12022017-Biafra becomes inevitable option if

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PAGE 2—SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

L-R: Mr. Jide Alabi; Mr. Chris Nwandu, Sector Commander, Federal Road Ibikunle Amosun; 

Kenny St. Brown; Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Ogun State, Chief Adedayo 

Adeneye, and Mr. Segun Arinze, when Celebrity Marshals embarked an a sensitisation 

patrol to promite road safety in Abeokuta...yesterday 

By Tony Nwankwo 

with agency reports 

Nigerian, Faridah 

Demola Seriki, 

Kah-Lo, a daughter of 

former Minister of 

Defence and chieftain of 

the All Progressives 

Congress (APC) in 

Lagos State, Chief 

Demola Seriki, is one of 

the nominees whose fate 

would be determined 

today for the 

prestigious Grammy 

Awards. 

Kah-Lo, an alumnus of 

Hofstra University in the 

United States of America, 

was nominated for Best 

Dance Recording for 

the song “Rinse & 

Repeat” where she was 

featured by Riton. 

According to Agency 

reports, “there’s no 

better way for performers 

to cut their teeth than by 

playing to indifferent 

coffee-house patrons in 

New York City. Just ask 

Bob Dylan. And if you 

can’t reach him, ask 

rising star Kah-Lo”. 

After graduating from 

Hotstra University in 

2013, the Nigerian-born 

singer toughed it out on 

the local circuit playing 

venues around the city 

and learning hard 

lessons along the way. 

“I noticed that it’s not a 

good idea to do show 

songs”, she tells the 

Post. “They’re boring for 

me and people just stare 

at you!”. 

L-R: Deputy Governor of Sokoto State, Ahmad Aliyu; SSG Professor Bashir 

Garba; Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, and the Speaker of the State House 

of Assembly, Salihu Maidaji, during the signing of the state's 2017 budget into 

law. 

Today is D-Day for Grammys’ nominee, Nigerian star, Kah-Lo 

Three years ago, Kah- 

Lo reached out to British 

producer Riton via 

Twitter, explaining that 

she was a fan and 

s u g g e s t i n g 

collaboration. She 

impressed him with her 

sultry vocals and they 

came up with “Rinse & 

Repeat”, which emerged 

in late 2015. The song 

became a club smash in 

the United Kingdom, 

racking up more than 27 

million Sportify plays 

stateside, played 1.5 

million times on YouTube 

less than a month after 

its release. 

Now it’s in the running 

for Best Dance Recording 

in the field that includes 

Chainsmoker. 

Kah-Lo – real name 

By Emmanuel Aziken 

The Deputy President 

of the Senate, 

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 

yesterday, urged the 

media to be wary of some 

Enugu based operators 

who he claimed had been 

hired to launch a media 

campaign against him. 

In a statement issued, 

he alleged that, at the 

centre of the campaign, 

was an Enugu based 

lawyer who, he claimed 

,was working in concert 

with a judge recently 

disciplined by the 

National Judicial Council. 

•Kah-Lo 

Faridah Demola Seriki – 

divides her time 

between Yew York and 

Lagos, and it was there, 

in Nigeria’s capital city, 

that she heard via social 

media that “Rinse & 

Repeat was up for the 

prize. “I screamed”, she 

says. “My mom thought 

robbers were in the 

house!”. 

The success turned her 

into an overnight star in 

Nigeria, where her 

Grammy nomination made 

the front page of a national 

newspaper. 

Aside ‘Rinse & Repeat,’ 

Kah-lo has put out a strong 

collection of work on her 

S o u n d c l o u d , 

demonstrating her great 

musical ability. There is 

much more to her than the 

monotone rap she delivers 

so well; Kah-lo is also a 

talented singer, arranger 

and instrumentalist, tipped 

for big things. 

Kah-Lo will be at the 

Staples Center, tonight, 

where she’ll make a 

Ekweremadu alleges campaign of calumny against him 

The statement issued by 

his Special Adviser on 

Media, Uche Anichukwu, 

said’; 

“The media campaign of 

calumny by these 

conspirators and 

character assassins to run 

down the person of the 

Deputy President of the 

Senate includes the 

circulation of a frivolous 

petition to the Federal 

Government and its 

agencies.” 

The lawyer , according 

to the statement, “alleged 

in a rather show of 

uncommon ignorance and 

unbridled mischief, that 

the funds meant for the 

development of the South 

East was hijacked by the 

Deputy President of the 

Senate as the political 

leader of the region and 

used to purchase 32 

properties. 

“Nothing can be father 

from the truth. Their only 

goal is to run down the 

person of Senator 

Ekweremadu. This is to 

alert the media and 

members of the public to 

the endless machinations 

of the unpatriotic 

elements who are bent on 

getting even with a 

wrong target. 

Fayose vows to fish out killers of herdsman 

Governor Ayodele 

Fayose of Ekiti 

State has charged the 

police and the 

Department of State 

Security (DSS) to fish out 

the killers of a herdsman, 

Mr. Ahmed Dele, in Omu 

Ekiti, vowing to bring the 

killers to justice. 

Ahmed was allegedly 

killed by ritualists during a 

communal clash between 

Aiyede and Itaji 

communities in Oye Local 

Government Area of the 

state. 

According to a press 

statement in Ado Ekiti, 

yesterday, by the Chief 

Press Secretary to the 

Governor, Idowu Adelusi, 

“information gathered 

indicated that the 

herdsman, Mr Ahmed 

Dele, was killed by ritualists 

and not as a, result of 

conflict between cattle 

rearers and farmers.” 

On the incessant 

communal clash between 

the Aiyede and Itaji 

communities over land 

dispute, Adelusi said the 

governor had set up a 

panel, headed by the 

Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba 

Ajakaiye, to look into the 

matter, stressing that 

government was prepared 

to implement the report of 

the panel. 

Adelusi said Fayose had 

charged the police and the 

DSS to fish out the killers 

and other criminals in the 

area and charge them to 

court immediately. 

The governor vowed to 

deal decisively with the 

criminals and those 

harbouring them. 

Meanwhile, the 

monarch of one of the 

towns in the communal 

dispute, Attah of Aiyede, 

Oba Abdulmumini 

Orisagbemi, asked the 

Inspector General of 

Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, 

to save him from death as 

some people were after 

his life. 

He also asked 

traditional rulers of the 

warring communities to 

cooperate with security 

agents to fish out the 

killers. 

Orisagbemi, who 

decried the death of three 

persons in connection 

with the bloody land 

dispute, accused the 

indigenes of Itaji of 

instigating the police to 

carry out mass arrest of 

his subjects while also 

threatening to frame him 

up in the murders cases. 

Addressing journalists 

in Ado Ekiti, yesterday, 

the monarch appealed to 

Fayose to constitute a 

commission of enquiry to 

ascertain the actual owner 

of the contentious land in 

Egan to avert further 

bloodshed. 

The monarch, who is 

the Chairman of the 

Traditional Council in 

beeline for Queen Bey, “I 

just want to breathe the air 

she’s breathing and may be 

keep it in a box!”. 

The Grammy Award for 

Album of the Year is 

presented by the National 

Academy of Recording Arts 

and Sciences of the United 

States to “honor artistic 

achievement, technical 

proficiency and overall 

excellence in the recording 

industry, without regard to 

Soldiers arrest suspected 

robbery kingpins in Abia 

By Ugochukwu Alaribe 

Soldiers of the 14 

Brigade, Ohafia, 

Abia State has arrested two 

suspected robbery kingpins 

who have allegedly been 

terrorizing motorists along 

Opobo - Azumini highway, 

in Ukwa East council area. 

It was gathered that the 

suspected robbery kingpin, 

Victor John and Nsikak 

Johnson, were nabbed by 

soldiers at a checkpoint 

along Azumini highway 

and handed over to Abia 

State Police Command. 

The state 

Commissioner of Police, 

Mr. Leye Oyebade, who 

confirmed the handover of 

the suspects to the police, 

said, “The synergy of the 

Abia State Police 

Command with sister 

agencies paid off, when 

officers of the Nigerian 

Army, 14 Brigade, Ohafia, 

on checkpoint at Azumini 

Road in Ukwa East, 

Oye Local Government, 

appealed to the IG to 

direct his men to do their 

job professionally and 

stop taking sides in the 

matter. 

Estimated billing 

By Theresa Ugbobu 

Provost, College of 

Education, Agbor, 

Delta State, Dr.Joseph 

Ukadike, has lamented 

estimated bills the college 

got monthly. He said the 

college gets electricity bill 

of almost N1 million 

monthly from Benin 

Electricity Distribution 

Company (BEDC). 

album sales or chart 

position. Album of the Year 

is the most prestigious 

award category at the 

Grammys having been 

presented since 1959. 

Although it was originally 

presented to the artist 

alone, the award is now 

presented to the main 

artist, the featured artist(s), 

the producer, the engineer 

and/or mixer and the 

mastering engineer. 

arrested the suspects and 

handed over to the 

operatives of the Anti- 

Kidnapping Section of the 

State Criminal and 

Intelligence Department. 

They confessed to the crime 

and effort is being 

intensified to arrest other 

members of their gang.” 

Tambuwal signs 

Sokoto’s 2017 

budget 

Governor 

Aminu 

Waziri Tambuwal has 

signed into law the state’s 

2017 appropriation bill of 

over N204.3 billion. 

Speaking at the event, 

Tambuwal expressed delight 

at the timely passage of the 

budget document by the 

state House of Assembly. 

He said now that it has 

become a law, its provisions 

will be diligently 

implemented for the benefit 

of the people of the state. 

He said despite financial 

difficulties faced in the 

country last year, his 

administration did not 

falter in payment of 

entitlement to workers and 

pensioners. 

“If the college continues 

to pay such estimated bill, 

we will not be able to meet 

up other demands that 

will move the college 

forward”, he said. 

Ukadike said the 

electricity meter at the 

college seemed to be faulty, 

saying, BEDC should 

replace it. He urged BEDC 

to improve power supply in 

Agbor and reduce its bills.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 — PAGE 3 

L-R: Senate president,Dr Bukola Saraki, and Managing Director/ 

editor-in-Chief,National Pilot Newspaper, Alhaji Billy Adedamola, 

during a condolence visit to Adedamola on the death of his mother 

at his Ilorin residence. 

L-R: Nicolaas Vervelde, Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries; 

Kenneth Maduakor, MD/CEO, Ken Maduakor Group Limited and winner 

of 2017 Nigerian Breweries National Champions Award; wife of 

the winner, Mrs. Kenneth Maduakor, and Hubert Eze, Sales Director, 

Nigerian Breweries, during the 2017 Nigerian Breweries Distributors 

Award in Lagos. 

EXPECTATIONS HIGH ON BUHARI'S RETURN 

First Lady, Aisha, thanks Nigerians for praying for President 

By Levinus 

Nwabughiogu 

Expectations were 

high in Abuja, 

yesterday, ahead of the 

return of President 

Muhammadu Buhari 

from London, United 

Kingdom (UK) today. 

Meanwhile, First Lady 

Aisha, returned from a 

trip to Saudi Arabia, 

yesterday, expressing 

gratitude to Nigerians 

for supporting and 

praying for her husband. 

Buhari had left Nigeria 

on January 19 on 10-day 

medical vacation in 

London and was 

expected back in the 

country on February 6. 

But at the expiration of 

the vacation, the 

President wrote the 

National Assembly, 

extending his stay 

indefinitely. 

Speculations had been 

rife that the President 

would return this 

First lady, Aisha Buhari, flanked by (r) Toyin Saraki, 

wife of Senate President, and others after her arrival 

from Saudi Arabia, yesterday 

weekend barring any last 

minute changes. This 

development quickly 

prompted expectations on 

The Presidency and 

Abuja, the federal capital, 

yesterday. 

Sunday Vanguard’s 

request for confirmation 

of the President’s possible 

Boko Haram razes Borno village, burns one person alive 

•Launches fresh attack 22 hours later 

By Ndahi Marama, 

Maiduguri 

PERSONS suspected 

to be Boko Haram 

fighters have invaded 

Mussa village in Askira- 

Uba Local Government 

Area of Borno State, setting 

ablaze dozens of 

houses. A man, believed 

to be trapped in one of 

the houses, was said to 

have been killed. 

This was not the first 

time Mussa is witnessing 

Boko Haram attacks. 

The palace of the District 

Head and some structures 

in the community 

were allegedly burnt 

down by insurgents in 

recent past. 

The latest incident 

came barely 24 hours after 

a group of insurgents 

ambushed troops in Ajiri 

village in Dikwa Local 

Government Area of the 

state, leaving seven soldiers 

dead and over 20 

injured. 

Askira Uba shares common 

border with Chibok 

and Damboa LGAs with 

some of the communities 

located on the fringes of 

By Olasunanmi Akoni 

Three stalwarts of the 

Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, yesterday, 

defected to the All 

Progressives Congress, 

APC, in Lagos State. 

Receiving the defectors 

at the APC, Secretariat in 

Acme, Ikeja, the 

Chairman of the State 

chapter of APC, Otunba 

Sambisa Forest. 

The incident, according 

to fleeing residents, occurred 

at about 

9.30pm on Friday. 

Johnson Ali Gadzama, 

who claimed to be 

among those who fled 

into the bush upon hearing 

the sounds of gunshots, 

detonation of Improvized 

Explosive Devices, 

IEDs, and petrol 

bombs by the fighters, 

said the village is now 

deserted as residents 

fled. “Our community 

came under attack from 

Boko Haram at about 

9:30pm on Friday. The 

insurgents were reportreturn, 

last night, from the 

Presidency did not yield 

any fruit as the State 

House media team 

seemed not to be in the 

know of the goings-on. 

Aisha Buhari, who 

returned to the country, 

yesterday, appreciated 

Nigerians for supporting 

her husband’s 

administration. 

The wife of the President 

also prayed for peaceful 

coexistence in Nigeria. 

She made the prayer 

shortly after her arrival at 

the Nnamdi Azikiwe 

International Airport, 

Abuja from Saudi Arabia 

where she performed the 

Lesser Hajj. 

Aisha, who arrived at 

about 3:15 pm, was 

received by the wife of the 

edly in a convoy of vehicles 

on which were 

mounted anti- aircraft 

guns and carrying AK- 

47 rifles and other dang 

e r o u s 

weapons,”Gadzama 

said. 

“The insurgents looted 

foodstuff, livestock before 

setting ablaze almost 

all structures, without 

anybody confronting 

them. It is unfortunate 

that one person, who was 

unable to flee due to illhealth, 

was burnt beyond 

recognition by the 

attackers.” 

Sources said the invaders 

fled before the 

military could intervene. 

Efforts to get Borno 

Henry Ajomale, said 17 

chieftains of PDP we on 

the list to join the party, 

saying, “ They are 

currently undergoing 

screening before they will 

qualify to be admitted into 

APC in few days’ time.” 

The defectors are key 

PDP leaders in Ibeju- 

Lekki, Chief Bode 

Oyedele, Alhaji Yahaya 

Adeniyi Dosunmu and 

Senate President, Mrs. 

Toyin Saraki, the wives of 

the governors of Kebbi 

and Kogi States, wives of 

the Service Chiefs as well 

as a former Deputy 

Governor of Plateau State, 

Mrs. Pauline Tallen. 

‘’I thank God for journey 

mercies. I pray for Nigeria 

and Nigerian leaders and 

we should not relent in 

prayers and good deeds”, 

she said. 

She also expressed her 

gratitude to God for the 

successful trip even as she 

also prayed for Nigerians 

and her leaders. 

‘’I want to use this 

opportunity to thank all 

Nigerians for the goodwill 

and support for my 

husband and Nigeria in 

general”, she said. 

State Police Command 

Public Relations Officer, 

Mr. Victor Isuku, to comment 

on the attack 

proved abortive as his 

phone lines were not 

reachable. 

Meanwhile, 22 hours 

after, another set of insurgents, 

launched a 

fresh attack on the community, 

yesterday. 

Residents, who fled the 

first attack but returned 

to the village in the 

evening, told Sunday 

Vanguard that the insurgents 

returned to 

Askia Uba at about 

6:30pm, shooting sporadically 

and razing 

some structures still 

standing in the village. 

Ex-presidential adviser, two others dump PDP for APC 

Hon. Tony Bakare. 

Oyedele was 

Presidential Adviser on 

Ecology under former 

President Goodluck 

Jonathan, while 

Dosunmu was Treasurer 

of Alliance for Democracy, 

AD, under the 

chairmanship of Alhaji 

Rafiu Ogunleye who later 

became Lagos deputy 

governor.


L-R: Director, Infrastructure Business Unit (Inlaks), Tope Dare; Principal Solutions 

Engineer, DCIM Solutions (Middle East and Africa) Vertiv, Gary Harris ; Team Lead, 

Enterprise Systems, Union Bank Nigeria, Charles Arabome; Sales Manager, DCIM 

Solutions (MEA) Vertiv. Ian Paul; and Director, Value Added Services, Inlaks, Koyejo 

Oladimeji, during the Inlaks/Vertiv Forum on 'Trellis DCIM Data Centre Ecosystem: 

Management for High availability and Cost Effectiveness' in Lagos. 

•L-R: Mr. Joseph Alabi, General Manager, Community Relations, Dangote Cement 

Ibese, Prince Segun Bamigbose, son of the late Aboro of Ibese, Oba Joel Bamigbose, 

receiving items; Dr, Hezy Idowu, Asiwaju of Ibese land; Francis Awowole-Browne, 

Mrs Folasade Odusoga, both of the Corporate Communications Department of Dangote 

Group and Mr. Olumuyiwa Tunbi, AGM, Admin, Dangote Cement, Ibese, when Dangote 

Group management donated some food items to the palace and chiefs of the town. 

Police arrest man for allegedly 

hacking mother, 85, to death 

OSUN Police Com 

mand says it has 

arrested a man who allegedly 

killed his 85-year-old 

mother with machete. 

The police spokesperson 

in Osun, Folashade 

Odoro, said in a statement 

in Osogbo that the suspect, 

allegedly machete 

his mother, Mrs Taibat 

Ayiola, to death at Akinleye 

village near Osu on 

Friday. 

“The reason for the killing 

is yet to be ascertained 

because the suspect has 

not given any reasonable 

cause for his action,”the 

statement said. 

“The corpse of the victim 

had been deposited at 

the OAU Teaching Hospital, 

Ile-Ife for autopsy 

while the case is under 

investigation,” said the 

police spokesperson. 

Similarly, the police in 

Osun said it had arrested 

a 45-year-old man in 

Ikirun for allegedly killing 

a man who bought a piece 

of land from him. 

The police said the man 

was killed when he asked 

for a refund. 

El-Rufai decries destruction of structure for military battalion 

in Southern Kaduna 

GOV. Nasir El-Rufai of 

Kaduna State has decried 

the destruction of the 

foundation laying structure 

of the proposed Nigerian 

Army Battalion in Southern 

Kaduna. 

El-Rufai described the situation 

as “unfortunate that 

conflict entrepreneurs are 

determined to create obstacles 

and setback to our stabilization 

and peace building 

efforts.” 

“I received the news with 

shock over the unfortunate 

destruction of foundation 

laying structure of the proposed 

Nigerian Army battalion 

in Southern Kaduna,”a 

statement on behalf of the 

governor by a media aide 

said. 

“The very structure we 

erected to establish the longawaited 

Army Barracks to 

assist in the promotion of 

peace and end decades of 

senseless bloodletting in 

Southern part of Kaduna 

State. 

“The situation is unfortunate, 

condemn-able and a 

setback to government’s 

communal stabilization and 

peace building efforts, but 

we will not be deterred,” said 

the governor. 

He urged the people to 

cherish peaceful coexistence, 

continue to be resilient, 

focused and resolute in overcoming 

antics of forces of 

darkness and evil. 

“Those that did this are 

determined to derail the contributions 

of security agencies, 

having failed to spread 

their tentacles of hate, bigotry 

and penchant for divisiveness. 

“I want to use this medium 

to appeal to all men and 

women of conscience, to remain 

firm and optimistic, 

while government in collaboration 

with security agencies, 

civil society, religious 

and traditional institutions 

will continue to work for 

peace and security of lives 

and property. 

“Finally, all those that 

have their hands in the destruction 

of this structure 

will not go free,” he said. 

According to him, security 

agencies will fish out the 

perpetrators and those 

L-R: Vice President, Consumer Sales, Etisalat Nigeria, Mr Ken Ogujiofor; newly-signed 

Etisalat Brand Ambassador, Miss Simisola Ogunleye, popularly known 

as Simi; Vice President, Marketing, Mr Adebisi Idowu, and Director, Brands and 

Experience, Mr Elvis Ogiemwanye, both of Etisalat Nigeria, during the unveiling of 

Simi in Lagos. Photo by Kehinde Gbadamosi 

found to be involved, or engaged 

in omissions that led 

to the destruction of public 

property, will be brought to 

justice. 

The Chief of Army Staff, 

Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai and 

Gov. El-Rufai had, last week, 

laid the foundation for the 

establishment of the battalion 

at Ungwan Yashi area 

of Zangon Kataf Local 

Government, as a response 

to incessant killings occurring 

in Southern Kaduna 

since 1980. 

Goje urged to organise North-East Summit to 

address marginalisation 

A 

former governor of 

Gombe State, Senator 

Danjuma Goje, has 

been asked to help put together 

a summit to address 

the political marginalisation 

of North-East. 

A non-governmental 

group, Youth Against 

Marginalisation of North- 

East, made this call in 

Abuja. 

The group, in an SOS 

message to Goje, said 

there was an urgent need 

to organise a summit to 

tackle the issue that has 

plagued the zone over 

time. 

The group noted that the 

North Eastern part of Nigeria 

has been denied the 

opportunity to produce a 

president of the country. 

“If you will recall, the 

North West has dominated 

the entire slot of the 

North in general. This includes, 

but not limited to 

the fact that the North 

West has produced nearly 

all the leaders from the 

Delta demolishes 

illegal structures 

in Okpanam 

By Festus Ahon, Asaba 

DELTA State government 

has commenced the demolition 

of the fence of undeveloped 

plots of land and sealing of 

buildings of those who have failed 

to regularize their documents in 

Okpanam core area II. 

Chairman of the state taskforce 

on land regularization, Chief 

Frank Omare, who led the operation 

which started at about 

9:15am, said the operation was 

to warn defaulters, adding that 

government was not taking the 

issue likely. 

Insisting that the state government 

was prepared to enforce the 

law to the letter, the task-force boss 

said: “The state government is 

aware of the fact that times are 

very hard and that is why Governor 

Okowa, in his magnanimity, 

gave 50 per cent discount for the 

occupants to pay N750,000 instead 

of the initial N1.5 million”. 

Urging those affected to comply 

to enable them obtain their 

building approval and Certificate 

of Occupancy, ‘C of O’, he 

said “the state government is doing 

its best by constructing roads, 

building schools and also paying 

attention to other sectors”. 

entire North. 

“From the late Gen 

Murtala Muhammed, to 

President Shehu Shagari, 

to Gen Sani Abacha, to 

President Umoru 

Yar’Adua and the current 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari. 

In view of the aforementioned 

scenario, it is crystal 

clear that North East 

has been sidelined in the 

affair of our great country”. 

Free Medical Mission in Ika 

By Theresa Ugbobu, Agbor 

MEMBER representing 

Ika Federal Constituency 

in the House of 

Representatives, Hon. Victor 

Nwokolo in conjunction with 

National Agency for the 

Control of AIDS, has 

brought free medical health 

AKURE, the capital 

of Ondo State, is expected 

to play host to, 

among other dignitaries, 

the governors of the 36 

states in the country for 

the public presentation of 

a book on outgoing Governor 

Olusegun Mimiko, titled, 

Mimiko’s Oddyssey : 

A Biography of Revelations, 

written by Prof. Olu 

Obafemi. 

According to the state 

Commissioner for Informa- 

care to the people of Ika. 

The exercise, tagged FREE 

MEDICAL MISSION, was 

held at Central Hospital 

Agbor, Ika South Local 

Government Area Delta 

State. The exercise lasted 

three days and was attended 

by persons with different 

health challenges. 

36 govs, others converge on Ondo 

as Mimiko’s Odyssey goes public 

By Yinka Ajayi 

THE International Fund 

for Agricultural Development, 

IFAD, Value Chain 

Development Programme, 

VCDP, will commence the 

training and empowerment of 

3,000 Benue rice farmers on 

good agronomy practice to 

boost rice production in the 

country. 

Speaking in Makurdi, 

Project Coordinator, Mr. Emmanuel 

Igbaukum, stated 

that the success recorded by 

the programme in the state 

necessitated the enlisting of 

3,000 more farmers for training 

in order to sustain the 

gains of the programme in the 

state. 

He said, “Six new local gov- 

tion, Mr Kayode Akinmade, 

who briefed newsmen, 

aside serving governors 

expected to be present at the 

book presentation, former 

governors, including a 

former Anambra State governor, 

Mr Peter Obi, are expected 

at the event. Akinmade 

said the book presentation 

holds on Wednesday. 

Prof, Oladipo Olujimi 

Akinkugbe is the Chairman 

of the occasion. 

IFAD trains 3,000 rice farmers in Benue 

Ogie for burial 

CHIEF Michael Edorodi 

on Ogie, the Adolor of 

Ugbor community, Benin-City 

(also known as Mr. Speaker), is 

dead, aged 72. He died on January 

16 in Benin-City after a 

brief illness. 

A veteran journalist, public 

affairs analyst and history, the 

deceased worked at Bendel 

State Ministry of Justice, the 

Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti 

and the defunct Speaker Newspapers. 

Ogie was at Igbinedion Education 

Centre where he was 

public relations officer / personal 

assistant to the Deputy Chairman, 

Lady Cherry Igbinedion. 

Burial activities commence 

on Wednesday, February 22 

with a service of songs at the 

residence of the Ogies located 

ernment areas considered as 

outreach areas were selected 

in this batch, and each will 

give us 500 farmers to be 

linked to the Anchor Borrowers’ 

Programme of the Central 

Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for 

funding.” 

Earlier, Team Leader of the 

Rural Finance Institution 

Building Programme, RU- 

FIN, Mr. Adamu Ibrahim 

said Nigeria was bridging the 

shortfall in rice production by 

importing N1 billion worth 

of rice daily. 

In his remark, the Commissioner 

for Agricultural, Mr. 

James Anbua said the state 

government would continue 

to support the programme 

and also ensure that its gains 

were sustained in the state. 

•The late Ogie 

at 1-8, Michael Edorodion Ogie 

Close, Ogunmwenyi Ugbor, 

Benin-City. His body will be 

committed to mother earth on 

Thursday, February 23, while 

social dance holds on Saturday, 

February 25. 

Thanksgiving service is 

scheduled for Sunday, February 

26 at Life Chapel of the Trinity, 

Benin-City.The deceased is 

survived by his wife and six children.

SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017, PAGE 5 

• 

Gov. Bello's lifeline for baby 

with hole in the heart 

BY GRACE UDOFIA & 

AHIABA MARANATHA 

Luck smiled broadly on a 10- 

month-old baby at the venue 

of the on-going Kogi State Civil 

Service Appeals Committee sitting near 

the Government House, Lokoja, when 

Governor Yahaya Bello came across him, 

strapped to the mother’s chest. He has a 

hole in the heart. The mother, a civil 

servant with the state government, had 

reported at the venue to make a case as to 

why her name should not be taken off the 

payroll. 

Mrs. Habibat Abubakar Abdulkareem 

bore Abdulfatai Abdulkareem with a hole 

in the heart and had been told by doctors 

to correct the ailment through corrective 

surgery. 

Bello was at the venue of the screening 

to see the progress of work being done 

and how the workers were responding to 

the exercise which has a six-week 

deadline. As fate would have it, the 

governor immediately noticed the 

distressed nursing mother with her ailing 

baby and asked her what the problem was 

with the child. 

As the governor moved close to her, the 

woman was afraid that he had come to 

chide her for coming to the venue with a 

sick baby and looked frightened. 

But Bello beckoned on her to keep calm. 

•Bello (right) with Habibat carrying ailing baby 

“He was born like that with the hole in his heart 

and we do not have the kind of money the doctors 

are calling for us to carry out a corrective surgery,” 

the woman told the governor, sobbing 

“Even if I sell everything I have, it would be 

impossible for me to raise the millions the doctors 

have told me to get in order to take this baby out 

for surgery to fix the hole in his heart”. 

Moved by pity for the toddler, Bello promised to 

sponsor the treatment of the child anywhere the 

mother wanted him taken to so as to save his life. 

and Use. You collect revenue from students, 

you use. They don’t remit money to government 

and, by law, a tertiary institution is a semi 

autonomous institution. Government does not 

look into their money. Government does not 

collect their money. They collect revenue from 

students by way of tuition, levies and so on and 

so forth. What they charge students, 

government has no say whatsoever. What 

government does in many places is to subvent. 

Subvention is like an allowance that 

government gives and it is not a compulsory 

allowance in that sense. It is totally a 

discretionary gift that government gives to 

institutions to help them run their affairs 

How tertiary institutions should work 

So what that means is that a semi-institution 

is a semi-autonomous body. Those who work 

there are not classical civil servant. A person 

who works at at the ministry of works or 

whatever is different from somebody who 

lectures in a polytechnic, their conditions of 

service are different. Government regulates 

that of the civil servants whereas in the 

polytechnic or university, they collect revenue 

through fees, keep and use money as they deem 

it. In Abia State Polytechnic, the real problem 

is that, over the years, their Rectors have been 

acting like typical Nigerian Rector that is 

grossly irresponsible. They collect their money 

and waste the money. The profligacy there is 

unprecedented. 

They wasted millions of Naira 

Let me give you an example, their Council, 

there was a mistake the first one made. So 

what that means is that a tertiary 

institution is a fairly autonomous body. 

The Council Chamber is 20 feet by 12 

long. They spent N2.4 million to renovate 

that room. Eight months later, they spent 

about N30 million, that same room 

again. They documents are there. They 

spent N116 million to clear. The contract 

was awarded to the Chairman, and 

the contract was awarded at a time 

when the company hadn’t been duly 

registered by CAC. Abia Polytechnic 

his 95 men at their gate. They are 

pensionable workers. They have 

over 10 medical doctors there. 

Meanwhile, nobody lives inside the 

The mother, who could not hide her joy, 

broke into tears of joy. 

The governor, who spent over 30 

minutes interacting with the committee 

members and civil servants, expressed 

satisfaction with the quality of job work 

being done by the committee. He praised 

the dedication of the committee 

members, who are working hard in 

order to meet the six-week deadline to 

finish their job. “ 

Abia Poly is replica of our polytechnics where 

waste of money is unprecedented 

•Mgbeoji , state Commissioner for Education 

BY LEVINUS NWABUGHIOGU 

Between May 2015 and now, Abia State 

Polytechnic, Aba, has had three Acting Rectors. 

Similarly, there has been series of industrial strike 

actions by the staff of the institution. The issue, 

which triggered a face-off between the 

government and the management of the school, 

stems from unpaid salary arrears of seven 

months. Only last week, Governor Okezie 

Ikpeazu sacked the third Acting Rector, Acting 

Registrar and the Governing Council members 

of polytechnic in a sweeping move. In these 

separate interviews, the state Commissioner for 

Education, Ikechi Mgbeoji, a professor of law, 

and the Chairman, Senior Staff Association of 

Polytechnics, SSAP, of the polytechnic, 

Nwachukwu Chuks, tell their stories. 

Why polytechnic must be 

overhauled — Mgbeoji 

DIFFERENCES in educational system 

I was in Canada for over 20 years. My 

experiences there as a professor and what I see 

there and how things are done are a lot different 

from the ways things are done in Nigeria’s 

tertiary institutions. I am giving this background 

so that, maybe, others can learn from it. Since 

the British institutionalized tertiary institutions 

in Nigeria, starting from Yaba College of 

Technology to University College in Ibadan, 

in the early 50s, the structure of governance in 

tertiary institutions has not changed much. So, 

we have a system in which whoever is the Rector 

or Vice Chancellor is almost a demigod in the 

school. We don’t have checks and balances in 

terms of how they exercise power. Abroad, it is 

the student that is almost the king. Everything 

they do in schools there is focused on students. 

The student is front, center and back. Even when 

it comes to the hiring of somebody as teacher 

in the university or polytechnic abroad, the 

students are part of what is called Hiring 

Committee. 

Salary impasse 

They make it sound as if it is government that 

pays their salary. It is not government because 

tertiary institution in Nigeria, most of them 

actually, operate on the principle of Collect 

school. Students live outside. Each of the 

doctors there is on about N400,000 plus salary 

every month. Abia Polytechnic has about 42 

workers in their bookstore and the bookstore 

is almost empty. Two of them are on salary of 

over N400,000 every month. The school has a 

Director of Sports. The woman is over 65 years 

old and she is still working. Abia Polytechnic 

has over 1,000 non-tutorial staff. I have the 

whole panel report. I can go on and on. So, 

these people sat down there. They didn’t go on 

strike when these things were going on. It was 

a real racket going on there. 

Govt should pay us our 

seven months salary 

arrears now —Nwachuwku 

Chuks, Chairman, Senior Staff 

Association of Polytechnics, Abia State 

THE bottom line is unpaid salaries for 

seven months and the workers became 

agitated and said ‘how can we be working for 

12 calendar months without salary?’ In August 

last year, we embarked on industrial action 

over unpaid salary. By that time, we had eight 

months unpaid salary. Six months into the 

strike, they managed to pay two months arrears 

and asked us to come back with a promise 

that they were going to pay. At that time, our 

students had not written their second semester 

exams. They said that some students were still 

owing school fees and if we suspended the 

strike to enable students return and write 

the examination, they will be able to 

recover some money from the students 

and, with that, pay us. We obliged them, 

suspended the strike and conducted the 

exams. But after that, no salary was 

paid to to the staff. The union check 

off dues for one year (the 

three unions) were not paid 

either. Our cooperative funds 

which they deduct at source 

from staff salary, as I am 

talking to you, the 

•Mgbeoji 

cooperative is being owed 

over N150 million 

(un)remitted deductions 

made by the management. 

Low cost houses 

for Enugu rural 

dwellers 

—Housing 

Corporation GM 

Enugu State government is building low 

cost houses with flexible payment 

plan in all the 17 LGAs in the state. In this 

interview, the General Manager, Enugu 

State Housing Development Corporation, 

Mr. Agu Chukwuemelie, bares his mind on 

the plan. 

What is the Housing Corporation doing to 

cushion the effect of housing deficit in the 

state? 

Since my assumption of office almost ten 

months ago, the corporation has embarked 

upon the development of more than four new 

estates namely: Heritage, Transparency, 

Rangers Phases (1 & Ii) etc, as a strategy to 

reduce the housing deficit in Enugu State. 

The corporation is also maintaining existing 

estates that number more than fifty. 

What level of support is the corporation 

getting from the state government and the 

House Assembly especially in areas that 

require legislative therapy to aid the 

mandate of the corporation? 

The state government and the House of 

Assembly are giving the Corporation the 

necessary support by way of the legislation 

necessary for land acquisitions, and executive 

approval it to execute its projects. 

People want to know your efforts to build 

low cost houses that are affordable? 

The corporation has plan for the 

development of low income housing at 

strategic locations in Enugu and other LGAs 

in the state. These houses are made affordable 

via the opportunity provided by the National 

Housing Fund (NHF) and the flexible 

payment plan of the Corporation. The house 

types include one bedroom, two bedrooms and 

three bedrooms, fully and semi - detached 

bungalows. 

There are complaints that some of the housing 

estates have poor social amenities. What is 

responsible and what are you doing to remedy 

the situation? 

The state of infrastructure and social amenities 

in our estates are not that poor. You can visit the 

states to confirm this. We have in recent times 

built modern estates of international standards. 

This is attested to by the value most of the 

properties in the open market. However, some of 

our pre-war Estates like the Riverside estates are 

being programmed for rehabilitation. 

What is your corporation doing to ensure even 

spread of housing estates in the state 

especially in major cities of Nsukka, Awgu, 

9th Mile Corner among others? 

Already we have done an estate at Nsukka 

Palm Beach Estate, Obukpa, Network Estate, 

Nike, etc, and previously developed some 

houses at the local government area 

headquarters. Presently, the corporation plans 

to embark on rural housing estates in places 

like Ugwuoba/ Agwu Oheagu, Owo, etc. 

Our major hindrance in this regard is land 

acquisition, which the state government is 

helping us to solve gradually. 

Rape rampant in 

Amukoko, Lagos, 

residents cry out 

LANDLORDS in Amukoko in 

Ifelodun Local Government 

Area of Lagos State have called on 

Lagos State Police Command to save 

them from hoodlums. 

They noted the incessant clash 

between youths of Mosaje and Apasa, 

adding that lives and property were 

being threatened. 

In addition, they said the hoodlums 

often rape, steal and destroy property. 

A resident, who said he witnessed 

a recent incident, Alhaji A Sodiq, said 

the Police Division in the area and the 

Baale of the community were aware 

of the incident.


Official extortion sustains rising 

cost of food in Nigeria 

The previous week, 

the Federal 

Executive Council 

(FEC) set up a task force on 

food security to check the 

rising cost of food in Nigeria 

with a one week mandate to 

report back to council. The 

Task Force was made up of 

Ministers in charge of 

Agriculture & Rural 

Development; Finance; 

Industry, Trade & 

D e v e l o p m e n t ; 

Transportation; Water 

Resources; and Labour & 

Employment. After 

appraising the situation in a 

number of our markets, if not 

all, the ministers observed that 

there was food everywhere 

and as such reported that the 

rising cost of food in Nigeria 

could not be due to shortage. 

In other words, recession 

notwithstanding, food supply 

exceeds demand in Nigeria 

and as such food ought to be 

so cheap that even a pauper 

in the country should not be 

hungry. But apart from our 

ministers and of course our 

legislators, almost everyone in 

Nigeria today is dying of 

hunger because contrary to 

what should happen to price 

in an excess supply situation, 

the cost of food is in the sky. 

As for what is responsible for 

the development, the task 

force opined that the “hike in 

cost is not due to shortage but 

high cost of transportation” 

and increases in the price of 

diesel as food items are 

generally moved across 

Nigeria with heavy trucks. If 

the truth must be told there is 

nothing new about the 

findings of the task force. We 

see food items here and there 

in many parts of the country 

and we hear our people cry 

daily over the rising cost of 

food but contrary to the 

‘neither here nor there’ report, 

we know that government 

agencies are responsible for 

the dilemma. Luckily, Audu 

Ogbeh, the man at the centre 

of the task force and the 

Minister of Agriculture & 

Rural Development has 

eventually hit the nail on its 

head. At the 2017 budget 

defence of his ministry, Ogbeh 

told members of the Senate 

Committee on Agriculture 

point blank that the 

extortionist practices of the 

uniformed operatives 

especially at the numerous 

check points and ports was 

responsible for the acute 

Do we need a task 

force to find answers 

to these questions? 

Well, except the 

government enjoys 

circumlocution, there 

is no need to 

continue to set up 

task forces that only 

reveal already known 

results 

hunger in the land. 

According to the minister, 

reports by food truck drivers 

to his ministry are replete with 

lamentations on how at every 

check point, they are always 

forced to part with reasonable 

amount of money by any 

group of the security agencies, 

which they said, made 

farmers to have no option 

than to factor cost of the 

extortion into prices of the 

food items. Ogbeh added that 

although he had written 

formally to the Inspector 

General of Police, 

Comptroller General of 

Customs and other heads of 

security agencies against the 

unhealthy situation, the 

fraudulent practices 

remained unabated. Again, 

the minister said nothing new 

because any road user sees 

the extortion happening all 

over the nation. Governor El 

Rufai was therefore simply his 

usual proactive self 4 days 

ago when he opted to bar 

operatives of the Federal 

Road Safety Commission 

(FRSC) from inspecting any 

vehicles in Kaduna 

Metropolis and other urban 

centres of the state. The 

decision according to 

Samuel Aruwan Special 

Assistant to Governor El Rufai 

was taken after a meeting of 

the state security council 

which reviewed several 

complaints of extortion 

against the road marshals. 

. 

The same FRSC is now 

implementing a new law 

requiring commercial 

motorists to install in their 

individual vehicles a device 

that would enable the 

commission to identify with 

ease, drivers who are reckless 

on the highway. That appears 

well intentioned, but are we, 

as a nation not scandalized 

that our road safety agency 

does not possess its own device 

for doing its job? Indeed, why 

are FRSC officials always 

checking vehicle particulars 

when for days they cannot 

remove a broken down vehicle 

that is capable of causing 

accidents on the highway? 

What in earnest is the 

difference between the FRSC 

and the Vehicle Inspection 

Office (VIO)? Are public 

complaints against the latter 

different from the complaints 

of extortion by truck drivers? 

Do we need a task force to find 

answers to these questions? 

Well, except the government 

enjoys circumlocution, there is 

no need to continue to set up 

task forces that only reveal 

already known results. It is a 

notorious fact for instance that 

election personnel are 

materially induced to help 

politicians rig elections. For 

several years when the Peoples 

Democratic Party (PDP) was in 

government, election 

observers cried in vain that 

money was openly changing 

hands at election venues. No 

one should be surprised 

therefore that a task force set 

up by the Inspector General of 

Police to investigate the last 

parliamentary election in PDP 

controlled Rivers State 

recovered huge sums from 

indicted election officials. 

Unfortunately, such 

revelations raise more 

questions than answers. Is 

anyone suggesting that the 

commercialization of election 

is restricted to Rivers State? If 

not, while commending the 

police for the huge sums 

recovered, when is the IGP 

sending his task force to a state 

controlled by the All 

Progressive Congress (APC)? 

In addition it seems curious 

that all those from whom 

monies were recovered were 

electoral officials. Does that 

suggest that those who bribed 

the officials gave nothing to 

the police? Indeed, how are we 

sure that the police will not 

require another task force to 

confirm that monies allegedly 

recovered from electoral 

officials in the Rivers 

operation were all fully 

declared? 

No one doubts the existence 

of greedy people who seize 

every opportunity to extort 

money from those who 

require their services. While 

condemning the tendency for 

people to so take advantage 

of others, the point must also 

be made that take–home pay 

in Nigeria is generally 

abysmal amidst increasing 

prices of goods and services. 

Governor Okowa of Delta 

State made a good point last 

Thursday when he described 

as unacceptable that most 

Nigerians today buy kerosene 

above the official price, 

adding that in spite of the high 

pricing the product was not 

readily available. Lets us 

emulate South Africa which 

is into protracted negotiations 

between the government and 

labour unions to introduce a 

national minimum wage of 

$261 dollars per month. 

Except we act similarly, 

farmers that have to bribe 

uniform security officials on 

the highways and meet so 

many charges by different 

agencies for services will keep 

the rising price of food up 

there. 

Still on my navigators 

and a sick President 

Last Sunday when I 

published the 

n a m e s 

of those that made a 

positive impact in my life 

last year, some paragraphs 

in the essay I sent were not 

included because I wrote 

more than could be 

accommodated in my 

column, and the editor and 

his crew must have decided 

to expunge parts of the 

script for it to fit into the 

available space. 

Moreover, although my 

frank admission that I 

must have left out some 

individuals in the 

testimonial mainly as a 

result of human fallibility, 

some of my friends that 

read the article and whose 

names were omitted 

expressed their 

disappointment to me - and 

rightly so. To be candid, a 

few of them actually made 

more 

valuable 

contributions to my life in 

2016 than several of those 

whose names were 

included. 

Therefore, I want to 

rectify this error of 

omission now, with the 

understanding that it is 

almost impossible for me 

to remember within a 

limited time all the 

wonderful people that 

assisted me one way or 

another within the period 

under consideration. To 

begin with, I wish to thank 

immensely Bede Egbufor, 

Simon Tashie, Dele, and 

Joe Otogbolu. Professors 

PhD,Department of 

Philosophy, 

University of Lagos 

08116759758 

opuruiche2000@yahoo.com 

Tunde Babawale, Iyoola 

Oni (Dean, Social 

Sciences), Ndubuisi 

Nwokoma, and Mike 

Ogbeidi (HOD History); 

Drs. David Aworawo, 

Ifeanyi Chionye, Obi 

Iwuagwu. Charles 

Ibeziakor, Dave Ekwoaba 

and Mr. Ngozi Chinwah – 

all of you in different ways 

made a positive difference 

in my life and I appreciate 

that. Jake Epelle and key 

members of The Albino 

Foundation nationwide, 

thank you so much for the 

great humanitarian work 

you are doing. To my 

brother, Emeka and his 

hardworking wife, 

Chinwendu, I appreciate 

both of you for being my 

eyes and ears in the village. 

Finally, and on a sad note, 

I remember the painful loss 

of my sister, Ngozi Felicia 

Anele, who died about six 

weeks ago. She worked so 

hard but some evil men did 

not allow her to fully enjoy 

the fruits of her labour. The 

pain of her death still 

pulsates in my heart, but 

the passage of time will 

eventually take care of 

that. From my sister’s 

horrible experiences, I 

advise women to disregard 

the exaggerated 

importance traditionally 

attached to marriage 

because it makes them 

vulnerable to bestial 

fraudsters who seek to steal 

and destroy with fake 

promises of marriage. 

Marriage is not a necessary 

condition for a fulfilled life 

– in many cases being 

married is actually 

detrimental. I strongly 

believe that my sister 

would have been alive 

today if she used her 

resources to enjoy and take 

good care of herself. 

And talking about death, 

there was a story sometime 

ago that the President, 

Muhammadu Buhari, had 

died. Since then, a lot of hot 

air has been swirling 

around the issue of the 

President’s health 

condition. 

Lai 

Mohammed, an expert in 

verbal acrobatics, does not 

think that the same 

exacting demands he made 

about eight years ago when 

the medical condition of 

late President Umaru 

Yar’Adua was an issue 

should be made this time 

around. At that time, as 

spokesman for the 

opposition, Lai 

Mohammed insisted that 

the minister of information 

should give Nigerians 

daily report about 

Yar’Adua’s health based on 

genuine detailed medical 

reports from his 

physicians. Now, Lai 

Mohammed says 

Nigerians should not 

expect regular updates 

about Buhari’s health 

status because Yar’Adua’s 

condition and that of his 

boss are dissimilar. 

At first sight, his 

argument seems valid, but 

upon closer analysis it 

cannot withstand 

ratiocinative scrutiny. 

First, just like late 

Yar’Adua President Buhari 

is sick, and Nigerians that 

chose the man to be their 

President deserve to know 

what is happening to him 

in London: after all, his 

medical vacation is paid 

for from the public 

treasury. Second, 

considering the uncanny 

similarities between the 

Yar’Adua scenario and the 

current one, many people 

are apprehensive that the 

drama that happened 

around the late President 

might happen again. 

Moreover, given that the 

current government has in 

my view performed below 

expectations since its 

inauguration, there is a 

African leaders are 

so intoxicated by 

political power that 

they are now 

suffering from sittight 

neurosis 

widening credibility hiatus 

between the federal 

government and the 

people. Increasingly, 

Nigerians distrust Lai 

Mohammed. 

In my opinion, media 

managers of the 

presidency accept the 

Trumpian bizarre concept 

of “alternative facts,” that 

is, the skilful 

manipulation of 

information in such a way 

that fiction would be 

presented as an equally 

truthful version of real 

events. However, that 

cannot work this time 

around because not all 

Nigerians are gullible. 

There is a lot of hypocrisy 

particularly among 

prominent Nigerians on 

this issue. Some of them 

who, for selfish reasons, 

really wish the President 

dead or so obviously 

incapacitated that he 

would be declared unfit to 

govern according to 

relevant provisions of the 

1999 constitution, are the 

very ones lambasting those 

they claim want the 

President dead. Of course, 

members of his family and 

those benefiting from his 

government are praying 

fervently for his safe return. 

From the foregoing, it is 

unrealistic to expect 

everyone to have the same 

attitude in this matter. The 

hypocrites pretending to 

love the President even 

more than members of his 

family should know that 

whether one wishes 

President Buhari dead or 

safe return to the country, 

what will be will be: the life 

or death of an individual 

does not depend on mere 

wishes. What should be 

uppermost in our minds is 

that Lai Mohammed and 

other government officials 

should tell Nigerians the 

truth about what is 

happening to the President. 

As a leader, Buhari has 

ceded most of his right to 

privacy to the people that 

elected him. 

Consequently, to pretend 

otherwise or criticise 

Nigerians unfairly for 

demanding truthful 

information about their 

leader is disingenuous and 

inconsistent with the 

requirement 

of 

transparency which makes 

democracy preferable to 

totalitarianism. 

The issue with President 

Buhari’s health point to a 

much larger problem of 

distorted understanding of 

the essence of leadership in 

Africa. African leaders are 

so intoxicated by political 

power that they are now 

suffering from sit-tight 

neurosis. Sit-tight neurosis 

is a mental condition or 

psychological disease in 

which a President, Prime 

Minister or top government 

official refuses to leave 

office either at the 

expiration of his tenure or 

when there are good reasons 

for him to do so before the 

expiration of his term of 

office. “Good reasons” 

include physical or mental 

incapacitation (or both), 

persistent demand or outcry 

from the citizens against 

the leadership because of 

poor performance, and 

scandal involving a sitting 

President, governor or 

minister etc. In mature 

democracies of Europe and 

North America, top 

government officials 

usually resign when their 

positions become 

untenable for any of the 

reasons highlighted above. 

But in Nigeria, people 

cling to power at all cost, 

thereby compromising the 

prestige and dignity 

embedded in the offices 

they occupy. For instance, 

it is hard to understand why 

Bukola Saraki has not 

resigned as Senate 

President despite his on 

going prosecution at the 

Code of Conduct Tribunal 

on corruption or the 

President for that matter 

because it is becoming 

increasingly obvious that 

the whale-sized problems 

of Nigeria is weighing him 

down and jeopardising his 

health. 

Buharimaniacs and 

Buhari’s loyalists can live 

in self denial from now till 

kingdom come: the fact 

remains that President 

Buhari was deceived by a 

group of avaricious agabta 

ekee politicians into 

thinking that he is the 

messiah Nigerians expect 

to pull the country out of 

self-inflicted black hole of 

stunted development. To be 

candid, Buhari should have 

stuck to the pledge he made 

in 2011 not to contest for 

the presidency again. If he 

had done so, he would have 

avoided the severe 

headaches he is facing now. 

As things stand, he might 

eventually regret the 

decision to contest in 2015 

because his electoral 

success might turn into a 

Pyrrhic victory.

With God on your side, 

this is your year 

This edition of Joyful 

homes is a 

continuation of our 

last week's edition, though 

taken from a different 

perspective. As human beings 

we are limited . Certain things 

that we desire are just not 

within our control, therefore, 

we need the help of God. For 

a woman who has been 

through failed IVF several 

times, she must have come to 

the conclusion that only God 

can help her. 

Or what do you say of a 

woman who has suffered 

series of miscarriages. She is 

a regular patient in the 

hospital for evacuation 

whereas her mates carry their 

babies to term. The pain of 

such a woman is better 

imagined. 

Or is it the case of a student 

who had done everything to 

secure admission but never 

got one even when he meets 

the required cut off mark or 

score. Such a person just 

needs the help of God. 

Whether we admit it or not, 

we all need the help of God at 

some point in life. 

If we had been created in 

such a way that we have no 

limitations, many of us will 

not serve or worship God. 

However, help comes for 

those who ask for it. Have 

you asked God to help you 

overcome that challenge? 

Brethren, we need to ask for 

God’s help. It is difficult, if not 

impossible, to overcome 

challenges that have spiritual 

foundation without the help 

of God. 

That situation that makes 

you to cry unto man, once you 

cry unto God such challenge 

will come to an end. You need 

to refocus. Turn from man to 

God for help and you will 

soon be celebrated. 

How do I know that God is 

ever ready to help us? My 

authority is found in Isaiah 

40 vs 10 of King James 

Version: “Fear thou not; for I 

am with thee: be not 

dismayed; for I am thy God: 

I will strengthen thee; yea , I 

will help thee; yea, I will 

uphold thee with the right 

hand of my righteousness”. 

God made it clear that he 

will help us but we need to ask 

for his help. Seek his help and 

his alone. Anyone who 

believes that God is able to 

help him should not be seen 

seeking help from other 

ungodly sources. 

What business has a woman 

waiting on the Lord to be 

bathing by the river at night 

or a man who wants to be 

financially promoted going 

to the beach to burn candles 

or even consulting a herbalist 

or magician? 

Why should you consult and 

cooperate with ritualists 

because you want to be rich? 

What joy can be derived 

from riches obtained from 

such sources? When you do 

that, you have submitted your 

destiny to the forces of 

darkness and they will control 

your destiny. 

When we engage in such 

practices, we distance 

ourselves from the help that 

God has promised us. 

For us to access the help of 

God, we need to be righteous. 

We have a duty not just to trust 

God but also to live by his 

word, only then can we access 

his help. 

Faced with numerous 

battles, the Psalmist; David 

acknowledge the superiority 

of God in Psalms 60 verses 

11 and 12 “ Give us help from 

trouble: for vain is the help of 

man. Through God we shall 

do valiantly:for he it is that 

shall tread down our 

enemies”. 

At this point I remember the 

popular saying of Pastor J.T. 

Kalejaiye that you may not 

have a godfather but you have 

God the Father. 

Is there a gang up against 

you in your family for being a 

Christian? Are you being 

humiliated by co-tenants 

because of your activities as a 

Christian? 

Is yours a case of your 

superior officer who has 

vowed you will never be 

promoted simply because you 

refused to go out with him? 

Are you being mocked 

SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017, PAGE 7 

because you are unemployed? 

Whatever is the challenge, 

God will help you and you will 

laugh last in the name of Jesus. 

Brethren, you need to make 

up your mind to seek the help of 

God and do so with all your 

heart. 

Set your mind to believe that 

there is no problem that is too 

big for God to solve. Limit your 

Limit your discussion 

with human beings 

and spend more time 

talking to God 

Almighty the only one 

who can solve all 

problems 

discussion with human beings 

and spend more time talking to 

God Almighty the only one who 

can solve all problems. God’s 

ways are beyond human 

comprehension but you will see 

the evidence. 

Again I refer to King David, a 

man that God chose to be king 

but the enemies laid many 

stumbling blocks on his path. 

Many of us have been unable 

to reach our goals because we 

have been hindered by fellow 

human beings. 

Let’s consider the words of 

Psalms 40 verses 12 and 13 “ 

For innumerable evils have 

compassed me about: mine 

iniquities have taken hold upon 

me, so that I am not able to look 

up; they are more than the hairs 

of mine head: therefore my 

heart faileth me ”. These 

are the words of a man 

overwhelmed with 

challenges. Man-made and 

self-made challenges. 

Many of us are in that 

condition today. How did 

David handle the situation, 

Verse 13 provides the answer. 

He cried unto the Lord, 

saying, “ Be pleased, O 

LORD, to deliver me: O 

LORD make haste to help 

me”. 

Note that David did not 

grumble. He didn’t blame 

God for the challenges 

neither did he choose an 

alternative to God. 

Exodus 20 vs. 3- 5 is quite 

clear on why we should trust 

in God and him alone. 

It states, “ Thou shalt have 

no other gods before me. 

Thou shalt not make unto 

thee any graven image, or 

any likeness of any thing 

that is in heaven above, or 

that is in the earth beneath, 

or that is in the water under 

the earth: Thou shalt not 

bow down thyself to them, 

nor serve them: for I the 

LORD thy God am a jealous 

God, visiting the iniquity of 

the fathers upon the 

children unto the third and 

fourth generation of them 

that hate me”. 

Despite the numerous 

challenges that David had 

to contend with, he stood 

firm with God. 

Are your firmly holding 

unto God ? Are you assured 

that he is able to help you? 

If your answers are in the 

affirmative, then get ready 

this year is your year. 

Have you been praying 

and yet to receive answers? 

Then ask for God’s mercy. 

At a time like this, Psalms 

102 vs 3 should be the peg of 

our prayer point. It states, “ 

Thou shall arise, and have 

mercy on Zion (replace Zion 

with your name) for the time 

to favour her (me), yea the set 

time, is come”. 

Continuously remind the 

Lord that the time to favour 

you has come and he will 

show mercy but you must 

avoid sin. 

Romans 6 vs. 1 ( KJV) “ 

What shall we say then? Shall 

we continue in sin that grace 

may abound? 

Verse 2 provides the answer, 

God forbid. How shall we, 

that are dead to sin, live any 

longer therein?. 

Let’s choose to stand with 

God and seek his help. 

Testimony- As usual I’ll end 

with a testimony. A family had 

an abandoned property for 

over 15 years. Hoodlums, 

rapists made the project their 

home but the woman of the 

house kept praying and 

asking God to complete this 

project. She sowed a seed into 

the building of a popular 

Pentecostal Church and God 

rose for her family. 

A wealthy relation called up 

her husband and said he was 

unhappy seeing the 

abandoned project. He told 

his civil engineers to move in, 

redesign the building and 

complete it. 

To the Glory of God, he 

funded the project up with 

little input from the owners. 

Today, that abandoned project 

has become one that is 

admired by many. 

In the name of Jesus, 

everything that has been dead 

in your life will receive the 

intervention of God. 

Get ready, this is your year 

of testimony. 

Children also battle cancer – Matilda Obiajunwa 

Matilda Obiajunwa, 

founder, Daivyan Children 

Cancer Foundation, speaks 

on childhood cancer on 

World Cancer Day. 

WORLD Cancer Day 

was celebrated on 

February 4. On 

that day, everybody seemed 

to be talking about all the 

different cancers from the 

most common which is 

breast cancer to prostrate 

cancer and without 

attention paid to childhood 

cancer. As bad and tragic as 

it sounds, cancer affects 

everybody, including a baby 

born today. 

Meanwhile, nobody 

should be left out of the 

cancer discourse. 

The good news is that 

cancer in adults, if detected 

early, the survival rate can 

get as high as 80%, but the 

reverse is the case with 

children in low income 

countries like ours where 

80% is lost every year to 

cancer. As expensive as this 

deadly disease is to manage, 

we need to help children 

battle it. HMOs cannot foot 

the bill, families lose hope 

as they watch their young 

ones give in to the battle 

against cancer due to lack 

of funds, lack of good 

support system, lack of 

quality and functional 

medical facilities. This may 

shock you: In Nigeria, there 

are just about nine 

radiotherapy machines but 

only two are functional at a 

time, leaving over 20 

million Nigerians on queue 

for radiotherapy treatment. 

And radiotherapy is a 

major form of treatment in 

cancer management while 

drugs are so expensive that 

even rich parents sell off 

their properties to fund 

treatments for their young 

ones. Poor families are worst 

hit and misdiagnosis 

rampant. 

I am a mother of a survivor 

by the grace of God, but in 

the past, I have experienced 

the shock of realizing that 

there was a misdiagnosis. 

As an individual, 

•Matilda Obiajunwa 

organization, society, 

government, what are you 

doing to help these 

children overcome this 

menace? You can help in 

your own little way to 

create awareness that will 

aid early detection. You 

can help to support 

families of little children 

battling cancer; You can 

help to implement policies 

that will ensure children 

battling cancer get 

prompt, quality and 

affordable or free medical 

services; You can help to 

ensure that government 

looks into the case of 

childhood cancer in 

Nigeria and to make life 

easier for our children 

FOU Owerri seizes 17 items, arrests 18 suspects 

In a bid to stem the tide of 

smuggling contraband goods 

into the country, the Federal 

Operations Unit (FOU) Zone ‘C’, 

Owerri of Nigeria Customs Service 

(NCS) has intercepted 17 prohibited 

items with 21 underpayments 

recovery of N194.6million in 

January. 2017. The Unit swiftly 

arrested 18 suspects in connection 

with the seized items. 

The Public Relations officer of the 

Unit, Assistant Superintendent of 

Customs, Onuigbo, Ifeoma Ojekwu 

, disclosed this in a chat with Sunday 

Vanguard, explaining that the 

above figure is a combination of 

overall Duty Paid Value (DPV) of 

N122.2million and a recovery 

underpayment of N72.3million. 

The Customs Area Controller 

(CAC) in charge of the Unit, 

Comptroller Mohammed Uba 

Garba said that the seizures were 

made along Owerri, Benin, Enugu 

and Calabar axis. He said, “We 

intercepted 9 vehicles worth 

N35,900,920.00; 382 used tyres 

valued at N6,288,000.00 and 3,077 

bags of 50kg foreign rice estimated 

at N80,093,300.00. Rice smuggling 

has the capacity to depress the 

nation’s economy, as it reduces 

government’s revenue, stifles 

domestic rice industries in addition 

to distorting supply and 

consumption data usually applied 

by the government as references for 

sound policy making and 

planning”. 

Garba justified government ban 

on used tyres, stressing that such 

items in advanced nations are 

usually compressed and discarded 

for use in their countries of 

manufacturing, but later find their 

way into the country as a result of 

the activities of smugglers who in 

turn sell them to members of the 

public because of their perceived 

cheap prices. He therefore warned 

those who are still trapped in illicit 

business of smuggling despite the 

obvious implications to purge 

themselves of this obnoxious 

business, which is detrimental to the 

nation’s economy. He noted that 

the unbridled use of imported 

second-hand tyres continues to 

wreck havoc on the nation’s 

highway with many lives being lost 

and others seriously injured. 

He added, “NCS would remain 

steadfast in its resolve to ensure that 

no prohibited item gets across the 

nation’s borders, assuring that the 

Service is now more than ever 

fortified, trained and mobilised to 

meet its challenges. I appeal to Nigerians 

with classified information 

about smugglers, their collaborators 

and agents to always make such 

information available to our officers 

and men for necessary action. NCS 

is not interested in witch-hunting or 

victimising anybody, group or 

association who are into legitimate 

business of importing and 

exporting, but would not entertain 

economic sabotage through illegal 

business of any kind.” 

The CAC displaying some of the seized items 

battling it. 

In Lagos University 

Teaching Hospital alone, 

every week at least 3 children 

are newly diagnosed with 

cancer. 

I speak up so that everyone 

can know that childhood 

cancer is real. Look out for 

the signs and help save that 

child. 

The symptoms are there: 

A lump in any part of the 

body, drastic weight loss, 

recurrent high fever, 

bleeding or excessive 

bruising, swollen tummy, 

pain in the joints or parts of 

the body. Get that child to 

see a doctor, the cause of 

these symptoms may not be 

cancer, but if it is early 

detection can save lives. 

For collaboration to end 

childhood cancer, I can be 

reached via @matdivdavy

PAGE 8 —SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

ACTING PRESIDENCY 

(SERIES III) 

Osinbajo 

finally moves 

•Creates new spirit 

of calculated change 

As if he was jolted by the barrage of criticisms that had trailed his docility in the last two weeks, he has started working as 

the Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, in the third week of his presidency in an acting capacity, engaged a different 

gear. Sunday Vanguard, which has been following his activities since the departure of President Muhammadu Buhari to 

London on medical vacation on January 19, 2017, brings you the calculated changes spearheaded by Osinbajo. 

BY LEVINUS 

NWABUGHIOGU 

Of course, he may not have 

expected the stretch of his 

emergency tenure beyond 

February 6. For him, he was done 

and, so, was ready to hands off power 

and recoil to his shell as Vice 

President. 

If there was any other event he 

was expecting any sooner after his 

second and hitherto final week as the 

Acting President, it was the launch 

of the Economic Growth and 

Recovery Plan, EGRP, of the present 

administration, a function he had 

since announced in far away Davos, 

Switzerland, during the World 

Economic Forum, WEF, on 

January 17, 2017 meant to harness 

appropriate measures that would 

get Nigeria out of the economic 

woods. 

Like always, he had expected his 

boss, President Buhari, to declare 

the launch open. But little did he 

know that his acting career was not 

over, yet. 

Recall that in his press statement 

on January 19, the Special Adviser 

to the President on Media and 

Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, 

categorically told Nigerians that 

President Buhari would resume 

work on February 6. To them, the 

date was sacrosanct and Osinbajo 

was also apparently marking time. 

But just when it was about time, 

barely 12 hours to break of the day, 

the Presidency reneged on its own 

promise of February 6 and later 

announced an indefinite date for 

the return, this time, leaving 

everyone on tenterhooks; and so 

further stretched the imagination of 

Nigerians whose sensibilities had been 

assaulted by all manner of rumors 

about Buhari’s wellbeing. 

Apparently, the Acting President was 

equally greeted with the surprise of the 

indefinite extension of the medical 

vacation of boss in London, United 

Kingdom, as he had no choice than to 

chair the Consultative Forum EGRP, 

held at the Old Banquet Hall of the 

State House on Monday - the day his 

boss had earlier been expected to 

resume work. 

Osinbajo’s new spirit 

Obviously, his actions that Monday 

and subsequent days of the week 

stamped a strong impression of the 

arrival of a new spirit within and 

around the spirit of acting. At least, 

for once, he needed to “act” in the true 

sense of the word. 

Monday 6, 2017-A day with 

Protesters 

Osinbajo showed zeal and dexterity. 

He also displayed a great deal of 

concern for the plight and predicament 

of the ordinary Nigerian even though 

pity, without action, has never solved 

the problem of hunger or education or 

anything. 

Like a philosopher once noted, hope 

is better served as breakfast than as 

dinner. 

While he and other top government 

functionaries, which included, but was 

not limited to, the Minister of Budget 

and National Planning, Senator Udo 

Udoma, were deliberating at the State 

House, the heavens were seriously 

cloudy outside. From Lagos to Ibadan 

down to other parts of the country, a flurry 

of protests against him and his principal 

took over the streets. 

Obviously, his 

actions that Monday 

and subsequent 

days of the week 

stamped a strong 

impression of the 

arrival of a new spirit 

within and around 

the spirit of acting 

Abuja was not an exception. 

Nigerians in their numbers protested 

against the severe economic hardship 

and hunger across the country. They 

also protested against epileptic power 

situation, the depressed economy, the 

all-time high inflation and more 

especially, the all talk and no action 

stance of the federal government. 

Interestingly, also, the protest rally 

took place on a day the Budget and 

National Planning Minister told the 

crowd at the EGRP Forum that they 

were still consulting to get the inputs 

of the private sector operatives to solve 

the economic quagmire. 

Udoma’s speech at the event evidently 

revealed a government that is totally 

handicapped in finding solutions to the 

problem when it is considered that since 

the second quarter of last year when the 

economy became sick, the Nigerian 

government is still consulting. 

And so, when it was his time to speak, 

Osinbajo addressed the protesters 

directly even though they were not in the 

hall. 

He said that their message has been 

well received by the federal government: 

“I am pleased to welcome you, our 

partners in the private sector to this very 

important consultations on the ERGP. We 

are in a serious economic situation and 

the President was particularly concerned 

about the lot of the common man. And I 

quote him, ‘Recession today for many... 

for some it means not being able to pay 

school fees, for others not being able to 

afford high cost of rice and millet and 

for most of our young people recession 

means joblessness...’ 

“I, for one, have been across the states 

and, even today, some people are out on 

the street protesting. Many of our people 

are saying the same thing that things are 

hard, things are difficult. But what I will 

like to say to every Nigerian is that ‘we 

hear you loud and clear’ . 

“The government is one that is 

determined to give the ordinary man a 

fair deal. We are determined to recover 

the economy. You have a right to live well 

and decently, demand for a better 

economy and we are committed to 

making that happen.” 

But Osinbajo wouldn’t end his speech 

without pricking the Peoples Democratic 

Party, PDP, as he stated that the years of 

destruction cannot be corrected 

Continues on page 9

SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 PAGE 9 

Continued from page 8 

overnight. 

He continued: “Years of deterioration 

cannot be remedied over night but again, 

I must emphasize that it’s our business 

and duty to ensure that we put the 

Nigerian economy on the path of 

sustained growth and that is exactly 

what we are determined to do”, he said. 

He also gave the highlights of the 

government efforts at restoring the 

economy on the path of sustainable 

growth. 

He added that the social intervention 

programme, SIP, which included 

payment of N5,000 to the poorest 

citizens on monthly basis was one of 

the ways to cushion the effects of the 

harsh realities of the times. 

“We have in the past 18 months 

intervened three times to states to 

enable them have enough resources to 

pay salaries and the last intervention 

was in December when we paid the Paris 

club refund to the states. This is money 

that the federal government was owing 

states since 2005 and even oil was 

selling at 115 Dollars per barrel, this 

debt was not paid. 

“The president insisted when he was 

going to pay that money to the states 

that at least 50 percent of it must be to 

pay salaries of workers. We intend to 

ensure, of course, that that is what is 

done. Many of the states were able to 

pay salaries and backlog of pensions in 

December because of that particular 

fund that was made available to the 

states. 

“Those have been the concerns of the 

President and the Federal Government, 

to ensure that as much as possible, the 

most vulnerable in our society, those 

who earn salaries, those who have no 

work, market women, the man on the 

street take as little of this pain as 

possible. 

“The home grown feeding 

programme has started in several 

states; it will provide opportunity for 

farmers all across the country. We are 

also providing credit facility to 1.6 

million traders and artisans”, he said. 

I am not under pressure to resign/ 

Only President can disclose his health 

status 

The Acting President prompted an 

enigma of himself when later in the day, 

he yearned for a press interview with 

State House Correspondents. No one 

could preempt him. But then, anxiety 

stood tall. 

Leaving off a closed door meeting 

with the National Chairman of the 

ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, 

Chief John Oyegun, the Special Adviser 

to the President on Political Matters in 

Vice President’s Office, Sen. Babafemi 

Ojudu, and the Senior Special Assistant 

to the President on Foreign Affairs and 

Diaspora Matters, Hon. Abike Dabire, 

Osinbajo said he won’t be cowed to 

resign his office. 

He made it loud and clear that he ran 

for his office on the same electoral 

ticket with President Buhari and that 

Nigerians who voted for him had not 

asked him to resign. 

He also said the President was hale 

and hearty contrary to speculations that 

he was critically ill or even dead. 

Revealing that he had a long 

telephone conversation with the 

President, Osinbajo stated that the 

President was well and alive. 

But the Acting President failed to 

disclose the nature of the President’s 

ailment, saying that the information 

was only at the discretion of the 

President to make public. 

He said: “I am not under no pressure 

to resign. I was voted for by the people 

of this nation, myself and Mr President 

and so the people of this nation have 

not asked us to resign. I am absolutely 

not under any pressure whatsoever. The 

truth is that there has been no pressure 

from any source asking me to resign 

“The President is hale and hearty. I 

spoke to the President just this afternoon 

and we had a long conversation. He was 

interested in knowing about the budget 

Osinbajo creates new spirit of calculated change 

The Acting President 

prompted an enigma 

of himself when later 

in the day, he 

yearned for a press 

interview with State 

House 

Correspondents. No 

one could preempt 

him. But then, 

anxiety stood tall 

process and how far we have gone and 

the meeting today with the private sector 

and the economic recovery growth plan 

and I informed him about the protest 

march and feedback about what people 

are saying about the economy. He is in 

good shape. 

“Just like he said in his letter to the 

National Assembly, he needs to go for a 

cycle of tests and once he sees the test 

results and gets medical advice, we expect 

him very soon. 

Tuesday, February 7: a day with 

Governor Mimiko/PFN 

Osinbajo’s dairy for Tuesday was 

apparently less hectic. The only visible 

assignment he had in the office was the 

reception he accorded the outgoing 

Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun 

Mimiko, who met with him behind closed 

doors. 

Mimiko later told journalists in an 

interview that he was in the Villa to invite 

the Acting President to Akure to 

commission some projects. 

Later that same Tuesday, Osinbajo, who 

wouldn’t want to lose touch with his 

religious biases as a Senior Pastor of the 

Redeemed Christian Church of God, 

RCCG, left Abuja for Benin, Edo State, 

for the 14 Biennial Conference of 

Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, 

PFN. 

Oonoghen’ name sent to Senate 

for Confirmation as Chief Justice of 

Nigeria, CJN 

Perhaps, one piece of action which 

has become the signature move of 

the Acting President was the sending 

of the name of Justice Walter 

Ooneghe, Acting Chief Justice of 

Nigeria, to the Senate for 

confirmation as substantive CJN. 

Since the appointment of the CJN in 

acting capacity in November, 2016, 

by President Buhari, speculations had 

been rife that the President wouldn’t 

send the name for authentication. But 

just at the twilight of the expiration 

of his acting tenure, Osinabjo, a 

professor of Law, Senior Advocate of 

Nigeria, SAN, and former Attorney- 

General of Lagos State, forwarded 

the name to the Senate, thereby 

putting to rest every agitation and 

ethno-sentimental palpitation. 

FEC 

Wednesday, February, 8, was a day 

for the weekly ritual of the Federal 

Executive Council, FEC, meeting 

at the Presidential Villa and the 

Acting President was on hand to 

chair the meeting. 

It was a day the presidency also 

formally confirmed that 

Onneghen’s name had reached 

Senate. 

But, however, the day didn’t end 

without Governor Okorocho of 

Imo State, the Emir of Kano, 

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, paying a 

visit to Osinbajo at the 

presidential Villa. 

Thursday, February 9, was also 

a day Osinbajo received 

organised Labour leaders who 

were in a protest rally at the Villa 

supposedly over the recession. 

The President of Nigerian Labour 

Congress, NLC, Comrade Ayubu 

Wabba, his Trade Union Congress, 

TUC, counter-part, Kaigama 

amongst others were selected by their 

colleagues on the outer part of the 

Villa to move in with Osinbajo in 

what later appeared to be a solidarity 

visit to him in for a chat in his 

conference room. 

The Acting President practically 

stole the show and preached the anticorruption 

gospel. Later, the labour 

leaders, who led a protest, were seen in 

pictures in broad smiles with the Acting 

President. Rally over. 

Similarly, the day saw the Oba of 

Lagos visiting the Acting President 

whom he said was his law lecturer at 

the University. While thanking God for 

the exalted position, the Oba also 

prayed for Buhari’s safe return to the 

country. 

Later that day, Osinbajo held a closed 

door meeting some officials and 

appointees of government. 

Those who attended the meeting 

included the Minister of Information, 

Lai Mohammed, Inspector General of 

Police, IGP, Ibrahim Idris, Attorney 

General of the Federation and Minister 

of Justice, Abubakar Malami. 

Others were Chairman Independent 

Corrupt Practices and Other Related 

Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo 

Nta, the Department of State Services 

(DSS), Acting Chairman of the 

Economic and Financial Crime 

Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu 

and the DG Nigeria Processing Zone 

Authority (NIPZA). 

The agenda of the meeting was not 

made public. 

On Friday, February 10, the 

Presidential Villa was almost empty as 

the Acting President left Abuja for 

Bayelsa to continue Federal 

Government/Niger Delta dialogue, a 

peace initiative to restore calm in the 

restive Niger Delta region. 

More Meetings 

In between the events that marked 

Osinbajo’s hectic week, there were also 

meetings after meetings that were done 

in camera. One truth no one can lie about 

Osinbajo is the fact that his office is a 

venue for meetings and meetings for 

which the professor is always happy to 

chair. 

While he would be applauded for acting 

up in his third week, one also expects 

that he would zero in on real matters of 

governance but with so much caution 

and tact. 

Speculations on Buhari’s return heavy 

on Saturday 

Meanwhile, just like last week, 

speculations were rife of President 

Buhari’s possible return later on 

Saturday. But then, across the land, 

more prayers were being offered for the 

quick recovery and safe return of the 

President even as another week begins 

for Osinbajo in the event of President’s 

Buhari continued stay abroad.

PAGE 10, SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

NDIGBO TALKS TOUGH 

Biafra becomes an 

inevitable answer if... 

— Nnia Nwodo, President-General of Ohanaeze 

•’Nigeria’s unfairness to the Igbo, 

a ticking time bomb’ 

BY MIKE EBONUGWO, CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, 

GBENGA OKE & YINKA AJAYI 

PRESIDENT-GENERAL of the apex Igbo socio-cultural 

organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and two-time minister, 

Chief John Nnia Nwodo, does not want to witness another 

civil war in the country because of the nasty experience of 

the first one between 1967-1970. Consequently, he wants 

all sections of the country to truthfully air their grievances 

to enable Nigerians fashion a constitution themselves that 

will give rise to a true federation. Speaking for the Igbo, he 

said there is urgent need to address age-long maltreatment 

of the Igbo, which gave rise to agitation for Biafra Republic 

by Igbo youth, stressing that Nigeria’s unfairness to the 

Igbo is a ticking time bomb. He spoke to an editorial team 

of Vanguard in Lagos on Thursday. 

*Nwodo 

One month after your 

election as President 

General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, 

how has it been? 

It has been humbling and this is 

because the result of the election 

was an overwhelming mandate. To 

be unanimously chosen by your 

people is a phenomenon and it has 

been challenging in terms of rising 

up to accepting the unanimous 

decision. The expectations are 

very high because I was elected at 

a time of extreme national concern 

for our national cohesion and very 

strong apprehensions. 

So I have a work which is 

humbling and challenging and 

demands energy more than what a 

65 year old man can offer. So I look 

up to God to find a balance and 

the energy to handle the job. 

Concerning the expectations of 

your people, what are the 

takeaways from your ongoing 

consultations across the country? 

Well, I won’t confine it to my 

people because I have been 

consulting beyond my people. I 

have been receiving calls, letters 

and congratulatory messages from 

across the length and breath of 

this country. Beginning with my 

constituency, there is an 

awakening of consciousness 

already in the existence of 

Ohanaeze. It will be too immodest 

to attribute it to myself but our 

people have an increased resort to 

Ohanaeze as an instrument for 

vocalizing their difficulties and in 

all my interactions, I have 

vocalized their frustrations with 

the Nigerian federation. 

They have vocalized their 

expectations from our country. 

They have harped on the need 

for consciousness of its 

leadership to respond to their 

yearnings and aspirations. So 

they have set a benchmark for 

me. Among other Nigerians, it 

is very difficult to draw a 

common line. The northern 

Nigerian traditional rulers 

through the Sultan of Sokoto 

sent me a congratulatory letter 

and the Sultan personally called 

me. Several former heads of 

states, former vice presidents 

including Alhaji Atiku 

Abubakar, which I have met 

with, I have extended a hand of 

fellowship to a lot of these 

people. I am meeting with the 

Afenifere tomorrow (Friday), the 

Niger/Delta people have called 

me on the phone. My friends in 

the Middle Belt have also 

congratulated me. The South 

East caucus in the National 

Assembly has also 

congratulated me. Virtually all 

the ethnic nationalities in 

Nigeria have called to 

congratulate me and various 

Igbo organisations that have 

affiliation with Ohanaeze 

Ndigbo have called to 

congratulate me. 

I think all these calls were 

triggered off by the spontaneous 

response by the Presidency 

barely 48 hours after my 

election in which the President 

extended his hand of fellowship 

to me. I have responded to this 

If the Nigerian 

state does not 

respond to the 

massive state of 

maginalisation 

of some people 

in our federation 

and restructure 

it, Biafra 

becomes an 

inevitable 

answer for every 

Igbo man 

hand of fellowship in my 

inaugural address and I 

presented our misgivings in 

the public domain. I regret the 

sickness of Mr. President and I 

pray to Almighty God for his 

speedy recovery. Whenever he 

comes back, I will explore the 

earliest opportunity to visit him 

and discuss with him our 

various problems. 

When it comes to various 

national issues, we’ve 

discovered that there are 

several groups of people 

speaking and taking positions on 

behalf of the Igbo. How do you 

intend to deal with this 

cacophonous outpouring? 

I believe that happens 

everywhere even among the 

Yoruba. Afenifere speaks for the 

Yoruba sometimes, the South-West 

governors speak, Asiwaju Bola 

Tinubu also speaks at times. At 

least, we all saw what happened in 

Ondo State, there were discordant 

voices. So it happens everywhere 

and it’s not peculiar to Ndigbo 

alone. 

There is no doubt that Ohanaeze, 

today, is the voice of the Ndigbo 

and several other groups are 

affiliated to it. The governors in the 

South-East all belong to the 

Ohanaeze, all the National 

Assembly members belong to the 

Ohanaeze. Even traditional rulers 

belong to the Ohanaeze. 

But Ohaneze is not John Nwodo’s 

personal opinion. If Ohanaeze 

makes a pronouncement on a 

major national issue, there are 

areas of consultation and it begins 

from the national executive to the 

council of elders and to the 

Ohanaeze general assembly. These 

are organs of Ohanaeze and by the 

time we crystalize the Igbo voice, 

as chief servant, it becomes my 

responsibility to orchestrate it. 

Whether it has not been well 

implemented in the past, it will be 

immodest for me to pass a 

judgment on my predecessors in 

office but this is the policy that I 

inherited from the founding fathers 

of this organisation and that is 

Continues on page 11

SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017— PAGE 11 

Okorocha, Obiano 'fight' was a storm in tea cup 

— Nwodo 


what I intend to uphold. You 

will agree with me that since 

I took over, what you 

characterised has not been 

happening in Igbo land. 

One of the things that 

happened a day after your 

election was that somebody 

went to court to challenge 

your election. How are you 

weathering the storm? 

Before I came to power, 

there had been internal 

wrangling and conflicts with 

some South-East governors 

trying to resolve them. About 

10 days before our election, 

someone who wanted to be 

President of Ohanaeze 

realised he could not win the 

election, so he decided to 

approach the court to stop the 

election. He went to court and 

sought an injunction 

restraining the leadership of 

Ohanaeze from conducting 

the election on the ground 

that the former Ohaneze 

executive was not competent 

to conduct an election. 

The court gave him a return 

date which is 11th of January 

while the election was slated 

for the 10th of January. He 

did not object to the date and 

I am very sure he did not 

know the date of the election; 

but his return date was after 

the election. On his return 

date, his prayer for an 

injunction on account of 

which the judge sought 

Ohanaeze to be joined, so 

that it will not be an exparte 

order, it will be an order 

given after notice and 

hearing on both sides. There 

was no application sought 

because the election had 

already been concluded, so 

the court asked him to bring 

his substantive case and we 

are waiting to hear the case. 

But the person in question 

has personally called to 

congratulate me and some of 

his accomplices as well. I 

wonder whether he would 

like to continue with the case. 

Since the matter is subjudice, 

I will say we should hold on 

and watch to see his next 

move. The case is in court 

and it is my responsibility as 

the Chief Executive of 

Ohanaeze to protect the 

group as a corporate body. 

Igbo within and outside 

this country and 

Nigerians have all 

accepted this election. 

What have you done 

to ensure that the two 

warring South-East 

governors - Rochas 

Okorocha of Imo and 

Willie Obiano of 

Anambra - sheathe their 

swords? 

What happened between Governor 

Okorocha and Governor Obiano is 

just a storm in a tea cup and it has 

been accentuated by your colleagues 

in the way they addressed it. They 

had a principled disagreement about 

a representation of which number of 

governors was crossing from one 

party to the other. One made an 

assertion and the other made a 

denial. The rebuttals were taken over 

by their press aides 

and put in such 

unpalatable light 

that embarrassed 

their superiors. 

When it happened, 

I called Governor 

Okorocha but he 

was in South 

Africa. He was not 

even in Nigeria at 

the time the 

rebuttals were 

issued 

instantaneously 

and replied and 

claimed not to 

have seen the 

rebuttals before 

their publication. 

Governor 

Obiano, on the 

other hand, was 

totally 

embarrassed. He 

said to me, this is 

not my language. I 

could not have 

gone this far. I was 

prepared to 

discipline my staff 

until they 

presented a 

defence of the Imo 

governor’s writing 

but they did not 

bother to contact 

me before writing 

those things. They 

felt they were 

doing me a favour. 

He said how could 

I discuss my 

colleague in that 

manner and two 

wrongs don’t make 

a right. So, in the 

circumstance, he 

I strongly believe 

in diplomacy, 

having seen a 

war in Nigeria, 

bringing about 

another war is 

the greatest 

disservice we can 

do to our children 

and I will become 

a saboteur if 

there is one 

because I do not 

pray to see 

another war in 

my lifetime again 

made a phone call to Governor 

Okorocha and they both discussed 

and put it behind them. And they 

have both respected my plea for an 

injunction that this matter should not 

go ahead and that has happened. We 

are planning to have a meeting of all 

the South-East governors soonest 

where we will all meet and discuss 

the basis of how we will move 

forward. 

How will you 

react to former 

President 

Olusegun 

Obasanjo 

calling for an 

Igbo man to be 

President in 

2019? 

I do not belong 

to any party and 

I am not a card 

carrying member 

of any party. 

Truly, I am the 

President 

General of 

Ohanaeze and as 

President of such 

organisation you 

do not have to 

belong to any 

political party. It 

is not my duty to 

canvass for 

various 

nominees in any 

of the parties. 

Igbos are in all 

the parties in 

Nigeria, they 

know the 

minimum 

requirement of 

the Igbo people 

in the political 

arena for 

effective 

representation. 

Presently, we 

cannot be 

talking of 

representation 

when the 

incumbent 

President has 

not finished his 

term in office, so 

I do not see the 

*Nwodo... Igbo president not ripe for discussion 

topicality of this issue. It is not ripe 

for discussion at this stage. I think 

discussing this issue is like counting 

your chickens before they are 

hatched. 

What is your view on the IPOB 

agitation for Biafra Republic, Fulani 

herdsmen attacks in the South-East 

and the response of the security 

agencies? 

If you read my inaugural speech, 

you will find answers to all these 

questions. My views are in the public 

domain. The law enforcement 

agencies should not dramatize to the 

nation that their headship confers 

immunity on some criminals from a 

section of a country and they give a 

high handed approach to those who 

do not come from that part of the 

country. The selective prosecution of 

criminals in our country and the 

exertion of brute force on certain areas 

of the country even when they are not 

criminals destroy the very foundation 

on which this federation is founded. 

There is an increased ethnic 

consciousness across the length and 

breadth of this country and fired 

separatist interests, and at no time 

since the end of the civil war has the 

basis of our unity been eccentric as it 

is today. 

Regarding the IPOB, I don’t know 

what else you want me to say that will 

be different from what I have said in 

the past. Where I come from and 

where I represent, the people of the 

South-East feel they are second class 

citizens in this country. They feel 

there is an unspoken understanding 

between the other parts of the country 

to punish them for the civil war, to 

exclude them from the commanding 

heights of the economy and from 

sensitive positions in the federation 

and even the way our politicians have 

been treated is nothing to write home 

about. 

Ever since the war ended, the state 

of federal roads in the South-East 

remains the same. The mineral 

resources still remain the same till 

today. Of recent, an Igbo was 

Minister of Petroleum, and for the first 

time in the history of Nigeria, the 

financial activities of NNPC were 

available by a click of the mouse to 

anyone in and out of Nigeria. You 

could see how much is being spent in 

a month. It was the first time NNPC 

posted profit. 

He was rewarded with a demotion 

from minister to a directorship on 

NNPC’s board. I had been minister 

twice. All parastatals under a ministry 

report to the minister. Former 

President Goodluck Jonathan once 

appointed me to the governing 

council of a university. I tore the letter 

of appointment. I saw it as an insult. 

Not because of lack of humility but 

because he did not appreciate what I 

represented. 

It’s not me as a person, but 

imagine an Igbo man who has 

been appointed a minister twice 

and former presidential 

candidate to be reduced to 

the level of governing 

council member in a 

university in Igbo 

land. This is a man 

from South-South 

but he treated us 

the same way that 

Continues 

page 12 

on

PAGE 12, SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

'The way our boys are 

treated is unconstitutional' 


the Buhari administration is treating us. 

I don’t desire any appointment by this 

administration, I have served my turn but these are 

clear examples of how Igbo are treated. I don’t 

think there are up to four Igbo commissioners of 

police in this administration in a place where 

you have not less than 40 commissioners of 

police. We have been found to be politically 

incompetent to handle security matters in 

Nigeria. But we have been found to be 

physically competent to be foot 

soldiers in the war front, 

especially the Boko 

Haram war where the 

level of mortality is 

high. This is not a true 

federation. 

In Lagos, we have 

Igbo who have 

built house 

approved by 

the 

government but 

had not been 

given certificate of 

occupancy by the 

government for more than 15 

years. There are Igbo 

representatives in the Lagos 

State House of Assembly can’t 

we have at least one Igbo at 

the executive council? 

The Nigerian Customs 

charges Igbo twice the cost of 

clearing his goods through 

the sea ports. They pay at the 

ports and are waylaid on the 

roads and extorted. 

Our people are displeased 

and this has compounded 

anger in our youths and they 

have passed a vote of no 

confidence in us their fathers 

as not presenting their 

disgust and, so, have taken 

their destiny in their hands. 

They say they do not want 

to be part of this federation 

anymore. 

In our constitution, there 

are freedoms of expression 

and association and their own 

way of dramatising these is to 

ask for the state of Biafra. If 

the Nigerian state does not 

respond to the active state of 

maginalisation of some people 

in our federation and 

restructure it, Biafra becomes 

an inevitable answer for every 

Igbo man. 

The way these boys are 

treated by the law 

enforcement agencies, 

discriminately, is 

unconstitutional. Now in the 

social media, the Oduduwa 

Republic has been declared. 

The Odua People’s Congress, 

OPC, carries on like a 

military force in South-West 

Nigeria and their leadership 

goes around in convoy saluted 

by police at checkpoints. Boko 

Haram is an armed 

organisation fighting the 

sovereignty of Nigeria. In 

areas where they captured 

territories, they depose 

traditional rulers, install new 

ones, install local 

*Nwodo... FG must respond to injustice 

As the minister of 

information I had 

a right of 

attendance not a 

right of speech. 

When the 

military began to 

shout at 

themselves, they 

walked us 

civilians out of 

the place. 

administrations and mounted 

flags. Not one of them is in a 

law court in Nigeria. 

Government negotiated with 

them, spent large sums of 

money with phoney 

negotiators. Those of them 

who decide to change, 

married Chibok girls and 

came back to Nigeria were 

hosted in the Presidential 

villa. 

But the young man with a 

placard in the street of Aba or 

Port Harcourt on Biafra is 

either maimed to death or 

thrown into a river or 

slaughtered and the allegation 

of 21 of them missing has not 

been investigated by the 

police. If you are a Nigerian 

son being treated wickedly by 

your government how will you 

feel? 

If I didn’t mean well for 

the resolution of these 

problems, why did I not encourage 

these boys to foment more trouble? 

I have asked the government, the 

boys accused you of killing 11 of 

them in Port-Harcourt, but you 

denied saying only one died. 

Last Monday, people demonstrated 

against this government in Lagos, 

Abuja and Ijebu-Ode and other 

places, the police were walking side 

by side with them. Why would that of 

Igbo be different? Because they 

cannot be heard here they are taking 

their case to the Pope, Africa Union 

and the United Nations. In the social 

media, you find lots of abuses on this 

administration and nobody has 

accused anybody of treasonable 

felony. With all due respect, the 

Nigerian federation has been unfair 

to the Igbo and I call it a ticking time 

bomb. 

What is the way out? 

Nigerian government must respond 

to the injustice done to the Igbo. I 

have never seen anywhere in the 

world where a federation is being 

practiced like this except in Nigeria. 

The headship of the federation deals 

with common services like defence, 

customs. Since the First Republic of 

Nigeria, Nigerians have never 

participated in re-writing our 

constitution. The only thing our 

people designed was a regional 

government. Since the military coup, 

we have never had a constitutional 

conference except in a military 

dispensation. 

I served in a military government 

that wrote a constitution, the General 

Abubakar’s administration. The 

constitution was adulterated by the 

armed forces ruling council. As the 

minister of information I had a right 

of attendance not a right of speech. 

When the military began to shout at 

themselves, they walked us civilians 

out of the place. That constitution 

was not read to Nigerians before 

swearing in because it was in print at 

the time of swearing in. 

Let’s be frank, the sovereignty of 

Nigeria cannot be built on falsehood. 

It is crying everyday for the authentic 

voice of the people in writing a 

constitution for their fatherland. There 

are four estates of the realm, the 

executive, the legislative, the judiciary 

and the mass media. Our existence as 

a nation is useless, if we cannot 

freely talk about our misgivings 

and the veracity of our 

convictions. I challenge the 

Nigerian polity to begin to 

discuss issues as they are. 

Let’s stop respecting 

personalities that offer no 

new ideas on the table 

because a time of 

recession is a time of 

repentance 

Don’t you think that 

the reports of the 2005 

and 2014 National 

Conferences address 

some the challenges 

you have highlighted 

so far? 

The foundation of 

both conferences by 

Obasanjo in 2005 and 

that of Jonathan in 

2014 were 

undemocratic. 

Nobody elected those 

delegates to represent them. They 

were handpicked by the government 

and many saw it as selecting people 

you already know their point of view 

and who were going to produce 

something you want. 

Also, former President Jonathan did 

not show leadership in this regard. If 

he (Jonathan) really meant well, all 

Nigerians require is just a 

constitutional amendment. All that is 

required was for PDP members in 

the Senate to initiate it. And the PDP 

then had much majority to embark 

on it and the opposition would have 

agreed with them on many areas. But 

the political will was not there! When 

the report was produced what did he 

do with the report? 

It is like the problem of the Igbo. 

Why didn’t he build the second 

Niger Bridge? Why is the Enugu- 

Makurdi road the same way? Why is 

the Enugu-Port-Harcourt road the 

same way? Why is coal totally 

forgotten since the end of First 

Republic? Why are teaching hospitals 

in South-eastern Nigeria in comatose 

situation? The point is, you have to 

have the political will to change or 

initiate a constitutional conference. 

In all my life, I have never played 

sectional politics. Now, my primary 

responsibility is to Igbo. My election 

as the president of Ohanaeze 

compels me to represent the Igbo 

interest undiluted and I go round to 

exchange ideas with other sections of 

the country so that we can seek a 

solution to these problems. I strongly 

believe in diplomacy, having seen a 

war in Nigeria, bringing about 

another war is the greatest disservice 

we can do to our children and I will 

become a saboteur if there is one 

because I do not pray to see another 

war in my lifetime again. Let’s war in 

words and diplomacy. No matter how 

people are abusing themselves let 

the truth be said. If we don’t sit 

together, we can never talk and if we 

don’t talk, we can never resolve our 

differences.

SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017, PAGE 13

C 

M 

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PAGE 14, SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

Unforgettable St. Valentine’s Day 

confessions of Nollywood divas 

Certainly, the mood right now is all about St. Valentine’s Day, with 

lovers gearing up to get creative in the way they express love to their 

partners. The general idea is that the day is special and hardly can 

anything go wrong. How wrong? This compilation of St. Valentine’s 

experiences tell the gritty side of the day, as our screen goddesses share 

their sweet and sour Valentine’s stories. (This is an updated version) 

I lost my virginity on Val’s day 

— Adediwura Blarkgold 

Sexy Yoruba actress, Adediwura 

‘Blarkgold’ Adesegha, has long been 

separated from husband whom she bore a 

cute son. Recalling her most unforgettable 

St. Valentine’s experience, Adediwura 

revealed the most indelible in her mind was 

the one spent with father of her only son, 

couple of years back that led to her losing 

her virginity as a woman. 

I’m not a fan of St. 

Valentine’s day 

— Bimbo Thomas 

Voluptuous Yoruba actress 

of Jenifa fame, Bimbo 

Thomas doesn’t mince words 

when it comes to how she 

feels about things. For her, its 

not the window dressing of 

caginess and deception. When 

asked about her most 

unforgettable St. Valentine’s 

experience, she spewed it 

out like steaming hot tea she 

mistakenly swallowed. 

“Sincerely, I’m not a fan of 

St. Valentine’s day and the 

mentality of gift presentation 

on that day but I believe 

in love and I show it 

all the time. Most memorable 

St. Valentine’s day 

has always been with folks 

and friends not particularly 

with a lover. I once spent 

my St. Valentine’s day at 

the Home of the less-privileged 

children at Anthony 

Village. That day, I was fulfilled 

that I was able to put a 

smile on their faces and 

showed them love” she said. 

•Bimbo 

Thomas 

Laughing, she stated matterof-factly, 

“My most unforgettable 

Valentine was when my pride as a 

lady went down the lagoon - I was 

deflowered!” 

“I can never forget that experience 

because it was a great turning point in my 

life and I smile each time I remember because it 

was earned by the father of my child” she added. 

I caught my boyfriend 

kissing my friend 

– Nazareth Bako 

For Fulani blooded Nazareth Jesse Bako, 

every St. Valentine’s Day comes 

with a nostalgic sweet and sour 

feeling. Though she still looks 

forward to the day as a person who 

believes in love but there are two 

separate experiences she would 

never forget in a hurry. 

“I had two Valentines that I will 

never forget: ,one was good 

and the other, very bad experience. 

Let me start with 

the bad one “ she stated 

“I caught my boyfriend 

kissing my friend at my 

own Valentine’s party 

years back,so I stop 

celebrating Val with a 

boyfriend. All I do on 

Val’s day is celebrate 

alone; either I go to party 

with others or stay at 

home. Sometimes, if I am 

closer home I do the Val 

with my grandma” she explained 

The Bank Club, Abuja, reopens after 

one month renovation 

By AYO ONIKOYI 

Although speculations had been rife over the 

temporary closure of The Bank Club in Abuja, as 

many had believed the management of the club were 

up to something unfathomable, the officials of the club 

have now announced that the club will not only return 

on February 17th, but will come with a spectacular outlook 

that will delight their numerous patrons. 

It would be recalled that the closure has been the usual 

tradition of the club as it embarks on renovation every 

year in order to begin a new year with a fresh and new 

outlook. Announcing the reopening of the club, its Chief 

Operating Officer, COO, Alex Lawal said, ‘’ The bank 

returns 17th of February. We have put everything in place 

and this has been our usual practice. You will recall that 

since inception, we renovate after every year. 

Reacting to why a club of such magnitude 

should go off for nearly one month in the name 

of renovation, Alex said, ‘’ Like I said, it’s our 

usual tradition. Can’t you feel the aura? Can’t 

you feel freshness? The aim is to give our patrons 

the best. Club business is hot business in Abuja, 

hence we must give patrons the best. They do 

not deserve anything less,’’ Alex said. 

Dispelling the ongoing rumour that the Bank 

was shutting business, Mr Alex said ‘’That must 

have been the figment of the imagination of 

rumour peddlers. We are still doing our stuff, 

and competitors can’t move us with their fake 

news. I think we remain the most reliable, 

affordable and entertaining club in Abuja. 

Just like the renovation, everything now 

looks new, including our operations.’’ 

•Blarkgold 

•Nazareth 

Bako 

•Alex Lawal 

My boyfriend told me he 

was taking another girl 

out — Habibat Jinad 

Fast-rising Yoruba actress Habibat 

Jinad, still has a bitter taste in her 

mouth she is finding hard to spit away 

as far as St Valentines day is concerned. 

“I will not lie to you, I don’t have 

any good Val’s day” she began. “Yes, 

there was a time, I think its year 2010, 

my boyfriend told me physically that 

he wanted to go out with another 

girl on the Val’s day. I thought he 

was joking until I went out on my 

own with my female 

friend and I saw him 

with another girl for 

real. This guy had 

nothing when I met 

him and I stood by 

him, when money 

Habibat 

Jinad 

came 

he 

started 

going out 

with other 

women. 

Since 

then I 

don’t 

really 

see St. 

Valentine 

Day as 

anything so 

special” 

I gave him a 

wonderful massage 

after candlelight 

dinner – Ogechi Peters 

Captivating Nollywood beauty, 

Ogechi Peters, once told Potpourri 

her ambition is “ to be better than the 

best, and to get to the level where I will 

be helping people, especially the 

younger ones”. And this makes her 

sound like one who will be too focused 

on life without a light side to her person. 

But the ‘Faithful Sin’ star has a romantic 

side even though she had stated 

emphatically that she would never go 

nude for a movie role and she shared 

her most memorable t Valentine’s day 

experience. 

“Last Valentine’s day was my most 

memorable. When I got home from 

work, my man, had our room set up 

with a candlelight table for two. He is 

not a cook but he made an awesome 

meal. After enjoying a candlelight 

dinner for two at home, I gave him a 

massage and saw this wonderful romantic 

movie. Trust me it was lit. It was a 

good night,” she beamed. 

•Ogechi Peters


My Val gave me a 

breakfast of omelet 

made in my name 

– Lizzy Gold Onuwaje 

Up and up Nollywood actress, Lizzy 

Gold Onuwaje, has a Valentine story 

that would make many of her peers 

go green with envy. The former Miss Delta 

State has got style and it appears this has 

caught on with any man who has got 

within an inch of her heart. Her story 

has a fairytale ring to it but in a most 

splendid manner. 

Hear her:”My most unforgettable 

Valentine experience 

was two years ago. A day 

to the Valentine I was 

with my man and there 

was no clue he was going to celebrate 

it. He kept telling me Valentine is 

like every other day, that there is no big 

deal about it, that, what matters most is the 

fact that he loves me. But on that Valentine 

morning he woke me up with a breakfast of 

omelet and bread that spelt my name with 

the catchy headline ‘ I Love Lizzygold ‘. You 

can imagine using egg and bread to spell my 

name. Don’t know how he did it but am sure 

he asked his cook to do it. Then after that he gave 

me a set of my favourite perfume ‘Thierry 

Mugler’. He knows I love it” 

Nollywood diva, Ruth Eze is unquestion 

ably one of the sexiest ladies in 

Nollywood and there is no window 

dressing about that. She’s easy on 

the eyes and blessed with frontal 

assault that can bring down the 

wall of any man’s defence. She had 

once said, “I just want a cool and 

responsible guy. Someone that is 

not loud and must be Godfearing”. 

Sharing her fondest Valentine’s 

memory, the 

actress recounted how a 

guy went down on his 

knees, begging her to 

be his Val. 

“I entered a restaurant 

on Val’s day in 

the morning to get 

something and a guy 

was sitting all by 

himself. Then he left 

his seat and came 

straight to me, 

knelt down, crying 

that I should be his 

Val. He said he had 

no Val. I was like, 

what?” 

•Ruth 

Eze 

Ozzybee in Valentine’s concert with orphans 

The child music prodigy, OzzyBee, will be celebrating 

the St. Valentine’s Day in a special humane way as 

he would be treating orphans to good music in an event 

tagged “OzzyBee in Valentine Concert with Orphans” at 

St Leo’s Hall, Toyin Street, Ikeja, Lagos. 

The concert will feature children from orphanage homes 

and various schools in Lagos on Tuesday February 14, 2017. 

The child music prodigy, OzzyBee plans to use this 

platform to honour his charity, Saint Monica’s Orphanage 

Home with an award for their humanitarian services 

towards the underprivileged children. 

His latest hot video, ‘Charlie Dance’, which featured two 

rap icons, Vector and Ruggedman will on that day be 

unveiled to his eagerly awaiting fans worldwide. Cutting 

of his belated 10th Birthday cake with the children would 

also be a special side attraction at the event. 

•Lizzy 

Gold Onuwaje 

A man cried, begging on his 

knees to ask me out — Ruth Eze 

•Ginika Maureen 

We, pretty girls, are 

the loneliest on Val’s 

days — Ejine Okoroafor 

Nollywood upcoming actress, Ejiro 

Okoroafor, who calls herself ‘Queen of 

the South’ believes that contrary to 

people’s belief that pretty girls get 

all the date offers, they are the most 

lonely ones, especially on St. Valentine’s 

days. 

When asked if she could remember 

her most memorable St. Valentine’s 

experience, the actress replied 

brusquely, ”I wish I have” and 

added tersely “ I don’t have any”. 

“ Val days are usually a lonely 

one for me. I do visit Motherless 

Homes sometimes. 

On that day, People 

think that the pretty 

gals are the happiest, 

but no, we are the 

most lonely ones. 

•Ejine Okoroafor 

But to me love is a 

beautiful thing. No 

matter how bad I 

have been hurt I 

will love again” she 

declared. 

The charity show is being powered by the OzzyBosco Smile 

Foundation (OSF). According to the foundation President, 

Chief Adah Mojekwu, preparations are in top gear to make 

it a memorable day for children. In keeping with his tradition 

of spreading love and putting smiles on faces, the show is 

OzzyBee’s way of appreciating one of the often ignored 

members of our society …the Orphans. 

OzzyBee has never hidden his love for the underprivileged 

children and will do everything possible to alleviate their 

sufferings. 

In 2013 he took 14 children (including orphans) on a one 

week all-expenses paid holiday trip to Tinapa, Cross River 

State. The unprecedented trip did not miss the attention of 

the state government, as they were accorded a rousing 

reception at the office of the former Deputy Governor, 

Barrister Efiok Cobham 

My ex beat me blue and 

black for answering a call 

— Ginika Maureen 

•OzzyBee 

Sexy Nollywood actress, Ginika Maureen, 

is one of the people who does not look to 

St. Valentines day with much relish because the 

day brings to her mind so much dread and fear. The 

last and only one she celebrated, according to 

her, ended in a disaster. 

“ The Val I will never forget was the one 

my ex beat me blue and black because I 

answered a call. A toaster called me and 

was wishing me happy Val with my ex 

listening. It was in the car he gave me 

the first slap. Next, he took me home 

and gave me the beating of my life and 

it was bad that I couldn’t do anything. 

He left me in the house, went out and 

later came back with a girl. All the Val 

gifts he bought for me he gave them 

to her. It was so bad that I cried all day. 

Till date I don’t know what Val is, because 

I hate Valentine’s days” she narrated 

gloomily. 

“It made me hate my ex and also 

love. I am single now. Believe me 

my dear that was the very first Val 

I was celebrating with him and it 

turned out to be something else. 

I don’t think Val day means lovers 

day, to me, it is beating day” 

she added. 

Val al is not a once in 

a year thing to me 

— Princess Jolie 

Nollywood’s new booty 

queen, Princess, Jolie 

is a girl many would 

expect her Val day to be filled 

with a long list of things to do 

but surprisingly she doesn’t believe 

in celebrating Val’s day. To 

her, everyday should be a day 

to celebrate love. 

In a chat with Potpourri, the 

petite sexy actress, quipped, “I 

don’t do Val. Everyday is love 

to me. It’s not once in a year 

kind of bullshit”. 

•Princess 

Jolie 

C 

M 

YK


healthyliving 

signs during pregnancy. Women are also 

taught the importance of hospital 

delivery. There are a lot of things you 

would have prevented during this period 

like malaria in pregnancy and anaemia, 

etc” Adekogba added. 

She urged pregnant women to go early 

to hospital to prevent obstructed labour 

which eventually leads to fistula. “When 

a woman delivers in hospital, problems 

are identified early and taken care of. 

Emergency Caesarean section to save 

mother and child are done easily. In 

addition, you have a lot of experts that 

can rally round and give expertise 

advice.” 

She also advised women to take up 

family planning which helps in child 

spacing as a strategy to reduce fistula, 

adding that, if there is adequate spacing 

of children, the woman will have time to 

recover from previous delivery. 

“If a family is well planned, there will 

be less frequent pregnancy. A woman that 

has access to information, education on 

child spacing will know that the benefits 

are more. There is need to let the 

community leaders know about the 

benefit of child spacing. If they are 

involved, they will encourage their 

women and dispel all the myths and 

misconceptions about family planning.” 

THE ANTI-VVF FIGHT 

How ante-natal exposes 

danger signs during 

pregnancy—Experts 

BY CHIOMA OBINNA 

It’s been over a year since 25 -yearold 

Chinyere Simeon lost her baby 

at birth due to what health experts 

told her was obstructed labour that 

lasted several days. In addition to 

losing her baby, she started leaking 

urine uncontrollably from her vagina. The 

condition is what is known as obstetric 

fistula- an abnormal hole in-between the 

bladder and the vagina or the rectum. The 

condition left her permanently incontinent. 

It was hard to comprehend as she sat on 

her hospital bed with her two hands buried 

in-between her thighs. Meanwhile, she kept 

hope alive. 

For victims of fistula like Chinyere, 

health experts say regular ante-natal visit 

and hospital delivery would have saved her 

baby as well as guarantee her optimal 

health. 

Health surveys in the country show that 

while health facilities are available with 

specialised health services, many pregnant 

women boycott them for various reasons. 

According to health officials, many 

pregnant women still patronise unskilled 

medical personnel including traditional 

birth attendants. They say even those who 

manage to attend ante-natal in hospital 

do not deliver in those facilities. 

Chinyere and 35- year -old Agbowo 

Lebechi admit they had been patronising 

unqualified birth attendants throughout 

their pregnancies. Agbowo said she did so 

with her five pregnancies. 

According to the Federal Ministry of 

Health, one of the dangers of patronising 

unskilled birth attendants is avoidable loss 

of babies. Another is fistula. When it occurs 

it leads to rejection by other members of 

the family. Sometimes, victims are 

abandoned by the community. Chinyere 

said she lost her second baby to prolonged 

Pregnant women 

must deliver in 

hospital under the 

supervision of trained 

medical personnel 

and that is a major 

factor in ending 

fistula 

obstructed labour. 

“I was in labour for several days in the 

house. When nothing could be done by 

the nurse at home, I was transferred to a 

private hospital. Getting to the hospital, 

my bladder burst, and that was the 

beginning of my problem,” she said, 

adding that she never knew there was 

danger in patronising quacks. Her first 

child was delivered in the house without 

complications. Just like the saying that 

no two pregnancies are the same, 

Chinyere thought her second delivery 

was going to be easy like the first. 

Unfortunately, the reverse was the case. 

“In the hospital, the labour continued 

from 7am to 6pm and nothing happened. 

I was then transferred to a General 

Hospital where I was operated upon. 

“My baby could not make it.” 

Chinyere said she was devastated and 

regretted not going to hospital for antenatal. 

“If I had known, I would have 

gone to hospital earlier. I never knew the 

importance of ante-natal visit. I did not 

attend anyone.” 

Teary eyed, Chinyere described the 

situation as one of one trouble after 

another. “I started leaking urine at the 

hospital but I was discharged. They only 

told me about it without offering 

solution”, she explained. 

The Okposi in Ohaozara LGA, Ebonyi 

State born tailor added: “Everyday I 

changed pads four times. I spent N800 

daily on pads alone”. 

Now that she no longer leaks urine after 

a successfully surgery at the Abakaliki 

National Obstetric Fistula Centre, she 

says she will become an ambassador for 

fistula. 

“Once I am discharged, I am going to 

use my story to spread the message on 

importance of hospital delivery and 

antenatal” Chinyere stated. “It has been 

hell for me. I told myself I should die but, 

today, the story is different.” 

Chinyere said she owes her life to the 

woman who directed her to the centre for 

repair. 

“I am fine and no longer leaking. From 

now on, I will be advising other women to 

always go to hospital once labour starts 

because it was the delay I had that led me 

to this problem. I can’t wish this for my 

enemy. 

“I want God to bless everybody that has 

contributed to this National Fistula 

Centre where I was treated free of 

charge”. 

Modupe Adekogba, Family Planning 

Advisor with Fistula Care Plus, a fistula 

project in Nigeria funded by USAID and 

managed by Engenderhealth, Mrs. 

Olajumoke Adekogba, said that during 

ante-natal visit, pregnant women are 

handed first-hand information about how 

healthy the mother and baby is. 

“Ante-natal clinic will expose danger 

Prevention key to ending fistula – 

Experts 

Separately, Clinical Associate, 

FistulaCare Plus, Dr. Suleiman Zakariya, 

said 12,000 new cases of fistula are 

recorded in Nigeria annually. According 

to him, this is in addition to the backlog 

of about 150,000 cases waiting to be 

treated. 

“The most vulnerable group is the 

young, poor, rural women who are 

economically disadvantaged,” he stated. 

Zachariya described fistula as a 

devastating medical condition that affects 

women of reproductive age, adding that 

prevention is key to ending it 

While tracing the commonest cause of 

fistula to prolonged obstructed labour, 

he said records had shown that prolonged 

obstructed labour accounts for more than 

90 percent of all cases globally. 

He explained that pregnant women 

should attend regular ante-natal clinic to 

end fistula. 

“Pregnant women must deliver in 

hospital under the supervision of trained 

medical personnel and that is a major 

factor in ending fistula. There is also the 

need for couples to plan their delivery by 

identifying a hospital and making 

advance financial plans. 

“It is important for the hospital to offer 

emergency obstetric care. Also 

community involvement is necessary in 

this fight because when the community is 

sensitised, they will do a lot to prevent 

fistula from happening”. 

Zachariya added that nutrition can play 

a major role in preventing fistula even 

before a young girl becomes pregnant. 

“Nutrition is a component of a good 

ante-natal care because ante-natal will 

encourage the pregnant women to eat well 

because the baby also requires good diet 

to develop and for the mother to boost her 

immunity”, the Clinical Associate said. 

“But the link between nutrition and 

fistula usually happens during 

adolescent” 

“The young mother is bound to have a 

lot of problems on how her bones, will 

develop in the body. If the bones 

especially the pelvic bone, did not develop 

well there is no way it can support 

pregnancy. So such a person will have a 

lot of problems during pregnancy and 

labour”. 

“Again, adequate nutrition cannot be 

ensured in our communities where we 

have social challenges. So eliminating 

social challenges will ensure a healthy 

outcome of pregnancy and child birth”. 

He advised women to ensure they 

do not stay long in labour, adding that 

labour should not exceed 12 hours. 

“When it goes beyond that, the 

woman needs to be checked and to 

determine the next line of action,” he 

stated. 

C 

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bloodstream. Abnormal DRE, elevated 

PSA or confirmation of more advanced 

Prostate Cancer will require 

additional testing. 

Prostate biopsy 

A prostate gland biopsy is a test to 

remove small samples of prostate tissue 

to be examined under a microscope. 

Needle biopsies of the prostate 

are usually done under TRUS guidance. 

Prostate Specific Antigen - PSA 

This is an enzyme found in the blood 

produced exclusively by prostate 

cells. Normal levels of PSA in the 

blood are small amounts between 0- 

2.5 ng/ml. Higher than normal levels, 

greater than 2.5 ng/ml, can be 

caused by cancer or benign, non-cancerous 

conditions such as enlarged 

prostate, prostate inflammation, infection, 

or trauma. All elevated readings 

of PSA should be checked. 

Occasionally, a Digital Rectal 

Exam, DRE, does not reveal any abnormalities, 

but the PSA is elevated. 

Sometimes the opposite is true, and 

PSA is normal, but the DRE is abnormal. 

For this reason, the Prostate 

Specific Antigen PSA blood test together 

with the DRE is best for early 

detection. 

Normal prostate cells and prostate 

cancer cells make PSA even if they are 

outside the prostate. That is why PSA 

monitoring after treatment is so important. 

Returning prostate cancer 

cells, confined to the prostate or that 

have spread to the bone or lymph 

nodes, will cause the PSA to rise. Prostate 

Specific Antigen PSA is important 

for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up 

as well as useful for comparing 

treatment results. 

How age affects PSA 

Research has investigated what PSA 

levels within age ranges should raise 

concern about the likelihood of significant 

prostate cancer. Based on age, 

what PSA level might trigger a referral 

to a urologist? Using these PSA 

trigger levels they “detected all relevant 

PCa with a significant reduction 

of biopsies.” If you are less than 49 

the trigger level is 1.75ng/ml; 60-69 

(2.25) and above 70 (3.25). 

PSA is measured by a simple blood 

test. The typical test for diagnosis and 

risk group determination is the “total 

PSA” which is simply a measure of all 

the PSA. Since the amount of PSA in 

the blood is very low, detection of it 

requires a very sensitive technology 

(monoclonal antibody technique). 

Prostate Cancer Gleason Score 

Diagnosis is confirmed with a biopsaving 

lives 

“ 

•Prostate cancer patient undergoing scan 

PROSTATE CANCER: 

Early diagnosis, prompt 

treatment save lives 

By Sola Ogundipe 

Prostate cancer is to men 

what breast cancer or 

cervical cancer is to 

women. Prostate cancer 

has the potential to grow 

and spread quickly, but 

for most men, it is a 

relatively slow growing 

disease 

Prostate cancer is the most com 

mon malignancy diagnosed in 

men. On an annual basis globally, 

approximately 1.1 million men 

are diagnosed with prostate cancer 

and more than 300,000 will die of 

prostate cancer each year. 

The prostate is a walnut sized gland 

that is part of the male reproductive 

system. It is located beneath the urinary 

bladder and in front of the rectum. 

The prostate makes some of the 

fluid that nourishes and protects 

sperm cells in the semen. Just behind 

the prostate are the seminal vesicles, 

which make most of the fluid for the 

semen. 

The urethra is a tube that carries 

urine and semen out of the body 

through the penis, running through 

the prostate. The activity and growth 

of the prostate is stimulated by male 

hormone Testosterone. 

Prostate cancer is to men what breast 

cancer or cervical cancer is to women. 

Prostate cancer has the potential 

to grow and spread quickly, but for 

most men, it is a relatively slow growing 

disease. It is important for patients 

to discuss with their doctors the 

various aspects of their particular 

type of prostate cancer to understand 

how aggressive it is and how best to 

treat it. 

Symptoms 

Many men with prostate cancer have 

no symptoms related to their cancer. 

For those that do have symptoms, they 

could include any of the following: 

Urinary problems – weak urine 

stream, difficulty initiating urination, 

stopping and starting during urination; 

urinating frequently, especially 

at night, pain or burning with urination. 

These symptoms are also often 

associated with noncancerous enlargement 

of the prostate, called benign 

prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). 

Blood – in the urine and semen. 

Pain – in the hips, pelvis, spine or 

upper legs. Also pain or discomfort 

during ejaculation. 

Risk factors 

Men with certain risk factors are 

more likely to develop prostate cancer. 

Perhaps the most significant of 

these risk factors is age. 

Old age particularly 65 and over is 

the main risk factor for prostate cancer. 

The older a man gets, the more 

likely he will develop prostate cancer. 

The disease is rare in men under 45 

years of age. 

Family History – one’s risk of prostate 

cancer is higher if you have a father, 

brother or son with prostate cancer. 

Race – prostate cancer is more 

common among black men and less 

common among Asians and Caucasians. 

Certain Prostate Changes – men 

with cells called high grade prostatic 

intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) may 

be at increased risk for prostate cancer. 

Certain Genome Changes – research 

suggests that the risk for prostate 

cancer many be linked to specific 

changes on particular chromosomes. 

Having a risk factor does not 

mean that one will develop prostate 

cancer. Most men with any of the 

above risk factors will still never develop 

the disease. 

Screening and diagnosis 

Diagnosis of prostate cancer should 

be part of a routine annual examination 

by a primary care doctor. The 

prostate cancer tests for early detection 

and screening are the Digital 

Rectal Exam, DRE, combined with a 

blood test to measure the Prostate 

Specific Antigen, PSA level, in the 

sy. The biopsy can give important indications 

as to how extensive the cancer 

is within the prostate by the number 

of cores that are positive for cancer. 

The pathologist will also look for 

perineural invasion, (cancer invading 

small nerves within the prostate), 

which can be an indication of how 

likely the cancer is to spread outside 

of the gland. Prostate Cancer Gleason 

Score is Set by Inspection of Prostate 

Cancer Cells how quickly it grows 

and how likely it is to spread outside 

of the gland. 

The Prostate Cancer Gleason Score 

score ranges from 2 to 10. To determine 

the Gleason score, the pathologist 

uses a microscope to look at the 

patterns of cells in the prostate tissue. 

The most common cell pattern is 

given a grade of 1 (most like normal 

cells) to 5 (most abnormal). If there is 

a second most common cell pattern, 

the pathologist gives it a grade of 1 to 

5. The pathologist adds the two most 

common grades together to make the 

Gleason score. If only one pattern is 

seen, the pathologist counts it twice, 

e.g. 5 + 5 = 10. 

A high Gleason score (such as 10) 

means a high-grade prostate tumour. 

High-grade tumours are more likely 

than low-grade tumours to grow 

quickly and spread. 

When diagnosed with prostate cancer 

When facing a diagnosis, there are a 

lot of things for you to consider. Is 

prostate cancer or a benign condition? 

How bad is this prostate cancer ? 

Which treatment is right for you ? 

What are the side-effects of treatment? 

How long is the recovery time and 

which doctor is best ? 

The good news is that the probability 

of survival for most prostate cancer 

patients is very good. However, 

you need to complete treatment. Some 

treatments increase the likelihood 

that your prostate cancer will not return. 

What to do next 

It is extremely unusual that there is 

any need for you to rush to a decision. 

Most cancers have been quietly sitting 

in the prostate, slowly growing for 10- 

15 years. You haven’t just gotten cancer, 

you have just been diagnosed with 

cancer, that you have been living with 

for a long time. No need to become 

an instant expert. Take your time, become 

informed. Learn about available 

treatment options. Select several specialists 

who can describe the different 

treatments. Arrange consultations 

and discuss the options. 

World Cancer Day: 

Lifetouch Africa tasks 

Nigerians 

President/Executive Director, Life 

touch Africa, an African women 

health initiative, Mrs Awele Chukwuedo 

Ossai, has called for a collective 

effort to check the rise of breast and cervical 

cancers scourge in Nigeria. 

She made this known during a one-week 

programme held in Ibadan to mark the 

World Cancer Day,which was set apart by 

the World Health Organisation to create 

awareness on the need to rise against cancers 

. 

In a bid to ensure a cancer-free society, 

Lifetouch Africa engaged in a multi-dimensional 

intervention to commemorate 

the world cancer day with activities such 

as a football match/awareness campaign, 

followed by an awareness session with the 

disabled, a radio awareness session reaching 

over 250,000 workers in Lagos State, 

and a flag off of the nation-wide capacity 

building project for nurses in selected local 

government areas in Oyo State, in collaboration 

with the Oyo State Ministry 

of Health (Non Communicable Disease 

Unit. Through this programme the NGO 

trained nurses from selected local governments 

in the state on cervical screening 

(Visual inspection with acetic acid 

and Papsmear ). 

The aim is to ensure adequate trained 

hands in cancer preventive services towards 

a free breast and cervical cancers 

Nigeria.

PAGE 18 — SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

people 

By FUNMI AJUMOBI 

Ihave seen with my 

eyes the harm caused 

by this archaic 

practice. Women who 

have undergone the 

procedure commonly 

experience 

complications during 

birth, and are at a 

greater risk of ceasarian 

section, hemorrhage, 

obstetric lacerations and 

prolonged labour”. 

With these words, the wife of the 

Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki, 

challenged sexist attitudes and a 

misunderstanding of the facts 

surrounding the health risks 

associated with female genital cutting. 

Toyin, who is also the President of 

Well-Being Foundation (WBF), a nongovernmental 

organisation, spoke on 

the occasion of the celebration of the 

UN’s International Day of Zero 

Tolerance for Female Genital 

Mutilation (FGM) last week. 

‘’We reflect upon female genital 

mutilation (FGM), defining this 

cultural practice, addressing its 

harmful implications, and seeking 

resolution on this dangerous, 

damaging and sadly all too prevalent 

issue,’’ she said. Extracts from her 

statements:. 

FGM, also known as female genital 

cutting and female circumcision, is the 

ritual removal of some or all of the 

external female genitalia. The practice 

is common across much of Africa and 

the Middle East, and is practiced in 

some parts of Asia, and among 

diaspora populations in Western 

countries. Somalia is thought to have 

the highest prevalence of FGM in the 

world, with 98% of girls affected. In 

my homeland of Nigeria, it is believed 

around 20 million girls and women 

have undergone the procedure. 

Globally this figure rises to 200 

million. 

FGM, as a cultural practice, is often 

perceived as a rite of passage into the 

maturity of womanhood, but evidently 

conceived to contain and control a 

young woman, or even a girl’s 

sexuality, to ensure virginity before 

marriage and fidelity after, by the 

brutal method of limiting a woman’s 

sexual pleasure. This is a blatant 

violation of a female’s rights, and the 

embodiment of female subordination, 

as FGM quite unusually, is visited 

upon the female gender, by the female 

gender, towards a misguided but 

sadly reinforced sense of community 

affirmation. 

In addition to the enduring 

psychological effects of the practice, 

FGM presents severe medical risks to 

its victims. In the short-term, 

excruciating pain, excessive bleeding 

and shock are commonplace. 

Anesthetics are rarely used, and many 

women recall the procedure as an 

enduring trauma. Infection is also 

common, as FGM often takes place 

in un-sterile environments. This 

prolongs the suffering of the 

procedure, and can be fatal if left 

untreated. 

The long-term complications are 

extensive; chronic infection, menstrual 

TOYIN SARAKI: 

I have seen with my eyes the harm 

caused by female genital cutting 

FGM, also known as 

female genital cutting 

and female circumcision, 

is the ritual removal of 

some or all of the 

external female genitalia 

problems, painful urination, obstetric complications 

and peri-natal risks all arise as a direct result of FGM. 

It must be stopped. 

As the founder and CEO of the Wellbeing 

Foundation Africa, a maternal health charity based in 

Nigeria, I have seen with my own eyes the harm 

caused by this archaic practice. Women who have 

undergone the procedure commonly experience 

complications during birth, and are at a greater risk 

of caesarian section, hemorrhage, obstetric lacerations 

and prolonged labour. In low and middle income 

economic regions with poor coverage of quality 

maternal healthcare such as Nigeria, the heightened 

risk that FGM imposes on expectant mothers presents 

an added danger to childbirth. 

Last year I participated in a United National 

Population Fund conference in Nigeria that called for 

collective action to eliminate Female Genital 

Mutilation by 2030. FGM is a dangerous, harmful 

and unnecessary cultural practice, a physical assault 

that causes grievous bodily harm - it is therefore the 

responsibility of the international community, 

domestic governments and civil society to work 

together in fighting to protect girls of the future 

from such inhumane practice. The UN 

estimates that if current trends continue, 15 

million more girls between 15 and 19 will be 

cut within the next 14 years. It is our job as 

international citizens to prevent this from 

happening. 

FGM was criminalised in Nigeria in 2015, 

signifying a historic step towards outlawing 

the practice globally. However, FGM remains 

legal in Mali, Sudan, Sierra Leone and Liberia, 

among others, and continues to be practiced 

in other countries despite it being outlawed. 

At the Well-Being Foundation Africa, we 

train midwives on the safe delivery of babies 

and best perinatal care practices. It is my belief 

that it is through midwives and maternal care 

that FGM can be overturned in Nigeria. 

Midwives are best placed to detect FGM, and 

to urge mothers not to subject their daughters 

to this harmful practice. The right legislation 

is in place. Now what is needed is a mentality 

of change and a greater understanding of the 

risks to eliminate the practice completely. 

Huge progress has been made 

internationally to overcome FGM, with a 

succession of governments criminalising the 

practice in recent years. This is an achievement 

that should be lauded. However, there is still 

much to do. Sexist attitudes and a 

misunderstanding of the facts surrounding the 

health risks associated with the practice must 

be challenged. Through a combined effort from 

governments, international organisations and 

individual people, the girls of the future can 

and will be protected .


people 

BY JAPHET ALAKAM 

Your calling 

Everything about ministry that is 

reasonable, Apostolic prophetic 

ministry is about mandate. The 

mandate of this ministry is to raise 

an altar for capital messiah in the 

heart of Africa. Even though, at the 

beginning I didn’t know the 

mandate, I had been led by the 

anointing to come into preaching. 

Over time, as I continue to preach, 

God keeps exposing the ministry 

to me. The ministry is like a book, 

you open page after page. As I seek 

him daily, He reveals Himself the 

more. 

How old is the church? 

The church will be 21 in August. 

You started in Kano and 

relocated to Lagos that is already 

saturated with churches and 

ministers 

There could be many ministries 

but with different mandates. There 

is no ministry in Lagos that has my 

mandate, each mandate has its own 

converts. This is end-time 

Apostolic church born to declare 

rapture and golden age of the 

church on earth, we are bent on 

making sure that Jesus is revealed 

second time as an Adam. It is a 

different mandate and there are 

disciples of this mandate. 

I learnt you have a vow of 

poverty. 

Yes, I have a vow of poverty and 

that does not permit me to own 

anything. 

So what happens to all the money 

in the church and property? 

I am part of the church and the 

church belongs to Christ and his 

people so I serve the church and 

people. The money is for the church, 

even the money people give me 

belongs to the church and we use it 

to develop the church because of the 

vow of poverty; that is why I am not 

married. I don’t have anything to 

do with money. 

This is contrary to the craze by 

men of God to acquire wealth. 

There are different types of 

calling. Because I am an eunuch, 

I have a vow of chastity, the vow is 

peculiar. I have pastors under me 

but I encourage them to get 

married because they don’t have 

the vow. So also is the vow of 

poverty; if a man of God is not into 

that vow, he can do anything. 

But people should be moderate, 

sometimes there is a lot of avarice, 

some people are greedy. It is not 

supposed to be like that. The 

FRCN code, trying to check the 

excess of ministers, even though 

the code is not completely okay, it 

has its duties. A pastor should be 

very careful, he should follow Jesus 

pattern. 

About eunuch, does it mean that 

up till this age you don’t know any 

woman. 

Yes, I am a virgin. An eunuch does 

not permit that, you know there are 

two types of eunuch. In Catholic 

church, there are people who are 

born eunuch by God; there are those 

who made themselves eunuch for 

the sake of the gospel. They are not 

the same. I am made eunuch by God 

and it has a lot of implications and 

secrets which we can not discuss, it 

is different from a man who decided 

not to marry. A man who decided 

not to get married will struggle with 

that because he doesn’t have a 

pattern and nature. An eunuch’s life 

is natural. It is not about body and 

there is a spirit in the eunuch; that 

•Rev. Chris Christian 

If somebody is not 

an eunuch by God, 

he will find it difficult 

to keep the oath 

because such grace is 

not given to him,he is 

just struggling with self 

and that is why over 

time people go into 

certain acts contrary 

to their oath 

is why I am eunuch and vowed for 

poverty. 

So, if somebody is not an eunuch 

by God, he will find it difficult to keep 

the oath because such grace is not 

given to him,he is just struggling with 

self and that is why over time people 

go into certain acts contrary to their 

oath. But a man made an eunuch by 

God is kept, over time, by God, from 

spirit to soul to body. 

But you are a human being with 

mortal body 

There are different types of human 

beings. If you look at the Bible, Jesus, 

Moses, Elijah, those that were 

unique, even some devoted 

reverend fathers who were called 

eunuchs, they maintained chastity, 

so it is possible; life is all about 

decisions and grace. The grace can 

not be intimidated by a man. 

Have you been tempted by the 

opposite sex? 

I pastor females. It is not the 

Chris Christian, 

a virgin, at 51: 

I am sustaining 

vow of chastity, 

poverty 

Rev. Chris Christian is one of the special breeds God 

created. He is the type every woman will like to have: 

Handsome and articulate, but he is a man of God and an 

eunuch. He is the Shepherd of Locust Army International 

Ministry, one of the fastest growing pentecostal churches 

in Nigeria. A preacher, author and opinion leader, he has 

unique qualities that distinguish him from his peers. 

Meanwhile, he has taken the vow of poverty, which means 

he won’t own personal property anywhere or have a bank 

account. Strange as it sounds, he is living his dream. The 

soft-spoken preacher, in this interview, speaks on a wide 

range of issues. 

temptation that matters, it is how 

you react to it. There are so many 

females that come, but it is my 

reaction to it that counts, not what 

people really believe. Sometimes, 

some men of God will say that 

people seduce them, I say it is a 

platform you create. Like if that girl 

at the reception, if somebody has to 

come through her, it is me that 

decide who comes. I don’t think 

anybody will force herself into my 

office. If someone wants to see me 

and I say no, how does the girl come 

inside? So whatever that is 

destroying men, men are part of it. 

God made choices in men. Grace 

should not be ascribed to me for 

that because I didn’t contribute 

anything. I was born an eunuch 

and I don’t feel anything . So, I 

don’t even struggle or try to 

discipline myself. 

As an Igbo man, acquisition of 

wealth and property is very 

important to your people. Does 

it mean you don’t have any 

property. 

I told you that I am not married. 

I have a vow of poverty. If you 

know what a vow is, you should 

know it is binding. So when you 

say you will not, God is not a man. 

He watches me. I didn’t even keep 

the oath because of man. I keep it 

because God is watching me; so I 

don’t have anything anywhere and 

I will not have anything. 

You have written so many books 

and still writing. Are you not 

tired? 

I am not tired for two reasons. 

One, it is a mandate and number 

two necessity. Like I told you, I 

wrote about Platform and Wealth 

of Experience. I see that these 

books are needed. People around 

me need them and I think I should 

write it to bless them. The topics I 

write are topics that help the 

people, sometimes God inspires 

me but sometimes I look at what 

the people need and write, so I 

cannot stop writing as long as 

darkness keeps ravishing the 

society. 

Recession and state of the 

country 

The problem will not last but 

government should do the right 

things and the church should 

help. The Bible in 2 Chronicles 

7:14 says, ‘if the people who are 

called by my name will humble 

themselves and seek me , I will 

heal their lands’. The recession 

definitely will go if we call upon 

God and if government does the 

right thing. The Nigeria 

government is not honest, they 

should be honest with us. If they 

are fighting corruption, they 

should be honest. If they want to 

end recession, they should be 

honest. They should not steal what 

the country has and say they are 

fighting recession. There’re few 

people in the country that can help 

it come back on its feet, but they 

are not doing what is genuine. 

Government should be honest in 

their agenda, policies and show 

good examples so that the citizens 

can follow. Buhari is doing his 

best but only him can not change 

Nigeria. His best in quote, he 

can’t do beyond his capacity. 

What he needs is to complement 

him, everyone should be involved 

if we want to come out of 

recession. 

Igbo agenda and 

marginalization, the killings in 

Southern Kaduna, the arrest of 

IPOB members, etc. 

The problem of the people is with 

the people, it has origin with the 

people. Some of those problems like 

the Kaduna killings are complicated. 

Some have to move from religion to 

politics, so those at the helm of affairs 

are confused sometimes. The 

solution is not straight because when 

religion mixes with politics, it will be 

difficult to separate them and it becomes 

volatile and needs a lot of sensitivity to 

handle. 

Men of God and their acquisition of 

wealth. 

The chief shepherd is the judge and 

will reward them according to their labour. 

C 

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PAGE 20—SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

It’s none of his business the number of partners you’ve ‘had’! 

Ayoung friend of mine 

recently met the man 

of her dreams. In the 

whirlwind courtship that 

followed, they quickly got 

round to the conversational 

games that lovers play. And 

so it was that Mr. Right asked 

Miss Right; “How many men 

have you slept with? The 

sensible girl immediately 

reversed the question, to 

which ‘he answered ‘13’. She 

then replied with a 

circumspect ‘10’. 

“How many is it really?” I 

asked excitedly. `Somewhere 

between a hundred and a 

hundred and ten’, she said, 

not batting.an eye lid. “So why 

did she say 10?” ` I just 

thought that whatever he said, 

mine should be less’. How 

brutally honest can you get? 

100 to 110 guys in how many 

years?! 

This little story got me 

thinking what most latter day 

emotional, Shylock Holmes, 

think they are letting 

themselves in for when they 

seem bent on digging into past 

histories of their new lovers! 

It is a really funny question 

when you are faced with that 

kind of a quandary. 

“As a regular rule,” continued 

our woman-of-the world, “a 

woman would do well to 

gauge her answer from a 

man’s. But what happens if he 

says 400? Would a response of 

308 show a charmingly coy 

sexual reticence or elicit an 

indignant ‘you’re not the 

mother of my future children” 

from her shocked partner? 

“One thing you should avoid 

saying is that you can’t 

remember because that could 

reflect badly on you. I can’t 

remember? That many, is it? 

She continues: “As a rule, men, 

automatically double the real 

figure and women 

automatically half it. Factual 

information backs up the 

theory. There are lies, damn lies 

and statistics and then there are 

sexual statistics which must be 

special kind of double lie. 

‘Whatever lies you tell, you 

need to get your head above 

the proverbial troubled waters! 

“How many people you sleep 

with is a private matter. How 

many people you admit to 

having slept with is a social 

matter and, therefore, a 

question of manners. What you 

tell your friend is different from 

what you tell your lovers. People 

want to feel special, not as 

though they are part of a 

sprawling number game. A 

white lie isn’t necessarily a 

wicked deceit, but could be 

simple courtesy. Why tread on 

someone’s dreams when you 

can just as easily not?” 

Good common sense, that is, 

if you ask me. Only it is 

amazing, how many good 

relationships are put in 

jeopardy in the male partners’ 

quest to find out how 

promiscuous their female 

partners are. Are they as 

promiscuous as ‘friends’ say 

they are? At one of our ‘oldstudents’ 

renewals recently, we 

reverted to nostalgia, asking 

about old boyfriends. One of us 

looked particularly - sad and it 

expired that after her studies, 

she became pregnant and 

planned excitedly for a 

wedding with the love of her 

life. She was more than 

bewildered when the boy 

practically disappeared from 

the face of the earth. 

He surfaced again years 

later to discover that she’s not 

only had the child but got 

married to one of his friends. 

You guessed it! The friend who 

warned him that she was no 

wife material as she’d 

practically slept with most of 

their friends. “Sex”, continues 

our ‘expert’ “is the final 

frontier when it comes to lies 

and hypocrisy and that’s why 

the word ‘promiscuous’ was 

invented. It is a pointed finger 

of a word and it only ever 

refers to other people but us. 

Come to think of it, when in 

your sober moments, you try 

to count the number of ‘lovers’ 

you’ve slept with, who really 

counts? The ones you had to 

struggle with and give in just 

to get them off your back? Or 

the ones you really like and you 

pray fervently for him to have 

more staying-power in the 

bedroom that never comes? Or 

the ones that go on and on that 

you pray for the punishment 

to be over soon! Believe it or 

not, when you get to a certain 

age, you even lose count! 

Years ago, when diplomacy 

was a strong word in my 

dictionary, a guy I was crazy 

about recounted his escapades 

with the various women he’d 

slept with and told me 

arrogantly he thought he 

should be honest with me in 

case some of his miffed exlovers 

want to embarrass me, 

seeing he was now mad about 

me. I scoffed inwardly at his 

conceit. Calmly, I told him a few 

of the lovers I’d had 

‘meaningful’ relationships 

with and mentioned a few 

names for good measure. 

Names with muscles that would 

make his look puny! 

“You mean they all meant that 

much to you?” he wanted to 

know. I nodded. “Like you feel 

the same way about me now?” 

Again, I nodded. “You’ve said 

all these erotic things you say 

to me from time to time during 

love-making to them?” I 

squirmed. I didn’t ask for the 

blow-by-blow account of his 

escapades, so why the third 

degree? A few weeks later, one 

of the “lovers 1 mentioned with 

whom I’d remained very good 

friends paid me a visit. We 

were on the front porch, 

nattering over refreshments 

when lover boy showed up 

unexpectedly - he’d been 

doing that a lot since we had 

our ‘true confession’. His face 

was like thunder. 

As I made to introduce my 

guest, he flared up. “I know 

who he is,” he yelled. Turning 

to the poor man he asked: 

“What are you doing here, you 

good-for- nothing moneybag. 

Agbaya. Why don’t you run 

along to your wife!” He was a 

no-nonsense man and before 

I knew it, they were both 

having a shouting match. 

Enraged, I asked my boyfriend 

to leave if he was going to be 

violent. He went for my throat! 

So, ladies, don’t be fooled by 

all these men telling you they 

need to wipe the slate clean by 

knowing all about your past. 

Tell your man what he wants 

to know - remembering this 

would be one of the occasions 

when white lies are allowed, 

otherwise, what you say 

honestly might be used 

against you in future! 

08052201867(Text Only) 

C 

M 

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Tightening the abdominals 

* The Abdominal Lift 

For most people over thirty the 

abdominal region gets to be the 

least toned set of muscles of the 

body. We work with our hands and walk 

with our feet, therefore, somehow, those 

parts are almost always in better shape than 

the abdominal wall. 

A trim waistline doesn’t only look 

impressive aesthetically, it also speaks 

volumes of the state of health of the 

individual. 

Reduce the girth and presto! You instantly 

look youthful. You will begin to digest your 

food and absorb it more efficiently. 

Once the belly is shrunk appreciably, we 

can then learn to perform certain exercises 

which can help the system achieve better 

bowel action - a veritable way f eliminating 

toxins. 

As regards exercise, there are countless 

ways to deal with the bulge of the belly. 

Some get results from practising dit-ups, 

others from leg-raises and so on. 

But there are some less familiar practices 

that deal with flabby stomach a lot more 

thoroughly. 

Besides strengthening the muscles of the 

abdomen, some of these practices can be 

used for purification purposes along with 

drinking large quantities of salt water. The 

following exercise will help trim the waist 

and keep it so, forever. I have had the same 

waistline since the past thirty years and I 

am fifty two now. If yours truly can do it, so 

can you! All it takes is diligence. Lets 

consider the Rocking. 

Technique: Sit with the knees 

drawn and the hands placed 

at the back of the knees. Now, 

lunge both legs forwards and 

quickly draw them back and 

thrust them forth again. Keep 

this to and fro movement of the 

feet going continually. If you 

break the rhythm by hesitating 

you rill immediately fail to keep 

going. You may do as few as 5 

thrusts and withdrawals of the 

feet initially and then increase 

the number of times as you 

improve. 

Benefits: The Rocking 

toughens the upper thigh and 

abdominal muscles. The 

exercise is reputed to also 

improve the soundness of 

sleep. 

The Abdominal Lift 

Technique: Standing with the 

feet about a foot apart, breathe 

in deeply and exhale 

Yoga Classes 

STARTED 

Physical Therapy Centre 

@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola, 

Victoria Island Lagos. 

9.00am — 10.00am 

on Saturdays 

forcefully. Now, with the breath 

out, draw in the muscles of the 

abdomen until you have a 

hollow forming beneath the 

ribs. The hands should be 

placed on the thighs and the 

knees bent a little. Keep the 

trunk a bit tipped forward but 

don’t lower it. Maintain the 

retraction of the diaphragm by 

keeping both hands firmly 

pressed against the thighs as 

you lean on them. 

Keep the position for as long 

as can be without breathing. 

Then, ease up, stand erect 

and begin to breathe normally. 

Repeat only once more if 

you’re just stating this 

exercise. As regards this very 

exercise, Indra Devi advises 

gradually bringing it up to 

seven times adding one time 

each week. 

Warning: People with a weak 

heart or serious abdominal or 

circulatory problems should 

refrain from this exercise.


THE ‘PROTEST’ OF NIGERIA’S FORGOTTEN PEOPLE 

‘We are leprous but we 

are also human beings’ 

BY WOLE MOSADOMI, 

Minna 

On January 29, the Minister 

of Health, Professor Isaac 

Adewole, gave a stunning 

revelation that 2,892 new cases of 

leprosy had been detected in 

Nigeria despite the efforts to rid 

the nation of the ailment. 

The newest statistics rank Nigeria 

as third in Africa with the highest 

burden of leprosy. 

Shocking as the revelation may 

be, it may not be surprising because 

of the almost total neglect of the 

people afflicted with the ailment by 

government and even the society. 

Leprosy is not contagious, not 

hereditary curable, especially if 

reported to the appropriate health 

centres early and, above all, the 

drugs for the treatment are free. 

However, it is sad to see the way 

those affected by the disease live 

in this country. 

Meanwhile, an International 

organisation, Leprosy Mission 

Nigeria (TLMN), is doing the best 

it can to give those suffering from 

leprosy in the country a sense of 

belonging. The organisation treats 

them free of charge and feeds 

them. 

Our correspondent visited three 

communities inhabited by people 

afficted by leprosy in Niger State 

and they told their tales of woe. 

The communities are Kampani 

It is unfortunate that, even 

with the cure, some 

members of the public still 

keep away from us and 

therefore have nothing to 

do with us 

Sarki Pawa in Munya Local Government 

area, Kuta in Shiroro Local Government 

Area and Chanchaga in Chanchaga 

Local Government Area. 

Kampani has been in existence for over 

63years and presently has a population 

of about 500 inhabitants who are mainly 

those afflicted by leprosy but now cured. 

The community leader, Daudu 

Badakoshi, 77, with three wives and 11 

children, in an interview with our 

correspondent, said he was afflicted by 

leprosy for many years but had been 

treated and cured. 

Surrounded by his wives, children and 

some of the villagers, Badakoshi 

described leprosy as any other disease 

like malaria and typhoid that are curable, 

with infected people completely free of 

the ailment. 

“It is unfortunate that, even with the 

cure, some members of the public 

still keep away from us and 

therefore have nothing to do with 

us. This has affected our children 

because they don’t go to school 

because the only school around us 

is privately owned and, besides 

our children being rejected by the 

school, we cannot afford the fee”, 

he said. 

“The Leprosy Mission in Nigeria 

is our saviour. They gave us a 

borehole, give us clothes and they 

have even selected some of our 

children to acquire skill in 

tailoring, computer and also built 

four toilets for the community”. 

Another member of the 

community but who is not affected 

by the ailment, Yakubu Dogo, and 

the community woman leader, 

Victoria Ezra, paid glowing tribute 

to the Leprosy Mission which, 

they said, had helped them out of 

total neglect and life which would 

have been full of misery. 

At Kuta, it was gathered that the 

community had been in existence 

for the past 50 years and had been 

a centre for the North Central for 

people affected by leprosy. 

Most of the buildings in the 

community, including the clinic 

where the people with leprosy are 

treated, are dilapidated. 

The community leader, Hassan 

Auta, 54, in an interview, said he 

contracted the leprosy virus about 

10 years ago, adding that he has 

now been cured and blessed with 

children who are not leprous. 

“In this community, no fewer 

than 50 people, including 

children, had leprosy but about 

30 are still receiving treatment 

with high hopes of being cured”, 

Auta stated. 

“The Leprosy Mission of 

Nigeria has provided us with 

borehole, electricity, clinic and 

workshop, but we have never felt 

the impact of either the state or 

local government and, the worst 

of it all is that the vast land given 

to us, years back, is now being 

encroached upon by influential 

people in the society, those who 

had run away from us but are 

now attracted to the community 

as a result of electricity and 

potable water we enjoy courtesy 

of the Leprosy Mission in 

Nigeria. 

“We feel the presence of 

government only during political 

campaigns when they promise 

goodies only to neglect us 

immediately after getting to 

office”. 

The women leader, Ramatu 

Adamu, 52, said she contracted 

the virus as a child but that she 

had been cured and therefore 

called on those seeing signs of 

infection to present themselves 

for check-up early in order to be 

Continues on Page 22 

C 

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‘We are leprous but we are also human beings’ 

Continued from Page 21 

cured. 

The Chanchaga Leprosy 

Community, which is the 

oldest (85years) of the three 

communities, has the largest 

population of infected persons 

and also a referral centre 

which, from its look, has long 

been neglected by 

government. 

Vehicles have to be parked 

several meters away from the 

centre because of the 

dilapidated road while the 

buildings accommodating 

those infected can easily be 

taken to be a house for 

animals. 

The mattresses spread on 

bare flood were torn while the 

floor of the wards was broken 

with grass growing within. 

No wonder, snakes and 

other reptiles are said to be 

roommates to the patients. 

Common medication was 

not available thereby making 

treatment of the patients very 

difficult. 

As hidden as the centre is, 

there is no standby generator 

to supply electricity whenever 

*Inmates of the Chanchaga Leprosarium Centre... cured of leprosy. 

there is power failure. 

Officers on duty at the centre when Sunday 

Vanguard visited kept sealed lips on the 

situation of the environment and the lack of 

materials for treatment. 

At the orthopedic workshop at the centre, 

the officer in charge, Mr. Linus Osuchukwu, 

who conducted our correspondent round the 

stands bearing various types of artificial 

limbs, said the workshop is the only one 

serving the North Central of the country, 

pointing out that limbs are provided free to 

leprosy patients by the facility while accident 

victims in need of limbs pay. 

Residents of the community with a 

population of about 600, comprising of 

certified and discharged leprosy 

patients, are predominantly farmers and 

still live an isolated life. 

They called on the state government 

and individuals to come to their aid 

through the provision of basic amenities. 

The country representative of the 

Leprosy Mission in Nigeria, Dr.Pius 

Ogbu Sunday, in an interview, said the 

aim of the body is to partner with 

government to bring succour to those 

afflicted by leprosy. 

“We are only supporting 

government in rendering 

services to those infected and 

not taking over government 

responsibility completely”, 

Sunday explained. 

“We support government in 

looking for case findings and, 

when they are found, we 

support the findings with 

drugs and feeding and we 

refer those with complicated 

cases to BOWEN University 

Teaching Hospital, 

Ogbomosho where we cater 

for their feeding and 

accommodation”. 

On the time frame of the 

mission in Nigeria, he said, 

“We don’t have a time frame 

yet but like in Niger State, we 

have been running our 

projects for the past 22 years. 

Meanwhile, the truth is that 

Leprosy Mission will not be 

here in Nigeria or Niger State 

for ever but the Ministry of 

Health, which is designed to 

take over, will be here for ever 

and that is why government 

at all levels has to pick 

interest in this project and if 

there is any time for this, I 

think it is now.” 

Why public education failed the country — Educationist 

By Ebun Sessou & Jumoke 

Kolawole 

Mrs. Seun Feyisetan is the Public 

RelationsOfficer, Edidot 

Schools. In this interview, she 

speaks on the establishment of 

private school as a means to complement 

public education. She 

also reveals the success stories of 

the school. 

Creation of private 

school? 

The reasons for private 

participation in the establishment 

of school at whatever levels 

of the educational system in 

Nigeria are not farfetched. The 

fact that qualitative education is 

important and should not be 

compromised prompted the 

need for private schools in Nigeria 

educational system. 

Issues that affect the performance 

of education are issues of 

concern to families, communities, 

local, states and federal 

governments. Governments at 

all the levels in Nigeria are seen 

to be helplessly watching public 

structures and institutions collapsing 

and some in a dangerous 

state of coma with little or 

no hope of being revived. 

Providing admissions to many 

teeming applicants seeking admissions 

on a yearly basis (many 

Nigerians who can afford the 

fees they charge have been relieved 

in this area) 

Restoring and sustaining quality 

(not because they have qualified 

staff in the right proportions 

but that they ensure what is to be 

done be done rightly and at the 

right time) 

Another area is restoring and 

sustaining discipline (among 

staff and students because they 

have they will power to do so 

added to the fact that they don’t 

want their investment to collapse) 

Effective monitoring and supervision 

of academic activities 

(the presence of the proprietor is 

regularly felt) 

• Mrs. Seun Feyisetan 

Another aspect is running stable 

academic calendar which 

has rarely go on strike. Demanding 

staff dedication and seriousness 

to duties. Discouraging examination 

malpractice, producing 

students that are globally 

competitive. All these are the 

reasons for the creation of private 

school. 

The roles that private schools 

play in rescuing the battered 

image of education in Nigeria 

are very highly commendable 

but there are some issues that are 

really retarding or staining these 

good efforts and these issues 

need to be addressed. 

Due to Nigeria’s developmental 

challenges, public education 

its theory and lots of parents are 

losing confidence in the public 

education, hence, the need for 

private school. In the last twelve 

years, private schools have been 

tremendously wonderful and 

that is what is giving kids good 

education. 

What are the issues to be addressed 

to improve the performances 

of private schools in 

Nigeria? 

One of the major challenges is 

the issue of exorbitant school 

fees and regular upward review 

of fees. Some private schools 

have taken the advantage to be 

extorting people in the name of 

school fees without giving quality 

service to complement the 

school fees. 

Another issue is proliferation 

One of the major 

challenges is the 

issue of exorbitant 

school fees and 

regular upward 

review of fees 

of substandard institutions, promotion 

of class consciousness 

and distinctions. The use of unqualified 

teachers and administrative 

staff is another area to 

look at as well as inadequate 

provision of infrastructural facilities 

and examination malpractice 

So, would you like to talk 

about the challenges you are 

faced with in terms of school 

fees in Edidot? 

Edidot was a God’s given vision 

by our proprietress. She tells 

her story and the vision to build 

a school. The vision of the school 

is high in terms of giving quality 

education to children. 

The school is a non-profit organization 

built with the vision 

to give quality education to children. 

We have challenges in 

terms of parents who are unable 

to pay their wards’ school fees 

and what the school does is to 

have engage the parents in a 

mutual conversation to be able 

to have a common ground. We 

believe in communication as a 

key to a stable relationship with 

our parents. We have some kids 

who were put in scholarship. The 

money we get from the school is 

not enough to run the operation 

of the school. And when we have 

financial challenges, we call on 

the the management on how to 

move the school forward. Other 

challenges include setting high 

standard for the students so, we 

are creating generations to be a 

better leader tomorrow. 

What is your take on the books 

students use. In the past, it was 

easy for another generation to 

make use of books used by another 

generation but the case 

is different now? 

Ministry of education is in the 

position to respond in that capacity. 

It determines the books 

we use, the scheme of work we 

use each year as it comes with 

strategy. There are some books 

that are recycled like dictionary. 

You earlier mentioned that the 

vision of Edidot is to build 

quality education for children, 

do you think you are getting 

there and what are the challenges? 

I believe, we are still moving 

on. There is room for improvement 

and that is why it is very 

difficult to say, we are there already. 

Education is a critical sector 

that needs maximum attention. 

Training and nurturing of children 

are major challenges that 

must be addressed keenly. Training 

every child and family is different. 

Each child has his or her 

potentials and that is why children 

should not be treated the 

same way. 

Child comparism is a taboo in 

education and that is why it is 

important for every parent to 

understand their children. 

For us, we have student from 

all over the world including Nigeria, 

Ghana, Liberia and one 

of the things we do is to take care 

of children cases including rivalry 

among children. There are 

different issues relating to children 

and we have successfully 

addressed them. In the school, 

good character is a must. 

The truth is that, addressing 

education from the family point 

of view is key and that is also 

taken care of. We invest a lot in 

our children. 

Success story of Edidot 

Schools 

One of the success story of the 

school is a student, Miss Anjola 

Eotoke, a nine years old who 

wrote SSCE and made all her 

papers. She was in primary five. 

She got a scholarship to go to 

school in Canada but she cannot 

be admitted in the University 

now because she is still young. 

There are lots of success stories 

that the school has recorded 

overtime. 

Advice for parents 

It is important to give your 

child praise and positive feedback 

because children especially 

young ones measure their 

worth and achievements by what 

you think. But be realistic in your 

praise. If a child fails at something 

or shows no talent at a particular 

skill, praise the effort, but 

don’t unrealistically praise the 

results. Reassure your child that 

it is fine not to be able to do everything 

perfectly. Tell him that 

some things take repeated effort 

and practice and sometimes it is 

fine to move on after you’ve given 

your best effort. 

Self-confident children are 

willing to try new things without 

fear of failure. With younger children, 

you will need to supervise 

from the sidelines. Set up situations 

where she can do things for 

herself and make sure the situation 

is safe but then give her 

space. For example, demonstrate 

how to make a sandwich and 

then let her try it on her own, 

without your hovering or intervening. 

Encourage exploration, 

whether it’s a trip to a new park 

or new foods at mealtime. Day 

trips and outings, new hobbies, 

vacations and trips with teammates 

or schoolmates can all 

expand your child’s horizons and 

build confidence in her ability 

to handle new situations. 

C 

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Networking/Sponsorship 

•Ike, needs someone to 

sponsor his education in 

Canada.08066044295 

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Dear readers, please note that we neither operate, nor are we an affiliate of any match–making agency in 

or outside the country. Any reader who transacts business with any one claiming to be our agent does 

so at his/her own risk. Our mission is only to provide a platform for social networking. 

Also note that neither Vanguard, nor Yetunde Arebi will be liable for any error in the publication of 

requests which may result in any form of embarrassment to any member of the public. We therefore 

request that text must be sent through at least one of the numbers for contact. This notice is necessary to 

enable us serve you better in our refreshingly different style. You can send your requests to 33055. For 

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COMMON SEXUAL AL PROBLEMS AND THEIR NOVEL 

VELTY Y BASED SOLUTIONS (ADVER 

VERTORIAL) 

I have very weak erection 

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get out of this mess – Peter 

Hello Peter. You did not 

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I am a circumcised woman 

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Yes Janet, there is hope for you. 

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My husband wants to have 

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Vaginal play is just one of 

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C 

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YK


bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk 

08056180152, SMS only 

Why St. Valentine’s Day Is Such A Huge Joke! - Reader 

“ 

T’UESDAY, February 14, 

is the day I dread,” 

wrote in Victoria who 

called herself a selfopinionated 

modern middleaged 

survivor! “Valentine’s 

Day is when the populace is 

cruelly divided into winners 

and losers. You can easily spot 

the winners - those smug 

creeps swanning around with 

a self-satisfied smile on their 

faces, like the cat that got the 

cream. They’re the ones who 

have flowers delivered to their 

office, or who already know 

they have been invited out for 

a ‘special treat’ on St. Val’s 

evening. The ones who got a 

hand-delivered cards or 

special delivery presents. Or 

the ones who woke up to find 

a saucy e- card had plopped 

into their in-box overnight. 

Yuck! 

“The rest of us, the so-called 

losers in love - will spend the 

day, superficially behaving as 

normal, acting as if we have 

better things to do than drink 

choice wines and eat romantic 

dinners by candle light. But 

deep down, we’ll be 

experiencing that mixture of 

jealousy and impotent rage 

that only comes on St. 

Valentine’s day - because 

we’ve been unfairly 

categorised as rejects, yet 

again. Tossed on the stockpile 

of non-essential singletons. 

Destined never to rise to the 

dizzy heights of being an 

object of love, or even an object 

of fumbled lust. 

“I loathed the banality of 

Valentine’s Day, the horrible 

notion of designating one day 

in the year; that occasion to 

declare our love for another 

person. It seems so arbitrary. 

A fake ‘celebration’ exploited 

by greeting cards 

manufacturers and florists. As 

for the romantic concept of 

anonymity, that vanished 

decades ago. 

These days, hand-made 

cards, designer chocolates, 

exotic flowers and tasteful - not 

tarty knickers are so expensive 

we want to make sure the 

lucky recipient knows who 

coughed up, so we sign our 

names on the package. 

“Valentine’s Day started 

before the Middle Ages - even 

Chauser wrote about it: The 

Victorians celebrated it by 

sending beautiful handpainted 

cards with lacy cut -outs 

of birds and flowers. But back 

in those days, sex was 

something that happened after 

marriage. Romantic love really 

existed, and these cards were 

one way to express the 

unsayable, and perhaps win a 

woman’s heart. In the modern 

world of sexting and e- mails 

about sexual conquests in the 

workplace, what’s so special 

about coughing up for a massproduced 

Valentine card, or an 

over-priced bunch of roses at 

your local supermarket? 

“My hatred of Valentine’s Day 

started as a teenager. With my 

ugly specs, braided hair and 

wonky teeth, I was never going 

to be the stuff of anyone’s 

dreams. In my mind I was a 

winner, an individual, someone 

whose potential hadn’t yet been 

spotted by any local member of 

the opposite sex. Even so, 

every Valentine’s day was 

torture - the day when all the 

‘normal’ girls gloated and made 

the rest of us feel awkward 

and miserable because we 

weren’t wearing padded bras 

and didn’t have a 

cheap card from some spotty 

bloke who, thanks to handouts 

from their parents could 

buy cards so they could get 

into our knickers. 

“Although by the time I was 

16, I had managed to score a 

few real cards, sadly these 

were mostly sent by boys who 

were so creepy I chucked 

their attempts at romance 

straight in the bin. These 

vulgar offerings weren’t 

worthy of a kiss! Over the 

years, I have come to associate 

Valentine’s Day with lying 

and deception. I’ve often 

given cards to men I’m fed up 

with, just for a quiet life. It’s 

polite, isn’t it? Real love, true 

passion, has been 

downgraded into this bland 

marketing opportunity. 

I might make a tunny card 

for my partner, but it will 

celebrate his quirky 

shortcomings, not his sexual 

prowess in bed. As for going 

out, it’s the worst night of the 

year to be in a restaurant. At 

exactly the same time, your 

favourite restaurant will fill up 

with slightly embarrassed 

couples who will start the 

evening whispering, ‘then 

gradually run out 

of things to say to each other, 

before swiftly degenerating 

into bored mutual silence 

“Between each couple will be 

a sad single rose in a glass, 

bravely trying to convey a 

feeling of gorgeous romance. 

In the background, smoochy 

music will attempt to paper 

over the cracks in these flimsy 

relationships. I mean, how 

many times can you endure a 

loop of Chris de Burgh’s Lady 

In Red, Bryan Adams’ 

(Everything I do) I Do It For 

You and - the killer track that 

often makes me gag - Whitney 

Houston burbling I Will 

Always Love You? 

“Instead, on Valentine’s Day, 

why not celebrate friendships 

- our relationships that don’t 

rely on sex? I shall be 

spending Valentine’s day 

evening having a meal with 

one of my ex-husbands and his 

very nice wife, together with 

my partner of ten years, an old 

friend and her sister. We’ve 

known each other for ever, and 

it will be an evening of 

laughter. As a society, we need 

to connect more with our 

friends. Research shows that 

the number of people we count 

as ‘close’ has diminished 

drastically over the past 

decade. There’s a worrying 

number 

of people who now say they 

have no one special in their 

lives at all, and more of us than 

ever are living alone. 

“Valentine’s Day should be 

an opportunity for us to reach 

out and be friendlier to each 

other. To hell with the roses, 

the chocolates, the smutty 

cards and the frilly pants - why 

not hug a total stranger on 

Tuesday? That’s what modern 

love should be about!” 

Who Is The True Parent? 

(Humour) 

A couple are divorcing and 

go to court over their children. 

The judge asks them to state 

their reasons for claiming sole 

custody. “The children are 

mine,” the wife argues 

passionately. “I carried them 

for nine months each and spent 

hours in labour, while he 

didn’t do anything. “ 

The judge nods thoughtfully, 

recognising the validity of her 

case. But, in order to be fair, 

he asked for the husband’s 

side of things too. “Your 

honour,” the husband says, “If 

you put money in the vending 

machine and a can of drink 

pops out, does that can then 

belong to the machine?” 

Bad Timing (Humour) 

A couple have a teenage son 

called William. One day, 

William arranges to go out for 

the afternoon, so his parents 

decide to make the most of the 

time alone and have sex in the 

living room. But, just as they 

get down to it, the door bell 

rings. Reluctantly, the 

man pulls on his clothes and 

answers the door. A youth is 

standing there. “Is Willy in?” 

The lad asks. “It was ... “ the 

man mutters under his breath 

“ ... until I had to answer the 

door.” 

YOUR column to express your loving thoughts in 

words to your sweetheart. Don’t be shy. Let it 

flow and let him or her know how dearly you feel. 

Write now in not more than 75 words to: The Editor, 

Sunday Vanguard, P.M.B. 1007, Apapa, Lagos. E.mail: 

sunlovenotes@yahoo.com Please mark your envelope: 

“LOVE NOTES" 

Dear Queen 

I doubt I'm saying "I want you and you alone for the 

rest of my life" but I am saying if you were a drink, you 

would be my favorite drink. If you were food you would 

be my favorite food. If you were a place, you would be 

my favorite place. Screw it! That's what I'm saying, All 

I want is you and only you, I can't have someone else. 

Prince Johnson 

09052570138 

When I look in there.... 

Staring at me right in your eyes 

Is the reflection of my fatal fate 

When I look in there twice or thrice 

With a hope to make you my mate 

My zeal seems a plague to my soul 

Since rejection on me you bestow 

Your rejections seem to me 

A bait rather than a hedge 

Against your thought and will 

I feel on a sword's edge 

Without you is to be cut 

From the living, I'm cut 

Your no is thunderous and makes me to weep 

Let the virtues of your yes lure me to sleep 

AKEGH U Jacob 

08186915871 

Akeghjacob@facebook.com08063819314


Power, sex and slaves 

Nigeria battles beliefs of Boko Haram brides 

By Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani 

C 

hanging her son’s 

nappy, a wry smile 

flickered across 

Aisha’s face as she 

recalled the power she wielded 

as the wife of a leading Boko 

Haram commander, living in the 

jihadists’ forest stronghold in 

northeast Nigeria. 

“I had many slaves - they did 

everything for me,” the 25-yearold 

said, explaining how women 

and girls kidnapped by the 

Islamist militants washed, cooked 

and babysat for her during the 

three years she spent in their 

base in the vast Sambisa forest. 

“Even the men respected me 

because I was Mamman Nur’s 

wife. They could not look me in 

the eye,” Aisha said in a state 

safe house in Maiduguri, where 

she has lived for almost a year 

since being captured by the 

Nigerian army in a raid in 

Sambisa. 

Aisha is among around 70 

women and children undergoing 

a deradicalisation programme - 

led by psychologists and Islamic 

teachers - designed to challenge 

the teachings they received and 

beliefs they adopted while under 

the control of Boko Haram. 

Thousands of girls and women 

have been abducted by the group 

since it began its insurgency in 

2009 - most notably the more than 

200 Chibok girls snatched from 

their school in April 2014 - with 

many used as cooks, sex slaves, 

and even suicide bombers. 

Yet some of these women, like 

Aisha, gained respect, influence 

and standing within Boko Haram, 

which has waged a bloody 

campaign to create an Islamic 

state in the northeast. 

Seduced by this power, and 

relieved to escape the domestic 

drudgery of their everyday lives, 

these women can prove tougher 

than men to deradicalise and 

reintegrate into their 

communities, according to the 

Neem Foundation, which runs 

the programme. 

With more women likely to be 

freed from Boko Haram or 

widowed as Nigeria’s military 

strives to defeat the militants, 

experts say insults, rejection and 

even violence towards them as 

they return to their communities 

could hinder efforts to repair the 

social fabric of a region 

splintered by Boko Haram. 

“There is a possibility of 

violence (when these women 

go home) because they were 

married to Boko Haram 

militants,” Fatima Akilu, the 

head of Neem, told the 

I had many 

slaves - they 

did 

everything 

for me ... 

Only when 

you get 

married to a 

rich man, or 

a man of 

authority, 

can you get 

that kind of 

power - wife 

of jihadist 

commander 

Thomson Reuters Foundation. 

“There is still a lot of anger 

and resentment from 

communities that have been 

traumatised for years, and 

subjected to atrocities by the 

group,” she added. 

NEWFOUND 

POWER 

While other 

women 

huddled 

around 

the 

•Aisha..... undergoing deradicalisation 

communal television 

Maiduguri, the capital 

of Borno state, 22-yearold 

Halima recalled the 

‘beautiful home’ built by 

her Boko Haram 

husband in the and the 

easy life she enjoyed. 

Trucks arrived 

regularly 

with food 

and clothes, a hospital staffed 

with doctors and nurses tended 

to the ill, and Halima was given 

house she shared with her 

husband. 

“Anything I requested, I got,” 

said Halima, sitting under a tree 

in the yard and lazily picking 

her toenails. 

Life in the Sambisa for women 

like Halima was a far cry from 

the deep-rooted patriarchy in the 

mainly Muslim northeast, where 

rates of child marriage, literacy 

among girls, and women in 

positions of power are far worse 

than in the rest of Nigeria. 

The escape from reality, and 

taste of freedom and autonomy 

afforded to the wives of Boko 

Haram militants, highlights the 

challenge facing Neem to 

deradicalise the women. 

Many are not ready to 

relinquish their newfound power. 

Despite being kidnapped by 

Boko Haram when they attacked 

her town of Banki four years 

ago, Aisha was not forced to 

marry Nur, the suspected 

mastermind of a suicide bomb 

attack on U.N. headquarters 

in Abuja in 2011 that killed 

23 people. 

Aisha was courted for 

months and showered 

with gifts by Nur, who 

has a $160,000 state 

bounty on his head, 

before agreeing to 

become his fourth 

wife. When she told 

Nur to divorce his 

second wife - 

because she did 

not like her - 

he did so 

right away. 

*Source: 

Thomas 

Reuters 

Foundation


Kaleidoscope 

BY EMMA UNA 

•Protesting FGGC 

Calabar teachers 

TERROR DESCENDS ON GIRLS’ SCHOOL 

For caning girl, DSS official 

mobilised colleagues to 

brutalise us — Teachers 

PANDEMONIUM broke out at the 

Federal Government Girls’ College 

(FGGC), Calabar when 

neighbouring Department of State Service, 

DSS, operatives stormed the school to 

confront teachers of the college after one of 

them disciplined a student. 

The two federal institutions, DSS 

and the Federal Government Girls’ 

College, which are within shouting distance 

of each other along Goodluck Jonathan 

Bypass, Calabar, had been good neighbours 

with the DSS providing security to the school, 

which regularly comes under attack by 

hoodlums seeking to rape, rob and brutalise 

the girls in the school. 

The relationship between the two was 

always warm and cozy until the event of 

penultimate Thursday when a knife 

was put in-between the two to sharply divide 

them, leaving behind chaos and rancor. 

The sad event started when operatives of 

DSS allegedly stormed the school in 

response to a call by a colleague, names 

withheld, whose niece, a student, was 

allegedly flogged by a teacher, Mr Owai 

Owai, leaving lacerations on her hands 

and back. 

The marks on the niece’s body, made the 

DSS official furious and she decided to take 

the picture of the girl with her phone. 

Meanwhile, she was said to have been 

accosted by some of the FGGC teachers who 

felt offended that she came into the school 

without permission to take picture of the 

student. The DSS official was reportedly 

assaulted and her dress torn, prompting her 

to call for rescue from her colleagues who 

stormed the place. 

Narrating the incident, Mr Owai Owai, 

the Civic Education Teacher at the centre of 

the storm, said that after the morning 

assembly, he was on his way to teach. 

I was in the SS 2 class 

teaching when a 

woman accompanied 

by a man walked in 

and grabbed the cane I 

was holding and 

began to flog me with it 

in front of the students 

Owai explained that as he passed through SS 3 

class, he saw junior students sweeping the class and 

he asked who brought them to sweep the class 

and one of the students, Amanda, said she was. 

He then decided to punish the entire class for 

flouting his instruction not to force junior students 

to sweep their class by giving each of the erring 

students two strokes of the cane. 

“But one of the students grabbed me by the collar 

of my shirt which prompted me to flog her more 

and, thereafter, she went outside and made a phone 

call to her aunt, said to be a DSS official. I was 

in the SS 2 class teaching when a woman 

accompanied by a man walked in and grabbed 

the cane I was holding and began to flog me with it 

in front of the students and, when some of my 

colleagues who saw what was happening, 

rushed to rescue me, they were also attacked by 

the strangers”, Owai said. 

According to him, immediately after 

he was rescued from his attackers, he ran 

into his office for refuge from where he 

observed the woman make a phone call 

and, soon three vans drove into the 

school compound and the operatives 

jumped out and rushed to the class 

where he was attacked. He explained that 

the teachers who had gathered in the 

class were attacked by the DSS men. 

“When they jumped out of the vans, they 

started shouting, `where is the teacher’, 

and the woman who did not know I 

had escaped mistakenly pointed at 

another teacher, Mr. Ndarake, and 

the DSS men went after him. One 

of the DSS men even brought out his rifle 

and pointed at Ndarake while another 

shouted ‘shoot him but the man with 

the rifle fired into the air, grabbed 

him and tried to force him into one 

of the van but he resisted, prompting 

the DSS man to wrestle him to the 

ground and began using the butt of 

his rifle on his head and neck.”. 

Another teacher of the college, Mr 

Mbeson Emmanuel, said the DSS 

operatives shot sporadically into the air. 

Then any teacher who tried to take 

pictures of the scene was attacked and his 

or her phone seized by them. 

“About six of us were attacked for trying 

to take pictures of the incident,. The DSS 

attackers seized phone and binocular 

while another teacher, Mrs Anne Agba, 

had her phone and N80,000 naira that 

was in her handbag stolen and she was 

severely manhandled”. 

He said FGGC the security guard, who 

locked the gate to stop the DSS vans from 

entering the school was hit several times 

on the head and neck with the butt of a 

rifle causing him to bleed profusely. 

“Asuquo Ndarake has been taken to 

•Owai 

hospital because he was hit on the 

head and neck with the butt of a rifle 

because he locked the gate to stop 

the vans from leaving the school 

premises and they shot at the gate and 

destroyed the padlock and drove 

out”, Mbeson said. 

Reacting, Mr. Fubara Duke, Cross 

River State Director of DSS told 

Sunday Vanguard that the incident 

was a case of mistaken identity. 

He stated that on Wednesday some 

hoodlums went to the school to beat 

up a teacher who had flogged one of 

the students. On Thursday morning 

when the teachers saw the DSS 

operative they thought she was one 

of the hoodlums and pounced on 

her, beat her up and tore her 

clothes”, Duke said. 

“There was no gun shot. My men 

only went there on the invitation of 

the school authorities and the teachers 

mistook my personnel who went there 

to sort out why her daughter was 

beaten by a teacher leaving her body 

with laceration as one of the 

hoodlums who went there to beat up 

a teacher on Wednesday”. He said 

he has asked the school 

administration to fish out the teachers 

who attacked the DSS lady to face 

appropriate punishment” 

On Tuesday, teachers from the 

school took to the streets of Calabar 

to protest the alleged attack. 

They visited the state House of 

Assembly complex carrying placards 

which bore inscriptions such as, 

“We need justice without delay” , 

“DSS stop using teachers as a bait”, 

“Teachers are agents of 

development”, We are not terrorists, 

stop the use of force on us”. 

The teachers, led by the 

Chairman of the Trade Union 

Congress ,TUC, in Cross River State, 

Comrade Clarkson Otu, said the 

protest became necessary to ensure 

that perpetrators of the attack on the 

FGGC teachers were brought to book. 

“We came here to register our 

grievances so that investigation can 

be carried out and those DSS 

personnel who invaded the school, if 

found wanting, can be brought to 

book. 

“We need justice and perpetrators 

of the sordid act should be made to 

accaount for their action”. 

The Speaker of the state House of 

Assembly, Rt. Hon. John Gaul Lebo, 

assured the protesters that their 

message would be passed to the 

appropriate quarters. 

The Speaker, represented by the 

Clerk of the state Assembly, Elder 

Ekpeyong Bassey, said,”We will 

certainly do justice to the issue and 

ensure that justice is done.”


08116759757 

• 

Mayhem as Ebonyi villagers 

are accused of ‘using human 

head to bury the dead’ 

– Umahi denies allegation, warns against killings 

By Kennedy Mbele 

EBONYI State Governor 

David Nweze Umahi has 

lamented the attack on Azuoffia Edda in 

Abakaliki Local Government Area by 

people suspected to be from three 

communities in Obubra LGA, Cross 

River State, warning that no 

Ebonyian would be killed anymore 

under his watch. 

Umahi, accompanied by security chiefs 

in the state, including the Commander 

of Abakaliki Cantonment, Peter 

Kulawe, and Commissioner of Police, 

Titus Lamorde, described the attack on 

Azuoffia-Edda people as man’s 

inhumanity to man. 

The governor, who was in the nearly 

deserted community to supervise the 

distribution of relief materials by the 

National Commission for Refugees, 

Migrants and Internally Displaced 

Persons to survivors, had been told by 

the Abakaliki LGA Chairman, Peter 

Nwaogbaga, that the attackers 

killed four people and kidnapped 

three others. 

A visibly displeased Umahi 

said: “Under my watch, no Ebonyi man 

will be slaughtered again. We will not 

allow that to happen. The essence of 

coming to leadership is to protect the lives 

of our people. I’m so sad and want of 

speech for this man’s inhumanity to 

man. It’s so disheartening that this kind 

Varsity represents 

Nigeria in global 

satellite project 

By Oboh Agbonkhese 

NIGERIA’S quest to launch itself into 

space got a major fillip in Japan, last 

Wednesday, when a researcher from 

the Federal University of Technology, Akure, 

FUTA, took part in the Joint Global Multi- 

Nation Satellite Project, christened BIRDS 

Project JGMNB. 

Mr. Ibukun Adebolu of the Department of 

Mechanical Engineering, FUTA, was the 

representative of FUTA on this project in Japan 

along with 15 other students from six of the 

seven participating countries, who belong to 

the Graduate School of Engineering of Kyushu 

Institute of Technology, Kyutech, Japan, and 

are all enrolled as master or doctoral degree 

students in the Space Engineering 

International Course. 

The cross-border interdisciplinary satellite 

project for non-space faring countries, 

supported by Japan, has Nigeria, Ghana, 

Mongolia, Bangladesh, Thailand and Taiwan 

as participating countries. 

FUTA represent Nigeria in the two-year 

project, where postgraduate students designed, 

assembled, tested and operated five units of 

identical 1U CubeSats, belonging to the four 

participating countries and to be operated 

from seven ground stations, including FUTA, 

to form, for the first time, a constellation of 

five CubeSats operated using seven networked 

ground stations. 

The project is being implemented with the 

guidance of four faculty members under the 

leadership of Professor Mengu Cho. The 

Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, led the 

FUTA delegation to Japan, with the Director, 

Centre for Space Research and Applications, 

CESRA, Professor S. O. Akinyede and Dr. 

Olurotimi Dahunsi of the Department of 

Mechanical Engineering, part of the 

delegation. 

•One of the buildings burnt. 

of thing will be happening in our society. It’s so 

shocking,” he said in a statement by his Chief Press 

Secretary, Emma Anya. 

The governor told the villagers who gathered 

at the Azuoffia-Edda Primary School III that he was 

surprised that the attack on them by people 

allegedly from Ovuruokpon village, Ogurude and 

Ohene in Obubura LGA still took place after a peace 

process between the two neighbouring states had 

commenced. 

Umahi explained that the people of Azuoffia-Edda 

were wrongly accused by their neighbours in Cross 

River State of using human head to bury the dead. 

He said that people, including security agents, aware 

of the tradition and customs of Ebonyi people would 

testify that such is not practised in Ebonyi State. 

“The root cause of the crisis is very funny. We have 

security agencies in our state who are not indigenes of 

Ebonyi State and they know very well that we don’t 

bury people with human beings,” the 

governor added . 

He thanked Acting President Yemi 

Osinbanjo, security agencies and 

the National Commission for Refugees, 

Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons 

for their quick response to plight of the 

victims. “We shall work the extra mile 

and extra hard with The Presidency, the 

National Boundary Commission, security 

agencies and the Governor of Cross River 

State to see how we can quickly resolve this 

problem,” he promised. 

Anya’s statement said that a 35-year-old 

woman, who spoke with journalists, 

explained that her husband, who was going 

to harvest their farm produce, was killed by 

the attackers who struck from three fronts. 

Land grabber 

abbers s in Ondo attac 

ack 300 landlords 

ds 

LANDLORDS in Alagbaka Government 

Reservation Area (GRA), Akure the 

Ondo State capital have protested the 

attack on over 300 houses by hoodlums 

claiming to be the owners of the land on which 

the houses were built. 

Operating under the auspices of Ajayi 

Elekumo Layout, Alagbaka, the landlords 

said the houses were destroyed by the 

hoodlums allegedly acting on behalf of a 

family claiming the ownership of the land in 

the GRA. 

Speaking on behalf of the landlords, 

Olusegun Adu-Peters, they said the family 

who claims the ownership of the land should 

not have taken the laws into their hands but 

should have waited for the decision of both 

Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court to 

decide the ownership of the land. 

Adu-Peters called on the state government 

and security agencies to prevent the 

breakdown of law and order as those 

claiming the ownership of the lands are 

making life unbearable for them. 

“It is no longer news that there was a court 

matter on the Ajayi elekumo land with a 

fragment of the family”, the spokesperson 

said. 

“The matter came before former Chief 

Judge, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, and it is 

no longer news that during the trial, two of 

the lawyers walked out on the trial judge and, 

as a matter of fact, witnesses were called and 

there was no cross-examination. 

“ But be that as it may, the judgment was 

given and we are not here to question the 

judgment because I am a lawyer and I cannot 

question the decision of a court and we are 

standing on what the judge said. 

“ We know that if a judgment is done and 

you are not satisfied, you climb upstairs to 

address the issue. We now went to the Court 

of Appeal and filed a notice of appeal but 

the other parties are saying they are not 

aware of the notice of appeal. 

“We feel embarrassed to extent that in a 

state where there is law, individuals as 

taken laws into their hands. 

“When the judgment was given ,they 

went ahead to deface the properties and 

the houses that were build in Ajayi 

Elekumo family layout and did a lot of 

things to incur the wrath of the 

community. 

“But we find out that sound minds don’t 

flex muscle .We believe in forces of logic 

and not the logic of the force. 

NUC approves five 

engineering progs for 

Achievers University 

By Dayo Johnson, Akure 

N ATIONAL Universities 

Commission, NUC, has approved 

five engineering programmes for the 

College of Engineering and Technology 

of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo 

State. The approval takes effect from 

2016/2017 academic session . 

The university’s Vice Chancellor Prof 

Tunji Ibiyemi, said with the engineering 

programmes approval, the institution 

would drive the 21st century industry. 

The approved programmes under 

the Department of Electrical and Information 

Engineering include B.Eng. 

Electrical and Electronic Engineering, 

B.Eng. Computer Engineering and 

B.Eng Telecommunication Engineering. 

Approved for the Department of 

Mechatronics and Life Engineering 

are B.Eng Mechatronics Engineering 

and B.Eng. Biomedical Engineering. 

Ibiyemi, on the objectives of the programmes, 

said: “There is a paradigm 

shift in the 21st century production 

process as the level of production is 

determined by the level of information 

technology. 

“This development has resulted in a 

merger of engineering programmes 

in order to be cost effective, the 21st 

century industries must be driven by 

21st century programmes. 

“Because of Achievers University’s 

vision to be the best in Africa, we 

therefore must be prepared for the 21st 

century. This necessitated the introduction 

of the five unique programmes 

in engineering.” The Vice Chancellor 

said that requirements for admission 

into the department include candidates 

sitting for the 2015/2016 Unified 

tertiary Matriculation Examination, 

UTME, with minimum score as approved 

by the NUC and JAMB. 

Okowa calls for establishment of modular 

refineries in Delta 

By Festus Ahon 

“It is of the forces of the logic that we are doing 

now, that we don’t want to take the law into our 

hands so that there would not be anarchy in the land. 

“ We went to the court and until the final 

determination of the court; nobody has any power 

to take laws into his or her hands. 

“We all know that when you are not satisfied with 

the decision of the lower court, you have 90 days to 

go to the Court of Appeal. Judgment was given just 

last month and before we knew it, they’ve taken the 

aw into their hands. 

“They should sheath their sword, several houses 

have either been destroyed or defaced. 

“We all know the value of the properties now. We 

know the cost of the land not to talk of the structures 

that were built in the area”. 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta 

State has called on oil companies 

to take advantage of the availability 

of crude oil and gas to establish modular 

refineries in the state. 

Okowa made the call during the commissioning 

of an ultra-modern mega filling 

station owned by North-West Petroleum 

and Gas Company Limited in Asaba. 

He said necessary actions that would ensure 

regular supply and appropriate pricing 

of petroleum products to ease the suffering 

of Nigerians should be taken. 

Also speaking at the event, a director in 

the company, Dr. Olaolu Modashiru, said 

that the friendly environment for investment 

attracted the company to the state, assuring 

that the company has a reputation of having products 

at all times at the right price. 

Okowa said:“Our people have been finding it very 

difficult to get kerosene at the appropriate prices, so, 

we are very much interested in its regular supply at 

the right pricing. 

“It is our hope and prayer that the kerosene will 

never be out of stock and we thank God that we are 

going to get it at the official price in this ultra-modern 

filling station; it has been an unlikely thing in the 

past few months to have kerosene at the appropriate 

price and I believe that this will lead to greater competition 

and also drive other filling stations to try to 

keep their prices at the price that has been stipulated 

by the authorities.” 

He expressed satisfaction that investors are having 

more confidence in establishing their businesses in 

the state, saying not too long ago, the Shoprite complex 

was commissioned in Asaba. 

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Hello wonderful children out there! 

It is another week into the school term. Sure you know three 

weeks is gone in the term and you will soon start tests. Tests 

are part of your assessment, begin to study well to meet up to 

your desired grades. Don’t forget that you have to lay your bed 

well to be able to sleep well. 

Our package for you this week include short story, expression 

and parenting for our parents. 

Enjoy your Sunday but don’t forget to prepare for the week. 

Have a great week! 

Short Story 

A Wise Old Owl 

There was an old owl that lived in 

an oak. Everyday he saw incidents 

happening around him. Yesterday he 

saw a boy helping an old man to 

carry a heavy basket. Today he saw 

a girl shouting at her mother. The 

more he saw the less he spoke. 

As he spoke less, he heard more. 

He heard people talking and telling 

stories. He heard a woman saying 

that an elephant jumped over a 

fence. He also heard a man saying 

that he had never made a mistake. 

The old owl had seen and heard 

about what happened to people. 

Some became better and some 

became worse. But the old owl had 

become wiser each and every day 

Moral:You should be observant, 

talk less but listen more. This will 

make you a wise person. 

Helping Hands International gives hope to 

the less privileged children 

Children of Olisa Pry School and Special Inclusive Unit, Papa Ajao and Ojuwoye Pry 

School and Special Inclusive Unit, Mushin during a Christmas party organised by a 

non-governmental organisation (NGO), Helping Hands International 

Do you know this expression? 

Pullout all the stops 

If you pull out all the stops, you 

do everything you can to“make 

something successful. 

“For example: 

ABUSED? 

Numbers to Call 

We hope President Buhari will 

pull out all the stops to make all 

primary schools environment 

appealing to children as he gives 

them free meal. 

Aunty Funmi – 08027342044 

Lagos State Women Affairs & Poverty Alleviation 

(WAPA) – 01- 7617508, 01- 7308112 

Lagos Education And Resource Network (LEARN) – 07027950412 

Lagos State Ministry of Youth & Social Welfare – 01- 7433669 

Lagos State Office of Public Defender – 01- 7926928 

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PARENTING 

Agbalumo (African Star Apple) 

season is here again! 

•Give your children in abundance 

It is Agbalumo season again! 

Parents should seize this 

opportunity to buy for their 

children to be able to maximise the 

full benefits. Agbalumo is one of the 

seasonal fruits that Nigeria is 

blessed with. It is known by various 

names but the most famous is 

Agbalumo among the Yoruba people 

and Udara among the Igbos. It is 

known among the English people a s 

African Star Apple and its scientific 

name is Chrysophyllum africanum 

or Chrysophyllum albidum. 

Agbalumo/Udara has this sweet sour 

taste with this milky juice coming 

out when squeezed or sucked before 

consuming its flesh. It also has a 

chewable edible skin that is orange 

in color. 

Health Benefits 

Though the milky juice in 

Agbalumo can put permanent stain 

on your clothes you are if not careful 

while chewing it, the benefits are 

unquantifiable. Agbalumo is a good 

source of calcium. According to 

reseach, the calcium content in one 

Agbalumo fruit is about 10 per cent 

the amount you need a day and 

calcium is a source of strength for 

bones and teeth. 

It is said that it is a very good 

source of Vitamin C and A. 

According to the research, a single 

Agbalumo fruit provides about 5 per 

cent of the daily recommended value 

of these vitamins in the body. This 

helps to prevent gum diseases such 

as scurvy and fights other diseases 

in the body. It is also said that 

Agbalumo could be used as natural 

remedy to treat sore throat, toothache 

and constipation. Its leaves and 

roots have also been said to be used 

in times past in preparing traditional 

herbs to treat cough, yellow fever 

and high blood pressure. 

Agbalumo contains fibre which can 

•African Star Apple 

reduce your appetite and prevent 

you from eating too much; hence 

helps in weight management. This 

fruit provides 3g of the 

recommended 25 to 38g daily intake 

of fibre needed by the body. 

Agbalumo helps in lowering blood 

sugar and cholesterol, thus could be 

useful in preventing heart 

diseases. Udara seeds are useful 

in treating diarrhea. Phytochemicals 

such as tannis, terpenoids, 

flavonoids and resins are present 

in Agbalumo. Other uses of this 

fruit include treatment of 

hypertension, intestinal issues and 

cancer. 

As parents, instead of buying 

packaged juice for your children, why 

don't you go natural by buying 

enough Agbalumo/Udara for them? 

Doing this will save you from 

unnecessary spending in hospital. 

Health is wealth. Take advantage of 

it. 

Health Tidbits 

with Dr Odun Obisesan 

High blood sugar also known 

as Diabetes Mellitus (Part 1) 

High blood sugar also known 

as diabetes mellitus has 

become a growing health 

problem throughout the world, 

both in developed and 

developing countries. The 

increase in the number of people 

with this disease over the last 

decade is alarming. That is not 

the only worrisome thing about 

diabetes mellitus. This disease if 

not adequately controlled can 

immediately have life 

threatening effects as well as over 

time affect many organs and 

parts of the body to include the 

kidney, eyes and heart. And these 

effects are devastating to the 

individual’s quality of life. 

What is diabetes mellitus 

(DM)? 

When the body is unable to use 

glucose in the way that it should 

for whatever reason, the 

individual may be said to have 

diabetes mellitus. This inability 

of the body to properly use 

glucose over a long period of time 

leads to the development of this 

chronic disease. Normally the 

body uses glucose as its major 

source of energy. Glucose is a 

type of sugar that is produced by 

the body as a result of sugars and 

carbohydrates in food being 

broken down in the body. For the 

cells in the body to take in and 

effectively use glucose, a 

hormone called insulin has to be 

present in the blood stream. 

When the body cannot make 

insulin, produces inadequate 

amount of the hormone or the 

target tissues are insensitive 

therefore unresponsive to the 

action of insulin, the result include 

disturbances of metabolism of the 

carbohydrates, fat and protein we 

consume. The resulting 

hyperglycemia over a very long 

period of time causes damage, 

malfunction and eventual failure 

of several organs. 

There are two main types of 

DM; types 1 and 2. The type 1 

typically starts in childhood and 

is mainly as a result of the body’s 

inability to make enough and 

sometimes no insulin, leading to 

almost or total lack of insulin. This 

is treated by giving insulin 

injections immediately to help the 

body. 

The second type which is the 

most common form, used to be 

seen only in adults but now 

children are also found to have 

it. In this situation, the body may 

not be producing enough insulin 

or the body is not using the 

insulin like it should (resistant ). 

Studies have shown that this 

change in who DM type 2 affects 

may be due to a number of 

changes all over the world, 

including the type of food, lack 

of any type of physical activity, 

etc 

Pupils of Temit 

emitope ope Nur 

urser 

sery y and Primary y School, 

Shomolu, Lagos during their end of the year party 

ty 

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HERDSMEN'S ATTACK ON THE POLICE 

Villagers relive 

ambush, raping 

and killing spree 

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, 

South and Perez Brisibe (Ughelli) 

EXACTLY a week ago, some 

police officers in Delta State had 

a taste of what residents of 

Orhorho community, Ughelli North 

Local Government Area and other 

communities in the state have been 

experiencing in the past few months. 

The residents had been screaming that 

suspected Fulani herdsmen, armed 

with AK 47 and other dangerous 

weapons, had not only confiscated 

their lands, but also attacked their men 

and raped their women with 

impunity. 

They also grumbled that, on several 

occasions, the rampaging terrorists, 

who attacked under the guise of 

herdsmen, prevented farmers from 

accessing their farms, which they 

illegally converted to grazing fields 

for their cattle. 

Nobody seemed to understand their 

plight, even when angry Orhorho 

mothers, for hours, laid siege to the 

East-West Road, January 18, 

demanding that the so-called 

herdsmen be kicked out of their 

territory. 

Baptism of fire 

On Sunday, February 5, over 50 police 

officers, drawn from the Quick 

Response Squad, QRS, Dragon, a 

special unit under Delta State 

Commissioner of Police, and a patrol 

team from Area Command, Ughelli, 

Delta State, had a taste of what 

residents of different communities, 

where Fulani herdsmen hold sway, 

had been undergoing in the past few 

months. 

The team had, on the fateful day, 

mobilized to Orhorho to confront the 

herdsmen. Unknown to them, what 

they thought was a rag-tag militia was 

a well-equipped force. 

What first baffled the team was that 

the men, numbers unspecified, were 

dressed in camouflage police uniform 

and were waiting for them, as if they 

had foreknowledge of their visit. Before 

the leader of the tea, ACP Usman 

Ndanbabo, Area Commander, Ughelli, 

could contemplate their next move, the 

gunmen opened fire on the police 

officers, many of whom were saved 

from untimely death by the bullet- proof 

vests they wore. 

Faced by a superior firepower, the 

police officers voted with their legs with 

the team leader and some of his men 

sustaining injuries while some went 

missing. 

Fatigue story 

The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. 

Zanna Ibrahim, either made light of 

the calamity or was yet to figure out 

the gravity of the situation when, in 

reaction to the incident on Monday, 

February 6, he told Sunday Vanguard 

that no policeman was injured and 

missing, and that some of his men 

collapsed out of fatigue, having found 

themselves in a difficult terrain. 

His words: “There was no injury, what 

happened was that the policemen were 

fatigued, they entered the terrain they 

were not used to and some of them 

collapsed out of fatigue.” 

A source, however, said that the Area 

Commander was among the police 

officers injured and that he was rushed 

to a private hospital at Ughelli. Our 

findings showed that he is back to his 

feet as of the time of this report. 

The discovery of the remains of an 

Continues on page 31 

C 

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How herdsmen, in camouflage, attacked the 

police after raping, killing spree — Villagers 

C 

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• Left: An AK-47 wielding herdsman; right: Villagers up in arms against herders. 

Continues from page 30 

Inspector of Police serving in the Ughelli 

Area Command, two days after the 

gun battle, appears to put a question 

mark on what authorities of the police 

in the state want the public to believe. 

The acting President General of 

Orhorho community, Mr. Power Oba, 

told Sunday Vanguard: “The police 

were attacked by the herdsmen. Two of 

the officers were missing at the end of 

the incident, but the corpse of one of 

them was discovered on Tuesday floating 

on the river, near the scene of the clash, 

while the second officer is still 

unaccounted for.” 

Gun duel 

The February 5 clash between the 

police and the herdsmen was not the first 

in the area. On January 23, five days 

after women of the community, 

barricaded the East-West Road, causing 

traffic snarl for over seven hours, the 

Area Commander actually stormed the 

community with a battery of police 

officers. 

Before the women lifted the siege on 

January 18, part of their conditions for 

peace was that the herdsmen should 

vacate their land. 

In that encounter, which was also 

curiously played down, the herdsmen 

engaged the police officers in a gun duel 

with one of the policemen allegedly 

sustaining gunshot wound. 

A community source hinted: “The 

police officer was shot on the leg and 

receiving medical attention at a private 

hospital at Ughelli, while one of the 

herdsmen was apprehended with an 

AK47 rifle and taken to the state police 

command headquarters, Asaba.” 

Contacted on the January 23 gun 

duel, the police boss denied knowledge 

of the incident, stressing that he would 

have been informed it truly occurred. 

But, Orhowho community President 

General, who corroborated our 

findings, said: “One policeman was shot 

on the leg, while one of the herdsmen 

was apprehended with an AK 47 rifle.” 

Our ordeal- Umukoro, 

women leader 

Orhorho, like other communities in 

the state, has been at the mercy of 

Fulani herdsmen, who have 

allegedly turned themselves to 

lords over the villagers. 

They did not just happen in the 

community; they have been around 

for many years, but their alleged 

escapades are getting more 

pronounced by the day. The first 

case in the community was said to 

have been recorded in 2004. 

Assistant women leader in the 

community, Roselyn Umukoro, told 

Sunday Vanguard before the 

protesting mothers vacated the 

East-West Road at about 1.44 pm, 

January 18: “Recently, they raped 

three pregnant women in our 

community and maimed our sons 

and fathers at will.” 

What infuriated the women that 

morning was that a housewife, who 

went early to the farm, was 

allegedly attacked by herdsmen for 

refusing their sexual advances. 

The cries of the woman, abandoned 

in a pool of her blood by the 

attackers, attracted sympathizers, 

who took her to a pharmacy in the 

community for medication and 

subsequently, they sealed the East- 

West Road. 

Ultimatum 

They gave herdsmen in the 

community a four-day ultimatum to 

vacate their land or else they would 

return to the road in a bigger protest, 

which was what made the Area 

Commander, Ughelli to initially storm 

the community, January 23, a day 

after the quit order. 

A villager told one of our reporters: 

“Though the ultimatum by the 

community has since expired, the 

police, in maintaining law and order 

in the area, swung into action by trying 

What infuriated 

the women that 

morning was that 

a housewife, who 

went early to the 

farm, was allegedly 

attacked by 

herdsmen for refusing 

their sexual 

advances 

to fish out these criminal herdsmen 

from the community.” 

Self-help 

It was the ostensible helplessness 

of the police that made some 

youths in Ossissa Kingdom in 

Ndokwa East local government 

area of the state to resort to self 

help after their kinsmen, one of 

them, a well-known farmer, were 

allegedly killed by herdsmen. 

The youths were said to have 

taken two herdsmen hostage, last 

month, and, 72 hours after, their 

remains were found floating on a 

river. 

A top police officer in the state 

told Sunday Vanguard that the 

corpses were found on Saturday, 

three days after they were 

declared missing alongside the 

cattle in their possession. 

“On January 25, at about 10.00 

p.m., one Abubakar Abdul, a cattle 

owner reported that two of his 

herdsmen were missing around Olor- 

Ossissa, along with about 140 

cattle”, the officer narrated. 

“Following the information, there 

was a search by the police in the 

Ashaka Division, led by the 

Divisional Police Officer, the owner 

of the cattle and members of the local 

vigilante team. 

“It was in the course of the search 

that they found the two corpses and 

some of the cows were recovered. We 

are treating it as a case of murder 

and we are investigating what could 

have led to the killing of the 

herdsmen. The case is before the 

State Criminal Investigation and 

Intelligence Department, SCIID.” 

Jungle justice 

Five days after the herdsmen were 

killed, the Commissioner of 

Police, Mr. Ibrahim, warned 

Deltans against jungle justice. 

In a statement by the Police Public 

Relations Officer, DSP Andrew 

Aniamaka, the command said: 

“The CP, who gave the warning 

against the backdrop of recent 

attacks and killing of headsmen 

by community youths in some 

parts of the state, noted that the 

resort to jungle justice is 

uncivilized, criminal and impedes 

the course of peace and security 

in the state, stressing that the 

people should learn to seek legal 

redress whenever they feel 

wronged. 

“The CP equally frowned at the 

attitude of the herdsmen, who 

provocatively graze their cattle on 

people’s farm-lands and warned 

them to refrain from such criminal 

acts, stressing that any herdsman 

caught destroying people’s crops, 

molesting, or preventing farmers 

from accessing their farm lands or 

bearing fire-arms or any other 

dangerous weapons will be 

arrested and brought to book”. 

“Meanwhile, the CP reassured 

Deltans of the readiness and 

willingness of the Police and other 

security agencies in the state to 

continually discharge their duties 

responsibly and called on Deltans 

to continue to support and 

cooperate with the security 

agencies towards ensuring that 

peace and security prevails in 

every part of the state”. 

Will Ibrahim keep 

his word? 

Though the warning by the police 

against jungle justice was timely, 

the question being asked is why 

it took the killing of two herdsmen 

for the police to issue the warning, 

whereas no such warning was 

issued when residents of different 

communities in Delta were killed, 

maimed and raped. 

However, sources said 

Commissioner Ibrahim is a nononsense 

police officer, whose 

posting to the state had brought a 

new lease of life to policing in 

Delta. It is, therefore, left to be 

seen if the AK-47 bearing 

herdsmen, who have seized many 

communities in the state and 

harassing villagers, would be 

arrested and brought to book, as 

the commissioner has promised.

C 

M 

Y 

K 


Heil! Donald Trump 

The American Fuhrer 

“Power and money do drive 

people crazy. So why shouldn’t 

people also gain power and 

wealth through being crazy.” 

Saul Bellow. VANGUARD 

BOOK OF QUOTES, p 195. 

Americans, since the 

end of the Second 

World War, had 

always wondered how the 

most advanced people in 

Europe, the Germans, in the 

early parts of the last century 

could produce a monstrous 

leader like Fuhrer Adolf 

Hitler, 1889-1945. With the 

election of Donald Trump as 

the 45th President of the 

United States of America, 

they now know how in a fit of 

absent-mindedness bordering 

on lunacy, nations use their 

votes to appoint a crack-port 

as their leader. History does 

not repeat itself; only human 

beings are so stupid. Each and 

every time the world faces a 

series of problems, along 

comes a leader in one of the 

more powerful nations 

offering alluringly simple 

solutions to complex 

problems. It was a global 

recession in early 1900s, as 

well as the unanswered 

question of balance of power 

and an economic depression 

in 1933 which resulted in two 

world wars last century. The 

second war and the role of 

Adolf Hitler are of more 

interest to us. He and Donald 

Trump share a few things in 

common which could help us 

to understand the trajectory of 

We should thrive and 

not merely survive 

People are always blaming 

circumstances for what they 

are. I don’t believe in 

circumstances. The people who 

get ahead in this world are the 

people who get up and look for 

the circumstances they want, 

and if they can’t find them, 

make them.”– George Bernard 

Shaw 

Interesting times we live 

in, and what a week it has 

been. Young Nigerians 

took to social media with hash 

tag #IStandWithNigeria and 

then to the streets. They stood 

up and spoke out. Across the 

country and abroad, they 

marched in their tens, 

hundreds and thousands to 

protest about the present living 

conditions in Nigeria. 

Whatever the motive of 2Face 

Idibia, he was right to start the 

conversation publicly and 

initiate a public protest. It was 

well intended and many 

millions of young Nigerians 

took up the mantle of 

responsibility. 

It was well overdue and 

inspite, of the police leaning 

on 2Face to call off the protest 

because they said they could 

not guarantee the protesters 

Trump’s presidency and how 

it will affect the world. 

Eventually, those who had 

complacently assumed that 

the world can no longer fight 

a global war might be proved 

wrong. They assume that 

because of the destructive 

power of nuclear weapons 

and the Mutually Assured 

Destruction, MAD, capacities, 

available in several countries, 

no leader would dare unleash 

his own arsenal first. Not 

stated, but implied in that 

assumption is another one – 

that every nation with nuclear 

weapons will always have a 

leader who is totally rational 

and not a single one will lose 

his marbles. I am not so sure 

that mankind can perpetually 

guarantee that sane men and 

women will always rule all 

nations of the world. 

Donald Trumps’ first few 

days in office is a pointer to 

how wrong the optimists 

might turn out to be about the 

perpetual sanity of world 

leaders. Hitler was considered 

deranged only after he had 

plunged the world into war 

and after he had died – but 

not before taking close to one 

hundred million souls down 

with him. Until then, his 

detractors thought they were 

dealing with just a difficult 

person; his supporters 

regarded him as a god-sent 

hero. That is the first similarity 

between Fuhrer Trump and 

Fuhrer Hitler. Adolf had his 

hard core followers, the Brown 

safety, it went ahead without 

2Face and the police could 

not do anything about it. The 

future really does belong to 

the young people and they 

have been ignored for far too 

long, therefore the politicians 

should do more to improve 

the lives of our young people. 

This neglect is a poor 

indictment of successive 

governments over the last 

couple of decades. We have a 

nation that has over 7 out of 

10 young people who are not 

in employment, education or 

training. This is not something 

that the government should be 

proud of. 

With the absence of the 

President, who we are told, 

remains on medical vacation, 

it is little wonder, why the 

nation is anxious and are 

wondering what actually is 

going on. Where is the 

Captain of the ship and what 

direction are we going? Is the 

Able second mate taking over 

to steer the ship through the 

political choppy waters? One 

can only hope that the crew 

know because they are not 

telling the passengers 

(Nigerians). The Government 

won on an anti-corruption 

Shirts, who would do anything 

the Fuhrer ordered with no 

questions asked. Fuhrer 

Trump had cultivated his 

American version of “Brown 

Shirts” – people who accept 

anything Trump does or 

orders to be done as 

legitimate. Both groups 

believe only in obeying orders 

from their leader – to whom 

they owe total allegiance. 

Hitler’s basic principle and 

Trump’s are also the same. 

They both believe that 

MIGHT IS RIGHT. Imagine, 

if you can, the President of 

Ukraine telling Russian 

President Putin that Ukraine 

is going to construct a wall 

between the two nations and 

Russia would pay for it; or Viet 

Nam saying the same thing 

to China. The absurdity of 

those two scenarios is clear to 

all. Turn the situation around; 

this time Russia and China 

planning to build the wall and 

the smaller nation would be 

compelled to pay for it. Which 

nation in the world would be 

the first to condemn the big 

nations? You receive no 

medals for guessing America. 

Americans would have been 

the first to condemn the 

announcement and the 

attempt at extortion of funds 

from a weaker nation. They 

would have told us that it 

violates international law; 

that it is banditry raised to the 

level of statecraft. Yet, before 

Election Day last year, 

millions of American “Brown 

Shirts” clapped at every 

campaign rally where Trump 

promised to adopt banditry as 

government policy in dealing 

with Mexico. 

Fuhrer Trump does not give 

a damn about the rule of law, 

the constitution or justice. He 

favours rule by force or fraud 

(the man is a proud tax 

evader). That was why the 

Acting Attorney General who 

stated clearly that she would 

not obey an unconstitutional 

order was fired. She joins late 

Elliot Richardson, the 

platform, and the country is 

waiting for them to deliver 

and the results is not 

forthcoming. Where is the 

Change that was promised? 

The mantra of “Change 

begins with me” now seems 

so dishonest and hollow. 

Change cannot begin with 

some people and not with 

others, especially when the 

government demands change 

from those who do not have 

the power and lack the means 

to make the change: they do 

not have enough food, no 

substantial opportunities, 

employment, no health-care 

facilities or access to 

affordable staple food. So it 

is cruel when the powerful are 

rubbing salts in the wounds 

of the poor while they are 

going overseas to have 

medical treatment while the 

country’s health care systems 

crumbles, inaccessible or not 

working. It is obvious that 

some people are more equal 

than others. 

One of the protesters 

commented that the, 

“government by the rich, for 

the rich, to make laws so that 

poor people suffer”. Sadly, this 

is the truth. Increasing poverty 

and the gap between the very 

rich and the poor are so wide 

and it continues to be so on a 

daily basis. Nigerians are 

resilient and they have taken 

all the economic blows for too 

long by adjusting their lives 

accordingly but there is no 

more room to adjust. The 

patience has worn thin and 

asking for anymore is unkind. 

Honesty and transparency 

are needed to ensure that 

Nigerian can trust that the 

Government and they in turn 

should do right by Nigerians. 

Attorney General under 

President Richard Nixon, who 

resigned rather than obey an 

illegal presidential instruction 

in what in American history was 

known as Black Friday. Trump 

had selected people like 

Hitler’s cabinet who would 

gladly carry out 

unconstitutional orders. Most 

on them are descendants of 

German and Italian 

immigrants. They are at home 

Hitler’s basic 

principle and 

Trump’s are also 

the same. They 

both believe that 

MIGHT IS RIGHT 

with Fascism – the cult of 

personality. 

So, what stops the same 

“Brown Shirts” of America 

from endorsing a war with 

Mexico to collect the “debt” 

arising from the construction 

of the wall? Unless the rest of 

the world understand that we 

are dealing with a clone of 

another German, of un-blessed 

memory, nothing would stop 

Fuhrer Trump and his gang 

from going to war with Mexico. 

Hitler did the same thing to the 

Balkan countries and, like 

Trump, he actually told the 

entire world he would do it. 

Nobody believed any sane 

person would do such things – 

until he started doing them. 

Obviously, the safest thing for 

PMB has extended his medical 

vacation, all we know that he 

is well and awaiting medical 

tests. One of the protesters said; 

“Nigerians are frustrated and 

tired of this absentee 

government,”. Everything that 

is wrong with Nigeria today is 

written on their colourful 

placard: “Unemployed people 

Change cannot begin 

with some people and 

not with others, 

especially when the 

government demands 

change from those who 

do not have the power 

and lack the means to 

make the change 

are hungry and angry”. It is 

cold comfort to call the nation, 

the biggest economy or the 

giant of Africa. This accolade 

does nothing for Nigerians. It 

is nothing and means nothing 

unless the man on the street can 

feel the difference positively. 

There are pictures of officials 

visiting PMB in London, we 

could assume that it is to show 

that PMB is fine and well. The 

more this theatre and 

dramatics continues, the more 

peculiar and intriguing plot is 

becoming. We can do without 

the amateur and this circus is 

not doing anyone any favour 

least of all, PMB and his 

cabinet. 

There is too much fake news 

about the president even before 

the whole world to assume 

is that Fuhrer Trump, like 

Fuhrer Hitler, will try to 

fulfill all he promised in the 

campaigns and he would 

not allow legality or justice 

to stand in the way. So, the 

world has two choices – 

submit or resist. 

In making that choice, we 

need to take advice from 

Hitler who warned that “You 

don’t fight terror with 

appeasement; you fight 

terror with terror”. Every 

bully is a terrorist; 

irrespective of whether the 

bully is an individual or a 

nation. Trump had shown us 

the bully’s face of America – 

which had previously been 

well-concealed – and the rest 

of us must deal with that 

reality and not hope there 

will be a change. 

Adolf Hitler and Donald 

Trump have German blood 

running through their veins. 

Trump’s parents migrated to 

the US and his mother was 

reportedly an illegal 

immigrant allowed to stay 

by charitable people. Her 

son is not so generous. He 

cares not a dime for the 

down-trodden. For all we 

know, Trump and Hitler 

might be distant cousins. 

But, that thought need not 

delay us here. America has 

Trump just as Nazi Germany 

had Hitler. The world should 

not make the same mistake 

twice. 

One nation and its current 

leader appear too eager to 

repeat the errors of 1936. 

Hitler’s ascendancy and his 

first conquests brought in a 

clown waving the olive 

branch and promising to 

support the Germans in their 

global ambitions. The man 

was Benito Mussolini, 1883- 

1945 – the Italian Fascist 

leader – who was too happy 

to kiss Hitler’s hand and 

perhaps his rump as well. 

Bad history repeated itself 

two days after Fuhrer Trump 

was sworn in. Mrs 

“Mussolini” May, Prime 

he was due to return to work 

after a two-week medical 

vacation in London. Now 

that he has extended his 

vacation, the rumour mill 

has gone into over drive. 

This has been handled badly 

and it does not help that his 

appearance is shrouded in 

secrecy and it unsettles many 

as they are not sure what to 

think of the state of country. 

Vice President Osinbanjo, 

has assured the protesters 

and Nigerians that the 

government understands the 

grievances of the protesters 

and that the administration 

will implement policies that 

will address all issues raised. 

He said: “To those who are 

on the streets protesting the 

economic situation and 

those who are not, but feel 

the pain of economic 

hardship, we hear you,” 

With the absence of the 

President, Vice President 

Osinbanjo has asked for 

calm and assured the young 

people in particular that the 

government is listening and 

they are working hard to 

make Nigeria a better place 

for everyone. Nice words, but 

this has been heard too many 

times. With the Gate House 

of the vice president costing 

Millions and Millions of 

Naira, little wonders these 

words fall on deaf ears. Are 

we really in the same boat? 

Speaking at a town hall 

meeting at Kano, he said that 

he was confident everyone 

would come out of the 

current recession happy. 

When will that be and how 

will it look and feel like? 

What the government 

needs to understand is that 

the country went through 

Minister of no so great 

Britain, was in the US to “kiss” 

Trump’s hand; and perhaps 

his rump. Before her meeting 

with Trump, she had a 

speaking engagement with 

Republicans in Philadelphia. 

There she proceeded to polish 

the American and Trump 

apple. 

Among other things 

“Mussolini” May recollected 

that it was in that city that the 

Founding fathers of America 

gathered from thirteen states 

to announce the Declaration 

of Independence on July 4, 

1776. She even recollected 

that one of the most famous 

lines in that declaration 

pronounced that “We hold 

these truths to be self-evident; 

that all Men are created 

equal…” As with most white 

people telling white audiences 

about American history, Mrs 

“M” May conveniently forgot 

that most of the hypocritical 

Founding fathers were slave 

owners and women were not 

allowed to vote. More 

importantly, she deliberately 

overlooked the fact that 

Indians were already there 

when white men reached 

America. She did not remind 

the Republicans that their 

fore-fathers carried out the 

worst holocaust known to 

man by wiping out all the 

Indians and stealing their 

land. Mrs “Mussolini” May 

did not recollect all those facts 

because they would reveal to 

the Republicans and the 

entire world that under the 

American velvet glove 

extended to the world is a 

blood-stained steel claw; that 

America’s vaunted moral 

superiority is a sham. 

The emergence of Fuhrer 

Trump was an incident 

waiting to happen. It has at 

last revealed to the entire 

world that America thinks it 

has bought the world, the way 

a client has rights to a 

prostitute. And, the rest of us 

better behave or there will be 

hell to pay. 

trauma in 2009 during the 

illness of former president 

Yar’Adua. They were left in the 

dark and repeatedly lied to 

about the condition of the 

former president when it was 

obvious to everyone that he 

was not in the best of health. 

The concerns are real and it 

would be helpful if this 

government could be honest 

and support the citizens with 

facts. 

So this Monday, the young 

people spoke and the young 

people, regardless of their 

tribal and religious 

backgrounds, they all took to 

the street despite the warning 

by the police that the protest 

could not go on. They walked 

side by side, placards–in-hand 

demanding from the 

government an improvement 

to the living conditions for all 

Nigerians. Times are very 

hard in Nigeria for majority 

of Nigerians and as one 

young person put it so wellhow 

long do the young people 

have to be patient and why are 

the older generation denying 

the young free education 

when in fact most of the older 

generations were recipients of 

free education. 

This is not the time to say 

wait and see, that has been the 

mantra of successive 

administrations, and no 

discernible change to improve 

the lives of the young people, 

and in the meantime, the 

politicians cart off billions of 

dollars and leaving the 

country bereft of crumbling 

structures, substandard 

education, social care, 

economy, trade, devalued 

Naira, depleted resources, 

youth mass unemployment, 

poverty, sick and unhealthy 

citizens.

Tunde 

Rahman 

on Sunday 

Tinubu, Akande’s Visit: 

The Power in Pictures 

With the release of 

the photographs 

taken last 

Thursday when the All 

Progressives Congress 

national chieftains, 

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and 

Chief Bisi Akande, visited 

President Muhammadu 

Buhari in London, two 

things are now clearer 

about the president’s 

present health situation. 

The first is the president 

is not dead as speculated 

and promoted in some 

quarters. President Buhari 

may be ailing but he is not 

dead. The other is the 

president is in a residence 

in London, where his health 

is perhaps being attended 

to, not confined to a bed in 

a hospital as some would 

want to have us believe. 

President Buhari received 

Asiwaju Tinubu and Baba 

Akande in the Federal 

Government’s official 

residence in London, 

called Abuja House. Not in 

a hospital. Information 

Minister Lai Mohammed 

had told the nation the 

president is not nursing a 

life-threatening ailment 

and not in a hospital. 

Despite all the verbal 

attacks on his person for 

mounting a bulwark for 

Aso Rock, it seems the 

minister knows more than 

we thought he knew after 

all 

Ṫhe shots were taken as 

Tinubu and Akande were 

received by Buhari in the 

living room, when they 

launched into a discussion 

with the president and 

when, as a mark of respect, 

he saw his guests off to the 

door. It is puzzling, 

therefore, that even after 

the release of the 

photographs, some have 

continued to live in 

disbelief and denial. The 

rumour mill has been agog 

with all kinds of 

speculations and 

innuendoes and conspiracy 

theories. I don’t need to 

dignify them by recounting 

all that here. 

But real pictures don’t 

lie. It is dismaying, 

however, that some still 

doubt or disbelieve what 

they see in pictures? Why do 

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu(right), Chief Bisi Akande 

(left), with President Muhammadu Buhari in London - 

Thursday February 9. 


some still live in denial, even 

after being confronted with 

live pictures? Let me hazard 

two guesses for this. One, 

having experienced 

something like this before, 

perhaps some Nigerians 

now, understandably, get 

What is the spirit 

behind the visit to 

Buhari and the 

pictures taken? In 

my view, it is to 

send a message to 

the whole world 

that though 

President Buhari 

may be ailing, his 

is not a bad case 

skeptical when it comes to 

issues relating to their 

president’s health. 

Remember the case of late 

President Umaru Musa 

Yar' Adua. The 

information about the real 

health status of President 

Yar' Adua was hidden for 

so long. Nigerians were 

kept in the dark until it 

engendered a big crisis. 

Two, you may say the 

way and manner the 

presidency has handled 

the present situation has 

not helped matters by not 

saying it all and you may 

be right. This may birth 

suspicions and engender 

speculations. But 

President Buhari told the 

nation he would use the 

opportunity of his 

vacation to undergo a 

check-up. Some other 

people will, however, 

choose to believe what 

they want even when 

confronted with facts. 

Like every other mortal, 

the president may fall 

sick at some point or 

another. 

For the life of me, is it 

out of place to expect a 

74-year-old to have some 

health challenges? So 

what’s the big deal about 

the president falling ill? 

I’m not saying here that 

the president is at present 

enjoying the best of 

health. But why do we 

continue to distrust 

information around our 

leaders, particularly 

when they concern their 

health, even when we are 

presented with pictorial 

evidence to suggest that 

the situation may not be 

as bad as some would 

want us to believe? 

Now, back to the 

photographs in question, 

the persuasive force is not 

only in the pictures 

themselves, it is also in 

the people in the pictures. 

I mean the efficacy of the 

message is not borne by 

just the pictures. It is 

strengthened, in my view, 

by those captured by the 

camera, the political 

enigmas therein. This 

point becomes more 

salient when you recall 

that some others had 

visited Buhari before and 

the pictures rolled out with 

little effect. Within seconds 

of the release of Thursday’s 

pictures, they had become 

national and international 

headlines. They went wild 

on online platforms and 

social media. The major 

newspapers in Nigeria 

slammed them on their 

front pages the next day. 

Indeed, I cannot agree 

more with Amit Kalantri, 

who posited in his book 

“Wealth of Words,” that “a 

photograph should not just 

be a picture; it should be a 

philosophy”. What is the 

spirit behind the visit to 

Buhari and the pictures 

taken? In my view, it is to 

send a message to the whole 

world that though President 

Buhari may be ailing, his 

is not a bad case. Those 

photographs are not just 

pictures, they have 

meanings; they convey 

messages of truth, 

messages of hope. But I 

also know that, as pictures, 

they will conjure memories 

in the future. They will 

conjure memories of this 

period in our national 

history. 

*Rahman is Special 

Adviser, Media to Asiwaju 

Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

Buhari’s health 

It was always an issue, 

from the moment 

Muhammadu 

Buhari won the 

nomination of the new 

coalition of parties, the 

APC, to run for president 

of Nigeria in 2015. 

Reports of the fickle state 

of his health was a 

campaign issue. Many on 

the opposition pointed 

out that Buhari was ill, 

and was on medication. 

Of course, this was 

vigorously contested and 

denied by his handlers. 

His supporters circulated 

the view that the then 

aspirant, now President 

Buhari was as fit as the 

proverbial fiddle. But the 

concerns did not go away. 

It has certainly now, 

become the central, and 

increasingly dominant 

question of Buhari’s 

presidency. Is this 

president physically fit to 

run the affairs of this 

country with its myriad of 

complex problems? The 

question has gained even 

greater validity in the 

backdrop of the 

President’s failures since 

assuming office. 

Perhaps the President’s 

frequent health holidays 

has to do with the disease 

of all old men. May we all 

get the chance to be old, 

but there comes a time in 

one’s life when the body 

squeaks in defiance of all 

our attempts to move it to 

rexmarinus@hotmail.com 

do thing that it has 

forgotten to do with time. 

President Buhari’s health 

crisis throws up a 

question about when his 

generation will finally 

take a bow and leave the 

scene for a new 

generation to pull Nigeria 

together and save it from 

the mess that Buhari’s 

generation has made of it! 

Today, Nigerians born 

on January 1960 are just 

three years short of 60 

years. In 2020, they would 

be sixty years. That is the 

exact span of time that the 

British colonized Nigeria: 

sixty years! And that 

would also be the exact 

span of time that 

Nigerians would have 

had 

political 

independence from the 

Imperialists. Those born 

in 1960 will be at the 

beginning of their decline 

having arrived at the 

height of their physical 

and mental powers. Yet, 

the children of 

Independence have never 

had the opportunity to 

imprint anything of their 

generation in the body 

politics of Nigeria. They 

have been sidelined, and 

politically quarantined 

by an old guard that, 

through its prebendal 

linkages, continued to 

greedily hold on to power, 

and recycle itself in a sort 

of political musical chair 

in Nigeria. It is this wardrunk 

generation of men 

who spilled so much 

blood in the name of 

power that has created the 

tragic bloodtide that is 

Nigeria, from coup to 

coup. It is that generation 

that dismantled every 

civic institution that was 

created to civilize 

Nigeria, and left it bereft 

of political capacity, 

national coherence, and 

the rule of law. It made 

Nigeria a terrible 

dystopian jungle from 

which it has yet to crawl 

out, in spite of the fiction 

called “democracy” 

currently practiced today. 

It destroyed the public 

system and created a 

fickle, ignorant, and 

extremely incompetent 

civil service that is today, 

the most corrupt, and 

most unprepared to 

administer a civil 

government. Because that 

generation depended on a 

divide-and-rule ethos to 

maintain itself in power, 

it broke down Nigeria, 

smashed it into 

smithereens, and has left 

as legacy a country far 

more divided along ethnic 

and religious lines than at 

any other time in its 

history. 

President Buhari is part 

of that generation. His 

first public acts clearly 

perpetuated the 

contradictions of his 

generation, and made it 

immediately clear that he 

really had nothing new to 

offer Nigerians in spite of 

the 

ferocious 

advertisements of his 

party, the APC, to the 

contrary. It was political 

fraud to have retailed 

Buhari to Nigerians by 

the APC as the sole 

solution to Nigeria’s 

headaches. Now that 

Buhari has been 

demystified ,we have a 

real political tragedy 

playing out before us. In 

the last couple of weeks, 

the presidency, and leaders 

of the APC have been trying 

very diligently to shield the 

exact nature of the 

president’s debility. This 

has created a needless fire 

storm, certainly. But it must 

be said that no Nigerian 

should wish the president 

anything but the best at this 

stage of his life. Yet 

Nigerians have a right to 

know the true state of the 

president’s health. 

Nigerians need to assess 

whether the constant 

distraction of President 

Buhari’s physical health 

constrains his mental 

It is equally true that 

the president does 

need to take long, 

sustaining breathers 

from the affairs of the 

state. But what is 

equally true is that 

Nigerians deserve to 

know the true nature 

of President Buhari’s 

health. The 

President’s health is 

public health 

ability to carry on with the 

doubtlessly stupendous 

task of governing a country 

like Nigeria going through 

a difficult economic and 

political transition. 

Should this president 

compound his physical 

pains and weakness with 

the terrible rigor required 

in dealing with the 

demands of statecraft? It 

is unfair on that old 

body. And it is doubly 

unfair to Nigerians to 

continue to endure the 

limits of a distracted 

president. I would for the 

moment leave aside the 

tragic implication of the 

fact that the President 

has to go on what we can 

only describe as medical 

exile in London in order, 

either to hide the full 

facts of his condition 

from Nigerians and the 

National Assembly, or to 

get treated. 

It speaks continuously 

of the great 

contradiction that is 

Nigeria: here was a 

president who pledged 

to stop “medical 

tourism,” by the 

Nigerian establishment, 

and who budgeted for 

the clinic in Aso Rock – 

which is neither a 

research hospital nor a 

public hospital – more 

money than all the 

Teaching/Research 

hospitals in Nigeria put 

together, and yet must 

now find his own 

treatment in London. It 

is hypocritical, and it is 

unworthy of this 

president who has long 

presented himself as 

something of the mold 

of Calpurnia. In this 

past week, the president 

postponed his return to 

Nigeria following the 

end of his medical leave, 

presumably on the 

orders of his doctors in 

London. It may well be 

that he is fully recovered 

from his troubles. It may 

well be that he has no 

terminal condition. It 

may well be that he is 

suffering from supreme 

exhaustion from 

confronting the 

herculean task that is 

Nigeria’s mounting 

problems. 

It may well be that, as 

those who visited him in 

London and took photos 

with him, and those who 

spoke with him in 5- 

minute phone chats from 

Nigeria have tried to 

assure Nigerians, that the 

president is “hale and 

hearty,” and it may just as 

well be that the President 

deserves his leave, and 

that he may have wisely 

chosen to spend it in the 

silence and quiet of a 

vacation home in London 

rather than in his village 

in Daura where he would 

have no rest from a 

constant stream of 

visitors whom he would 

be compelled to see. It is 

equally true that the 

president does need to 

take long, sustaining 

breathers from the affairs 

of the state. But what is 

equally true is that 

Nigerians deserve to 

know the true nature of 

President Buhari’s health. 

The President’s health is 

public health. 

Those asking for 

privacy in this regard are 

utterly misinformed: a 

man who ran for 

president sacrifices as 

part of that commitment, 

every claim to privacy and 

to a private life. On a 

different note, as the 

president arrives home 

from this medical junket, 

hopefully rejuvenated, he 

must begin within the 

limits that his body can 

carry, to reorder his 

priorities; reorganize his 

government, and 

reposition the trajectory 

of the nation. President 

Buhari has been the most 

divisive president in the 

annals of Nigeria, and 

one thing this president 

must do is to restore trust 

and regard to that office, 

and prepare himself to 

clear his office for a new 

occupant in 2019, unless 

he is able within the next 

two years to stem the rise 

of discontent in Nigeria 

against his presidency.

PAGE 34— SUNDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

POWER SECTOR POOR FUNDING 

Nigeria’s businessmen are 

celebrated traders, not investors 

— Prof. Iledare 

The power sector has, of recent, been hit by serial system collapse, causing the 

Distribution Companies, DISCOs, and the Generation Companies, GENCOs, to call for 

the privatization of the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, which, according to 

them, remains the weak link in the chain. 

The TCN is saddled with the responsibility of distributing power to the DISCOs from 

the GENCOs. In this interview, the National President of Nigerian Association for Energy 

Economics, NAEE, Professor Wumi Iledare, speaks on what should be done in the power 

sector for profitability and why the TCN cannot be sold at the moment. 

BY EDIRI EJOH 

it is supposed to be the sector 

regulator. NERC is the one that 

T 

should sanction and reward, in that 

he power sector has in recent 

case, this is where I am talking about 

time recorded system collapse 

capacity building. The DISCOs need 

six times, leading to the argument 

capacity to be able to know how much 

by stakeholders, that the system 

tariff they need for their investments. 

should be reviewed as Nigeria has 

NERC needs to know how much tariff 

never generated more than 2,800 

to allow to support the investmens. 

MW steadily for three days in the 

That means the professionals will sit 

last 12 months. What is your take 

on the table and discuss and come to 

on the issue? 

agreement as to the appropriate tariff 

First of all, we need to go back to 

that would bring normal return on 

the Electricity Reform Act, ERA. I 

investment. Because when you don’t 

think it was passed in 2005, and 

invest, there cannot be return on 

this is 2017 and it needs to be 

investment. And if you don’t invest, 

revisited. Also, I think we need to 

you will not be able to generate 

understand the power sector and 

enough capacity to meet demands. 

the situation we find ourselves. The 

4000MW electricity for Nigerians on 

power sector is better when it is 

the national grid is a joke for the 

practically integrated. Right now, it 

potentials of this economy. We need 

is not a monopoly, but it is not fully 

to revisit the DISCOs, the area they 

competitive. The transmission is a 

have been given to manage. 

monopoly because the investment 

How can you go from Ibadan to 

required is huge. But for the 

DISCOs and GENCOs operations, 

joint venture would be what we 

need. Three, we have Discos that 

we don’t know whether they are a 

monopoly or not, because we have 

independent power generation with 

them. You need to have an 

understanding of the structure of 

If we are given 

the industry, and that is the biggest 

challenge here. We don’t seem to 

N10million for a student 

understand the economics of the 

to be trained here, 

electricity industry. We don’t have 

sufficient energy professionals in 

instead of the $30 

Nigeria. Majority of the people are 

million they spend on 

self-made and do not even 

understand the structure of the 

overseas training, we 

energy industry in terms of 

will deliver to 

governance, performance and 

conduct. 

expectations. We have 

Let’s look at the Discos, they can’t 

the capacity here in the 

even invest, they can’t install 

meters, so how are you going to 

country 

know the amount of energy 

required. When you go to the 

National Planning Commission, 

what is the relationship between 

the Energy Commission of Nigeria 

and the Ministry of Petroleum? 

Lokoja as your captive market without 

Those are the issues. That is why 

a development, zonal and regional 

we are talking in terms of structure. 

space? To me, it is a joke. 

The governance of the energy 

industry in Nigeria, power, oil and 

Are you in support of the call in 

gas, is still very weak. There is 

some quarters for the revocation of 

nothing you can build on a weak 

the privatisation programme, 

structure that can stand. And for us 

especially the one concerning the 

to copy the regulatory frame work 

DISCOs? 

for a developed economy, when the 

I do not support that. But I do not 

structure to support it is not there, it 

mind a review of that agreement on 

is a fallacy. 

whichever of the DISCOs that is not 

All of these issues surrounding 

performing on the basis of key 

the power sector can be handled 

performance indicators. They were 

appropriately if only the Reform Act 

not just given a blanket; they are 

will be revisited. 

supposed to be investment 

organisations that would have to 

What do you make of the blame 

declare returns on investment to their 

game in the power sector, what is 

investors. 

the way forward? 

What do you do when you are not 

You need a Nigerian Electricity 

delivering to your investors? You go 

Regulatory Commission, NERC, 

bankrupt. Nobody needs to sanction 

that is not captured by the DISCOs 

them as nobody holds on to what is 

or the GENCOs or the TCN because 

not adding value. However, you are 

looking at electricity as a public 

C 

M 

YK 

•Iledare...Governance of energy industry is weak 

service which is not, it is an 

economic service. 

The question we should be asking 

is, is government ready to fully 

deregulate the electricity industry? 

The answer is no because the 

structure is not there to manage 

under a deregulated environment. 

We don’t have enough professionals 

to manage the energy industry in 

Nigeria. 

Do you support the clamour for 

the sale of the TCN? 

They don’t understand what they 

are asking for. How many investors 

can build transmission lines in 

Nigeria? If you recall, that was the 

same scenario before they 

privatized the DISCOs. People have 

been worried on metering and yet it 

has not been done. How many have 

they been able to supply meters? 

Where is the money? That is what I 

am saying. Majority of business 

people in Nigeria are traders and 

not investors. They are shouting 

and raving for the sale of the TCN. 

That is how we sold the distribution 

companies to the DISCOs and yet 

nothing has been done in three 

years down the line. 

There is shortfall in capacity in 

the industry. What are your 

thoughts as Emerald Energy 

Institute has been adjudged to 

have enough capacity? 

I believe we should engage in 

capacity building as well as local 

content. There are institutions in 

Nigeria operating international 

standards. Good examples are 

Emerald Energy Institute, EEI, 

domiciled in Port Harcourt, and a 

host of others. What Emerald is 

trying to do is not to develop 

engineers, but to develop the subskill. 

We do more with management 

policy and economic training, 

which is really to add value. 

Anybody that goes and invests wants 

value to be added. Entrepreneur 

skill, if you look at us, Nigeria is 

more or less like a celebrated 

trader. Even we sell licenses to all 

indigenous people. You win an oil 

bloc, the next thing you do is to 

search for technical partners. 

Economics drives the oil and gas 

industry, because it is about value 

added to investors. So what is 

done here is to train people that 

understand the way choices are 

made to maximize value, not 

neglecting the constraints along 

the line. Majority of our graduates 

are engineers that are working in 

the oil, gas, power sector. Then we 

give them additional tools and 

skills that help them to better 

explain the concepts for value 

creation for investment. Nigeria is 

not limited when it comes to 

engineering capacity, as we have 

good engineers in the industry. We 

need someone who can connect 

ideas to get us to our expected 

end. And that is what we are 

trying to do in Emerald. 

What is the synergy between 

Emerald Energy Institute and 

others to overcome the current 

challenges in the country? 

People like capacity training in 

Nigeria as a means to make money 

for a living without delivery on 

what was invested on. Even if you 

go to people nominating for 

training, it is like they are doing 

you a favour and not that they 

really need the training. We must 

move from that selfish kind of 

mentality. Capacity-building is not 

about today, but about tomorrow. 

We keep pleading with PTDF, 

PEF. And the question is, how 

much respect do they have for 

indigenous training? Instead of 

training locally, they run abroad to 

do it. 

If we are given N10million for a 

student to be trained here, instead 

of the $30 million they spend on 

overseas training, we will deliver 

to expectations. We have the 

capacity here in the country.


By Olasunkanmi Akoni 

Governor Akinwunmi 

Ambode often says the 

vision of his administration 

is to make Lagos Africa’s model 

megacity and global economic and 

financial hub in a secure 

environment while providing 

efficient transportation system and 

good road infrastructure. 

So, when the governor announced 

the plan by his administration in 

2016 to rehabilitate 114 roads in 

the 57 local councils and LCDAs in 

the state in six months, amid the 

economic recession confronting the 

country, many hailed the vision but 

were doubtful over the successful 

implementation. 

Ambode proved the doubting 

Thomases wrong by delivering the 

roads. 

He also promised that road 

rehabilitation on massive scale 

would be a yearly ritual in all the 

councils in the state. 

It was in fulfillment of that promise 

that the governor, at the first quarter 

of 2017 Town Hall meeting, held in 

Ajelogo, Akanimodo, Mile 12, 

disclosed that plans had been 

concluded to rehabilitate 181 roads 

this year, while the process for the 

award of the contract would 

commence soon. 

The event was attended by the state 

Deputy Governor, Mrs. Idiat 

Adebule; Senator Gbenga Ashafa, 

representing Lagos East; members 

of the state House of Assembly; the 

Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu; 

among others. 

In implementing the ‘Operation 

114 Roads’ the state government, 

through the 20 Local Government 

Areas and the 37 LCDAs, as well as 

the Community Development 

Associations (CDAs), selected two 

roads in each of the 57 councils for 

rehabilitation, but in the latest 

exercise, some councils will have 

more than two roads, especially in 

areas where there is need to fix roads 

linking major roads, to improve on 

the road network. 

During the interactive session at the 

Town Hall Meeting, many of the 

requests were mostly on roads 

owing to the success of the 114 roads 

delivered in September 2016. 

“I want to pronounce here that you 

should watch out next week in the 

newspapers, we are advertising 181 

roads which would be done in all 

our local governments. 

“What we have found out is that if 

we decided to continue with two, 

AMBODE: 

How we will 

link major 

roads across 

Lagos to 

ease traffic 

some of those roads are not linking 

each other to the main road, so most 

likely you would see that if we are 

supposed to do some roads in some 

local governments, it would only 

make economic sense if there is a 

linkage. So you would see in the 

advert that some local governments 

would have, say three, some would 

have four roads, but the average is 

181 and if you divide that by 57, that 

would be a minimum of three roads 

for each local government,” the 

governor said. 

The choice of the roads to be 

rehabilitated is left to the local 

governments in conjunction with 

state government engineers, and the 

project is expected to be ready before 

the end of the year. 

Stewardship 

Giving the account of his 

stewardship in the last quarter of 

2016, Ambode said the choice of 

Akanimodo, Mile 12 as venue for 

the Town Hall meeting was to show 

that the axis had not been left behind 

in the developmental process going 

on in the state, saying he had come 

to listen to the needs of the people 

and where government intervention 

was in dire need. 

According to him, in the last quarter 

of 2016, his administration kicked 

off its “Rent-To-Own and Rental 

Housing Policy” aimed at providing 

affordable housing units across the 

The choice of 

the roads to be 

rehabilitated is 

left to the local 

governments in 

conjunction 

with state 

government 

engineers 

state, disclosing that there are 4,355 

housing units available with over 

500 applicants pre-qualified so far. 

On agriculture, Lagos, he said, is 

already looking to build on the 

success of its partnership with Kebbi 

State government with the launch 

of Lake Rice in December 2016. In 

the current quarter, the government, 

he disclosed, has concluded plans 

to rehabilitate Oko-Oba Abattoir 

and Lairage Complex, Agege in line 

with the promise to increase meat 

production output, develop the red 

meat value chain and restructure the 

complex for improved operations. 

In strengthening grassroots 

security, Ambode assured that the 

Neighbourhood Safety Corps 

would become operational in the 

current quarter with the recruitment 

of 5,700 personnel, while 100 would 

be deployed to each of the local 

governments to complement the 

efforts of other security agencies in 

policing the state. 

As the state gets set to mark its 

Golden Jubilee on May 27, the 

governor said his administration 

would continue with its urban 

regeneration initiatives by building 

new infrastructure and maintaining 

existing ones. 

He listed some of the key urban 

regeneration projects to be executed 

to include Agric-Isawo-Arepo Road 

in Ikorodu, Ajelogo–Akanimodo 

Road Rehabilitation, Oshodi to 

Murtala Mohammed Airport Road, 

Ketu-Alapere Inner Roads Phase II, 

Oke Oso–Araga–Poka in Epe, Topo 

Garage to VIP Chalet in Badagry, 

Ladipo Market Road and 

Multilayer Car Park, Mushin and 

establishment of Bus Terminals and 

depots in Yaba, Ikeja, Oyingbo, 

Anthony, Ketu and Toll Gate, while 

more beneficiaries will receive 

funding from the N25 billion 

Employment Trust Fund in January. 

“As we continue the task of ensuring 

good governance in our dear state, 

I am confident that 2017 will bring 

succor and new opportunities that 

will foster prosperity for Lagos State 

and all its residents. Our party, the 

APC, remains focused on making 

Lagos the progressive sign post for 

all. I thank all our party leaders and 

members for their loyalty and 

support,” the governor said. 

Oliver Twist 

Like Oliver Twist, residents took 

turns to ask questions on issues of 

concern to them. 

A resident, Chief R.O Ajayi, 

inundated the governor with a 

barrage of infrastructural 

development requests for Agboyi 

community and environs including 

construction of roads, link bridges, 

pedestrian bridge, rehabilitation 

and return of Ajegunle Junior High 

School, among others. 

Another resident, Olumide Folami, 

drew the attention of the governor 

to the flooding in Princess Bola 

Kazeem area, as well as the need 

for government to construct schools 

and health centre in the area. 

Alhaja Dalemo Olukoga, the 

Community Development 

Committee (CDC) chairperson for 

Ikorodu West, and Prince Ladega 

Ibrahim Olukoga, also brought to 

the fore the need to provide health 

centre and secondary school for 

Ikorodu West, new market on 

available land space at Fola Ahmed 

Street, fixing of the Itoikin road and 

transformation of the Agboyi-Ketu 

community. 

Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, 

in his remarks, urged Ambode to 

give priority to the construction of 

Adeniji-Adele Road and ensure the 

construction of other roads that 

deserve utmost attention in Lagos 

Island. 

He also asked for the improvement 

of the standard of markets in the 

area, while urging total 

reconstruction of non-approved and 

unauthorised buildings already 

built within major markets in Lagos 

Island. 

Akiolu pleaded with Lagosians to 

continue to cooperate with the state 

administration as well as desist from 

any form of clandestine meetings 

that may undermine the progress of 

the Ambode administration. 

Responding to questions that 

bordered on security, Lagos State 

Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai 

Owoseni said with the continued 

support of the state government, the 

Command increased the number of 

personnel in Ketu-Epe Police Post 

from two to 70 to combat 

kidnapping and other crimes in 

Agbowa, Itoikin and environs, as 

well as transformed the hitherto 

abandoned Iyun Police Post to antikidnapping 

unit, while two gun 

boats were moved to Ejirin. 

Owoseni urged traditional rulers 

and community elders to prevail on 

their subjects, especially the youths, 

on the need to be law abiding, shun 

all forms of criminal activities, and 

be engaged in lawful means of 

livelihood. 

LASG response to requests 

The governor, gave instant 

answers to some of the residents’ 

questions, while he directed 

ministries and agencies of 

government to intervene in areas 

requiring intervention. 

For instance, Ambode directed that 

a stakeholders’ meeting should be 

convened on the issue of Ilaje Road 

in Bariga raised by one Elder 

Omoniyi owing to the fact that the 

road was narrow and some houses 

would have to give way for 

rehabilitation. 

On Irawo Road, Governor Ambode 

ordered the Public Works 

Corporation to move to site within 

seven days and complete the 

project. 

While responding to a question 

on the provision of health centres, 

Special Adviser to Ambode on 

Primary Health Care, Dr. Femi 

Onanuga, said the state 

government had 288 Primary 

Health Centres (PHCs) across 

Lagos with plans to construct 

another two while renovation was 

in progress on 35. 

Commissioner for the 

Environment, Dr Babatunde 

Adejare, said the “Cleaner Lagos 

Initiative,” CLI, of the state 

administration would be 

implemented and a total of 40,000 

people would be employed 

starting from June 2017. 

A member of the Lagos State 

House of Assembly representing 

Kosofe II, Tunde Buraimoh, and 

Prince Rotimi Agunsoye 

representing Kosofe Federal 

Constituency in the House of 

Representatives, described the 

forum as apt, saying it was 

important for government and the 

governed to meet and decide on 

issues of governance.


S-east leaders joining APC are abandoning Igbo 

cause – Okafor, Anambra PDP ex-Organising Secretary 

*Says his party has learnt from its loss of state in 2015 gov poll 

BY LEKAN BILESANMI 

Chief Okwuchukwu is a former Organising 

Secretary of the Peoples Democratic 

Party (PDP) in Anambra State. 

In this interview, Okafor insists the PDP 

remains the party to beat in the governorship 

election coming up in the state 

later this year. 

Amajor problem of the PDP 

in Anambra appears to be 

perennial rancour, especially 

before and during elections. How 

is the party putting its house in order 

preparatory to the next governorship 

election in Anambra State? 

The rancour in Anambra State 

chapter of the PDP is not peculiar to 

the PDP but is pronounced because it 

is a party that has more membership 

and more popular political leaders. 

Despite the problems in our party and 

the issue of multiple candidature that 

we witnessed during past elections, 

PDP has continued to win elections in 

the state except the governorship election 

of 2010 and 2014. In the two elections, 

we lost because the candidates 

the party nominated were not able to 

unite the party behind them. The leadership 

of our party at these periods 

was not able to also mediate and address 

all the conflicting interests. 

Secondly, we must not forget that 

APGA had its fair share of crisis in 

the run up to that 2014 election. The 

National Chairman, Victor Umeh, 

was fighting to retain his position in 

court and won it back at the Appeal 

Court. Meanwhile, some strong governorship 

aspirants were disqualified 

few weeks to the primary and one or 

two even went to court to challenge 

the action. APGA was able to win that 

election because Peter Obi reconciled 

the warring interests whilst PDP remained 

rudderless and the candidate 

was campaigning as if federal might 

was going to deliver the seat. Today, 

the ruling party, APGA, is embroiled 

in a fresh crisis that has landed it in 

court, and even when it is normal to 

assume the incumbent governor has 

the right of first refusal, there is someone 

else already aspiring for the seat 

within APGA. On our part, PDP is talking 

within its rank and file, and I am 

seeing those interested in the governorship 

talking and mingling, trying 

to develop some understanding. I believe 

we all have realised what disunity 

has cost us, and we are more 

responsible in the leadership now 

than was the case before. Another factor 

working for the PDP in Anambra 

is the presence of Peter Obi who had 

proven to be adept in conflict resolution 

and actually had dealt peacefully 

with many of the PDP leaders whilst 

he was governor in APGA. Don’t forget 

he was at the head of APGA when 

the PDP lost the two elections in 2010 

and 2014. 

Talking about rancour, the PDP is 

being deserted both at the state and 

national levels. Is that not a sign that 

the election is lost even before it 

began? 

That some of our strong members 

are defecting to the APC is pitiable. I 

feel pity for them because whilst some 

may think these people are deserting 

PDP, many see them as deserting the 

Igbo interest. It is clear what we face 

today as Ndi Igbo in Nigeria. Someone 

had questioned why those who 

gave them five percent should get 

equal attention. The country is looking 

for 30 billion dollars external loan 

and no single project in the loan funding 

plan is in the whole of the South- 

East. Our demand that they should 

give us six states like other zones is 

not being considered. My younger 

•Chief Okafor 

brothers and sisters making demand in peace 

are being cut down; yet what the representatives 

of Anambra at the federal level who were 

elected by Ndi Anambra on the platform of PDP 

find worthwhile is to cross over at the green and 

red chambers to the ruling APC is regrettable. 

PDP is not the loser from these actions of my 

brethren who are crossing over. Rather, in Anambra, 

their temporary absence will enable us 

reconcile faster and work harder to serve our 

people. Note that I said, temporary, because I 

believe they will be back before 2019, once they 

realise the futility of their actions . 

How do you assess the performance of the 

Willie Obiano administration in the last three 

years? 

Were I to assess this administration on my 

standards and expectations of a state government, 

I would not hesitate to tell you that it is a 

complete failure. This is a government that has 

not created employment or opportunities for 

youth and women in about three years; that has 

neither rehabilitated fully one road outside the 

governor’s town nor improved the environmental 

sanitation, or provided any improvement in 

the health sector leading to high rate of preventable 

mortality is nothing more than a local 

government council we witness in Nigeria. If 

we had to assess them based on their campaign 

promises of 4Cs, their Four Pillars of Agriculture, 

security, their failure as a government becomes 

discernible. Three years after, which of 

roads that was left uncompleted by the Peter 

Obi administration can they claim to have completed? 

And which one road of their own have 

they commenced and completed? Where is the 

boast of becoming number one in rice production? 

In the last season, we heard of Kebbi and 

Ebonyi accomplishments in rice production, 

where is the 900,000-metric tonnes of rice target 

from Anambra? How can you compete with 

a state that budgeted 38 billion naira for agriculture 

when our state budgeted 1 billion naira 

and is waiting for MOUs to achieve the dream. 

They claim they have continued to maintain 

the security which Peter Obi started but I want 

to ask, is the state secure only when there is none 

or minimal kidnapping? Today, youth restiveness 

has been replaced with communal clashes 

obviously over land and union leadership struggle. 

The worst is that the Obiano government is 

interfering in the running of town unions, imposing 

leaderships and this is escalating strife 

across the state. They claim that they are paying 

salaries and asking us to clap for them, but 

I ask how they pay the salaries through borrowing. 

Would they be able to pay salaries if they 

had not borrowed 25 billion naira? That is why 

there is nothing on the ground, except payment 

of salaries and signing of MOUs, and soliciting 

for awards. This is a government that inherited 

over 28 billion naira in cash balances and goes 

to borrow 25 billion naira less than 24 months 

after. They have destroyed the local government 

system by ensuring there are no elections, not 

even appointed Chairmen. What is then being 

done with the more than two billion naira 

monthly allocation to these 21 local governments? 

This has been the most extravagant state 

government Anambra has had, and that is why 

Champagne is popped regularly and Christmas 

celebrated with millions of naira on fireworks. 

If you think the administration isn’t 

doing well, what is the alternative? 

The last two administrations of Dr. 

Chris Ngige of PDP and Mr. Peter Obi of 

APGA proved to everyone that, despite our 

inadequate federal allocations, we could 

look inwards and make judicious use of 

the limited resources to develop our state. 

Ngige rehabilitated about 200 kilometers 

of roads in three years whilst Obi rehabilitated 

over 800 kilometers of road establishing 

one of the very best road networks 

in the country. Peter Obi reformed 

the educational infrastructure, resulting 

in the state students excelling in external 

examinations. Everyone had looked forward 

to the incoming administration improving 

in other areas whilst maintaining 

the established standard in security, 

education and road infrastructure. The 

Obiano administration has been found 

wanting in this regard. There is nothing 

being done about creating wealth and 

empowering our youth and women. Imagine 

that in 2014, only about 1,000 farmers 

were provided with seedlings when 

there are over 20,000 registered farmers 

in the state. Even the roads that were rehabilitated 

are not being maintained. 

Many of the roads whose drains should 

have been de-silted are filled with sand 

and, with the coming rains, many more 

are going to have erosion of their surfaces. 

That is why we are saying Ndi Anambra 

can do it better. It can be done better 

and if we allowed this present administration 

to do another four years, the state 

would collapse. The present conflicts 

amongst communities would grind our 

state to a halt, poverty and loss of opportunities 

will force our youth into 

criminal activities, and our educational 

system, will break down. We need to 

have our youth gainfully engaged and 

government promoting activities that 

will create wealth and empower them. 

We need to reform our health care delivery 

system not the privatisation of 

government hospitals that is going to 

make healthcare unaffordable for our 

people. Any person can go round signing 

MOUs but what happens thereafter? 

The crackdown on corruption particularly 

on the judiciary has been received 

with mixed feelings. What is 

your take? 

I will continue to maintain that corruption 

and debased values and norms 

remain the cause of our stunted economic 

development in Nigeria. Corruption 

in all its facets from abuse of public office 

to bribery and stealing of government 

funds is encouraged because we 

lack appropriate values. The judiciary 

ought to be the last hope for social justice 

in the society and the truth is that 

we are all aware that bribery is not alien 

within the judiciary which is supposed 

to be the last bastion of justice. As such, 

it would have been useless fighting corruption 

without attempting to cleanse 

the judiciary. The only problem persons 

like me have against the government 

agencies combating corruption is that 

often they are not fighting within the 

rules of engagement. Accused persons 

rights must be respected and court orders 

no matter how distasteful they may 

be must be adhered to. 

Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN (2nd 

right),Zonal Director North -West, Engr. Busari Olalekan (2nd left), Federal Controller 

of Works, Kaduna, Engr. Saad Tukur (left), Director Highways, Construction 

and Rehabilitation, Engr. Femi Oguntominiyi, (right) and others, during the 

Minister's inspection tour of the ongoing emergency repairs of Kaduna - Abuja 

Expressway, Kaduna . 

L-R: Head Lubes, OVH Energy Marketing, Mrs. Lillian Ikokwu; Head Marketing 

and LPG, Mr. Ganiyu Azeez; Corp Member, NYSC Lagos and Winner, Inter-Platoon 

Debate Competition, Ms. Emmanuella Odum; State Coordinator, NYSC Lagos, 

Prince Mohammed Momoh, and LPG Business Development Manager, OVH Energy 

Marketing, Mrs. Titilayo Dada, during the O-gas sponsored debate competition, 

theme: "Global Warming and its Effects" cooking gas to the Rescue, in Lagos.


Christians are told lies so 

repeatedly; many no 

longer recognise the 

truth. Answer me this: did your 

pastor happen to mention that 

Jesus was killed by pastors? 

Not likely! Pastors don't want 

people to know their fore-fathers 

killed Jesus; otherwise 

they would soon recognise they 

too are in the same business. 

Jesus says to the pastors of old: 

“You are witnesses against yourselves 

that you are sons of those 

who murdered the prophets.” 

(Matthew 23:31). Even so, the 

pastors of today testify against 

themselves that they are the descendants 

of those who killed 

Jesus. 

Testimony of Jesus 

Let me tell you a story you 

must have heard before but have 

probably been led to misunderstand. 

Jesus told the story to 

some pastors and they were very 

angry with him because they 

recognised it was a veiled attack 

on them. They even wanted to 

kill him right there and then but 

held back because of the crowds. 

Perhaps you need to listen to the 

story one more time. 

“There was a certain landowner 

who planted a vineyard 

and set a hedge around it, dug a 

winepress in it and built a tower. 

And he leased it to vinedressers 

and went into a far country. 

Now when vintage-time drew 

near, he sent his servants to the 

vinedressers, that they might receive 

its fruit. And the vinedressers 

took his servants, beat one, 

killed one, and stoned another.” 

“Again he sent other servants, 

more than the first, and they did 

likewise to them. Then last of 

all he sent his son to them, saying, 

‘They will respect my son.’ 

But when the vinedressers saw 

the son, they said among themselves, 

‘This is the heir. Come, 

let us kill him and seize his 

inheritance.’ So they took him 

and cast him out of the vineyard 

and killed him.” (Matthew 

21:33-40). 

Let us get certain things 

straight about this true-to-life 

story. The landowner is God. 

The servants of the landowner 

are the prophets. The son 

is Jesus Christ. The vinedressers 

are the priests and the pastors. 

What you may not have realised 

is that, precisely because 

Jesus told this story 

against pastors, they have 

gone to great lengths to distort 

it. They now insist it was 

not the vinedressers who 

killed the son of the landowner, 

but that the landowner 

himself killed his own son. 

They tell men God sacrificed 

Jesus for their sins, instead of 

the fact that pastors killed 

Jesus in order to continue in 

their own sins. 

Mercy and not sacrifice 

Jeremiah says: “Among my 

people are found wicked 

men; they lie in wait as one 

who sets snares; they set a 

trap; they catch men.” (Jeremiah 

5:26). Who are these 

wicked men? Make no mistake 

about it; pastors are at 

FEAST OF TABERNACLES: God is 

only solution to crises—Ifeacho 

By Oboh Agbonkhese 

PASTORS ARE JESUS KILLERS 

The presumed principal 

custodians of our faith; the pastors, 

bishops and popes of our churches, 

are ungodly and unrighteous 

the top of the list. 

FROM Sunday, December 11 

to 18, 2016, members of God’s 

Kingdom Society from 

around the world gathered at Salem 

City, Warri, Delta State, to celebrate 

last year's Christian Feast of Tabernacle. 

Those that could not partake 

in the feast physically, tuned in for 

live streaming of the events. One of 

the key messages was from GKS' 

president, Brother Godwin Ifeacho, 

who spoke at St. Urhobo Square on 

"Can Human Efforts Solve the Problems 

of Mankind?" 

According to him, in these last days, 

Satan is manifesting his anger in 

more destructive forms. Which is 

why no one, except God, can provide 

solution. 

He urged the celebrants to be examples 

of good Christian living anywhere 

they find themselves, adding, 

“exercise hope in the Kingdom of 

God. Let it be the joy and anchor of 

our souls. We should be strong in 

our faith in the providence of God 

Almighty in these perilous times and 

pray constantly.” 

A colourful aspect of the feast is the 

Last and Great Day Procession, 

which took the celebrants from the 

Salem City gates through major 

surrounding streets and back to the 

Salem City. Accompanied by music 

from virtually every tribe in Nigeria 

and a team from Canada/ 

USA, the more than two kilometrelong 

procession had the Laity, led 

by Bro. Love Ojakovo, at its head. 

Other prominent members of the 

church that were part of the celebrations 

were Vice Chairman, PDP 

South-South, Bro. Emman-uel 

Ogidi; Delta State former Commissioner 

for Higher Education and 

HOD, Department of English, University 

of Lagos, Prof. Hope 

Eghagha; House of Representatives 

member, Mr. Henry Nwawuba (PDP, 

Mbaitolu/Ikeduru, Imo State); 

member, Administrative Committee, 

GKS Canada, Bro. Abraham 

Esemu-Ezewu; Engr. John Nnamdi 

Igweneme of NNPC and Mr. 

Emmanuel Efeni of THISDAY. 

One touching and encouraging 

moment was when, for 15 minutes, 

nine-year-old Master Mich-ael 

Akpovorie (Lagos Island) gave a 

talk on "The Importance of Doctrine," 

on Saturday. He said false 

doctrine is like bad food, but that 

spiritual malnutrition is worse than 

eating bad food. 

Another such moment was when, on 

the last day, six young men, Messrs 

Chidinma Omatjunwa, Nathaniel 

Adedokun, Victor Udeme, Robert 

Chimankpa Osuji, Orevwa Jerry 

and Akporeh Emmanuel, were dedicated 

to the service of God as ministers. 

Finally, one of the many things GKS 

can forever boast of is the high 

moral standard their women display 

in their attitude and dressing 

as well as the prominence the church 

gives the diversity of Nigeria's cultural 

heritage. 

Every single day of the Feast, one 

orchestra after the other from different 

cultural groups across the 

country serenade celebrants with 

music: Isoko, Hausa, Urhobo, 

Itsekiri, Ijaws, Yoruba, Esan, Benin, 

Tiv, Efik and so on. And when, on 

the last night of the feast, celebrants 

waved their white handkerchiefs, the 

sea of whites reminds one of that 

divine hope Bro. Ifeacho preached. 

Hosea says: “The priests 

are like a gang of robbers who 

wait in ambush for a man. 

Even on the road to the holy 

place at Shechem they commit 

murder. And they do all 

this evil deliberately!” (Hosea 

6:9). Today, there are even 

gangs of Catholic priests raping 

young boys. 

Jesus said prophetically to 

the Pharisees: "If you had 

known what this means, I desire 

mercy and not sacrifice, 

you would not have condemned 

the guiltless." (Matthew 

12:7). What did he 

mean? He meant if they understood 

the love of God, they 

would not kill him, an innocent 

man, in order to protect 

their corrupt lifestyles. If pastors 

today knew the love of 

God, they would not continue 

to kill Jesus by misrepresenting 

him. 

A man walked in on a gang 

of men robbing a bank. He 

switched on the light and declared: 

"Repent. I am the light 

of the world." What do you 

think the robbers did to him? 

They had him killed, switched 

off the light and continued 

with their robbery. They then 

claimed it was God who 

killed him as a sacrifice for 

the sins of men. But God 

demonstrated unequivocally 

that he was not responsible 

for Jesus' death by raising him 

from the dead. 

Fleecing the flock 

Jesus says: “I am the good 

pastor.” (John 10:11). “All 

who ever came before me are 

thieves and robbers.” (John 

10:8). Those who came after 

him are no different. Their 

primary focus is to fleece people 

of their money so as to 

build up their own kingdoms. 

Jeremiah says: “They are as 

greedy as dogs, never satisfied; 

they are stupid pastors 

who only look after their own 

interest, each trying to get as 

much as he can for himself 

from every possible source.” 

(Isaiah 56:11). 

In many respects, what 

holds today is no different 

from the falsehood popularised 

in the days of Martin 

Luther, when priests 

maintained a man could 

purchase forgiveness of 

sins for a dead relative by 

giving money to the Catholic 

Church. The Dominican 

monk, Johann Tetzel, 

was one of those sent out 

by the pope to preach this 

message in order to raise 

money for the church. 

His message was 

straightforward: give 

money and your sins will 

be forgiven. Like the pastors 

of today, he came up 

with a popular refrain: “As 

soon as a coin in the coffer 

rings, the soul from purgatory 

springs.” 

Unrighteous pastors 

Jesus came to set the captives 

free by giving us true 

first-hand information 

about God. But after he did, 

pastors have endeavoured 

to distort even the true portrait 

he gave. They pretend 

to reveal God to men but 

have a vested interest in 

ensuring they don't know 

him. How would they continue 

to rip people off if they 

were to know the truth of Jesus’ 

message that makes men free? 

(John 8:32). The result is that 

more falsehood about God is 

taught in the churches today 

than almost anywhere else. 

So what does Jesus do about 

this? First, he tells us a parable 

that a man travelling from 

Jerusalem to Jericho was attacked 

by armed robbers and 

left for dead. A priest came 

along, saw the dying man but 

quickly walked away. A pastor 

also came along but he too ignored 

the dying man. Finally, a 

Good Samaritan came along. 

He bound up the wounds of the 

poor man, took him to the hospital 

and paid for all his medical 

expenses. When the man 

recovers, should he remain the 

disciple of priests and pastors? 

Certainly not! 

Jesus is the Good Samaritan. 

One of his major assignments 

is to convince us that the presumed 

principal custodians of 

our faith; the chief priests, the 

Pharisees, the religious hierarchy; 

indeed the pastors, bishops 

and popes of our churches, are 

ungodly and unrighteous. Accordingly 

he says to them: “Assuredly, 

tax collectors and harlots 

enter the kingdom of God 

before you.” (Matthew 21:31). 

Jesus’ life demonstrates this 

conclusively because these socalled 

“men of God” kill him, 

an innocent man, in order to 

protect their interests and positions. 

Jesus’ adversaries were 

not “sinners” but “holy” and 

religious pastors. Therefore, 

contrary to what it seems, many 

of those who claim to speak for 

God are not of God. Instead, 

they rob men of God. They rob 

them of his knowledge by presenting 

counterfeit portraits of 

God. They rob them so that they 

and not God would be the gods 

of their lives. 

We don't need sinners' 

money, Muoka declares 

By SAM EYOBOKA 

GENERAL Overseer of Lord's 

Chosen Charismatic Re 

vival Ministries, Pastor 

Lazarus Muoka on Sunday reiterated 

his warning to the womenfolk 

who are fund of adorning their 

bodies with artificial make-ups to 

desist from such unholy practices, 

saying it is sin against God. 

Addressing a large crowd of worshippers 

at the just concluded international 

crusade titled; ‘From 

Sorrow to Joy" at the Chosen Revival 

Ground, ljesha, Lagos, 

Muoka charged women and all 

sinners to repent from their evil 

ways before giving their offerings 

in the church. 

"I want to tell you you don't need 

extra eye, make up or bangle or 

attachment at all. You don't need 

to dress and show your nakedness, 

your ass, your chest, your armpit, 

your tummy, your waist, your 

lap....that is sin. Cover your body 

properly. 

"And if you are a young man and 

you are doing jerry coil and you 

make your hair like a woman, use 

some funny language...and when 

they ask you where are you from 

and you say Naija instead of Nigeria. 

Something is wrong with 

you. The bible tells us that the 

unrighteous shall not inherit the 

kingdom of God. If you are a 

woman wearing trousers that's a 

sin. If you are a man wearing skirt 

and blouse, that's an abomination," 

he continued. 

Reading from several passages of 

the Bible, the man of God said it is 

abominable for such persons who 

are living living abominable lives 

for they shall not enter heaven. 

"Search your life, repent of your 

sin and God will show you mercy. 

God loves you. It is not the will of 

God that any soul should perish. 

According to him, a sinner is not a 

Christian and a Christian is not a 

sinner, stressing that all unrighteousness 

is a sin. "Which means 

unbelief is sin, unforgiveness is sin, 

so is selfishness, anger, hatred, lie, 

pride, envy, covetousness, blasphemy, 

bearing grudge, speaking 

evil of other people, backbiting, 

gossiping, disobedience, all these 

are terrible sin. 

"Going to native doctors to make 

charms or being a native doctor 

is a terrible sin. Belonging to secret 

cults, open cults or marine 

cults, withcraft cults, all of them 

are terrible sins. Renounce them 

and give your life to Jesus Christ. 

"I want to remind you, if you are 

into such kind of occultism, you 

will be working for satan and suffering. 

If you are into occultism, 

give your life to Jesus and the Lord 

will save you and grant you victory 

in JESUS name. All those 

that are stealing, picking pockets, 

one chance, armed robbery, 

breaking into homes and carting 

away with people's belongings, 

that is a life of wickedness. It is a 

terrible sin. 

"If you are still a fraudster or into 

Internet fraud, don't give your 

money in this church, we don't 

need it at all. Amend your ways 

and promise God that you will do 

them no more. Take note, if you 

are involved in fornication, adultery 

or masturbation, these are 

terrible sins which give the devil 

the legal right to torment you, afflict 

you, put you in perpetual sorrow. 

"Or maybe you are involved in homosexuality, 

lesbianism or into 

kidnapping, murder, ritual, 

amend your ways. The bible says 

there's no peace in the Lord with 

the wicked. If you are a terrorist, 

we don't need your money in this 

church at all. Amend you ways. Or 

you are among those who are 

disobedient to their husbands, or 

fighting your husband, that is a 

terrible sin. 

"Those who are experts in taking 

and giving bribes, or force money 

from people, that is sin. Or maybe 

you are involved in smuggling, 

smoking, alcoholic drinks, 

whether you are drinking it or selling 

to people or serving people, 

you must repent and not drink it, 

not sell it to people, not work in 

breweries and not work in any 

hotel where such things take 

place," Muoka continued. 

There were testimonies galore 

during the two-day crusade as a 

boy who couldnt walk for five 

years and was rejected by several 

hospitals was healed instantly and 

he started walking. 

A sister (Amaka Okara) was 

healed of 10 years madness instantly. 

Another woman who had 

not been walking properly well for 

over 16 years was healed as well. 

A 13-year old boy was delivered 

from the spirit of deaf and dumb. 

A woman suffering from 38 years 

chronic waist pain was healed. 

A woman suffering from seven 

months paralysis was healed. Another 

woman from 10 years of frequent 

urinating because of diabetes 

and was healed as well.

GE 


•Adeosun 

Nigeria needs $1bn 

Eurobond to fund 

infrastructural 

projects — ADEOSUN 

IN this interview, Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi ADEOSUN, explains 

the imperatives of the Eurobond and its potentials as a catalyst for 

Nigeria’s pathway out of recession. Excerpts: 

We want to utilise 

government’s spending 

power to stimulate an 

unprecedented 

investment drive and 

attract private capital. 

Already, in 2016, we have 

spent more on 

infrastructure projects 

than any previous 

administration 

BY INNOCENT AKOMA 

NIGERIA experienced its first 

full recession in decades in 

2016. What is the government’s strategy 

for economic recovery? 

At the heart of the government’s 

economic strategy is a recognition 

that we have to restructure the way 

the government spends money. Over 

the last decade Nigeria has experienced 

relatively strong growth, but 

much of this was fuelled by high oil 

prices. The broader economy was not 

delivering the growth that it is capable 

of, and which is needed if Nigeria’s 

people are to experience improving 

living standards. We have been 

far too exposed to oil price shocks and 

in 2016 we saw both a major price fall 

and a simultaneous reduction in output, 

which is why the economy fell 

into recession. We have seen how vulnerable 

our economy is. 

One of the main reasons for this was 

clear deficiencies with the way the 

Federal Budget was structured. Nigeria 

has a huge infrastructure deficit 

and we cannot deliver broad based 

growth if we don’t address that. Our 

budget process for the last decade has 

had only a very limited focus on infrastructure 

spending. That is why 

the 2016 and 2017 budgets have been 

fundamentally re-structured to deliver 

30% of spending on infrastructure 

projects. We want to utilise government’s 

spending power to stimulate 

an unprecedented investment drive 

and attract private capital. Already, 

in 2016, we have spent more on infrastructure 

projects than any previous 

administration. 

At the same time, far too much of 

the Federal Budget was focused on 

recurrent expenditure, which had become 

inflated and inefficient, with 

much of the money allocated to the 

process wasted, or ‘leaking.’ That is 

why we have spent so much time focused 

on reforming how government 

collects and allocates funds. The TSA 

means we fully understand the cash 

generation profile of all government 

agencies and can far more efficiently 

allocate funds to where they are needed. 

The impact of every Naira and 

Kobo that we spend is far greater than 

it was when we started and we have 

far greater confidence in our execution 

capacity on projects. 

Nigeria launched $1 billion Eurobond 

programme earlier this 

month. Can you tell us why, and 

what the outcome has been? 

Our strategy for funding the 2016 

and 2017 budget ensures that we utilise 

government revenue to deliver 

on recurrent expenditure obligations, 

while we raise long term debt 

to fund capital spending. The Eurobond 

is part of our funding strategy 

for our 2016 capital expenditure and 

will be spent on key infrastructural 

projects, in line with our economic 

plan. 

Over the last 2 weeks I have been 

privileged to lead a strong delegation 

including the Minister for Budget 

and National Planning, the Central 

Bank Governor, the DG of the 

Debt Management Office, the DG of 

the Budget Office and representatives 

of the National Assembly to engage 

international investors and 

we’ve been very pleased with the response. 

The investment community 

understand the strategy we are 

adopting and have been positive. 

That is reflected in the bond being 

almost 8 times oversubscribed. 

What are the terms of the Eurobond? 

Why is it better than domestic 

borrowing? Or borrowing from 

other external sources like the 

World Bank or China? 

We have borrowed US$1 billion 

over a 15-year period, with an annual 

coupon of 7.875%. That 

compares to an average Naira 

borrowing rate of 15%. The international 

capital markets are 

a key source of capital for us 

and our sovereign issuance 

provides a key benchmark for 

corporate borrowers looking to 

tap the ICM. Ultimately, we 

want to achieve an optimal mix 

of borrowing from the ICM and 

other external sources, including 

concessional funding from 

the World Bank and China, as 

part of the 2017 budget process. 

What does this mean for the 

man on the street? Does this 

make his life any easier? 

We know that the state of the 

economy is creating challenges 

for people across the country. 

Inflation is high and so 

prices are rising. That’s why we 

have been working to ensure 

our social intervention programmes 

are prioritised, and 

we have already started the 

conditional payments programme. 

But we also know that 

the reason we are in this situation 

is because we have not taken 

the hard decisions to restructure 

our economy and we 

must do so now, if we are going 

to offer the prospect of long 

term improvements in quality of 

life for all Nigerians. 

How can the government 

raise further foreign debt given 

the current challenges with 

foreign exchange liquidity? 

The simple reality is that international 

debt is considerably 

cheaper than domestic debt 

and while we extensively utilise 

domestic debt instruments, 

we need longer term and 

cheaper debt to allocate to infrastructure 

spending. That is 

available from international 

sources, and we are seeking to 

maximise the tenure and minimise 

the cost of this debt so we 

get the best deal for Nigeria. 

Why has it taken so long for 

the government to raise the 

Eurobond? 

The Eurobond programme 

was approved as part of the 

2016 budget, but that process 

began late, with final budget 

approval only delivered in May 

2016. We’ve extended the 2016 

budget spending cycle through to 

the end of March 2017. The Eurobond, 

and the AfDB loan we secured 

late last year, are allocated 

to capital projects identified in 

that budget. 

Is this the end of borrowing, or 

should we expect more? 

The government’s debt strategy 

has been well defined and approved 

by the National Assembly. 

We are focused on re-balancing 

our debt profile to ensure we have 

longer term debt that can be used 

to fund infrastructure development. 

You can expect to see us 

continue to raise international 

funds over the coming 2 years as 

we work towards an optimal debt 

profile. 

Can we afford that level of 

debt? 

Yes. We have one of the lowest 

debt to GDP ratios amongst 

emerging economies. We have 

the headroom to borrow, but we 

must not be complacent. We must 

ensure that we are rapidly increasing 

government revenue at 

the same time to give us enhanced 

resources to deliver growth. 

How are you going to increase 

revenue generation then? 

We know we have to expand the 

tax base. Nigeria’s tax contribution 

to GDP is only 6%, that’s one 

of the lowest anywhere in the 

world and reflects decades of the 

populations unwillingness to contribute 

to government revenue, 

often because they don’t believe 

the money will be spent appropriately, 

or for their own good. 

That is the situation we have to 

change, and it is why we spent 

so much of 2016 re-structuring 

the way government collects, allocates 

and spends money. We 

have to build confidence in that 

process, if we are to attract the 

kind of tax base that can deliver 

increased government revenue. 

We believe that if we show Nigerians 

things can be done differently, 

then we can rebuild the 

social contract with citizens to pay 

their fair share of taxes. We are 

already beginning to deliver on 

this, with a focus on improved 

customs collections, including 

migration to a single window 

(with support from the NSIA) and 

simultaneously strengthening 

controls in SOEs. 

C 

M 

Y 

K


$1bn Eurobond: We’ve 

plenty headroom to 

borrow further 

— Nwankwo, DMO DG 

•Nwamkwo 

BY INNOCENT AKOMA 

The Director General, Debt 

Management Office, Abraham 

Nwankwo, says Nigeria 

needs to borrow to fix 

broken infrastructure. 

The 2016 and 2017 

Budget’s include 

significant deficit’s that the 

government must fund 

byincreased borrowing. As the 

Director General of the Debt 

Management Office this makes 

your role extremely important. 

Can you talk us through the 

current government’s debt 

strategy and the motivation 

behind it? 

First of all, we have to start from 

the position we are currently in. 

Our debt to GDP ratio is low 

compared to our contemporaries 

in Africa, and other emerging 

markets. We have plenty headroom 

to borrow further in order to fund 

growth, and that is the strategy that 

this government has adopted. But 

the emphasis of government is that 

proceeds of loans must be used to 

fund crucial infrastructure projects. 

The value added has to be maximized. 

Nigeria’s debt strategy is 

directly aligned to the spending 

plans of the Federal Government 

incorporated into the 

governments Medium Term 

Expenditure Framework. 

At the heart of the strategy, is a 

clear recognition that Nigeria 

needs to deploy long term, 

relatively cheaper capital to 

finance recovery and growth. 

So Nigeria can afford to borrow 

further? 

Absolutely, as I have said, we 

have a very low debt to GDP ratio; 

Nigeria’s debt strategy is 

directly aligned to the 

spending plans of the 

Federal Government 

incorporated into the 

governments Medium Term 

Expenditure Framework. 

At the heart of the strategy, 

is a clear recognition that 

Nigeria needs to deploy 

long term, relatively cheaper 

capital to finance recovery 

and growth 

more importantly, the borrowed 

funds must be used to generate 

growth and employment and improve 

people’s living standards. 

Where we need to focus, is on increasing 

government revenue so 

that the cost of servicing our debt 

portfolio decreases as a proportion 

of annual spending. We do not have 

too much debt, we simply do not 

have enough revenue, and that is 

the focus of this government and has 

been for the last 18 months. 

What is the return we are going 

to get for all this debt? Is it worth 

it? 

As a country, we need to fix our 

broken infrastructure. It is fundamental 

to 

achieving long 

term growth and improved 

quality 

of life. Ade 

- 

quate infrastructure is essential for 

diversifying revenue sources and 

making the economy more competitive. 

We are aligning long term 

debt with those infrastructure 

needs and are committed to delivering 

an economy that works better 

for all of us. 

What about the risks associated 

with borrowing in dollars given 

current forex liquidity issues? 

We believe these risks are very 

manageable. With loans of up to 15 

years, at a relatively favorable cost 

the competitiveness that will result 

from the improvement in infrastructure 

will enable the country to generate 

enough foreign exchange in 

the medium to long term to service 

these debts. In essence, 

strategic long term foreign borrowing 

at this time is imperative for 

overcoming the dependence on oil 

for almost all of the country’s foreign 

exchange earnings. 

What are the proceeds of the 

Eurobond going to be spent on? 

The government has identified 

a clear focus on increased 

capital spending, with circa 30% 

of the 2016 and 2017 budget’s 

allocated to capital spending. This 

is specifically designed to address 

significant structural issues and 

reset the economy. The Honorable 

Minister of Finance has spent considerable 

time ensuring that the 

system is ready to deploy these 

funds, with maximum 

efficiency and now is the 

time to invest. The current 

Eurobond will be 

used specifically 

to fund critical 

infrastructure 

projects in the 

2016 budget, 

with the objective 

of 

supporting 

activ- 

•Nwamkwo 

ities in the real sector of the economy 

– agriculture, agro-processing, 

light manufacturing and solid 

minerals development. 

The Eurobond was priced at 

7.875% and over a 15-year term, 

why is this? 

The government is very happy 

with the outcome from the roadshow 

and the transaction. Not 

only did we get a good price for 

the debt, it was heavily oversubscribed. 

Investors remain confident 

in Nigeria’s outlook. We 

elected to pursue a 15-year term 

because we need long term financing 

to enable infrastructure 

investment, and traditionally we 

have approached the market for 

10-year money. Over time, and 

as we engage with markets further, 

we will be in a position to 

borrow on better terms, and over 

longer periods of time. 

Can we expect further borrowing 

in 2017? From where? 

Yes. The 2017 budget includes 

a deficit of N2.32 trillion of 

which N1.067 trillion will be 

sourced from external sources. 

The Eurobond we’ve just 

completed was to fund the 

deficit and capital spending in 

the 2016 budget; for the 2017 

budget we will be determining 

the optimal approach over 

coming months. In addition, 

N1.254 trillion will be raised 

from the domestic capital markets 

giving us a 46:54 debt ratio 

between international and domestic 

borrowing to finance the 

2017 budget deficit.


The 2017 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon 

The 2017 Access Bank Lagos City Marathon, graced by runners from all over the world, started from National 

Stadium and ended at Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island,yesterday. Photos by Bunmi Azeez 

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (3rd 

right), his wife, Bolanle (2nd right); Majority Leader, 

House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila 

(right); Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Oluranti Adebule 

(3rd left); Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, 

Rt. Hon. Mudashiru Obasa (2nd left) and Senator Adeola 

Olamilekan Solomon (left). 

L-R: Governor Ambode, President, Nigeria Stock Exchange, 

Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede; Fridah Lodepa; 

Kenya[2nd position] Deputy Governor of Lagos; Dr. 

Oluranti Adebule; Rodah Jepkobia[1st position] Alice 

Timbilil Keni[3rd position] and Group Managing Director, 

Access Bank, Mr. Herbert Wigwe. 

Cross section of participants at the starting point, National 

Stadium. 

L-R: Governor Ambode (3rd left), President, Nigeria 

Stock Exchange, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; 2nd 

Prize Winner of the Marathon, Ronny Kipkoech Kiboss 

from Kenya; 1st Prize Winner, Abraham Kiptum from 

Kenya; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. (Mrs) Oluranti 

Adebule; 3rd Prize Winner, Kiprotich Kiroi from 

Kenya and Group Managing Director, Access Bank, Mr. 

Herbert Wigwe. 

Cross section of marathoners . 

Otunba Adebusuyi Famuboni’s son’s wedding 

Entertainers on Falomo Bridge. 

The solemnization of the holy matrimony between Tomilola Tesoma, daughter of Engr. Olusegun Bashiru Giwa, and Adeniyi Oluwagbemileke, son of 

Otunba Adebusuyi Daniel Famuboni, held at the Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, and reception at BICS Garden Marque, Lekki Phase-1, Lagos. Photos by 

Bunmi Azeez 

From left: Engr. Olusegun Bashiru Giwa (bride’s father}, Princess Debo 

Famuboni (groom's mother), Adeniyi Oluwagbemileke Famuboni(groom), 

his wife, Tomilola Tesoma, Otunba Adebusuyi Daniel Famuboni(groom's 

father), and Barr. (Mrs) Grace Giwa(bride's mother). 

From left: Dr. Olukoya Adedoyin, Prince Adediji Adedoyin, Prof. Gabriel 

Ogunmola and Otunba Tunji Lawal-Solarin. 

From left: Chief Kofi Kartey, Chief Brown Mene, representing 

the Olu of Warri, and Mrs. Patricia Otuedon- 

Arawore. 

From left: Mr. Akin George, Mrs. Kemi George, Prof. 

Gabriel Ogunmola and his wife, Ronke. 

Prince Adediji Adedoyin and his wife, Bolajoko.


AYO ONIKOYI 

08052201215 

Past 

astor Aginighan buries father-in-law 

The late Apostle Capt. Maxwell Tukpu Edougha, father-in-law of Pastor Power Aginighan, a former Acting 

Managing Director of the NNDC, was buried at Teiseimo/Eyemienghan Quarters, Esanma, Bomadi LGA, Delta 

State on Friday. 

DStv Eutelsat Star Awards 

Faces at the Eutelsat Communications and MultiChoice 

Africa partnership to encourage young African learners 

between 14 and 19 to explore innovative thinking in 

science and space technology through essay writing and 

designing of poster on a satellite related topics, held at 

the Ground Ball Hall of Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria 

Island, Lagos , last week. Photos by Kehinde Gbadamosi. 

•L-R: Rodney Benn, Vice President, Eutelsat; John 

Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria; Dr. 

Ochenjele Sunday, father of Emmanuel Ochenjele, 

winner of 2016 DStv Eutelsat Star Award and Haignere 

Claudie, Special Adviser, European Space Agency 

and Chairperson of the Jury. 

From left: Mr Akanimoh Bassey Nkanga, Pastor Power Aginighan, Deaconess Amerikaere Aginighan, Mrs 

Perebor Apusa, Hon and Mrs England Edougha, Capt Metonghan and Mrs Lulu Negerese and Mr Timipre 

Jenakumo 

Ibori hosts Ras Kimono, 

Orits Williki 

Northwest Petroleum opens mega 

station 

•L-R: Renee Nwamaka Ikpelue; Hameeds Makama, 

Country Winner in Essay Category; Zulaihat Abdulkarim, 

Runner Up in Poster Category and Chetachukwu 

Akaluka, Runner Up in Essay Category. 

Chief James Ibori in a handshake with Ras Kimono 

while Orits Williki and Rasta Daddy Tom look on 

during the musicians’ visit to Ibori’s country home 

at Oghara. 

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State (right); Dame 

(Mrs.) Winifred Akpani (middle) and Mr. Walter Akpani, 

during the commissioning of Northwest Petroleum and Gas 

Co. ultra modern mega filling station in along Benin-Asaba 

Expressway, Asaba. 

The Onome of Kok 

okori ori wedding 

Engr. Avwerosuo Peter Onome of Kokori town in Ethiope East Area, married his love, Miss Aghogho 

Diata of Aladja community of Udu Area in a wedding ceremony at the Royal Dynasty 

International Church, Ovwain. The marriage was attended by family members, friends and wellwishers 

and the banking community. Photos by Akpokona Omafuire 

•L-R: Asuinura Ayawen, 2015 Overall Winner of the 

DStv Eutelsat Star Award and Nll Amah Dasady, Public 

Relations Manager, Ghana. 

L-R: Mr. Tom Oblong, Mr. & Mrs. Peter Onome 

and Mr. Tunde Kolawole. 

The couple and members of the Diata family. 

Lifetouch’s World Cancer Day 

•L-R: Dr. Mrs. Aderonke Bello, CEO, Innovative Technology 

Literacy Services Ltd and Prof. Stephen Simukanga, 

Director General, Higher Education Authority, 

Zambia. 

Members of the Onome family with the couple. 

President/Executive Director, Lifetouch Africa, Mrs 

Awele Chukwuedo Ossai (right), with the Lifetouch 

Africa team; trained nurses and the NCD unit, Oyo 

State Ministry of Health at the World Cancer Day 

held in Ibadan. 

•L-R: Haignere Claudie, Special Adviser to European 

Space Agency and Chairperson of the jury; Emmanuel 

Ochenjele, 2016 DStv Eutelsat Star Award and John 

Ugbe, Managing Director, MultiChoice Nigeria.


By JAPHET ALAKAM 

CULTURE 

In recent time, global and 

local brands that want to 

resonate with the people, have 

suddenly realized the need to 

connect with the people through 

drumming. For instance, in 

announcing the credential 

campaign which was used to 

christen Goldberg from the stable 

of Nigerian Breweries, recently, 

the promoters of the brand saw 

drum as a symbol of unity and 

leveraged on it in all their 

campaigns. Aside the fact that it 

played a prominent role at 

various places where the event 

held, its major campaign, which 

was used in print and billboard 

shows a Nollywood Artist, 

Odunlade Adekola proudly 

holding Gangan, the talking drum 

as a message career. 

A cursory look at drumming 

among the people of Yoruba, 

South West Nigeria shows that 

beyond its entertainment function, 

it also serves as a medium through 

which the people convey 

important messages 

Before modern civilization 

infiltrated the culture of many 

tribes and ethnic communities, the 

Yoruba people of South West 

Nigeria, had fashioned out the 

way to entertain themselves. 

During traditional festivals, 

chieftaincy coronation, naming 

ceremonies, wedding and all sort 

of events, the Yorubas use their 

drum for entertainment and 

eulogy. 

As a vital part of the cultural 

heritage of the people, generally, 

whenever there is a big occasion: 

By PRISCA SAM DURU 

REVIEW 

Nigeria’s Ivory Tower no 

doubt is in shambles. Both 

human resources and 

infrastructures have decayed to 

the country’s peril. How did we 

get here? 

In an age when other nations are 

building bridges to the sky 

through technology, Nigeria is 

still groping in complete 

darkness. And rather than things 

getting better, or fair enough, 

stand still, the country plunges 

further into comatose. Worst, is 

the state of the knowledge sector! 

Lola Akande, a Lecturer at the 

Faculty of Arts at the University 

of Lagos, pulls a strandvictimisation/exploitation, 

out of 

the numerous issues plaguing the 

sector. With this, she embarks on 

an expository adventure that 

reveals the prevalent dirt in the 

sector, in What It Takes. 

As a result of the wickedness of 

some supervisors who have turned 

themselves into the Biblical 

Egyptian Pharoah, Doctoral 

certificates that should be 

obtained within 3 years, stretch 

into for as along as they wish to 

let the candidates go. The 

illustrative cover says it all. The 

professors/Supervisors are 

‘strongmen’ while the Phd 

candidates are reduced to 

genuflecting beggars who must 

dobale all through the duration 

of the programme. 

How could things have gotten 

out of hands simply due to a 

mirage of problems confronting 

universities in Nigeria? 

Considering the age and positions 

of these professors, isn’t the level 

Excellence in style, the uniqueness of Yoruba drums 

weddings, funerals and others, 

there must be drummers 

around. In big cities like 

Ibadan, there are always 

drummers plying their trade on 

weekends even without having 

any specific invitation to big 

occasions. These drummers 

could stop by and many 

celebrants allow such drummers 

– with restrictions on their 

performances – to join the 

celebration so that they can make 

some money. This way, the 

tradition of passing the art of 

drumming which often appears 

effortless, but which involves very 

difficult process and long 

apprenticeship, to live on. 

In an interview with Vanguard, 

a professor of Chorography and 

foremost Dramatist, Rasaki Ojo- 

Bakarei, described Druming as 

essential part of Yoruba culture 

that is entrenched in all social 

activities. Ojo-Bakare, who is 

currently the Dean of School of 

Humanities at the Federal 

University of Oye Ekiti, said 

In big cities like 

Ibadan, there are 

always drummers 

plying their trade 

on weekends even 

without having any 

specific invitation 

to big occasions 

The author’s exposition 

on dept of moral bankruptcy 

among the 

Dons, is a strong one 

drumming is like tonic and 

energetic to social activities 

among the Yorubas. 

“Yoruba is an interesting place 

to be and visit, not only because of 

the important place they occupies 

in Nigeria but because of their 

deep culture. There is so much to 

be proud of with respect to arts and 

culture. Drumming especially is a 

vital part of the cultural heritage 

of the Yoruba people. Drums are 

used in special occasions, festivals, 

carnivals, ceremonies. They even 

add special effects and style to 

some bits of the people’s culture,” 

he said. 

The Yorubas parade different 

drums for various activities such 

as; Gangan, Bata, Gbedu, 

Saworoide and so on. They 

include, Gangan: Gangan which 

is commonly refereed to as 

Talking Drum holds a special 

When only prostrating slaves obtain Ph.D 

of moral decadence existing 

within this circle, absurd? What 

moral standard or courage 

would these unscrupulous so 

called professors have, to bring 

up their children or inculcate 

values into their students.? No 

wonder, there is complete decay 

in the system. It’s obvious that 

the startling level of moral 

bankruptcy must have built up 

during their days as 

undergraduates when they also 

had to settle their lecturers out 

of frustrations, in other to pass 

or graduate. 

The story begins in 

September 1998. Funto 

Oyewole a single parent, has just 

lost her job at the civil service 

and decides to utilise the period 

of joblessness, to get a Doctorate 

degree. 

She is offered admission to the 

National University of Nigeria 

(NUN), Abuja. This coincides 

with her daughter, Deyemi’s 

admission into secondary 

school. Her joy of becoming Dr 

Funto Oyewole, knows no 

bounds. Sadly, she is oblivious 

of the magnitude of pain that 

awaits her in the process. Her 

• Drummers celebrating the importance of drums 

sorrow begins as soon as she gets 

to campus and is told that to get 

a supervisor for her literature 

studies is almost impossible. 

Funto gets her first shock when 

Dr Durojaiye, who is supposed to 

What It Takes by Lola 

Akande, published by Kraft 

Books Limited, pages 317, 

2016 

take up the task of being her 

supervisor, demands to sleep with 

her. “All I ask of you is a piece of 

the ‘action’ and you’ll get my 

consent to supervise you in return. 

Fair bargain, isn’t it?” Durojaiye 

shamelessly told Funto. 

Her 2nd attempt of finding a 

supervisor lands her in the hands 

of a female Supervisor, Professor 

Lara Owoyemi. She receives 

another shock of her life when 

Owoyemi requests she pays thirty 

thousand naira to get the consent 

letter she requires to submit at the 

PG School. Eventually, she gets 

Prof. Charles Ephraim to be her 

supervisor but what she 

encounters in the hands of the 

acute tribalist is better read than 

place in the tradition of the 

Yoruba people, and its use in 

Yoruba folklore cannot be 

overemphasized. Its origin can 

be traced to the Old Oyo Empire 

in South-West, Nigeria. It was 

introduced as a means of 

communication during 

inauguration of the Alaafin of 

Oyo. They are used to imitate 

different tone and chant patterns 

of the Yoruba language. Its 

hourglass shape makes it 

possible for it to be held under 

the arm. They are frequently 

used in modern churches, 

festivals, wedding ceremonies 

and carnivals. 

Bata: Bata is a double-headed 

drum shaped like an hourglass 

with one cone larger than the 

other. It’s used majorly in 

religious functions, festivals, 

carnivals and coronations. It’s 

imagined. Her fate in the 

hands of Prof Ephraim 

becomes clearer when the 

HOD informs her that 

Ephraim demands only 

three things of his students: 

“The first one is patience, 

the second is patience, and 

the third is patience.” 

Funto breaks down and 

almost loses hope of 

achieving her dream when 

she finds out from Mr 

Oragui, the Nigerian 

meaning of Phd; “ 

Prostrate, Hard work and 

Dobale...you will prostrate 

to them, you’ll work hard 

and you’ll prostrate again. 

It also means you’ll do 

more of prostrating than 

hard work.” 

This exposes the level of 

rottenness in the ivory 

tower. One wonders at this 

juncture if this same 

lecturers or supervisors 

went through same 

rigorous process to qualify 

for their positions. 

Funto gets another shock 

when in September 2001, 

and the story goes on.. 

The author’s exposition 

on dept of moral 

bankruptcy among the 

Dons, is a strong one. 

However, this is a work of 

fiction but feels too real to 

be fictitious. If just a pinch 

of the narrative on Funto’s 

unfortunate adventure is 

true, then Nigeria needs 

total sanitisation of the 

education sector. 

What It Takes is a detailed, 

interesting and insightful 

addition into numerous efforts 

by writers, to help build an 

educational system where the 

best graduates from. 

also used to convey 

messages of hope, 

divination, praise and 

war. 

A set of batá consists 

of three drums of 

different sizes. The 

drums are similar in 

shape to an hourglass 

and each drum has 

two different sized 

heads and are played 

sitting down with the 

drum placed 

horizontally on the 

knees. This allows the 

drummer to play with 

both hands. 

It is of many types 

like Iyá (“Mother”) is 

the largest drum and 

leads the group. The Itótele, the 

middle-sized drum and the 

Okónkolo, the smallest of the 

three playing short. 

The bata drums actually are 

becoming very, very popular all 

over the world today, even here in 

the U.S., but are already very 

popular in Brazil, Cuba, and 

Venezuela. Others asre, Omele 

ako: fondly called ‘Omele’, known 

as the “Sakara”drum. It is a 

shallow drum with a circular body 

made with baked clay. They are 

used during wedding ceremonies, 

traditional coronations and 

festivals. 

Gbedu: Gbedu literally means “a 

big drum’’ a percussion instrument 

traditionally used on state 

occasions or during ceremonies of 

Ogoni, the ancient Yoruba secret 

society. 

SUNDAY POEM 

Vindicated 

In vain they gathered 

Around the ancestral tomb 

Their ancestors, My ancestors, 

Our ancestors 

To invoke ancestral curse 

On the innocent. 


Blinded by passion of greed and 

envy 

They adjudged the innocent 

guilty 

And pronounced the death 

sentence 

On him. 


He must die 

Chorused the trio 

The spirit drink they smashed 

On the ancestral tomb. 

In glory we gathered 

Around the ancestral tomb 

To pour libation for forgiveness 

On the souls departed 

Their fathers, My fathers, Our 

fathers 

Have vindicated the innocent 

Chief (Barr.) Hudson Arienrhi 

Ororho,2016 

The book is a must read for 

students, academics and nonacademics, 

the government at all 

levels, and must be in every home. 

Time has come when the efforts of 

every Nigerian must be committed 

towards a brand new and vibrant 

education sector.

VIEWPOINT 

By Chike Ucheme 

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF 

The life VIEWPOINT 

and times of a public 

relations practitioner par 

excellence 

FOR us mortals, in our usual 

porous and peripheral style 

of reasoning, age 54 would have 

just been the early minutes in the 

beginning of the second half, if this 

life we live today were to be a 

football match. Prince Osita Ike, 

nick-named “Jizospikin,” and was 

son of the foremost novelist and 

traditional ruler of Ndikelionwu 

community in Anambra State, 

His Majesty, Eze Professor 

Chukwuemeka Ike, (NNOM), 

could not be allowed into the 

second half properly of the game 

of life, no thanks to the cold hands 

of death which sent him off on 

December 17, 2016. And because 

of Osita’s early exit was not 

contested or even upturned by the 

VIEWPOINT 

By Austin Izagbo 

TRIBUTE IN BRIEF 

Celebrating an icon 

THE story of Onyebuchi 

Emecheta, who the world 

knew as Buchi, is, at the same time, 

that of a personal and communal 

triumph; the triumph of the 

personal will and communal 

efforts over the vicissitudes of life. 

Much has been said about her 

deprivations at childhood. 

Without meaning to water that 

down in any way, I would wish to 

place it in its truest perspective. 

She grew up in the 1940s; a time 

of widespread social change in 

Nigeria. Primary school 

education was still sipping into 

many parts of the Nigerian 

hinterland, starting from the 

litoral areas such as Lagos and 

Calabar where the first white 

Christian evangelists first 

established their schools. 

By the 1940s, poverty was still 

widespread in Nigeria and the 

urban centres were still few and 

far between. While primary 

school education was within the 

reach of any child whose parents 

were forward looking, or who had 

embraced Christianity, the 

Christian missionary schools that 

were coming up even in the 

villages, secondary school 

education were open only for the 

VIEWPOINT 

By Olusola Balogun 

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF 

The gains of loan 

‘You will never get to your 

destination if you stop to throw 

stones at every dog that barks at 

You’ — Winston Churchill 

SURELY, loans are never a 

good idea if you don’t possess 

the capacity to pay back within the 

required time frame or when it is 

not deployed judiciously. What 

must not be compromised by the 

citizenry is that the money so 

collected must be utilized on 

developmental projects. It must be 

used to work for the people. 

Indeed, it is like a man that took 

a credit facility to build a five-star 

hotel and he is to re-pay over a 

period of ten years. Even if the 

man dies, the hotel will still be 

there for his children to see and 

enjoy from. 

What need to be consider when 

issues concerning accessing loan 

facility is being considered is: Does 

the man or government seeking 

OSITA IKE: Early exit of a promising player 

referee, who is the Creator and the 

controller of life, that decision 

stands unquestionable and must be 

seen to be so. 

So, instead of questioning “why 

now”, as many would want to, the 

narrative should be on the impact 

of his first half actions in the game 

of life. Did he play well? Did he 

touch lives? Any lessons? Which 

everway one looks at it, there is 

absolutely never a time death is 

welcomed. Even the oldest person 

around does not want to go yet, 

even if he is assured of direct entry 

into heaven. Death is a mystery. 

The grave is dreadful. The fact that 

one will be forever missed makes 

such a transition unwelcomed. 

Even the Igbos say that a 

“worthless life is better than a 

worthless death” 

Prince Osita Ike’s first half 

outing was quite interesting. He 

scored many goals, although as a 

human being, he might have also 

BUCHI: An Ibusa girl who conquered the world 

most fortunate few. 

BuchiEmecheta, who by this 

time was already living in 

Nigeria’s greatest metropolis, 

Lagos, was among the fortunate 

few. Her father, a veteran who had 

fought in Burma during the 

Second World War on the side of 

Britain, had an uncommon 

exposure that opened up several 

doors. No wonder, he was working 

in the then elite work force of 

Nigeria; the railways. So, Buchi 

had a life of promise before her. 

Then tragedy struck! Her 

father died. She was barely eight 

years old by then. Despite all the 

promise of the life of the intellect 

ahead of her, despite her visible 

intelligence due to the top-flight 

results she must have earned in 

the primary school classes she 

may have attended. That her 

father died would have spelt the 

end of the road for Buchi 

Emechete but for something that 

has remained a major plank of 

the progress, the remarkable 

progress, the unstoppable 

progress, the celebratory progress 

that has set Ibusa apart as a 

domain of progress and 

development. 

That thing is communal effort. 

In Ibusa town, the saying that “it 

takes a village to train a child”, is 

missed some scoring chances. He 

was not only a Fellow of the 

Nigerian Institute of Public 

Relations (NIPR), but was also his 

live in its entirety was public 

relations personified. He was a 

man whose smiles could easily 

disarm his enemies. Osita had 

no time for grudges. He was good 

in nipping in the bud, any situation 

that could degenerate into crisis. 

Even when he was not directly 

involved, he would always make 

himself part of the solution. With 

Osita around, there was never a 

dull moment. He took after the 

unassuming nature and 

characteristics of his loving 

parents - Professors 

Chukwuemeka and Adebimpe 

Ike. He also took after their love 

for culture, as since his parents’ 

retirement to Ndikelionwu 

several years ago, Prince Osita 

literally located with them to the 

rural community and was never 

still coming true today as it did 

when Buchi Emechieta was a girlchild 

in need of financial help in 

the 1940s. When words reached 

Mr. Hallim, a then senior civil 

service staff of the old Western 

Region Civil Service at Ibadan, 

that there was a prodigiously 

gifted girl who has exhibited a 

splash of brilliance in her short 

stint at school, like a meteor 

streaking through the night sky, 

he reacted like the average Ibusa 

man or woman; that the young 

Buchi must return to school. Buchi 

returned to school because an 

Ibusa man who was not her real 

father treated her as though she 

were his own real daughter. 

From there, Onyebuchi opened 

up her wings and soared like the 

eagle. From there, she studied 

voraciously. From there she 

became the Buchi that was known 

and celebrated across the globe. 

From there, she became the Buchi 

that the world has joined Ibusa 

town to mourn today. 

There is the other Buchi, the 

product of hard work; the single 

mother who raised five children 

and still found the time to author 

21 books. The challenges she 

faced and overcame were fully 

reflected in Buchi’s oftenautobiographical 

literary 

found complaining. He was 

always at home anywhere he 

found himself. 

The PR community is mourning, 

not just the demise of one of its 

own, but also one practitioner who 

worked assiduously in advancing 

the cause of the practice in the 

country. He was in the Executive 

Council of the Lagos Chapter for 

several years. In their tributes at 

the occasion of the Service of 

Songs ceremony held in Osita’s 

honour at St. Patrick Anglican 

Church, Anthony Village last week 

Friday, his colleague who trooped 

to the venue were all in tears on 

the great loss. His Osyter PR 

Limited was one of the innovative 

agencies in the industry. At the 

early stages of his practice, Prince 

Ike was also the Public Relations 

Officer of the National Board for 

Community Banks, where he 

worked with renowned Professor 

Akin Mabogunje. 

harvest. 

Somebody wrote about her that: 

“The main source of inspiration 

for her writing, however, was 

Africa, and in particular the 

villages of Ibusa in (Delta State) 

Nigeria where her family came 

from. Even though she had spent 

a relatively brief period of her 

childhood there, the villages and 

the stories she heard on her visits 

with her mother left an indelible 

mark on the impressionable 

young girl and became the 

lodestone for all she wrote. In The 

Slave Girl (1977, for which she 

won the New Statesman’s jock 

Campbell award), The Bride Price 

(1976), and the ironically titled 

The Joys of Motherhood (1979), 

she poignantly captured, in a 

manner reminiscent of her male 

contemporary Chinua Achebe, a 

vanishing Igbo culture in the 

process of transition to 

modernity”. Mr. Sylvester 

Onwordi, the man who wrote 

those words should know Buchi 

intimately because he is her very 

own son. And not surprisingly, he 

is a writer too! 

So, even though Buchi 

Emecheta left Ibusa very early in 

life, Ibusa never left her for a 

minute. She remained a true 

Ibusa daughter, giving her literary 

Ogun and Politics of Debt Management 

for such facility has the capacity 

to pay back? Is the reason for such 

loan salutary? Are the people to 

administer the loan credible and 

would judiciously utilise the 

fund?Those are the salient 

questions to consider and not 

political sentiments. 

In the case of Ogun State, the 

answer to the three posers is YES. 

The National Bureau of Statistics 

(NBC) recently rated Ogun as 

third nationally in terms of 

Internally Generated Revenue 

(IGR) collection. In the report, the 

NBC, while assessing states for the 

duration of January to June 2016, 

rated Ogun just behind Lagos 

State and oil -rich Rivers State. 

According to the report, “Ogun 

State with its internal resources 

has been positioned the third 

highest IGR among other 

Nigerian states. The state, within 

six months in 2016 generated 

revenue of N56.29 billion. Ogun 

made this increment from N10.84 

billion in 2011.. “ 

The report indicates that Ogun 

took a 500 percent leap from 

what used to be in 2011 to an 

Olympian height in 2016. The 

import of such rating is that the 

state possesses the innate capacity 

to generate enough revenue to 

repay any financial indebtedness. 

Happily enough, the fund is 

being used for the people. Proof of 

shrewd and effective utilisation of 

the financial resources is evident. 

Eye-popping and ambitious 

infrastructural transformation is 

sprouting in several parts of the 

state. Millennia projects designed 

to position the state for the 

challenges of the 21 century are 

being executed. 

One of such is the construction 

of a 10-lane expressway which 

promises to launch Ogun into the 

big leagues of states with modern 

infrastructure. When completed, 

two lanes on either side of the 

expressway would be built with 

concrete and will be reserved for 

trucks and other heavy duty 

vehicles. The advantage of this is 

massive.It will reduce accident 

rate on the road as well as preserve 

the lifespan of the road. 

The expressway would also host 

the rail transport project being 

SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017, Page 43 

planned by the state government. 

The rail project is to connect the 

Federal Government rail line at 

Sagamu interchange. This will 

greatly reduce the travel time 

between Abeokuta and Lagos. 

When completed, the rail line 

will further ensure that more 

people can live in Abeokuta or 

Sagamu and work on the Lagos 

Island. 

This vision is also being 

complemented with the 

development of an array of 

housing estates located along the 

Abeokuta-Sagamu corridor. The 

benefit of such a single project 

could then best be imagined as it 

would further pump-up the 

adrenalin of the states high-flying 

IGR. 

The loan being sought by the 

government would assist in 

ensuring the completion of 

various projects scattered across 

the state such as the 35-kilometer 

Sango-ijoko-Akute-Alagbole- 

Ojodu road. Urban roads as well 

as Rural roads are equally to the 

considered. 

Interestingly, the managers of 

Prince Osita Ike was not a 

literary icon like his father (who 

authored celebrated novels like: 

Sunset at Dawn, The Chicken 

Chasers, Expo 77, Toad for Supper, 

The Naked God, The Bottled 

Leopard and The Potter’s Wheel as 

well as Our Children are Coming, 

among others), but he also made 

some contributions in the area. He 

was a Facilitator of many 

programmes and events in the 

Book, Visual arts and Theatre 

arenas. Osita was also a 

seasoned commentator on 

national issues as well as 

Newspaper Columnist. 

Osita was victim of asthma 

attack. The media industry, your 

constituency, mourns you! Your 

community, Ndikelionwu, mourns 

you! Humanity mourns you! Good 

night the Prince. Rest in peace. 

•UCHIME is Editor, 

FORWARD MAGAZINE, Lagos. 

creativity sustenance from Ibusa. 

Just like Buchi the girl that left 

Ibusa in her childhood changed, 

so too did her dear town also 

change for change is the only 

constant in life. None can 

begrudge her not returning to live 

fully in Ibusa, no that would be 

asking for too much. That she 

knew and cherished where she 

came from, is enough for us. What 

has never been in doubt is her love 

for Ibusa. 

Although the first reaction, upon 

hearing of her death, is to mourn, 

this is not dirge. Instead, I hereby 

raise a hymn of celebration to 

thank God for sending to Ibusa 

such a wonderfully gifted writer. 

Instead of mourning, I hereby 

celebrate her focus in life and the 

hard work behind all she 

achieved. 

Yes, I celebrate 

OnyebuchiEmecheta, the Ibusa 

girl who conquered the world. She 

lived a life of great productivity 

that she lifted herself to the 

pantheon of the immortals with 

the Chinua Achebes; for as long 

as her books continue to be read, 

for that long is she alive. 

•Izagbo is President–General, 

Ibusa Community Development 

Union, (ICDU) Worldwide 

the State are not resting on their 

oars. The state today is the 

industrial Mecca of Nigeria 

having attracted over 120 new 

companies under six years with 

scores still on the queue waiting 

to come in. 

But really you won’t blame 

Nigerians for being sceptical 

when it comes to accessing loan 

facility. Many a government 

official had in the past obtained 

such facility only to divert it to 

pedestrian usage or simply siphon 

such fund. 

However, the case of Ogun 

under Senator Ibikunle Amosun 

is different. Since he assumed 

office in 2011, he has made 

judicial utilisation of financial 

resources a priority. He has 

constructed over nine bridges and 

400 kilometres of urban roads 

across the state. Indeed, he 

negotiated a singe-digit interest 

for the loan he seeks. 

•Balogun is a media aide of 

Governor Ibikunle Amosun. He 

can be reached via 

balogunesola@gmail.com

Page 44—SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

VIEWPOINT 

By Olukayode Ajulo 

VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF 

Repositioning a race 

AS the world educates and 

initiates her young ones as 

modern species more aggressively 

attuned to the flexibilities of 

modernity as working antidote to 

rigid political antiquity which is 

largely Africa’s bane, Africa, yes, 

Nigeria, has ingloriously glued 

itself to gerontocracy. 

It wasn’t particularly bad for 

Nigeria at the get-go. Early 

nationalists who fought for, sought 

and got independence for the 

nation Nigeria did same in their 

youths. Remember Herbert 

Macaulay, Al-Haji Aminu Kano, 

Al-Haji Sir Abubakar Tafawa 

Balewa, Professor Eyo Ita, Al-Haji 

Sir Ahmadu Bello, Alvan Ikoku, 

Dennis Osadebay, Dr. Nnamdi 

Azikiwe, Sir Egbert Udo Udoma, 

Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Joseph 

Tarka, General Murtala 

Mohammed and the up and doing 

General Yakubu Gowon all called 

the shots as leaders of the country 

in their youth,an era Nigerians call 

VIEWPOINT 

Yoruba and the cog of gerontocracy 

golden, years that fanned radical 

changes and revolutionary 

ideologies that saw the country out 

of the woods. 

When it comes to mind that three 

of these prominent Nigerians, 

Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, 

and Nnamdi Azikiwe, personally 

participated in negotiations for the 

independence from Britain, then 

you can dearly bemoan the 

political Egypt to which Nigeria 

has gladly returned. Today, our 

state and federal parliaments have 

become virtual permanent homes 

for docile and unproductive 

septuagenarians and lame 

octogenarians who do but deepen 

the depth of our doom as a country. 

We must hammer the truism that 

youth mainstreaming can allow 

young people to change the world 

by creating new awareness, 

opportunities, policies, systems 

and cultures that foster youth 

engagement. In political parties, 

youth mainstreaming could allow 

for children and youth to affect 

democratic representation even in 

parties that would deny them the 

right to vote or otherwise become 

engaged. Whatever age they are, 

young people can run for office 

anywhere in the world as an act of 

protest; to make a stand or to draw 

attention. 

In my sojourn across my country 

-Nigera vis-a-vis the age 

demography of political leaders 

among the major ethic, I dare say 

there’s no denying that the 

predomination of these 

gerontocrats in Nigerian political 

space seems more prevalent 

among the Yoruba people of the 

Southwest, Nigeria. It would 

alarm one who’s initiated and rich 

enough of Yoruba’s culture to the 

effect that the youth of this tribe 

has always been it’s strength and a 

central part of its rich history. Its 

but alien to us (the Yorubas) for old 

men and women to be avaricious 

especially with political power and 

office. 

It was not so with the people and 

culture of the Yoruba at the various 

chapters and sagas in history, for 

instance, it wasn’t so when the late 

Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the 

Oiling Amnesty Programme 

By Afeez Mustapha 

VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT 

IN BRIEF 

Stamping out any form of unrest 

in the Niger Delta 

THERE is no gainsaying 

that the coming on stream 

of the Presidential Amnesty 

Programme greatly reduced 

the uncertainty and danger in 

doing business in the Niger 

Delta, which hosts the oil and 

gas exploration and 

exploitation on which the 

Nigerian nation depends for its 

economic 

survival. 

Comparatively, in the 2006/ 

2008 period, a maximum of 

800,000 barrels per day was 

attainable because of the 

strident dangerous 

environment in which the 

multi-national petroleum 

companies were working in the 

militants-infested creeks while 

the figure rose to a peak of 2.3 

million barrels per day after 

the setting up of the Amnesty 

Programme. This increment of 

1.5million barrels per day 

brought the nation’s oil and gas 

daily revenue to $120.45m. 

In spite of the direct 

consequence of the new 

conducive environment in the 

creek that commensurably 

increased the nation’s revenue 

earnings, there was the largelyheld 

view (which persists to this 

day) that the funds allocated 

for the Amnesty Programme 

annually is mainly used to 

offset the monthly stipends of 

the ex-militants whose number 

runs into almost 30,000 

persons. Not many are aware 

that the Programme is more 

than a veritable social welfare 

scheme designed to sate the 

anger of militant warlords and 

their foot soldiers 

The Programme was 

designed, partly, as a holistic 

package of human capital 

development modem to train 

the teeming but unemployed 

restive youth and tap their 

latent energy and employ it for 

avenues of human endeavours. 

At inception, the Presidential 

Amnesty Programme (PAP) was 

divided into three segments 

viz:Disarmament, 

Demobilisation and Reintegration 

(DDR), which were 

implemented sequentially with 

the ongoing reintegration of 

the disarmed, and demobilised 

militants into the larger society 

so that they can participate 

fully and actively in the 

economy and consequently eke 

out a living. 

It is gratifying to note that 

that the Federal Government 

has earmarked the sum of 

N65bn in the 2017 budget for 

the re-integration of the 

transformed ex-militants under 

the Amnesty Programme. 

Though it is not true that the 

Buhari Administration has set 

aside the sum of N29bn to 

tackle the resurgent militancy 

in the region, it is pertinent to 

say that the federal government 

should increase the allocation 

to the Amnesty Programme 

which has, to a large extent, 

curtailed militancy and 

pipeline vandalism in the 

hitherto volatile Niger Delta 

region. 

With the emerging scenario of 

some ex-militants who were not 

captured in the first phase of the 

programme and the rising cost 

of training those in institutions 

of learning here and abroad, 

there cannot be a more 

appropriate time for the 

operational allocation to the 

Presidential Amnesty 

Programme, to be increased to 

meet the exigencies of the 

current dire economic situation 

in the country. 

As a further mark of 

government’s sincerity and 

commitment to the 

implementation of the tenets of 

the Programme, it directed that 

the, monthly stipend due to all 

the ex-militants be paid 

Awujale of Ijebu land was 

enthroned at age 26 in 1960. This 

exemplar monarch, who has 

reigned for more than half a 

century has achieved so much for 

his domain and the Yoruba land 

as a constituency. 

The other day, a monarch in his 

youth ascended the throne of his 

forefathers as the Ooni of Ife and 

the first Oba on the soil of the 

Yoruba geographical space. Oba 

Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja 

II, the 51st Ooni of Ife, who was 

enthroned barely over a year ago 

has been a toast to great 

kingship; his reign has been 

marked by a modern outlook and 

a number of progressive policies, 

prince of which is his unification 

agenda and transformation moves 

of the illustrious king since he 

ascended the throne. He continues 

to initiate and coordinate lofty 

activities to advance the interest 

of his clan, the country and the 

black race around the world. 

That is what one gets when 

muscles and mental might is 

present in leaders or 

directly to them in order to 

eliminate diversion and 

misappropriation, as was the 

case in the past. In addition to 

the monthly stipend, the 

eligible ex-militants were also 

entitled to the human capital 

development segment of the 

PAP, which has, undoubtedly, 

created a new cadre of Niger 

Deltans who will drive the 

economy of the region and 

engender better living 

conditions and standard 

among the people which has 

worsened since oil was 

discovered in Oloibiri in 1956. 

This cadre of ex-militants 

were enrolled in many schools 

and institutes in Nigeria and 

abroad i.e. Russia, United 

States of America, United 

Kingdom, Malaysia, South 

Africa etc, to learn some 

technical trades, acquire 

vocational skills and liberal 

education that will be useful in 

the general uplift of the people 

of the region and even beyond. 

These includes welding, fitting, 

diving etc while some others 

with basic educational 

qualifications were trained (or 

undergoing studies) as marine 

engineers, welders, flight 

attendants, divers, pilots etc. 

The commitment and 

roadmap of the present 

Fayose and the re-emergence of PDP in the South-West 

VIEWPOINT 

By Sola Adetola 

VIEWPOINT VIEWPOINT 

IN BRIEF 

An agenda for a leader 

THE appointment of 

Governor Ayodele Fayose of 

Ekiti State as chairman of the 

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 

Governors’ Forum is a good 

development. First, he earned it 

as the most senior state governor 

of the PDP extraction in the present 

dispensation. Secondly, 

according to Governor Seriake 

Dickson of Bayelsa State, who 

announced the appointment, 

Fayose deserved it as a committed 

party man. No one can fault this 

claim. 

The position gives Fayose the 

privilege to coordinate the 

activities of the Governors Forum 

and work with other party 

structures to uplift the party. It is 

a weighty responsibility thrust 

upon his shoulders at a time the 

party is struggling to overcome 

leadership challenges and the 

concomitant fractionalization 

and disorientation the crisis had 

plunged its members into in most 

parts of the country. 

Fortunately, Fayose himself is 

not unfamiliar with the 

leadership tussle that has torn the 

party apart. He was part of the 

genesis of the crisis, being one of 

the principal actors who foisted 

ex-governor of Borno State, 

Senator Ali Modu Sheriff on the 

party as acting national 

chairman, despite the fears raised 

by notable stakeholders, including 

the board of trustees of the party. 

Sadly, he and his collaborators in 

the scheme were unable to curb 

the man when he engineered a 

power play that became volatile. 

The resultant conflagration has 

defied political solution and the 

party now seeks refuge in a 

judicial resolution. Fayose should 

learn something from that to 

guide him in his new call to duty. 

Another party issue that Fayose 

needs to draw lessons from was 

his alleged role in yet another 

contrivance to impose a relatively 

new member of the party and 

former governorship candidate in 

Lagos State, Jimi Agbaje, as 

national chairman of the party in 

very controversial circumstances, 

at the botched national 

convention of the party in Port 

Harcourt, in August last year. 

This move did not go down well 

with the stakeholders of the party 

from the South-West as they had 

already endorsed a consensus 

candidate at their meeting in 

Akure, Ondo State, in the person 

of Chief Olabode George. The 

subsequent disenfranchisement of 

most of the delegates from the 

zone, with the exception of Ekiti 

State delegates, at the convention 

ground left members feeling 

betrayed and convinced that 

Fayose was pursuing a separate 

agenda against the collective will 

of the majority in the zone. 

Both of these experiences 

portray Fayose as a leader 

comfortable with arbitrary 

actions in a bid to have his will 

done irrespective of what the 

majority thought or felt. This 

leadership style or attribute will 

not be helpful to him in the 

performance of his duties as 

chairman of the PDP Governors 

Forum. In simple terms, his 

mandate is to work with his 

colleagues and other structures of 

the party to uphold its core values 

and promote its electoral 

fortunes. It involves the 

stabilization of the party and 

mobilization of its members and 

supporters. Both of these cannot 

be achieved when a leader is 

pursuing a personal agenda or 

promoting the vested interest of a 

few against the majority. 

His new leadership role also 

demands adequate consultations 

on issues affecting the party, 

accommodation of diverse views 

and the distillation of proper, 

honourable and dignifying 

courses of action from these views 

through wise counsel. And of 

representatives. In order to 

become engaged in politics in the 

most effective ways, young people 

should be encouraged to learn 

about political ideologies , 

political actions, political issues 

and other realities within and 

around the political system. They 

should be involved to change the 

date of a daily failing country and 

continent. Nigerian youths should 

be positioned across the various 

constituent ethic identities for 

leadership. We need more of 

Ogunwusis and Adetonas, Yoruba 

land needs not continue to waste 

the worth of her youth if it must 

prosper. 

If Yoruba must regain and retain 

its pride of place, if Nigeria must 

triumph over its today’s woes and 

travel beyond the socioeconomic 

boundaries that fetters it, such as 

those given above, we must begin 

to prevail on citizens to start to 

discourage fielding grandparents 

for political offices, a trend 

anticlockwise to the emerging 

new world. 

•Ajulo is Principal Partner, 

Kayode Ajulo & Co. Castle of Law, 

Abuja 

administration to increase the 

budgetary allocation to oil the 

greater responsibilities being 

borne by the Presidential 

Amnesty Programme is 

laudable. Concurrently, the 

hue and cry for the upward 

review of the total allocation 

for the implementation of the 

Presidential Amnesty 

Programme in the Niger Delta, 

is largely predicated on 

arresting and/or truncating the 

violent confrontations between 

aggrieved militants and the 

regular security personnel of 

government who are deployed 

to protect the personnel and the 

operations of the oil and gas 

multi-national in the Niger 

Delta creeks. 

In view of the foregoing, any 

proposal to increase the funding 

of the PAP will invariably reflect 

in the gains reaped from the 

relative peace and security that 

has replaced the kidnappings, 

murder, wanton destruction of 

corporate installations and 

personal properties, by the then 

rampaging militants. It is, 

therefore, advisible for the 

government to take the issue of 

developing the Niger Delta 

Region more seriously to stamp 

out any form of civil unrest in 

the Region and other parts of 

the country. 

•Mustapha is a Kano-based 

social commentator 

course, all of these must be guided 

by diligent adherence to the 

dictates of the constitution of the 

party. Fayose must ponder over 

these responsibilities and adjust 

himself if he does not want the 

party to disintegrate further. 

Charity, they say, begins at 

home. At the moment, the 

immediate task at hand is the 

rebuilding of the party for a 

rebound to power in 2019. The 

first test of the ability of Fayose to 

work with stakeholders across the 

country to achieve this purpose 

will be in his immediate 

constituency, the South-West zone. 

There is no doubt that he is a 

fiercely loyal party man running 

an enviable administration in 

Ekiti. But he is well aware that the 

current crisis in the party has 

taken its toll in the zone and even 

in his state where he recently 

became a victim with the sacking 

of the party executive recognized 

by him through a litigation. 

•Sola Adetola lives in Lagos. 

Email:solatola215@gmail.com

SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 — 45 

Ref apologies for Sanchez’s handball goal 

REFEREE 

Mark 

Clattenburg apologised 

to Hull City players 

after missing the clear 

hand-ball offence that set 

Arsenal on the path to a 

2-0 victory at the Emirates. 

Television replays clearly 

showed that Arsenal’s 

Alexis Sanchez 34thminute 

opener came when 

the ball diverted off his 

hand and into the Hull 

net after visiting goalkeeper 

Eldin Jakupovic had 

blocked his origanal effort. 

Clattenburg was at the 

centre of further controversy 

in the second half 

when Arsenal defender 

Kieran Gibbs escaped 

with a yellow card despite 

appearing to be the last 

man as he fouled Hull’s 

Lazar Markovic. 

Sanchez sealed the 

points for Arsenal in stoppage 

time from the penalty 

spot after Sam Clucas 

was dismissed for blocking 

a header by substitute 

Lucas Perez on the line 

with his elbow. 

Nevertheless, Hull 

coach Marco Silva had 

further cause for displeasure 

in the 54th minute 

when Gibbs barged Lazar 

Markovic to the floor 

when the on-loan Liverpool 

man seemed set to 

bear down on the Arsenal 

goal. 

Asked whether the leftback 

should have seen 

red, the former Olympiacos 

boss told Sky Sports: 

“Yes. It is true. I don’t 

M ANCHESTER 

United’s 2-0 win 

over Watford on Saturday 

saw them become the first 

Premier League team to 

amass a total of 2000 Premier 

League points. 

The Old Trafford outfit 

have regularly set new 

benchmarks since the Premier 

League’s inception 

in 1992 and have now 

added another to the list. 

Goals in either half from 

Juan Mata and Anthony 

Martial secured the 

want to talk about all the 

situations of the referee 

but Markovic goes to the 

goal, one against one 

with the keeper. 

“Maybe it is one more 

important decision during 

the game but we need to 

do our job and that is not 

our job.” On the Sanchez 

incident, he said: “Arsenal 

were the better team 

in the first half but it is 

true they scored a goal 

with handball. 

“At the start of the second 

half the referee apologised 

to my players.” 

Man United set record with win over 

Watford 

*Anthony Martial (l) 

CHASE... Arsenal's Chilean striker, Alexis Sanchez (L) outpaces a Hull City player 

during the English Premier League football match between both teams at the 

Emirates Stadium in London yesterday. Arsenal won 2-0. Photo: AFP 

points for United, with the 

win taking the club a single 

point behind local rivals 

Manchester City in 

fifth. Mata has now 

scored in successive Premier 

League games for 

Man Utd for the first time 

since September 2015, 

while Martial has been 

involved in more league 

goals for his side than any 

other player. 

United manager Jose 

Mourinho had called on 

Martial to show improvement 

with so many other 

Mahrez tips Leicester to win 

relegation ‘dog-fight’ against Swansea 

LEICESTER’s Premier 

League title triumph 

seems an age ago, 

but Riyad Mahrez is confident 

the fairytale will not 

be tainted by relegation. 

Nine months on from being 

crowned champions of 

England for the first time 

in their 133-year history, 

one of the greatest sporting 

stories ever told is in 

danger of having an un- 

wide players competing 

for places in the team, and 

the France winger responded 

in style at Old 

Trafford. 

Martial provided the 

low cross that Juan Mata 

converted from the edge of 

the six-yard box in the 

32nd minute. 

The 21-year-old Martial 

scored his third league 

goal of the season when 

he was set free by Zlatan 

Ibrahimovic, before cutting 

in from the left and 

beating Watford goalkeeper 

Heurelho Gomes at his 

near post with a low shot 

in the 60th. 

Martial joined United 

for an initial fee of 36 million 

pounds ($55.5 million) 

in 2015 - making him the 

world’s most expensive 

teenager - and was the 

club’s top scorer in his first 

season, but has been in 

and out of the team under 

Mourinho. Marcus Rashford, 

Juan Mata, Henrikh 

Mkhitaryan, Jesse Lingard 

and Ashley Young are 

other wide players in 

Mourinho’s squad. 

The win kept United in 

touch with the top four as 

six teams go for four qualification 

places for next 

season’s 

League. 

Champions 

wanted chapter added as 

they could become the 

first team since Manchester 

City in 1938 to see their 

title defence end in relegation. 

Just one point above the 

drop zone, Leicester face 

a crucial match today 

when they travel to the 

Liberty Stadium to face 

Swansea — who like the 

Foxes have 21 points from 

their 24 matches. 

“It’s a big game,’’ said 

Mahrez. “We have to prepare 

properly because 

both clubs are near the 

bottom and we need to 

get something from 

that.’’ 

The 25-year-old thinks a 

return to basics could 

hold the key to climbing 

away from the bottom 

three and he does not 

want Leicester’s fight to 

go right down to the wire. 

“We are just in a bad 

moment right now and we 

just have to come back 

our way,’’ he said. “We 

know we have quality in 

this team and we know if 

we do things properly we 

will stay in the Premier 

League. We are confident 

*Mahrez 

ARSENE Wenger 

has denied telling 

former Arsenal striker 

Ian Wright that he wants 

to quit the club at the 

end of the season. 

Wright claimed that he 

had been told by Wenger 

that he was “coming to 

the end” of his time at Arsenal, 

with the manager’s 

contract due to expire 

at the end of the season. 

The comments came 

amid increased speculation 

that Arsenal are putting 

together a shortlist 

of potential replacements 

for Wenger, who 

has consistently declined 

to provide clarification 

over his future. 

Asked about Wright’s 

comments, Wenger 

said: “That’s true [he was 

with me on Thursday. 

Wenger told me his time 

is ‘coming to the end’ at 

Arsenal - Ian Wright 

“I could have been tired 

because I get up early in 

the morning and I finish 

we can do it — very confident. 

“We just need to work 

hard. We need to just focus 

on the last 14 games 

and make sure we are 

safe. We want to be safe 

before the last five games. 

We don’t want to be in a 

struggle right at the end. 

We need to do things 

properly to make sure we 

are safe.’’ 

If Leicester are to survive, 

Mahrez must play a 

pivotal role. The Algeria 

international was a shining 

light last season, his 

performances earning 

him the player of the year 

vote from his peers, but he 

has barely flickered this 

campaign, with his own 

form directly reflecting 

that of the champions. 

Last season, he scored 

17 Premier League goals 

from midfield and provided 

11 assists. This campaign, 

he has been nowhere 

near as effective 

and has found the net just 

three times in the league. 

Mahrez insists he will 

rediscover his best form 

and help Leicester stay 

up. 

Wenger 

dismisses 

Wright’s 

claim on 

Arsenal exit 

late at night so, sometimes 

I am tired, yes, but 

I didn’t give any indication 

on my future. 

“We had a little dinner 

before but it was not the 

two of us. We were four 

or five. I appreciate very 

much that you want me 

to rest, absolutely, but I’m 

not ready for that.” 

The familiar sight of a 

title challenge turning 

into another scramble to 

finish in the top four combined 

with a daunting 

task against Bayern Munich 

in the Champions 

League knockout stage 

next week — when they 

•Wenger 

will seek to avoid a last- 

16 exit for the seventh 

consecutive season — 

means many fans will 

vote with their feet, according 

to AST spokesman 

Tim Payton. 

It’s easy to shout 

‘Wenger Out’ but just 

who comes next? 

“Fans I talk to are extremely 

frustrated but 

there is no great desire 

for organised protest 

aimed directly at Arsene 

Wenger given all he has 

achieved at the club and 

the result is that many 

fans simply can’t face 

going every week. Add 

in the fact it is a lunchtime 

kick-off on a cold 

weekend at the start of 

half-term against modest 

opposition and the crowd 

could be 10,000 below 

capacity.” 

Arsenal state their official 

attendances in terms 

of tickets sold but the 

number of supporters actually 

coming through 

the turnstiles has often 

shown to be lower; a 2014 

Metropolitan Police report 

suggested the average 

figure was around 

5,000 fewer than the declared 

number of just 

under 60,000, although 

this estimate did not include 

fans who entered 

through stadium car 

parks.

46 — SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

•Wrap Around... Adjarhor David Obaro world wrapperman at the Access 

Bank Lagos City Marathon 

Efe Ambrose suffers more work 

permit delay 

SUPER 

Eagles 

defender Efe Ambrose 

is desperate to join 

Blackburn, but he has 

been unable to secure a 

work permit. 

Ambrose has been 

training with Blackburn 

after agreeing a loan move 

on transfer deadline day 

but still both parties are 

•Efe Ambrose...on-hold 

Stampede 

Continued from B/P 

organising funerals. 

The deaths occurred 

during a domestic league 

match between host side 

Santa Rita de Cassia and 

Recreativo de Libolo in the 

northern town of Uige on 

the opening day of the 

season. 

“Several children have 

been killed,” police 

spokesman Orlando 

Bernardo told AFP. 

“There was a blockage at 

the entrance to the January 

4 stadium,” he said. “This 

obstruction caused multiple 

fatalities — 17 deaths, and 

there are 56 injured in the 

hospital.” 

A doctor at the military 

hospital in Uige said 

Saturday that the toll had 

risen to 22. 

“Seventeen people died 

on the spot and five others 

at the hospital,” said the 

doctor, who wished to 

remain anonymous. 

awaiting a work permit. 

The 28-year-old Nigerian 

remains in limbo as his loan 

move from Celtic Park to 

Rovers continues to hang 

on the awarding of a work 

permit. 

That is no closer to 

arriving, Blackburn boss 

Owen Coyle said 

yesterday. But he revealed 

that Ambrose could clinch 

a permanent move to 

Lancashire in the summer 

if he gets the chance to 

impress. 

“The group really like 

him, he doesn’t hold 

anything back in terms of 

the way he trains, and he 

shows that he wants to be 

part of it. 

“The lad is desperate to 

be at Blackburn Rovers and 

Officials maintained that 

the toll was 17. 

Police said hundreds of 

fans had tried to enter the 

already packed stadium to 

see the match, causing a 

crush that pushed some 

people to the ground. 

Many of the dead were 

trampled to death or 

suffocated. 

“While the players were 

on the field, fans outside 

were trying to get into the 

stadium and a gate 

probably gave way to the 

pressure of the crowd 

causing several people to 

fall who were literally 

trampled on by the crowd,” 

the Recreativo de Libolo 

club said in a statement on 

its website. 

The club called it “a 

tragedy without precedent 

in the history of Angolan 

football”. 

At that game, supporters 

angered by their team’s 

defeat threw projectiles 

and broke chairs. Police 

threw tear gas grenades, 

triggering a stampede. 

kick-start his career. 

“We are really awaiting the 

final word from the FA, 

ultimately it will be there 

decision, but hopefully we 

get good news.” 

Celtic and Blackburn 

agreed a loan deal for 

Ambrose to move south in 

the closing hours of the 

transfer window a weekand-a-half 

ago. 

The 51-times capped 

Nigerian has dropped out of 

the reckoning at Celtic under 

Brendan Rodgers and will 

leave in the summer when 

his contract expires. 

Before then Blackburn are 

still awaiting a decision 

from the FA on whether the 

Nigerian international will 

be granted a work permit 

ahead of the loan move. 

Cameroon 


makes them more 

dangerous and they are a 

threat to all the teams in the 

group B. 

Nigeria tops the group 

with six points and the two 

side will clash back to back 

in August and September 

in Uyo and Limbe 

respectively and Phiri feels 

that the Lions’ exploits in 

Gabon make them serious 

contenders. 

Zambia held the 

Cameroon team in 

Yaounde, it was the second 

Neymar 


Neymar’s goal after 40 

minutes moved him on to 

95 strikes for Barca. 

Ronaldinho is a Barca 

icon having won two 

LaLiga titles and the 

Champions League in a 

five-year spell with the club 

between 2003 and 2008. 

Aged just 24 and with a 

Western Naval Command wins Nigerian Navy 

Water sports 

Oshoala 

By Solomon Nwoke 

WESTERN 

Naval 

Command (WNC) 

has won this year’s 

Nigerian Navy Games’ 

Water Sports Events which 

ended last Thursday at the 

Teslim Balogun Stadium 

and Navy Sailing Club 

Lagos. 

The Western Command 

team clinched first position 

in both swimming and 

sailing events, winning six 

gold, six silver and a bronze 

medal in the Rowing and 

Sailing. And in swimming 

it garnered 15 Gold., 15 

Silver and nine bronze 

medals making a total of 21 

gold and silver medals 

apiece and 10 bronze 

medals. 

The Eastern Naval 

Command (ENC) placed 

second after they poached 

a total of 14 gold medals in 

both events while the Naval 

Logistics Command took 

the third place after they 

won a gold and a silver 

apiece and two bronze 

medals in the Rowing and 

Sailing event and in 

Swimming; five gold 

medals, a silver and eight 

bronze medals for a total of 

six gold, two silver and 10 

bronze medals in all the 

events. The Naval Training 

Command (NAVTRAC) 

and Central Naval 

Command placed fourth 

and fifth respectively as 

they won a total of three 

gold, 19 silver and bronze 

medals respectively. 

draw posted by the five-time 

African champions in the 

group. 

“We might have held 

them [Cameroon] when we 

played them but they look 

to be serious prospects 

when the qualifiers resume. 

They will give us [Zambia] 

and other teams in the 

group problems. 

“This is based on their 

performance at the AFCON 

and that might just be their 

motivation to go all the way 

in the qualifiers, but as 

Zambia we should not give 

up or be intimidated,” Phiri 

said. 

contract until 2021, Neymar 

will expect to continue 

climbing a Barca 

goalscoring list that still has 

legendary names like 

Samuel Eto’o, Rivaldo and 

Patrick Kluivert above him. 

Leader Lionel Messi 

represents an unrealistic 

target, though – he has an 

astonishing 484 club goals 

and is still going strong. 

Neymar joined Barca from 

Santos in 2013. 


Obasi, Odion Ighalo and 

John Owoeri who all 

signed for various Chinese 

clubs in January. 

The former Liverpool and 

Arsenal ladies striker 

resumed training with the 

Chinese clubs yesterday. 

Dalian Quanjian based in 

Beijing is manager by 

former PSG coach, Farid 

Benstiti. 

Oshoala did not have the 

Liverpool 


Liverpool their first Premier 

League win of 2017 as 

Tottenham Hotspur were 

beaten 2-0 at Anfield. 

Mane and Liverpool took 

full advantage of a chaotic 

first half from Spurs, who 

were unable to cope with 

the home side’s intensity 

and offered far too much 

space. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side 

could have been in front in 

the opening minutes as the 

visitors struggled to settle, 

with Roberto Firmino 

having an early effort 

blocked amid defensive 

uncertainty. 

They made the 

breakthrough after 16 

minutes when Georginio 

Wijnaldum slid a superb 

pass through to Mane, 

who got away from Ben 

Davies to power a finish 

past Hugo Lloris. 

Two minutes later, the 

lead was doubled when 

Tottenham’s Eric Dier took 

Kenyan 


Kiptoech Kiboss to win the 

race and the $50, 000 top 

prize for a second time in a 

row. He returned 2.15.20 

seconds to better the course 

record 2.16. 21seconds he 

did in the maiden edition. 

Kiboss finished at 

2.15.25mins while 

Kiprotich Kiroi was third 

with 2.15.28mins. The first 

Nigerian male runner was 

Iliya Pam, he finished at 

2.31.15mins, he placed 

17 th in the list of top 20 

finishers. 

In the women category, 

Rodah Tanui clinched the 

top spot with a time of 

2.37.50 seconds while 

compatriots, Frida Lodepa 

and Alice Timbilili clocked 

2.38.21 and 2.39.02 

seconds respectively. 

Fadekemi Olude, with 

2.55.16 seconds was the first 

Nigerian women to tag in 

she was placed 12 th in the 

list of top 20 women 

best season for Arsenal and 

to see her leave the club 

after one season to earn a 

lot more money in China 

is not a surprise really. 

Oshoala was accused of 

having a lackadaisical 

attitude while with the 

Arsenal Ladies. 

Hopefully Farid Benstiti 

will manage to get the best 

out of her in China after she 

was recently voted 

Women’s Africa Player of 

the Year. 

too long to deal with a ball 

forward and was 

dispossessed by Mane. He 

set up Lallana whose shot 

was saved, as was 

Firmino’s effort on the 

rebound, before Mane 

smashed home the loose 

ball. 

Mane could have had a 

hat trick with 21 minutes 

gone only for Lloris to make 

a good save after he had 

taken advantage of more 

hesitation, this time from 

Davies. 

Spurs were stunned but 

could have put themselves 

back in the game just after 

the half hour when Son 

Heung-Min was denied by 

Simon Mignolet before a 

Dele Alli header was flicked 

up and over his own bar by 

Lucas. 

But Liverpool were on the 

front foot again as the first 

half drew to a close, 

Philippe Coutinho forcing 

a good save from Lloris, 

before Christian Eriksen 

whipped a free kick 

narrowly over for 

Tottenham. 

finishers. Other Nigerian 

women in the top 20 

include Hudung Gyang 

Stephen 02:59:08 secs 

Elizabeth Nuhu 

03:01:53secs. 

Sefiu Ojeleye won the 

wheelchair race it was his 

second win of the race. 

“I made my debut in this 

marathon last year and I 

thank God that I have won 

it back-to- back. I would 

not have been able to 

achieve this if not for my 

coach’s introductions with 

hard training and I know 

this will boost my chances 

in the forthcoming event in 

Kenya,” said Ojeleye. 

Lagos State governor, 

Akinwumi Ambode 

expressed satisfaction with 

the outcome of the race. He 

said he was looking 

forward to the 2018 edition, 

which he promised will be 

better and bigger. 

“We are hugely 

encouraged by the turnout. 

It has laid a foundation 

for a better and bigger 

marathon next year.”

SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 — 47 

NFF leadership tussle: Only Supreme 

Court can resolve issues—Giwa 

THE latest FIFA ban 

twist in the legal battle 

between the two gladiators 

in the Nigeria Football 

Federation, NFF 

leadership tussle Amaju 

Pinnick and Chris Giwa 

may not douse the 

prevalent tension as the 

Giwa group has vowed 

that only the Supreme 

Court of Nigeria can put 

an end to the tussle. 

FIFA had on Tuesday, 

February 7, 2017 approved 

the five year ban imposed 

by the Amaju-led Board 

on Giwa, Muazu 

Suleyman, Yahaya Adama, 

Sani Fema and Effiong 

Johnson from 

participating in any 

football matters. 

The ban on the Giwa 

group was announced on 

May 12, 2016 as a result of 

a legal action instituted by 

the Giwa group against the 

Amaju group to reclaim the 

mandate they claim was 

given to them by the NFF 

Congress at the Chida 

Hotel, Abuja on August 26, 

2014. 

Reacting to the FIFA 

approval of their ban, Giwa 

said: “The FIFA approval 

is laughable. We have so 

much respect for FIFA but 

this is a legal matter that 

has gone to as far as the 

Supreme Court of Nigeria. 

The Amaju group are just 

running away from their 

shadows. Only the 

Supreme Court can resolve 

the issues at stake.” 

According to Giwa, the 

issue of supremacy of 

Nigeria’s laws over FIFA 

laws has been laid to rest 

long time ago by Justice 

Okorowo in the matter 

between Dr Sam Sam Jaja 

and Nigeria Football 

League Ltd, NFF and 

three others. 

“Even Article1 of the 

NFF Statute is germane 

here,” Giwa said, adding, 

“It simply states that the 

NFA is set up under 

Nigeria’s law and is bond 

by same. Justice Okorowo 

succinctly captured this 

when he ruled that FIFA 

is an Association 

registered in the 

commercial register in 

accordance with Article 

60FF of Swiss Civil Code.” 

Continuing, Giwa 

quoted Justice Okorowo to 

have added that: 

“Although it may be 

recognised as a law 

governing football all over 

the world and Nigeria as a 

member ought to be bond 

by it, there is no indication 

that it has been 

domesticated in Nigeria. 

For it to have force of law 

in Nigeria or compared 

with Nigeria laws to limited 

rights or obligations 

guaranteed under the 

Nigerian Statutes and 

indeed the Constitution, it 

has to be domesticated. 

Therefore both NFF and 

FIFA Statutes with their 

respective provisions on 

arbitration have no force of 

law in Nigeria and cannot 

operate to bar plaintiff’s 

right of access to court.” 

It could be recalled that 

Ramat Cup begins in Kano today 

THE Youth Sports 

Federation of 

Nigeria, YSFON has 

concluded plans to stage 

this year’s edition of the 

annual Late General 

Murtala Ramat 

Mohammed Football 

Competition tagged 

Ramat Cup for U-16 boys 

and U-18 girls in Kano, 

the Kano State capital 

between from February 

12 to 16, 2017. 

According to a 

statement from the 

Federation’s 

Headquarters signed by 

its National Secretary, 

Patrick Okpavuerhe, 

participating states have 

been to ensure their 

representatives are the 

champions of the states. 

The statement also 

enjoined all the state 

chapters to ensure they 

pay their affiliation fees 

to be eligible to be part 

•Pinnick, (l) Giwa, waiting on Supreme Court 

of the tournament and 

supply the national 

secretariat with the 

recent passport 

photographs of their 

players, a group 

photograph of the 

players with a form filed 

indicating name, date of 

birth, age, body weight 

and height as well as the 

report of their state’s 

play-offs before the 

commencement of the 

competition. 

All teams were 

expected to have arrived 

the Kano Pillars 

Stadium,Sabon Gari, 

Kano venue of the 

championship last 

Friday. 

Speaking on the 

competition, National 

President of the 

Federation, Nasiru 

Gawuna assured all 

participating states that 

this year’s edition will 

be among the best 

organised Ramat Cup in 

recent times positing that 

the Kano State 

Government has assured 

that all logistics will be on 

ground before the 

commencement of the 

competition. 

Gawuna, while 

commending the Kano 

State Government for its 

consistency in 

sponsoring the 

tournament, appealed to 

other states to emulate 

them and sponsor 

YSFON competitions. 

Meanwhile, the body 

has announced that its 

National Executive 

Council meeting will 

hold on Sunday, 

February 19 in Kano as it 

advised all those eligible 

to attend to ensure they 

arrive Kano on February 

17. 

the Supreme Court has 

adjourned the case twice on 

the grounds that Amaju’s 

counsels failed to make 

their submission to the 

court. However, feelers 

from the apex court reveal 

that both parties have 

complied and a final ruling 

is being expected soon. 

CAF Confederation Cup: 

FC IfeanyiUbah, Al-Masry 

battle in Nnewi 

FC Ifeanyiubah will 

begin their historic 

CAF Confederation Cup 

toe against Al-Masry of 

Egypt from 3.30pm today 

in Nnewi. 

This will be ‘The 

Anambra Warriors’ firstever 

Confederation Cup 

match after they won the 

Nigeria Federation Cup 

last year. 

Their opponents in this 

first round, first leg 

fixture, Al-Masry, arrived 

Nigeria in the evening of 

Thursday with a 40-man 

contingent. 

“The Egyptians arrived 

Lagos aboard Egypt Air 

and were flown to the Sam 

Mbakwe Airport in 

Owerri,” an official 

disclosed. 

“From there they were 

driven to Oba, where 

their advance party had 

opted for their stay. 

“Initially, they 

inspected a hotel close to 

the stadium, but later 

decided to stay at Nelly’s 

Newton”. 

As would be expected, 

tight security has been 

provided by the Anambra 

State Football Association 

which incidentally is 

headed by the financier of 

FC Ifeanyiubah, Patrick 

Ubah round the abode of 

the visiting team. 

The return leg match 

will be played at the 18, 

000-capacity Port Said 

Stadium, situated on the 

bank of the Red Sea, 

Cairo, Egypt next 

weekend. 

•Ubah

SUNDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 12, 2017 

Kenyan athletes sweep 

Lagos City marathon clean 

By Ben Efe 

KENYAN male and 

female runners 

yesterday dominated 

the second edition of the 

Access Bank/Lagos City 

Marathon, even as 

keep fit enthusiasts had 

their share of fun. 

Abraham Kiptum beat 

off a stiff challenge from 

compatriot, Ronny 


•Gov Ambode happy with turn-out 

•STAMPEDE... Hordes of football fans falling over themselves outside an 

8,000 capacity stadium in the city of Uige, northern Angola as they tried to 

force their way into the arena. Seventeen of them died while scores of others 

were reported injured. 

Mahrez 

tips 

Leicester 

to beat 

relegation 

-p.45 

FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifier: 

Cameroon’s new profile scares 

Zambia coach 

17 die in stadium 

stampede 

ANGOLA announced 

an investigation 

Saturday into a stadium 

stampede that killed at 

least 17 and injured 

scores in an incident that 

the host team blamed on 

police error. 

The government has set 

up a commission to probe 

Friday’s crush — 

described as the 

Liverpool 

win first 

game in 

2017 

TWO goals in as 

many minutes from 

Sadio Mane earned 


1 2 3 4 5 6 

8 9 10 

13 14 15 

7 

11 12 

16 17 18 19 

20 21 22 23 

24 

27 28 29 30 

25 26 

34 35 

36 37 38 

39 

40 41 

See solution on page 5 

country’s worst football 

tragedy — the national 

Angop news agency 

reported. 

Children were among 

31 32 33 

ACROSS 

1. Governor of Sokoto 

State (8) 

5. Assistant (4) 

7. Praise (5) 

8. Upright (4) 

9. Lantern (4) 

11. Tradition (6) 

13. Lagos masquerade (3) 

15. Exclamation (2) 

16. Pig’s nose (5) 

18. Agent (3) 

20. Glitters (6) 

24. Forward (5) 

25. Nigerian state (6) 

27. Boring tool (3) 

29. Ghanaian fabric (5) 

31. Perform (2) 

32. Oshiomhole’s 

state (3) 

34. U.S. currency (6) 

36. Vow (4) 

38. Musical quality (4) 

39. Inclination (5) 

40. Eager (4) 

41. Damages (8) 

the victims. A second 

commission will help 

families of those who 

died and assist in 


Oshoala joins the 

China train 

C 

HINESE club Dalian 

•Oshoala 

Quanjian has 

confirmed the signing of 

Super Falcons striker, 

Asisat Oshoala. 

The reigning Africa 

women player of the year 

had earlier denied links 

to the club but yesterday 

it emerged that she has 

put pen to paper to follow 

in the footsteps of the 

Nigeria players like 

John Obi Mikel, Chinedu 


DOWN 

1. Sample (5) 

2. Niger state town (4) 

3. Observe (5) 

4. Lecture (6) 

5. Everyone (3) 

6. Use (6) 

10. Inquires (4) 

12. Carpet (3) 

14. Colour (6) 

15. Resistance unit (3) 

17. Coax (4) 

19. Rollicked (6) 

21. Hatchet (3) 

22. Satisfied (4) 

23. Nigerian state (3) 

26. Cry of derision (3) 

27 . African country (6) 

28. Endure (4) 

29. Child (3) 

30. Spoke (6) 

31. Adorn (5) 

33. Baking chambers 

(5) 

35. Asterisk (4) 

37. Possessed (3) 

•Neymar...Scoring for Barca 

Neymar 

breaks 

Ronaldinho’s 

Barca 

goals 

record 

NEYMAR has moved 

past Ronaldinho’s 

tally of Barcelona goals 

with his strike against 

Alaves. 

After equalling his 

fellow Brazilian’s tally 

during last month’s 4-0 

LaLiga victory at Eibar, 


•Mike, Nigeria captain 

F 

O R M E R 

Chipolopolo 

coach Patrick Phiri 

believes Indomitable 

•Moukandjo, Cameroon 

Captain 

Lions of Cameroon’s new 

profile as Africa Cup of 

Nations 2017 champions 


RESULTS 

England 

Arsenal 2 Hull City 0 

Man. Utd 2 Watford 0 

M’brough 0 Everton 0 

Stoke City 1 Crystal Palace 0 

Sunderland 0 Southampton 4 

West Ham 2 West Brom 2 

Liverpool 2 Tottenham 0 

Spain 

Real Betis 0 Valencia 0 

Alaves 0 Barcelona 6 

Athletico Bilbao 2 Deportivo 1 

TODAY'S MATCHES 

EPL 

Burnley v Chelsea 2.30pm 

Swansea v Leicester 5pm 

CAF Champions League 

FC IfeanyiUbah v Al-Masry 3.30pm 

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

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

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

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