11022017 - INCREDIBLE: Recovered $9.8m cash given to me by donors

2 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
INCREDIBLE: Recovered $9.8m cash given to
to me by donors, says detained ex-NNPC head
*How EFCC recovered loot in Kaduna
*’Money belongs to my elder brother’
*Why Jonathan sacked suspect in 2014
BY Soni Daniel &
Charles Kumolu
SHOCKING revelations
emerged yesterday
regarding the recovery
of $9.8 million
cash by the Economic
and Financial Crimes
Commission, EFCC,
from the Kaduna residence
of a former Group
Managing Director of
the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation,
NNPC, Dr. Andrew
Yakubu, who claimed
the recovered money
was given to him by donors.
Saturday Vanguard
learnt that the whopping
amount of money was
hidden in a fire-proof
safe and kept in an inconsequential
building
allegedly owned by the
former head of the stateowned
Oil and Gas company.
The discovery of
the stashed money in
Sabon Tesha, a suburb
in Kaduna, was the peak
of an investigation by
the commission into the
period Yakubu headed
the NNPC in the last dispensation.
Acting on an intelligence,
the commission,
it was gathered, commenced
investigation
Military kills over 30
Boko Haram insurgents,
loses 7 soldiers in Borno
By Kingsley Omonobi,
Abuja
SEVEN Nigerian
Soldiers were
killed and over 30 Boko
Haram terrorists were
sent to the great beyond
in a bloody clash in
Borno yesterday.
Saturday Vanguard
gathered that the terrorists
were armed by AA
weapons and rocket propelled
grenades with
which the havoc was created
during the ambush.
Spokesman of 7th Division,
Nigerian Army,
Lt. Col Kingsley Samuel
confirmed the death of
the seven soldiers even
as he said 19 soldiers
injured have been evacuated
to hospital.
The statement he issued
reads, “Troops of
Operation Lafiya Dole
gallantly fought their
way through Boko
Haram Terrorists ambush
along Ajiri-Dikwa
road, Borno State.
leading to the discovery
of the funds in a facility,
whose caretaker, Mr.
Bitrus Yakubu, claimed
to be a younger brother
to the ex-NNPC boss.
The younger Yakubu,
who was around as of
the time EFCC officials
stormed the building
noted that his elder
brother owned the building
and the safe where
the cash was hidden.
It was further learnt
that when the safe was
opened, it contained the
sum of $9,772,800 and
another sum of £74,000.
On the strength of the
finding which was confirmed
by the Spokesperson
of the EFCC, Mr.
Wilson Uwujaren, Saturday
Vanguard gathered
that Yakubu was invited
on February 8, 2017, by
the commission and consequently
detained.
The former NNPC
boss, who is currently
being held by the anticorruption
agency, acknowledged
owning the
recovered money.
Yakubu, who was relieved
of his position as
the head of the NNPC in
2014 by ex-President
Goodluck Jonathan, was
the fourth head of the
corporation in that dispensation.
“The troops affected
encountered the ambush
while conducting routine
rotation of troops last
night.
“The gallant troops
fought their way
through, killing many of
the terrorists.
“Unfortunately 7 soldiers
paid the supreme
price in the incident
while 19 soldiers sustained
various degree of
injuries.
“The soldiers who sustained
injuries during
the fierce encounter
have been evacuated
and are currently receiving
treatment at Military
hospital in Maiduguri.
“The troops recovered
an AK-47 rifle and ammunitions
from the insurgents.
“Additional troops
have been mobilized
and are still on aggressive
pursuit of the fleeing
Boko Haram terrorists.”
His appointment
which took effect on July
1, 2012, was reported to
have been terminated as
a result of disagreement
over who to appoint as
the Managing Director
of Nigerian Petroleum
Development Company
Limited, NPDC.
An investigation by
Premium Times had revealed
that Yakubu’s insistence
that only someone
with technical background
was fit to head
the NPDC, resulted in a
clash of interests with the
then Minister of Petroleum,
who allegedly engineered
his removal by
the administration of ex-
President Jonathan.
Stop preaching miracles, prosperity,
Catholic Priest tells religious leaders
By Charles Kumolu
FOR the craze for
miracles which had
resulted in so many social
challenges in Nigeria
to be surmounted, religious
leaders should
urgently drop the habit
of preaching about
signs, wonders, and
prosperity.
The failure to stop
these would increase the
quest for materialism in
Nigeria and frustrate
any effort at ensuring
that the principles of
right and wrong were
restored in the country.
These admonitions,
which reflected the current
situation in Nigeria
where the quest for materialism
as evident in
the ongoing corruption
cases in the country,
were noted recently by
the Parish Priest of Saint
Agnes Catholic Church,
Ichida, Rev Fr. Boniface
Ezeoke.
Ezeoke, who highlighted
the various
means through which
Nigerians go astray in
the quest to get rich, noted
that religious leaders
were to blame for the elevation
of materialism
against patriotism and
humility in the country.
His words: “Our pulpit
must stop talking about
miracles and breakthroughs
because our
youths want to hear that
through miracles and
breakthroughs, people
can get something out of
nothing. I repeat that
you can never get something
out of nothing.
What they are being told
From right: Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom
Ezenwo Wike, Deputy Governor Ipalibo Harry Banigo at the Port Harcourt
International Airport yesterday. The Acting President was enroute Bayelsa State.
*Says Christianity is no magic
is that it is possible to
reap what they did not
sow. It is impossible. It
was Saint Paul, who admonished
his admirers
in the church at Thessalonika
that he who
doesn’t work shouldn’t
eat. The national psyche
of Nigerians today is
more like “if it is ripe
pluck it if it is unripe do
the same thing.” Man
must labour before he is
able to eat. Today the
shout of “I claim it’’ is
renting the air from our
exalted pulpits. What
are you claiming?
Whose labour are you
By Joseph Erunke
SENATE President,
Bukola Saraki, yesterday,
picked hole in the
funding of Abuja Airport
rehabilitation project ,
questioning the source of
funding for the project given
that there was no such
provision in both the 2016
and 2017 budgets.
This was even as he decried
the non-completion
of re-modelling projects of
Minna airport by the the
Federal Government, regretting
that the development
left the country with
no option or backup to the
diversion of flights to Kaduna
to allow for the rehabilitation
of the Nnamdi
Azikiwe International Airport
.
Speaking while receiv-
claiming? Let the truth
be told from the pulpit
to our teaming youths
going out of our churches.
“My dear pastors and
priests, our churches
have largely contributed
to the rot in the society.
Our messages of instant
gratification have created
a generation of people,
who only want to see
instant results, immediate
relief, and a painless
profit. This is not the
natural course of nature
or a normal way of doing
things. For our
youths to change, our
messages must also
change. For our nation
to change, the messages
from our pulpit must
also change. We must
begin to deliver relevant
homilies which are relevant
and capable of
uplifting souls. Instead
of messages that only
promise blessings, miracles,
breakthroughs,
and wonders, we should
replace these messages
with preaching on virtues
such as hard work,
creativity, dedication,
commitment, perseverance,
diligence, and responsibility.”
(See Page 10 for full
stories.
Saraki questions funding of Abuja
Airport rehabilitation
ing the Niger State Governor,
Abubakar Sani Bello,
who paid him a visit yesterday
in Abuja, Saraki insisted
that no provision
was made in either the
2016 or 2017 budgets for
the rehabilitation of the
Abuja Airport runaway,
and expressed surprise
that, “one will be wondering
how such kind of decisions
were arrived at.
The Senate President,
who lamented the abandonment
of critical infrastructural
projects after
investing huge amount of
money on them, said the
action had resulted in a
waste and left the country
with little options in times
of eventualities.
Hear him :”It makes a
lot of sense to have an option.
It is the lack of option
that brings us to where
we are that we cannot
make a good choice.”
He assured the Governor
that funding provision
would be made for the
completion of the abandoned
dualisation of Suleja-Minna
road project.
He urged the Federal
Emergency Roads Management
Agency (FERMA)
to immediately commence
the rehabilitation of the
existing road to alleviate
the sufferings of motorists
and other users of the
road.
On the completion of
Boro Port, Saraki said it
was regrettable that the
project was abandoned after
huge sum of money had
been invested in it. “We will
definitely ensure that it is
completed because of its
potential to increase busi-

$1bn Eurobond: Fayose knocks FG, seeks
explanations on beneficiaries, repayment
By Rotimi Ojomoyela
GOVERNOR of Ekiti
State and Chairman
of the Peoples’ Democratic
Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum,
Mr. Ayodele Fayose
has expressed fear that the
Eurobond which the Federal
Government plans to
secure with the re-payment
that will last till 2032, may
plunge the nation into prolonged
economic misery.
The governor challenged
the federal government to
clarify the beneficiaries of
the bond, whether it will be
both the federal government
and the federating
units or federal government
alone. He said “questions
must also be asked on
repayment of the Eurobond
if the deductions
would be made from what
should accrue to the federation
account on a bond to
be taken by the federal government
for its own use
only.”
In a statement issued on
Friday, by his Chief Press
Secretary, Idowu Adelusi,
the governor said; “What
I’m even worried about and
which they must explain to
us is that you cannot get a
bond without committing it
to the source. Is the repayment
going to be made by
direct deductions from Nigeria’s
crude oil sales or
from federal government
share from the federation
account?
“If it is going to be made
directly from proceeds of
crude oil accruing to Nigeria
as a country, then the
bond belongs to the federal,
state and local governments
and not federal government
alone.
“The federal government
is just one of the federating
units making up Nigeria
and revenue accruing
to the country cannot be
used to repay bond taken
by the federal government
for its own use alone.
“The federal government
must therefore tell Nigerians
how it intends to repay
the facility from now
till 2032. If it is going to be
through direct deductions
from revenue accruing to
Nigeria, such that money
would be taken from source
which would not be part of
the accruers to the central
body, it means the $1 billion
bond belongs to Nigerians
and it must be shared
among the federating
units. “So, we have to find
out and take steps. It is either
they bring the money
and we share it; we take our
percentage and they take
theirs. The federal government
cannot take that money
and take it from source
and tell us that the money,
which belongs to all the federating
units, is its.”
Speaking further, Governor
Fayose said; “Fiscal federalism
is not manifesting
in the agenda of this government.
The way they are
running the affairs of this
country is shrouded in secrecy.
"We will definitely go to
Court and ask questions.”
Expressing the fear that
the $1 billion Eurobond
may plunge the nation into
more serious economic
woes as its repayment was
scheduled to last till 2032.
Tension in Ekiti Community as herdsman
is beheaded
By Rotimi Ojomoyela
BARELY two days after
some assailants
trailed a farmer from
Orisunmibare in Oye Local
Government Area to his
farm and had his head and
hands chopped off, a
herdsman, Ahmed Dele
was yesterday beheaded
by unidentified persons in
Omu town, in the same
local government.
We ‘ll make Edo medical haven in
South-South — Obaseki
By SIMON
EBEGBULEM
G Godwin OVERNOR
Obaseki
of Edo state has
reiterated the
commitment of his
administration in
ensuring that the 5-star
Central Hospital
becomes a medical haven
for the people of the
South South and
Nigerians in general.
The governor who
stated this when he
received chairman and
members of the state
Hospital Management
Board who paid him a
courtesy visit in his office,
said the state government
was working round the
The Speaker Edo House of Assembly, Hon. Justin Okonoboh, Comrade
Deputy Governor, Rt. Hon. Philip Shaibu, wife of the Governor, Mrs. Betsy
Obaseki and Project Manager, Edo State Agency for the Control of HIV and
AIDs (EDO-SACA, Dr. Marietu Binkola during the unveiling of the equipment
distributed to people living with HIV/AIDS in Edo State
clock to equip the hospital
with state-of-the-art
medical facilities.
Obaseki who was
represented by his deputy,
Comrade Philip Shaibu,
said beyond the issue of
industrializing the state,
one of the cardinal focus
of his administration was
to make the state a
medical tourism
destination and that this
could be achieved through
vibrant personnel.
He urged the Chairman
of the board, Prof. Ebegue
Amadasun to put together
all that was needed to
equip the hospital so as to
enable the state
government achieve its
plans in the health sector.
“It cannot be medical
tourism if most of these
issues you have raised are
not addressed. Some of
were already known to
government,” assuring
that they would be
addressed.
“Our people voted for
continuity and
consolidation therefore
they need the best and the
governor is ready to meet
their demands.
Earlier, leader of the
delegation and Chairman
of hospital management
board Prof. Ebegue
Amadasun thanked the
governor for finding time
out of his busy schedules
to receive members of the
group, adding that the visit
was to congratulate the
governor on his welldeserved
victory at the
September 28, 2016 polls.
The victim, it was learnt
was pursued by his assailants
while on grazing expedition
before they caught
up with him few kilometers
away from the town
where he was killed and
his head removed.
Confirming the incident,
Secretary Jamunati Fulbe
Association of Nigeria,
Ekiti State Chapter, Idris
Salaudeen said the victim
was a member of the association.
According to him,
Dele, 26, a Fulani from
Kwara State was declared
missing by his boss, Jimoh
Dele last Monday, after he
failed to return home with
his Cattle.
He added that the victim’
body was later discovered
around 4.30 am in the
bush, two kilometers away
from the town.
Salaudeen disclosed that
with this ugly incident,
many of them were afraid
of going about with their
legitimate business since
they didn’t known the motive
behind the gruesome
killing of one of their members.
The Fulani’s scribe
therefore called on Federal
Government and security
agencies to save the
Fulani community from
“unprovoked and unwarranted
attack by unmasking
the killers and bring
them to justice.”
“This is a very sad frightening
development considering
what the country
is going through in terms
of insecurity. There has
been a lot of misconceptions
and negative reports
about the activities of Fulani
herdsmen in recent
time. But I want to tell you
that we are peace loving
people and we have been
living peacefully with our
various host communities
in Ekiti State."
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 — 3
BRIEFS
Group applauds Obaseki’s Agric,
tax initiatives
M
EMBERS of Godwin Obaseki Support Group
(GOSG) have commended Edo State Governor,
Mr. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki for the giant strides
he has taken since the inception of his administration
as the Executive Governor of the State.
In a statement issued by its Trustee Chairman, Mr
Henry Idogun, at a Working Committee meeting, the
group noted that Mr. Obaseki has surprised Edo
citizens in no small measure, including major political
actors within and outside the All Progressive Congress
(APC).
He said, “The Agro-investment initiative of Mr.
Governor is an emblem of hope that will make the
youths in the state to embrace agriculture again while
also creating massive employment for Edo people.
As a group, we are happy that Edo state is fast
becoming the economic hub of Nigeria again. With
the effort that our amiable and dynamic Governor is
putting in to attract quality investment to Edo State
there is no doubt that unemployment will soon become
history to us.”
Continuing, he explained that the people of Edo
State understand the vision of the governor and are
prepared to support his innovations to make the state
grow.
While commending the governor, he also noted that
the youths in the state are also being encouraged to
key into the initiative.
GOSG also lauded the massive efforts of the
government to woo foreign and local investors to invest
in Edo state.
Ugwuanyi seeks support for
Inner Wheel Club
GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has
enjoined members of the public to support the Inner
Wheel Club in its effort towards assisting women,
children and other vulnerable members of the society.
The governor spoke when he played host to members
of the club led by its international president, Lady Oluyemesi
Alatise, during their courtesy visit to inform him of
the club’s annual conference and rally in Enugu.
The governor explained that the club is one of the largest
women’s organisations in the world that continue to
play a very crucial role in the improvement of the lives of
women, children and the disadvantaged in the society,
through the “many life changing projects and programmes
carried out across the world”.
He also congratulated Lady Alatise on her emergence
as the first African and Nigerian international president
of the club, adding, “I receive you today not just as the
governor of Enugu State but as a Rotarian and former
President of the Rotary Club of Emene. Therefore, I am
very much at home with the objectives of the Inner
Wheel Club as well as the commendable service it has
been rendering to humanity.”
He later assured the club of the full cooperation of
his administration and urged other well meaning individuals
and organizations to help the club attain its noble
goals.
Earlier, the president of the Organisation, Lady Alatise,
told the governor that they were at the Government
House to inform him of their annual national conference
in Enugu, as well as present her book highlighting the
path to women’s progress.
Senate to hold public hearing on
2017 budget Monday
By Henry Umoru
THE Senate has concluded arrangements to
hold a first-of-its-kind public hearing on the
2017 Appropriation Bill submitted to the legislature
by President Muhammadu Buhari next week Monday.
In a statement by the Chairman, Senate Committee
on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi
Abdullahi, the Public Hearing is aimed at allowing
stakeholders and members of the public to make
contributions to the proposed legislation before passage
by the National Assembly.
The Senate had suspended regular plenary sessions
in order to give all committees an opportunity
to conduct adequate oversight and for ministries,
departments and agencies of the federal government
to defend the allocations included in the estimates
submitted to the legislature by President
Muhammadu Buhari. The joint public hearing, will
push the budget defense a step further by allowing
members of the public to weigh-in constructively
on ways to improve the appropriations bill.
Abdullahi said, “This will be the first time
something like this is happening."

4 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
PRESENTATION: Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State (left), receiving a letter of nomination as
‘Vanguard Governor of the year 2016 Award’ from the Editor of Vanguard Newspapers, Mr. Eze Anaba
(right) at the Government House, Awka, recently. Photo: HENRY UNINI
FG ready to develop Niger Delta
—Acting President
By Samuel
Oyadongha & Emem
Idio, Yenagoa
ACTING President,
Yemi Osinbajo
yesterday reiterated the
preparedness of the
Federal Government to
develop the Niger Delta
region.
Osinbajo, who led other
high powered Federal
Government delegates
including the Minister of
State for Petroleum, Ibe
Ikachukwu; Minister of
State for Agriculture,
Senator Heineken
Lokpobiri, stated this in
Yenagoa during his visit
to Bayelsa State as part of
efforts to bring lasting
solution to the Niger Delta
crisis.
He however said the
federal government alone
could not solve the
plethora of problems
bedevilling the region
and urged all
stakeholders to take up
the responsibility of
ensuring peace and
stability in the region.
Thousands of Bayelsans
defied the scorching sun
to come out and welcome
the Acting President
whose fact finding visit to
the state brought together
for the first time, former
Bayelsa governor, Chief
Timipre Sylva and the
incumbent, Hon Seriake
Dickson, and their
supporters under one roof
after the fiercely contested
state governorship
election won by the latter.
Osinbajo said: “We are
here as emissaries on
behalf of the President
Muhammadu Buhari to
propose a new vision for
the people of the Niger
Delta and Nigeria.
“The Federal
Government will begin a
partnership with the oil
producing communities,
states, local government,
private sector and civil
societies for the rapid
development of the Niger
Delta.
“We must convene an oil
community’s intervention
to work out what can be
done in the short and
medium term and in the
long. We must focus on
how to ensure that the
people benefit from the
wealth of the land.
“The new vision will
define the future of the
region. Oil exploitation
itself cannot survive our
people with decent jobs;
we must make oil
producing communities’
hub of petrochemical
industries, small and
large. We must make the
communities hubs of
refining and related
activities.”
Continuing, he said,
“The Ministry of
Petroleum Resources in
collaboration with oil
companies is working on
a forty point agenda
initiative for the oil
producing communities
in the Niger Delta. In
particular, one of those is
working with illegal
refineries in the oil
bearing communities to
participate in the modular
refineries that would be
established.”
Film maker, Egbegbe arraigned over
multi-million Naira fraud
By Abduwahab
Abdulah and
Onozure Dania
OLAJIDE Kazeem,
known as Seun
Egbegbe, a film maker was
yesterday arraigned by the
Police Special Fraud Unit
for alleged serial frauds
involving N39, 098,100,
$90,000 and £12,550.
The film maker and his coaccused,
one Oyekan
Ayomide were arraigned
on 36 count-charge of
conspiracy and stealing
between 2015 and 2017.
They were arraigned
before Justice Oluremi
Oguntoyinbo of the Federal
High Court in Lagos.
However, when the 36
counts were read to Egbede
and Ayomide, they both
pleaded not guilty
According to the police
the duo allegedly
defrauded no fewer than 30
Bureau de Change
operators in Lagos between
•Solicits stakeholders support
2015 and February 2017,
mostly by falsely claiming
they had foreign currencies
to sell to the BDC operators.
It was alleged that for
instance, “on February 2,
2017, Egbegbe and
Ayomide fraudulently
obtained the sums of
N2.45m and £,3,000 from
one Alhaji Isa Adamu in
Lagos under the guise that
they wanted to sell the
naira and buy the pounds.”
The other victims of the
alleged frauds by Egbede
were Mohammed Sanni,
who was allegedly
defrauded of N2.46m on
2017 New Year day; Jubrila
Ado, allegedly defrauded of
N1.257m on September 9,
2016; Hassan Amodu,
allegedly defrauded of
N600,000 in January 2016;
Sanni Hassan, defrauded of
N1.43 and £2,750 in August
2015; Saidi Abdullahi,
defrauded of N700,000 on
April 18, 2016; Atairu
Abdullaahi, defrauded of
N1m on June 23, 2016; and
Abdullahi Babadisa,
defrauded of N650,000 in
January 2016.
Others were Abdurawan
Hassan who allegedly lost
N1.46m to Egbegbe on
January 1, 2017; Suraju
Garuba, who lost N850,000
in July 2016; Abdullahi
Mumini, who lost N2.15m
in September 2016; Garuba
Hassan, who lost N700,000
on January 10, 2016 and
Sanni Mohammed, who
lost N1.89m on January 29,
2017. Also allegedly
swindled by Egbegbe were
Barowo Abdullahi, who lost
N2.6m; Yahu Alidu, who
lost N1.75m; Tairu Musa,
who lost N2m; Mohammed
Bello, who lost $300;
Mohammed Usman,
N450,500; Suleiman
Shehu, who lost N1.276m;
Ahmadu Abda, who lost
N2m; Nairu Musa, who lost
N1.007m, and Sanni
Mohammed, who lost
N1.6m and $3,000.
B-R-I-E-F-S
Nwuche, FYD never collected
N5.7b from Amnesty Office
—Ajugo Kingdom
By Emma Amaize
FOUNDATION for Youth Development, FYD, a
non-governmental organization in the Niger
Delta region, yesterday, stated that neither the
organization nor its chairman, former Deputy
Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Chibudom
Nwuche, was paid N5.7 billion for a contract by the
Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP.
The group in a statement by Mr. Ajugo kingdom
explained that it was constrained to clear the air
because it was apparent that false allegations was
being sponsored by known political interests to
tarnish the image of Hon Nwuche and FYD.
It said that having successfully executed a
contract for PAP for which it received commendation,
“a second batch of three contracts for the training
of 500 youths in vocational skills was subsequently
awarded to FYD and a mobilization of N2.6billion
paid.” A few names were forwarded for profiling
and preparation of passports after we had
successfully secured schools in Vietnam and
Malaysia and renovated hostels to accommodate
the students. We requested for the remaining names
as you are not allowed to deploy an incomplete list.
“Whilst this was pending a request came from the
Amnesty Office to our chairman that we provide an
urgent loan to pay stipends to ex-militants, their
leaders and manage other stakeholders in the Niger
Delta, as their allocation was delayed from the
Accountant General’s office,” he said.
The group asserted: “They (PAP) claimed that
the ex-militants will disrupt oil production and the
Amnesty programme and the President was aware
of the situation and that they were yet to give us
the full list and the mobilization paid was still with
us.” After long persuasion, our chairman in the
interest of the Amnesty programme and the stability
of the Niger Delta region acceded and we disbursed
the loan in the manner and to beneficiaries as
directed. We, thereafter, wrote several reminders
for repayment and they kept giving excuses until
the change of batons at the Amnesty Office.
Days of lawlessness, intimidation in
revenue collection over in Edo
—Shaibu
By Simon Ebegbulem
DEPUTY Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip
Shaibu says the days of lawlessness, intimidation
and harassment of innocent citizens in the name of
revenue collection is over in the state.
Shaibu who declared this yesterday when he
received the National Executive members of the Road
Transport Employers Association(RTEAN), who paid
him a courtesy visit, said the administration of Governor
Godwin Obaseki decided to review and restructure
revenue collection in the state so as to give it a human
face unlike what was obtainable when the state
government revenue was being collected by private
individuals.
According to him, “When we were campaigning, we
did promise to maintain law and order, and security
of lives and property. So, this administration will not
abdicate its responsibilities in that regard. The state
government has constantly been embarrassed with
different kinds of agitations by members of the public
to the extent that when we are passing by, people
requested that we should stop activities of ‘Agberos’,
and stop ticketing among other requests.
Gunmen invade Kogi Police
station, kill 2 officers, 2 others
By Boluwaji Obahopo, Lakoja
UNKNOWN gunmen in the early hours of
yesterday invaded a Police station at Eika in
Okehi local government council of Kogi State killing
two Policemen on duty.
The gunmen also killed one detainee in Police
custody, burned down the Police station and also
killed a community Chairman, Mallam Sadiq Obomi.
Vanguard gathered that the gunmen, numbering
ten, invaded the community at about 1 am yesterday
shooting sporadically as they headed to the Police
Station.
Already fully armed Military men have been
drafted to the community to avoid further attack by
the gunmen.
The State Police Commissioner Abdullahi Chafe
who confirmed the attacks said the force was
investigating the matter with serious concern.
C
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Prayers offered for Buhari in 350
Jumma’at mosques in Borno
•Churches to hold similar prayers on Sunday
By Ndahi Marama,
Maiduguri
IMAMS in about 350
Jumma’at Mosques in
Maiduguri, Jere, Biu and
other parts of Borno State
on Friday led thousands of
worshipers to offer special
prayers for the speedy and
full recovery of President
Muhammadu Buhari following
request by Governor
Kashim Shettima.
The prayers were offered
in appreciation of President
Buhari’s commitment
to the fight against the
Boko Haram insurgency
which resulted in the liberation
of many communities
and relative peace
now being enjoyed by residents
across the State.
There are 542 Jumma’at
Mosques in Borno State
but about 350 were estimated
to be operating as
those who were displaced
by insurgency are yet to return
to liberated communities.
There are however
Jumma’at Mosques in
some of the IDP camps
with members of the forum
of Jumma’at Imams leading
fellow displaced persons
from their communities.
The prayers followed a
request conveyed by the
who communicated with
all Imams of functional
Jumma’at Mosques
through their different forums
The Chief Imam of
Borno State, Imam Laisu
Ibrahim Ahmed mobilized
fellow Imams for the special
prayers based on letters
addressed to him and
the Borno State chairman
of the Christians Association
of Nigeria (CAN),
Bishop William Naga by
Governor Kashim Shettima.
The State Commissioner
for Religious Affairs,
Mustapha Fannarambe
signed the two letters titled,
“Request for Intensification
of prayers for the
complete recovery of Mr
President’. The letters
asked the Chief Imam to
communicate the request
to Imams of all Jumma’at
(Friday) Mosques while
the CAN president would
communicate with Pastors
for similar prayers in all
churches across the State
at the next Sunday service.
The Commissioner was
mandated by Governor
Shettima to monitor compliance
with the request
through interactions with
the Chief Imam and CAN
chairman.
According to the commissioner,
“Last night,
Governor Kashim Shettima
directed me to write
and sign letters requesting
the Chief Imam and the
CAN to kindly request
Imams of all Jumma’at
Mosques and leading pastors
in all churches across
Borno State to lead Muslim
and Christian worshipers
today (Friday) and
coming Sunday, to intensify
prayers for the quick
and full recovery of our
dear President, Muhammadu
Buhari. We believe
any good Nigerian living
in Borno is already praying
for the President, this
is why we requested for the
prayers to be intensified.
The Governor emphasized
that I ensure the Chief
Imam and CAN chairman
help in communicating
with Imams and Pastors of
all Jumma’at Mosques
and all churches where
Sunday services are held.
The letters were delivered
early today (yesterday)
and I have been in
touch with both leaders. I
can assure you that the
Chief Imam communicated
the request to Imams of
all the Jumma’at Mosques
across Borno State. All the
Imams belong to different
forums based on their denominations
and areas of
residence while the Pastors
are expected to be reached
by the CAN chairman
through a very efficient
system. The prayers started
today with Jumma’at
Mosques and we have
monitored some here in
Maiduguri and Jere and I
was informed there were
similar prayers in other
Jumma’at Mosques in Biu,
Bayo, Shani, Kwaya-Kusar
where residents were never
displaced and places
like Gwoza, Konduga,
Monguno, Damboa, Dikwa,
Askira, Kaga and
many other parts of the
State where residents have
returned after liberation of
their communities by the
military under President
Buhari’s administration.
Prayers were offered in
IDP camps where
Jumma’at services took
place. From our estimation,
not less than 350
Jumma’at Mosques are
currently functional out of
542 that we have across
the State. I actually attended
one of the Friday
prayers in Maiduguri
while Governor Shettima
went to Bama with the visiting
Minister of Environment.
To us in Borno State,
President Buhari means so
much because we know
how much we suffered before
he became President.
Executive Director, Access Bank/Head of Organising Committee, Mr. Victor
Etuokwu; Special Adviser/Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission, Mr. Deji
Tinubu; Acting President, International Association of Ultra Runners, Mr. Nadeem
Khan and Marketing Director of 7UP, Mr. Norden Thurston during a press
conference on the Lagos City Marathon at the Eko Hotels & Suites, Victoria Island,
Lagos, yesterday.
Obiano reacts on assault on
physically challenged in Onitsha
By Vincent Ujumadu
THE Anambra State
government has issued
a statement condemning
the action of two
soldiers, who assaulted a
physically challenged man
in Onitsha, saying that
Governor Willie Obiano
has directed an immediate
investigation into the matter
Ṫhe statement, which
was signed by the Commissioner
for Information and
Communication Strategy,
Ogbuefi Tony Nnacheta
also urged Anambra people
to remain calm as the
military had taken action
to discipline the affected
soldiers.
The statement read:
“The attention of His Excellency,
the Governor of
Anambra State, Chief Willie
Obiano has been drawn
to a video recording of two
soldiers of the Nigerian
Army whipping and molesting
a physically chal-
lenged citizen Mr. Tobias
Chijioke Oraku at Onitsha
on Tuesday the 7th of February.
2017.
“His Excellency deeply
regrets this ugly incident
and has directed an immediate
investigation into
the immediate and remote
causes of the incident having
been briefed by the
Military Commander of
the 302 Cantonment in
Onitsha. Two errant soldiers,
acting outside orders,
evidently took laws
and liberty into their
hands and assaulted the
said Mr. Uraku on the pretext
that he was dressed in
military fatigues.
“The public is by this announcement
informed that
the Governor is deeply dismayed
and disappointed
by such reprehensible and
needless physical and psychological
humiliation of
a hapless citizen and regrets
the trauma caused
his family and on lookers
in a society that he has laboured
to clear of such inhumanities
and violence.
“ Ndi Anambra and all
residents of the state are
further assured that the
Military authorities have
arrested and taken into
custody the culprits who
are currently being subjected
to laid down military
discipline and punishment.
“His Excellency has
therefore directed that immediate
medical attention
and social welfare be provided
for Mr. Tobias
Chijioke Oratu. The Governor
further directs that
Ndi Anambra, as law abiding
citizens, should remain
calm and go about
their normal lives.
“The Governor is also by
this announcement reiterating
his resolve to ensure
the protection of lives and
property of Ndi Anambra
and residents which he regards
as sacrosanct and
top in the priority of his
administration.”
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 — 5
BRIEFS
Youths attack Obaseki’s
Counsel at tribunal premises
By Simen Ebegbulem
ONE of the counsels to Governor Godwin Obaseki
of Edo State in the on-going Election Petition Tribunal
in Edo State, Ken Mozia (SAN) escaped death
yesterday when youths allegedly loyal to the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) attacked his Prado jeep after
yesterday’s proceedings.
Meanwhile, the PDP and its governorship candidate,
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu concluded their submission.
The attack on Mozia (SAN) happened at the exit gate
of the Tribunal while he was on a convoy with some of
his colleagues. But while the vehicles in front of his car
drove off, on sighting his car, the PDP youths blocked it
at the exit gate and started banging on the glasses, while
casting aspersions at him.
When it was clear that the youths were determined to
destroy his louvers so as to get at him, his driver threatened
to hit the youths with the vehicle, thereafter zoomed
off to save the life of the Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
Speaking to Vanguard shortly after the incident, Mozia
(SAN) who described the incident as shocking lamented
that “ I have earlier informed the security agents
to stop these youths from converging at the exit gate
because it is dangerous for us. And it happened today,
the moment they saw me they started shouting thief thief,
APC thief and blocked my car.
2019: Borno APC Chairman tasks
party supporters to collect PVCs
By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri
BORNO State All Progressive Congress, APC Chairman,
Hon. Ali Bukar Dalori has enjoined stakeholders
and party supporters to mobilize those who have
not collected their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs), to
visit all designated centres approved by the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC across the
state to obtain their PVCs. It will be recalled that many
people in the state were yet to collect their PVCs during
the last 2015 general elections following insecurity
posed by Boko Haram which made it difficult for INEC
officials to access some volatile communities.
The Chairman stated this yesterday at an emergency
meeting with Chairmen, Secretaries and Executive
members of the party at state, local government and
ward levels held at the APC secretariat in Maiduguri,
the state capital. He said, the need to collect PVCs in
the current ongoing distribution exercise at various designated
centres across the state by INEC officials was
to enable party faithful to exercise their franchise in the
forthcoming 2019 general elections.
Okowa takes road devt
to riverine areas
GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has set a
trend by moving road development to the riverine areas
of the state. Since he assumed office in 2015, residents
of riverside communities have been grumbling over lack
of presence. The governor, who spoke to reporters in
Asaba, the state capital, knew about the complaints and
said: “One of the most important growths is that we are
beginning to take road development to the riverine areas
because in the past it was generally assumed that
road construction in those areas was too expensive and
it was difficult to take roads to those areas,”
He, however, noted: “We believe that it has been unfair
to the people in those areas because we take oil
from those lands and yet we cannot give them roads.”
His words: “One that is already being done is the road
in Koko, we have awarded contracts for township roads
in Burutu and Oghulagha, which is an 18.9 km road
that we are doing. It is a road that was done by Shell 30
years ago and it is completely gone but we are doing a
total reconstruction.” “When I called the traditional ruler
to ask what we could do for the people, he told me about
the road and we had to respond. Contractors have been
mobilized to site and work has commenced and it is our
hope that meaningful work will be done and will be
completed in time,” he said.

6 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
C
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Economic Recession: World Bank doles out
$320m to vulnerable communities in Nigeria
By Demola Akinyemi
IN a bid to ease the
harsh economic condition
caused by the ongoing
recession among the worst
affected groups in
Nigeria,the World Bankfunded
Community and
Social Development Agency
(CSDA) in Nigeria said
that the bank has provided
about $320 million credit to
assist the poor and vulnerable
groups across the
country.
The Task Team
Leader,Professor Folusho
Okunmadewa who said
this yesterday in Ilorin at
the adoption of Vulnerable
Groups Operation annual
meeting of the agency also
said that the bank late last
year, approved addition of
$75 million for the North-
East region for resettlement
of the internally displaced
persons (IDPs).
The CSDA’s task team
leader also said that the
project had gotten the support
and endorsement of almost
all the governors in
the federation, noting that
they,“have all put the structures,
mechanisms in place
to be able to access the
funds.”
According to him, “About
seven years ago a credit of
$200 million was provided
by the World Bank to the
government of Nigeria and
was used up until 2015 by
26 states and the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT).
And this was exhausted
and the then Federal Government
requested for additional
financing of $140
million.
“It was provided and became
effective in 2016. All
the 26 states that were in
original project are now
active in this new additional
financing of $140 million.
All the states have established
agencies and are
moving into the communities
to do all the micro
projects that the communities
have put forward.
“I must say that as a result
of the insurgency in the
north-east and the desire by
the Federal Government
and the states in the region
to have some more funds
that can help in the resettlement
and recovery of
livelihood of people back in
the rural areas an additional
request of $75 million was
made by the Federal
Government to the World
Bank to put resources into
this kind of project that
seems appropriate be able
to be used by these people
as they go back.
“The $75 million was approved
by the World Bank
and Federal executive
council was provided late
last year. It will become effective
any moment from
now. This additional $75
million is really dedicated
to the north-east state and
it will free more resources
for the $140 million for the
other states. If the other
states were hoping before
for instance, that they will
have between six and seven
million dollars from the
$140 million, they can now
have more funds.”
Prof Okunmadewa added
that, “the project is one
of the flagships of the World
Bank in Nigeria. It is one
of the projects that have
achieved a lot of result and
it has helped development
in rural areas for poor and
vulnerable groups in the
country in the last couple
of years.
Biafra: Court rules on Kanu, others
March 1
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
TRIAL Justice Binta
Nyako of the Federal
High Court in Abuja,
yesterday, deferred ruling
on motion seeking to
quash treason charge
against the detained leader
of the Indigenous People
of Biafra, IPOB, Mr.
Nnamdi Kanu, till March
1.
Aside Kanu who has
been in detention since
October 14, 2015, when
he was arrested by security
operatives upon his arrival
to Nigeria from his
base in the United Kingdom,
the motion is equally
seeking to free three other
pro-Biafra agitators also
on trial before the court:
Chidiebere Onwudiwe,
Benjamin Madubugwu
and David Nwawuisi.
The defendants are answering
to 11-count
charge bordering on their
alleged involvement in
acts of treason and terrorism.
They had through their
respective lawyers, urged
the court to not only
quash the charges, but to
also discharge and acquit
them.
Kanu who was hitherto
the Director of Radio Biafra
and Television made
his application on a day
he accused President
Muhammadu Buhari of
committing treasonable
felony against Nigeria.
He made reference to
the December 31,1983
military coup that led to
the installation of Buhari
as Head of State.
The said coup ousted
the democratically elected
government of President
Shehu Shagari. The
defence team led by Mr.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor and Maxwell
Okpara, queried
competence of the
charge, insisting there
was nothing in the proof
of evidence before the
court to support treason
allegation against the defendants.
The defendants argued
that the Federal
Government failed to establish
a prima-facie case
against them to warrant
their trial.
In a seven-paragraph
affidavit deposed to by
one Ahmed Sadiya, the
defendants, said there
was “nothing contained
in the proof of evidence
to show that IPOB, people
merely exercising
their constitutionally
guaranteed rights to self
determination, freedom of
expression and peaceful
assembly, is an unlawful
society/organisation”.
Anambra Central Senatorial Tussle:
Umeh floors Ekwunife at S-Court
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
THE Supreme Court,yesterday, struck out an ap
peal by Senator Uche Ekwunife, challenging nullification
of her election for the Anambra Central Senatorial
District.
In an unanimous judgment, a five-man panel of Justices
of the apex court led by Justice Tanko Mohammed,
gave the Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC, the nod to conduct a re-run election for the Senatorial
district.
The apex court upheld preliminary objections that were
raised against Ekwunife’s appeal by the All Progressives
Grand Alliance, APGA, and its Senatorial candidate for
the election, Chief Victor Umeh.
It will be recalled that the Anambra State Election Petition
Tribunal and the Court of Appeal sitting in Awka had in
their concurrent judgments, nullified the election that
produced Ekwunife as Senator for the district, in 2015.
Both the tribunal and the appellate court directed INEC
to conduct fresh re-run election in the district.
Two die in communal clash in Edo
By SIMON EBEGBULEM
THERE is tension in Iguomo and Ikhuenbo
communities in Uhumwonde Local Government
Area of Edo State following the alleged killing of two
persons in a communal clash involving the two communities.
The two victims whose names were given as
Osamudiamen Erhumwunse and Solomon Osayi were
from Iguomo. Six other victims, including a policeman
sustained bullet wounds.
It was said that the decomposing bodies of the two
victims were recovered on Thursday from a river in the
community. It will be recalled that both communities
have been at war with each other over boundary dispute
since 1976. Vice Chairman of Iguomo community, Stanley
Osadiaye, who led a peaceful protest against the killings
alleged that some militants have been stationed inside
the disputed forest to kill their people.
Spinal cord patient seeks Wike’s
attention over alleged abandonment
By Davies Iheamnachor
Aspinal cord patient, Henry Ezekiel, at the Braith
waite Memorial Specialists Hospital, has cried out
to the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike,
for help.
Ezekiel, a native of Ahoada East Local Government
Area of the state had got Wike’s attention 24 years after
he had spinal cord injury when he fell from a palm tree
in 1992. Ezekiel, who was bedridden based on the
health challenge was brought to BMSH for medical
attention in October 2016, after the governor had approved
his treatment, but was abandoned by the hospital
a month after his admission.

NBA okays Agbakoba, Kalu, Usman, 6
others for appointment as S-Court Justices
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
AS part of measures to
reform the Justice
sector, the Nigerian Bar
Association, NBA, has
okayed nine senior lawyers
for appointment as
Justices of the Supreme
Court.
The list consists of six
Senior Advocates of Nigeria
and three active
legal practitioners
drawn from different
parts of the federation.
Already, NBA which is
the umbrella body of
lawyers in the country,
has forwarded names of
the nominees to the Acting
Chief Justice of Nigeria,
CJN, Justice
Walter Onnoghen.
Those nominated for
elevation into the apex
court bench are a former
President of the legal
body and constitutional
lawyer, Dr. Olisa
Agbakoba, SAN,
(Anambra), former Attorney
General of Abia
State and regular contributor
on Vanguard law
page, Chief Awa Kalu,
SAN.
Others are Yunus Ustas
Usman, SAN, (Kogi),
Anthony Ikemefuna
Idigbe, SAN, (Delta),
Babatunde Fagbohunlu,
SAN, (Ondo),
Miannayaaja Essien,
SAN, (Rivers), Prof.
Awalu Hamish Yadudu,
(Kano), Tajudeen
Oladoja, (Kwara) and
Ayuba Giwa, (Edo).
The nine nominated
lawyers were called to
the Nigerian Bar between
1978 and 1988.
They were selected
from a total of 89 candidates
that submitted Expression
of Interest
Forms to the NBA.
There has been clamour
in recent times for
a break in the age-long
tradition of elevating
only Senior Justices of
the Court of Appeal into
the Apex Court bench.
In his bid to reposition
the judiciary which has
had its image badly battered
by corruption allegations
that culminated
From Left: Jean-Philippe Torres, Managing Director, Total Nigeria Plc; 2017
Triple A Challenge Award winner, Oyekunle Ajayi; Mrs. Adesua
Adewole,General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Total Nigeria Plc;
and Mr Viken Najarian, Specialty Project Manager[SPPM] during
Triple A Total Challege Award, held in Lagos yesterday.
to the arrest of two serving
Supreme Court Justices,
the Acting CJN,
Justice Onnoghen, gave
NBA the nod to recommend
lawyers to be appointed
Justices.
Justice Onnoghen
made the request barely
one week after President
Buhari appointed him to
head the judiciary in acting
capacity.
Specifically, the Acting
CJN directed the NBA
President, Mr. Abubakar
Mahmoud, SAN, “to
nominate suitable candidate
for consideration as
Justices of the Supreme
Court of Nigeria.”
Oniba’s wife was shot thrice, by
kidnappers, witness tells court
By Onozure Dania
Aconsultant surgeon
from the Lagos State
University Teaching
Hospital, Dr Grace Eke
yesterday told an
Igbosere High Court in
Lagos, that the wife of
the traditional ruler of
Iba Town, Lagos was
shot thrice by the
kidnappers of the
monarch.
Eke who is the sixth
prosecution witness in
the ongoing trial of four
men accused by the
police of kidnapping the
traditional ruler, said
that the monarch’s wife,
Olori Abosede Oseni,
suffered four gunshot
wounds from at least
three bullets.
The Olori’s husband,
Oba Goriola Oseni, was
kidnapped from his
palace at Iba on July 16,
2016.
The defendants who
allegedly kidnapped the
monarch are Duba
Furejo, Ododowo Isaiah,
Reuben Anthony and
Yerin Fresh.
The Lagos State
prosecuting counsel,
Adeniji Kazeem, who is
the Attorney General
and Commissioner of
Justice had also alleged
that the defendants
murdered a security
guard, Sunday Eniola
Okanlawon, a
commercial motorcyclist,
Joseph Okeke and also
robbed the Olori of her
mobile phone before
shooting her several
times.
At the resumed
hearing of the matter
yesterday, Mr Jide
Martins, an Assistant
Director of Public
Prosecution, introduced
Eke as the sixth
prosecution witness.
Eke told Justice
Oluwatoyin Taiwo that
her team, including
several surgeons and
other doctors, saw the
Olori for the first time in
the early hours of July
17, 2016, suffering from
life-threatening gunshot
wounds.
“She was pale, restless
and in shock. She had
lost a lot of blood from
her wounds; her blood
pressure was low and
she was very drowsy,”
Ekeh said.
According to her, the
wound was likely caused
by a penetrating bullet
and two operations were
carried out on the
patient.
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 — 7
BRIEFS
Pray for President Buhari, Atiku
urges Nigerians
FG alerts Nigerians on planned deadly attacks by
terrorist group
By Emmanuel
Elebeke
THE Federal Government
has alerted
Nigerians on the plan
by a Boko Haram
affiliate, Muslim
Brotherhood Cell in
Kogi State, to acquire
bomb-making chemicals
and high-calibre
weapons to perpetrate
acts of terror, including
attacks on banks, arms
FORMER Vice President and chieftain of the
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku
Abubakar, has called on Nigerians of all faith to
pray for President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a statement issued by his Media Office in Abuja
yesterday, the former Vice President noted that each
and every one us is a mere mortal, irrespective of
how great or highly accomplished we are.
“We deserve the care and support of one another
in trying times,” he said.
The Turakin Adamawa reminded Nigerians that
President Buhari needs all the prayers and goodwill
that he can get at this time, to enable him return
from his medical vacation in the UK and continue
with his God-ordained assignment of steering
Nigeria to her next level of greatness.
“We all go through trying times when we are not
feeling in top form and the last thing we need in
those times is mockery or ill will .”
NYSC DG pledges to reform
scheme, lauds Ogun Govt
By Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta
THE Director-General, National Youth Service
Corps, Brigadier-General Sulaiman Kasaure
has pledged to reform the scheme so as to make it
more efficient for the corps and the country.
Kasaure who was represented by the Head of
Reforms National Youth Service Corps, Abuja,
Adebayo Shomefun, said the NYSC has adopted a
lot of mechanisms to ensure the scheme was more
efficient.
He said the NYSC was ready to make use of the
opportunities available to ease the task of the corps
members.
The Director-General’s representative, who
visited the state NYSC camp in Sagamu, Ogun
State for inspection of facilities, however, described
the camp as five-star camp.
Shomefun said the NYSC was marvelled with the
standard of the camp built by the state government.
Contractor escapes with N37m for
airport hangar …As Senate threatens arrest
By Favour Nnabugwu
A
contractor to the Nigerian Civil Aviation
Technology (NCAT), Zaria, Mushaj Fahaj
Nigeria Ltd, was alleged to have escaped with
N37million meant for the college’s hangar.
Senate Committee on Aviation during an oversight
visit led by the committee’s Deputy Chairman,
Senator Bala Na’Allah in Zaria yesterday,
threatened to arrest the contractor for absconding
with the said amount meant for the completion of
the colleges’ third hangar project.
The committee members who visited several
ongoing projects within the school premises were
angry that the school’s third hangar project had
not been completed after the school had allegedly
paid Mushaj Fahaj Nigeria Ltd the contract sum.
Senator Na’Allah threatened the arrest of the
contractor upon realization that he had been
mobilized with N37m and had only done 20 percent
of the job.
depots and prisons.
In a statement issued
in Abuja yesterday, the
Minister of Information
and Culture, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed, said
intelligence monitoring
has shown that the cell
is making frantic efforts
to advance its IEDmaking
capability
through the acquisition
of such chemicals as
Sodium Azide (for
producing improvised
detonators), Potassium
Chlorate (alternative to
ammonium nitrate used
for producing IEDs) and
Aluminium Powder (a
fuel source for
amplifying explosions).
‘’One Usman, an IED
apprentice, left the cell
some time back to join
Islamic State in Libya.
The new desire to
acquire IED precursor
chemicals could suggest
that Usman or other
persons may have
returned from Libya and
have acquired IEDmaking
skills intended
to increase the activities
of the group,’’ he said.
According to the
Minister, intelligence
gathered also revealed
that the group is making
serious efforts to acquire
sophisticated arms,
including shoulder-fired
rocket launchers.

8 — SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Rivers re-run: Court hears Wike’s suit to
void police probe report
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
THE Federal High
Court in Abuja, yesterday,
fixed March 3, to entertain
suit by Governor Nyesom
Wike, seeking to nullify the
outcome of Police
investigation into violence
that marred the December
10, 2016, legislative re-run
election in the state.
Wike, in a joint suit he
filed with the Government
of Rivers State, is querying
the legality of the probe
panel that was constituted
by the Inspector General of
Police, Mr. Idris Ibrahim,
to uncover those who
masterminded violence
and other electoral
malpractices during the rerun
poll.
The police panel earlier
revealed that it recovered
over N100millon bribe
money from some officials
of the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC, who
conducted the poll.
Justice Gabriel Kolawole
had previously rejected
Wike’s application for an
interim order of injunction
barring the panel from
proceeding further with the
probe pending hearing
and determination of the
substantive suit.
Aside the IGP, other
defendants to the suit are
the State Security Services
(SSS) and a Deputy
Commissioner of Police,
Damian Okoro.
The plaintiffs prayed the
court to issue an interim
order of injunction
restraining the defendants
or their agents from
enforcing or executing
matters contained in a
letter the IGP wrote to Wike
on December 20, 2016,
pertaining to the probe.
Wike told the court the
IGP had in the said letter
entitled, ‘Investigation into
allegations of crimes
committed during the last
re-run elections in Rivers
state,’ stated that the, “purview
of the investigation
will cover allegations of
bribes taken, several brazen
murder incidents (including
that of serving Police
Officers), reports of
gross human rights abuses,
acts of sabotage/terrorism,
kidnapping for ransom
and ballot box snatching,
all of which were perpetrated
in connivance
with several federal and
state civil servants as well
as highly placed politicians
within and outside the
state.”
The letter also requested
the governor to furnish the
Police investigative team
with all necessary
information and exhibits
that may assist the team in
the investigation.
Wike’s lawyer, Chief
Mike Ozekhome, SAN,
insisted that the decision of
the Police to constitute a
panel to investigate crisis
that trailed the re-run election
was illegal, unlawful,
unconstitutional and null
and void.
He said it would be in
the interest of justice for the
court to set aside the IGP’s
letter to governor Wike and
direct the Police boss to
await the outcome of the
commission of inquiry
already set up by the
Rivers State government.
Wike, in a supporting
affidavit he attached to the
motion, told the court that
it was security operatives,
mainly the Police and the
Army that orchestrated
violence following their
partisan stance during the
poll.
Gbaramatu-Ijaw chairmen task
Ekpoko, Itsekiri leader on peace
By Emma Amaize
CHAIRMEN
of
Gbaramatu-Ijaw
communities, Warri
South West Local
Government Area, Delta
State, have called on the
new chairman of Itsekiri
Leaders of Thought
(ILoT), Chief Edward
Ekpoko, to use his position
to build bridges of
co-existence and harmony
between Itsekiri
and her neighbours, particularly
Ijaw and
Urhobo.
Chairman of the group,
Mr Sheriff Mulade,
made the call while
congratulating Chief
Ekpoko on his
emergence as the new
chairman of ILOT.
Mulade, who is the
chairman
of
Kokodiagbene
community, said: “We
want to congratulate the
new chairman of Itsekiri
Leaders of Thought,
Chief Edward Ekpoko,
as Elder J.O.S Ayomike
stepped aside for the
younger generation to
take responsibility of
leadership.”
“We strongly believe
that the new chairman of
ILoT, Chief Ekpoko, is
capable of piloting the
affairs of respected body
of Itsekiri nation and we
want to call on him to see
his upliftmemt as an
opportunity to build
sustainable relationships
that will foster mutual
coexistence and
harmony between
Itsekiri and her
neighbours, particularly
Ijaw and Urhobo,
thereby reducing
situations that might be
antagonistic to its
neighbours”.
He added: “Our
leaders must begin to tell
the true stories and
histories devoid of
politics to our younger
generations to avoid
crisis that has been
hindering our
development and
progress.”
“We want to use this
medium to commend
Elder J.O.S Ayomike for
stepping aside
honourably and showing
good leadership to the
Itsekiri and our great
country."
High Court Registrar
kidnapped in Delta
By Ochuko Akuopha, Kwale
UNIDENTIFIED gunmen have kidnapped the
Registrar of a Delta State High Court, Pastor
Ufuoma around Ogume community, Ndokwa West
Local Government Area of the state.
The Registrar, who is also a pastor in one of the
Pentecostal churches, it was gathered, was returning
from Obiaruku to Kwale where he resides, when
he was abducted at about 5:30 pm on Thursday.
A security source said the Registrar was driving in
his vehicle with a worker of a customary court, when
they were intercepted by the gun-trotting hoodlums.
He said the customary court worker identified as
Mr. Okoro escaped into the bush while the Registrar
who was only recently transferred from the High
Court in Kwale, was held hostage by the kidnappers.
“Mr. Okoro put a call across to the police in the
Abbi division with his mobile phone but before the
police arrived at the scene, the kidnappers had taken
the Registrar away to an unknown destination,”
the source said.
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer
of the state police command, Mr. Andrew Aniamaka
were abortive as the calls were not answered.
Delta Govt seizes disputed lands
between Ogbe-Ijoh, Aladja
By Emma Amaize
DELTA State Government has taken over the
land that has been a subject of dispute between
Ogbe-Ijoh and Aladja communities in Warri
South West and Udu Local Government areas of the
state.
The measure, approved by the Delta State Security
Council, is to stem the blood-letting among Ogbe
Ijoh, Aladja and Isaba residents, who use the
surrounding bushes in the affected area as cover
to perpetrate evil.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Zanna
Ibrahim, visited the troubled areas yesterday, to
inspect ongoing clearing of the area by government.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer,
PPRO, in the state, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, said:
“As part of continuous efforts at ensuring that the
lingering crises between Ogbe-Ijoh, Aladja and
Isaba communities, which have resulted in maiming,
destruction of lives and properties, are brought to
an end, the Commissioner of Police, Zanna
Ibrahim, visited the disputed lands, once again, to
have a first-hand assessment of the security situation.”
Madam Dorcas Igunnu Mark
for burial
THE
burial
ceremony of
Madam Dorcas Igunnu
Mark has been
scheduled. Service of
songs will be held at
Oke-Onigbin on Friday,
February,17, 2017. Interment
will be on
Saturday, February 18,
2017 at her residence,
Bolorunduro-Isao, Takete-Isao,
Yagba-East
L.G.A of Kogi State. To
mourn her are children,
grandchildren
and great grandchildren,
amongst who is
Pastor Olaitan Mark.
•Late Madam Mark

SATURD
TURDAY VANGUARD
ARD, FEBRUARY 11, , 2017—9

10—SATURDAY Vanguard, , FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Religious
practices
BY CHARLES KUMOLU
LIFE in Lagos for Mrs. Ngozi
Onyeme and her husband,
Chike has mostly been
characterized by tumbles
and falls until three years
ago when fate smiled upon them.
The breakthrough which came as a
result of successes recorded in the
husband’s Freight Forwarding business
at Tin Can Island Port saw the family
of seven slightly pulling out of the
extreme poverty belt.
This change in fortunes was so real
that Ngozi, who was into petty trading
was given a new car by her hubby, while
their five children started attending one
of the leading private schools in
FESTAC Town.
The lady, who was also visiting offices
to sell anything she laid her hands on,
stopped the trade, given that the
husband had set up a thriving mini
supermarket for her in FESTAC .
With these, the Onyemes stopped
living the life of penury that nearly
turned Ngozi to a corporate beggar.
However, this quantum leap out of
poverty only lasted for a little over two
years, as Mr. Onyeme’s business
reverted to its hitherto difficult stateno
thanks to the decrease in
commercial activities at the Tincan
Island port and other ports in Lagos.
Our enemies are at work
As you are reading this piece, the
family is speedily going back to square
one, a development that has left them
distraught.
However, the Onyemes did not
consider the turn of events a fallout of
destroying
Nigerians
•Stop preaching prosperity and
breakthroughs
•Prosperity will never emanate from idleness
Catholic priest fumes
normal,” she noted.
the drop in economic activities in the belief that what they are experiencing Like the Onyemes, who believed their
maritime industry.
is a spiritual attack, she revealed that plight was the handiwork of invisible
The fact that the volatility in they had visited some churches to enemies in the spiritual realm, an
exchange rate drastically reduced the seek a solution and inquire why their Apapa-based expatriate medical doctor
rate of importation into the country, fortunes suddenly changed.
told Saturday Vanguard a similar story.
made no sense to them.
‘’You know that my husband started The medical doctor, who pleaded
“Our enemies are after my doing well but things are changing anonymity said thus: ‘’Most patients,
husband’s business again,” Ngozi now again. I don’t know the person who we diagnose with end-stage
told Saturday Vanguard.
we offended. We are back to where ailments especially heart diseases and
Her exclamation was followed by we were in the past. Even my business others that are hypertension-related
a narrative of how far the family had is failing because there is no money illness, often tell us that their pastors
gone in seeking solutions to the to restock. We have visited so many told them earlier that their problem was
setback they are experiencing. churches where we were told that
In a tone revealing the family’s what is happening to us is not Continues on page 11

SATURDAY Vanguard, , FEBRUARY 11, 2017—11
name, clearly depicts how religion
has become an obsession for
Nigerians.
Religious practices
destroying Nigerians
Continues from page 10
a spiritual attack. From that moment,
they start going to different churches
while the ailment deteriorates. When
they eventually come for diagnosis, their
cases would have deteriorated. Some of
them even debate the result of the
diagnosis by saying it is juju or spiritual
attack.”
Church members rolling in muddy
water
Another scenario, which left many
surprised, was a video on the social
media which contained images of
members of the Lord Chosen
Charismatic Church rolling and
dancing in the mud during a church
crusade.
In the video, which was mostly termed
embarrassing, members of the church
were singing and dancing at a scene in
Lagos. At a point, a woman started
walking in the mud on the dirty street.
She was later joined by a man who had
earlier knelt down to pray but started
rolling until he got into the muddy
water, got out and continued singing.
So embarrassing and disgusting was
the sight that Nigerians took to the
social media to lambast the church and
its leadership for creating the conditions
that made their members to embrace
such act.
While these were ongoing, other
members were singing and cheering
them.
These narratives which are not in
isolation bring to the fore, the obsession
of Nigerians with religion.
Whether many would agree or not, the
word, obsession best represents the
attitude of Nigerians to religion.
Saturday Vanguard can
authoritatively state that adherents of
all the religions in the country are so
overwhelmed by the doctrines and
practices of their religion at the expense
of logic and wisdom.
Followers were found to have become
blinded by religious creeds in manners
that made religion a limitation to
them.
It is not uncommon to see people
exclaiming thus, ‘’it is not my portion,
I reject it, my pastor said it is an
attack,” in the face of challenges that
demand logic.
The manner religious affiliations
and teachings influence the life of
Nigerians is such that got observers
arguing that the country would have
been a perfect case study for Karl
Marx, who described religion as the
opium of the masses. The truth is that
the way Nigerians practice religion is
destroying them.
The eighteenth-century philosopher
had in his work: A Contribution to the
Critique of Hegel’s Philosophy of
Right, argued that religion had certain
practical functions in society that were
similar to the function of opium in a
sick or injured person.
In his thinking, religion reduces
people’s immediate suffering and
gives them pleasant illusions.
Through that process, he argued,
their energy and willingness to
confront the oppressive, heartless, and
soulless reality are reduced.
“Religious suffering is at one and the
same time, the expression of real
suffering and a protest against real
suffering. Religion is the sigh of the
oppressed creature, the heart of a
heartless world, and the soul of
soulless conditions. It is the opium of
the people. The abolition of religion
as the illusory happiness of the people
is the demand for their real
happiness,” he noted.
Capacity of most Nigerians
Saturday Vanguard found this
Marxist postulation to have a nexus
with the current role religion is playing
in the lives of most Nigerians.
These days the capacity of most
Nigerians to apply logic, establish and
verify facts when confronted by any
kind of challenge has been
undermined by the obsession with
religion.
Unfortunately, this growing culture
has left many people and even
organizations with sour tales.
The case of Lawrence Agada, an
Assistant Pastor, who used his capacity
It is not uncommon
to see
people exclaiming
thus, ‘’it is
not my portion,
I reject it, my
pastor said it is
an attack,” in
the face of
challenges that
demand logic
as the cashier of Sheraton Hotel and
Towers to donate cash and gifts
totaling N39 million to a popular
pentecostal church, is a quick
reference point.
Agada, who apparently was
motivated to steal his employer’s
money by his church’s prosperity
preaching, was commended by the
church thus: ‘’May God, who gives
seed to the sower and bread for eating,
multiply your seeds in Jesus name.”
On the heels of that, Mr. Gbenga
Keinde, who is a member of the same
church and also an Assistant
Manager of defunct Eko Bank, stole
N40 million from his employers and
donated N10 million to the church.
The continuous reverence of the
convicted General Overseer of the
Christian Praying Assembly,
Chukwuemeka Ezeugo a.k.a. Rev.
King, by his supporters in the face of
the crime he committed in God’s
In God’s name
Further investigation by Saturday
Vanguard, showed that till date, King
still commands followership in
detention.
In Sokoto prisons where he is
currently being detained, it was
learnt that people flock around him
for deliverance and breakthrough
prayers.
In an encounter with Saturday
Vanguard in Sokoto during a funeral
service, a middle-aged woman,
whose friend died, said had the
deceased heeded her advice to visit
Rev King, she would not have passed
on.
“Aunty does not listen to advice. I
told her when she was complaining
of leg and chest pains to visit King at
the prison close to Marina. But she
refused. She would have received
healing there. When I visited him, he
prayed for me and since then, my
business has started booming again.
Before then, whenever I go to my
restaurant I immediately fall asleep.
And at the end, we will not make
substantial sales. Now, things are
better. The man even gives people
money to start businesses. I know
someone he gave N30, 000.”
Prosperity measures
While the penchant of pastors for
preaching prosperity instead of
salvation often comes to the mind
whenever this subject is debated,
Saturday Vanguard found the
absence of basic necessities of life in
Nigeria a major factor.
However, some religious leaders,
who spoke to Vanguard hardly,
agreed that the current type of
religious practices and beliefs were
doing more harm than good to
Nigerians.
President Pentecostal Vineyard
Assembly, Rev Martin Azubuike, said
the extent of hardship in the country
would have been very oblivious
without the influence of religious
leaders on their followers.
‘’I laugh when people say that
Pastors are misleading Nigerians.
That is not true because, without
pastors, the world would have seen
the actual rate of poverty in Nigeria.
Do they know what we do to assist
the poor? Without our counseling,
Nigeria would have been rated the
worst country to reside in on earth.
Religion is not responsible for the
collapse of our value system neither
is it responsible for the insecurity in
the land. So, why are they blaming
religion?” he noted.
Why are they blaming religion?
Toeing the same line, Evangelist
Raphael Okon of Believers
Fellowship Accord, said:”It is unfair
for anyone to say that religion is
making people engage in vices. What
do we preach in our churches? Is it to
tell people to engage in corrupt and
immoral practices? Our message is
of the kingdom and not of the world.
People go through some peculiar
challenges in Nigeria that require
peculiar prayers and responses. I am
sure that was why you talked about
strange things people claim their
pastors ask them to do. The place of
religion in the life of Nigerians is not
negotiable, else Nigerians will
perish.”
However, a Catholic Priest at Saint
Agnes Parish, Ichida, Rev. Fr
Boniface Ezeoke disagreed with the
duo.
‘’Our messages of instant
gratification have created a
generation of people who only want
to see instant results, immediate
Continues on page 12

12—SATURDAY Vanguard, , FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Continues from page 11
relief, and a painless profit. This is
not the natural course of nature or a
better way of doing things,” he
declared.
Continuing, he said: ‘’Instead of
messages that only promise
blessings, miracles, breakthroughs,
and wonders, let us replace these
messages with preaching on virtues
such as hard work, creativity,
dedication, commitment,
perseverance, diligence, and
responsibility. These, produce a
responsible society. The scripture says
that “by the labour of your hand, you
shall eat, happiness and prosperity
will be yours.” Therefore, prosperity,
breakthroughs will never emanate
from idleness and laziness. This
gullibility must change and it must
stem from our pulpits. We must show
our hearers the proper way to wealth.
Let us start immediately by using
correct words of encouragement by
telling them that to work hard.”
Corroborating Ezeoke’s position, a
foremost Life Coach, Lanre Olusola,
maintained that religion is now a
limitation for Nigerians.
Olusola told Saturday Vanguard
that: “Nigerians are very deep in
religion. Whatever is it they serve,
whether they go to herbalists, they are
Christians or Muslims, I found that
religion in itself is a limitation for
Nigerians. We don’t really understand
the concept of separating spirituality
from religion. So, we hook line and
sinker follow religion to our own
detriment. And our religion is
intertwined with our tradition and our
culture. That in itself becomes our
shackle, handcuff, restraint, and
Our pulpit must stop talking about
miracles and breakthroughs
because our youths want to hear
that through miracles and
breakthroughs, people can get
something out of nothing. I repeat that
you can never get something out of
nothing. What they are being told is that
it is possible to reap what they did not
sow. It is impossible. It was Saint Paul,
who admonished his admirers in the
church at Thessalonika that he who
doesn’t work shouldn’t eat. The national
psyche of Nigerians today is more like “if
it is ripe pluck it if it is unripe do the same
thing.” Man must labour before he is able
to eat. Today, the shout of “I claim it’’ is
renting the air from our exalted pulpits.
What are you claiming? Whose labour are
you claiming? Let the truth be told from
the pulpit to our teaming youths going out
of our churches. My dear pastors and
priests, our churches have largely
contributed to the rot in the society. Our
messages of instant gratification have
created a generation of people, who only
want to see instant results, immediate
relief, and a painless profit. This is not the
natural course of nature or a normal way
of doing things. For our youths to change,
our messages must also change. For our
nation to change, the messages from our
pulpit must also change. We must begin
to deliver relevant homilies which are
relevant and capable of uplifting souls.
Instead of messages that only promise
Religious practices
destroying Nigerians
constraint instead of us sitting down
to think intelligently and ask if the
culture and tradition that we are
about to subscribe to or have
subscribed to are still relevant in the
21 century. We should also ask if
certain doctrines that are being taught
Christianity is no magic, Rev. Father
Boniface Ezeoke tells pastors, priests
who preach miracles and breakthroughs
•Prosperity will never emanate from idleness
•His homily recently
blessings, miracles, breakthroughs, and wonders, we
should replace these messages with preaching on
virtues such as hard work, creativity, dedication,
commitment, perseverance, diligence and
responsibility.
The Scripture says that by the labour of your hand
you shall eat, happiness and prosperity will be yours.
Prosperity and breakthroughs will never emanate
from idleness and laziness. This gullibility must
change and it must stem from our pulpits.We
must show our hearers the proper way
to wealth. Let us start this immediately
by using correct words of
encouragement.
We must stop glorifying people,
who became wealthy from
questionable sources. The brother
who became a millionaire because
he simply sowed a seed, either to a
pastor or to a church should no
longer be among those testifying in
our churches. We should be giving
opportunities to those, who work
hard through a lifetime of
perseverance, diligence, and dignity
of labour. Unless we are able to do
this, our churches and Nigeria will
keep on celebrating symbols of
instant success like the Yahoo boys
Bet9ja players, the scammers,
Banke robbers, pen robbers,
embezzlers of government funds
and MMM members.
If these remain the only messages
of success stories we are capable of
producing, our society will keep
are still relevant to people in this century,
does it hinder people. How does it help
people to progress? Historically, if people
had done it in the last 10 years, what value
has it added?”
In addition, he said: “These questions
are relevant because what never gets
•Rev. Father Boniface
Ezeoke
measured can never be improved. The
black man does not think like that
because he started it, his father did it, his
pastor said he should do it and he
continues to do it even though it is never
working. Nigerians have stopped
thinking.”
going down the hill. If we are to produce quality
youths and future leaders, we must begin to invite
to our pulpits, people, who attained success
through biblical principles of hard work,
faithfulness and diligence. We have to downplay
the roles of sowing and reaping for prosperity. It
is time to begin to emphasise on principles of
production of goods and services. We must begin
to encourage hard work among our youths.
Instead of teaching in our churches every
Sunday, the art of giving and taking such as
givers never lack, our messages must change to
teaching principles like planning, critical
thinking, system building, market and customer
analysis, and production of goods and services.
This is how noble people are created and
produced in a society not.
With the messages we have today in our
churches and society at large, it is not
surprising that young people now act as if
God rewards laziness and mediocrity. I want
to use this medium to appeal to my fellow
pastors and priests in the ministry to stop
preaching a false gospel. They should
begin to preach the real gospel of the
kingdom. Let us continue to offer
the sign projected by Our lord
Jesus Christ.
Our youths must know that
Christianity is not magic. Just
because somebody is making
pronunciations doesn’t mean that
those pronunciations are from the
Bible. We must let them know that
they only need God’s blessing to
make it in life. We must let our
young people know that the shouts
of “ I claim it, I receive it” alone
are not enough for someone to be
blessed. We must open their eyes
and ears to realize that the shouts
of “Amen, Amen, Amen” no matter
how loud the vibration is, doesn’t
make God fulfill all their wishes.
Our youths and Nigeria needs to
be delivered from religious
superstitions, half-baked life,
laziness and real Christianity must
be that preached to the Samaritan
woman at Jacob’s well.

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—13
OKOWA: Why Niger
Delta is different
•Speaks on 13% derivation
fund, Fulani herdsmen
•Says Ibori not going to APC, my
relationship with Uduaghan convivial
•Gov Ifeanyi Okowa
Okowa added: Also very importantly, billion in a month and suddenly, we
the salary structure that we have in are struggling with N6 billion, we
Delta State is not the same salary cannot even pay salaries, we try to pay,
structure that we have in many parts of we have been able to pay back some
the north or the west. For every level of of the money we were owing in terms
worker, particularly at the higher level, of cooperatives, but we have not even
we are paying much more higher as a finished paying all that money that
state than other states of the we owe in terms of deductions from
federation.”
cooperatives; that shows that the times
He said: “When I tell people that my are still difficult.
salary wage bill is about N7 billion; “There was a time in this state that
initially it was N7.4 billion when I we received just a total of N3 billion
came in, it dropped down now and by in May and June last year. By the time
the time you add that of the state and they deducted the money that we owed
that of other agencies, it is close to N7 in Zenith Bank that is being
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor,
billion. There are some states in the discounted, we were back to N2.5
South-South, Festus Ahon, Egufe
north; the total wage bill is about N1.7 billion and you have a salary of N7.4
Yafugborhi and Ochuko Akuopha
billion.
billion. So, people just do not want to
“But N1.7 billion is not for me to pay understand that the situation is
those in the Post Primary Education tough.”
Now that the oil
Board alone, the issues are totally
GOVERNOR Ifeanyi
different; the number of schools we have Delta losing 250,000 bpd He
Okowa of Delta State prices are down, the is not what they have in some other spoke sadly about the tumbling oil
has told critics, who
places, we have over 1000 primary prices and the drastic shortfall in the
accused the South- kind of derivation schools; we have 62 functional revenue of the state that has been the
South Governors of
hospitals. In some states, they may not theatre of war due to pipeline
mismanaging 13 per cent Derivation we are getting is not have up to 10 hospitals, so there are so vandalism.
Fund to oil states that their allegation
many issues why we are different. “Peace has returned and I can say
was groundless. Senator Okowa, anything we can say Talking about secondary schools it is that since September, last year till
who gave an instance of what it takes
the same number, so we are working now, it has been peaceful and we pray
to construct a kilometer of road in the is meaningful
under very different conditions,” he that the Shell Petroleum Development
state and Zamfara, one of the northern
said.
Company, SPDC, Export trunk line
states, asserted: “The fact is that it is
enough considering
will be fixed because since February
easy to accuse people that monies are
Complaints about Warri
the fact too that
2016 till today, that trunk line has not
not being used, and 13 per cent seems
“I actually want to believe that I have been fixed and we are losing about
as if it is a huge sum of money. But it is
not found myself coming regularly to
there are a lot of
250,000 bpd.
not exactly so if you actually try to assess
the Warri area. Like I did say, we have “That means no export is being done
the Niger Delta terrain with some debts to pay
tried to struggle within the limits of on that line, not only for that area, but
mainly upland areas, which I will try to
resources to try to put up the Governors’ even for product from the land area,
describe in the layman’s term as hard
Lodge in a way that it will be habitable which are also channeled through that
soil.”
Delta state is upland, but even the kind and I thank God that we have line, so it has been a major issue. There
He stated: “If I want to construct a
of soil we have in this upland area is not completed that and by God’s grace , we is need to bear with us. We are not
road across the creeks and you are going
exactly the same with what we have in are trying to raise some little money to inhuman; it is difficult for Delta state,
to construct a road on the land,
other parts of the country. Even in the put furniture, but you are going to find 80 per cent of the pipeline vandalism
probably in Sokoto State, you will be
construction of buildings, it is not the me more often around Warri,” he said. caused by this militancy has been in
surprised that the same kilometer of
same cost, because there are different He, however, explained: “I do not like Delta,” he said.
road across the creek will cost you 20
soil makes in many of these areas, so we to sleep in hotels in Warri, which is why He sadly announced: “That is a huge
times what it will cost you to do a similar
need to have a clear understanding of you do not see me sleeping in Warri. work and as at today, Delta state is
kilometer of road in the upland.
some of these things.”
There are times I go to Warri three fourth in terms of quantum of oil we
“One of my colleagues told me he did
times in a week. I do not want all the produce. That is not where we should
20 to 50 kilometers of road in the north,
All S-South states paying debts people going with me to sleep over in be. We are in a distant fourth; we have
that is Zamfara state and he said he
“Now that the oil prices are down, the Warri in a hotel. Sometimes, it is not Akwa-Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa before
did it for slightly above N7 billion,
kind of derivation we are getting is not too easy; it is expensive for government Delta. That was not the situation
but I tried to find the cost of building a
anything we can say is meaningful and we are trying to cut down before, but we thank God that things
road through Ayankoromo to Burutu,
enough considering the fact too that expenditure. I find that it is easier and have changed. Peace has come.”
to build the entire road and bridges
there are a lot of debts to pay. All the cheaper for me to return to Asaba even Okowa added: “We are appealing
because that is the kind of things you
states in the South-South are involved when it tells on my body.”
to SPDC to quickly ensure that the
see; a major bridge and other small
in that because the previous He pledged: “You are going to find trunk line is working so that we can
bridges across the place; the length of
administrations awarded projects, me more regularly not because I just have our oil being produced across
the road is something around 15
believing that the price of oil was going want to sleep in Warri, but because of the state being exported and at
kilometers and I was given an estimate
to be where it was.
jobs to be done in that area. I need to least expect more whether the oil
of about N34 billion to construct that
“But in June 2014, a year before the relate with community leaders, I need prices improves or not. The oil prices
road.
previous administration left, the oil to relate with traditional rulers around have improved, but the quantity has
“I am scared to start because the
prices had come down, so the that area in order for us to ensure to improve for us to have any
entire funding in an entire year will not
calculations had gone completely the enhanced security.”
meaningful impact.”
be able to fund just that one project. With
other way round and a lot of them were
N34 billion you will be able to do up to
no longer able to fund the projects that “Situation is rough”
Ibori not moving to APC
200 kilometers of road in some other
they had already put in place, but “There are too many things done in On the possibility of the former
states,” he said.
somebody has to fund the projects, so the past that we may not be able to governor, Chief James Ibori, who just
Okowa asserted: “So, it is not exactly
there are issues,” he posited.
afford because in this time of economic returned, switching to APC, he said:
the same, the kind of situation we find
recession, the situations are not the
ourselves. We agree that some part of
Gigantic wage bill
same. If a state was receiving over N20 Continues on pg 14
C
M
YK

14—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
C
M
Y
K
Continued from pg 13
“As for Ibori coming back and joining
APC, I am not aware of that. I do not
even believe that the man is here talking
about the issue of political parties. I
believe that the first thing in his mind is
his family and to bond with his family.”
Alleged swindling of Paris Club
$10 million by mistress
He said: “The PDP, my party has made
a response. I do not want to flog that issue.
People who know me know my pattern of
life. I gave my life to Jesus Christ,
several years ago, and I know what I
stand for and I will not join issues with
people on this. It is very important that
we know what the issue of governance is,
as I have come here, I have got to be
accountable.”
“In the face of this, we can give you
details as to what expenditures were
made with the money that came from the
Paris Club. I think that if you go to the
Ministry of Finance and Accountant
General’s office, I believe that you will
be able to get the details of the money
that was released.
In the first instance, monies are not
released in dollars to any state
government. I do not believe in
mistresses; that is not of me, but I am
also very much aware that as long as I
am sitting on this seat that all kinds and
manner of accusations would come. If
Jesus Christ could be accused, then who
am I? I believe that if you sit back and try
to reason, you will be convinced yourself
that that story was spurious and I think
there is no need to flog it beyond that.”
Relationship with Uduaghan
On his association with his predecessor,
former governor, Dr. Emmanuel
Uduaghan, he stated: “As for my
relationship with the immediate past
governor, there is no rift between us.”
One land, 3 Cs of O
Speaking on the land documentation
in the state, the governor informed: “We
are working hard to make things work. I
am aware that they actually took off very
well, but we never actually knew that the
problem within the Ministry of Lands was
as enormous as it was. In terms of
documentation over the years, it is very
unfortunate that it has been very petty to see
some files for several years all dumped in
one place and there is the need to have all
these things properly documented in an
electronic manner.”
Govt official conceals official
document
He made a startling revelation on the
acquisition of Core Area 2, Okpanam,
by government and flooding at Okpanam
community, saying: “Those who told you
that the government has not acquired that
land are not telling you the truth. That was
the message that was being sent out until
we were able to find a document that was
being hidden with the public service system
and it is very unfortunate that a staff of
government would hide a document.
“The document shows that it was acquired
during the military regime, not even during
the civilian regime. It was acquired at that
time and the document is available, so the
issue as to whether the land is acquired or
not is no longer in question.”
Okpanam Road/Flooding of state
capital
“It is still quite challenging; at the
moment, we are trying to push the contractor
working on the Okpanam Road to speed
up his work. Between December and today,
we have released the sum of N100 million
to the contractor to enable him speed up his
work. It is our hope that when they
complete that work, we will be able to assess
the impact on the flooding and what else
we need to do.”
Economic Summit
Is his government already implementing
the resolutions of the last Delta Economic
Summit? The governor said: “We achieved
a lot in the Delta Economic summit; a lot of
ministries, departments and agencies have
studied the outcome of the documents of
•Gov Okowa
As for Ibori coming
back and joining
APC, I am not aware
of that. I do not
even believe that the
man is here talking
about the issue of
political parties
the economic summit; we have also had
discussions in the State Executive Council meeting
and we are expecting that progress made would
be presented to us at Exco; what other actions we
need to take will also be reviewed.”
We’ll resolve Ogbe-Ijoh/Aladja crisis
Shifting to the Ogbe Ijoh, Aladja crisis, he
asserted: “Concerning the Ogbe-Ijaw and Aladja
crisis, this is a problem that has been on for several
years; unfortunately, several persons have lost their
lives. What we have seen in the past is that we
have progressed in reconciliations, we have
progressed in discussions about settlements to a
stage where if left in an administrative manner
and no actions are taken, after a few years, the
thing will come back again.”
“But we are determined, by the grace of God, to
end the crisis and to ensure that the dispute over
the parcel of land that is in question will be
resolved in the best way that will be acceptable to
both communities so that both communities can
live together again as one. We are doing a lot and
the committee that we have; we are insisting the
committee should be able to make demarcations.
Investors want to take over Oghara IPP
On the Independent Power Plant, IPP project in
Oghara, Warri Industrial Business and Oleri
Parks Governor Okowa asserted: “We are still
doing a lot of documentations, we are now in an
assessment process to know exactly what we have
on ground; what is the likely cost of what we have
on ground, and how can we nake progress? What
actions do we have to take? Can we continue with
‘•Ibori not going to APC,
my relationship with
Uduaghan convivial’
the project? Are we going to sell it off?
“Are we going to enter into a
partnership with people? So that
analysis is still being done; the first
one that we did have, we have cause
to believe that it was not fully well
done and the Commissioner for
Finance has instructed another group
to give us an assessment of what is in
place and I believe that when we have
the appropriate advice, we will know
what to do.
Deviation in Warri Business Park
concept
The governor continued: “For the
Warri Industrial Park, there are a still
a lot of issues, but it is our hope we
will be able to move that place
forward. From the briefs that I have,
we still have a lot of issues with the
land; a lot of persons that own land
in that place are still giving a lot of
troubles. “
“That means we have not been able
to settle the issues of ownership of
land. My understanding, when I was
Secretary to the State Government
was that it would be driven more by
the private sector and we only needed
to provide the land and the
government will have a minimal
percentage in the processes of
developing the industrial park.
“It appears to me that the concept is
actually being fully funded and run by
the state government, which means that
we actually deviated from the initial
process. I would not know what informed
that and it is our hope that we will be able
to rework the whole process where the
park will be driven more by the private
sector. I believe that is the way out.”
Can’t speak on Oleri Park now
“As for the Oleri park, it is still a subject
of discussion in Exco and we have not
been able to examine the documents in
full. We have asked that they go and study
the documents that have been provided
to us and I am sure on a later day at the
Exco, we will be able to discuss that;
only then will I be able to speak to you in
full concerning the Oleri park,” he said.
Battle with herdsmen
In the governor’s words: “The herdsmen
issue is a problem in Delta State and across
the whole of this country, in not less than
30 to 32 states. We have been having this
problem between the Fulani herdsmen
and communities and their farmers. It is
something that we do not wish to continue
to have, but the problem is still there. Until,
as a country, we are able to establish
ranches where we are able to rear our
cattle, we may not be able to wish away
this problem.”
He said: “With the situation we have in
the north, once it is dry season, you begin
to find owners of cattle moving to all parts
of the country and the Constitution of this
country does not allow you to stop
somebody from another state from
coming into your state; but the only thing
is that we expect people to be reasonable
in whatever they are doing and that even
if they are grazing, it is not right for
somebody to walk into a farm, at least
with your eyes, you know what a farm is
as different from ordinary grass, but
unfortunately we have been having all
these clashes.”
“Obviously, the herdsmen are to blame,
in some cases, some of our people may be
blamed because some also invite them to
communities and show them land, as if
the land belongs to them, whereas the
land belongs to other people and they
may have collected money behind; it is a
very unfortunate thing.
“We have continued to work on how to
resolve the issues and as a state
government; we are doing the best we
can. We have a Special Assistant, who is
also a Fulani man helping us in this. I
have a Special Adviser on Conflict
Resolution, who is trying to do a lot. The
Commissioner of Police is actually doing
quite a lot, but sometimes, we begin to
have occasional clashes between these
herdsmen and our people.
“Some days back, there was a deadly
one where the police actually moved
into the bush in one of the places and
there was exchange of fire. The
situation is unfortunate.”
Registration of herdsmen
“What we are beginning to do is for
communities where we have them to
actually ensure that these people are
known to the communities; there
should be a kind of registration
process so that the people are not just
living in your place and you do not
have information on them. So that
with this relationship, it may be
better to engage people in the peace
process.”
“In these fights, there have been
losses on the part of the Fulani and
there have been losses in of some the
communities, but we are trying to do
the best we can to resolve it. But that
does not also rule out the very
criminal elements that use one or up
to two to five cattle as a smoke screen
to cover the criminal activities that
they are engaged in.
“A lot of them are involved in
kidnapping and I am aware on
December 1, not less than five of them
were arrested; these set of persons who
live within the bush so that they can
engage in one form of kidnapping or
the other and these criminal
elements, we will continue to fish
them out and ensure that the law takes
its course.”
Why Asaba axis of Ughelli-Asaba
Road project is slow
On the delay trailing the dualization
of the Asaba axis of the Ughelli-Asaba
road and consequent loss of lives, he
informed: “You know the Ughell-
Asaba road project is divided into
Sectors A, B and C. Sector B is
essentially completed, sector A, the
contractor is partly on site, but I think
there are funding challenges. We
cannot shy away from it; we have been
able to release some funds within the
availability of funds in the budget to
CCC company that is handling the
Sector A.”
“The Sector C is being handled by
ULO. ULO is handling the Asaba
Airport project; As far as I am
concerned, I believe that the Asaba
Airport project is very critical; we need
to get him to finish it and in that place
we have funding for the airport and it
is my wish and the direction we are
going is to guide him to finish the Asaba
Airport, so that he does not get
distracted on two projects.
“We are guiding the process to ensure
that he finishes the Asaba Airport
before we can continue with the Sector
C of the road project. The Asaba Airport
is a very major project; it has the
capacity to improve the social impact
of the people and the economic impact
of the people,” he said.

SATURD
TURDAY VANGUARD
ARD, FEBRUARY 11, , 2017—15
•Senator John
James Akpan
Akpanudoedehe
BY EMMANUEL AZIKEN,
Political Editor
Politician, educationist and
businessman, Senator
John James Akpan
Akpanudoedehe had fought and
prevailed in many political battles
as a young man in his native
Akwa Ibom State. Indeed, at the
advent of the Fourth Republic, he
had prided himself as a sort of
child prodigy always able to
overturn the disadvantage to his
favour.
Not only had he overturned the
odds in winning election as
council chairman, he had also
against the tide won election into
the Senate despite stiff challenges
set against him. He was to crown
his heroics in 2007 when he
marshalled the internal
opposition in the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP to stop the
then governor, Obong Victor
Attah from positioning his son-inlaw
as his successor.
As Chairman of the campaign
organisation that brought
Godswill Akpabio as governor in
2007, the suggestion that Senator
Akpanudoedehe would stem his
inclination to political rebellion
was far-fetched. Not even his
appointment as a minister could
stop him.
“I am not blowing my trumpet,
but when it was difficult to speak,
I became their voice,” he said of
his decision around 2008 to pull
away from Governor Akpabio and
become his leading critic.
“At that time by 5.00 p.m. people
would go to bed and it was even
difficult at that time to even
whisper to your wife as if the
government was hearing what
you would say,” he said in an
interview in his Abuja residence
of the faceoff with the then
governor that eventually forced
him to leave office as Minister of
State of the FCT.
How they are
mocking our
sacrifice for
Buhari
– Akpanudoedehe
Akpanudoedehe had
before then served in the
Senate between 1999 and
2003 during which time he
was also a thorn in the flesh of
Akpabio’s predecessor, Obong
Victor Attah.
After stepping down from
President Umaru Yar‘adua
cabinet in 2008, he became the
face of the opposition to the politics
and policies of the Akpabio
government. First from within the
PDP, and subsequently from the then
Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN on
whose ticket he vied as governorship
candidate in the 2011 elections.
The 2011 battle was epic and bloody.
Lives and property were lost in the
battle for the soul of the state. Scores
of state owned vehicles were
consumed in an arson attack state
officials alleged was instigated by
Akpanudoedehe. The former senator
was charged for treason,
understandably for his efforts to bring
down the ruling regime. The case,
however, collapsed.
However, the senator made a mark
as a number of his supporters
especially from his Uyo Federal
Constituency won the 2011 legislative
elections on the coattails of the ACN
governorship candidate.
Akpanudoedehe claims that the ACN
won seven seats in the House of
Representatives election that year but
that all but one seat was taken away
from the party by the PDP; while a
number of seats also won in the State
House of Assembly were also taken
away from the party with the exception
of one in Uyo where according to him
it was impossible for the PDP to steal.
Senator Akpanudoedehe finds it
bemusing that several of the
henchmen of Akpabio like his former
deputy Nsima Ekire, the former
Secretary to the State Government,
Mr. Umana Umana who according to
him battled him to near stupor in
furtherance of Akpabio’s political
agenda have almost taken over the
soul of the opposition party now
shaped as the All Progressives
Congress, APC.
“All these people now claiming to
be in APC were eating from the same
pot of soup with Akpabio. Can you
believe what they are now coming to
say about Akpabio? They built houses
while there, they got everything
there. Umana left because he was
almost anointed as governor until
Akpabio pulled the rug from his feet,”
he told Saturday Vanguard.
Though the senator is quick to
admit that he was also at one time in
the PDP, he, however, asserts that he
left the PDP when it was in power
both at the state and federal levels
saying he made sacrifices.
Noting the need for oppositionists
in the country to be resolute in their
criticism of the ruling party, he said
it would help to give shape to the
country’s democracy.
“...I think after a while we will
come to that level where Nigerians
will come to the position of staying
where you are and fighting from the
opposition. Why are you rushing to
another party if you so believe in
Nigeria? It is so funny. Stay and
develop party politics, let us have
a platform. When we come we will
know this man this is what he
believes in.”
“I am not against those coming
in for whatever reason, I don’t
question people. I was in the PDP
but I left it when it was in power
and it was quite juicy at that time;
Akwa Ibom was the richest state in
Nigeria and that was when I left
because I would not allow
criminality and looting of public
funds. And who are these people?
The same people who were part of
it. If you go to Uyo you will see the
kind of houses they live in. When
did they build them? When they
were in government!”
“For example if some government
officials at that time now say that
they want to probe Akpabio, is that
possible?”
Senator Akpanudoedehe is
particularly miffed by what he
claims as the aggregation of his
former enemies in the former PDP
who have converged against him
and his associates in the APC in
Akwa Ibom. Even more
Senator
Akpanudoedehe was
understandably
miffed by reports that
he had been sanctioned
by the state
chapter of the APC,
blaming recent defectors
from the PDP for
an action he claimed
was crooked in the
manner and style of
the PDP of yore
perniciously, he claims that the new
APC members who crossed over just
before or just after the 2015 elections
have apparently poisoned the mind
of the party’s national leadership.
That fear is reflected in the claim that
those who championed the interests
of the PDP until recently have now
become the leading crusaders of the
APC and have apparently grabbed all
the juicy positions that came from the
Federal Government to the state. It is
a claim that finds resonance not only
in Akwa Ibom but also in a large
swathe of the political landscape.
The senator affirms that many of
those now in authority at the national
level of the party seem to have
forgotten the role he played as a
member of the merger committee and
the roles played by his new
adversaries in his APC to frustrate the
change.
“These were actually die-hard
Akpabio elements, people who
wanted to die for Akpabio when I
spoke against so many things that
were going on in that government.
They never supported it, rather they
wanted me dead because it was in
their own advantage; the same thing
that they are doing now.
“For crying out loud, how can you
come out now and try to berate
Akpabio? Why didn’t you see
Akpabio as bad then? I tell you, these
are facts and they cannot campaign
against Akpabio.
“Have you heard any of them
campaigning against Akpabio? They
have never. If you want to take over
government from Akpabio, you have
to say something different, you
cannot be campaigning as if you are
still with Akpabio. You must tell Akwa
Ibom people what they are suffering
from.”
Senator Akpanudoedehe was
understandably miffed by reports that
he had been sanctioned by the state
chapter of the APC, blaming recent
defectors from the PDP for an action
he claimed was crooked in the
manner and style of the PDP of yore.
Asked why he was sanctioned by
the ward executive of his party, he
said:
“What happened was the
manipulation of the defectors with
some powerful friends of theirs in the
APC. APC being a marriage of very
different groups not tied to one
ideology, because I could not even
imagine that the people we suffered
with in the trenches would abandon
the altar of faithfulness to what they
are doing today.
“When they started, I understand
that they organised people who were
not my ward executive and they
concocted allegations against me.
“When those who decamped came,
Umana and others came, the
disappointment we got was that the
state executive which was supposed
to be neutral but because of long years
of poverty being in the opposition
they were easily swayed by money.
So, they bought them,” noting that
the whole venture was directed
towards preparing for the 2019
governorship election.
“The whole thing is on how to get
the soul of the party for 2019 and they
think that getting me out will be the
way out,” as he blames his political
rivals in the APC, Ekere, Umana and
other defectors for his woes.
“Nsima Ekire, never wanted
opposition to exist. I keep saying that
in 2011 he would have done anything
for Akpabio. While we were preaching
against the government, they were
supporting Akpabio.”
Summarising his recent experience
in the hands of the new APC
members just crossed over from the
PDP, he said:
“I describe them as someone who
comes into your house and goes straight
to the fridge and asks you, the owner of
the house, what will you take?”

16—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Mixed
reactions
trail
proposed
ban on
Danfo
buses in
Lagos
By Olasunkanmi Akoni,
Ebun Sessou and Aderonke
Adeyeri
Residents of Lagos have
expressed mixed
reactions over the plan
by the state government to
phase out the yellow
commercial buses popularly
called danfo. While some of
the residents believed it
would create more hardship
for them, others argued that
it was a welcome
development.
Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode had last Monday
announced plans by his
administrations to withdraw
danfo buses from Lagos roads
to reposition road
transportation system in
Lagos in line with its megacity
status.
The Governor noted that the
development will evolve a
more efficient, well-structured and
world class mass transportation system
that would facilitate easy movement
within the city adding that wellstructured
transportation mode would
be put in place to address the
challenge.
He said, “when I wake up in the
morning and see all these yellow
buses, Okada and all kinds of tricycles
and we claim we are a mega city, that
is not true and we must first
acknowledge that that is a faulty
connectivity that we are running.
Having accepted that, we have to look
for the solution and that is why we
want to banish yellow buses this year.
We must address the issue of
connectivity that makes people to
move around with ease and that is
where we are going”, he said.
In their immediate reactions, some
residents expressed apprehension
that the state government would not
be able to provide an effective
transportation system in view of the
population of Lagos
A student, Babtunde Adedeji,
lamented that, the development will
further create havoc in the city.
According to him, “what is the
alternative to those buses? Government
should get the necessary alternatives
first before it bans those buses. I would
rather subscribe to enforcing some
simple regulations on the drivers and
their operational rules among others.
Banning those buses without providing
an alternative would put a lot of people
into hardship and create more havoc on
our depressed economy.
Another resident, Nwosu
Chukwuemeka, said, “the Lagos state
government seems not to care about her
citizens. Despite the situation of the
economy, the only thing a governor is
concerned with is, “Mega city”. Will the
so called Mega city put food on my
table? I am a fashion designer by
profession, but due to the economic
crisis, I have combined it with
commercial driving which I have been
doing for a while. How will I feed my
family of four, my aged mother and
younger ones, if my means of livelihood
is taken away? Governor Akinwunmi
Ambode should think well otherwise
the crime rate in Lagos will increase,
I promise.
For Peter Kehinde, an artisan, he
said, “the Lagos state government
should know that this can’t work in
Lagos state. The Yellow buses are
more efficient than waiting and
depending on BRT long queues. How
many modern buses can Lagos afford?
Also, this will lead to many losing their
source of livelihood and more hardship
for the average Nigerians.
Also, a journalist, Chima James,
noted that, the idea is wrong. “I am
so disappointed that the government
could think in this direction.
Regardless of what the Megacity
syndrome is all about, it is important
to know that many people will be
rendered jobless and the state will
be in disarray. Already, the country
is experiencing serious hardship,
there is hunger in the land and if
the next step is to further frustrate
Nigerians and subject them to pains,
it is unfortunate. Many families will
suffer. I hope, this is a joke because
it will not work.
Meanwhile, some people said, it
is a good development. A civil
servant, Olakunle Adebesin, said,
“It is a welcome development
considering many lives that have been
lost due to the recklessness of
“Danfo”drivers on Lagos roads. Many
of them do not understand what traffic
rules and signs are meant for.
Another civil servant who would not
want his name mentioned said, “What
Lagos state government is trying to
do is a welcome development. There
is need for reformation in the
transportation system in the state.
There are a lot of ills in the system
and the only approach is to be
proactive or else it will be a painful
story. The fact that there is increase
in insecurity calls for proactive step,
there is need to save the lives of
Lagosians.
Traders count losses as govt demolishes
illegal structures across public estates
BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI
Residents of government
Housing Estates in
Lagos state have
counted their losses as
government agents embarked on
removal of illegal structures
identified to be in violation of
state environmental law.
Meantime, Lagos State House
of Assembly has directed the
Lagos State Building Investment
Co-operation, LBIC, to halt the
proposed demolition of
structures by in Ijaiye Housing
Estate, Pen Cinema, Agege,
Lagos State pending the
investigation by the house
Committee on Physical Planning
and Urban Development over
the proposed demolition.
The demolition came three
months after a similar exercise
in Jakande Estate where the
Secretary of Jakande Estate
Landlord Association, Mr. Toba
Johnson, claimed that about
12,000 shops were demolished
and about 20,000 traders
displaced.
It was gathered that the state
government, through the state
Ministry of Physical Planning
and Urban Development, had
earlier issued an ultimatum for
the removal of all the illegal
structures as failure to do so
would attract forceful
demolition.
The government argued that
the structures were in violation
of the Estate’s Master Plan, and,
should be removed to restore the
original master plan of the
estate drawn over 20 years ago.
One of the affected traders,
Mrs. Rosemary Nwachukwu,
claimed that abatement letter
was served at a very short notice
and she had no other place to go.
She lamented that; “Though,
we thank the state government
for giving us the opportunity to
remove our structures by
ourselves but we have invested
so much on erecting the
structures. We have lost so much
in this exercise at this time of
hardship in the economy.”
Also, in a similar exercise at
Ojokoro Housing Estate,
Meiran, over 300 shop owners
who are mostly retirees from the
state government were affected.
It was gathered that in order
to beat the the government’s
ultimatum, affected people
embarked on evacuation of their
property including roof tops and
other accessories.
Some of the affected residents
who spoke to Vanguard accused
the state government of taking
away their means of livelihood,
even as the economic recession
bites harder on citizens.
Olalekan, with tears in her
eyes, lamented, “we are helpless
as senior citizens of this country.
We are mostly state government
retirees. This is what we are
managing to keep ourselves
alive and our children. The
structures are not obstructing
Recession takes toll on BRT, as operator
implements new fare regime
BY OLASUNKANMI AKONI
Operator of the Bus Rapid
Transit, BRT, Primero
Transport Services Limited,
has announced plans to
commence implementation of
what it called “marginal
increase” in its transport fares
this month due to rising cost
of operation.
Managing Director of
Primero Transport Services,
operator of BRT along
Ikorodu, CMS corridor, Mr.
Fola Tinubu, said the
organization was constrained
to introduce the increment
owing to economic recession
which had shot up every cost
of operation.
Tinubu disclosed that in
November 2015, BRT buses
moved a total number of
2,610,30 passengers with an
increase in number each
month to December 2016,
where 4,5788, 48 passengers
boarded BRT. The total
ridership from November 2015
to December 2016 recorded
42,551,118.00.
He said despite the current
situation in the country the
organization was prepared to
increase capacity in order to
any plan other than that the
government claims that it is
against the Master Plan of the
Estate. At this time of economic
recession this is absolutely
unfair and insensitive of the
government. There is no plan for
markets inside the estate so how
do we get access to petty goods
and households stuff. Do we have
to trek a whole distance to
markets to get all these items?
Government should have a
rethink. Some of us are the
breadwinners of our family, so,
now that they have asked us to
move away from our means of
livelihood, where do we go from
here.”
accommodate the expected
increase in number of
patronage in 2017.
However, on the proposed
increment in fares, Tinubu
said, “We are going to
increase our fares across the
corridor by February. This is
due to economic condition in
the country which is beyond
our control.
“Our cost of operation has
gone up astronomically. We
were buying diesel last year
for N120 per litre but this year
it is N260 per litre. The tyres
we were buying for about
N70,000 per one is now N140
each, while all the spare parts
for the buses are imported.
C
M
Y
K

VANGUARD, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—17
U-N-C-O-V-E-R-E-D!
Lagos estate where
cultists forcefully
initiate residents
•Youth drowns while escaping from
being forcefully initiated
•Lake View Estate gate
members of the Odua People’s
Congress, OPC.
Residents lament: One of the
residents said: “We have been
living in fear because of the
activities of these boys. Some of
us were forced to send our sons
away from home to avoid being
forcefully initiated. If you
challenge them, they will come
after you.
"They parade themselves as
members of OPC, but one of the
repentant, well known militant
in Niger Delta heads the cult
group. We were reliably
informed
that
late Sunday belongs to a group
of 11 friends who were all
labourers. At a point, two of them
bowed to pressure from these
cultists and were initiated. That
was the genesis of the woes of
the rest.
Genesis
of the woes
A 20-year-old boy identified as Sunday, has drowned in a
river at Lake View Estate, Amuwo -Odofin area of Lagos, in
his attempt to avoid being forcefully initiated into Icelander
Confraternity, by some youths.
Crime Guard reliably gathered that residents of phase 1
and 2 of the estate are presently gripped with trepidation
following activities of members of the cult group as they
freely brandish weapons and molest residents at will. The
group was also accused of dragging youths to the riverside
where they are forcefully initiated. It was learned that anyone
that refuses to be initiated will be given ultimatum by the
group to either leave the estate or risk losing his life.
By Evelyn Usman
THE initiation process:
Such was the fate of
late Sunday. The deceased, a
labourer, was alleged to have
been dragged to the
waterside last Monday,
alongside one of his friends
identified as Alabi, by one Tunde,
popularly known as T-money.
However, on reaching the
waterside, Tunde and members
of his gang allegedly began the
forceful initiation process by
subjecting their victims to a
session of battery.
At a point, Tunde was alleged
to have brought out a gun and
threatened to shoot them if they
insisted on not joining the cult
group. It was then, according to
reports, that Sunday resisted,
and he was shoved by a member
of Tunde’s group.
In the process, he jumped into
the river and drowned. While
the group concentrated on
Sunday, his other colleague,
Alabi, managed to escape from
the danger zone. He later related
what transpired to concerned
residents of the estate.
Sunday’s bloated body was in
the river until the arrival of
policemen from Festac Division.
Crime Guard was, however,
informed that the bereaved
family prevented the Police from
conducting an autopsy on the
corpse, as they insisted on
burying it beside the river.
Cultists on the run: At the
moment, members of Icelander
confraternity have fled the estate.
Policemen were said to have
•Battered Alabi
combed
the estate
severally
for their
arrest
without luck. Some residents
who spoke with Crime Guard
lamented that they had been
under siege for long owing to
activities of cultists in the estate.
Some of them who spoke on
condition of anonymity said that
the cult group had its leadership
in the Niger Delta region of the
country, but their members at the
estate, as learned, had been
parading themselves as
P-H-O-
-H-O-T-O -O S-P-E-
-E-A-K
-K
“Few
days
before Sunday’s demise, they
(cultists) came to
where Sunday and his friends
were and ordered them to stand
up and follow them. They obeyed
but someone intervened on their
behalf and they were allowed to
go. But when they came back on
Monday, there was no body to
intervene for them. They
took Sunday and Alabi straight
to the waterside where they
started beating them.
“We were told that
when Sunday jumped into the
river, the cultists were still
hauling stones at him, instead
of helping him out. They
watched him drown. But for
Alabi’s decision to escape, he
would have been shot dead
because he said Tunde asked
them to say their last prayer
since they refused to voluntarily
join Icelander.”
The residents, therefore, called
on the police to ensure that these
boys were arrested so that they
can live their normal lives again.
•House Committee Chairman, (retd.) Hon Halim Dauda Jika (8th right), the AIG Zone 2, Kayode Aderanti with other members
of House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs during their visit to Zone 2, Onikan, Lagos on inspection tour.

18—SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard
anguard, , FEBRUARY 11, 2017
PROTESTS:
Key issues that sent
Nigerians to streets
•Why bigger exercise should be averted
BY CHARLES KUMOLU
SATURDAY Vanguard in this report examines the
critical issues surrounding the recent protests in some
major Nigerian cities within the context of what it
means to live in Nigeria at a time like this
In a display of a new-found gut, many
defied earlier threats by the Police to
demand a better life for the citizenry.
Given the numerous warnings against
such gathering, going ahead with it truly
showed the depth of the underlying
factors necessitating the protests.
Even without laborious findings, the
sights and sounds of the socio-economic
realities in the country explained why
Nigerians took to the streets.
That rare display of courage was
reminiscent of a quote by Frantz Fanon
in one of his numerous revolutionary
books.
The late Algerian pre-independence
nationalist famed for his authorship of
the Wretched of the Earth had stated
thus: “When we revolt it’s not for a
particular culture. We revolt simply
because, for many reasons, we can no
longer breathe.”
Truly, the protests, irrespective of a few
contrary opinions, were simply because
the hardship in the country had become
strangulating for Nigerians, Saturday
Vanguard gathered.
Accordingly, the following among
others were observed as immediate and
THE news announcing it surfaced
face of social challenges relished the While the intent of remote causes of the one-day protest by
passively on various social media
prospects of protesting against bad
angry Nigerians: High cost of living/
platforms like one of the countless
governance on February 6, 2017, the dropping the idea grinding hunger, harsh economic
messages of its kind that are full of sound
scheduled event produced a tragic hero
policies, collapse of the power sector,
and fury but signify nothing.
in Tuface, who infamously canceled the remained unclear, alleged double standards by government,
Within a few days in the public domain,
event.
absence of defined response to recession,
it gained popularity across the country
it was a no going crashed value of the naira/volatility in
attracting many protagonists and a few
An idea whose time had come
exchange rate, rising unemployment
antagonists.
While the intent of dropping the idea back situation for rate, handling of rampaging herdsmen,
While the opposing camps it engendered
remained unclear, it was a no going
dysfunctional legal system , slow pace of
were locked in controversy over the
back situation for hapless citizens, who hapless citizens, making decisions and polarisation of
correctness of the initiative, the police
considered the protests an idea whose
Nigeria along ethnic lines.
barked furiously at the initiator, Tuface
time had come.
who considered These, combined to create one of the
Idibia.
From Abuja to Ibadan, Lagos to Ijebu
most difficult times in the history of the
Every attempt at ensuring that the
Ode, Nigerians took to the streets the protests an
country.
proponent, who is one of the famous
protesting against the hardship that
Nigerians, dropped the plan, which
had been the lot of the citizenry since idea whose time High cost of living/grinding hardship
sought to challenge perceived bad
2015.
For anyone living in the country at the
governance, made the idea more
It was one of the extraordinary days in had come
moment, life has been reduced to a
attractive to Nigerians.
the life of Nigerians, who are known to
While a people, known for docility in the habitually suffer bad governance.
Continues on page 19
C
M
Y
K

SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard
anguard, , FEBRUARY 11, 2017—19
Why bigger exercise should be averted
Continues from page 18
harrowing experience as a result of the
escalating prices of goods and services.
This situation has brought about
widespread hunger especially among
middle-income earners, low-income
earners, and commoners.
Virtually every commodity has witnessed
over 100 percent increase in price since
2015, resulting in low purchasing power.
Even staple food items that are locally
produced, are affected by the escalating
prices.
Since virtually everyone is a victim, it was
not surprising that many apart from those
in positions of authority, their supporters
and hangers-on supported the protests.
The role this factor played in provoking
the exercise was better articulated by the
Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo in a
speech acknowledging the grouse of
protesters.
“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 its means not being
able to pay school fees, for others not being
able to afford the high cost of rice and
millet and for most of our young people
recession means joblessness, ’he stated.
Harsh economic policies
Before now, experts and non-specialists
had frowned at some economic policies
of the present administration, with the
consensus that it was accentuating the
economic crisis.
For instance, the World Bank and the
International Monetary Fund, IMF, had
in October 2016 urged the Federal
Government to come up with an economic
blueprint.
Latching on its understanding of the
dynamics of the Nigerian economy, a
leading global financial magazine, The
Economist dismissed the fiscal policies
of the administration.
The surprising disposition of the UKbased
magazine, which supported Buhari
in the 2015 presidential election, came a
few days after Financial Times termed
the same fiscal policies as the height of
foolishness.
Two former governors of Central Bank of
Nigeria, CBN, Prof Charles Soludo and
Emir of Kano, Alhaji Mohammadu Sanusi
had reasoned in that direction.
Soludo had said that the President’s
economic policies, since 2015, were still
based on campaign promises.
However, some policies Saturday
Vanguard found not have been widely
accepted include fixed exchange rate,
forex restrictions, implementation of
Treasury Single Account, TSA, politics
of naira devaluation and banning of some
items the country had no comparative
strength of producing among others.
Delay in making key decisions
In the estimation of most Nigerians, this
administration is famed for not being apt
in the area of making critical decisions.
Analysts have argued that some policy
actions of the government often come
belated when the issues they were
expected to have addressed had become
complex.
Those easily referenced are the delay in
the appointment of ministers and heads
of parastatals, delay in the appointment
of ambassadors, delay in the appointment
of National Commissioners of
Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC and delay in 2016
budget presentation among others. More
disturbing is their failure to take decisions
that can improve the economy. All calls
to higher or engage a sound economic
team have been ignored.
This trend is believed to have resulted in
the seeming lack of pace in the business
of governing Nigeria.
Collapse of power sector
Currently, power generation and
distribution is still a challenge as most
cities, towns, and villages are in
darkness, the billions of money spent
on the sector nothwitstanding.
Instructively the highest generation so
far recorded was the generation of
5074.7MW February 2, 2016, while the
highest maximum daily energy wheeled
nationwide was 109,372MWH on the
same day.
Unfortunately, that achievement meant
nothing till date as the generation level
has continued to hoover between
3,730.5 MW as of February 9, 2017, and
2,662MW(the amount recorded on
January 2, 2017.
Saturday Vanguard learnt that the
generation is not the core problem, but
distribution as a result of obsolete
transmission equipment.
The worsened power challenge has
increased the fuel consumption rate of
most people, who spend much now to
power their generators at homes and
offices.
Another worrisome aspect of the
energy crisis in Nigeria is the high tariff
being charged for the insignificant
electricity supplied.
Rising unemployment rate
In nearly two years, the unemployment
rate in the country has witnessed a
steady rise in percentage.
The National Bureau of Statistics had
in December 2016, stated that Nigeria’s
unemployment rate rose from 13.3
percent in the second quarter to 13.9
percent in the third quarter of 2016.
The report stated that the number of
unemployed increased by 555,311
persons.
However, the trend which is a common
social challenge in Nigeria became
more alarming with the loss of jobs
brought about by the recession.
Many Nigerians were thrown to the
streets by their employers as a cost
cutting measure.
The seriousness of the scourge was
evident from the inscription of
unemployment among the challenges
listed on the placards of most
protesters.
Even though the Federal Government
had cautioned companies against
sacking their workers, most
organizations are still laying off
workers in large numbers.
Absence of defined response to
recession
Most Nigerians are alarmed by the
absence of an economic blueprint aimed
at tackling the country’s economic
High cost of living/
grinding hunger,
harsh economic
policies, collapse of
the power sector,
alleged double standards
by government,
absence of defined
response to recession,
crashed value
of the naira/volatility
in exchange rate,
rising unemployment
rate, handling of
rampaging herdsmen,
dysfunctional
legal system , slow
pace of making decisions
and polarisation
of Nigeria along
ethnic lines
woes.
Harping on historical experiences
where nations had used concretized
fiscal road-maps to emerge stronger
from a downturn, there are concerns
that the government is yet to have a
blueprint in the face of the worst
economic crisis in Nigeria’s history.
At the moment, the vehicle through
which the government intends
surviving the meltdown is still unclear,
as experts keep demanding a work
plan.
That the government had recorded
some gains in some areas did not stop
observers from maintaining that its
fiscal policies were less holistic and
impactful.
The list of those, who hold this view is
endless, as many had spoken to
Saturday Vanguard in confidence and
others made theirs public.
For instance, the World Bank and IMF,
an investigation by this paper,
revealed, mounted pressure on the
government to come up with an
economic blueprint, if its drive for
foreign loans was not to be stalled.
This delay in coming up with a plan is
believed to be accentuating the
economic woes thereby prolonging the
lifespan of the recession.
At the moment, the economy is
reportedly growing at two percent with
a high inflation rate of 18.5 percent.
Crashed value of the naira/Inflation
Nigeria’s currency which used to be
among the strongest in Africa has lost
over 100 percent of its value.
With the 2017 budget pegging the
exchange rate at 305 to 1$, the naira
has continued to crash in the parallel
market.
The currency had in January crashed
further to N500 to a dollar at the
parallel market after it had remained
stable for nearly three weeks.
The Pound Sterling and the Euro also
crashed to N616 and N530 respectively
at the open market.
Since 2015, the rate of inflation has
been on the rise successively.
Today, virtually most Nigerians are
groaning given that the valueless state
of the naira has brought extreme
hunger and other forms of hardship in
the country.
The fact that this is happening
unabated leaves the populace
frustrated about what the days ahead
hold.
Handling of rampaging herdsmen
Most Nigerians are alarmed by the
manner the disposition of the
administration towards the mass
killings being done by Fulani
herdsmen across the country.
For a government that had excelled in
decimating the capacity of Boko
Haram insurgents to commit mass
murder, its seeming silence on most
murderous activities being perpetrated
by Fulani herdsmen, leaves most
people surprised and irritated.
For instance, the administration’s
handling of the massacres in Agatu and
Southern Kaduna was mostly
considered unimpressive.
Unfortunately, such attitude is giving
rise to the notion that the government
had applied double standards in
responding to some national
challenges.
Polarisation of Nigeria along ethnic
lines
The pulse of a cross section of
Nigerians is that the present
administration had in policies and
appointments, favoured some ethnic
groupings against others.
Those, who hold this position, maintain
that the North is more favoured in this
dispensation in manners that
rubbished the contents of the Federal
Character Principles.
This is one factor that Saturday
Vanguard found to be irritating the
larger South, especially the South East
extraction.
This feeling which had long existed was
recently re-echoed by a former
Military Administrator of Kaduna
State, Col Umar Dangiwa, retd, who
claimed that the administration’s pro-
North disposition was dividing
Nigeria.
Dangiwa, who said this against the
backdrop of the delayed appointment
of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the
substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria,
said: ‘’The unity of the nation has
already been pushed to the precipice
by the recruitment and appointment
policies of a government which tends
to favour the north in violation of the
Federal Character provision of the
constitution.”
C
M
Y
K

20—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
A
few days ago Dede Mabiaku
appeared on a radio talk as a
counterpoise to Femi Adesina. If all parties
understood their roles, the ultimate
beneficiaries would have been the nation.
Adesina defended the government’s record
perhaps with some apologies. That is his
national duty. The president’s effort would
bear fruit in the near future, he said. Many
are fed up and are easily irritated by any
optimism, but his argument was not
irrational: It could amount to impatience
to conclude Buhari has failed when he has
60 % of his tenure to run; Buhari has a fouryear
mandate and he has only had the
opportunity to author and supervise one
annual budget. Dede Mabiaku was restless,
peeved. And he had every right to be agitated.
But it was in his particular interest to
maintain decorum so that his grief could be
heard. After a few failed attempts to interject
and rudely stop Adesina’s arguments he
perceived insufferable, he unraveled. He
could have left Femi Adesina prevaricating
about why the DSS has not questioned the
officials of Miyetti Allah ? But he self
indulgently threw a tantrum and walked
away.
If Dede Mabiaku understood his role well
he would have swallowed his ego. That
unprovoked outburst was patently childish.
He was in that discourse partly as a trustee
for all desirous to hold the government
publicly accountable, perhaps for all
ordinary people of this country. It’s common
knowledge that only a bad messenger
allows his sensibilities to get in the way of
the message he must deliver. Dede
misunderstood his status and his task. But
there is more. Mabiaku was ill prepared,
didn’t come with sound arguments. A man
with strong objective reasons would bide his
time in a debate. He would not allow
emotions muddle his presentation or deny
him the opportunity. Mabiaku could have
smilingly conceded to Femi Adesina that
the president has four years. But could have
struck an uppercut by asking if patience
meant keeping quiet while the country was
driven towards a cliff?
Then Adesina could have conceded again
that the ordinary people were going through
difficulties, but temporary difficulties.
Adesina could dispute the idea that the
country was floundering. Then Dede could
Representatives tackle circles in petrol pricing
A
United States banker Walter
Bigelow Wriston said that, “when a
system of national currencies run by
central banks is transformed into a global
electronic market place driven by currency
traders, power changes hands.” It is a pithy
saying that has some proven truth in
Nigeria. Nigeria is going in pricing
circles with currency traders controlling
monetary policies that favour their
portfolios. But a cause for worry now is
the reliance of the country on petrodollar
from International Oil Companies, IOC
to fund the importation of petroleum
products.
For almost a year now the paucity of
foreign exchange has made the Nigerian
National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC
to go into an arrangement with IOCs to
sell foreign currencies to importers of
premium motor spirit, PMS or petrol.
Alleged lack of transparency dogging the
scheme has caused marketers drumbeat
for upward review of petrol price which
the vast majority of Nigerians are very
much against.
Nigerians are yet recovering from the
May 11, 2016 increment by about 70
percent from N87 to N145 per litre of
petrol. Are Nigerians that have been
pummelled by rash economic policies are
all geared up for the next round of price
increases? The complexity and
controversy are around government
agencies including regulators and the
security as well as the operators. Many
people believe that the NNPC acts like an
independent entity that accounts to
neither the government nor the people.
Access to foreign exchange to import
products into the country was at the front
burner as local petrol traders involved in
importation source foreign exchange on
Dede Mabiaku and TuFace: Two faces of one
grave ailment
have thrown a joker: “the government
inherited economic difficulties, but it has
toyed with the self-destruct button for too
long.” He would have looked into Femi’s
eyes and raised the issue of mass murders
committed by cattle herdsmen. Femi
Adesina is smart, he would know when he
has been cornered. Dede could then have
gone on and on about how the Federal
Government has shackled itself by cleaving
to ruinous cattle rearing sentiments. He
could have shed a tear or two after
mentioning Agatu and Nibo. And since
Femi is such a well mannered man, he
would have offered his handkerchief. Then
Dede could have politely refused saying, “ I
am weeping because our national unity is
easily perishable and you guys don’t get it.”
But Mabiaku derailed. He conjured up an
insult from a good-natured banter and
scoffed away. But Mabiaku is not alone.
There is a growing tendency in Nigeria.
Discourses aren’t opportunities for rigorous
argumentation and exchange of ideas any
And since Femi is such a
well mannered man, he
would have offered his
handkerchief
their own. The IOCs that get 40 percent in
joint venture agreements with the NNPC
bring in foreign currencies which are
exchange for the Naira to fund local
operations. Part of this fund is what the
NNPC pooled for petrol marketers since
the CBN Special Market Intervention
Sales, SMIS which is for all importers
hardly meet the ever increasing demands
for foreign exchange.
But who approves, who gets the facility
that is available and at what foreign
exchange rate appear to be the knotty
issues threatening petrol availability in
the country. Ordinarily the IOCs sell
foreign exchange to marketers to import
products. For alleged lack of
transparency in the process petrol
marketers prefer the CBN to the IOCs in
foreign exchange deals. That the IOCs sell
foreign currencies to the CBN means that
there could be an additional cost charged
per dollar eventually sold to marketers.
The IOCs trade in currencies so as to profit
from price differences for the same
currency in different markets.
The activities of regulators have also
caused Nigerians the agony of paying
N11.02 charges that are avoidable if
Nigeria refined products locally. Again,
the cargo (crude oil) sold and cargo
(petrol) bought attract duties that are paid
by Nigeria to other countries, and freight
cost added make the landing cost of
petroleum products in Nigeria expensive.
Experts believe that Nigeria can get petrol
at the pump for N100 if all bottlenecks of
importation are reduced.
As petrol pricing issues resurfaced, the
House of Representatives constituted an
Ad Hoc Committee on the review of pump
price of petrol. The subject appears
complicated that the Hon. Raphael
longer. The spirit of intolerance has possessed
nearly everyone. And impatience has become
a virtue. At the very highest levels of the
society, spurious arguments are invested with
emotions and propelled to knock reason into
submission. Obfuscation has even become
outdated. Alternative facts and outright
falsehood are employed freely by men who
perpetually claim integrity. And because
emotions have taken over even ridiculously
outrageous claims are bought by millions.
The leaders of the opposition have
abandoned seminars and lectures and have
mastered the art of ‘sound and fury.’ There is
no attempt to lay down concise arguments
and put the ruling party on the spot. There is
no attempt to lay down clear policy
alternatives to contest against what is
perceived as medieval ideas of the ruling
party. Because the opposition lacks ideas and
is exceptionally lazy, its recourse has been to
shallow alarmism and fear mongering. The
foreign exchange rate mechanism has failed
woefully. But the opposition has no clear
stand on its preferred exchange rate regime.
The country is more divided than it has ever
been but it is so mainly because the opposition
has tapped into dangerous veins of poisonous
sectionalism, shamelessly. The opposition
screams recession but sympathizes with the
Avengers who are bleeding the country.
Opposition cannot be reduced to anarchism.
Wike and Fayose need to understand this. A
certain easy recourse to absolute lawlessness
in the ostentatious defence of the rule of law
has become unfortunately rampant. What
such an opposition represents, in its essence,
cannot give any discerning voter any real
hope.
But there is another variety. The ones who
Igbokwe (Imo-PDP), led committee may
go into the extra ordinary realm to seek
out the puzzling thing in the petroleum
industry. The committee may operate in
the fortune teller’s globe to get solutions,
but the Chairman’s voice exuded
confidence that his committee would
tackle the circles that have made Nigeria
appear to be very busy without achieving
anything.
On the barrel controversy, at last
Monday’s continued public hearing, “I
want to assure Nigerians that this
committee will break the jinx concerning
those who believe that they are above the
law and they have all the contacts in the
world that will make them not to report
to Nigerians on the activities of their
companies, which have been at the centre
of managing crude, the collective
resources of this country in the last 20
years,” Igbokwe said. The operators are
few and have used the crude oil swap for
one product (petrol) that Nigeria has had
raw deals from them. Some of them make
colossal amount of money but have no
corporate identities in Nigeria.
Last Monday, the Igbokwe’s committee
interrogated a number of organisations
A cause for worry now is
the reliance of the country
on petrodollar from International
Oil Companies
including regulators, agencies and
operators involved in the importation of
petrol. Members were marveled that the
CBN feign ignorance on who the NNPC
sold foreign exchange to. If truth be told,
one of the two directors that represented
the CBN was uninspiring; he said that the
CBN has no access to the NNPC records
on foreign exchange from IOCs. That
impression was however clarified on
Tuesday when the CBN Deputy Governor
in charge of Economic Policy, Dr. Sarah
Alade submitted that there is a CBN Act
are not belligerent. They understand that
lawlessness and violence do not serve the
interest of the ordinary man. But they are
not effective in opposition or in citizen
activism because they are lily-livered,
cowardly. They are cowards because they
do not understand that championship of
great social causes would come with great
personal sacrifices, losses. Consider Tuface.
Before calling for a general protest, he
should have prepared his mind. I wasn’t
going to be part of the protest because I
remain personally convinced that the
president needs more time. But I understand
why many others may have strong contrary
views. So I was happy that a celebrity like
Tuface was rising to champion such a
worthy cause. Any action geared at raising
public awareness and demanding
accountability is patriotic and noble.
Nigerian politics needs citizens who are
primed to react to actions of government
rapidly. Tuface was on the verge of a
monumental change that could have
positively affected our political trajectory.
Celebrities can use their enormous social
capital to check politicians. But he
chickened out. Besides cowardice, he, like
Dede, was utterly ill prepared. He should
have reconciled himself to the threats,
intimidation and gimmicks of security
agencies. The idea that the protest could be
hijacked and that many people could die
and therefore such a protest is always
reckless is utter nonsense. To buy that
sophistry is to concede the right to protest
forever. People are only alive if they are free
and when they can’t protest against
perceived sloppiness in governance, they
are already dead.
The opposition is weak and dying because
intelligent people are fearful of the personal
costs of taking strong moral vocal positions.
Nigeria and Buhari would have been the
biggest beneficiaries of a well attend mass
protest. Buhari needs a virile and
intellectually engaging opposition. The
government needs to be put on its toes.
Decision making process is a contest of
ideas. People outside government can
influence decision making at the highest
levels by being lucid, vocal and insistent.
When we take strong reasoned positions we
help elements within the government
pushing sound but rejected ideas to thrive.
that authorized banks and non-banking
institutions to buy and sell foreign
exchange. She explained that the
arrangement was not permanent and that
as soon as there was sufficient foreign
exchange the normal interbank process
takes over.
The Central Bank we know is primarily
concerned with the regulation of
government’s fiscal and monetary activities.
The monetary authorities devalued and
floated the currency in June 2016, with the
flexible exchange rate between N300 and
N350, an adjustment difference for the
increase drifting between 52.28 and 77.66
percent. President Muhammadu Buhari
took swipes at the monetary authorities by
throwing them almost to the wolves on the
current floating exchange rate that enabled
market variables determine the value of the
currency. The President was visibly angry
that the CBN devalued the dollar to
exchange for between N300 and N350.
The wholesale devaluation of the naira
just after the petrol price increment appears
to be the present day controversy. Nigeria
spent over US$6 billion in the importation
of petroleum products in the first half of
2016. The current reserve is put at US$29.8
billion. The CBN’s priority areas for
allocation of foreign exchange are: the
settlement of mature Letters of Credit
already opened for importation,
importation of raw materials and the
importation of petroleum products.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr.
Ibe Kachikwu gave the impression that the
landing cost per litre of petrol is about N10-
N15 higher than what is sold at the pump.
Although he cannot justify Nigeria’s imports
of petrol, currency devaluation added to the
problem. On May 11, 2016, the Federal
Government exited the subsidy regime when
petrol was increased from N87 to N145.
Perhaps what is being subsidised for
marketers are the costs to be passed to the
consumer at the pump soon. The situation
is different in Brasil where the state run oil
company, Petrobras a fortnight ago reduced
the pump prices of gasoline or PMS and
diesel or AGO at refineries and at the pump
to reflect the fall in international petroleum
products prices. We don’t need petrol price
increase!

Ihave been around long enough to
know that protests and
demonstrations—like coups— are not
always what they seem on the surface.
More often than not, they go beyond
the altruistic or love of country which
they often profess. Many exploit the
sentiments, disaffection and divisions
in the polity to promote private agenda.
Many of the interests might be short
term to blackmail the powers that be into
accepting or rejecting a project or a
policy in which they stand to gain
position, money or power. Some, a few
though, just want to be known as the
defender of the downtrodden. Some on
the other hand, make a living out of
being part of different demonstrations.
But the shrewd ones, the grandmasters,
use them to test the waters and gauge
the public mood. To these masters of
violence, protests are just a part of the
arsenals they use in their quest for
ultimate control and like all good chess
players, are adept at planning several
moves ahead.
Protests can be distracting at best. But
on a bad day, they can lead to violence
and a disruption of law and order. The
line, as we are aware, between a
peaceful protest and a violent one is
often very thin. The master puppeteers
who pull the strings know this and can,
fully aware of the consequences, play
brinkmanship on the line between
violence and peace depending on their
goal. Added to this is the fact that
demonstrations are not cheap. There are
logistics to take care of like
transportation, protest messages,
mobilisation and entertainment. That is
why in many cases, the people on the
streets are not main beneficiaries. They
are mere pawns who are in the first line
of attack. They are the ones who get
bruised and sometimes lose their lives
while leaving the big officers and
grandmasters in the background to plan
and fund the strategies. Make no
mistake; not all protests are in the
public interest.
But protests have their uses. They are
an indispensable part of democracy
because they serve as a way of talking
back to authority. They are also
Political Editor
emmanuelaziken@vanguardngr.com
08052201189
SATURDAY
titbits2012@yahoo.com
The protest that almost wasn’t
cathartic; allowing people to vent
their anger and voice their
frustrations. For a listening
government, they are a way of
gauging the mood and hearing the
specific demands of its people. And
sustained, they often cause the
authorities to make uncomfortable
concessions. For reasons that are not
too difficult to understand, most
governments don’t like protests.
They expose the underbelly of bad
administrations and bring to light,
those dark things they would want
to keep away from the people.
Protests can also get out of hand and
lead to an unforetold outcome as we
witnessed during the Arab Spring.
It is for these reasons among others,
that most authorities will do
everything to avert a protest and
when not possible, to de-escalate it.
This week’s protest would probably
be described as a success story for
the police because they were largely
in control and it was a protest that
almost wasn’t. The face of TuFace
was to be used to win the minds and
hearts of youths. The authorities
went to work on him and TuFace
caved in. We might never know in
what way the authorities were able
to lean on him. He might have been
told some of the far reaching
implications of such a protest and
the consequences to him. He might
even have been given a glimpse of
some of the ‘faceless’ sponsors and
didn’t like what he saw. He might
have been threatened with some
skeletons in his cupboard. In any
case, Mr Innocent Idibia had seen
Why up NEPA is a chorus at APC National Secretariat
It was something of a shock when
your correspondent arrived the
national secretariat of the ruling All
Progressives Congress, APC, in Abuja
last Tuesday to realise that conditions
there were not too removed from the lot
of the majority of Nigerians. For the
correspondent arriving from his Lagos
base where he had seen electricity
supply dwindle to the lowest level in
his life, it was a little surprising that a
similar condition was prevalent in the
national secretariat of the ruling party.
This was the party whose leading
chieftains had before the 2015 general
election affirmed that any government
not able to fix the country’s power
problem in six months was not worth
its salt. The APC national secretariat
evidently bore testament to the degree
of success of how far the APC change
government had gone in reinventing
the wheels of government.
Evidence of the difficulties in the land
now technically couched as recession
was apparent on the faces of the people
around. The hustle and bustle
that in the past made the
secretariat wear the aura of
festivity were totally missing. A
sense of expectation prevailed in
the conduct of the security guards
and the lower staff. The staff of
the secretariat were very
courteous, evoking the saying
that a poor man is everyman’s
door mat.
Nearly all the members of the
National Working Committee,
NWC were absent by midday.
There was gossip that they were
keeping away because of the
absence of power supply.
Just about 1.30 p.m. the whole
secretariat was enlivened with
the chorus of Up Nepa! Up
Nepa, following the restoration
of power supply to the secretariat.
The chorus and excitement that
came with the restoration of
electricity reflected the forlorn
hope of those who ordinarily
enough reasons to ‘turn his face’ and
back out. You can accuse him of being
naïve because planning a protest is a
serious business—it certainly goes
beyond singing a few protest songs. But
the sheer venom and vitriol that
accompanied his pull-out in the social
media were uncalled for. What he put
on the line—his name and his brand—
were personal to him and if he felt they
were going to be abused, he has a right
to withdraw them. He is also smart
enough to know that he would lose ‘face’
because of his decision to pull out.
Many of those calling for his head have
never done anything worthwhile in their
There is nobody who
lives in Nigeria today
that will disagree
with the overall
thrust of the protest
message
lives. Many would probably stay home
on the day or stay far away from the
scene of protest if they had to go out. It
is so easy to criticise and to condemn
without bothering to find out what the
other guy must be going through.
That the protest still took place in spite
of his withdrawal showed it was not all
about TuFace. His was probably just an
expedient face. The message of the
should form the engine room for the
change that Nigerians asked for in
2015.
It was gladdening that the party did
not paper over the infrastructure
problem of the country by putting on
its generator—even that it was learnt,
is even difficult given the fact that the
party is much cash strapped and can
hardly afford to pay for fuel.
A Southwest governor who had been
subsidising the party is reported to have
withdrawn his support after the national
leadership of the party supposedly
crossed the interests of the governor’s
benefactor.
Even worse, President Muhammadu
Buhari it is claimed, has refused to toe
the path of the former ruling Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, by not
channelling security funds for the
running of the party.
The hustle and bustle that
in the past made the
secretariat wear the aura of
festivity were totally
missing
Vanguard,FEBRUARY 11, 2017—21
protests which the presidency ‘heard
loud and clear,’ is a message of hunger
in the land; of an economy that keeps
heading south despite government’s
best effort; of an appalling power
situation which makes any attempt at
entrepreneurship pretty difficult; of
insecurity whichever way you look at
it; and of a rising cost of living. Added
to this was Dr Odinkalu’s message of
lack of empathy from government—a
message I tend to agree with judging
from the body language of
government. There is nobody who
lives in Nigeria today that will
disagree with the overall thrust of the
protest message. What we might
disagree on is how to apportion the
blame. This administration has made
many mistakes, some honest and some
disingenuous. It has been ponderous
and reactive. Especially on the
economy. But it came in at the onset
of an inevitable economic burst and
was overwhelmed by what it met. The
Niger-Delta militants who brought the
economy to its knees through
economic sabotage and plunged the
nation into further darkness by
starving the turbines of gas also have
their share of the blame. But we must
never ever forget those who
mismanaged the economy during the
years of boom when oil sold over a
hundred dollars per barrel for over two
years. Those who looted and
plundered the treasury. But the
greatest blame must go to those of us
who applaud and covet them. Instead
of naming and shaming those who led
us into poverty, we put garments of
honour on them and put them on a
pedestal. It is hard not to pity the
country when we look at those we
choose to call our heroes. Or can we
deny that James Ibori, judging from
the reception he’s received so far, is
not one of our heroes?
In protesting the state of the nation,
the youths should also protest against
those who got us there in the first
place.We celebrate corruption,only to
protest the consequencies of it later
on.
However, hearsay is that the
president has refused to erase from his
mind the actions of some in the
national leadership of the party who
sided with Ibrahim Shekarau when
the former Kano State governor
supposedly betrayed Buhari in their
former political party, the All Nigeria
Peoples Party, ANPP towards the end
of the last decade.
As your correspondent departed the
national secretariat that day, it was
reassuring to know that the operatives
at the APC secretariat are not wholly
detached from the pains of the
citizenry. But how far the party has
been able to convey the anguish in the
land to the government is another
matter.
The same problem of mutual distrust
between the party and its government
has resulted in the failure of the ruling
party to even hold statutory meetings.
The National Executive Committee,
NEC has been unable to hold its
quarterly meetings as stipulated in its
constitution. The Board of Trustees,
BoT that ordinarily should serve as the
conscience of the party is yet to be
inaugurated, and the statutory
National Convention that should hold
every two years has not met since
Buhari emerged as the presidential
candidate more than two years ago.
With all these, could anyone still be
surprised why the much-promised
change has yet to materialise?
C
M
Y
K

22—SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard,
FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Valentine day is just a few days
away, but I cannot smell the usual
stifling aroma in the air. Many shops
are not well stocked with Valentine
cards, roses, presents and other items
as was the case in the past. I guess
sellers do not want to stock items they
are not sure of selling, or maybe
importers had no foreign exchange to
import such non-essential items, or the
cost of importation is prohibitive. It is
the sign of the time. This opens a
window of opportunity for local
manufacturers. Nigerians are
ingenious; I am sure over time they
will fill the gap somehow.
The last Christmas should have given
people an idea of the kind of Valentine
day to expect. Hampers and Christmas
gifts did not fly around. I managed to
get only one hamper. Even ordinary
diaries and calendars, which used to
be a nuisance to me because of the
quantity I received, did not flow this
time around. I managed to get only
one each. But I am not alone; that was
the lot of many people during the last
Christmas, including my Oga of 30
years (he will not like his name in
print, so I am withholding it due to selfpreservation.
I want to continue
enjoying amala and ewedu with fresh
fish, flushed down with red wine and
Columbian or Ethiopian coffee, not
forgetting the camaraderie, anytime I
visit him. Our reunion is also always a
temporary get away from the prevailing
socioeconomic situation). After our
meal two weeks ago, I asked for
perfume as usual to kill the stubborn
enduring smell of the food on my hand;
there was none. Very strange, but on
my last visit, he fished out a Hugo
Boss and then told me the story behind
the absence of perfume two weeks
earlier.
For the past 10 years, he never
bought a perfume; he always got them
as gifts. But for over a year now,
including the last two Christmases,
sources of supply had been drying up,
so were his stock. The Hugo Boss we
used was actually bottom pot (the last
perfume in stock). In my presence, he
There was a valentine
called one of his “suppliers” and
queried him why he did not send the
usual Christmas gift of perfume. The
supplier replied that he heard my oga
has developed a skin condition (you
can call it recession) that reacts
adversely to perfumes. Being a very
caring person, he decided to stop
giving him perfumes as gifts, so as
not to aggravate the skin condition.
Seriously speaking, as February 14
approaches, Nigerians, especially
wives and wives-to-be must learn not
to take it too seriously. Everything
cannot be fundamental and some
things cannot be fundamental all the
time. For instance, you should not
Valentine day is a day of
reckoning for lovers,
especially the unmarried
celebrate Valentine with borrowed
money; neither should you celebrate
Valentine like a 1.3cc engine vehicle
going at 150 miles per hour. If you
must, celebrate your Valentine
however you see am. Many years
from now, some of us will remember
2017, and say “there was a Valentine.”
In any case, if Valentine means so
much to you, you will have many
more to celebrate in future.
This Valentine is a test for the wivesto-be.
This year’s Valentine will be a
foretaste of the “for better, for worse”
and “for richer, for poorer” vows you
will take later. Are you going to be
considerate and flow with time or you
will insist on a lavish celebration, even
if it is economically stupid? Will you
call off the relationship because he
cannot buy that expensive gift you
requested for? Will how he celebrates
this valentine with you shape your
relationship henceforth? The answers
are pretty simple, only that we like
complicating matters.
In my household, my children are
coming up with their suggestions on
how to celebrate. My eldest daughter
wants a Valentine cake, my youngest
son wants a family night out.
Thankfully, he did not specify it should
be in a Chinese restaurant. These
days, it costs an arm and a foot for a
large family to eat there. My wife has
been taciturn, knowing she is married
to an “unromantic” man. On my part,
I sit don dey look. Somehow, somehow,
ogoro (frog) must jump.
I remember those pre-GSM days
before my office got a Multilinks phone
for N144,000 (plenty of money in those
days; Naira was about 21.89 to a US
dollar). We used to go and queue at
NITEL, Ikeja GRA, to make calls. On
Valentine days, it was always hilarious.
A lady called her lover and said,
“Alhaji, I know you are with another
woman, that is why you are dodging
me.” Before nko? How do you expect
him to be with you on Valentine day
when he has his harem and probably
other lovers he cherished more? A
concubine must know her position in
the hierarchy. Another caller, a man,
with very neat, but worn-out clothes,
was pleading with the man on the
other end to leave his wife alone.
Now that was not funny. From his
looks and clothes, he had fallen on
bad times and the wife had probably
taken refuge in another man’s arms
to get financial succour. Whether she
was also getting emotional succour
was not apparent to me, but I
sympathized with the poor guy.
Valentine day is a day of reckoning
for lovers, especially the unmarried.
That is when you know where you
stand in the relationship. For
bachelors and spinsters, if your fiancé
(e) or boyfriend/girlfriend goes on
AWOL (disappears) on Valentine day,
know you are hanging on to the
scrappy end of the stick. If you like,
believe the trailer-load of lies and
excuses that will follow thereafter.
I know a couple of married people
who were born on February 14, but I
do not expect them to celebrate their
birthdays or Valentine. They scarcely
celebrated their birthdays when the
wood was green (the economy was
relatively better). Now that the wood
is brown (recession), you can
imagine. One of them does not even
remember his birthday, so you can
imagine where Valentine celebration
stands in his priority list, that is, if it
is in the list at all. Truth be told, many
married men do not care about
Valentine day. They only did in their
bachelor days when their “preys”
were still outside their snares. Now
that they are in, it is game over. Only
some truly romantic ones take
Valentine celebration seriously. The
other groups of married men who
celebrate Valentine are those who
want peace in the home and those
who will do anything “just to make
madam happy.” Others who can get
away with not celebrating it unscathed
simply do so. But for the unmarried,
go out there and have fun within your
financial capacity and in an
atmosphere of God’s love.
(Text Only)
Workout for the busy person (1)
•Headstand
The Shoulderstand
Technique:
Lying on your back,
draw up your knees,
and place both hands at
the back with the thumbs
to the hips. With a bit of
momentum, raise the legs
up and point the toes
skyward. For the
beginner, a half-minute in
this posture will do until
over the long haul you
can say for upwards of
two minutes.
Headstand
Technique: To perform
the head-stand, sirshasana
in sanskirt, get on
your knees, interlacing
the fingers, place the
hands on the floor in front
of you. Lean forward and
place the head on the
floor and supporting its
back with the interlaced
fingers. With the help of
the feet raise the hips up
in the air. Now, raise the
•Rocking
feet and bend the
knees until stillness is
obtained standing on
the head. Straighten
the legs rather slowly
until the whole body is
in a straight vertical
line.
Benefits:
•Gives the heart a
well deserved rest, as
gravity helps to return
venous blood to the
heart.
• Regular practice
helps to strengthen the
respiratory system and
the circulation, keeping
them flexible and
slowing down the rate of
breathing and the heartbeat
when at rest.
• The body is generally
enhanced by the deep
breathing and the brain,
spine, and entire nervous
system receive a
rich supply of nutrients.
This refreshes and rejuvenates
the entire body.
Rocking
Technique: Sit with the
knees drawn and place
the hands at the back of
the knees. Now thrust
the feet forth and back in
rhythmic succession like
a rocking chair.
Don’t hesitate while
doing the Rocking or
you’ll get “Stuck”. Once
you’ve got the hang of
it you may do two sets
of 10, resting briefly inbetween.
Benefits:
The rocking firm the
muscles of the abdomen
and upper thigh and the
back.It’s reputed to lead
to sounder sleep.
Yoga Classes
@ 32 Adetokumbo Ademola,
Victoria Island Lagos.
10.00am — 11.00am on
•The Shoulderstand

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—23
BY ROTIMI AGBANA
How did the acting craft begin for
you?
I started acting as a child. I started
doing stage plays when I was about 8
years old, so I’ve always acted. But I
started acting professionally between
2009 and 2010. Before then, I had done
some school plays and gone for some
auditions, but between 2009 and 2010 I
decided that this was what I wanted to
do.
Since you started acting professionally,
what has been your fascination with the
movie industry?
Well, I can’t really tell but what I can
tell you is that in recent times there has
been a lot of growth in Nollywood, it’s no
longer the normal things that were
obtainable. Nollywood has grown, it has
opened up and it’s opening more, it’s
giving more young people the opportunity
to do their thing, it’s no longer one
sided unlike before. Film making
generally fascinates me, I didn’t really
have the flair to be a film maker until
maybe three years ago, but now whatever
I look at I want to make a movie with it.
No woman is truly
happy without good
sex — Chinazo Ekezie
•Says, “You can teach
your husband if he's not
good enough”
Nollywood actress, Chinazo Ekezie, will tell you she
was born with the acting DNA in her system even
though she has struggled so hard to rise through the
ranks in the movie industry. In this interview with
Star Tracker, she talks about her take on the Nigerian
movie industry, sexual harassment, premarital sex,
love and sentiments people attached to marriage.
Is it true that the movie industry has
been taken over by prostituting actresses?
Well, I can't know about every other
actress, I just know that some people take
this job seriously, it’s a career for a lot of
people, so if there’s any form of prostitution
going on in the industry I don’t know
about it. Once you say you’re an actress,
the next thing they ask you is how many
people you have slept with. I seriously
don’t know if it’s happening.
You mean you have never been
sexually harassed by a producer or
director?
No! Nobody has ever sexually harassed
me, but there are a couple of people that
have asked me out on a date, including
directors and producers. If that is sexual
harassment then I don’t know because
they did it properly. I’ve never found
myself in that position, and maybe that’s
because I don’t rush things, I also don’t
plan to be in all the jobs, I get what I get
and the ones I don’t get I’m okay with it.
Desperation can make anyone do that but
in my case it has never happened.
Have you dated an actor before?
No, and I cannot because I have this
thing for privacy, yeah, I love privacy a
lot, and my job has made it that I have to
be out there, so I don’t want to be with
someone who is out there too. I would
want a safe place where I can run back to
all the time; you know, I see it that I
should be with someone who is not into
entertainment at all, someone who is not
even interested at all, that’s what I like.
What’s your ideal man?
A man who listens because I can talk a
lot sometimes (Laughs). He has to be a
God-fearing man, if he fears God, there
are some things he can’t do. A Godfearing
man doesn’t mean a man who is
going to church but a man who has fear of
God. I also want an understanding man;
if he reads something bad about me in
the papers or on the internet he won’t
conclude, he would like to find out first,
and when I say something about it to him
he would believe me.
Can you marry a poor man?
Are you talking about a man who
doesn’t have money at all for basic things
or what? (Laughs) No, I can’t marry a
poor man, it’s not right to marry a poor
man; I am a woman, I need to be taken
care of, I need to be cared for. When I say
I need to be taken care of I don’t mean I
want to be travelling around the world all
the time. When a woman depends on a
I don’t think any
woman would be
happy if she’s not
having good sex
with her husband,
it’s crazy. And if I’m
to spend the first 6-
7years teaching you
how to have sex
with me, I’ll be frustrated
man, when a woman has a shoulder to cry
on, when a woman has someone she can
talk to about things that hurt her and stuffs
like that, it makes a woman a better person.
Women are just created to be cared for,
yeah, believe it or not. We function better
when we have someone who can at least
help us out with 70% of our daily needs.
What is your take on premarital sex?
You want my pastor to call me on the
phone, right? But I will tell you the truth
now, growing up, we were always taught
that we shouldn’t have sex, we shouldn’t do
anything before marriage, but now that I
know better, or now that I’m grown and
with the kind of experiences that I’ve had,
and that of other people, I think it’s kind of
important to have premarital sex. Seriously,
because you have your lifetime to spend
with this person, so I think it’s important
you need to find out what they like, how
they like it, if they like it, if they are
teachable, because some people will tell
you that if you don’t like how your husband
makes love to you then you teach him.
A lot of men are not teachable, a lot of
men think teaching them how to make love
to their wife is a crime. Yes, a lot of men
think it’s a crime for a woman to say don’t
do it this way, do it that way, aren’t you a
woman, why should you have a preference?
A lot of couples' sexuality don’t match, no
matter how hard you try, and once you
marry and you are not having good sex I
don’t think you will be happy.
I don’t think any woman would be happy
if she’s not having good sex with her
husband, it’s crazy. And if I’m to spend
the first 6-7years teaching you how to
have sex with me, I’ll be frustrated.
What would you do if after marriage
your husband becomes impotent?
Marriage is for better, for worse,
because I expect that if I get married
now and I have issues with fertility, my
husband will stand by me, so yeah, I
will stand by him. When there is any
situation, no matter how tough it is, it’s
sorted by love, family pressure is
secondary, if you let family pressure
affect you, you might even lose your
love for your husband. I think two
people who are ready to work things
out, ready to spend the rest of their
lives together should build a wall
around their relationship.
What do you think is responsible for
the recent urge for actors wanting to
produce their own movies?
Nollywood has opened up, there is
opportunity for people to market their
movies without going through people
anymore. Now, you can do it yourself,
you can even have your own YouTube
channel. It basically revolves around
making money. I’ve have co-produced
a movie, but it’s not out yet, I also
intend to produce a movie someday,
but I need to be to be very sure that I’m
ready.
Have you ever found it difficult to
come out of a character you played in a
movie?
Yes, it happens to me a lot. There was
•Chinazo
Ekezie
a time I played the role of a stutterer, after
we finished shooting the movie, I kept
stuttering for a whole week, I couldn’t
stop it, I found it very difficult to. There
was another role I played where the girl
was always tilting her neck to one side,
after the movie shoot, I kept tilting my
neck for like a month just the same way I
did while playing the movie role.
What are the most challenging moments
of your acting career?
I remember as an upcoming actress,
and I mean way back, when we were
nobodies, when we needed to prove
ourselves that we could act; back in the
days when they had to pair us in a room,
three or four girls in a room, I had to put
up with a lot. You can imagine being in a
room with four other people and at some
point not getting paid after a stressful job,
producers will tell you “What is your
problem?”. The not getting paid part is
quite sad; I won’t lie to you, because we
had to make money out of this craft. But a
lot of people still don’t believe that
someone who plays one or two scenes
should be paid, that is one thing I would
love for us to correct in Nollywood. But
then again, that was my challenging
stage as an actor, when you don’t have
enough money but you still find a way to
rush to the audition ground and then rush
to the location and you’re thinking that
by the time you are done with 3 or 4
scenes you are going to get money,
nobody will answer you, but not any more
now, I get my money before I leave my
house, (Laughs), with the price of fuel!
Hell no!

24—SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
By BENJAMIN NJOKU
Bob Marley
lives on in
Jamaica!
•Marley
Polygamy almost ruined
my life, says Felix Libarty
•Launches campaign against its practice
AFTER fathering about 19 children from
seven women, during his time in the
limelight, Felix Aigbe Libarty, the lover boy
“old school” singer-turned- pastor is back
in the news. The pop singer has launched
a campaign to discourage young men from
marrying more than one wife, saying
“polygamy almost ruined my life.”
The pop singer, who described polygamy
as a ‘sin’ said, he’s taking the campaign
across the globe.
According to him, “Polygamy is the
behaviour of the negatives, it’s not Godly.”
He said, “I got myself involved with seven
women that had 19 children for me. I am
telling everyone that cares to listen that it
was a demonic experience I had.”
In a recent chat with Sidebeat, Libarty
said, it was God that saw me through,
adding “I wouldn’t wish even my enemy
to undergo what I went through in the name
of having children from different mothers.”
He said, “Anything that is not in line
with the word of God is a sin. Polygamy is
not ordained by God. It is a man made act
to dominate the woman. The woman does
not have a say, not because she doesn’t
want to protest but because nobody would
listen to her. There is need for us to create
awareness about the dangers of running a
polygamous home. Take a look at my life
today, the confusion that I am having today
is because of this polygamy. This is because
I was born into a polygamous home, it has
been war all the way. We must put an end
to polygamy. The Holy Bible said, a man
will leave his father and mother and be
joined to his wife and they will become one
flesh. Two women are crowd to a m a n .
When you have two women in your
life, there’s bound to be
confusion and when there’s
confusion, there will chaos and
once there’s chaos, there must
be death. A man that goes into
polygamy is a man that doesn’t
think straight,” the pop singer
warned.
The Edo State-born lover boy,
who ruled the airwaves in the 80s,
with his hits songs such as
“ChiChi”, “Ada” and “Ngozi”, is
apparently advocating, “one man,
one woman” practice. While he
was in the limelight, Libarty got
himself involved with different
woman and ended up fathering
about 19 children from seven of
them.
Even though, he’s living in
regrets, owing to his past
mistakes, Libarty is putting plans
in place to officially flag off the
campaign in Lagos, and later, in
Abuja and across the world.
Recall that Felix Libarty, while he
was the man of the moment, in the
80s, was a ladies man. He ruled the
airwaves in 1989 with this single, Felix Libarty
“Ifeoma”, a song he’s known for in
decades to come. After the 1992 release of
his album 419 which didn’t do well in the
market, he ended his music career, returned
to Nigeria after five years of sojourning in
the United States, and gave his life to Christ.
Monday, February
6, marked what would’ve been the 72 nd
birthday of music icon and global reggae
legend, Bob Marley.
In Jamaica’s capital, Kingston, celebrations for the
hometown hero were well underway long before his
official birthday. Last Sunday night in particular, Marley’s
legacy came alive as hundreds gathered at Half-Way Tree
Station – a massive bus terminal that was converted into a
concert hall for the evening – for the annual “Redemption
Live” concert.
As visitors from a place that is experiencing a particularly
vitriolic kind of social upheaval, one that is dividing
people even further along macro and micro lines –
whether it’s race, religion or even rhetoric – there was
a particular kind of irony in being there. Standing in
the middle of the posthumous celebration of a man
whose music and beliefs were so rooted in grassroots
social activism, the equalization of the oppressed and
the rejection of damaging social structures, that his
message was able to cross cultures, religions and
lifestyles, reaffirmed the power of song. At the same
time, it also made the current reality feel all the
more bleak.
The public concert, which started seven
years ago, is free and open to all and has
been the kick-off to a week-long series
of Marley birthday celebrations since
its inception. One of the major goals
behind the concert series is to uplift
reggae music around the world;
this year performances were
live-streamed in the U.S.,
Canada and across the
Caribbean.
Major sponsors like Red
Stripe – which has been
making considerable effort
reconnect to its Jamaican
roots after moving brewing
back from Pennsylvania last
year – were also on hand
with beverages and crowd
giveaways.
Headlining performers
included self-proclaimed king
of the dancehall, Beenie Man,
Capleton, Richie Spice, Tifa,
Garnet Silk Jr., and of course Bob
Marley’s son, Ky-Mani Marley.
The latter made an appearance
with brothers, Damian, Julian and
Stephen, who joined him in
performing rousing renditions of
some of his father’s most beloved
songs.
When asked why he felt his
participation in the festivities was so
vital, Ky-Mani said, “I feel my
father’s legacy and music serves as a
daily inspiration to many including
myself. The positive vibes and the
“Love Of All” message is my life
mantra. The dreadlocked Rastafari
became one of the most recognized
and revered melody makers the world has ever known,
compiling a globally beloved songbook that continues to be
celebrated across generations and cultures. Marley died
at the age of 36, on May 11, 1981 after suffering from cancer.
Courtesy: Highsnobiety

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—25
Oba Soyebo
07086528395
obasoyebo@gmail.com
Toyin Saraki’s
silent moves
As Founder and President of Wellbeing
Foundation Africa (WBFA), Mrs Toyin
Saraki is a Nigerian philanthropist
with two decades of advocacy covering
maternal, gender-based discrimination and
violence, socio-economic empowerment and
community livelihoods in Africa. She is an
advocate of
Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 in
Nigeria, reducing the rate of maternal and infant
mortality. Within her period of stay at the corridors
of power, Toyin rose to become a board member
of the Global Foundation for the Elimination
of Domestic Violence and the board of the
Africa Justice Foundation where she has
helped to champion “Save the Children
Nigeria project”. She is married to
former governor of Kwara State and
current Senate President of Nigeria,
Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki and
blessed with four children.
Weeks ago, Mrs. Toyin Saraki chaired
the first meeting of the Contact Group
of the Primary Healthcare (PHC)
Revitalisation Program. The meeting
which was co-chaired by Dr Benjamin
Anyene of Herfon, was also attended
by representatives from the World
Health Organization, the ONE
Campaign and UNICEF.
House of Reps top-shot,
Wale Osinubi weds again
The city of Ijebu Ode, Ogun State stood still on
Sunday, January 29, 2017 as it witnessed the
glamorous wedding between House of
Representatives member, Otunba Adewale
Osinubi and pretty FCMB big babe, Mariam
Oluwatobi Mebude.
The groom, who is also the CEO of Wesco Lotto
& Lottery tied the nuptial knot with his long-time
fiancee, who hails from the popular Mebude
Dynasty in Ijebu Ode and a top staff of the Otunba
Subomi Balogun owned First City Monument
Bank in an ‘all in one” ceremony, that had all the
movers and shakers of Ogun State social circle in
attendance.
Notable faces at the lavish wedding ceremony,
which was held at the famous Adeola Odutola
hall, include, former Ogun State Governor,
Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Senator Buruji Kashamu,
Senator Lekan Mustapha, UPN Governorship
Candidate in the 2015 elections, Prince Rotimi
Paseda, and his PDP counterpart, Prince Gboyega
Nasir Isiaka, while entertainment was provided
by Multiple awards winning Fuji act, Kolade
Onanuga.
•Toyin
Saraki
2Face opens Club Rumors
Victoria Island
Following the success of his “Rumors Club”
In Ikeja and Festac Town, Iconic music artiste
Innocent Idibia popularly known as 2Baba is on a
business expansion drive, as he has opened another
branch of the ever bubbling club in Victoria Island.
The club, located in a cozy environment on Akin
Adesola Street, Tetrazzini building, is being managed
by Lagos socialite and Tuface’s longtime associate,
Temidayo L. Kafaru, the brain behind TLK celebrity
saloon in Festac Town.
The soft opening event took place weeks ago amidst
fanfare, with the likes of Wizkid, Selebobo, Tekno,
Timaya, VJ Ehiz, Shina Peller, Annie Idibia and many
more in attendance. The club, which is the latest on the
island, is already giving fellow competitors a run for
their money, as it is presently the hottest hang-out for
island big boys and babes. An Epic shutdown ball
powered by Hennessy to launch the classy nightclub is
billed to hold on February 26, 2017 with the Lagos,
Portharcourt, Abuja night crawlers on a red alert for the
event as the nightclub now runs from Thursdays through
Sundays.
•Otunba and chief Mrs Adewale Osinubi
Slaab Group CEO Sulaimon
Omidina expands business
frontier
In what will be described as a great business expansion
move, socialite entrepreneur and Slaab group CEO
Alhaji Sulaimon Omidina fondly known as Slaab has
added another subsidiary to his chain of businesses, by
venturing into gas dispensing. The bubbly businessman
who belongs to the famous “Inumidun Sqaud” started
his empire as an auto dealer, selling high porch and luxury
cars, before expanding into Petroleum retail, Industrial
Farming, Big time Oil and Gas with the new addition.
According to close friends and associates, Slaab is an
epitome of hardwork
and perseverance,
working his way up
from nothing, and
building his massive
wealth and empire
from years of toil and
sweat.
And when it comes
to the social scene,
the hardworking
businessman is no
backbencher as he
makes sure his own
‘Jack is not all work
without play’ . It will
be recalled that Fuji
stars King Wasiu
Ayinde and Sefiu
•Sulaimon Omidina,
Slaab Group CEO
Where is
celebrity lady,
Gumsu Fatima
Abacha?
The multi-billion naira
question on the lips of
Nigeria’s socio-political
scene observers is the
whereabouts of the
overwhelmingly, super
gorgeous daughter of
Gen. Sani Abacha, Fatima.
Gumsu Fatima Abacha
who is adjudged one of
the most adorable northern
celebrity ladies is an
epitome of ageless
northern beauty.
Elegant Gumsu who
possesses an infectious
humility despite growing
up in highbrow Ikoyi
amongst the highly
celebrated silver-spoon
now shuttles between the
FCT, Cameroon and
United Kingdom.
She still enjoys a super
solid relationship with her
childhood friends and she
is rated one of the most
fashionable northern
celebrity that set the pace
for modern northern
fashion trend in Nigeria
and beyond.
Alao ended their 2-
year rift at his
daughter’s wedding
ceremony.
•Gumsu
Abacha

26—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Obi Emelonye
TWENTY-FOUR years after he
stepped aside on August 27, 1993,
following the crisis that trailed the
cancellation of the controversial June 12,
presidential election, self-styled military
president of Nigeria, Gen. Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida is about to return to
the public domain again.
Award-winning film maker, Obi Emelonye
earlier in the week announced plans to
commence production of “Badamasi”, a
biographical film on the former military
leader.
Pre-production of the film is scheduled to
begin next month and will run till June,
2017.
Intimating the press earlier about the
project, Emelonye, who flew into the
country from London, said, “Badamasi” is
a story of love, war, politics, violence,
diplomacy, coups, corruption and
governance laced with heavy dose of
IBB set to
return to public
domain
...as Obi Emelonye unveils plans to shoot his biopic
‘ I’m aware of the controversy that will trail the film’
Machiavellian intrigue. He said, his
decision to embark on this project was
informed by the need to profile a
Nigerian leader in a historical, but
biographical film, a treatment that has
been meted out to other African
leaders like Nelson Mandela, Patrice
Lumumba and Idi Amin of Uganda.
Speaking further, Emelonye said,
“The time has come for Nigerians to
start telling their stories. This journey
started in 2012 when I watched
Mandela. As I watched it, I felt proud
as an African. As Nigerians, we have
several historical figures who haven’t
been immortalized on the big and
small screens for the world to see.”
According to Emelonye, the
Badamasi film project is shaped to be
IBB
hard-hitting, controversial but
historically factual in its treatment
of Ibrahim Babangida’s rise from
orphan obscurity to the zenith of
Nigerian military power, in afraid
of touching raw-nerves and being
boldly revealing with the ultimate
aim of giving the viewers
unprecedented access into some of
the most defining and controversial
moments of Nigeria’s journey to
nationhood; from the civil war to
the many coups, from the IBB years
to June 12 saga.
“For so long, so many of these
issues surrounding the IBB years
have been shrouded in mystery
and hearsay, remaining eventually
unresolved. This has not been
helped by the noble silence of the
man himself since stepping aside
from the highest office in the land.
In a series of no-holds-bar interviews,
IBB spoke, for the first time about
these controversies. The result is
some shocking perspectives and
revelations that make this film a
must watch for every Nigerian and
indeed, every African,” Emelonye
said.
‘It’s time for me
to speak—IBB
Through the film, however,
Emelonye who is known for
blockbuster films such as “ Last
Flight to Abuja”, “ Oxford Gardens”,
“The Mirror Boy” and “Onye Ozi”,
throws up a lot of unresolved,
schemings and game of chess
behind this enigmatic military leader
that was nicknamed ‘Maradonna’ by
the populace.
Emelonye admitted that he’s
aware of the controversy that will
greet the film when it finally hits the
big screen on October 1, 2017.
According to the him, the film will
reveal many of the ‘darkest’ events
in the life of Babangida, including
the ‘ June 12 saga’, the infamous
‘Gideon Okar coup’ among other
burning issues that set IBB apart
from other African leaders.
Emelonye describes the project as
“the most important film of his career
so far” and approaches the project
with a sense of responsibility,
objectivity and artistic
wholeheartedness.
“ When I want to embark on his
film, I looked at the story of General
Yakubu Gown, Olusegun Obasanjo,
President Mohammed Buhari and
General Ibrahim Babangida. At the
end, I settled for Babangida because
his story is highly inspiring and still
has historical relevance. This was in
2013, I know that a lot of things
happened during IBB’s reign as
Nigerian military leader which are
still in the public domain till date.
When I met him, I told him I’m
making a film on a man called
Badamosi, almost critical, almost
objective about the man. And he
replied; “May be, it’s time for me to
speak,” Emelonye recounted.
RMD’s inspiring message to his
‘mentees’
embodiment
Veteran actor, Richard Mofe Damijo,
popularly known as RMD has always
been an admirable specie when it comes to
the world of make-believe. In fact, since his
dramatic return to his first love-acting after
a long absence due to his romance with
politics, RMD has been very busy, jumping
from movie set to another and making his
relevance felt in the industry again.
This thespian took time out of his busy
schedule to counsel those he calls his
“Interns and Mentees to be,”on his
Instagram page. In a short but precise
message, he posted on his Instagram page,
RMD described himself as “a product of
God’s mercy and an embodiment of
imperfections.” He advised them to learn
to keep their heads up, drawing instances
from his story. “Dear Interns and Mentees
to be. Thank you for your kind validations by
constantly expressing your desire to have me
as your mentor. Like I’ve said before, I am
genuinely happy to mentor but I am
extremely petrified at the great confidence
and child like trust most of you have for me.
I feel like a fraud when I see comments and
get DMs telling me how perfect I am because
I am far from even being good, I have taken
too many wrong turns and from time to time
still do. I am just a man forgiven by mercy,
saved by grace and kept by love (God -1John
4: 8). I have made mistakes I should be
ashamed but for the grace of God that covers
it all,” he wrote.
Continuing, he said, “I do not see myself
as the perfect role model and worry about
how disappointed and betrayed you will feel
if you eventually find out I am just another
of
imperfections. I come from
a sincere place of no
pretence or self
righteousness but from a
place of willingness to try
and be the reason you
hopefully turn out better
than I did.
If you’re here and still
willing to be my
mentee, then wait for
it. February is the
month in which the
wheels of our dreams
will take their first
turn. I look forward
to what the month
brings. Keep your
heads up.”
RMD

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 — 27
BY JULIET EBIRIM
Katy Perry joins Adele,
Bruno Mars, others to
perform at the 2017
Grammys’
Katy Perry is performing at the 2017 Grammy
Awards. The Recording Academy took to
Twitter with the major announcement on
Monday night. This might just be the most
historic Grammys of all time. Perry echoed
every music lover’s excitement by
retweeting the great news with a
raised hand emoji.
The “Roar” songstress joins an
already star-studded line-up of
artistes slated to take the stage,
which includes Beyonce, Adele,
Bruno Mars, The Weeknd and
Carrie Underwood. Earlier today, the masters
behind music’s biggest night also revealed country
star Kelsea Ballerini and first-time nominee will
perform this Sunday. Katy has 13 Grammy
nominations of her own, most recently in 2015 in
the Best Pop Vocal Album category for Prism.
For this year’s Grammy performers, Alicia Keys
will collaborate with Maren Morris, Daft Punk
and The Weeknd will join forces and best new artist
nominee and rapper Anderson. Paak will perform
at his very first Grammys alongside A Tribe Called
Quest. John Legend, Metallica and Keith Urban
will join Perry as well.
Meanwhile, Justin Bieber, Kanye West and
Beyonce’s pregnancy post
on Instagram breaks record
Beyonce’s pregnancy post
on Instagram has
become the most liked picture
ever. The superstar’s surprise
news, accompanied by a
photo of herself clutching her
belly, notched 6.33 million
likes less than eight hours
after she posted it to
Instagram on
Wednesday. The post
also has over 334,000
comments - and the
numbers are still
climbing.
That already beats
previous record holder
Selena Gomez, whose
Instagram sponsored
post of herself sipping
a Coke last June has
garnered 6.3 million
likes to date (and
250,000 comments).
Within one hour of
Beyonce’s post going
live, it had 2.43 million
likes and 166,000
comments.
The 2-time Grammy
winner’s news also
was burning up
Twitter, which
reported 500,000
tweets about the twins
announcement in the
45 minutes after her
Instagram post went
up (peaking at 17,000
tweets per minute).
Historically speaking, Beyonce -
with 92.8 million followers - is not
the Queen of Instagram.
That title belongs to Selena, who
has 108.4 million followers, while
Taylor Swift (96.8 million) and
Ariana Grande (95.4 million) also
have bigger Instagram followings
than Beyonce.
•Beyonce
•Adele
Drake are reportedly
all planning to skip the
Grammy Awards. The
performers are said
to believe the annual
event is no longer
“relevant or
representative”.
The Late Late
Show’s James
Corden will host the
59th Annual Grammy
Awards, broadcast live
on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.
•Perry
Blue Ivy
•Bruno
Mars
Nicki Minaj stirs
controversy with
pregnancy photos
American rapper, Nicki Minaj has stirred
up confusion on social media after
sharing photos of herself with a baby bump.
She shared two photos in which she is clearly
spoting a baby bump, one in a lingerie and
the other in a gown.
As if to make matters worse, Nicki
captioned the photo, “ATBIMS. y’all so
childish.. - I was gonna wait to share the
news but...”
Many have found it hard to believe that
the “Pills and potions” rapper is pregnant,
made worse by the fact that she only recently
split up from her rapper boyfriend, Meek
Mill.
In September of 2016, Meek Mill shared a
similar photo of Nicki with a baby bump,
causing controversy that ran for weeks as
many speculated that the pair was expecting
a baby.
So far, fans are still confused if it is real or
Nicki is just kidding.
Blue Ivy
Carter to
launch own
beauty line
Five-year-old Blue Ivy Carter is
now launching her own
eponymous line of beauty
products. According to reports,
Beyonce is planning to launch a line
of Blue Ivy Carter products after the
now pregnant singer’s company
recently applied to trademark her
daughter’s name with the United
States Patent and Trademark Office.
Reports revealed that Beyonce plans to
use her daughter’s name to launch a
beauty line, featuring everything from
fragrances and hair care, as well as
entertainment services, ‘in the nature
of live musical performances;
production of motion picture films
(and) fan clubs’, video games and
mobile devices.
However, this isn’t the first time
the ‘Halo’ singer and her rapper
husband have tried to attain a patent
on their firstborn’s name. Shortly after
Blue Ivy was born in 2012, the pair tried
to trademark her first name but a judge
ruled that a Boston wedding planner had
the patent first.
However, the famous
pair are now trying to
patent their daughter’s
first name and
surname, ‘Blue Ivy
Carter’, for future
business ventures.
The news comes days
after the Grammyaward
winning singer
announced she was
expecting twins with
her husband and sent
Blue Ivy
the world into
meltdown.
•Nicki
Minaj

28—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
By AYO ONIKOYI
08052201215
onikoyi68@gmail.com
Victor Olaiya retires
formally from live
performances
Niyola breaks down true meaning
of 'Eargasm' in Hilarious Skit
RnB sensation, Niyola, in a short
hilarious video has explained the
actual meaning of the highly
anticipated concert ‘Eargasm’; set to
hold on the 11th of February 2017 at
EKO Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island,
Lagos.
The 58 seconds video shows the
singer draped in a sexy bathrobe
suggesting she was about to use the
bathroom before being interrupted by
a phone call. Niyola speaks to an
unidentified caller, which she regards
as “aunty”. The caller on the other end
seemingly asks Niyola what “Orgasm”
is as she had caught wind of the
concert; to which the singer replied,
“It’s not orgasm o, aunty. It’s
JCI Nigeria opens nomination for 2017 'Ten
Outstanding Youths Award'
By Imanuel Jannah
Junior Chamber
International (JCI) Nigeria
on Wednesday said nominations
for its 2017 award to ten
outstanding youths in the
country has commenced.
In a statement issued by the
spokesperson of the
organization, Adeyemi Falade,
the award seeks to recognize
Eargasm”, before going on to
explain what the concert
entails.
The upcoming concert will
feature some of the biggest
industry names who are set to
thrill the audience in a neverbefore-seen
fashion, including
2Face, Adekunle Gold, Niyola,
Acetune, Kelly Hansome,
Yinka Davies, Sir Shina
Peters, DJ Neptune amongst
others.
Ace comedian Bovi has
been revealed as the host
of the concert and has
promised an unforgettable
evening.
young Nigerians with outstanding
achievements in their professions,
who have also contributed
significantly to the society.
According to the President of
the group, Senator Richard
Babajide Ojo the essence of the
awards is to tell help inspire
youths in the country to be better
leaders and create better societies
through the stories of discovery,
determination and ingenuity of
By IFECHI OKOH
Living grandmaster of highlife
music, Dr Victor Abimbola has
retired from active musicianship
due to his failing health and doctor’s
standing instruction to desist from
performances henceforth.
This update was made public last
weekend when the legend apparently
missed from the usual 'nightlife
faithful gathering' held every Saturday
at the Stadium Hotel, Iyun Street,
Surulere Lagos.
the winners
On the nomination and voting
process, he said any Nigerian
between the ages of 18 and 40 can
be nominated. And, a select panel of
eminent and credible Nigerians
from different walks will serve as
judges for the nominations phase,
while members of the public will
be invited to vote on the
nominations after the release of a
shortlist in each category.
Ycee’s Tinny Entertainment
signs new artistes
BY ROTIMI AGBANA
Nigeria’s leading record
label, Tinny
Entertainment, has
officially announced the
signing of two new
acts, afro-beat singer,
Dapo Tuburna, and
Bella, a young female
rapper. The new acts
joined the label’s
foremost act, Ycee, who
has been an outstanding
artiste in the industry.
“Dapo Tuburna is doing
something different from
many young musicians, he
has a unique afro-beat
sound that appeals to
today’s trend and he
definitely has what it takes
to sustain it. Bella on the
other hand is a skillful
rapper who pays attention
to detail in her songs. Both
artistes have the qualities
and potentials that we seek
for in artistes as a record
label” says Arokodare
Tinny Timilehin, CEO and
Founder of Tinny
Entertainment.
We scooped that the celebrated
trumpeter actually stopped attending
his regular weekly shows and
occasional performance for over one
year when it became obvious that his
health is failing steadily. Based on
this, his doctor advised him strongly
to cease immediately from
performing.
“Aside from attending his gigs, he no
longer comes to work regularly as a
result of age-related health issues, his
manager, Gbenga Adewusi divulged.
It is on record that Dr. Olaiya held
sway in the mid 50’s which attracted
the old Daily Times newspaper
organization to go for him as the
official band that entertained during
our independent anniversary in the
year 1960.
Highly anticipated movie,
‘Okafor’s Law’ to be
screened at Pan African
Film & Art t Festiv
tival
Okafor’s Law' which was recently screened
at the Toronto International Film Festival
and Stockholm Film International Film Festival,
is scheduled to be screened at the Pan African
Film & Art Festival (PAFF).
The screening of the movie will hold at
Cinemark Baldwin Hills Cinema 15, Baldwin
Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 3650 Martin Luther King
Jr. Boulevard, Los Angeles on Tuesday February
14th (9:10pm) and Monday February
20th (7:50pm).
Nollywood actress and producer, Omoni Oboli,
is euphoric about the success of her movie which
is scheduled to hit the cinema screens in
Nigerian on Friday, March 31st. “I can’t even
begin to thank everyone who worked on the
project, ‘Okafor’s Law’ and contributed one way
or the other to the current success the movie is
gaining. I am super excited about it all. I thank
God for His unending favours in my life and
career,” said Omoni.
Set in Nigeria, the film goes against the view
that straight men and women can't just be
friends. It brings this true by telling the story of
Chucks (Blossom Chukwujekwu) nicknamed by
his friends as the Terminator, an ardent player
with ladies, whose quest to proving this law to
his friends brings him three woman he must reseduce:
Ify (Ufuoma McDermott), Tomi (Toyin
Abraham) and Ejiro (Omoni Oboli), whose lives
have drastically changed.

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—29
08116759759
The demonstrators were
showing solidarity with
women recently confronted by
police for going topless on a
beach
HUNDREDS of bare-breasted
women took to the streets of Argentina
yesterday in a demonstration
of solidarity with women recently
confronted by police for going
topless on a beach.
The demonstrations in Buenos
Aires, in Mar del Plata and
Rosario, were prompted by an incident
two weeks ago in
Necochea, 300 miles south of the
capital.
Three women in bikini bottoms
were ordered by 20 police officers
to put on their tops or head out.
Many in Argentina, once one of
the world’s wealthiest countries,
were stunned. Now used to struggling
with economic woes and cor-
Florida Man says he stole $7 Billion
because Jesus wants him to be wealthy
Jesus may be a savior, but
he’s a terrible alibi.
A Florida man accused of
making $7 billion in fraudulent
wire transfers told the
court he stole the money because
Jesus wanted him to be
wealthy.
Authorities arrested John
Michael Haskew, of
Lakeland, in mid-December
after he allegedly set up the
wire transfers on Dec. 9 and
10 from what the criminal
complaint described as “a
large, nationally renowned
financial institution.”
Haskew, who was unemployed,
needed to pay off a
debt to the federal government,
prosecutors said.
His alleged scheme was to
provide a bank routing
number that wasn’t his, according
to NBC Miami.
Haskew used that routing
number to make more than 70
transactions worth more than
$7 billion.
According to the complaint,
Haskew told agents he was
“self-taught on the banking
Naked Fury
Jesus was unavailable for comment
industry,” including how to
make the fraudulent wire
transfers.
Haskew allegedly told investigators
that he believed he
deserved the money, stating
that “Jesus Christ created
wealth for everyone,” according
to WFTV.com.
Investigators said Haskew
told them he believed his wire
transfer scheme would allow
him to “obtain the wealth that
Jesus Christ created for him
and that belonged to him,” the
complaint said.
Jesus was unavailable for
comment on this matter.
As part of a plea deal,
Haskew pleaded guilty on
Thursday to one count of making
a false statement to the federal
government, according to
NBC Miami.
No, the false statement
wasn’t the one where he said
Jesus told him to steal $7 billion.
Haskew could serve up
to five years in prison and be
ordered to pay a $250,000
fine, according to the Associated
Press.
ruption, they are increasingly tired
of what some see as the authorities’
overreach.
“There is this macho way of
thinking that just has to end,” said
a protestor named Noelia, 28, who
declined to give her family name.
“We are the owners of our bodies
and we can show our bodies if we
like. We are not consumer goods.”
As older men in suits and ties
scrambled out of nearby offices
during the protest, some
stopped to stare. A few
laughed or giggled.
“Get out, man! Get out!” some
demonstrators chanted, with
slogans painted on their skin
in lipstick.
Some of the men took selfies
with the demonstrators, perhaps
not necessarily in solidarity.
The leftist
politician
V i l m a
Ripoll
said, “All
people
want to
see t*ts on
television.
The real
o n e s
bother
you.”
L a s t
J u l y ,
t h o u -
sands of women took part in
topless protests across the
country after a woman was
kicked out of a public area near
the capital for nursing
her child, triggering
widespread outrage.
Father-of-four slits his
throat outside temple so
he can offer his head to
headless Hindu god
A
man has slit his throat outside a tem
ple in a bid to offer his head to a headless
Hindu deity.
Paramilitary trooper Sanjay Nut, 45, was
seen inside the Chhinnamasta temple in
Rajrappa, India, before he emerged and
took out a huge knife.
He then cut his throat near the main entrance
and bled to death on the spot in front
of horrified onlookers.
Witnesses said the father-of-four had been
worshipping and his actions were "an act of
self-sacrifice" and he did it in front of the
Chhinnamasta idol.
A source in India said: "He was first seen
around the temple complex on Monday.
"On Tuesday morning, he worshiped
Chhinnamasta idol and then started doing
the rounds of the temple.
"As he reached close to the main entrance
to the temple he fished out huge knife and
slit his throat with it in an act of self-sacrifice.
"The incident was reported to police who
immediately secured the spot."
Locals said Mr Nut, from Buxar in Bihar
was posted in Hazaribagh as a Central Reserve
Police Force personnel before his
death.
He had apparently been on holiday visiting
family when he lost his life on Tuesday.
Police searched his clothing and found
his ID and a phone number of his family.
His wife Sharda Devi told investigators
Nut was in "right mental state" and had taken
leave from his job to work his fields and
spend time with family.
Temple authorities said the area would
be closed to pilgrims until it is "purified by
the priest".
Police spokesperson Atin Kumar said:
"The matter of suicide has been reported.
"However, full details can be given only
after the post-mortem report."

30—SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard,
FEBRUARY 11, 2017
UNILAG prof
ofessor gives out daughter in
marriage
L-R: Prof. Duro Oni, DVC, Management Services, UNILAG,bride's father;
Mrs Franca Duro Oni; bride'mother; the coulpe , Mr and Mrs Babatomiwa
Jafojo; Mr Olawale Jafojo, groom’s father and Mrs Ayoola Jafojo, groom’s
mother.
Being father of the
bride comes with
certain amount of
joy and when you have
great family and friends
to share the special
occasion with you, it
becomes all the more
fulfilling. This, aptly
explains the joy of
Professor Duro Oni,
Deputy Vice Chancellor,
Management Service
University of Lagos
when his daughter
Adedolapo hooked her
h e a r t - t h r o b ,
Babatomiwa Jafojo, son
of Mr Olawale Jafojo.
The traditional marriage
took place at in Lagos
last weekend. Photos
by Akeem Salau.
Eko Akete Old Students
Association berths
For the old students of Eko Akete Grammar
School, Campus Square, Lagos January 29,
2017 was a memorable day as they
inaugurated the Old Students Association.
Highlights of the event include; inauguration of
the protem executive members to pilot the affairs
of the association; unveiling of work-plan for the
association as well getting together for light
entertainment that saw them cathing up on old
times.
Protem Executives of EAGSOSA; Executive
member, Mrs Peju Oluwa-Adegbola, VP; Mr
Falemi, school principal; Mr Deji Etiwe, protem
President and another old student.
Engr Bolaji Ipaye and Dr (Mrs) Taiwo Ipaye,
Registrar, UNILAG
L-R: Mr Gbenga Adefaye,General Manager,
Vanguard newspaper and Prof Duro Oni,
bride's father
Some of the female Old Students of the school,
1987 set.
L-R: Prof Afolabi Lesi, Provost,College of
Medicine, UNILAG ;Prof Iyiola Oni,Dean,Faculty
of Social Sciences; Dr (Mrs) Adesola Falaiye and
Prof Muyiwa Falaiye, Dean, Faculty of Arts.
L-R: Mr Demola Dan-Oni;Mr Biodun Oni; Mrs
Remi Abodunrin and Princess F. Ajayi.
Nosak Group holds management retreat
Some of the members of the Eko Akete Grammar
School Old Students’ Association (EAGSOSA)
A proudly Nigerian Industrial Conglomerate, Nosak
Group, recently held a two-day management
retreat for its management staff at the Sunfit
Hotel, Amuwo Odofin, Festac Town, Lagos. The
event was organized to prepare them for the
challenges ahead and to ensure the brand
becomes a household name in Nigeria and
beyond.
L-R: Former Managing Director, Mobil Oil
Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Olu Onakoya; Chairman, Nosak
Group of Companies Ltd, Dr. Toni Ogunbor; and
Chief Operating Officer, Nosak Group, Mr.
Thomas Oloriegbe.
L-R: Efe Lawson - Group Human Resource
Coordinator, Osaheni Ogunbor - Group Executive
Director, Operations and Projects Thomas
Oloriegbe - Group Chief Operating Officer, Deji
Rahman - Group Head, Strategy.
The Group Chairman, Dr. Toni Ogunbor in a
group photograph with management staff at the
retreat.
C
M
Y
K

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—31
Ben Agande, Abuja.
While her
contemporaries
and age mates
are preparing to leave active
service for a life of
retirement, life it appears
has just started for 58 year
old Mrs Lami Ajaechi Nda-
Sule who graduated recently
from the National Open
University of Nigeria with a
degree in Nursing. She was
the oldest graduate when the
University recently held its
convocation ceremony in
Abuja.
Though bagging a
University degree at such an
advanced age brought joy
and fulfillment to the 58 year
mother, it was not an easy
experience as she had to
endure several challenges,
including breaking down
from stress before she finally
made it to the final day.
But why would a 58 year
old nurse with several years
of experience go back to
school for a degree
programme when she should
be preparing for retirement?
Mrs Nda-Sule explains
“In my younger years, we
did not know that one can go
beyond the basic nursing
schools. In the east and the
west, they knew early
enough. They are far ahead
of us. In the north, if you
graduate as a nurse, you can
go and do midwifery and
other courses. I am a
registered nurse, a midwife
and a paediatrics nurse. I
also have a diploma in
nursing education. But all
these certificates are like
somebody getting fat, sitting
down in one place. They do
not give you vertical
progression in that area of
profession.
“Gradually, our association
began to insist that we must
go for degree programmes.
In the beginning, it was
tough because we began to
ask ourselves, how does one
go back to school after
obtaining several
certificates.
“While I was still battling
with these thoughts, I left the
profession, went into full
time missionary work for ten
years and when I came back,
I picked a teaching
appointment with a school of
nursing in Kaduna. One day,
a friend suggested that since
I had stayed away for too
long, I must go back to get a
degree in Nursing in order
to remain relevant. That is
how the journey started in
2011. I registered at the
National Open University
and started the programme”.
Though she had thrown
herself fully into the
programme, it was not an
easy venture. The fact that
•Mrs Lami
Ajaechi
Nda-Sule
Search for
university
degree nearly
took my life
•Mother who graduated
at 58 tells her story
I went to collect my
timetable for the
examination and
discovered that in a
single day, I had 3 main
courses to write. My
mind could not fathom it.
I could not take it. I
collapsed in my office and
was rushed to the hospital
where I spent five days
she was already advanced in years
and had other matrimonial
obligations to her husband made the
exercise very tough for her and
almost cost her her life. Added to
that was the rather lukewarm, if
not totally discouraging remarks
from no less a person than her
spouse who saw her decision to go
back to school as a waste of time.
“By the time I was in 500 Level,
the pressure became so much that
I was admitted in the hospital. I
went to collect my timetable for the
examination and discovered that
in a single day, I had 3 main
courses to write. My mind could
not fathom it. I could not take it. I
collapsed in my office and was
rushed to the hospital where I
spent five days.
“When I was about to start and I
told my husband, he discouraged
me because he was asking of what
I would do with the certificate? But
then I had started. But it was not
easy. For instance, the area we
were staying in Kaduna had the
challenge of electricity so if I had
examinations to write, I had to rely
on rechargeable lamps or the
paraffin lantern to read through
the night. Sometimes, my
husband would see it as
disturbance. I did not tell some
of my friends about it because I
knew they would discourage me”
she explained.
According to Mrs Nda-Sule,
what she found most challenging
during her five year programme
was the stress of burning the
midnight candle to meet up
with the expectations of her
lecturers. She said but for her
determination and strong will,
she would have given up. But the
realisation that given up half way
into the programme after
investing so “Reading my books
was the most challenging part of
the programme. The mental
work was very challenging. In
nursing, there are several things
you need to read in order to
bring yourself up to date with
modern trends. If you fail one
subject, you have failed all. That
was the most challenging part.
“It got to a stage that I had
to ask myself, why am I doing
this? I felt that I was not going
to take the certificate anywhere
to look for a job. It got to a stage
that I felt like letting go. But I
had a friend who encouraged me
not to give up. He was a younger
person. There were days that I
may not want to go but he would
come around and encourage me.
It was not easy” she said.
After all the stress of reading
and finally with a degree
certificate to boot, Mrs Nda-Sule
said she is happy and a fulfilled
woman.
“I am happy doing what I am
doing but the remuneration is
not encouraging. I am happy and
I feel fulfilled that I have
completed my degree
programme. In fact some people
have even suggested to me that
I can go on and do a Masters
Degree and even P.hd. I have
learnt some new things. I am
happy.
“In those days, technology
was not widespread. But now we
have e-therapy, you have to
present your lectures through
power point. There are
innovations that have come into
the nursing profession and if I
had not gone back to school, I
wouldn’t know them. Now I can
operate the computer, I can log
onto the internet and other new
trends. If I had not gone back to
school, I would not even bother
about them. Going back to
school has challenged my desire
to learn something new and
utilise them” she said.
Her message to the younger
generation: “With my new
experience, I used to challenge
the younger generation of
students that I teach that if you
don’t get what you are supposed
to get at the time you are
supposed to get it, it becomes
very difficult. Delay is costly. Let
them do what they have to do
now that they have the energy
and time”

32—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
By Sola Ogundipe / 08056180112 / solazed@live.com
Lifeline
Coming out as
Transgender is
a personal
decision and one that is
not easy to make. In
2014, I had my first
personal encounter
with a Transgender
named Samantha. She
is an American from
Chicago, Illinois in the
US. We met during the
Women Deliver
Conference that took
place in Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Sam, as she likes to
be called, was born
male and Christened
Samson but at age 30,
underwent what is
known as a Male-to-
Female (MTF) genderreassignment
surgery
in an Asian country, to
become a full-fledged
female. Sam did not
just undergo superficial
gender-reassignment
hormone therapy, but
went the whole nine
yards and now has
everything that a
woman should have
biologically. And when
I say everything, I
mean everything.
Looking at the eyecatching
35-year-old
close up and interacting
with her for almost a
fortnight, it was almost
beyond belief to
imagine she was
originally a man. Sam
is proud of her new
gender orientation and
has no regrets. She
confessed that before
her sex change surgery
she had always been
“uncomfortable” because
her body felt “wrong” even as a boy.
Her decision to live her life as an
authentic female represents an important
step forward; both for her personally and
for all that are committed to advancing
discussions about fairness and equality
for transgender people.
Today, gender-reassignment hormone
therapy or surgery is readily available
for men looking to become women, and
women looking to become men.
Theoretically and practically, the experts
say it is easier for a man to transform into
a woman than for a woman to transform
into a man. This is evidenced by the
higher numbers of Male-to-Female
(MTF) surgeries than Female-to-Male
(FTM). This explains why there are
significantly fewer FTM transgender
people.
Thousands of Transgender individuals
are scattered across the world and even
though it is not easy to gauge the size of
the Transgender population in Nigeria,
it is obvious that the number is growing
as gender-reassignment surgeries gain
popularity.
But why do people want a sex change
in the first place? Findings show that one
of the greatest concerns of Transgender,
among others, is support. They usually
have strong belief that they were born
the wrong sex coupled with persistent
discomfort about their natural sex and a
strong and persistent desire or an
insistence to be the other sex.
SEX CHANGE:
For better or
for worse?
•Man that underwent
sex change twice
They develop significant distress or
problems functioning and exhibit
frequent pronouncement of wishing to
be the other sex, keep trying to pass
as the other sex, or wanting to live or
be treated as the other sex.
Transgender individuals might
change their bodies hormonally or
surgically to alter their gender. To
express their chosen gender, they may
transition, or change, from the gender
they were given at birth and also
change their names, pronouns or style
of dress.
Some, like Sam, choose a medical
transition, with the help of medical
specialists, who will prescribe
hormones and/or surgery.
Transgender differs from
“Transsexual” who a person living in
a different gender to the one that was
given when they were born. For
instance, someone who was called a
“boy” at birth may feel very strongly
about being really a girl. Such would
be called a trans-woman. If someone
was labelled a “girl” at birth, and later
realises to be male, such would be
called a trans-man.
Beyond physical sex change, experts
say gender reassignment surgery
addresses larger issues of gender,
sexuality and sexual orientation.
As a matter of fact, the terminology
of “gender” is often confused with
“sex” and “sexuality.” For practical
purposes, gender refers to the social
(masculine or feminine) nature,
while sex is the biological (male or
female) identification. Sexuality is
the erotic (heterosexual, bisexual,
homosexual, autosexual or celibate)
definition.
A study in the journal BJU
International found that the majority
of patients who undergo MTF
gender-reassignment surgery are
happy with the results, despite
complications that were mainly minor
and easily corrected by secondary
surgery, 76 per cent of the patients
who provided detailed feedback were
happy with the cosmetic result of their
surgery and 80 per cent said the
surgery had met their expectations.
But there are exceptions to this rule.
There are some people that are not
satisfied with their transitioning. So
it is not surprising that some people
that undergo gender reassessment
and sex transition often undergo
reverse sex change known as
Detransitioning, or Retransitioning
which is the process of reverting back
to the gender assigned at birth after
transition has taken place.
A number of people have gone
through the journey of gender
change twice—gender reassessment
and detransitioning.
One instance that readily comes to
mind is that of Mark Marzo, who
underwent sex change from being a
man to a woman, then went back to
being a man.
The youngest of 13 children, Mark,
a self-proclaimed gay since birth, had
a sex change operation to become a
•Ria, double sex
change candidate
female. After his sex change, he
changed his name to Maria
Corazon Marzo and got married.
Maria’s terminally-ill father
requested she give him a
grandchild. Surprisingly, she
agreed to grant her father’s wish
and had a sex reversal, despite her
sexual preference. Maria respected
her dying father’s wish to have a
grandson, she gave up the “big
change” and returned to being male
(Mark).
A friend and co-worker, agreed to
get pregnant via Invitro
Fertilization, IVF for him. In 2001,
their son Andrei was born.
In 2011, after years of begging to
be turned into a girl, 17-year-old
Brad Cooper became Ria Cooper
and made headlines as the youngest
sex change patient in the UK. But
after living as a woman for less than
a year, she decided to change back
in to a man after suffering huge
mental anguish as a woman.
Ria cancelled the full sex change
operation that was scheduled and
ceased the female hormone therapy
that saw her develop breasts, saying
that she found the changes
overwhelming and that they made
her deeply unhappy.
As Brad, she began dressing as a
girl at 12, and at 15, begging
doctors to help her become a
woman.
Although she underwent a
thorough psychological assessment
and counselling prior to starting her
sex change therapy, Cooper
suffered such torment living as a
woman that she tried to commit
suicide twice.
C
M
Y
K

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—33
Sleep essential for learning
ceiving
Studying mice, scientists at Johns
Hopkins have fortified evidence
that a key purpose of sleep is to
recalibrate the brain cells responsible
for learning and memory so the animals
can "solidify" lessons learned and use
them when they awaken -- in the case
of nocturnal mice, the next evening.
The researchers, all of the Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine,
also report they have discovered several
important molecules that govern
the recalibration process, as well as evidence
that sleep deprivation, sleep disorders
and sleeping pills can interfere
with the process.
"Our findings solidly advance the idea
that the mouse and presumably the
human brain can only store so much
information before it needs to
recalibrate," says Dr. Graham Diering,
the postdoctoral fellow who led the
study. "Without sleep and the
recalibration that goes on during sleep,
memories are in danger of being lost."
According to the study published in
the journal Science, current scientific
understanding of learning suggests that
information is "contained" in synapses,
the connections among neurons
through which they communicate.
Scientists believe memories are encoded
through synaptic changes. But
there's a hitch in this thinking, because
while mice and other mammals are
awake, the synapses throughout its
brain tend to be strengthened, not
weakened, pushing the system toward
its maximum load. When neurons are
"maxed out" and constantly firing, they
lose their capacity to convey information,
stymieing learning and memory.
One possible reason that neurons
don't usually max out is a process that
has been well-studied in lab-grown
neurons but not in living animals,
asleep or awake. Known as
homeostatic scaling down, it is a process
that uniformly weakens synapses
in a neural network by a small percentage,
leaving their relative
strengths intact and allowing learning
and memory formation to continue.
To find out if the process does occur
in sleeping mammals, Diering
focused on the areas of the mouse
brain responsible for learning and
memory: the hippocampus and the
cortex. He purified proteins from re-
The bottom line is
that sleep is not really
downtime for the
brain. It has important
work to do then, and
we in the developed
world are shortchanging
ourselves
by skimping on it
synapses in sleeping and
awake mice, looking for the same
changes seen in lab-grown cells
during scaling down.
Results showed a 20 percent drop
in receptor protein levels in sleeping
mice, indicating an overall
weakening of their synapses, compared
to mice that were awake.
As the final test of their hypothesis
that scaling down during sleep
is crucial for learning and memory,
the researchers tested the mice's
ability to learn without scaling
down. Individual mice were placed
in an unfamiliar arena and given a
mild electrical shock, either as they
woke up or right before they went
to sleep. Some mice then received
a drug known to prevent scaling
down.
When an undrugged mouse received
a shock just before sleep, its
brain went through the scalingdown
process and formed an association
between that arena and the
shock. When placed in that same
arena, those mice spent about 25
percent of their time motionless, in
fear of another shock. When placed
in a different unfamiliar arena, they
froze sometimes, but only about 9
percent of their time there, probably
because they were relatively good
a telling the difference between the
two unfamiliar arenas.
The bottom line is that sleep is not
really downtime for the brain. It has
important work to do then, and we
in the developed world are shortchanging
ourselves by skimping on
it.
Sleep is still a big mystery. The
study only examined what goes on
in two areas of the brain during
sleep. There are probably equally
important processes happening in
other areas, and throughout the
body, for that matter.
New drug may help people with alcohol
addiction reduce drinking
Anew drug may benefit people
with alcohol addiction, particu
larly those who are experiencing
high levels of stress, a new study
suggests.
The new study involved 144 people
with alcohol use disorder, which is defined
as drinking that causes them
harm or distress, including problems at
work and with relationships. At the start
of the study, participants were consuming
10 alcohol drinks a day, on average.
The researchers randomly assigned
participants to take either the new
drug, called ABT-436, or a placebo (a
"dummy pill") every day for 12 weeks.
The study was double blinded, meaning
that neither the participants nor the
researchers knew which people had
received the drug, and which had received
the placebo.
Participants who took the drug ended
up having more alcohol-free days during
the 12-week study, compared with
those in the placebo group. On average,
participants in the drug group
were able to abstain from alcohol for 51
days over the course of the study, while
This means the researchers
are less certain that the
drug works to reduce the
number of days on which
people drink heavily
people in the placebo group were
able to abstain for 42 days.
The participants in the drug
group also had fewer "heavy
drinking" days (days in which
they consumed more than 4 to 5
alcoholic drinks), compared with
those in the placebo group. Participants
in the drug group had
31 heavy drinking days during the
course of the study, on average, and
those in the placebo group had 38
heavy drinking days on average.
However, this finding was not statistically
significant, meaning it did
not meet the researchers' criteria for
a meaningful difference between
the groups, and it could have been
due chance. This means the researchers
are less certain that the
drug works to reduce the number
of days on which people drink
heavily.
But in participants who reported
high levels of stress, the drug
seemed to work better. Those who
scored high on a test aimed at
measuring their anxiety and tension
reported 27 heavy drinking days,
on average, if they were in the drug
group, compared to 46 heavy drinking
days if they were in the placebo
group.
ABT-436 works by blocking the
effects of a brain chemical called
vasopressin, which is thought to
play a role in regulating stress,
anxiety and addictive behaviours,
the researchers said.

34—SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard, FEBRRUARY 11, , 2017
bunmsof@yahoo.co.uk
Prostate cancer: What to avoid eating
Lots of men are living
with prostate cancer
today— which is a
whole lot better than dying
from it. If the cancer is
caught while still localised
within the prostate, experts
believe the chances of it
killing you within the following
five years are practically
nil. However, if the cancer
spreads, your chances of
surviving five years may be
as low as one in three. For
this reason, scientists have
been desperate to identify
factors that help cause
prostate cancer to spread.
These include:
Eggs and poultry:
Harvard University researchers
recruited more than 1,000
men with early-stage prostate
cancer and followed
them for several years. The
results were astonishing.
Compared with men who
rarely eat eggs, men who ate
even a small part of an egg a
day appeared to have twice
the risk of their prostate
cancer spreading— for
instance, into the bones. The
only thing potentially worse
than eggs was poultry.
Another trial found that men
with more aggressive cancer
who regularly ate chicken
and turkey had up to four
times the risk of prostate
cancer progression.
Scientists suggest that the
link between consuming
poultry and cancer spread
may be due to carcinogens in
cooked meat. For unknown
reasons, these carcinogens
build up more in the muscles
of chickens and turkeys than
in those of other animals. But
what about eggs—how could
eating less than one a day
double the risk of cancer
spreading? The reason may
be choline, a compound
found in eggs. Indeed,
higher levels of choline in
the blood have been associated
with an increased risk of
developing prostate cancer
in the first place. Another
study discovered that men
who consumed two-and-ahalf
or move eggs per week
—basically an egg every
three days—may have an 81
per cent increased risk of
dying from prostate cancer.
Milk: It contains growth
hormones designed by
Mother Nature to put a few
hundred pounds on a baby
calf within a few months. But
are they good for us? Leading
Harvard University
nutrition experts have
warned that the hormones in
doing products could stimulate
the growth of hormone—sensitive
tumours—
such as prostate cancer. Not
only that, but experimental
evidence suggests that
doing may also promote the
conversion of pre-cancerous
lesions or mutated cells into
invasive cancers. To date,
there have been 14 studies
in which organic cow’s milk
was dripped into human
prostate cancer cells in a
laboratory Petri dish. In
each experiment, the milk
stimulated the growth of
human prostate cancer
cells, producing an average
increase in growth rate of
more than 30 per cent.
In contrast, almond milk
suppressed the growth of
the cancer cells by more
than 30 per cent. What
happens in a test-tube or
Petri dish, though, doesn’t
necessarily happen in
people. Nevertheless, a
compilation of studies has
concluded that cow’s milk
consumption is a risk factor
for prostate cancer. But, you
may be wondering, if you
can’t drink milk, what will
happen to your bones?
Doesn’t milk help prevent
Osteoporosis? It turns out
that the promised benefit
may be just another marketing
ploy. An analysis of
many studies shows no
significant protection. Even
if you were to start drinking
milk during adolescence in
an attempt to bolster peak
one mass, it probably
wouldn’t reduce your
chances of fracture later in
life.
Scientists suggest
that the
link between
consuming
poultry and
cancer spread
may be due to
carcinogens in
cooked meat
Can you reverse prostate cancer?
Experts believe eating a
varied plant-based diet, and
avoiding all meat, fish,
chicken and dairy products—
may have much to recommend
it, but it’s certainly not
for everyone. With this in
mind, a group of researchers
at the University of Massachusetts
did a study on
prostate cancer patients who
agreed to get only half their
protein from plant sources.
Happily, this half-vegan diet
did, indeed appear to slow
down the growth of cancer.
Instead of doubling in size
within 21 months, their
tumours took 58 months to
grow to the same dimensions.
So, even tweaking your daily
diet is well worth the effort.
Half a serving a day of
broccoli, brussels sprouts,
cabbage, cauliflower or kale,
for instance, can cut the risk
of cancer progression by more
than half. For another study,
a research team recruited 93
men with prostate cancer who
had chosen not to undergo
conventional treatment. One
group wasn’t given any diet
or lifestyle advice. The other
prescribed a strict diet
centred of fruit, vegetables,
whole grains and bears, and
told to walk 30 minutes a day.
Cancer progression was then
tracked using PSA levels (a
protein in the blood.) So what
happened? In the people who
did nothing, PSA levels
increased by 6 per cent in a
year. That’s what cancer
tends to do—grow over times.
But healthy-living group,
PSA levels decreased by 4 per
cent, suggesting their tumours
were shrinking.
A year after the study
ended, the cancers in the
control group patients had
grown so much that 10 per
cent of them needed surgery.
By contrast, none in the
plant-based diet and life-style
group ended up on the
operating table. Does that
mean men suffering from
prostate cancer merely need
to change their diets? No—it
is not recommended that they
ignore medical advice. They
have nothing to lose and
much to gain however, by also
changing what they eat.
Other research has shown
that the blood of people on
plant-based diets are able to
fight cancer eight times better
than the blood of people of a
typical Western diet.
But what if the benefits are
down to exercise? To find
out, a research team compared
three groups of men:
a plant-based diet and
exercise group, an exercise—
only group and a
group of sedentary people
eating standard fare. Would
people who exercise hard
enough and for long
enough develop cancerfighting
abilities that rival
that of strolling planteaters?
To find out, blood
from each of the groups was
dripped onto human prostate
cancer cells growing in
Petri dish. Well, the blood of
the sedentary lot wasn’t
completely danceless. Even
if you’re a chip-eating
couch potato, your blood
may still be able to kill off 1
-2 per cent of cancer cells.
But the blood of those who
had exercised strenuously
for 15 years killed 2,000 per
cent more cancer cells than
the blood of the couch
potatoes—a fantastic result.
Even better was the blood of
those in the plant-based
diet and moderate exercise
group, which wiped out an
astounding 4,000 per cent
more cancer cells than that
of the blood of the couch
potatoes. In other words,
thousand of hours in the
gym appeared to be no
match for a plant-based
diet.
Giving your confiden
idence e a boost
In her book: How to shine in a crowd, Susan Roane gives
the following strategies to help you work the room when
you find yourself alone in a huge crowd, where no face looks
familiar.
The entrance: There is no such thing as being ‘fashionably
late’ for a meeting. Arrival is based on the start of the event,
not making a conspicuous entrance. Take a deep breath, stand
tall and walk in. If you stand in the door-way, people think
you’re scared.
Give the room a quick once-ever. Check out the bar, the food,
where most people are congregating. “One man I know who
has difficulty talking to people always positioned himself between
the door and the ... buffet,” says Susan. “Everyone has
to walk by him to get to the food and he is always surrounded
by people”.
First contact: Look around for people you know. If you see
someone who looks even vaguely familiar, go and introduce
yourself. Only two things can happen—either you’ll be right
and renew an acquaintance, or you’ll meet someone new to
chat to.
Use your friends: One of the main advantages of going to
an event with a friend is that you can introduce one another
around the room. You will know people he or she doesn’t and
vice-versa. Give people enough information about your friend
and be positive. If neither of you know anyone, split up and
start chatting until you do.
Get moving: If you are on your own and don’t recognize
anyone, do not be tempted to melt into the wall. Look out for
what Susan calls the “hard knuckle drinker.” They are clutching
their cup or glass so tightly that their knuckles are really
hard. They’re scared to death and they’re always alone. They
will usually welcome your conversation because it saves them
from anonymity.
Opening lines: Don’t hang around waiting to make the
perfect opening gambit. Even if what you say isn’t going to
bring the house down, do not lose the chance to start a conversation.
The best opener may just be a smile and the word,
‘Hello’, other areas for easy comment are the event, the food,
the organization, the traffic, even the weather. Avoid negative
comments such as: “The food looks pathetic,” because people
will think you are a whiner.

Vanguard, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—35
Twitter: @yetundearebi
yetty5050@yahoo.co.uk
08054700825
Hi, The Guitar maestro, Evangelist
Ebenezer Obey, in one of his evergreen
oldies sang about covetousness and
why an individual must not take over
a friend’s spouse, describing it as a
shameful act, which tarnishes one’s
reputation. This same act has been
described as worse than stealing even
by public perception. Perhaps it is
because a lot of things have been
attributed to friendship. Good friends
are God sent. Some friends are dearer
than blood relatives. Friendship is
based on trust and must be nurtured
and protected if it is to achieve the
purpose for which it was developed.
That many people have benefited
immensely from good friendships is not
in question. But in the same way, many
others have only stories of woe,
betrayal and damnation to tell of their
friends. Perhaps, it is the fact that we
get to choose our friends that makes it
more painful to bear when we are
betrayed by them. The irony is that no
one can identify a bad friend until an
evil or harm has been perpetuated by
them, by which time, it may be too late.
A friend who intends to steal your
wife or husband from you is not likely
to give you notice or room for
suspicion. In fact, he might even be
your closest ally. The term, chop and
clean mouth, does not apply in this
situation, this is operation total take
over. Despite God’s commandment and
societal condemnation, the practice
just seem to be etching itself into our
psyche. Stories of married women
walking away from one friend’s arms
into another without as much as batting
an eyelid, and men who without
stopping to empathize with their fellow
men, take over their women. In their
foolery, they take solace in the famous
story of king David and his epic love
affair with Bathsheba, wife of soldier,
Uriah. They forget that this was an
affair that led to the death of the
husband and the child produced from
the adulterous relationship.
A couple of months ago, I’d
accompanied a friend to visit her
elderly uncle. It was no ordinary visit
but a small family meeting to counsel
their young cousin whose wife had just
deserted him and their children for
another man. Incidentally too, the new
man in her life was a close friend of
the family. I had tagged along for the
gist but what I eventually got was a
double barrel. During the discussion
her elderly uncle who had also been a
victim of such a betrayal added his own
story to the package. I was the happier
for it, though left wondering how some
people could throw decorum, decency
and fear of God out of the window for
a few moments of desire.
In this edition and the next, I will
share with you the experiences of these
two gentlemen. If you have a similar
experience you know about, kindly
write in and share it with us. Or simply
share your views on this issue with us
via the contacts on this page. Do have
a wonderful weekend!!
Pa Shina, (82), retired Civil Servant
who lost his first wife to someone he
claimed was a “good friend” way back
in the 1970s.
I met my wife in England. It was at
a party being hosted by a Nigerian
friend. I loved her because she was
friendly and a little carefree. She had
lots of friends too and a bit of money
to spend, as she had a good job. She
was not going to school like most
people were, though she told me that
she was saving up to do so. Soon, we
got married after a brief courtship and
things were very good between us.
I was still studying for my Diploma
Yetunde Arebi
Thou shall not
covet thy friend’s
spouse
The story being peddled
was that the two had
become lovers on the
ship and that was when
she had taken in for the
child. It took me three
years to plan my home
coming. I just had to see
her with my eyes
when we had our first child. We had
planned that when I graduated, she
too will go and study something before
we returned to Nigeria. In those days,
our girls usually studied Nursing,
Dressmaking or Catering. After the birth
of our second child and I had finished
my education, she refused to go to
school. Soon, the third child came and
then there was no way she could
anymore.
I never suspected that she was a
wayward woman until the final act. The
only thing she ever engaged in apart
from partying was bleaching. But this
was the vogue among many of our girls
in those days and didn’t really mean
anything to me. In 1967, her mother died
in Lagos Nigeria, and she had to come
for the final burial rites. Since we are
Muslims, the corpse had been buried
the following day. The final burial was
to coincide with the first year memorial
anniversary and my wife was expected
to be in attendance.
We made plans and saved money
towards her coming home. We had
planned that she would take one of the
children with her, but
eventually the idea was
shelved because of her fears
about witchcraft and some
unidentified enemies. The
cost was also part of our
considerations. As the day
drew near, one of my close
friends too informed me that
he was travelling to Nigeria
to attend to some family
problems. I intimated him
about my wife’s journey
though they were all aware
that she’d lost her mother.
We then decided that they
should travel together so
that my friend could help
me take care of my wife. She
had persuaded me to allow
her travel by sea to save cost.
Her argument was that she
could use the money to
purchase more gifts for the
people at home and also
enough to spend on the
party.
On the day of their
departure, I, in the company
of the children escorted my
wife and my friend off to the
port at Liverpool. That was
the last time I saw my wife.
We met three years later
when I came to verify the
truth of the matter with my
own eyes.
I received a letter from
my wife when she arrived
Nigeria and another one a
few months after the party.
She even sent photographs
taken at the party with my
friend whom she’d
informed me took very
good care of her while on
the ship and had even
stayed in touch with her in
Lagos. He had represented
me so well at the
ceremony, she’d informed.
In her letter, she did not
mention anything about coming
home. All she said was that they were
going to read the will and she wanted
to be around being the only daughter.
After this, she stopped writing and
even when I wrote she never
bothered to reply my letters.
About eight months after her
departure, we started hearing
rumours that my wife was expecting
a child believed to be my friend’s
own. London is a small place and so
also the Nigerian community, and
news whether true or false got around
very fast. Again, I tried to get in touch
with my wife without much success.
Eventually, I got in touch with my
younger brother who informed me
that it was true that my wife was
pregnant but that they don’t really
know much about it as she seldom
visited any member of my family. She
was staying in her family house on
Lagos Island, I learnt. I was having
a hard time coping with the children
and my work. But somehow I
managed. I had to take all three of
them to a foster parent and only
visited them every weekend so I
could concentrate on my work.
I found it difficult to accept the
rumours initially, but when my friend
too did not return to England and they
were always said to be seen together
in Nigeria, I was forced to start
believing the stories as facts. The fact
that my friend was not married at the
time too, made me come to a
conclusion. Then, we heard that the
baby had been born and that it was
my friend’s family that came to name
the baby and that she had also moved
into my friend’s house. I had no
choice but to resign to my fate.
My friend never tried to get in touch
with me. The story being peddled was
that the two had become lovers on the
ship and that was when she had taken
in for the child. It took me three years
to plan my home coming. I just had
to see her with my eyes. It wasn’t as
if I didn’t believe all that I’d been
told, it was just that I felt I would be
more at ease if I saw them with my
own eyes. I found all the stories
weird. I wanted to ask so many
questions like, how could she stoop
so low, what would happen to the
children, didn’t she care about them
at all. Up till today, I still can’t figure
out why she did it.
Just as I’d been told, my wife was
pregnant with their second child, and
they were also living together when
I came home. She broke down crying
like all women do when they are
caught in the act. It was the work of
the devil, she claimed. Their
neighbours were curious to know
what was going on. I believe that they
must have been hearing some
gossips too about the circumstances
of their so called marriage. I never
set eyes on my friend until I went back
to England. That was in 1971, I was
still in England when I heard about
his death in 1980. She had bore him
three children and still lived in their
family house.
Later, I heard that she began having
problems with his family and she
moved out to rent a room in
Ijeshatedo, a suburb of Surulere. I saw
her a couple of times after I returned
home in 1984. As the years went by,
she began communicating with the
children more often and they were able
to make some reconciliation
eventually. She has a good
relationship with the first child, a
girl. The two younger boys are not
too comfortable with her, but I know
that they are also in touch and do send
her money from time to time.

36—SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard
anguard, FEBRUARY 11 , 2017
Friends besiege
Ibori on arrival
Ibori: A welcome like no other
BY TONY ELUEMUNOR
Saturday 4th February 2017
morning; I was at the 12 Apostles
Catholic Church, Central
Business District, Abuja, for the First
Saturday of the month Devotion to the
Blessed Virgin Mary (Mass, Holy
Communion Adoration of the Eucharistic
Jesus, Confession and Rosary in
reparation for the sins of the whole world).
As I stepped out of the church by 7.30 am
my phone rang.
The conspiratorial tone that Mr.
Solomon Udele, Chief James Onanefe
Ibori’s ADC while he was Governor of
Delta State (1999 – 2007), assumes while
discussing serious issues was at the other
end of the line. “Brother Knight, eh, eh,
ah, mm, did you hear anything”?
“Like what”, I asked.
“Eh, em, has Oga (the boss) returned to
Nigeria? I hear he is in Abuja right now.
Please make some calls and get back to
me”. He was breathing fast and hard,
trying to hide his anxiety. Mr. Udele
stopped working with Ibori 10 years ago,
yet Ibori is still Oga to him. He was posted
to the Aso Rock Villa in June 2007 after
his duty as Ibori’s ADC. On his first day
there, the ADC to the then Vice President
Goodluck Jonathan took him to be
introduced to the then Chief of Staff, Gen.
Abdulahi Mohammed (rtd). Mohammed
did not bother to return Udele’s greeting
but snarled: “I don’t want an Ibori man
anywhere near the Villa, in fact I don’t
want such a person near Abuja.” Taking
his phone, Abdulahi called the Inspector
General of Police and dished out an
instruction: “I want Ibori’s former ADC to
be posted out of Aso Rock and he must not
be found in any state that shares a
boundary with the Federal Capital
Territory. So, the Police posted Udele to
Awka, Anambra State; he resigned from
the Police Force the very day he reported
at Awka because he suspected his life
might be in danger.
Then I called Ibori’s London number but
he didn’t pick. I was parking my car on
my return from the church when my
phone rang and Ibori was laughing at the
other end. “Tony, I beat you and your
journalist colleagues to it. I’m in Abuja”. I
confessed to him that he beat me
thoroughly because I had been telling
him that Nigeria would witness it’s largest
gathering on the day of his return. I used
to say that all I needed to do was to slip
out the date and his supporters would
converge on the mentioned Airport, even
if it is in the middle of Sambisa Forest.
But Ibori’s friends and
political associates are
already planning their own
special reception; a reunion
of Ibori’s friends/loyal
supporters and those who
left the Ibori fold …and even
those who have been totally
opposed to Ibori but who
have come around now to
his side
I phoned Mr. Onochie Anibeze,
Editor of the Saturday Vanguard but
couldn’t reach him. I called
Vanguard’s Emma Azieken but also
drew a blank. It was frustrating. Ibori’s
return was the “payment” I had
promised myself to give to Vanguard,
especially Weekend Vanguard. Since
December, I have been granted a
page every Saturday to state the other
side of the Ibori story, and I greased
nobody’s palm. Send a story on Ibori
to Mr. Eze Anaba, Vanguard
newspaper Editor or Mr. Anibeze and
it would be well-used. “I want to sell
my paper and Ibori sells papers”
Anibeze would say. Once, I even had
to call the Vanguard Publisher, Mr.
Sam Amuka, when I had challenges
placing an obituary advert. Once I
called my name a laughing “Uncle
Sam” began to ask how I was doing,
as though we were close friends.
Baffled, I told him he must have
mistaken me for another Tony. “No, I
know you; the Ibori Man”. Once I
mentioned my problem, he asked me
to call the advert section and “just
mention the date and it is done. Don’t
worry”. Then I called Prof Kingsley
Macebuh, the late Dr. Stanley
Macebuh’s brother and he said that
was Sam Amuka’s true nature –
genial, easy going, without airs. I was
astounded. “Tony, oh, have you never
seen Uncle Sam? If only well-placed
Nigerian elites could learn from
him!” I told him I have never met the
man, yet he treated me like a brother
or an old friend.
Then I told Mr. Ikechukwu Amaechi
of Ibori’s return. He went ecstatic;
“Tony I’m posting it right away
on Facebook”, and the rest is
history. As I never had votes for
PR, I would send my statements
to Mr. Amaechi and Mr. Kingsley
Ighomwenghian - both former
Editors of Daily Independent -
and they would send straight to
their fellow newspaper Editors.
Often too, Mr. Sunny Areh came
to my rescue. Mr. Sheddy
Ozoene did all he could. Mr.
Magnus Onyibe took helped to
contend with hack writers.
That Saturday 4th of February
2017 was special in Oghara, a
town known nationally because
of its famous son, Ibori. An
unprecedented multitude began
to blanket the Osubi Airstrip,
Warri, Saturday morning to await
Ibori’s return that afternoon, but
he landed at the Benin Airport
instead. By the time he arrived
Oghara, all hell had been let
loose; the throng of people that
had “invaded” Osubi had relocated
to Oghara. It took Ibori
hours to make the two- kilometer
journey from the Expressway to
his compound. Each member of the
ecstatic crowd wanted to touch
him.
The people sang. Music blared
from loud speakers. Dance groups
staked out turfs. Men and women
danced. A nameless carnival was
in town. Photographers and
sundry mercantilists did brisk
business. It was magical; it was out
of this world. Sunday; the crowd
still remained, so at 5pm, Ibori
ordered his gates to be flung open
to everybody. People rushed into
the compound. Security men were
alarmed. Ibori worked the crowd,
chatting, joking, and receiving
blessings and endless prayers. But
by 10 pm, Ibori had been touched
by everyone, including even the
children who were also there in
full force and a welcomed
quietude enveloped the
compound. But it was shattered
somewhat on Monday when
individuals and groups began to
visit again.
On Tuesday, the toll was visible
on Ibori. He had lost his voice.
He announced he needed a rest
and would see nobody on
Wednesday…but he had to travel
to Abuja that day to take that rest
and returned on Thursday and
began receiving visitors all day
long. Groups would be
shepherded into various parlous,
while the top government visitors
would go in through the back door
and into his own personal
quarters.
The visitors came from near and
far. They included Ibori’s relatives
from Oghara town and politicians
from outside Delta State. Ibori’s
well-known friends were there.
So, too, his well-known erstwhile
enemies. All enjoyed warm
welcome. In fact the former
enemies stayed longer with him
and prayed harder for him. All
sorts of religious songs resounded
as every group began and ended
its session with prayers. Only the
Hausa Community in Oghara
went into prayers without
singing. Even the musicians such
as Ras Kimono , Otis Wiliki and
Rasta Daddy Tom were not left
out.
By Friday, there was still a long
list of groups to be given a date
for their visits; they included the
Local Government Chairmen,
Traditional Rulers; Delta Central
Elders, the PDP, PDP Ethiope West
LGA, Archbishops, Bishops and
other religious leaders, Yoruba
Progressive Union led by Otumba
Ayo Ola Fafowora, Ijomi
Community, Non-Indigines of
Delta State and even, yes
including Ibori Primary School,
Oghara. The list is not inclusive
of individuals. So the visitors were
not just politicians. Gen. David
Ejoor, visited Wednesday
morning. He was Mid-West
Regions Military Governor in
1966 when Ibori was eight years
old. He was helped to walk from
and back to his car. The
remarkable inventor, Brig-Gen
Otu Oviemo Ovadje (ret) a highly
accredited Nigerian medical
doctor who invented the
Emergency Auto Transfusion
System (EAT-SET) - an affordable,
simpler and effective blood autotransfusion
system, visit on Friday.
He came in as Dr. Austin Izagbo
and his wife Ify were leaving.
On Sunday, Oghara sons and
daughters will have a Freedom
Thanksgiving service for Ibori’s
return. Individuals contributed
various sums to fund the event.
But Ibori’s friends and political
associates are already planning
their own special reception; a
reunion of Ibori’s friends/ loyal
supporters and those who left the
Ibori fold …and even those who
have been totally opposed to Ibori
but who have come around now to
his side.
This will task social scientists to
explain: that Ibori has waxed
stronger, on his return to Nigeria
after seven year’s absence, than he
was before he was forced to exit the
country as a cabal in former
President Jonathan’s
administration wanted to kill him
by roping him into a phantom coup
plot.
Oh what happened when I first
saw Ibori on Sunday? He gave me
two bear hugs but still “mocked”
me: “Tony, I beat you and all the
journalists to it. You couldn’t catch
me”. Suddenly, it was as if the
“Odidigborigbo” had never been
gone as Oghara, Delta State and the
South-South were agog again – all
because of one man who has said
nary a word since he returned.

SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard
anguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—37
C
M
YK
Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
Perez Brisibe and Paul Olayemi
SINCE he took flight from the country, on the
spur of the moment, about six years ago, and
subsequent trial and conviction in the United
Kingdom, the second civilian Governor of Delta
State, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, had always
dreamed of the day he would finally return to his
fatherland.
The calendar day came, last Saturday, February 5,
when he touched down at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja at about 5:37 a.m in
company of two of his kinsmen, Prince Charles
Abutor and Emmanuel Ganiga in a British Airways
Boeing 777 aircraft with registration number, G-
VIID.
Two quick lessons
Two things have become palpable since his return,
which he is still savoring at his country home,
Oghara, Ethiope West local government area. One
is that Chief Ibori has learned to be quiet about
himself and his activities after the loud celebration
of his release, December, last year, in London, by
some of his political associates.
The other is that it is ill-advised for anyone,
politicians in this case, to count their chickens
before the eggs are hatched. Indeed, political
analysts in the state are still puzzled that despite
the much talked about humiliation of Ibori’s
successor and brother, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan,
which some top politicians in the state boasted
would happen on his homecoming, nothing of such
came to pass.
Dr. Uduaghan had earlier being maligned as Ibori’s
“persecutor-in-chief,” but on February 5 when he
landed Nigeria, those who did not know that Ibori
took their tales with a pinch of salt were shocked to
see that Dr. Uduaghan, who kept his cool all the
while, was among the most trusted three or four
persons that came to the airport, early that morning,
to receive him. Most of them were even in the
dark about his arrival.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC,
and Ibori confidant, Chief Ayiri Emami, who is
among the selected persons that came to the
Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, accentuated the
point when he told Saturday Vanguard that going
by the rumours he heard, he was speechless to see
Uduaghan when he came at about 5.00 am already
at the airport .
His words: “I arrived at about 5.00 am only to see
that Uduaghan was already there. I later came to
know that about four of us were separately
communicated to be at the airport to wait for him
(Ibori) and each person was told not to tell anybody.
We arrived separately and only met ourselves there.”
What I saw between Ibori, Uduaghan – Ayiri
Emami
Trying to be tactical in his comments, Chief Emami
said: “What I saw last Saturday following the arrival
of Ibori at the Abuja airport further confirmed the
blood relationship between Ibori and Uduaghan,
these two people are members of the same family,
anybody trying to split them should watch it. There
is a parable in Itsekiri land that says you do not
expose the quarrel of two brothers, they are blood
brothers and they recognize that.”
According to him: “When I got to the airport that
morning, I met Uduaghan running around to
ensure that everything was in order and when Ibori
landed, both of them were in communication ear
to ear without anyone in between, not even their
children. I was looking at them, as it was just the
two of them alone and I tell you, I could not even
eavesdrop on their discussion.”
He volunteered: “People might be cooking up
stories as regards their relationship. One has to be
careful when it comes to issues of Ibori and
Uduaghan. Even if there are differences such
differences are no issues.”
Amori corroborates Emami
A top member of the Ibori political family, Chief
Ighoghota Amori, who also spoke independently
to Saturday Vanguard, said: “The relationship
between Ibori and Dr.Uduaghan is still very cordial
and as cousins, they have come a long way and
blood they say is thicker than water.”
“But whatever the perceived hiccups might be, Ibori
is above all of that, there is no problem between
them and they would remain brothers for life,” he
added.
How Uduaghan accompanied his brother to the
Aso Drive head office of the Department of State
Services, DSS, where Ibori had a brief meeting
with the DSS Director General, Mr. Lawal Daura,
is already public knowledge.
Consummation of first lesson
From available information, Uduaghan did not
join the chartered plane Abuja, IZYAIR with
IBORI:
One week after!
•Confounds politicians on affiliation
with Uduaghan, his successor
•Holds thanksgiving tomorrow
registration number, 5NIZY, which flew Ibori
and others to the Benin airport, but the
stratagem to enforce Ibori’s first lesson was
activated in Abuja before he left.
He had initially frowned at the ostentatious
celebration in London, preferring a quiet
affair, and with the sea of people waiting at
Osubi Airport, near Warri, to receive Ibori,
they knew that a wrong signal would be sent.
That was why the lavish airport reception
was abandoned, in spite of the
inconveniences it caused many. A
diversionary plan to use Benin Airport was
reached.
Though he was scheduled to land Benin
airport at about 11:30a.m, Chief Ibori finally
arrived the around 2: 30p.m in company
of Chief Ayiri Emami, his daughter, Hon
Erhiatake Ibori, representing Ethiope West
in the state House of Assembly and one of
sons of former national chairman of the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Tony
Anenih.
Arrival at Oghara
If he sidetracked the crowd at Osubi, he could
not evade the one at his country home in
Oghara, as when he pulled in to his land of
birth, less than an hour later in a long
motorcade, there was no space for him to
enter his residence.
Because of the surging crowd, he was stuck
in his car, but he afterward resolved to come
out and acknowledged cheers from the
multitude at about 3:45p.m. As expected, they
went wild in screams of wild jubilation.
Meandering his way through the unrelenting
crowd, he went straight into his apartment
where political associates, friends and chiefs
from Oghara had sat patiently awaiting his
arrival.
Inside his apartment, prayers were offered
by friends, led by a former PDP chairman in
the state, Capt. Pius Sienebe (retd.) At the
end of the prayer session, he went into his
bedroom, freshened up, came out dressed in
a white singlet and went to the dining table
to savour his customary starch and Banga
soup delicacy.
At about 5:45p.m, more guests, including
the immediate former deputy governor of
the state, Prof Amos Utuama, Chief Tom
Amioku and a host of others trooped in.
First outing
Like a loyal subject, three hours after his
arrival at Oghara, Ibori in company of
some of his close associates, sneaked
through the back exit of his country home
to an unknown destination, leaving the
gathering that stationed themselves in
anticipation of him addressing them.
In a convoy of five black Prado jeeps with
sealed number plates, the former
governor landed at the palace of the
traditional ruler of his hometown, the
Ovie of Oghara kingdom, Orefe III, III.
He was accompanied him by Chief
Ighoyota Amori, Chief Henry Ofa, Chief
Ayiri Emami and his daughter, Erhiatake
Ibori at about 6.40 pm
Speaking on the visit, the Ovie told
Saturday Vanguard: “We are excited that
he has finally had his breath of freedom
in Nigeria and in his hometown here in
Oghara.”
How first day ended
On how Ibori spent the night, Chief Ofa,
who accompanied him on the visit to the
palace said: “Immediately the meeting
ended, he went back to his country home
where guests continued trooping in to
congratulate him on his freedom.”
Political invasion
The incursion of politicians into Oghara
on the second day of Chief Ibori’s arrival
confirmed reports that Oghara has
become a “political Mecca” for
politicians within and outside the state.
However, for the second time since his
arrival, Ibori departed his dwelling to
an unknown destination at about
12:27p.m in a convoy of 13 cars on
February 6. Prior to his day trip, the former
governor played host to the senator
representing Delta South Senatorial
district, Senator James Manager, at his
place.
Those who accompanied Senator
Manager included the member
representing Burutu constituency in the
state Assembly, Hon Daniel Yingi and a
member on the board of the Delta State
Board of Internal Revenue, Barry Gbe.
The visit by Senator Manager and his
team was followed by some members of
the Delta State House of Assembly,
Prince Eric Oharisi, Samuel Mariere
and Chief Sheriff Oborewhori , who
turned up at about 1:30p.m in four black
Prado jeeps while he was momentarily
out of location.
The icing on the cake
However, high point of the day event
was the visit of the state governor, Dr.
Ifeanyi Okowa, who came with a coterie
of government officials at about
4:02p.m.
Frenzied schedule
Giving details of the hectic itinerary of
the former governor on the second day
of his arrival, Chief Amori said: “We were
awake till 3.00 a.m into the third day, as
we have been entertaining visitors, who
kept trooping in to congratulate him.”
On the third day, other prominent
Deltans, including the ex-military
governor of defunct Mid-West region,
Major General David Ejoor (retd.),
former Acting Governor of the state, Rt.
Hon Sam Obi and the traditional ruler
of Uvwie Kingdom, HRH Abe I, joined
others to celebrate with Ibori.
Political colossus
Describing Ibori’s return as delightful,
Rt Hon Sam Obi, said: “Deltans are
celebrating the return of our father, who
is a political colossus, he is a detribalized
man and his absence has been felt by all
and sundry. His return has brought hope
to everyone because he represents hope
for Deltans.”
He advised the people of the state to
remain peaceful, law abiding and
committed to the development of the
state.
Otuaro meets Ibori
Deputy Governor, Deacon Kingsley
Otuaro on the fourth day, led another
set of politicians to celebrate with
the former governor.
Otuaro who reached Ibori’s residence
at exactly 2:57p.m discussed intimately
with the former governor, who is also
his political leader.
Others, who visited same day were
former governorship aspirant on the
platform of the PDP, Mr. Tony Obuh,
chairman, Governing Board, Delta
State School of Health Technology, Mr
Nelson Ejakpovi, top politician, Chief
Solomon.Ighrakpata, management and
staff of the Delta State University,
DELSUTH, Oghara and Delta State
Polytechnic, Otefe, Oghara.
Also in Oghara were the Managing
Director of the Delta State Oil Producing
Areas Development Commission,
DESOPADEC, Chief William Makinde,
Executive Director, Social Services
Development of the commission, Mr.
Ochor Ochor, former Commissioner for
Lands and Survey, Mr. Raymos Guanah,
former Commissioner for Commerce,
Olorogun Ebenezar Okorodudu and
former Commissioner for Finance, Mr.
Love Ojakovo.
The list included the former Chairman
of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in
the state, Chief Pius Sinebe, Special Project
Director, Ughelli-Asaba Road
dualization, Chief Sunny Onuesoke,
former Chairman of Post Primary
Education Board, Philomena Ededey,
Mr. Steve Ovedje, Mr. Solomon
Areyenka, Mr. Paul Owumi, Chairman of
the PDP in Ethiope West Local
Government Area, Mr. Ojo Onome,
amongst others.
Day of thanks
Since his arrival, the stream of visitors has
been endless and the testimonies towering.
Up till yesterday, they were still pouring
in and tomorrow (Sunday) the former
governor will hold a thanksgiving
service for his safe return in Oghara,
which politicians are expected to jampack,
after which the daily political
pilgrimage to Oghara will probably
drop.

38—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
BY EGUFE YAFUGBORHI
Front-line leader of N’digbo Delta
state, Eze (Sir) Peter Chibueze
Chukwu (KSJI), in a chat with
Egufe Yafugborhi in Warri, stressed that the
desired emancipation of Igbo from
perceived marginalisation by the Nigerian
state does not lie in another futile Biafra
war, but in collective agreement of N’digbo
to use its numerical strength to win greater
political power in a Nigerian state where
the vast diaspora investment of the Ibo man
is his worst weakness.
Since end of the Civil War, N’digbo has
been complaining of marginalization,
oppression, the height of the attendant
agitation being manifested in the maniacal
push for another secessionist move by either
Movement for Actualization of Sovereign
State of Biafra, MASSOB or Indigenous
People of Biafra, IPOD.
Eze (Sir) Peter Chibueze Chukwu (KSJI),
former Chairman, Ohaneze N’Digbo, Delta
Central and South, is among N’Digbo
leaders who fervently believe the thought
of another armed struggle to liberate Igbo
is not only retrogressive, but also a
distraction that continues to blind Igbo from
utilizing their real potent force in rebuilding
the Igbo of their dream from the losses of
the war.
“I am”, Chukwu stressed, “not against
Biafra. There is the Biafra in every Igbo man
given what we have suffered, but I am
saying Igbo should stop complaining. Igbo,
by the endless complaining, have started to
marginalize themselves. The endless
complaining has become self immolation
and has made us weaker in the Nigerian
union. The urgent change we need is to
dissipate our energy in using what we have
to get what we want.
Justification to feel oppressed
It is true that after the civil war, the military
government at the time foisted clay footed
leaders, choosing charlatans among the
people for appointments. By the end of that
era, Igbo values were completely destroyed.
It is the common experience. When people
are defeated in war, the conquerors put a
deliberate structure in place to disunite
them, so they won’t be able to unite to fight
again, like what they did to Germany. After
1st World War, structures were not put in
place to downgrade Germany, so they were
able to gather cohesion to fight the 2nd
World War.
After their defeat, the allied nations put
structures in place, like North Atlantic
Organisation. Today, America, Britain,
France, Russia are occupying Germany as a
result. The occupation I mean is military.
These nations have military settlements in
German territory today not to the wish of
the Germans, but to make sure they don’t
gather cohesion to create another war.
This condition was meted out to the Igbo.
Because Igbo fought Nigeria, they had to
dismantle the Igbo. That’s why Igbo is no
longer Igbo today. By end of that military
era of 1970 to 79, Igbo values were complete
destroyed. Igbo were now disunited in
Nigeria. That is why they have been
complaining.
Subsequently, federal government comes
to Igbo to pick their own choice of
representatives, not the choice of the people.
They pick self centered Igbos to do their
bidding against the common good. They
pick somebody, for instance, they can call
to say we have so and so contract to make
road for your people, and he says no, give
me the money. He goes to buy house in Paris,
London or elsewhere. It is happening all
over the land, and that has aggravated the
misplaced agitations.
Igbo blinded to its greatest strength
For historically conscious Chukwu, “the
untapped strength Igbo has to fight this
moral war, not of guns, is their numerical
strength. They have the population.
Regrettably, Igbo have not bothered to look
at maximizing the value in this unique
strength. Apathetic to government for not
caring, over the years, about them after
coming to power, Igbos hardly care who is
chosen to represent them in government
BIAFRA:
The greatest
strength,
weakness
Igbos have,
by Sir
Chukwu
and how he is chosen. They believe in what
they can do with their own hands to survive
and they are surviving.
An Igbo will be in his shop, wishing
somebody wins election, but he is not
prepared to close shop for a moment to go
out, get registered and vote so that his
choice of person wins. He would rather
not waste his time voting because his
business is sure. If he is not registered, he
cannot not vote, so they continue to foist
charlatans on him. This has been the
attitude of our people. This has established
a paradox of self marginalisation.
Inevitable change
To get out of this self marginalisation,
the solution, Chukwu noted, lies in genuine
active participation in voting or being
voted for to displace the charlatans from
occupying Igbo leadership in government.
The system now does not allow quality
people to come and their destiny is in their
hands to make change for quality
representation to deliver them. Igbo are
no longer marginalised. Anyone feeling
marginalised should de-marginalise
himself. First is to get registered and have
voting power.
Igbo political leaders, elders, should
educate their people on the value of
utilizing their numerical strength. If they
put that into use, Igbos will decide who
wins election in any part of Nigeria today
beyond their home land. Because of their
enterprise consciousness, Igbos are
everywhere. Because government is not
favouring them, they are not looking at
this advantage. Look at the faces of the
Igbo in 15 January 1970, the day the war
ended. See the recovery they have made by
their own will and industry without
government support.
Greatest weakness against another
The greatest
weakness of
Igbo is their
overwhelming
diaspora
investments
arms struggle
The greatest weakness of Igbo is their
overwhelming diaspora investments. This
underscores the futility of another arms
struggle. The quantum of investment
outside their homeland is their greatest
weakness. The Igbo home land is far too
saturated, too small to accommodate the
volume of investment such that if most
Igbos with huge investments outside
Igboland were to return home, they may
not find the business space to succeed.
Go across Africa, in South Africa,
Libreville, Cotonou, Zaire, Yaounde, Ibos
are bubbling in business successes
everywhere. They cannot leave it and go
home dry. I saw Nigeria under colonial
rule, through independence, under the
civil war. I am able to compare, contrast
and be able to advocate what is beneficial
for all.
I don’t want another war. I have eleven
ground children now, I want a Nigeria
they will be happy to belong to. Genuine
people don’t want to talk about Biafra for
fear of being attacked. I am not against
Biafra, but as a leader, I can attest that
Igbos with investments in diaspora may
not be willing to return home because the
population of the Ibos overwhelms their
home landmass.
Win win alternatives
Rather than relive Biafra, Chukwu
advocates campaigns as demonstrated in
UK’s Brexit, giving opportunity for
people to vote and make choices without
recourse to civil war. “If it is the issue of
pro-Biafra campaign or campaign for
sustained Nigerian state, let’s have a
plebiscite or referendum so people decide
where they want to be. There was
plebiscite for Western, Eastern Cameroon,
for Nigerians around that area to join
Cameroon. Western Nigeria opted to join
Cameroon which they are still regretting
till date because they would have been
better if they had chosen to remain in
Nigeria. Till today they are marginalised
in Cameroon.
To reemphasize dialogue as very key in
human relationship, the Holy Land,
Israel, for centuries witnessed hundreds
of people dying annually, struggling for
the land, Muslim, Christian and Judaism.
In 1148AD, Saladin, the Egyptian
General conquered Jerusalem by force
of arms. The King of England at the time
called for a third crusade to liberate
Jerusalem, but Pope Sylvanus called for
dialogue, saying why killing and killing
in the name of God? Let us come and
discuss.
The holy land was shared in dialogue
among Christians, Jews and Muslims.
Christians had Bethlehem where you
have Church of Nativity people visit on
pilgrimage. East Jerusalem was ceded
to Muslims and Jews had the Awele Wall,
their holy site. People today just rush to
pilgrimage and come back without
knowing how the place came
about.
In August 1945, when
America wanted to drop
the atomic bomb in
Nagasaki and
Hiroshima,
Wirohito, the
Japanese
Emperor,
directed the
Japanese
foreign
minister to
make contact
with the
American
Government
through her
Ambassador in
Moscow to tell
America that Japan
was prepared to
surrender. A
committee was set to
look into the
Japanese proposal,
but America were
already set to test the
nuclear. They had already won the war,
but they were itching to test the nuclear
arsenal.
Japan, however, maintained that their
emperor was infallible, he could do no
wrong. Coupled with America’s
determination to test its new weapon,
this was the flaw that spoilt the dialogue
that could have prevented the atomic
bombing which were eventually
launched and the consequences remain
living history.
FG loses nothing dialoguing with
Nnamdi Kanu
Chukwu wonders why President
Mohammadu Buhari doesn’t want to
dialogue over the critical issues of
agitation. “He has to dialogue with
Nnamdi Kanu. It won’t stop
government from doing what it wants
to do. Biafra is an idea of the mind. An
idea of the mind is not something you
fight with AK47. You fight it by
enlightening the people, not by
detaining or suffering Kanu and
associates. And such an option won’t be
entirely new.
“In 1964, Late Chief Obafemi
Awolowo was charged for treason.
When Gen. Yakubu Gowon came to
power, there was dialogue between
Yoruba leaders and the Gowon
administration. Awolowo was pardoned
and appointed Deputy Chairman,
Supreme Military Council. Awolowo
was able to manage the economy and
Nigeria did not borrow a dime to
prosecute the war against the Igbo.
Isaac Adaka Boro in 1965 was
charged for treason during the 14day
Revolution when he was demanding for
Rivers’ region. He and Nottingham
Duke and Anthony Nwunere. Gowon
and South South authorities dialogued.
Charges were dropped. Boro was
released from prison, reenlisted into the
Nigerian Army and became useful after.
He died a Major, in the battle for Port
Harcourt and had a hero’s funeral. Go
to Port Harcourt, you will see the Adaka
Boro memorial park.
“Why can’t same measure of dialogue
be extended to Kanu. He can still be
brought out and released, for good of
the country rather than allow him to
languish there. Government should
speak with Kanu, after all, if there is
referendum in Nigeria today about
Biafra, there is more likelihood that
agitators for Biafra, whether IPOB or
MASSOB may not win over any call for
seperation. So, I don’t know what
government is afraid of.
C
M
YK

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2016—39
OBIANO’S COMMUNITY Y CHOOSE-
YOUR
OUR-PR
-PROJECT INITIATIVE
TIVE
A new Paradigm
in Development
By James Eze
(eziokwubundu@gmail.com)
When the dust finally settles on
everything as it often does,
history will be kind to Governor
Willie Obiano. And there is just one reason
this is so. Since he took over the reins of
leadership in Anambra State, Obiano
seems to have handed enviable pages to
history with each remarkable deed he has
done in office. And there is not even the
slightest attempt at hyperbole here. This is
verifiable!
From his epic stamping out of kidnappers
and violent criminals, through the highly
acclaimed agricultural revolution, to his
turning Anambra into an investment
destination and transforming Awka into an
emerging beauty, Obiano has left his
imprint on the hearts of the people where
the greatest pages of history are written.
But even so, Obiano may well have added
a great new chapter to the history books
when he rolled out the Choose-your-Project
initiative for the 181 communities in
Anambra State. Under this initiative, each
community in the state is at liberty to select
a development project that is dear to it,
which the state government would execute
with a sum not exceeding N20m. Each
community has the sole responsibility of
deciding what is best for it, determining
where to cite the project and supplying the
labour that would execute it. The state
government merely provides the
specification and ensures the strictest
compliance to standards and commitment
to the contractual terms of each project.
Introduced in the middle of the raging
On the strength of
this initiative alone,
Governor Obiano
appears to be breaking
away from the mould
of archetypal leaders
who whimsically
determine what is best
for everyone
recession, the Choose-your-Project
initiative seems a most unlikely scheme
to be undertaken by any government in
Nigeria. Most state governments have yet
to fully understand the economic realities
of recession and seem totally unprepared
to tackle it. However, Governor Obiano
has not only spent time in studying it but
has gone ahead to roll out an initiative
that would make his government squeeze
out funds for capital intensive projects.
Against this backdrop therefore, the
Choose-your-Project initiative is unique.
A bold challenge to governments at all
levels to rise beyond the common pale.
•Gov
Willie
Obiano
But perhaps more importantly, it is a
whole new development paradigm in
governance!
Under this scheme, different
communities in Anambra State opted
for different projects according to
their scale of preference. Some
communities in the state including
Umueri, Nkpunando-Otu, Anaku,
Agulu and others are some
beneficiaries of this scheme whose
projects have already been
completed. Some of these
communities have already started
putting these facilities to use while
many of these projects are in
advanced stages of completion.
Where there is a delay, it is mostly
due to either indecision or lack of
agreement on what to choose by
some communities or lack of
consensus on where to cite the
projects. Fortunately, these projects
have taken off in most of the
communities. As a result, most
breadwinners in these communities
who are involved in the construction
of these projects are able to put food
on the table.
All things considered, what actually
sets the Choose-your-Project initiative
apart is not necessarily the timing of
its implementation. Nor is it the
obvious benefits it brings to the low
income households who supply
labour to the various construction
sites. To my mind, what stands the
initiative out is the new vista it opens
in democratic governance in Nigeria.
I am impressed by the very fact that
the initiative seeks to bring equity
to governance; to make sure that
every community in Anambra State
has a government presence or the
symbol of affection from the
government in its domain. It ensures
that everyone is given a sense of
belonging and that every community
in Anambra State matters to
Governor Obiano and his team. This
is ingenuity at work!
It must also be mentioned that
beyond the need to touch every
community with a government
presence is the fundamental
question of choice. The scheme
allows each community to decide
what is best for it. There is no
arbitrary imposition of a white
elephant project by a presumptuous
government who postures as though
it understands the needs of the
people better than them. There is
something democratically
liberating in being asked to choose
what is best for one. Nothing can be
exhilarating than the freedom of
choice! In its finest manifestation,
democracy should give us the liberty
of choice. Democracy should offer
us freedom from the tyranny of
executive omniscience and
arrogance; the assumption that the
masses are not wise enough to know
what’s best for them.
On the strength of this initiative
alone, Governor Obiano appears to
be breaking away from the mould
of archetypal leaders who
whimsically determine what is best
for everyone. He is boldly and
competently pointing out a new
future for democracy in the
developing world. Obiano’s model
of Bottom-Up development
paradigm will make for a good case
study in the school of developmental
economics and a fitting model for
countries that desire a new
approach to governance that tilts
slightly away from the Western
model that presupposes that the
elected representatives of a people
know what is best for them at the
grassroots level.
And this is why the buzz is on about
Governor Willie Obiano!
C
M
YK
A Tribute By Chuka Momah
Ade Abiona- A Quintessentially good
man goes home to his creator
My first encounter with Ade (a
pharmacist par excellence) was at
the Nigerian Hoechst Limited
(then a chemical and pharmaceutical giant),
in 1981. He was the company’s branch manager
in Ibadan, while I was the product manager(
Nationwide), for the OTC range of products.
We developed an instant friendship and
appreciation of each other. This camaraderie
accentuated to a level of complete mutual trust,
to the extent that I did not make any critical
decision in my private or business life without
seeking his opinion.
He became a delightful admixture of a
beloved friend and brother. I found him to be
very honest, kind, gracious and trustworthy.
He was a man of class and integrity. He was a
complete gentleman. His word was his bond.
His generosity was boundless. He could
literally give the shirt off his back to the needy.
His appetite for hard work was prodigious. He
was a good-natured and large-hearted gentleman
who appeared to espouse a philosophy
to the effect that there be peace on Earth
and goodwill amongst men and women. He
wished none harm, thought none harm and
did none harm. His ethos demanded that
there be charity to all and malice to none.
Simply put, he earned and paid for his
place here on Earth! Since Ade was a huge
boxing aficionado (who admired
Muhammad Ali unlimitedly), I truly
believe that it would not be too expansive
to describe him with the words with which
Bob Dylan famously described the great
man. Said Dylan about Muhammad Ali,
“He was the bravest, kindest and most
excellent of men”. I earnestly believe the
same was true of Ade Abiona.
His very dear wife Iyabo and their
children complemented him adequately.
As I told Iyabo, Ade’s life epitomized the
very essence and definition of a life welllived
and was paradigmatic of an
existence very successfully negotiated. He
was always well organized. He was almost
always unfazed by the frenetic pace of
everyday life. He always seemed to
possess mental and emotional equilibrium.
Indeed, he had an inspiring
temperance of the will and vigour of the
Ade Abiona
imagination.
It was very painful and indeed poignant
for me to hear of his transition. He
had assured me that he would create time
from his hectic business engagements to
commence playing tennis again at the
Lagos Country club, GRA Ikeja. He used
to have a big serve and a ferocious forehand!
It was indeed a privilege for me to have
shared sincere friendship with this
remarkable man. The great poet Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow intoned that the
“lives of great men all remind us, we can
make our lives sublime, and, departing,
leave behind us, footprints on the sands
of time”. Indeed, Ade Abiona left
indelible footprints on the sands of time.
May Almighty God, grant his family
the fortitude to endure the agony of his
passage. May they have the wisdom to
realize that sawdust cannot be resawed.
May they also realize , that their
patriarch will live on in our hearts . And
to live in the hearts of those he has left
behind , is not to die !
In 1859, Edward Fitzgerald translated
the magical Rubaiyat of Iran’s mystic
poet, Omar Khayyam (who died in AD
1123), thus: “The Moving Finger Writes;
and having writ, Moves on: nor all thy
Piety nor Wit shall lure it back to cancel
half a line, Nor all your Tears Wash out
a word of it”. This is quite relevant.
Fare thee well my kindred spirit. It
was indeed an honour and a privilege
to have been your friend and contemporary.
In the Holy Sonnets, the inimitable
John Donne famously wrote: “Death, be
not proud, though some have called you,
dreadful and mighty for thou art not so.
And those thou thinkst thou dost overthrow
die not. Poor death. Nor yet canst
thou kill me. Thou art slave to fate,
chance, kings and desperate men. And
in poison, sickness and war dwell thou,
and poppy and charms can make us
sleep as well or better still than thine
stroke. Why swells’t thou then? One
short sleep past, we wake eternally and
death shall be no more. Death thou shall
die”.
Indeed, death has not triumphed over
PHARMACIST EBENEZER
ADERIBIGBE ABIONA! He has simply
risen to join the Angels in Heaven. And
Ade, I am sure that you hear me when I
say, “may Flights of Angels sing thee to
thine well-deserved rest”.

40—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Yinka Kolawole 08023722949
seg_kola@yahoo.com
P&G unveils new improved Always
ultra sanitary pad
BY NAOMI UZOR
In a bid to improve consumer
experience, Procter and
Gamble (P&G) has unveiled
a new-improved Always sanitary
pad in the Nigerian market.
Speaking on the new product,
Brand Communications Manager
P&G, Tomiwa Ajewole, remarked
that Always has a commitment to
help consumers live their lives up
to the fullest potential and be
confident even while on their
menstruation, adding that, for that
time of the month, the new Always
ultra sanitary pad is gentle on the
skin and comes with softer top-sheet,
new improved absorbency. It also
promises no stain for up to 8 hours.
“Always wants women to feel
confident and unstoppable every day
of the month, and the new improved
Always Ultra has been designed to
absorb fast while being dry and
comfortable to wear”, Ajewole stated.
She disclosed that through the
Always School Programme, aimed
at educating young girls on proper
feminine hygiene and reproductive
health, Always has been at the
forefront of bringing puberty
education lessons to girls globally
for more than 30 years, reaching up
to 20 million girls around the world
every year. In Nigeria, the Always
School Program has been running
Nigerite rewards diligence, honours 50 staff members
Nigerite Limited has
rewarded 50
members of its staff
for their commitment and diligence
to work as well as loyalty and
contribution to the growth of the
company in the Nigerian Market.
At an event that was used to also
socialize with the entire workforce,
saw the awardees going home with
various prizes, including; Nigerite
products, electronic gadgets,
plaques and cash prizes.
The Managing Director, Nigerite
Limited, Mr. Frank Le Bris, said the
event is an annual ceremony that has
As Nigerians and people all
over the world welcome the
beautiful season of
Valentine, Diamond Bank has rolled
out several offers to reward its
customers and give them the
opportunity to express their
commitment and love throughout the
season.
The bank said in a statement by
Chioma Afe, Head, Corporate
Communications Division, that it “is
set to connect people and create
special memories this season”,
pointing that the bank has put in
place a unique reward scheme
aimed at enabling its customers fully
express and heartily celebrate with
their loved ones. A total of 895
customers will benefit from the
bumper reward scheme.
“We are expressing our
appreciation, care and commitment
to quality service delivery
throughout this season of love to our
customers and their loved ones”, Afe
stated.
for over 20 years. In the past 5
years, this program reached over
1 million Nigerian girls aged 11-
13 every year, educating them on
proper feminine hygiene and
puberty while offering them free
pads. .
From Left;Abimbola Okoya, General Manager, British American Tobacco
Nigerian Foundation (BATNF); Mrs. Oluwaseyi Ashade, Executive Director,
BATNF; Dr. Anthony Anuforom; and Professor Abubakar Sani Mashi, Director-
General/CEO, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), during the signing of
Memorandum of Understanding between the officials of BATNF and NiMet at
the 2017 Implementing Partners' Workshop and Signing of Memorandum of
Understanding held in Lagos, recently.
been designed to encourage
bonding and camaraderie amongst
members of staff as well as reward
them for their contribution to the
growth of the company. “As a
responsible company, we appreciate
the contribution of our people to the
growth of the brand and business,
hence this award, which is designed
to thank all workers for what they
have done this year. “Aside from
using this to socialize, some of our
people, who have spent 10, 15, 20,
25 and 30 years would go home with
gift items, which will serve as a token
of appreciation for their loyalty.”
Speaking at the event also, the
General Manager, Human
Resources, Nigerite Limited, Joshua
Bamigboye, said the company always
set aside this period of the year to
recognise and reward those who have
served Nigerite loyally and with all
sincerity of purpose. Emmanuel
Olusola Egbedi, one of the recipients
and a store officer in his 50s, who has
spent 30 years working at Nigerite,
expressed his appreciation to the
management of the company for
recognizing him and promised to
always be a good ambassador
anywhere he finds himself.
Valentine: Diamond Bank excites customers
with bumper rewards
According to the bank, to express
its commitment to its affluent
customers for their support and love
over the years, 625 Xclusive account
holders will be rewarded with cash
prizes ranging from N5, 000.00 to
N25, 000.00 when they increase
their account balance between
N250,000.00 and N5,000,000.00.
The bank will also host and reward
the two millionth customer to
download, register and carry out
financial transactions with the
Diamond Mobile App, while the
two millionth customer to open
Diamond Y’ello account will also be
rewarded. Each of them will receive
N2 million.
In addition to the 625 Xclusive
customers, another 20 lucky
customers will receive a Lenovo
Tablet each. The lucky customers
will be selected from the Special
Valentine draws for SWAG (Student
With A Goal) account holders, who
activate their Mobile App and
perform a minimum of five
transactions worth N10, 000.00 or
increase their account balances with
a minimum of N5, 000.00 within the
period. This is to showcase the
continuous support that Diamond
Bank has been providing to the
youth segment across the country
over the years, and to assure them
that our love and commitment to
their development is unwavering,
the bank said.
Also, 250 lucky customers who use
their credit cards for online or POS
transactions during this season of
love hash tagged #ItsALoveThing
by the bank, can get cash back of
N15, 000.00 for new card holders,
while existing card holders can earn
up to N10, 000.00 cash reward
subject to terms and conditions.
Customers who purchase any of the
I-Phone Series, Samsung Phone or
any household appliance for
themselves or their loved ones in
any of the partner stores using the
Diamond Lease can get up to 10 per
cent discount on the items.
Airtel’s Touching
Lives returns
BY PRINCEWILL EKWUJURU
Airtel Nigeria has premiered the
third season of its philanthropic
programme, Airtel Touching Lives in
Lagos.
Speaking during the event,
Managing Director / Chief Executive
Officer of Airtel, Mr. Segun
Ogunsanya, said Airtel Touching
Lives had continued to record
tremendous success since it was
launched in 2015. He stated: “We are
inspired to continue to touch the lives
of underprivileged Nigerians through
this platform and to also motivate other
privileged Nigerians to contribute
their quota in making our society
better.”
Airtel Touching Lives has been a
reality television show broadcast on
satellite and terrestrial networks across
the continent. Each season, the
programme follows the journey of who
are nominated by email, SMS, or
letters, and documents Airtel’s process
of providing tailor-made assistance to
each of them.
Chi targets mothers
in new promo
To reinforce its leadership of the fruit
juice market for children, Chi limited,
owners of Capri-Sonne, has launched
a national consumer promotion targeted
at mothers.
The promo tagged, ‘Fun Alarm Promo’
which is targeted at mothers who want
the best for their children will give them
the opportunity to win free gifts inside
every carton of all variants of the
brands that they buy while the promo
lasts. According to the Managing
Director, Chi Limited, manufacturer of
the brand, Deepanjan Roy, “We are
confident that - the Capri-Sonne Fun
Alarm Promo will resonate with children
across Nigeria, will create the
excitement and fun that Capri-Sonne
is known for, by offering experiences
children love to engage in.”
Firm partners U.S
company to launch
online training solution
BY ESTHER OMOYE
A Nigerian company, Astel Risk and
Safety Consulting Limited in
conjunction with a US-based
organization, Comprehensive Loss
Management Inc. (CLMI) has
introduced an online training
management system known as
‘ResourceNow’ with focus on
simplifying employee training
programmes and reducing
organizational training cost by about 50
percent.
ResourceNow is an online learning
management system (LMS) designed
for organizations to simplify the
distribution and deployment of training
contents thereby reducing cost of
personnel training.
It comes with pre-loaded safety
courses and has the flexibility of
organizations creating their own
courses and other contents. In a
briefing with the CEO of Astel Risk and
Safety Consulting, Chukwuka Igbokwe,
he said, “the decision to launch an
online learning management system
(LMS) sprouted from simplicity and cost
effectiveness in learning”.

SATURDAY VANGUARD, FEBRUARY 11, 2017—41
Stories by Moses Nosike
Commercial and small
scale catfish farming
business is gaining popularity
day by day. There are
numerous catfish species
available throughout the
world. Among those species,
some are very large in size
and others are smaller.
Animal Consultant/
Managing Director, Jovana
Farms, Prince Arinze
Onebunna, said, “nowadays
catfish are highly available in
the market and most people
like it on their table. Also,
catfish farming is profitable
and an excellent investment
like any other business if it is
planned carefully and
managed efficiently. Like
many other forms of agribusiness,
it takes experience
to realise good returns.
“We breed and sell quality
catfish to farmers and top
class hotels. One of the recent
and most developing aspects
of agriculture is growing
animals in the water.
According to him, “this
science is called aquaculture.
Of course, many of the foods
we eat were grown in the
water. The amount of fish and
seafood eaten by Nigerians is
increasing on a yearly basis.
It is good because experts tell
us that eating fish is
BUSINESS GUIDE
How to breed small scale catfish
•snail
nutritious and it makes a good
addition to the diet. It is high
in protein and low in calories.
The fat content is lower than
that of red meat, and it helps
prevent health challenges. As
people become more health
conscious in the society, the
demand for fish and seafood
will increase.
Onebunna stressed that
about 25 years ago
aquaculture became a major
industry in Nigeria. Before that time, most of the fishes sold
in the markets were caught from the wild. The oceans simply
cannot sustain enough fishes to meet the
demand. However, to have enough fish
supply, fish farms came into production.
Fishes are very efficient farm animals. This
means that a pound of weight can be put
on these animals with less feed than other
agricultural animals.
It is also important to know that catfish is
the most grown fish in Nigeria. It is raised
in every part of the country because it is
fresh-water fish. Catfish is different from
other fishes. It has smooth skin instead of
scales. It is meaty and has a mild flavour.
Also, it fits well into farming operations
because it is hardy and relatively tolerate
low oxygen content in the water.
The production of catfish begins with the
Expert t foresees demand surge for project managers in 2017
As the President Muhammadu
Buhari administration makes
a deliberate effort to diversify the
economy away from crude oil
following the slump in global oil
prices, demand for project managers
who will drive the government’s
renewed focus on the non-oil sectors
of the economy is likely to increase,
says Ericsson Nigeria Director of
Consulting and Systems Integration
Programmes Oluwatosin Agbetusin.
Agbetusin, the first programme
management professional in
Nigeria to bag a Programme
Management (PgMP) certification
from the renowned Project
Management Institute in the US,
observed that an increasingly
diversified portfolio had created a
wave of projects ranging from
infrastructure to mining – and more
demand for project talent.
He said the project management
profession has become so popular
over the past five years, such that
a huge number of professionals are
switching careers to join the field.
“More projects in the pipeline
mean more hiring of project
talent,” he said.
According to Agbetusin, whose
outlook for project management
in Nigeria was featured in the
January edition of PM Network,
a monthly magazine offering
insights from the profession’s most
experienced leaders globally,
there are currently more project
management jobs available than
experienced professionals to fill
them. On that basis, he projected
that “I see 2017 bringing more push for additional
project management skills and certifications.
Beyond the Project Management Professional
(PMP) credential, I expect more organisations in
Nigeria will seek out practitioners with specific
skills and certifications in risk scheduling, Agile,
programme management and portfolio
management.”
The National Bureau of Statistics forecasts that
the Federal Government’s renewed spend on
projects and cuts on wasteful spending will spark
an annual average of 5.4 percent expansion
between 2017 and 2020. Agbetusin aligns with
this policy direction which he says will have a
ripple effect on demand for the skills that project
managers bring to the table.
“As the profession matures in Nigeria so do the
expectations of hiring managers,” he observed.
“Project management skills and credentials that
might have been viewed as a bonus a decade ago
are now listed in job adverts as mandatory
requirements.”
breeding process. Through a
system called selective
breeding, superior fishes are
used to provide eggs for
hatching. Factors such as
growth rate and meatiness of
the fish is used to determine
which of the fishes is
superior”.
At Jovana farms, we lay
more emphasize on how to
produce quality and fast
growing fishes; many farmers
who put their money in fish
farming failed because of
poor quality of the procured
fingerlings and insufficient
knowledge.
We remain committed to
providing farmers with
improved (fish breed)
fingerlings and juveniles with
fast growth and early
harvesting. Choose also the
nearest seminar venue from
the advert box in this page.
BUSINESS GUIDE
Eutelsat, MultiChoice support t African youths on satellit
ellite e tec
echnology
Considering the rapid
development of science and
space technology in many
developed countries and with
African lagging behind, Eutelsat
Communications and
MultiChoice Africa had formed
a 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. This initiative will
help to develop African future in
science and space technology as
it operates in developed countries.
Meanwhile, at the 6 th edition
of DStv Eutelsat Star Awards in
Lagos, Leoul Mesfin from
Ethiopia won the essay category;
his entry particularly struck the
judges as it considers continental
and country’s specific needs and
closely aligns to the topic. That
has won him a trip to Paris and an
opportunity to be at the launch site
to witness a rocket blast into space
to place a satellite into orbit. The
Catfish farming business is
gaining popularity
runner-up in the essay category
was Davids Bwana from Tanzania
who won a trip for two to visit
MultiChoice facilities and South
African National Space Agency
near Johannesburg. In the post
category, Emmanuel Ochenjele
from Nigeria, came first, for his
depiction of a constellation of
diverse satellites, all contributing
towards the advancement of
solutions to challenges such as
global warming, conservation of
biodiversity, as well as stable
energy supply. Aobakwe Letamo
from Botswana was the runner up
in the same category. The four
winning schools attended by the
overall award winners and
runners-up were also rewarded
with a DStv installation, including
dish, TV set, PVR decoder and free
access to the DStv Education
Bouquet.
This 6 th edition showed a
sustained interest from Africa,
attracting over 1000 entries from
20 countries with high level of
accuracy, creativity, originality
Catfish is the most grown fish in Nigeria
which were higher than ever.
Europe’s leading female
astronaut and now special advisor
to the Director General of the
European Space Agency (ESA),
Claudie Haigneré, chaired the
jury of the Awards for the first time.
According to her, “Taking part
in DStv Eutelsat Star Awards for
the first time has been quite
simply a mind-changing
experience, especially as this
year’s topic was particularly
challenging. The visionary ideas
on Africa’s future satellite
landscape developed in essays
and posters underscore how
Africa’s youth expect technology
to drive positive change for their
continent. The Jury engaged in
intense discussions to award the
most realistic and creative
proposals that deserve to stand
out on the African stage. Our
congratulations go to all the
finalists for their work and to the
winners for their brilliant ideas.”
Haignere was assisted in the
panel by international skilled
industry experts: Ronke Bello,
CEO at Innovative Technology
Literacy Services Ltd (Nigeria),
Elizabeth Ohene, journalist and
former Minister of State for
Education, Science and Sports
(Ghana), Prof. Stephen
Simukanga, Former University of
Zambia Chancellor and now
Director General of the Higher
Education Authority, and Jenerali
Ulimwengu, well known writer,
columnist and lawyer (Tanzania).
Instinct Wave holds procurement award
ard
Instinct Wave has concluded arrangements to honour and celebrate companies, teams,
stakeholders and individuals who have raised the bar of excellence in the procurement
sector at the first ever Nigeria Procurement Awards.
The awards scheduled for April in Lagos, will be the first of its kind in celebrating
outstanding achievements by rewarding industry stakeholders who have demonstrated
unparalleled ability to succeed and have continually set standards of excellence in the
procurement sector.
In a press statement, Instinct Wave CEO, Akin Naphtal, lamented that the impact of
the procurement unit in various firms is hardly celebrated or recognised.
“We would like to change this mind set by celebrating and rewarding exceptional
talents, teams and organisations that have demonstrated excellence in delivering best
practice and innovation in the procurement and supply chain sector in Nigeria.
Procurement functions are now playing pivotal roles in the success of their firms, and
by playing such strategic roles, their functions have risen to huge prominence in a highly
competitive global business environment .
Nigeria Procurement Awards will further emphasize the value and importance of the
procurement function and also convince organisations of the need for its further
development and professionalisation”.

42—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Ugwuanyi, bailout Bailout funds Funds
and the senate’s Senate’s verdict Verdict
BY LOUIS AMOKE
lative function was a very important
assignment that promotes the enthronement
of accountability and
Recently, members of the
Senate Committee on State
transparency in the management
and Local Government Administration
led by its Chairman,
The governor informed them that
of public funds.
Senator Abdullahi Gumel were in
the N4.207billion bailout fund his
Enugu State on an oversight function
on the utilization of bailout
judiciously deployed for the pur-
administration had received was
funds released to states by the federal
government.
ing pensions and subvention to
poses of liquidating the outstand-
The senate committee after scrutinizing
the Enugu State’s record on
ments.
parastatals, agencies and depart-
the above subject matter rated Governor
Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the best
state had applied for bailout funds
He explained that although the
governor in the utilization of the
from the federal government totaling
N40.9 billion, "we received only
federal government’s bailout funds
in the country.
N4.207billion to be used for the liquidation
of outstanding pensions
The committee chairman applauded
the administrative ingenuity
of the governor in managing
agencies and departments”.
and subvention to parastatals,
the funds, describing it as “impressive
and in line with the principles
government for the "bold and timely
While commending the federal
of accountability. He noted that
initiative” in providing states with
Gov. Ugwuanyi was “transparent
bailout funds Gov. Ugwuanyi
and prudent in the use of the funds
equally used the opportunity to further
appeal for the refund of over
in a way the committee had not experienced
anywhere else”.
N22 billion the state government
While appreciating the peaceful
•Gov. Ugwuanyi
has spent on the reconstruction and
atmosphere in the state and the innovation
applied by the state gov-
the banks. This is an innovation and roads in the state.
rehabilitation of some federal
ernment in management of the
we are reflecting it in our report. We The senate committee had also
funds, Senator Gumel urged other
are not doing it because Gov. commended the governor in the
states to take a cue from Enugu.
Ugwuanyi was our colleague, we areas of good governance,
According to him, "we have gone
are doing it because we have seen infrastructural development and
through the books. And as far as the
with our eyes.”
payment of workers’ salaries, explaining
that the visit was in fur-
bailout funds are concerned, everything
is in order. In fact, Enugu
port, the committee had earlier on therance of their legislative over-
Prior to the presentation of the re-
State has even gone further because
we haven’t seen this in any
Government House, Enugu, where and accountability.
arrival paid a courtesy visit to the sight duties to ensure transparency
other states.
they were received by the governor. With the regular payment of
“They gave us the list of all the
Gov. Ugwuanyi while addressing workers’ salaries; display of commitment
to accountability, transpar-
beneficiaries as it was prepared by
the senators noted that their legis-
Baby with tumour:
Distraught
mother cries
for help
a swelling was
discovered at the back of
her head which was
initially assumed to be a We were told that we
boil but gradually
progressed in size until it would need N1.5m to
became a tumour that remove the turmoil but
By Ebun Sessou
comes with fever. The baby’s health has
therefore been deteriorating because we have no money
A
two-months old baby,
there was no money to take care of her.
Miracle Abosede Akarikor,
With tears in her eyes, the baby’s
with a large tumour at the back
mother said, “there was no help, my Lagos State University Teaching
of her head is in serious pains and
husband, Stephen Akarikor is an Hospital, LASUTH. I was also told
needs N1.5m to survive. Her mother,
Okada rider, and we both live in Epe that, there was no immunization that
Faith Akarikor has therefore cried out
area of Lagos. The swelling was first could be administered on her unless
for help to save her baby from dying.
discovered at the General Hospital at the swelling was taken care of. So,
According to the 22-year old mother,
birth but the doctor in-charge told me we were given referral letter to
when the baby was born on December
that, there was nothing that could be LASUTH.
11, 2016 at the General Hospital, Epe
done except the baby was referred to “My husband and I went to LASUTH
C
M
YK
ency and prudent management of
the state’s lean resources; simultaneous
execution of 35 development
projects across the 17 Local
Government Areas, among other
critical infrastructure in the state,
it is obvious that the senate’s verdict
on the governor is a valid endorsement
of his visionary leadership
and managerial prowess.
It is note-worthy that the verdict
coincides with the recent award
conferred on the governor by The
Authority Newspapers as “The
Outstanding Governor of the Year
2016 on Economic Development
and Infrastructure”.
While presenting the notification
letter for the award to the governor
at the Government House,
Enugu, the Managing Director of
the Authority Newspapers, Mr.
Madu Onuorah noted that, “The
rate of development is outstanding,
especially with regards to infrastructure,
in spite of the fact that
Enugu State is not an oil producing
state and therefore, gets little
from the Federation Account.
“And you don’t have cluster of
businesses and major urban centres
like some surrounding states
to tax in order to lift up the state’s
Internally Generated Revenue
(IGR). It is still a surprise that with
the development going on here,
Enugu is one of the few states in
the Nigeria to pay workers’ salaries
as and when due, and as I
understand, by the 25th of every
month.
“A trip round Enugu State shows
your indelible imprints. It is all too
glaring to be ignored. You’re not a
man who goes for half measures.
You’re a man Nigeria needs at a time
like this as you are the new face of
the Nigerian spirit that won’t give up
even in the face of challenges but opt
for a noiseless but massive development
of the state’s infrastructure.
From all indications, there is no
doubt that Gov. Ugwuanyi is treading
on the path of vision and greatness
and therefore, should be encouraged
to take Enugu State to an enviable
height. Enugu State is truly
in the hands of God!
but we were told that, we had to
come back again. Unfortunately, we
couldn’t go back to LASUTH due to
lack of money. When my baby’s
condition was getting out of hand,
my church, RCCG Rabboni Parish
Epe took the baby to OOSUTH in
Sagamu on January 31, 2017.
Several examinations were done on
her and she was diagnosed of
Cranial Encephalocele.
“After the examination, we were
given a referral letter to University
College Hospital, UCH, in Ibadan
for proper treatment. The doctor
who attended to us at the OOSUTH
explained that the case would be
better handled at the UCH, or the
child would have to be transferred
abroad.
“We were told that we would need
N1.5m to remove the turmoil but we
have no money. I am helpless, I want
people to save my baby’s life. This
turmoil is killing her day by day, she
cries helplessly everyday, I don’t
know what to do. I want my baby’s
life back”, she cries.
According to the referral letter by
the OOSUTH’s medical expert, “on
examination, the baby was average
sized with a swelling at the back of
the head that measures 10cmx9cm
cystic”.
Baby Miracle needs your help.
Kindly save her from dying. You can
send her your financial assistance
to her account: Akarikor Miracle
Abosede, First Bank PLC, Epe,
account number3113042602

SATURD
TURDAY Vanguard
anguard, , FEBRUARY 11, 2017—43
Navy smashes transborder drugs
syndicate, arrests three suspects
•Recovers 559kg of Cannabis Sativa worth N9.9 m
•Hardship lured us into it – suspects
• recovered
substance( cannabis
sativa concealed
inside bags )
•Beecroft suspects
•Operational boat
BY EVELYN USMAN
Men of the Nigerian Navy Ship,
NNS Beecroft , have smashed a
syndicate which specialised in illegal
exportation of hard drugs through the
waterways, to neighbouring West African
countries and arrested two fishermen and a
boat operator.
The suspects, one of who was a Beninois,
were apprehended at the early hours of
Monday while conveying some substance
later discovered to be cannabis sativa,
otherwise known as marijuana, in a fibre
boat with the inscription MY Destiny.
Preliminary investigation as gathered,
revealed that the suspects conveyed the
substance from Ikare waterside and were
heading towards Seme border for onward
transportation to the Republic of Benin when
they were intercepted around Ojo area of the
state.
The street value of the substance which was
neatly packaged inside 11 sacks which
weighed between 40kg and 68kg, was put
N9.9 million.
Shortly before handing the suspects over
to officials of the National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency NDLEA for further
investigation, yesterday, the Commander, NNS
Beecroft, Commodore Morris Eno , explained
that “NNS Beecroft while on patrol ,
intercepted a fibre boat named MY DESTINY
which was conveying three males and 11
packages of substances suspected to be
cannabis sativa at Ikare waterways.
Accordingly, this afternoon, the men and
substance will be handed to the NDLEA for
further investigation and possible prosecution.
In line with the mission of the Chief of Naval
Staff, I want to restate the resolve of the NNS
Beecroft to tackle all forms of criminalities in
its area of operations. Criminal elements are
hereby warned to desist from perpetrating
crime on our waters as it will no longer be
business as usual”.
Confession
The suspects however denied ownership of
the substance, claiming that they were hired
to convey it to Ojo, from where they would
trans-load it into another boat to Seme.
One of them, Aikiti Naitey (33), a Beninois,
said “I am a fisherman, I was just thinking of
the bad catch for the day when one of
them( pointing to one of his alleged
partners in crime) called me to join
them to load the bags inside the boat.
After loading it, he did not pay me.
He said I should follow him to Ojo,
where he claimed that the owner
would be waiting to pay us. We had
barely started the movement when
we were arrested. I was only looking
for money to feed , since I did not
catch any fish to sell”, he said.
On his part, Jelili Sunday, (25) who
hails from Lagos State , mentioned
one Amos as owner of the substance
recovered from them.
Sunday said “I am a boat operator.
But for one month now, business has
been bad. We only compliment it with
carrying goods outside. I would have
been paid N20,000, had I succeeded
in conveying the substance to the
designation. We started our
movement at about 1a.m. because that
was the instruction of the owner, who
was waiting for us at Ojo. I intended
to give part of the money to my wife
to start up a business while I manage the
rest. But I did not know that I was being
led on a path to jail”.
The third suspect, Damilola Okunuju, a
boat conductor and a fisher man claimed
not to be aware of the substance. He said
“my only concern was the money (N20,000)
that was to be paid at the end of the service.
If I had known that the substance was this
expensive, I would not have accepted
N20,000”.
The NNS Beecroft boss further revealed
that a fishing trawler, FT Stephanie,
allegedly engaged in illegal fishing, was
also intercepted by men of the command,
same day during a routine patrol. Eno said:
“Preliminary investigation revealed that
the fishing permit of the vessel has expired,
thus she had no valid permit to fish in
Nigerian waters. Additionally, the five crew
members on board could not give any
explanation for their act, hence the arrest
of the crew. In line with the standard
practice, the suspects are now being
handed over to the Federal Department of
fisheries for further investigation”.
BY EDIRI EJOH & EDIRI MICHAEL
Residents of the densely populated Amukoko
area, Lagos, are currently living in fear owing
to incessant and unprecedented attacks by
hoodlums on daily basis.
Hundreds of miscreants would take to the streets
attacking anyone at sight.
Property of innocent residents have been
destroyed in the process, an action that sent some
landlords who relied solely on the rent for their
families’ upkeep, to their early graves.
Traders also had their wares while unsuspecting
customers were dispossessed of cash and other
valuables. These miscreants also brazenly dared
the police as a policeman who was going home
after work last week was attacked in the night
Residents’ lamentation
According to the residents, aside the physical
attacks, the hoodlums would parade themselves
from one street to the other puffing out wiff of
Indian hemp on the faces of passerby and any
attempt to reprimand them would lead to the
person being attacked.
A resident who simply identified himself as
Lateef said “I can tell you that we are gradually
dying in this area. We are constantly faced with
threats to our lives on daily basis. The environment
is so polluted and unsecured. Aside being
constantly harassed with weapons like guns, “the
greatest challenge is that landlords who used to
stand up to these hoodlums are dead . Those who
were attacked after challenging them have been
forced to relocate. As it is now, no one can challenge
them.
Schools also affected
Saturday Vanguard gathered that most parents
have now withdrawn their children from schools
in the area in a bid to prevent them from being
embroiled in any likely attacks. Some teachers in
government schools have also sought transfer
elsewhere.
Appeal
When Saturday Vanguard visited some o f the
Communities decry increasing
criminal activities by hoodlums
•Call on Police for help
•Amukoko ...deserted area
schools, most proprietors and principal
lamented the decrease in the intake of
pupils into schools. At Johnson Grammar
School Ishaga Close, a cross section of
students who compared the situation to a
refugee camp, appealed to the state
government to intervene.
A Senior Secondary School 3 student
who pleaded anonymity said: “We don’t
know what is going on in the area again.
Some time ago, some students were
hospitalized while trying to run away
from a cross fire from some warring
factions. Some of my friends have stopped
schooling and remained at home for
security reasons while others have
relocated to other areas.
Police have failed us
Another student who also pleaded
anonymity said: “The air we breathe in
here is harmful to our health as these
boys are seen smoking Indian Hemp
publicly all the time. Several times,
they boasted that nobody could bring
them to order. Whenever there were
street fights, these boys openly
brandished their and would start
shooting into the air. Government
needs to take a drastic action so that
we can have a peaceful atmosphere
for learning and livelihood.”
According to a resident, Clement, he
said “The worst of all is that the
security agencies which we depended
upon have failed us. For instance,
whenever they came to carry out raids
here, they ended up arresting the
innocent ones while the miscreants
were allowed to go”.
During a visit to the areas last
Monday and Tuesday, some shops were
still under lock . Saturday Vanguard
gathered that some of the owners left them
permanently shut owing to incessant raids
by the miscreants.
Others were said to have locked up for
the day after news filtered in that policemen
were coming to raid the area.
One of the traders who identified herself
as Mrs. Joy Omoye, argued that the security
operatives often arrested the traders
whenever they raided the communities.
She said “We do not have money to bail
ourselves when arrested. Often times the
least amount paid for bail wass N10, 000.
“In fact, the police are not helping matters
at all because they have never caught those
who were making the area uninhabitable.
However Saturday Vanguard was
reliably informed that the constant raid of
the area was aimed at arresting those who
attacked a policeman at Apasa area two
weeks ago during a fight between the
factions in Safejo and Apasa in Amukoko
under Ifelodun LCDA. So far, police sources
said several arrests had been made.
Peace initiative
In a bid to proffer a lasting solution , the
outgoing council Chairman and some
community leaders held a peace meeting
between the communities and police last
week.
Present at the peace forum were the Area
Commander, Area B command, Apapa,
Divisional Police Officer in-charge of
Layeni and Amukoko divisions, the council
chairman and some landlords.
The landlords then appealed to the police
to work with vigilantes in the area with a
view to getting useful information that
would aid the arrest of those who attacked
the policeman as well as apprehending
miscreants who have been fomenting
trouble in the area.

44—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
2018 World Cu
Cameroon th
Lagos shuts
down for
Marathon
By Ben Efe
This morning over 80,000 runners will take over
the streets of Lagos searching for athletics glory
and fun as the second edition of the Access Bank/
Lagos City Marathon comes alive.
Lagos is aiming to create a marathon that will be in
the world top ten bracket of races. With the active
involvement of the Lagos State Governor, Akinwummi
Ambode, it will be interesting to see how it goes.
The maiden edition in 2016, left much to be desired,
but organising committee officials have promised to
do a better job, which will make participants and
spectators feel proud to have taken part in the event
“Last year was a rushed job. It took us only a couple
of weeks to plan, whereas you need to work a whole
calendar year to put this kind of race together,” said
Bukola Olapade who is a consultant to the Access
Bank/ Lagos City marathon.
“But we have worked out every detail this year.
Governor, Ambode has ensured that all the logistics
are in place and what
remains is to put up
a good show.
“This year marks
the silver jubilee of
Lagos State, and the
Access Bank Lagos
City Marathon is one
of the events lined up
to celebrate the
anniversary. It is
going to be a big
event, and people
from far and near,
including volunteers
from the United
States of America
and the United
Kingdom are in town
to witness the
occasion”, he added.
The 42km race will
start at the National
Stadium in Surulere,
Lagos and terminate
at the Eko Atlantic
City in Victoria
Island. A good list of
world elite runners
registered to contest
for the $50,000
dollars top prize on
•Abraham
Kiptum
offer in the men and
women categories.
One of such is
Abraham Kiptum of
Kenya, who won the
maiden edition. Local
Nigerian elite
runners will also test
their might with the
intention of breaking
into the list of top finishers. They have been assured
of their own separate prize money, since they cannot
cope with the pace of the East African runners.
Race manager, Yusuf Alli disclosed measures have
been taken to ensure an orderly conduct of runners.
He added that motorists have also been put on notice
to avoid the roads, in order not to create chaos during
the course of the race.
“We have put everything in place to deliver a hitchfree
marathon. The medics, security personnel and
technical officials have been well briefed, and we
expect things to turn out well,” said the former African
long jump champion.
F
or
•Michael
Ngadeu
with goalsco
By John Egbokhan, with agency reports
When Nigeria confront Cameroon in a
two-legged Russia 2018 FIFA World
Cup qualifiers in August and
September, the Eagles will not only be
facing the reigning African champions
but a side reputed to have the best
defensive set-up in contemporary
African football.
For the avoidance of any doubt, all but
one of Cameroon goals at AFCON 2017
were scored by defenders and
defensive midfielders.
Cameroon, with their
unprecedented fifth Africa
Cup of Nations scoop in
Gabon on Sunday, are
unarguably, the greatest
and only threat standing
between the Super Eagles
and a sixth World Cup
appearance in Russia.
And this is coming barely a
couple of months after the
Indomitable Lions were
technically written off from
AFCON success and
qualifying for the Russia World
Cup after two surprise and
uninspiring draws against
Algeria and Zambia,
leaving them lagging
behind Nigeria, who
s c o o p e d
maximum
points from two matches,
to stay top of the CAF World Cup
qualifying Group B.
After two rounds of matches, Eagles
lead the way with six points, five goals
scored, two conceded, with a goals
advantage of three, while Indomitable
Lions are in second position, with two
points, two goals scored, two goals
conceded and a goals difference of zero.
Zambia, rather than Algeria, who
were the pre-tournament favourites to
win the 2017 AFCON, sit third on the
table, with a point, two goals scored,
Rainoil/Ikoyi Tennis Masters
Angel eyes turning point
three goals conceded and a goals deficit
of a minus one while the Fennec Foxes
are rooted to the base of the group, with
a point, two goals scored, four goals
conceded and goals difference of minus
2.
In the weeks leading to the start of
the 2018 World Cup qualifying
campaign last October, Algeria and
Cameroon were the two teams tipped
to wrestle for the lone qualifying of the
group but after two games, the
pendulum swung in Eagles favour and
after the 2017 AFCON final, Cameroon
are now back in the picture, as the one
side more likely to halt Nigeria’s strides
to Russia 2018.
And as the August 28th day of
reckoning gradually approaches, Coach
Gernot Rohr will do Nigeria’s World
Cup dream a world of good if he starts
marshalling out plans to breach the
defence of the Indomitable Lions, which
is the bedrock of the team’s success at
the 2017 AFCON.
In what observers have described as
Cameroon’s greatest triumph in
AFCON history, the Indomitable Lions
rose from nothing to the highest level
of African football when they conquered
record seven-time champions, Egypt in
Sunday’s thrilling final in Libreville.
While Eagles possess a blend of
emerging and established stars in John
Obi Mikel, Victor Moses, Ogenyi
Onazi, Carl Ikeme, Alex Iwobi, Moses
Simon, Kelechi Iheanacho, to
name a few, Cameroon are a
team lacking in star-quality
but brimming with fighters, not
afraid to pull the chestnut out of the fire,
irrespective of the attendant dire
consequences.
World Cup star, Roger Milla, was the
leading light of the victorious 1984 and
1988 sides, while the back-to-back title
winners of 2000 and 2002, were led by
Samuel Eto’o, a four-time winner of the
African footballer of the year award.
But the class of 2017 was devoid of
stars.
Prior to Gabon 2017, the most highprofile
player in the Cameroon team,
Joel Matip, who plays as a centre back
for Liverpool, pulled out of the
tournament. Six others, comprising
Allan Nyom of West Bromwich Albion,
rising Nigerian tennis player, Angel Mcleod, the 3rd Rainoil/Ikoyi Club Tennis Masters might
prove to be the turning point in her bid to be among the top guns in women’s tennis in Nigeria.
The 16-year-old has displayed lots of potential over the years but she continuously fell short of
rubbing shoulders among the big girls managing, in most cases, second round appearances at
domestic tournaments.
However, she showed why she would soon be hugging the headlines regularly with a commendable
display against Christie Nwankwo to keep her in the title hunt at the tournament reserved for the
top players in the country.
Having been crushed 6-2, 6-0 in her opening match against top-seed, Christie Agugbom, she
went to Wednesday’s match against her better-ranked and experienced opponent as an underdog
but turned the game on its head with an impressive 6-4, 6-4 triumph.
Although Nwankwo was discovered to have played with a foot injury, the improved performance
by McLeod, who hits series of winners and made few unforced errors, was acknowledged by most of
the fans. The win was her first in five matches at the Masters having lost her three preliminary
matches in the first edition where she featured as a wild card entrant.
Though it could be argued that sentiments have kept swinging on her side since the tragic death
of her mum, she is now showing the quality in her game, which had receded as she struggled to
cope with the demise of her mum, Beauty Mcleod, an active tennis player, who was also her coach.
Despite her showing so far, her chances of winning the N1.5m championship remain slim due to
the display of the likes of defending champion, Sarah Adegoke, Ronke Akingbade and Patience
Onebamhoin but with about two more years to play international tennis at the junior level, she
would be of immense value to Nigeria at the regional and continental stages.
A pointer to her strong will to hit the top is best highlighted by her winning two medals for Nigeria
at the West and Central Africa Championships in Abuja in January 2016.
She had gone for the burial of her mum in Onitsha on Friday and returned to the Team Nigeria
camp in the evening of the next day. With her match scheduled for Sunday morning, she was
noticed to have waken up before any of the Team Nigeria contingent to go on a light exercise at
dawn.
•Angel M

p
reaten Eagles
ring defenders
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 — 45
Ajax Amsterdam goalkeeper Andre
Onana, Guy Roland Ndy Assembe of
Nancy and Andre Zambo Anguissa from
Olympique Marseille, Maxime Poundje
of Bordeaux and Ibrahim Amadou from
Lille declined to honour their call-ups for
the biggest football show-piece in Africa.
The players’ excuses ranged from
differences with the Cameroon football
federation to not wanting to leave their
clubs midway through the European
football season.
But in retrospect, their absence
galvanised those who went to Gabon,
even when a row over player bonuses
refused to distract this generation of
Indomitable Lions from writing their
names in the sands of history.
What was notable about that dispute,
which saw the players offered a bonus for
reaching the semi-finals that was
somehow four times smaller than that
offered for the quarter-finals, was the way
in which coach Hugo Broos publicly
backed his players.
“Even without the money, we are still
•Christian
Bassogog
performing and this is very important, it shows
that the players are not here for the money, but
for the nation,” the Belgian tactician told the
world’s media. Treated with less love when he
took over despite coming with a trophy-laden
CV from Belgium, Broos has surpassed
expectations in his first national team coaching
role.
He poses a real threat to Nigeria’s World
Cup bid because not only has he always said
the right things at the right times, he also
scouted all the nooks and crannies for players,
an evidence of which is that one member of the
squad plays in Angola, and impressed both
tactically and with his quick decision-making,
as seen in his two substitutes against Egypt,
who went to score the two goals that won the
trophy for Cameroon.
Note the way in which he dropped right-back
Ernest Mabouka, who struggled in the opening
game, while also being brave enough to
change his strikers throughout the group stage
as he sought the best format to triumph.
Just 21, goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa, kept the
side in the tournament with a stoppage-time
•Moses
block against
Gabon in their final
group game before
saving decisively
against Senegal’s
Sadio Mane in the
quarter-final penalty
shoot-out.
Ahead of Ondoa,
who prior to Gabon
2017, was not even
able to get a game for
Seville’s B side in
Spain, the central
defensive duo of
Adolphe Teikeu and
Michael Ngadeu,
Cameroon’s top
scorer, were
immense.
A disciplined team,
they were alert to
danger thanks to
their excellence in
the air and
impressive reading
of the game, despite
only having first
played together in
September.
Cautious against
the Teranga Lions,
Broos threw caution to the wind against the Black
Stars in the semi-final, sending his boys all-out and
they hit the jackpot with a 2-0 spanking of Ghana.
In the final game, this team, whose unity was
ever clearer to see, showed yet more courage
when coming from behind after Arsenal’s
Mohamed El Nenny opened the scoring for
Egypt after 20 minutes.
Egypt had not lost a Nations Cup match
since 2004, a run of 25 games, but after
substitute Nicolas Nkoulou equalised,
Vincent Aboubakar, another substitute,
produced perhaps the biggest magical
moment of the tournament, two minutes
from time, lifting the ball over Ali Gabr
before netting the goal that clinched a sixth
title for Cameroon, Thrown on by Broos at
half-time, the substitute was, incredibly, the
first Cameroonian striker to score in Gabon.
All their other goals were scored by
defenders and midfielders, a warning
signal that the Super Eagles must take note
of ahead of the August 28 showdown in
Uyo..
Special mention must also go to captain
Benjamin Moukandjo, man of the match
in the final, and Christian Bassogog, the
fast 21-year-old named Player of the
Tournament, and who has been a delight
to watch. Two years ago, the winger was
playing in the third tier of American
football, but after a move to Denmark,
where Broos scoured the opinion of some
friends, the left winger earned his first cap.
That was just 12 weeks ago.
Having overcome countless challenges
on the road to winning a first title since
2002, the looks on their faces after the final
whistle capped their achievement. Many
of the players simply struggled to believe
they had done it, one final twist in a
tournament full of surprises, but one which
was hugely deserved and has now made them
to believe they can halt Nigeria’s bid for a
place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
•Mikel
Cameroon AFCON 2017 GOALSCORERS
Player Position Club Goals Age
Michael Ngadeu Defender Slavia Prague 2 26
Benjamin Moukandjo Midfielder Lorient 1 28
Sébastien Sian Midfielder KV Oostende 1 30
Christian Bassogog Midfielder AaB 1 21
Nicolas Nkoulou Defender Lyon 1 26
Vincent Aboubakar Striker Beikta 1 25
Ezeibe alerts NTF to get
Osuigwe for tennis
transformation
acleod
•Whitney
Osuigwe
By John Egbokhan
Foremost tennis commentator, Chief Ben Ezeibe has alerted the Nigeria
Tennis Federation to reach out to a Nigerian-born US junior champion, Whitney Osuigwe, who is
making waves on the International Tennis Federation circuit.
Few weeks after alerting the tennis ruling body on the exploits of the son of Tony Mmoh, Michael,
who was a first round loser at the last Australian Open and is ranked193on the ATP tour, Chief Ezeibe
has said that Osuigwe and Mmoh can be used as catalysts for the transformation that Nigerian
tennis yearns for. According to the former official of the ATP Tour, ‘’I have just learnt from ITFthat
another Nigerian-fathered U.S juniors female champion, Whitney Osuigwe, was sensational in her
recent tournament outings and possibly could make top 100 ranking on WTA tour this year 2017.
‘’This is a big thing for Nigeria because this player can be a shining star sooner than later.
If we get our acts together, Nigerian tennis, which is at a cross road for years now may rise again and
start earning foreign exchange for this country’’, said Ezeibe, who urged NTF President, Sani Ndanusa
to reach out to the duo, with a view to getting them to play for the country of their fathers.
‘’NTF must make moves to get these players to play for Nigeria. It would not be easy because the
United States government will be paying a lot to keep them on the tour but Nigeria can beg their
fathers to convince them to play for Nigeria. I believe if we get them to play for Nigeria, these two
players will turn our fortunes around and we will become the No.1 tennis Nation in Africa again.
‘’If Serena Williams could pick up USD3m for winning Australian open in two weeks and her
sister Venus USD1.9m for reaching the final, my question is where is the hunger in our youngsters?
There is big money in professional tennis and our players must wake up from their slumber’’, added
Chief Ezeibe.

46—SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Moses faces
Conte’s axe
Griezmann to snub Man U
ANTOINE GRIEZMANN
will turn his back on a
move to Manchester United if
they miss out on the Champions
League.
The French striker is top of
manager Jose Mourinho’s wish
list.
The player is also keen on the
•Griezmann
move this summer.
But he will not go
unless United make it into Europe’s
premier club competition.
United are currently battling
to make it into the top four and
get back into the Champions
League next season.
Despite the size of the club,
United know that being in the
competition is still important
when it comes to attracting the
very best players
There is already a package on
the table for Griezmann worth
£300,000 a week making him
the highest paid player in the
club’s history.
But the Frenchman has made
it clear to his representatives
that it is not about money but
achieving success at the very
highest level.
Griezmann has a contract at
Atletico until 202
When you are on top
at any sport or
business, you need
to strengthen in a
position of power.
With a nine point lead at the
top of the Premier League,
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte will
be able to do that this summer.
It’s not always just about
selling players and getting rid of
deadwood, you have to add to
your squad and provide competition
for places.
Football Whispers have
picked out five Chelsea
players that are fighting for their
future at Stamford Bridge ahead
of the summer transfer window.
Super Eagles winger, Victor
Moses, is one of the men who
Conte could offload at the end
of the season:
The former Wigan Athletic and
Liverpool winger has been superbly
transformed under Conte
this season. Going from an outsider
to a potential Player of the Year
is a wonderful achievement for
Moses.
Yet, despite his three goals and
two assists in 18 starts, his place
will still be under-threat this
summer.
Not only will the Italian manager
want another wing-back to
compliment his squad, he will be
looking for someone with Champions
League quality and the ability
to push straight into the team.
Anyone with the natural ability
at full-back will be a threat to
Moses’ place in the starting XI.
The other players facing the axe
include Nemanja Matic, Kurt
Zouma, Cesc Fabregas and Michy
Batshuayi
Immobile set for big game with Milan
Ciro Immobile discusses
Lazio’s “important
game with Milan” and aims
to improve his scoring record
against big clubs.
The Biancocelesti meet
Vincenzo Montella’s side on
Monday night, in a match
which could be crucial in the
race for European football.
“It will be an important
Osimhen
spices up
Bundesliga
on StarTimes
Plenty goals, great physical
game and fierce competition
have all contributed to raising the
Bundesliga’s profile, while also recording
the highest average attendance
of any football league in the
world.
The clubs have been recruiting
some of world’s most talented footballers
and the 2017 season is not
an exception. With the winter transfer
window now firmly shut, the
Bundesliga is now loaded with fantastic
talents and players who will
further spice up the games and give
fans exciting football action and experience
as the biggest clubs and
names battle for the ultimate title.
Alexander Isak, Bojan KrKic, Neven
Subotic and Nigerian Victor
Osimhen are among the most promising
and biggest transfers of the
winter transfer period who will rock
the 2016/17 Rückrunde. Already
adding punch to an increasingly enthralling
Bundesliga campaign,
many of the division’s biggest winter
transfer movers are proving
shrewd acquisitions to their respective
sides. Across the division, the
new faces have been tasked with
igniting the hopes or reviving the
fortunes of Bundesliga teams brimming
with ambition.
game with Milan,” Immobile
confirmed, speaking to
reporters outside the Lazio
nelle Scuole event.
“We’ll be facing a direct
rival, who beat Bologna
yesterday with nine-men. It
does bother me slightly not
having scored against the big
clubs, even if Atalanta can
now be considered as such.
•Osimhen
17-year old Swedish striker Isak is
sure a great buy for eight-time German
champions, Borussia Dortmund and
would be a fans delight any day. Regarded
as the long-term successor to
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Isak recently became
Sweden's youngest-ever goalscorer
and has scored 10 goals and
picked up one assist in 24 league
games for Solna so far this season.
Nigerian teenage striker Victor Osimhen
and the returning Ashkan Dejagah
will also add colour. The 18 year
old striker has been tipped to add
great spice to VfL Wolfsburg squad.
Nigerian fans can enjoy all the football
action and entertainment live and
exclusively on StarTimes football
channels, including ST World Football
(channel 245 or 254), ST Sports Premium
(channel 246 or 252) and ST
Sports Focus, said StarTimes Head of
Public Relations, Israel Bolaji.
•Immobile
•Ibrahimovic
•Moses
Mourinho
moves for
Willian
•Willian
JOSE MOURINHO is ready to launch another bid to land
Willian from Chelsea
The Brazilian has confirmed his former boss at Stamford
Bridge tried to lure him to Manchester United at the start
of the season.
Asked who had tried to sign him, he said the offer was from
“Manchester United, because Mourinho is there too.”
He gave no further details but Starsport understands Mourinho
will test the water again in the next transfer window.
The 28-year-old was easily Chelsea’s best-performing
player under the Portuguese coach last season prior to his
axing in December.
But the club’s player of the year has found himself playing
second fiddle to a revitalised Pedro on the right of Antonio
Conte’s three-man attack this season.
He admitted to finding it tough being left out, saying: “No
player likes to start the game at the bank.
“To be honest, I do not like it either. I like to be playing all
the time.”
Willian could be more receptive to an Old Trafford switch
in the summer if he continues to be frozen out.
But Chelsea will take some serious persuading to sell to
one of their major rivals, although an offer in the region of
£40m might persuade them to the negotiating table.
And there is a precedent, with Juan Mata moving from West
London to Manchester for £37m just over three years ago.
Ibrahimovic: I'm under
pressure
Hotshot Zlatan Ibrahimovic says
the pressure of playing
for Manchester United is everpresent.
The big Swede joined the Reds in
summer after starring for some of the
world's elite clubs in Ajax, Juventus
Barcelona, Inter and AC Milan and Paris
St Germain.
And despite becoming Jose Mourinho's
talisman and leading the Reds with
20 goals in all competitions, Ibrahimovic
acknowledges the demands on
players - plus the weight of the
club's history - means there is little
respite.
"If you represent a top club like
Manchester United that has a great
history, a great character you feel
the pressure," Ibrahimovic said.
"You have to keep up the rhythm
of the club and keep making history.
At a top club like Manchester
[United] the pressure is 24 hours."

Mourinho
Arsenal line up Allegri,
Tuchel to replace Wenger
ARSENAL have prepared a four-man
shortlist of potential new bosses in case
under-fire Arsene Wenger decides to call it
quits.
The Frenchman’s contract is up at the end of
the season with Emirates chiefs keen to offer
him a two-year extension.
But Wenger is waiting to see the Gunners’
final league position before he signs – leading
to concerns he may leave. And The Mirror
claim Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas
Tuchel leads a list of targets.
Juventus chief Massimiliano Allegri,
Bayer Leverkusen’s Roger Schmidt and
Monaco tactician Leonardo Jardim are also
believed to be in the frame.
Tuchel replaced Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund
and has established himself among Europe’s
leading coaches.
Juve boss Allegri has built on Antonio
Conte’s work while Schmidt and Jardim
have both increased their clubs’ profiles.
Wenger is still expected to be in the hot seat
next season and the Arsenal board are just
making sure they are prepared
Rivers Utd bullish as
they confront Real
Players of Rivers United FC are upbeat
about their chances when they face AS
Real Bamako today.
The ‘Pride of Rivers’ will be guests of AS
Real Bamako at the Stade Omnisports
Modibo Keïta, Bamako in the first leg of their
preliminary round clash in Africa’s apex club
competition; the CAF Champions League.
Club captain, Festus Austine is adamant
United can stun their Malian hosts .
“I am confident we can win. We will try to
do that emphatically on Saturday and finish
things off when we face them at home in the
second leg,” he told the club’s official
website, www.riversunitedfc.com.ng.
Nzube Anaezemba and Markson Ojobo
were both part of the Enyimba side that was
beaten over two legs by AS Real Bamako in
the first leg of the same competition in 2014.
They have taken the time to warn their new
teammates over what to expect in Bamako
Ojobo who was the first to speak harped
on the need to swing the support of the Real
Bamako fans their way.
“One thing we can do to make life easier
for ourselves is to start well. If we play entertaining
football ; their fans will start
cheering for us.
Rooney:
Mourinho has a
winning mentality
Wayne Rooney believes
that any player who is
willing to follow Jose
Mourinho 's instructions will
have the opportunity to succeed
under the Manchester
United manager.
The 31-year-old became the
club's all-time top scorer with a
last-minute goal against Stoke
last month, but is no longer a
regular starter for the club he
has represented since 2004.
Rooney has been used much
more sparingly under
Mourinho after enjoying near
untouchable status under
David Moyes and Louis van
Gaal.
But the United captain
believes that the boss makes no
secret of what he expects from
players - and those able to
Neymar:
24 things you
didn't know
about Barca star
Neymar turned 25 this week.
Here are 25 things you did
not know about the Brazilian and
Barca striker.
1.Has played in 504 matches,
scored 306 goals, given 167 assists,
and lifted 21 trophies.
2 Is one of six Brazilians to have
won the Champions League and
the Copa Libertadores
3 Has acted in several telenovelas,
music videos, and even alongside
Samuel Jackson in XXX.
4 After winning the 2016 Olym-
lewandowski
fulfil his demands will
thrive at Old Trafford.
"He's obviously a
top manager - I think
his record at all the
clubs he's been at
shows that," said
Rooney.
"I think he knows what he
wants from the players, and the
players know what the
manager wants from them.
"He's strong in that sense but
as long as you're doing what he
wants, then I'm sure you'll be
fine. I think you can see he has
got a winning mentality - not
that we didn't have that already,
but he's certainly
reminded us of
that."
SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017 — 47
pic Games with Brazil, he got a tatoo
of the six Olympic rings on his wrists
to commemorate the occasion
5 Holds record for fastest Olypic
goal, coming at just 14 seconds into
the match against Honduras
6 Has a dog named Poker
7 Considers his friends Lionel Messi
and Robinho his idols
8 Batman is his favourite superhero.
9 Flash and Gotham are his favourite
shows, as is Game of Thrones.
10 Favourite actor? Will Smith.
11 Favouite dish? Rice, frijoles,
french fries and meat.
12 Did you know that Neymar's left
foot is 0.5 centimetres smaller than his
right?
13 Often plays poker in his freetime.
He can also be found playing
the popular shooter Counter-Strike
Global Offensive.
14 Has always been No. 7, 10 or
11 on the pitch
15 Was alluded to in the
Simpsons.
16 His official webpage was
launched on 25/10/2010.
17 Was never able to win the Brasileirao
with Santos
18 His goals breakdown is as follows:
19 with his head, 217 with his
right foot, 67 with his left, one with
his chest, one with his heel, and one
with his knee
19 Is the 14th most followed person
on Instagram
20 Scored his 100th goal on the
day he turned 20.
21 First bobble-had hit the shelves
in 2010.
22 Has more than 30 tattoos
23 With 50 goals in 75 games, he
is Brazil's third highest goalscorer.
24 Dream is to win a World Cup
Bayern look to extend lead at Ingolstadt
They may have come bearing a
truckload of sausages on their
last visit, but on Matchday 20, FC
Bayern München will target leaving
with all three points against FC Ingolstadt
04
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge
promised to treat the entire
club staff at Ingolstadt to a traditional
Munich breakfast if they
beat Bayern's title rivals RB Leipzig
back in December.Die
Schanzer duly obliged and did their
Bavarian neighbours a favour, for
China not for me
—Onazi
Super Eagles midfielder,
Ogenyi
Onazi has said he will not
consider a move to
China because he is still
young and believes he
still has more years to
play in Europe.
Eagles stars Mikel
Obi and Odion Ighalo
have already been
lured to the Far East,
but Onazi said he
still wishes to ply his
trade in Europe for the time
being.
“China has provided a
platform for tempting offers
that it will be difficult for you
to say no,” Onazi said.
“It will be a strong league
soon because some of the
top stars are there now.
“But at this point in time,
I am still very young and
China won’t be an option.
“I still want to remain
and play in Europe, I’m
enjoying my time in
Turkey and I have the
ambition to go to a
bigger league in
Europe.”
which they were generously rewarded.
This time around, however, Carlo Ancelotti's
Bayern will likely not be so charitable,
particularly having dropped points at
home to FC Schalke 04 on Matchday 19.
The home side will likewise pay little
mind to pleasantries, however, having
lost last time out at Hertha Berlin. To be
sure, results against the likes of the Berliners
and Bayern will not be what decides
their top-flight fate, but Maik
Walpurgis' charges will welcome any point
they can scrap for in this season's relegation
battle

SATURDAY Vanguard, FEBRUARY 11, 2017
Griezmann to
snub Man U >>46
2018 World Cup
Cameroon
>>44
threaten Eagles
with defenders
Moses faces
Conte’s axe
>>46
TODAY’S FIXTURES
EPL
Arsenal v Hull 1:30pm
Man Utd v Watford 4pm
Middlesbrough v Everton 4pm
Stoke City v Crystal Palace 4pm
Sunderland v Southampton 4pm
West Ham v West Brom 4pm
Liverpool v Tottenham 6:30pm
SERIE A
Fiorentina v Udinese 8:45pm
LA LIGA
Real Betis v Valencia 1pm
Alaves v Barcelona 4:15pm
Athletic Bilbao v Deportivo 6:30pm
Osasuna v Real Madrid 8:45pm
BUNDESLIGA
Bayer Leverkusen v Frankfurt 3:30pm
FC Ingolstadt 04 v Bayern Munich 3:30pm
RB Leipzig v Hamburg 3:30pm
SV Darmstadt 98 v Dortmund 3:30pm
Werder Bremen v M’gladbach 3:30pm
Schalke
v Hertha Berlin 6:30pm
LIGUE 1
Guingamp v Lyon 5pm
Dijon v Caen 8pm
Lille v Angers 8pm
Monaco v Metz 8pm
Nancy
Toulouse
v Montpellier
v Bastia
8pm
8pm
EREDIVISIE
Heracles Almelo
Feyenoord
v Roda JC Kerk
v Groningen
6:30pm
7:45pm
Go Ahead Eagles
Vitesse Arnhem
v ADO Den Haag 7:45pm
v Willem II 8:45pm
NEYMAR:
24 things
you didn’t
know about
Barca star
>>47
Mourinho
moves for
Willian
>>47
CROSS WORD PUZZLE
ACROSS
2 Manchester United
Striker, Zlatan – (11)
7 Donkey – (3)
8 President, Women’s
World banking, Mrs.
Mary Ellen – 11
11 Ocean – (3)
12 L.G.A in Plateau State
– (5)
15 Igbo Word for
“Child”? – (5)
16 Former Benue State
Governor, Mr. George –
(5)
17 Former Australia
“Socceroos” Skipper,
Lucas – (5)
128 Sportswear Label –
(5)
19 Light Source – (5)
20 Delicacy Soup Dish
otherwise known as
“White Soup”? – (5)
23 Through – (3)
24 Osun State Deputy
Governor, Mrs. Grace
Titi – (5,6)
27 Yount Boy – (3)
28 Former Minister of
Youth Development, Mr.
Akinlabi – (11
DOWN
1 RB Leipzig Coach, Ralph
– (11)
2 L.G.A in Imo State – (6,5)
3 Former President,
National Union of Road
Transport Workers
(NURTW), Mr. Goke – (5)
4 Country in Asia – (5)
5 Paddle – (3)
6 L.G.A in Sokoto State –
(3)
9 Former Georgian Prime
Minister, Mr. Bidzina – (11)
10 Country in Europe –
(11)
12 Ivory Coast
“Elephants” Full-Back,
Wilfred – (5)
13 Nigerian Currency –
(5)
14 Former Cameroon
“Indomitable Lions” Striker,
Roger – (5)
21 Fabric – (5)
22 Bran of lemon Soft
Drink – (5)
25 Carpentar’s Tool (3)
26 Affirmative Statement
(3)
China not for me
—Onazi >>47
Lagos shuts down
for Marathon >>44
SOLUTION ON PAGE 5
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