15082018 - FIRST LADY OTHERS SHINE AT VANGUARD AWARDS

Heart of the matter,
with Chioma Gabriel
email: anyagafu@yahoo.com
Telephone: 08052201257
Justice on its head
It's so painful to see the
truth and keep quiet for
fear of being tagged an
enemy. People who say the
truth are hated but those who
play up to the gallery are loved
for their dishonesty and deceitfulness.
What manner of
man would you rather be?
The society tends to abhor decency
and truth. Truth has become
hate speech and those
who speak the truth can end
up in trouble.
Imagine dismissing terrorism
charges against two
Boko Haram suspects on
grounds of lack of diligent
prosecution by the office of
the AGF and this is a group
that has killed over 100,000
and displaced two million
going by the estimates over
the years.
Two million, one hundred
and fourteen thousand
(2,114,000) persons were internally
displaced as at December
of 2016, with five
hundred and thirty-seven
thousand, eight hundred and
fifteen (537,815) in separate
camps; 158,201 are at official
camps that consists of six
centres with two transit
camps in Maiduguri.
There are 379,614 IDP’S at
15 satellite camps. 73,404
persons were forced to become
refugees in neighbouring
countries with Niger having
11,402 and Cameroon
having 62,002.
There is an official record
of 52,311 orphans who are
separated and unaccompanied.
There are 54,911 widows
who have lost their husbands
to the insurgency.
An initial post-insurgency
Recovery and Peace Building
Assessment, RPBA, report on
the north-east in 2016 (forget
the period of 2017 to the current
time)which was jointly
validated by the World Bank,
the European Union, the presidency
and the six states of the
north-east, had it that Boko
Haram has inflicted damages
to the tune of $9 billion in
the region. The destruction in
Borno State amounts to $6
billion as supported by statistics.
Yet, the Nigerian legal system
dared to dismiss terrorism
charges against members
of this group. This also
means that those who did not
shed blood or carried dangerous
arms like Boko Haram
and herdsmen deserve national
honours.
Nigerians have received
the gospel of peace. What is
going on has little or nothing
Now, instead of
disarming
herdsmen,
vigilante groups
and individuals
who are armed to
defend their
communities have
been disarmed
to do with religion. The fact
that the only Christian girl,
Leah Sharibu was not among
the freed Dapchi girls has
nothing to do with her being
a Christian. It was a mere religious
coincidence. Leah
Sharibu is just unfortunate. In
fact, she is so unfortunate that
she is not even aware that her
family has been thrown into
another mourning since her
disappearance.
Who would tell the sole re-
SUNDAY VANGUARD, APRIL 15, 2018, PAGE 9
maining hostage of the Dapchi
mass abduction that her
family was thrown into another
mourning on the loss of her
great uncle while she is still in
Boko Haram captivity?
It has been said that the
name Leah has nothing to do
with her continued captivity.
So, it has nothing to do with
religion. Therefore nobody
should accuse Boko Haram
or herdsmen of perpetrating
islamization .
It was the stupid ghost of
the late Libyan leader, Muammar
Gaddafi who trained,
turned these gentlemen into
Boko Haram terrorists and
killer herdsmen that should
be blamed.
That is the truth.
Even the sage said so. According
to him, the problem
is even older than Nigeria. It
has always been there but now
made worse by the influx of
armed gunmen from the Sahel
region into different parts
of the West African sub-region.
These gunmen were trained
and armed by Muammar
Gaddafi of Libya. When Gaddafi
was killed, the gunmen
escaped with their arms.
These are Boko Haram
members and the herdsmen
we have today. Herdsmen
that we used to know carried
only sticks and maybe a cutlass
to clear the way but these
ones now carry sophisticated
weapons. The problem is
not religious, but sociological
and economic.
There is no greater truth
than this. So, these gentlemen,
sorry, I mean herdsmen are
not terrorists. They are not
even Nigerians and yet they
have a leeway into Nigeria,
wreaking havoc while the
powers that be hesitate to
take drastic action to stop
them.
Now, instead of disarming
herdsmen, vigilante groups
and individuals who are
armed to defend their communities
have been disarmed.
In all these, some members
of Biafra agitation groups
have been languishing in detention
for years. Yet they have
never borne arms and ammunition
nor shed any blood.
Ce n'est rien que la justice
debout sur sa tête. (This is nothing
but justice standing on its
head)
By Frederick Owonka
VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF
Nigeria’s aspiration becoming
reality
THANKS to corruption, poor
management, sponsored sabotage
and fake news/barriers created
by competitors/importers
afraid of competition, professional
litigants, many Nigeria’s industrial
initiatives have either collapsed
or were abandoned. Nigeria’s
steel industry is one of the key
economic sectors abandoned by
the past administrations in the
country, and no reasonable government
can afford to see such huge
investments go into waste.
Since the Buhari administration
was elected into office in 2015, the
country has witnessed a rigorous
and well-focused commitment to
revive the country’s abandoned
industrial projects. The steel industry
is one of the major pillars of
Nigeria’s economic diversification
efforts. Undoubtedly, the Buhari
administration has demonstrated
a real commitment to this national
endeavour.
Local production of steel will significantly
reduce Nigeria’s importation
of steel and save Nigeria a
minimum of US$3billion dollars
in foreign exchange per year. In a
world that has grown furiously
competitive, no nation can afford
to rely on one export commodity.
Reviving the Steel Industry for Economic Development
It is not enough for
investors to make
profits, but they
should also make
positive impact on
the lives of the
communities where
they serve
It is, in fact, no longer safe for Nigeria
to depend entirely on oil as
the main revenue earner.
One of the key objectives of
privatization is the desire to
achieve efficiency and profitability.
Besides, the success or failure
of privatization also depends on
the technical experience and competence
of the investors taking
over public enterprises.
Premium Steel and Mines Limited,
fully owned by Nigerians with
50 years of successful track record
in key sectors & major Industries
of the economy is making impressive
progress in terms of achieving
Nigeria’s economic diversification
initiatives.
According to the Managing Director
and CEO of Prasantra
Mishra, Premium Steel and
Mines Ltd, will produce 50 per
cent of Nigeria’s steel needs in the
first phase of manufacture.
With its facility at Ovwian, Aladja,
Delta State, the company has
pledged to meet more than 50 per
cent of steel products need during
the first phase of production. Premium
Steel has been allocated
Iron ore mines in Kogi and will
commence mining soon. Mr.
Mishra, who announced this at
the official commissioning of the
steel and mining facility, said it
was high time “Nigeria, sustainably
and inclusively converged
with the rest of the world to enhance
industrial and GDP per
capita income.
Mr. Mishra explained: “We are
touching the lives of the local
communities, particularly
through accessible and affordable
healthcare, employment, women
empowerment, education and
sustainable development.
It is not enough for investors to
make profits, but they should also
make positive impact on the lives
of the communities where they
serve. In line with this objective,
Mr. Mishra noted that his company
is committed to Nigeria’s
industrial and economic revolution
to lay the foundation of efforts
to address poverty and inequality
by creating job opportunities,
and wealth creation.
The former Delta Steel Company,
which was estimated to produce
1.2 million tons of various
steel products per annum, is currently
being ably and efficiently
run by Premium Steel and Mines
Ltd.
Backed by sound experience,
these Nigerian investors have remarkably
transformed the former
Delta Steel Company into modern
industrial success story. The
company is now retooled with
state-of-the-art equipment and “it
is ready for competitive production
as the wheels spin once
again”.
Ranked as one of Nigeria’s best
steel mills to produce the BS 4449
grade steel, Premium Steel has the
capacity to produce high capacity
and quality products to be used
for high-rise buildings, bridges,
flyovers, malls due to its tough
mechanical and remarkable
strength.
No less important government
support is essential to the success
of the investors Mr. Mishra
praised the Buhari administration’s
industrial transformation
agenda, describing it as the “prerequisite
for economic development
and sustained per capita income.
He also recognized the dynamic
leadership style, guidance
and support of the Minister of
Mines and Steel Development, Dr.
Kayode Fayemi for what he called
Fayemi’s “strong initiative.”
According to Dr. Fayemi’s Road
Map for development, his Ministry
is capable of contributing $27
billion dollars to the country’s
GDP. According to Fayemi’s road
map, Nigeria aspires to be Africa’s
mining mineral processing
centre for 2016 and in 2020; it
seeks to make Nigeria compete
in the global market for refined
metals and minerals from 2018
to 2030 with the ultimate goal of
achieving globally competitive
mining sector.
*Owonka is based in Asaba,
Delta State
Ogun employed 3,000 food vendors in one year – Special Duties Commissioner
By Daud Olatunji,
Abeokuta
OGUN State govern
ment has said that
since the Home Grown
School Feeding Programme
started over a
year ago, it had employed
2,948 food vendors to
cook for pupils in 1,510
Promote Rep to Senate, Urhobo leaders urged
Olorogun Sunny Akpo
diogaga Emeyese, a
former House of Representatives
member; Chief Patrick
Egone; and Chief Benson
Asore have urged the people
of Delta Central to promote
House of Reps member, Hon.
Evelyn Oboro to the Senate
by voting for her come 2019.
The trio, who spoke during
Oboro’s consultative visit to
Kokori, Ughelli and Otor-
Ogor, described the lawmaker
as a very courageous woman
poised to deliver dividends
of democracy to her people.
public primary schools.
It also said it had recorded
a sharp increase
in enrolment of pupils into
public primary schools.
The state Commissioner
for Special Duties,
Adeleke Adewolu, disclosed
this while fielding
questions from newsmen
At the residence of Emeyese,
the former lawmaker
told Oboro that she didn’t
need to appeal to the people
of Kokori before they will
support her. “Oboro as my
former colleague at the
House of Representatives deserves
promotion because
she is very smart and very
qualified to represent Urhobo
at the Senate”, he said.
On his part, Egone said he
didn’t see any reason why he
will not support Oboro for the
Senate because he has found
out that majority of women
on the sidelines of the
meeting of Transparency
and Accountability
Project for Home Grown
School Feeding Programme
in the state.
The programme is one
of the social intervention
programmes of the President
Muhammadu Buhari
in Delta Central are supporting
her.
At Otor-Ogor, Asore said:
“Oboro has been courageous
and determined to achieve, it
is such a person I support. It
is time to support a woman
for the Senate and that woman
is Hon. Evelyn Oboro. I
live in Uvwie, her records are
everywhere there for even the
blind to see”. Oboro told the
leaders that she was at their
residences to intimate them
with her decision to run for
the Delta Central senatorial
seat come 2019.
administration, and the
state is one of the few
states where the pilot of
the programme took office
in January 2017.
According to Adewolu
,the programme had led to
a boost in agricultural
production in the state,as
over 25,000 farmers,
Asocio-political group,
Concerned Citizens for
Izon-Ebe Development
(CCID), has urged Hon.
Franc Enekorogha to contest
for the 2019 Burutu Federal
Constituency for adequate
service delivery and effective
representation.
The group in a press statement
signed by its national
coordinator, Mr. Teidewei
Zumughan, said: ‘We call on
Hon. Franc Enekorogha to
contest for the Burutu Federal
Constituency 2019 for adequate
service delivery and
many of whom had been
trained individually or in
cooperatives by the Ogun
State Agricultural Development
Programme
(OGADEP), were cultivating
different food crops to
feed our pupils.
“We have employed
2,948 vendors across the
Burutu Fed. Constituency 2019:
Group urges Enekoragha to contest
effective representation. The
call became necessary after
a critical search on who to
rescue Burutu federal consti
tuency from poor leadership/representation.
“ Burutu federal constituency
is in dilemma, and needs
a credible and tested leader
like Franc Enekorogha to
save the people from poor representation
at the national
state who cook for the pupils
in one thousand five
hundred and ten schools”,
he said.
He explained that the increase
was noticeable in
primaries 1 to 3, in which
the pupils were current
beneficiaries of the programme.
politics. When Hon. Frank
Enekoragha was there, people
at both the national and
local level felt his impact.”
He said.
The group said that House
of Representatives politics
should be left in the hands of
experienced minds who could
command respect from other
colleagues that make
things happen.