exco, why? 

The Kings are appointed by 

government and government pay them 

and dictate to them. Unlike the kings 

who mostly serve as government mouth 

piece to the people, UPU 

usually defends the rights of 

the people against the 

unpopular and obnoxious 

dictates of the kings and those 

paying them. That is why UPU 

is very dear to the people. 

I hear that there was a court 

order restraining the conduct 

of the election? 

There was no court order. 

When the case that our 

opponents filed against us 

came recently, the judge even 

frowned at a sponsored 

publication which they did in 

the media saying that there 

was a restraining court order 

against the conduct of the 

election. The judge queried 

their people in the open court, saying 

he never made such purported order. 

We have even questioned the 

jurisdiction of the court, and the court 

has adjourned to January 17th, 2017 

for ruling on its Jurisdiction. 

The chairman of the Association of 

Urhobo Presidents General, Dr. Peter 

Obakponovwe, was the one who 

secured the restraining order of the 

court, and he some other community 

presidents were absent in the 

congress and election in Mosogar, yet 

you said the whole exercise went well 

constitutionally, how do you mean? 

First of all, for Dr. Obakponovwe 

to call himself Chairman of 

Association of Presidents General of 

Urhobo clans is wrong because he 

held the position when he was the 

President General of his Agbon Clan. 

His tenure as President General of 

Agbon Clan has long expired and he 

has since ceased to a President General. 

As such he is no longer the Chairman 

of the Presidents General. That means 

he is currently usurping some one’s 

position. 

I hear that there are some pending 

law suits among members of your 

executive committee? 

We have for long settled our 

differences. There is no law suit 

among us for now. 

I also hear that a section of Urhobo 

nation is planning to conduct another 

election, what do you have to say 

about that? 

They cannot do that as it will 

amount to illegality. The constitution 

says only the President General can 

direct the National Secretary to call 

for an Urhobo Annual National 

Congress. See Article 10 Section 7 

of the UPU constitution. As of now the 

National exco is intact. Except if such 

people want to call it another name.


becoming more worried than 

others. My husband had to 

gently talk him into behaving 

BOXED IN ON A BOXING DAY 

more manly and being calm. 

One lady inside had a friend 

who was already at the movies 

The agony of a family 

and we called for her to go 

report to the security. The older 

man’s wife also called her son 

who they had asked to go back 

home and pick up their 

forgotten tickets. She asked him 

trapped in an elevator 

to go and report to any security 

official. It was quite scary. We 

tried opening the doors so that 

little air could filter in.” 

With the help of the other 

lady who was already inside the 

cinema hall and one of the sons 

of the occupants in the trapped 

lift,help eventually came after 

about twelve people were 

trapped in the elevator for 

about an hour. 

Mrs Kogi explained: 

“The calls paid off 

eventually and the team of 

security men and 

technicians set to work. 

We were pulled up 

manually and rather than 

drop us at the next floor, 

we were taken way up to 

the topmost floor. There, 

just before the door 

opened, the lift jerked as 

if it would start going 

down again. You needed to 

hear the screaming! As 

soon as the door flew 

open, we ran out. The 

technicians asked us to 

join the 2nd lift back to 3rd 

floor but all of us declined. 

. They assured us nothing 

would go wrong but in my 

mind I said, now we are 

all getting in(family plus 

technicians),if anything 

goes wrong, who will help 

or save who? Somehow I 

just believed that help was 

going to come and in 

•A family trapped in an elevator 

mind the only thing I was 

doing was talking to God. 

The kind of person I am is 

BEN AGANDE, ABUJA. 

down until we found ourselves at that I believe so much in my 

the basement in a very confined thoughts and the Bible even 

For the family Joseph Kogi, 

place with no space to tells that life and death are in 

2016 Boxing Day 

manoeuvre” she said. 

the power of the tongue” she 

celebrations may remain 

Since the lift operator was in said. 

the most traumatic for them as 

the lift, the Kogi family and other Although the family had no 

their dream of having a 

occupants of the lift were premonition about anything 

remarkable event watching a 

confident that they would soon be untoward as they went out that 

family movie at a popular social 

rescued. But to their dismay, day, the mother of the house had 

centre in the Federal Capital 

With children trapped neither the alarm bell nor the a pang of guilt when she went 

Territory ended in a terrible 

telephone intercom was working through events that played out 

nightmare. They were trapped in 

in the lift, there was 

so there was no way of reaching in her mind shortly before they 

an elevator for over one hour 

the outside world. Mrs Kogi went out. 

before the management of the 

justifiable panic. 

explained: “No one could come “I said I had wanted a quiet 

event centre was able to rescue 

out. The alarm bell was faulty; Christmas, I wanted to just stay 

them from the apparently 

Several options were there was no intercom to reach indoors, not really going out. So 

poorly maintained elevator. They 

security. It was horrific. The before that day I had told my 

were trapped with another 

being explored. But the security guy who was the guide kids that if they wanted to go 

family. It was one experience that 

or lift operator gave us a number out, they were free to go with 

the Kogi family will not even wish 

more they tried, the 

he said was for the chief security their daddy. 

for even their enemies. 

officer but it was switched off. His So at that point what was 

more desperate the 

How did it begin? According 

own phone went dead. Help going through my mind was 

to Mrs Rachael Mnenna Kogi, the 

didn’t seem to be coming from that if I had stayed at home and 

situation appeared 

journey to go and watch the 

any quarters. I pinched myself something happened to all of 

movie as a family actually began 

hard. I like watching movies them, what life would I be 

on Christmas day when they 

but never knew it would form my living? I just felt that God 

went to the cinema house to 

26th. We left home quite early but own story someday.” 

wanted to deal with me, to tell 

watch a movie but had to shift it 

traffic into the premises was quite With children trapped in the me that next time don’t open 

to the Boxing Day when they 

heavy. When we got in around lift, there was justifiable panic. your mouth and say things like 

could not get a ticket on 

7pm, we got into the elevator to Several options were being that; so I started telling Him that 

Christmas day. That decision 

take us to the third floor, where explored. But the more they I was sorry, that if it was because 

resulted in the worst nightmare 

the Cinema halls are located. tried, the more desperate the of what I said that I didn’t want 

that they have ever had. 

Obviously, another family of about situation appeared. 

to come out and I now ended up 

“On the 26th of December 

four persons was also going to She continued her story: “We coming out that I was very sorry 

which was a boxing day, we (my 

watch movies so the lift operator kept looking for alternatives. that He should please send help. 

husband, all my Kids and I)had 

pressed the button for the third Some persons thought of So that was what was going 

gone to watch a movie . We had 

floor. But rather than take us up breaking the glass but we knew through my mind at that time but 

gone on the 25th but were late 

to the third floor, the lift could not it was not possible. One man, somehow I knew that there 

so we decided to make it on the 

lift itself. We saw ourselves going probably the oldest, was would be a way out” she said. 

C 

M 

YK


RIVERS RE-RUN: Police dismiss Wike’s 

security escorts over alleged misconduct 

*We’re being victimized—Affected Officers 

By Kingsley Omonobi, 

Abuja. 

THE Nigeria Police 

Force yesterday dismissed 

six officers attached 

to Rivers State governor, 

Mr. Nyesom Wike for 

breaching its directive not 

to follow their principals 

during the December 2016 

re-run elections in the state. 

The six officers, who 

were alleged to have 

blocked the Independent 

National Electoral Commission, 

INEC, from performing 

its duties, were 

said to have displayed acts 

of indiscipline. 

However, the affected officers 

denied the allegation 

saying they were being 

sacrificed as scapegoats. 

Shortly after the Force 


Mr. Donald Awunah disclosed 

reasons for the dismissal, 

a shouting match 

ensued as the officers denied 

the allegations and 

demanded to speak to the 

media. 

The affected policemen 

include ex-Inspector 

Eyong Victor, ex-Sergeant 

Peter Ekpo, ex-Sergeant 

Oguni Goodluck, ex-sergeant 

Orji Nwoke, ex-Sergeant 

Okpe Ezekiel and 

ex-Sergeant Tanko Akor. 

Awunah said: “In the 

course of discreet investigations 

into the misconduct, 

the six officers were 

found to have in total disrespect 

to orders and directives, 

compromised, 

engaged in unprofessional 

acts and other unbecoming 

conducts.’’ 

He said the Police officers 

while in the convoy of 

Wike on the day of the election, 

misused the firearms 

in their possession contrary 

to the provisions of the 

Force Order 237. 

“The service personnel 

became overzealous, took 

laws into their hands and 

opened fire, causing panic 

in the crowd. They joined 

in storming the Port 

Harcourt City Council secretariat 

and prevented the 

movement of election results 

of Emouha polling 

unit to the appropriate collation 

centre designated 

by INEC, in flagrant disregard 

and disobedience 

to senior police officers 

present at the venue. 

“The six police officers, 

after the conclusion of the 

investigations into this 

public mischief, were subjected 

to internal disciplinary 

measures, found guilty 

and consequently dismissed 

from the force. 

They will be prosecuted 

under the electoral act to 

serve as a deterrent to others”. 

However, after the 

briefing, the six officers 

while reacting angrily as 

they were being led out of 

the conference room, denied 

the allegation insisting 

that the gunshots being 

attributed to the 

governor’s convoy were 

actually shot by the Federal 

Anti-Robbery Squad, 

FSARS, personnel deployed 

by Force headquarters. 

The officers said the 

FSARS personnel opened 

fire when they saw the 

governor’s convoy to scare 

away people. zThey further 

said: ‘’This is an injustice. 

They are the ones 

who detailed us to follow 

the governor. We were just 

doing our job. It was the 

Officer Commanding 

SARS that ordered his 

men to open fire as the 

governor was arriving. 

They know the truth, we 

did not shoot but they 

want to sacrifice us”. 

Dismissed officers attached to Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike for 

misconduct on parade yesterday in Abuja. 

It’s act of dictatorship, Rivers govt 

reacts 

By Jimitota Onoyume 

RIVERS state govern 

ment has described 

as the height of medieval 

dictatorship by the federal 

government the dismissal 

of six Police officers attached 

to governor 

Nyesom Wike over issues 

relating to the December 

rerun elections in the 

state. 

Commissioner for Information 

and Communications, 

Dr Austin Tam- 

George in a statement 

yesterday said lies were 

allegedly fabricated 

against the dismissed officers 

at the secret trial , 

insisting that they conducted 

themselves professionally 

during the elections. 

“The Rivers State Government 

notes with infinite 

sadness the decision 

of the Nigeria Police to 

Magu prays with Buhari at Aso Villa mosque 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

EMBATTLED Acting 

Chairman of the Economic 

and Financial 

Crimes Commission, 

EFCC, Ibrahim Magu on 

Friday joined president 

Muhammadu Buhari and 

other Muslim faithful to 

worship at the presidential 

Villa mosque. 

Magu is currently undergoing 

a probe on allegation 

of corrupt practices 

prompted by a report from 

the Department of State 

Service, DSS which was 

recently blown open by the 

Senate. 

The senate during the 

build-up to Magu’s confirmation 

had unearthed the 

report and subsequently 

declined to confirm his appointment 

by president 

Buhari to become the substantive 

chair of the antigraft 

agency. 

The development swiftly 

divided Nigerians with 

many calling for Magu’s 

sack, submitting that it was 

the only way to give credence 

to the anti-corruption 

stance of the current administration 

under Buhari. 

Jolted by the fireworks, 

President Buhari on December 

18, 2016 directed 

the Minister of Justice and 

Attorney-General of the 

Federation, AGF, Mr. 

Abubakar Malami to initiate 

a probe against Magu. 

The statement issued by 

the Senior Special Assistant 

to the President on Media 

and Publicity, Mallam 

Garba Shehu read thus: 

“The attention of the presidency 

has been drawn to a 

number of reports in the 

media, in which various accusations 

of corruption have 

been levelled against some 

top officials in the administration. 

“In that regard, President 

Buhari has instructed the 

Attorney General of the Federation 

to investigate the 

involvement of any top government 

officials accused of 

any wrong-doing. If any of 

them are liable they will not 

escape prosecution.” 

dismiss six police officers 

attached to governor 

Nyesom Wike. 

The police officers were 

subjected to a secret and 

unfair trial, on totally fictitious 

charges of professional 

misconduct, during 

the rerun elections in Rivers 

State on the 10th of 

December 2016.”, he said. 

“This is a tragic day for 

professionalism and the 

respect for human rights in 

the Nigeria police force. 

The dismissed officers 

committed noa crime, other 

than foil a carefully orchestrated 

electoral heist by officials 

of the Independent 

National Electoral Commission 

(INEC), in collusion 

with the All 

Progressives Congress 

(APC) and the Nigeria 

Police force. 

The claim by the Police 

that the affected officers 

misused their firearms 

while in the convoy of 

governor Wike on the 

10th of December 2016, 

was a wrong and cruel 

fabrication.”, he noted 

The Commissioner, Dr 

Tam-George said the day 

the officers were dismissed 

was a tragic one 

for professionalism and 

respect for human rights 

by the high command of 

the Nigerian Police force. 

B-R-I-E-F-S 

Appeal Court frees man 

sentenced to death 

By Gabriel Enogholase 

COURT of Appeal, sitting in Benin has set aside 

the judgement of an Edo High Court which had convicted 

and sentenced to death by hanging an accused armed 

robber, Tony Ikhuobase. 

The court in the judgement delivered by Justice Chidi 

Nwaoma Uwa, also discharged and acquitted the appellant. 

The appellate court held that there was nothing to test the 

truth of the confessional statement of the appellant, saying 

that the trial Judge at the lower court was wrong in its decision 

as armed robbery was a grave offense which carries the 

maximum penalty of death by hanging. 

Besides, the court also held that the complainant in the 

case, one Mrs Juliet Iyamu who allegedly reported the case 

of armed robbery that she was robbed of money and some 

items contained in her bag did not show up in court to testify. 

Court awards deaf, dumb N4m 

damages for assault 

By Gabriel Enogholase 

A 

Benin High Court 

presided over by Justice Alero Edodo-Eruaga has 

awarded the sum of N4million as general damages to a 

hearing impaired man, Mr. Kingsley Eromosele. 

Mr. Eromosele had dragged the First Bank of Nigeria 

and two of its staff, Messers Jerry Osoleaso and Adetola 

Busari to court for damaging his car and assaulting 

him. 

He had asked the court to grant him N70,000 being 

cost for the repair of his car, N1m for his damaged vehicle, 

the sum of N10m for the assault, dehumanizing 

treatment, shock he suffered and the sum of N1m as 

Solicitors fees in respect of the proceedings. 

In her judgment, Justice A. Edodo-Eruaga held that 

evidence before the court proved that the defendants 

failed to exercise the duty of care due to the claimant as 

a user of the Benin-Lagos express Road. 

Justice Edodo-Eruaga awarded the sum of N4m to 

the claimant for ill-treatment, harassment and hardship 

meted to him by agents of the first defendants. 

Union Bank engages young 

entrepreneurs at innovative forum 

By Moses Nosike 

UNION Bank has engaged professionals, 

young entrepreneurs like Ndidi Nwuneli, Tola 

Sapara, Daniel Emeka, Evans Akanno, others on its ‘Engage’ 

series to share ideas on business growth following 

the economic recession that has affected business operations 

in Nigeria. 

The Bank’s innovative leadership and networking series 

held its 3rd edition recently in Lagos with young entrepreneurs 

and professionals in attendance. 

The innovative forum with theme; ‘Navigating and succeeding 

in touch times,’ was held at Abuja, Port Harcourt 

and Lagos to share innovative ideas and foresight on how 

to thrive better. 

Head, Communication and Media, Union Bank, Omotola 

Oyebanjo, said, “the bank’s years of experience in the Nigerian 

financial industry, has helped the bank to understand 

the need to adapt and also anticipate new challenges”. 

Continuing, Oyebanjo said, “tough times don’t only affect 

big companies alone, but also small businesses and 

individuals too. So, we created ‘Engage’ platform to allow 

professionals, business leaders, entrepreneurs to network, 

engage, identify and recommend real-time solutions to 

challenges facing corporate organisations, businesses and 

professionals in their chosen careers.” 

NGOs offer free medics to Delta 

communities 

THE Coastal Heritage and Economic Watch, CHEW, in 

partnership with International Centre for Ethno-Religious 

Mediation, ICERM, have offered free medical services 

to over 1000 persons living in Agge coastal communities in 

Delta State. The free medical services which included eye 

test, blood sugar test, as well as free treatments was aimed at 

giving succour to the vulnerable such as women, children 

and the aged who could not access quality health services. 

The Coastal Heritage and Economic Watch (CHEW) is a 

non-governmental organization, advocating for peace, clean 

environment and sustainable development. 

Speaking to newsmen at the event, the Executive Director 

of CHEW, Reverend Jude Isiayei, said that the free health 

programme was part of their contributions to the development 

of Niger Delta communities, adding that it was just the 

first phase of the free health programme and that it would 

spread across every communities in the state soon.

Ordinarily, My name is Michael Onochie 

Anibeze. 

But in most forms that we fill we are asked to 

write the surname first. 

From your certificates to most documents the 

surname comes first. And this is why in my 

international passport my name appears thus: 

Anibeze Onochie Michael – the surname first and 

then the other names – the middle name and the 

first name as the case may be. I am a proud 

Nigerian, and I have carried the Nigerian passport 

from adulthood. My name, as it appears in my 

passport, has always been Anibeze Onochie 

Michael. And the visas to all the 

countries I have visited in the 

course of my journalism career 

and private tours have always 

read ANIBEZE ONOCHIE 

MICHAEL. I may not remember 

all the countries I have visited 

but those that readily come to 

mind are USA, Canada, 

England, Spain, Holland, 

Belgium, Italy, Germany, Russia, 

China, Japan, India, Qatar, 

Australia, South Africa, Tunisia, 

Egypt, Cameroun, Senegal, 

Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ivory 

Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin 

Republic etc. 

I have visited some of these 

countries many times. And the 

name in my passport has always 

been Anibeze Onochie 

Michael. But on December 22 at 

the Murtala Mohammed Airport 

in Lagos, I was told that that was 

not my name or that they were 

not written in proper order. I was 

on my way to Qatar to watch the 

Italian Super Cup final between 

Juventus and AC Milan, two 

Italian giants. Since it launched 

its bid to host the 2022 World 

Cup, Qatar has been hosting 

many events. It does so probably 

to prove to the world that it can 

host and organise international 

championships including the 

World Cup. And their officials 

have been doing so with glitz. 

Hosting international events is 

part of Qatar’s preparation for 

2022. I supported their 2022 

World Cup bid after watching the 

country’s presentations. 

However, I wished for it to hold 

in winter as it is extremely hot 

during summer. 

Yes, Qatar said they would 

install the technology that could 

cool the stadium atmosphere. To 

prove the point, the country has 

already equipped one stadium 

with that technology. 

Nevertheless, the World Cup 

tournament is always a carnival 

and holding it in summer, I 

feared, would reduce the 

fanfare. Interestingly, the 2022 

2022 World Cup: 

Before Qatar Airways crashes it! 

World Cup will not hold in 

summer. In terms of facilities and 

hosting an amazing World Cup 

I was among those the Qataris 

impressed with their 

stupendous presentation and 

readiness to host a very special 

World Cup that for many years 

would remain memorable to 

many. Theirs would be one 

World Cup that fans may afford 

to watch two live matches in a 

day. The proximity of the venues 

and the rail system now in 

construction will make that 

possible. That is how compact it 

would be. Qatar 2022 is already 

a dream; an awaiting spectacle. 

They stopped me 

after I had passed 

through immigration 

and was just a step 

away from entering 

the plane 


And I had this in mind on my 

way to the Lagos Airport for the 

trip to Doha December 22 for the 

Italian Super Cup that was to 

hold the following day. But Qatar 

Airways officials in Lagos 

thought differently. Anibeze 

Onochie Michael is not same as 

Michael Onochie Anibeze. 

Another wonder of the world? 

They stopped me after I had 

passed through immigration 

and was just a step away from 

entering the plane. Their 

officials cleared me at the 

boarding formalities and issued 

boarding pass. But at the point 

of entering the plane the story 

changed. What an 

embarrassment. Their 

explanation was absurd. It 

triggered this piece. “In the Arab 

world where they read and write 

Arabic language from right to 

left, they expect that your first 

name should come first, the 

middle name and then the 

surname last name, so your 

name is Michael Onochie 

Anibeze and not Anibeze 

Onochie Michael, the way it is 

written in your passport.” True 

wonders. Should I now carry two 

passports because I’m travelling 

to Qatar? I thought of many 

countries I had visited. NEVER 

and I repeat, NEVER had I been 

refused visa of any country. And 

never had I been told that my 

name was not written in line with 

Arabic writing. Do they know 

what they are doing? Do these 

people (Qatar Airways officials) 

know the international 

dimension of what they are 

doing? Do they know that Qatar 

is the host of the 2022 World Cup 

and that this was unfriendly and 

could pose huge problem for the country? These 

thoughts flashed through my mind. I have been 

to Qatar before with the same passport. They told 

me it was a new order. Why now that they won the 

bid to host the World Cup and the world will be 

coming to Qatar? I started laughing, feeling for 

the Qatar Supreme Committee for the 2022 World 

Cup. Qatar Airways officials could mess up their 

efforts to host an amazing World Cup. Imagine the 

World Cup holding today, and many visitors are 

turned back because their visas were issued just 

the way their names appeared in their passports. 

Would that not be catastrophic? I continued 

laughing. It was simply absurd. Duro Ikhazuegbe 

of Thisday Newspaper was 

different. He was fuming and 

crying blue murder. “Listen, the 

assignment I’m going for is for 

tomorrow, and I have a business 

class ticket, and you want to 

disembark me because the 

name in my visa is exactly the 

way it is in my passport? Is it not 

the proper way? Are you joking? 

Are you guys okay?” Duro 

paced up and down, wondering 

why such a thing could happen 

in this 21st century. He was 

enraged and was sweating. “Is 

this how you would blow this 

World Cup for Qatar?,” Duro 

yelled. “That is the question,” I 

quickly responded. His visa had 

read Ikhazuegbe Samson Duro, 

but the airline officials insisted 

that it must be Duro Samson 

Ikhazuegbe. The two of us went 

back to immigration to stamp 

our passports again and 

returned to our offices, with a 

feeling of pity for the Qatar 2022 

World Cup and some 

disappointment for missing such 

a big match with the attendant 

atmospherics. 

Did those who issued visas to 

those who went to watch the 

match in Doha comply with the 

said new order or were the Qatar 

Airways officials in Lagos 

overzealous? Many others who 

flew other airlines and whose 

surnames appeared first in their 

visas(just like ours) still landed 

in Doha and watched the match. 

Our misfortune was simply for 

flying Qatar Airways. The Qatari 

government ought to show 

interest in this for the sake of the 

2022 World Cup. I do not intend 

to change the order of my name 

in my passport. I don’t think 

thousands of visitors to Qatar 

would either. But we are all 

interested in an amazing World 

Cup in Qatar, the first Middle 

East country that would host 

such a fiesta. And no man of 

goodwill should stand in their 

way. 

BASKETBALL: 

Angola’s basketball legend 

and two-time Afrobasket 

Most Valuable Player, MVP, 

Joachim Gomes has hailed 

Nigeria’s senior men’s basketball 

team, the D’Tigers for their 2015 

Afrobasket exploits, affirming 

that they are the current best team 

in Africa. 

Speaking in a Fiba.com 

interview recently, Gomes, 38 who 

helped Angola win four FIBA 

Afrobasket titles, said he was not 

surprised that Nigeria finally won 

the Afrobasket in 2015 in Tunisia 

at the expense of his country. 

“Since I started playing 

basketball and joined the national 

team, Nigeria have always been 

a challenge for Angola,” he 

recalled. “They will always play 

their best against us. I am happy 

for them because they have been 

working so hard over the past 

•Gomes 

Nigeria must beware of 

Angola — Gomes 

years. I know some of their players 

for a long time, and I am happy 

that their hard work is paying off.” 

•Oguchi 

He however, would not agree 

that Nigeria has overtaken 

Angola as the number one 

basketball playing country in the 

continent, stressing that though 

Nigeria are currently number one, 

according to FIBA Ranking, 

Angola remain number one in 

Africa. 

“We are still the number one. 

Nigeria are the [current African] 

champions, they are the best team 

right now but I don’t think they 

are the number one team in Africa. 

They still have to win some more 

African championships. We still 

made it to the [FIBA AfroBasket 

2015] Final. We have been playing 

the Finals of the last 10 

championships. We have to 

respect that as I respect Nigeria a 

lot. Nigeria will be the first target 

in the next [African] 

championship.” 

With some of Angolan key 

players approaching the end of 

their careers, a lot has been said 

about Angola’s new generation of 

players, especially now that 

Angola will enter this year’s FIBA 

AfroBasket looking to regain the 

continent’s crown. 

And, while the Southern 

Africans won a first FIBA Africa 

U18 tournament in more than two 

decades last summer, Gomes 

feels a lot more needs to be done. 

“Angolan basketball has been 

through a difficult time over the 

past six years or so. That’s because 

the level of improvement is not 

the same,” he explained. “We have 

a lot of young players coming up, 

but they still have to understand 

the level of playing at such level. 

They are good players, though. 

“When it comes to the African 

championship, it’s not all about 

playing games, it’s not all playing 

showing talent, it’s all about how 

to win games, how to play as a 

team and how to respect the 

opponent. They will grow as 

players. At this stage, we have to 

be together because basketball is 

a big sport in Angola.” 

C 

M 

YK


We need a 

supportive sports 

ministry – Pinnick 

2018 

World Cup 

President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick 

speaks on plans to make the Eagles qualify for the 2018 World Cup , the 

Falcons allowances shame and his aspirations to run for a CAF Executive 

Committee position, JOHN EGBOKHAN reports. 

What is your view on the way 

Eagles are playing and what 

benchmarks are you setting for 

them as we await the next round 

of matches in the qualifying campaign 

for the 2018 FIFA World 

Cup?We are quite happy and 

impressed with their 

performance because we 

see that they have made a lot of 

progress in the few months of being 

coached by Gernot Rohr.. Although 

we did not qualify for the 

Nations Cup, which is quite regrettable, 

we believe we have a lot to 

prove at the World Cup. 

At the World Cup, we always 

stopped in the second round; so 

this time around, it is not impossible 

for us to reach the final with 

the new commitment in the team. 

This new commitment cuts across 

the whole spectrum, from the leadership 

to players and the entire 

technical crew and with this, I believe 

we can go beyond the usual 

stage. 

The level of maturity among players 

and the coach is amazing. The 

coach doesn’t wait till when there 

is match before interacting with the 

players. He calls them after every 

match in their respective clubs and 

also talks to their coaches. He is 

concerned and wants to know everything 

about his players and this 

is what we have been lacking all 

this while. 

We now have a good foreign 

coach. As I always say, it is not that 

I don’t believe in Nigeria coaches, 

but we need a coach with deep influence, 

someone that can call club 

coaches at any time and will command 

the necessary respect. 

The truth is that presently, our 

coach has full the wherewithal to 

give our players all they need to 

excel. Nobody believed we could 

beat Algeria before the match in 

Uyo but we did it in some style. 

Once we get the right result in our 

next match against Cameroon, 

then I can safely say we are in the 

World Cup. All we need is a Sports 

Ministry that will be more objective 

and supportive in their approach. 

The Sports Minister, during the 

opening of the 2016 Annual General 

Assembly of the NFF said 

there is division in the board as 

regards your bid to get into CAF. 

How true is this? 

There is practically no division. It was 

11 over 11 for the bid. Every member 

of the board passed a vote of confidence 

on me and the congress endorsed my 

candidature. It is not about me, it is 

about Nigeria. 

If you look at it, assuming consensus 

was in our favour, Nigeria would have 

been in the upcoming Nation Cup because 

teams ended up on 11 points and 

we would have made case for Nigeria 

by prevailing on CAF to fund the home 

and away games of CAR and deduct it 

from there revenue, But because nobody 

was there to push for it, that was 

why I believe it ended that way. 

So it is very important for a Nigerian 

to be there and by the grace of God, I 

am confident of being elected into the 

Executive Committee of CAF by 

March, because I believe they respect 

Nigeria. 

What should the expectations of Nigerians 

be like if you get into the most 

powerful body in CAF? 

We would restructure and bring in 

innovation. At that level, you can only 

protect Nigeria in isolated cases but 

generally, you look at improving CAF 

for the collective good of the member 

states and players 

What new roles if elected into CAF 

do you think CAF should be striving 

to do in order to attract the weight 

that its counterpart in UEFA pulls? 

It’s about improved funding and taking 

care of federations. For example, if 

Nigeria is playing Ghana, we have to 

pay for referee, it is alien, other federations 

don’t do it. All these things are 

what CAF can do. Football money is 

not meant for the bank but pitch. 

UEFA is what it is because of innovative 

thinking and I believe that CAF 

has what it takes to be if not as big as 

UEFA, something close to it. 

Back to the Sports Minister, who 

raised an issue of NFF’s misappropriation 

of the FIFA development 

grant, inferring that your organisation 

was financially irresponsible. 

What is the true situation that prompted 

the Minister to come out openly 

to say such? 

The truth is that we met some FIFA 

fund and it was used to prosecute 

games and conduct youth development 

programmes. What FIFA faulted 

when they sent their auditors to meet 

with our own auditors was a minor 

complaint. And they did not say they 

•Amaju Pinnick 

are holding back, they just want everything 

to tally with what we said we 

are doing. 

For example, our way of disbursement, 

if you give us $10,000 if we pull 

it out and change it in black market, 

it will enable us to do more, that is 

what we are doing and that is what I 

met on ground. 

But when the new FIFA policy came 

into practice a year ago, they changed 

all those things and I believe when 

the things are sorted out that Nigerians 

and FIFA will see the true position 

clearly There is nothing fishy 

or unscrupulous with what we did. 

The report from our own auditors, 

PWC, did not even spare us. Their 

complaint was that what FIFA is giving 

to the Nigeria football federation 

has a government enshrined structure. 

FIFA believes that if Nike gave you 

100 jerseys, it must be properly detailed 

and analysed. What I mean is 

that they want 100 percent details. If 

one detail is not contained, they see 

it as a defect. 

When I proposed the idea of hiring 

world class auditors, many people 

expressed fears these auditors I intended 

bringing would not spare us 

and that they don’t cut corners. But I 

persuaded them to let us follow due 

standard as we do not have anything 

to hide. Today, the auditors are not 

indicting us but telling us where we 

went wrong and how to improve. 

If you look at our audit report for 

2016, they only had three major complaints. 

One was with the Nike deal. 

They didn’t spare us, they didn’t 

have issues with money coming from 

government, FIFA and CAF because 

everything was well document. 

Since I came, I don’t sign cheques, 

I don’t sign confirmation letters. The 

only thing I give is policy direction. I 

go to Abuja everyday on my expenses, 

without an official car. I don’t have 

an official resident, I stay in hotel 

or my brother’s house. I do all 

these because of my passion. 

Nobody knows how we are paying 

the Super Eagles coach but we 

are doing so as and when due. We 

need to be commended because 

we have made a lot of sacrifice. 

How pained do you feel about 

the shame that the Super Falcon 

caused the nation after their victory 

at the last African Women’s 

Nations Cup in Cameroon? 

I know the personal efforts I 

made to the Super falcon when 

they came to Lagos. I picked 

them and took them to a good 

restaurant where we had launch 

and got a pastor to pray for them 

that they will come back with trophy. 

When they were going, the 

money they transferred to the 

executive account, the secretary 

told me. When they came back, 

we gave them a good reception 

in our own capacity and that of 

our sponsor. 

When they flew to Abuja, we 

told them that they would hear 

from us, but since we did not hear 

from the Minister, they also did 

not hear from us, when we heard 

from the Minister, I communicated 

with them and told them the 

situation that they could go and 

that we would get back to them. 

I even presented to them the case 

of the Golden Eaglets, who won 

the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Chile 

and got their money after four 

months, but they said they would 

not go until they got their money. 

There was nothing we could do 

because they were bent on pressing 

for their demands. It was a 

very sad situation to see because 

we tried to prevent it from happening. 

It was beyond us. 

C 

M 

Y 

K

Mikel: 

I leave 

Chelsea as 

a champion 

John Mikel Obi admits it 

has ‘truly been an 

honour’ to play for Chelsea as 

the Nigerian midfielder 

penned an open farewell to 

fans after bringing his 10-year 

stay at the club to an end. The 

29-year-old departed the club 

on Thursday after sealing a 

move to Chinese Super 

League outfit Tianjin TEDA. 

A picture was shared on 

Chinese website Webo of 

Mikel shaking hands with a 

Tianjin club official and 

holding the club’s shirt as he 

became the latest Premier 

League player to move to the 

far east. 

The news first broke on 

Thursday, with the 

midfielder offered a package 

worth around £140,000 per 

week for three years. 

In an open letter shared on 

his Twitter account, Mikel 

shared memories of his 

greatest achievements in 10- 

trophy-laden years at 

Stamford Bridge. 

He wrote: ‘To play in the 

Premier League, the best 

Conte: Mikel 

always showed 

great behaviour 

Chelsea 

manager 

Antonio Conte has 

said he hopes the move of 

John Obi Mikel to China is 

the end of China offers for his 

player. Also speaking, ahead 

of his side’s third-round 

match against Peterborough. 

Conte talked about Mikel, 

who has joined Chinese 

Super League side Tianjin 

league in the world, is every 

professional player’s 

ambition. But to play for 

Chelsea, to become part of the 

Chelsea family, to work with 

some of the best managers 

and players in the world, has 

truly been an honour. 

‘Every achievement I have 

been part of in my time at 

Chelsea holds a special 

memory: my first goal, against 

Macclesfield in 2007 (even 

though there were only five 

more after that!). 

‘The nail-biting end of the 

2010 season - securing the title 

on the last day, scoring a 

record 103 goals in the 

process, and winning the FA 

Cup a week later. Didier’s 

extra time winner against 

Manchester United in 

the 2007 FA Cup Final. 

‘Beating two of our 

biggest London rivals 

in League Cup 

finals. Winning the 

Europa League in 

Amsterdam, with 

one of the last 

kicks of the 

TEDA. 

“Mikel always showed 

great attitude, great 

behaviours. I wish for him 

and his family the best,” 

Conte said. 

“I hope this offer from 

China finishes with Mikel 

and Oscar. I think that it’s 

important now to remain 

with this squad.” 

Sanchez ‘mentally jaded — Wenger 

Arsenal manager Arsene 

Wenger has every 

confidence in Alexis 

Sanchez, but he’s admitted 

the forward is mentally and 

physically “jaded,” 

according to the London 

Evening Standard. 

Arsenal have yet to tie 

Sanchez down with a new 

contract, with his current deal 

expiring in 2018, but Wenger 

is confident he will remain 

with the club. 

“Mentally and physically 

Sanchez is a bit jaded. You 

could see that he is tired,” 

Wenger said. 

“He can have sometimes 

emotional reactions but face 

to face he is always very 

respectful.” 

•Former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has become the 

latest star to move to China. 

game.’ 

The Nigeria captain 

reserved special praise 

though for Chelsea’s 

Champions League triumph 

in 2012. 

‘Then there was Munich. We 

were desperate to make up for 

the disappointment of the 

2008 final, but trailing with 

two minutes to go, against 

Bayern, in their own stadium, 

it seemed that once more luck 

was against us. 

‘But that night, with lions on 

•Oshoala 


our chest and the fans behind 

us, we fought. Up popped 

Didier, the rest is history, and 

to date we’re still proudly the 

only team in London with a 

European Cup.’ He paid 

tribute to the club’s fans 

saying: ‘My biggest thanks 

must go to the Blues fans. You 

brought me into the Chelsea 

family, you sung my name, 

and were there with us every 

step of the way. Thanks to 

your support, on nights like 

in Munich, you made the 

impossible possible.’ 

Mahrez: I’m 

honoured to win 

Africa’s ballon d’or 

Leicester City winger 

Riyad Mahrez has 

capped the most successful 

period of his career by winning 

the Confederation of African 

Football (CAF)’s 2016 Player of 

the Year award. And he said he 

was honoured to be adjudged 

the best player on the continet. 

“Huge honor to be African 

ballon d’or of the year , I want 

to thank everyone who support 

me around Africa and around 

the world”, Mahrez wrote on 

his Instragram account. The 25- 

year-old Algerian scored 17 

Premier League goals and 

Oshoala demands 

better treatment for 

female players 

The Confederation of 

African Football ‘s female 

player of the year Asisat Oshoala 

has called for the continent to 

make conditions better for 

women. 

Nigeria and Arsenal Ladies 

striker Oshoala, who won the Caf 

award for the second time on 

Thursday, said: “We deserve 

more. “The federations in every 

country have to do more for 

female football.” 

Oshoala, 22, has previously 

stated she feels the Nigerian 

assisted 11 in the Foxes’ shock 

title win under Claudio Ranieri 

in 2015-16. 

He has also excelled on the 

international stage for Algeria 

to help them qualify for next 

month’s Africa Cup of Nations, 

Aubameyany: 

Why I wore t-shirt 

to CAF awards 

Gabon striker Pierre- 

Emerick Aubameyang 

has explained why he attended 

the Confederation of African 

Football awards on Thursday in 

casual clothes. 

Aubameyang drew criticism 

on Twitter for wearing a sports 

cap and t-shirt. 

“When you arrive for the 

ceremony.... and they lost our 

baggage!! So that’s how we 

dress tonight. Thanks 

Lufthansa,” he wrote on 

Instagram. Fellow player of the 

year nominees Riyad Mahrez, 

who won, and Sadio Mane 

were dressed in formal suits. 

Leicester winger 

M a h r e z 

became the 

first Algerian 

and first North 

African to win 

the award 

since 

began in 

1992. 

it 

•Aubameyang 

women’s team has been 

mistreated and disrespected. 

In December the Super 

Falcons held a sit-in at a hotel 

in Abuja over outstanding 

payments after they had won 

the Women’s Africa Cup of 

Nations that month. 

They also protested outside 

parliament in Abuja before 

marching to President Buhari’s 

villa. The Nigerian Football 

Federation eventually paid the 

team two weeks after the 

protests began. 

•Mahrez 

delivering five assists and two 

goals across five matches. 

Mahrez’s exploits in the team 

earning him the PFA Players’ 

Player of the Year award in 

April, the first African to win the 

honour. 

C 

M 

YK

C 

M 

Y 

K 

SATURDAY Vanguard, JANUARY 7, 2017 

Mahrez: I’m 

honoured to win 

Africa’s ballon d’or 

>>45 

LIVE IN CHINA... John Mikel Obi with a 

Chinese official on arrival in China 

Mikel: I leave 

Chelsea as a 

•Mahrez 

Aubameyang: 

Why I wore 

t-shirt to 

CAF 

awards 

>>47 

champion 

2022 World Cup: 

Before Qatar 

Airways 

crashes it! 

>>45 

TODAY’S FIXTURES 

FA Cup 

Man Utd v Reading 1:30pm 

Birmingham v Newcastle 4pm 

Everton v Leicester 4pm 

Hull v Swansea 4pm 

Watford v Burton Albion 4pm 

West Brom v Derby County 4pm 

Preston v Arsenal 6:30pm 

LA LIGA 

Real Madrid v Granada 1pm 

Eibar v Atletico Madrid 4:15pm 

Las Palmas v Sporting Gijon 6:30pm 

Real Sociedad v Sevilla 8:45pm 

SERUE A 

Empoli v Palermo 6pm 

Napoli v Sampdoria 8:45pm 

>>47 

Oshoala 

demands 

better 

treatment for 

players 

CROSS WORD PUZZLE 

ACROSS 

1 Enyimba FC Coach, 

Gbenga – (8) 

5 L.G.A in Ekiti State – (4) 

7 Hebrew Alphabet – (3) 

8 Group Managing Director, 

Nigerian National Petroleum 

Corporation (NNPC), Mr. 

Maikanti – (4) 

9 Ethnic Group in Nigeria – (4) 

10 Delta State Capital – (5) 

12 Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. 

Benjamin – (9) 

16 African Antelope – (5) 

18 Brazilian Dance – (5) 

20 Ondo State Governor, Chief 

Rotimi – (9) 

23 Super Eagles Winger, 

Victor – (5) 

26 Chinese Currency – (4) 

27 Country in Asia – (4) 

28 Place where Animals are 

kept – (3) 

29 Nigerian Professional 

Football League Club – (4) 

30 President, Nigerian Guild 

of Editors ((NGE), Mrs. Funke 

– (8) 

DOWN 

1 Senator Representing 

IN THE BEGINNING.....Mikel joined Chelsea 

back in 2006 as a 19-year-old from the 

Norwegian Premier League 

Sanchez 

'mentally 

jaded' 

– Wenger 

>>47 >>47 

Ebonyi Central Senatorial Zone, 

Senator Joseph Obinna – (4) 

2 L.G.A in Abia State – (4) 

3 Comptroller-General, Nigerian 

Immigrations Service (NIS), Mr. 

Muhammed – (9) 

4 MD/CEO, Union Bank of Nigeria 

Plc, Mr. Emeka – (5) 

5 Paris Saint Germain Coach, 

Unai – (5) 

6 Burkina Faso “Stallions” Winger, 

Prejuce – (8) 

11 Peruvian Currency – (3) 

13 Japanese Capital City – (5) 

14 Chairman, Nigerian Institute of 

Mechanical Engineers, Mr. 

Ugochukwu – (9) 

15 First Man on Earth? – (4) 

16 Spanish “La Liga”Club-Side – 

(8) 

17 Non-Metric Measurement Unit 

– (4) 

19 Insect – (3) 

21 Italian Prime Minister, Mr. Matteo 

– (5) 

22 Sunderland FC Striker, 

Jermaine – (5) 

24 Japanese Wrestler – (4) 

25 Kogi United Chairman, Abdul 

– (5) 

SOLUTION ON PAGE5 

•Aubameyang 

Printed and Published by VANGUARD MEDIA LIMITED, Vanguard Avenue, Kirikiri Canal, P.M.B.1007, Apapa. Phone: Newsroom: 018773962. Deputy Editor: 01-4548355. 

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Website: www.vanguardngr.com (ISSN 0794-652X). EDITOR: ONOCHIE ANIBEZE. Phone: 01-7742861, All correspondence to P.M.B. 1007, Apapa Lagos.

07012017 - Diezani to forfeit $153m to FG, court orders

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